God's Little Acre

God's Little Acre, a 1958 film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Ryan, was based on a sensational novel from the 1930s by Erskine Caldwell that inspired attempts to ban it by various organizations because of its sexual nature. The film was restricted to audiences over 18, but of course it's not very racy in the context of today.

The film is set on a Georgia farm during the Great Depression. Ryan owns the farm, but instead of using it to grow crops, he has spent 15 years digging for gold that his grandfather told him about. The land is pitted with holes that he and his two sons have helped him dig.

One son (Jack Lord), is married to Tina Louise (the film is full of actors who made it big in 1960s TV--Michael Landon and Vic Morrow also co-star). She oozes sexuality, with her bosom practically jumping out of her dress. Lord is jealous of his sister's husband (Aldo Ray), who lusts after Louise. A daughter (Fay Spain), has slept with many men, but a local man running for Sheriff (Buddy Hackett) wants to marry her.

A subplot involves Ray and the cotton mill where he worked. The mill has closed, but Ray is adamant about starting it again. It was this angle of workers' rights that was Caldwell's main focus of the book.

The tone of the film varies from comic to tragic, often in a style that is usually called "rollicking." At times it recalls the later TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies," especially when Ryan visits a son who has married well and lives in luxury. It was often hard to tell if the script mocked the characters or admired them.

The title refers to a patch of ground on Ryan's farm that he has promised to the church--anything that grows on it will belong to them. He marks the land with a cross. But just in case the gold is there, he constantly moves it around, saying a little prayer. Finally he sticks it in a creek, and asks the Lord to strike him dead if he objects. Needless to say, Ryan survives.

The film was not a box office success, and this is probably due to the time for the book having expired. Even though it was racy for 1958 (in one scene Spain takes a bath and Hackett gets a peek at her) it was no longer the sensation it was in the '30s, and the Marxist angle no longer resonated. It's an interesting picture, but not a very good one.