MovieChat Forums > The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Discussion > Diner Scene

Diner Scene

posted 9 years ago by lisajohn-4
11 replies | jump to latest

This scene makes me tear up every time. Grandpa only has a dime to spend on some bread. The waitress says that a loaf of bread costs 15 cents. Then the cook (I presume the owner of the diner) says sell it for 10 cents, even though they will run out before the next delivery. Then Grandpa asks about the price of some candy for the children. The waitress picks up on the owner's attitude and sells the candy, two for a penny (instead of 5 cents each). Grandpa seems oblivious. Then the two truck drivers, after watching all this, pay for their lunch and don't take their change. Their way of contributing.
While both the owner and the truck drivers are both gruff in their responses to the waitress (because they are "guys"), they are clearly sympathetic to the Joad's plight. I thought this scene was very well done. it speaks to the idea that some folks knew that that were lucky to have work. And only half-a-step ahead of the Joads. So they gave what they could. Very effective story-telling.

[–] poncedeleroy 9 years ago

Nice catch!

[–] ibbi 9 years ago

I absolutely love that they had this scene in there. They could have easily chopped it without missing much, but that they include it, and that they execute it so brilliantly only makes the whole film that much better.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p31aGy_jD3E&t=1m22s

[–] crockett_john 9 years ago

It looks like they left two dollars behind as their change, which is a big contribution for those days.

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I blame autocorrect.

You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.

[–] brinsonmh 8 years ago

Man I'll miss threads like this when these boards close!

You could tell they all felt sorry for the Joads and that the Joads always had their dignity. They weren't beggars and the diner owner and waitress didn't want to make them feel like beggars. Truckers left close to $35 change in 2017 $.

Every single character was well drawn.

[–] telegonus (736) 8 years ago

Great scene. Director John Ford at his best. Doesn't miss a beat.

[–] MissMargoChanning (6630) 7 years ago

" I thought this scene was very well done. it speaks to the idea that some folks knew that that were lucky to have work. And only half-a-step ahead of the Joads. So they gave what they could. Very effective story-telling."

I couldn't agree more. I like that scene.
I also have to say that it was a nice balance when you consider how many ignorant people they came across along the way, like the two gas attendants who thought they were foolish to be crossing the desert in that old jalopy, and of course, the people in those first two camps.

[–] redban (6165) 4 years ago

The person who thought they were foolish to cross the desert in that jalopy wasn’t being insulting. I think he was offering legit counsel. They were taking a huge risk trying to cross the vicious desert in that piece of trash

[–] TheArgentinian (7062) 4 years ago

Republicans today would tell those poor folks to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and stop waiting for a handout.

[–] Colorado_Kid (214) 3 years ago

The Joads where pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and not waiting for a handout.

[–] redban (6165) 4 years ago

OP — that scene actually wasn’t Grandpa. It was the Pa.

But overall, I agree. Good scene.

One detail to pick up on. Right before Pa enters the store, the waitress and the trucker are making a joke and having cheerful banter. Then as she sees Pa entering, she says, “Cheese it” and they become silent. The book does a better job explaining this detail. They become silent when Pa enters the diner because they actually scorned the Western migrants, the Okies. As the book says, the Western migrants often came to diner looking for discounts and charity, as they didn’t have money; so the waitress and truckers were expecting the same from Pa. You might even conjecture that they probably rejected many others like Pa, who passed through. That they would, at this moment, be touched by Pa’s plight signifies an unexpected leap in their attitude, occurring on the spot.

[–] ProFromDover (286) 9 months ago

I don't know if was in the book, but either way John Ford must have had some good feelings for truckers.

It was funny that when they left their change - which appeared to be 3-4 half dollars - the cashier looked surprised and the one gruffly said " what's it to ya." I took it to mean he thought if this diner was nice enough to help the Joads, the two guys could recognize that, with a big tip.
The cashier ended up saying truckers as the pair sped into the desert.