Grapes of Wrath on TCM now. If your kids are home from school, tell them to watch it.

[IrishAyes]

4. John Steinbeck was always a favorite of mine, and so was Fonda.

I started reading Steinbeck at such an early age that I had to hide it from most adults. So many of his books were considered scandalous at the time. But he could write characters like nobody else. Consider 'The Wayward Bus'. Most of those people would easily escape notice in everyday life, but Steinbeck made them memorable. He had a profound effect on my own life.

The only film of the era that I found comparable was the original 'Salt of the Earth'. I think there's been a remake, but I'm not interested. 'Norma Rae' and 'Matewan' were later favorites, too. Beginning to see a trend here?