CANNERY ROW (1982)

 

Written & Directed By: David S. Ward Based on the novels “Cannery Row” and “Sweet Thursday” By: John Steinbeck Cinematography: Sven Nykvist Editor: David Bretherton 

Cast: Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, M. Emmet Walsh, Audra Lindley, Frank McRae, James Keane, Kathleen Doyle, Art LaFleur, John Huston 

A depressed section of Monterey, California, known as Cannery Row from its string of now-empty canning plants is the backdrop for an offbeat romantic comedy about a pair of mismatched lovers. Doc is a lonely marine biologist (and former baseball star) who supplies specimens for science labs and classrooms. Suzy is a scrappy drifter who can't even succeed as a prostitute because of her abrasive manner. When the two get together, it's fireworks, though not the romantic kind. Not to worry, everything is in the hands of Cannery Row's resident guardian angels, Mack and the boys, a band of drunken derelicts whose hearts are in the right place, even though their brains are not.

NORMA RAE (1979)

Directed By: Martin Ritt 
Written By: Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr. 
Cinematography By: John A. Alonzo 
Editor: Sidney Levin 


Cast: Sally Field, Ron Liebman, Beau Bridges, Pat Hingle, Barbara Baxley, Gail Strickland, Noble Willingham, Bob Minor, Grace Zabriskie, Frank McRae, 

Like a lot of her family before her, Norma Rae works at the local textile mill, where the pay is hardly commensurate with the long hours and lousy working conditions. But after hearing a rousing speech by labor activist Reuben, Norma is inspired to rally her fellow workers behind the cause of unionism. Her decision rankles her family, especially her fiancé, Sonny, and provokes no shortage of contempt from her employers.