A quality CBS-TV movie, this Emmy-winning 1974 drama scripted by Lanford Wilson from a story by Tennessee Williams focuses on the Barlows, a clan of modern-day migrant workers who follow a longstanding annual routine of picking and packaging produce, traveling in caravans from the South to the North. Son Lyle (Ron Howard) scrimps and saves in order to buy the family out of their running debts to their straw boss. But while near Cincinnati, Lyle meets a town girl (Howard's own American Graffiti costar Cindy Williams) who inspires the boy to try striking out on his own, breaking the cycle that seems to keep him trapped in rootlessness and poverty. Cloris Leachman and Ed Lauter are the Barlow parents, while Sissy Spacek plays their daughter. Directed by Tom Gries, The Migrants is a classic TV movie, one that will be a revelation for viewers who only associate Howard with Happy Days or as a director of Hollywood blockbusters. Highly recommended. (C. Cassady)
The Migrants
Kino Lorber, 90 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99 Volume 32, Issue 4
The Migrants
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