In Hal Ashby’s 1976 biographical portrait of Woody Guthrie, David Carradine gives a worthwhile performance as the failed sign painter who eventually finds an income writing and singing folk songs during the Great Depression. Ashby also does a fine job executing the film’s period atmosphere across an extensive setting, from California to Bedloe’s Island, as Guthrie would say. The drama, however, is less satisfying. Few of the experiences concocted by the screenwriters seem legitimate. Most are too pat and avoid the complexities of real life. At 146 minutes the film seems to wander around a lot without getting anywhere.

Summary by Doug Pratt

Apparently, Woody Guthrie (portrayed by David Carradine) was a rambling unfocused man, and so is this movie. I suppose that's fitting, but it doesn't make it interesting. Part of the problem is Woody himself. He's one of the victims of the depression, but I'm not sure he knows it. He knows he's poor, but he doesn't care. He's happy as long as he can get the occasional meal and woman, but this doesn't help his wife, who's at home with two small children. He's outraged by the conditions forced upon the pickers, and he refuses to compromise the political messages in his music. This is admirable, but he can't separate his personal sense of outrage from his family's needs. It's one thing to stick to your ideals, but it's another to not provide for your family. You can certainly do both, as his friend Ozark (Ronny Cox) learned to do. Through the period covered in this movie, Woody's attitude toward work and money never change--he's a free spirit that has no business being married.

I'm not sure Woody's music is given its due, and that's obviously the most important aspect to his life. The one thing I did like was the recreation of the dust bowl and the legions of downtrodden folk. The movie effectively demonstrates how important unions were to this country at one time. We never actually see a union, but we see why they were necessary. Once unions forced companies to pay workers fairly, the middle class in this country exploded, and it's the middle class that makes this country strong. --Bill Alward, August 9, 2001