Passes the Bechdel test
The Grapes of Wrath
1940. Directed by John Ford, written by Nunnally Johnson and John Steinbeck.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
19 women characters. 4 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 1. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
The Joad clan, introduced to the world in John Steinbeck's iconic novel, is looking for a better life in California. After their drought-ridden farm is seized by the bank, the family -- led by just-paroled son Tom -- loads up a truck and heads West. On the road, beset by hardships, the Joads meet dozens of other families making the same trek and holding onto the same dream. Once in California, however, the Joads soon realize that the promised land isn't quite what they hoped.
- Released
- 15 Mar 1940
- Genres
- Drama
- Rated
- Approved
- IMDb
- 8.1 / 10
- Metascore
- 96 / 100
- Awards
- Won 2 Oscars. 13 wins & 6 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Tom 249 lines, man
- Ma 118 lines, woman
- Pa 79 lines, man
- Casy 60 lines, man
- Al 48 lines, man
- Muley 32 lines, man
- Caretaker 24 lines, man
- Grampa 23 lines, man
- Rosasharn 23 lines, woman
- Driver 18 lines, man
Full cast, 133 people
- Henry Fonda as Tom Joad
- Jane Darwell as Ma Joad
- John Carradine as Casy
- Charley Grapewin as Grandpa Joad
- Dorris Bowdon as Rosasharn
- Russell Simpson as Pa Joad
- O.Z. Whitehead as Al Joad
- John Qualen as Muley Graves
- Eddie Quillan as Connie Rivers
- Zeffie Tilbury as Grandma Joad
- Frank Sully as Noah
- Frank Darien as Uncle John
- Darryl Hickman as Winfield
- Shirley Mills as Ruth Joad
- Roger Imhof as Thomas
- Grant Mitchell as Caretaker
- Charles D. Brown as Wilkie
- John Arledge as Davis
- Ward Bond as Policeman
- Harry Tyler as Bert
- William Pawley as Bill
- Charles Tannen as Joe
- Selmer Jackson as Inspection Officer
- Charles Middleton as Leader
- Eddy Waller as Proprietor
- Paul Guilfoyle as Floyd
- David Hughes as Frank
- Cliff Clark as City Man
- Joe Sawyer as Bookkeeper
- Frank Faylen as Tim
- Adrian Morris as Agent
- Hollis Jewell as Muley's Son
- Robert Homans as Spencer
- Irving Bacon as Driver
- Kitty McHugh as Mae
- Gino Corrado as Chef (uncredited)
- Pat Flaherty as Deputy (uncredited)
- Francis Ford as Migrant (uncredited)
- Herbert Heywood as Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
- Mae Marsh as Muley's Wife (uncredited)
- Dan White as Poor Man Walking with Woman in Transient Camp (uncredited)
- Wally Albright as Boy Who Bragged of Eating Chicken (uncredited)
- Erville Alderson as Arkansas Storekeeper (uncredited)
- Robert J. Anderson as Hungry Boy (uncredited)
- Arthur Aylesworth as Father (uncredited)
- Trevor Bardette as Jule - Bouncer at Dance (uncredited)
- Joe Bordeaux as Migrant (uncredited)
- George P. Breakston as Willie (uncredited)
- Buster Brodie as Migrant (uncredited)
- Delmar Costello as Migrant (uncredited)
- W.H. Davis as Migrant (uncredited)
- Emily Gerdes as Migrant (uncredited)
- Barney Gilmore as Migrant (uncredited)
- Edna Hall as Migrant (uncredited)
- Charles Herzinger as Migrant (uncredited)
- Harry Holden as Migrant (uncredited)
- David Kirkland as Migrant (uncredited)
- Lillian Lawrence as Migrant (uncredited)
- Scotty Mattraw as Migrant (uncredited)
- Frank Newburg as Migrant (uncredited)
- Walter Perry as Migrant (uncredited)
- Rose Plumer as Migrant (uncredited)
- Al Stewart as Migrant (uncredited)
- Charles Thurston as Migrant (uncredited)
- D.H. Turner as Migrant (uncredited)
- John Wallace as Peg-Leg Migrant (uncredited)
- Charles West as Migrant (uncredited)
- Russ Clark as Guard (uncredited)
- James Flavin as Guard (uncredited)
- Philip Morris as Guard (uncredited)
- Max Wagner as Guard (uncredited)
- Harry Cording as Deputy (uncredited)
- Ralph Dunn as Deputy (uncredited)
- Bob Reeves as Deputy (uncredited)
- Lee Shumway as Deputy (uncredited)
- Paul Sutton as Deputy (uncredited)
- William Haade as Deputy with shogun (uncredited)
- Frank O'Connor as Deputy #1 (uncredited)
- Harry Tenbrook as Deputy / Troublemaker (uncredited)
- Tom Tyler as Deputy Handcuffing Casy (uncredited)
- Thornton Edwards as Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
- Rex Lease as Cop (uncredited)
- Ben Hall as Gas Station Attendant in Bakersfield (uncredited)
- Louis Mason as Man in Camp (uncredited)
- Walter McGrail as Gang Leader (uncredited)
- Walter Miller as New Mexico Border Guard (uncredited)
- George O'Hara as Clerk (uncredited)
- Ted Oliver as State Policeman (uncredited)
- Inez Palange as Woman in Camp (uncredited)
- Steve Pendleton as Gas Station Attendant #2 in Needles (uncredited)
- Robert Shaw as Gas Station Attendant #1 in Needles (uncredited)
- Jack Pennick as Camp Helper (uncredited)
- Dick Rich as Keene Ranch Guard (uncredited)
- Gloria Roy as Waitress (uncredited)
- Peggy Ryan as Hungry Girl (uncredited)
- Georgia Simmons as Woman (uncredited)
- Harry Strang as Fred - Trucker #2 at Diner (uncredited)
- Glen Walters as Woman Who Gets Shot (uncredited)
- Norman Willis as Joe - Shot at Floyd (uncredited)
- Bill Wolfe as Square-Dance Caller (uncredited)
- Waclaw Rekwart as Migrant (uncredited)
- Josephine Allen as Migrant (uncredited)
- John Binns as Migrant (uncredited)
- Leon Brace as Migrant (uncredited)
- Henry Brahe as Migrant (uncredited)
- Scotty Brown as Migrant (uncredited)
- Hal Budlong as Migrant (uncredited)
- Nora Bush as Migrant (uncredited)
- Shirley Coates as Girl in Migrant Camp (uncredited)
- Cal Cohen as Migrant (uncredited)
- Cecil Cook as Migrant (uncredited)
- Jim Corey as Buck Jackson - Witness at Dance (uncredited)
- Jane Crowley as Migrant (uncredited)
- Helen Dean as Migrant (uncredited)
- John Dilson as Bookseller (uncredited)
- Lillian Drew as Migrant (uncredited)
- Frank Atkinson as Migrant (uncredited)
- Tex Cooper as Migrant (uncredited)
- Billy Elmer as Migrant (uncredited)
- William Gillis as Migrant (uncredited)
- Don Hawks as Migrant (uncredited)
- Jules Michelson as Migrant (uncredited)
- Richard Neill as Migrant (uncredited)
- Jack Perrin as Deputy (uncredited)
- Spencer Quinn as Boy (uncredited)
- Brick Sullivan as Deputy (uncredited)
- William Sundholm as Migrant (uncredited)
- Pearl Varvalle as Migrant (uncredited)
- Eleanore Vogel as Migrant (uncredited)
- Harry Wallace as Migrant (uncredited)
- Jack Walters as Migrant (uncredited)
- Jim Welch as Migrant (uncredited)
- Bill Worth as Migrant (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
We couldn't read who says what in this film's script, so there's no dialogue chart for it yet.
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scene
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
GRANMA: Puh-raise the Lawd for vittory! ROSASHARN: Ma... all this, will it hurt the baby?
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 19 are women's.
186 lines from women, 788 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
19 women and 96 men in the cast. 4 women and 41 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 2 of 1,025.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 122 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 20% of the words (2,498), men 80% (9,801). Women have 19% of the lines, so their lines run longer than men's.
Exhibit E: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
1
Two men
46
Exhibit F: behind the camera
1 of the 8 people in these jobs is a woman.
Across the whole crew, 4% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- John Ford (man)
- Written by
- Nunnally Johnson (man)
- From the novel by
- John Steinbeck (man)
- Produced by
- Darryl F. Zanuck (man)
- Shot by
- Gregg Toland (man)
- Edited by
- Robert L. Simpson (man)
- Music by
- Alfred Newman (man)
- Costumes by
- Gwen Wakeling (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Camera
0 women, 3 men, 6 not listed
-
Sound
0 women, 6 men, 2 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
1 women, 2 men, 4 not listed
-
Art
0 women, 4 men, 2 not listed
-
Directing
0 women, 2 men, 3 not listed
-
Editing
0 women, 2 men, 2 not listed
-
Production
0 women, 4 men
-
Lighting
0 women, 1 men, 1 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 54 on average. Men: 43 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Dorris Bowdon 25, Jane Darwell 60, Zeffie Tilbury 76
Men
O.Z. Whitehead 29, Eddie Quillan 32, Henry Fonda 34, John Carradine 34, John Qualen 40, Russell Simpson 59, Charley Grapewin 70
Exhibit H: the money
It made 2.0 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $800,000
- Box office
- $1.6 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 1 scenes and 1,025 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
