If you haven't watched Mitchell's documentary Woody Guthrie and The Ghost of Tom Joad Today, go stream it while it's still available. You won't be disappointed.
For anyone who's not quite sure why the right hates PBS, it's because they continue to air much needed documentaries that tie in our recent history and the history of the labor movement, the exploitation of desperate people, and the abuse of migrants in America -- that most Americans are unfortunately completely oblivious about -- to what's going on in modern times as Mitchell did here.
Woody Guthrie documentary to make world premiere:
The documentary includes a dozen Guthrie songs, including “This Land Is Our Land.” By special arrangement with Bruce Springsteen, his song “The Ghost of Tom Joad”—a highlight of concerts on his recent history-making tour–provides a key link to issues surrounding immigration, enforcement, and anti-ICE protests today. Joe Klein, who wrote Woody Guthrie: A Life as well as Primary Colors, has seen the film and commented, “Well done! And perfect for the spirit of the times. This is a great doc—just what we need right now.”
In the 1930s, as the Great Depression deepened, tens of thousands of families in Texas and the Midwest fled poverty and the Dust Bowl for the promise of jobs in California. Many of these refugees, failing to find steady work, were herded into migrant camps. A famous novelist, John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath, and a little-known folksinger, Woody Guthrie, would soon become friends and allies in exposing the horrific conditions. The new documentary explores for the first time those conditions and the chain of events that brought these two American icons together in 1938.
Steinbeck and Guthrie would both be involved in the classic movie based on the Steinbeck novel, starring Henry Fonda, and appeared together at migrant camps and rallies. Woody would compose one of his most famous songs named for the lead character in The Grapes of Wrath—Tom Joad.
The film reveals numerous surprises, such as the amazing full story of Woody’s years in Los Angeles and how he came to write “This Land Is Your Land,” which was not the song’s original title. It closes with words and images that reveal echoes of 1930s conflicts in conditions and debates today.
Those who forget our history are doomed to repeat it. Sadly, not enough will watch this to keep that from happening, but I'm happy there are still media entities out there doing their part to educate people.
