WINCHENDON — On Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 1:30 p.m. the Beals Memorial Library will kick off its monthly matinee screenings of classic movies with a showing of “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940). This film version of John Steinbeck’s novel was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Actor (Henry Fonda). John Ford won the Oscar for Best Director and Jane Darwell won the Best Supporting Actress honors for her portrayal of Ma Joad, the matriarch of the struggling migrant farmer family.
The film follows Tom Joad (Fonda) as he returns home from having served a prison sentence for manslaughter. Upon his arrival he finds his family homestead overwhelmed by weather and the greed of the banking industry. With little work potential on the horizon of the Oklahoma dust bowl, the entire family packs up and heads for the promise land – California. But the arduous trip and harsh living conditions they encounter offer little hope, and family unity proves as daunting a challenge as any other they face.
The film is not rated and runs 2 hours and 9 minutes.
Upcoming movie classics include Alfred Hitchcock’s, “The Birds,” on Oct. 30, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” on Nov. 20, and “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Dec. 18. All movies start at 1:30 p.m. and are shown on a 18-inch screen.
The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant St. Call the library at 978-297-0300 for more information.