By Gordon Durich
In “Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad Today” writer director producer Greg Mitchell takes us on a wonderful trip. The documentary airing on PBS So Cal and premiering on June 25 is an enjoyable hour of nostalgia and timely entertainment.
Narrator is Roseanne Cash, Johnny Cash’s daughter. Music is by the “Boss” Bruce Springsteen. “Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad Today” traces the journey of the most important American folk artist of the first half of the 20th Century. Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” is a standard classic musical gem.
In the film, we witness Guthrie becoming allies with writer John Steinbeck — both refugees from the Dust Bowl. They make tracks to California and expose the horrid conditions along the way.
The documentary is a topical reflection on justice- and the power of music, song and words. American history is spotlighted and relevant, given the upcoming 250th US birthday.
Guthrie, controversial and colorful, had a guitar with the inscription “This machine kills fascists.”
He was Bob Dylan’s hero. Dylan wrote “Song to Woody” as an ode, borrowing the melody from Guthrie’s folk ballad “1913 Massacre.”
With a herd of 8 children, Guthrie’s son Arlo Guthrie was the most famed, for “Alice’s Restaurant,” a favorite movie and song of mine. Also “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” the Thanksgiving Day lyrical anchor and parody.
Side note: Hollywood was founded in 1887, and this Woody Guthrie film is a raw contrast to glamorous movies a-la-Hollywood.
Check your local listing for “Woody Guthrie” airings.
