Cannery Row
Cannery Row is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1945. It is set during the Great Depression in Monterey, California, on a street lined with sardine canneries that is known as Cannery Row. The story revolves around the people living there: Lee Chong, the local grocer; D…
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Is Cannery Row based on a true story?
Feb 12, 1982 · Cannery Row: Directed by David S. Ward. With Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, Audra Lindley, Frank McRae. Monterey, California in the 1940's. Cannery Row - the section of town where the now closed fish canneries are located - is inhabited primarily by the down and out, although many would not move away even if they could.
Who are the actors in the movie Cannery Row?
What was the movie Cannery Row about? The story is about the skid row denizens of Monterey, California , during World War II. As declining fish stocks are shutting down a previously rich fishery and the dependent canning industry, bums and prostitutes lead colorful and adventurous lives in a balmy seaside setting.
What is Cannery Row Monterey?
A depressed section of Monterey, California, known as Cannery Row from its string of now-empty canning plants is the backdrop for an offbeat romantic comedy about a pair of mismatched lovers. Doc is a lonely marine biologist (and former baseball star) who supplies specimens for science labs and classrooms.
What is it like to live on Cannery Row?
Cannery Row. Old skid-row drunks are a lot of things. They are sick, they are lice-ridden, they are often prematurely senile, and sometimes they are so far gone they're not even tragic anymore, just wasted. Two things they are not is colorful and romantic, and when the Greek chorus of winos and bums marches onscreen in "Cannery Row," we know the movie is in trouble.
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John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row spotlights Monterey’s legendary district during its fishing industry boom, but the street’s story begins long before canneries lined the former Ocean View Avenue. On your next visit, look for the sites and structures that played a role in this neighborhood’s extraordinary evolution.
What is the plot of Cannery Row?
The "story" of Cannery Row follows the adventures of Mack and the boys, a group of unemployed yet resourceful men who inhabit a converted fish-meal shack on the edge of a vacant lot down on the Row.
Is Cannery Row based on a true story?
Cannery Row (1945), one of Steinbeck's best and most widely read fictional works, immortalized Cannery Row as a one-of-a-kind neighborhood of fish packing plants, bordellos and flophouses, and made it the most famous street in America.
What is the history of Cannery Row in Monterey?
1851. Chinese fishing families crossed the Pacific in junks and settled at Point Ohlones ("China Point") and established Monterey's fishing industry. In 1927, the American Tin Cannery was constructed on this site and survives today as a retail and entertainment center.
Is Cannery Row movie like the book?
Suzy does not appear in Steinbeck's book "Cannery Row", but the film is based both upon that novel and its sequel "Sweet Thursday". Both main characters have complicated life histories.
Which president was a personal friend with Steinbeck?
President Lyndon B. Johnson, a personal friend of John Steinbeck, presents the writer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
What happened at the end of Cannery Row?
The poignancy of the final verse, which speaks of savoring life, brings tears to his eyes. The final image of the book is of the white rats and rattlesnakes in their cages that Doc has locked away from the partygoers.
What cannery means?
Definition of cannery : a factory for the canning of foods.
Why did sardines disappear from Monterey Bay?
But then the sardines vanished. In the late 1940s and '50s, the fishery began to decline due to a combination of overfishing and natural population fluctuations. Harvest fell to an average of about 24,000 tons in the final years of the fishery, and a moratorium eventually shut down commercial fishing from 1967–1986.Jun 11, 2018
Is Cannery Row a classic?
Cannery Row (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) Paperback – February 1, 1994.
Was Sweet Thursday made into a movie?
Cannery Row is a 1982 American comedy-drama film directed by David S. Ward in his directorial debut, starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. The movie is adapted from John Steinbeck's novels Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954).
Where did they film Cannery Row?
Culver CityStory based on two John Steinbeck novels, “Cannery Row” and “Sweet Thursday”; Raquel Welch originally cast in The Winger role but was fired; Scenes filmed at Sand Dunes north of Marina and Cannery Row waterfront (Cannery Row Street scenes were done in a sound studio in Culver City).
When did the movie Cannery Row come out?
February 12, 1982Cannery Row / Initial release
What is the plot of the movie Skid Row?
The story is about the skid row denizens of Monterey, California, during World War II. As declining fish stocks are shutting down a previously rich fishery and the dependent canning industry, bums and prostitutes lead colorful and adventurous lives in a balmy seaside setting.
Who is Doc in Cannery Row?
Doc, a self-employed marine biologist, lives in a dockside warehouse and researches octopuses. Suzy DeSoto, a girl from the local bordello, is working there only out of necessity. A collection of linked vignettes describes life on Cannery Row.
Who played Suzy in the movie?
Raquel Welch was cast as Suzy but was fired after the first few days of production and replaced by an actress 15 years her junior. Welch sued the filmmakers and won a reported settlement of more than $10 million in court.
Who is the seer in the book?
He depends on the gifts that mysteriously appear, such as groceries. Suzy eventually learns that the Seer is a former baseball player whom Doc injured with a pitch to the head, and now Doc takes care of him. Doc and Suzy ultimately find love.
Plot
The story is about the skid row denizens of Monterey, California, during World War II. As declining fish stocks are shutting down a previously rich fishery and the dependent canning industry, bums and prostitutes lead colorful and adventurous lives in a balmy seaside setting.
Production
Raquel Welch was cast as Suzy but was fired after the first few days of production and replaced by an actress 15 years her junior. Welch sued the filmmakers and won a reported settlement of more than $10 million in court.
Reception
In his two-and-a-half star review, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert wrote of the film: "The movie is almost always good to look at, thanks to Richard MacDonald's sets (he linked together two giant sound stages) and Sven Nykvist's photography.
What are old skid row drunks?
Old skid-row drunks are a lot of things. They are sick, they are lice-ridden, they are often prematurely senile, and sometimes they are so far gone they're not even tragic anymore, just wasted. Two things they are not is colorful and romantic, and when the Greek chorus of winos and bums marches onscreen in "Cannery Row," we know ...
Who is Roger Ebert?
Drama. Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
What is cannery row?
The story of today’s Cannery Row traces back to before California statehood, when members of the Ohlone community fished the region’s fertile shores. They were followed by individuals from a collection of cultures—including Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese and Italian families who brought their own whaling and casting traditions to the coast.
What was the crossover in Cannery Row?
The crossovers connecting buildings on the land and coastal sides of Cannery Row date back to the district’s sardine-canning days. Conveyor belts traveling through the crossover structures carried round metal cans that were filled with fish, labeled and boxed for distribution.
Why was Ocean View Boulevard renamed to Cannery Row?
His 1945 book Cannery Row fictionalized the characters of the famous Monterey fishing district; in 1958, city officials renamed Ocean View Boulevard as Cannery Row to honor those connections.
What helped shape Monterey Bay's fishing history?
Individuals from many cultural backgrounds helped shape Monterey’s fishing history, including both native residents and immigrants from Asia and Europe. As they arrived from different homelands, these early settlers sought out different fishing opportunities—and, each community added to the cultural vibrancy of today’s Cannery Row. Here’s how the Monterey Bay’s fishing timeline unfolded, aided by the efforts of immigrants from around the globe.
What is Monterey's cannery row?
During this season of ghosts and goblins and ghouls, why should children have all the fun? Monterey’s Cannery Row offers plenty of tricks and treats for grown-ups, giving adults exciting options for festive Halloween adventures that can be enjoyed as a couple or with a group of friends.
When did Cannery Row become a destination?
In 1908, decades before Cannery Row became a buzzing destination that draws some four million guests annually, the Pacific Fish Company established a location along the old Ocean View Boulevard. Similar operations followed, and the local fishing industry flourished. By 1918, the district produced 1.4 million cases of sardines.
Where is the Exodus Escape Room?
One of the hottest trends in interactive or immersive entertainment — escape rooms — has come to Cannery Row in the form of the Exodus Escape Room on Wave Street, just above and behind The Whaling Station restaurant.
What is the history of cannery row?
The history of the Row is a fascinating tale, from Native American, Asian and European settlement, through the boom and bust of the whaling and sardine industries, ...
Who was the scientist who wrote Cannery Row?
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck told of the exploits of a band of bums on Cannery Row, surrounded by bordellos, flophouses, a Chinese grocery store and the laboratory of a man who, in reality, was quietly revolutionizing modern marine biology: Ed Ricketts - the "Doc" of John Steinbeck 's Cannery Row.
Why was Monterey the sardine capital of the world?
Within five years the industry would die on its waterfront for lack of sardines . The Monterey Cannery & Warehouse buildings, located at 700 and 711 Cannery Row, are now a place for visitors to find unique shops and restaurants.
What happened to the Chinese settlement in Monterey?
The Chinese settlement at China Point burned for the third and final time, ending the Chinese as a major force in the Monterey fishing and canning industry. A smaller settlement was established on McAbee Beach in 1907.
What culture lived in Cannery Row?
First inhabited by Native Americans, then settled by the Spanish, it later became home to many Chinese, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese immigrants. Each culture left a unique mark on the history and legacy of Cannery Row, including the early success of the area’s squid, sardine, whale and salmon fishing industries.
When did the canning industry start in Monterey?
1902. Start of the Monterey canning industry: Booth Cannery in the Monterey harbor and the Japanese canning venture, Monterey Fishing & Canning Co., on the coastline near McAbee Beach. 1906.
What happened to the oil tank in Fisherman's Wharf?
When they exploded, a river of flaming oil destroyed two canneries on the way to the sea, and burned on the bay, nearly reaching Fisherman's Wharf before wind and tide changed to save it.
What is the setting of Cannery Row?
Cannery Row was the setting of John Steinbeck 's novels Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954). Both were the basis for the 1982 movie Cannery Row , starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. It is also mentioned in Bob Dylan 's song " Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands ".
Why is Ocean View Avenue called Ocean View Avenue?
The street name, formerly a nickname for Ocean View Avenue, became official in January 1958 to honor John Steinbeck and his well-known novel Cannery Row. In the novel's opening sentence, Steinbeck described the street as "a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.".
Why did the canneries fail in Monterey Bay?
The canneries failed after the collapse of the fishing industry in Monterey Bay in the mid-1950s, which resulted from a combination of factors, including unfavorable oceanic conditions, over-fishing, and competition from other species.
Where to kayak in Monterey Bay?
MacAbee Beach and San Carlos Beach, which bookend Cannery Row are both popular spots for kayak-launching; San Carlos Beach is one of Monterey Bay's most popular scuba-diving spots. The Monterey Bay Aquarium (opened in 1984) is located at the north end of Cannery Row, at the former site of the major Hovden Cannery.
Why was Cannery Row demolished?
Murray. Known as "Casa de las Olas" or the Murray Hacienda, the mansion was demolished in the 1940s to make way for the expansion of more canneries. A historical marker is located on the site of the former mansion.
When did Monterey Bay Aquarium open?
The Monterey Bay Aquarium (opened in 1984) is located at the north end of Cannery Row, at the former site of the major Hovden Cannery. Norwegian immigrant Knut Hovden founded Hovden Food Products Corporation which opened on July 7, 1916.
Where is Cannery Row?
Cannery Row is the waterfront street bordering the city of Pacific Grove, but officially in the New Monterey section of Monterey , California. It was the site of a number of now-defunct sardine canning factories. The last cannery closed in 1973.
