JohnHowardReid As the result of an exchange deal, director Charles Vidor found himself working at RKO on the Lewis Meltzer-Robert Carson screenplay of James Hilton's adaptation of Nordhoff and Hall's novel, No More Gas, - a title which was changed to The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942).For several generations, the Tuttles, once of New England, have been vegetating with a vengeance under softer skies. Impecunious, irresponsible and amazingly prolific, these quasi-Polynesians are a problem to the community, but a constant source of amusement to themselves. They have also amused even a hardened critic like me. Sol Lesser's production is a minor field day for Charles Laughton, who obviously enjoys disporting himself as the sloppy, whimsical Jonas Tuttle of this Tahitian Tobacco Road. His best scene: Bug-eyed over the neat, crisp 400,000-franc salvage check in his trembling hand, he asks huskily, "Do you think it would be all right if I fold it?"There are some beautiful shots of a storm and a hilarious wedding party. But all in all, instead of a glamorous Hollywood Tahiti, director Charles Vidor shows us a cheap, realistic South Seas locale that would astound the grass-skirt hula school. Although fondly remembered as one of Laughton's most beguiling characterizations, The Tuttles of Tahiti seems to have slipped off the planet. Only six reviews here at IMDb, and this will make seven!

the_match_maker Like the Capra film, this one is all about the maxim of, "Work to Live, don't Live to Work".In today's parlance, the Tuttles would be considered 'white trash'. Working only enough to get by, 'mooching' off of their friends, wasting their money on fun and games. In truth, they live the sort of life that everyone secretly wishes that they themselves could live. Fortunately for them (and the film), instead of envying them, others around them love them for it.While their home may be run down, and their credit is no good, the Tuttles themselves are rock solid people who have their values straight. Family, Fun, and Fishing. That's about as fundamental as it gets.The plot is thin, but that's OK. It's the characters that carry this movie. Frankly, it's the sort of film one doesn't see anymore. What with the breakdown of the family unit, and the now foreign idea of large family's living under a single roof, the setup alone may be one that modern audiences no longer understand. It very much perpetuates the matriarchal/patriarchal social dynamic that one used to find in the U.S.A. While the setting may be in the far flung south pacific, no doubt that Midwestern families back when this movie premiered could see certain of themselves in the Tuttles.It's an ode to a slower (and richer) pace of life that too many people in our 'go-go-go' world have lost touch with these days.So, get a little money, get a little gasoline, do a little fishing, and then have a party with your friends. Life is all about the living of it.

oscar-35 I wanted to see this film because my grandfather acted in it. His name is James Spencer. I found this nostalgic look at the "Island Life" to be very satisfying. It clearly showed the very important polynesian element of "Family". Watching these many and talented actors work in their scenes was like watching real life. Quite a pleasure!

artzau This film has two of the great ones, Charles Laughton and Florence Bates. She was one of the great character actors and he was just great. However, when you add a Nordhoff and Hall story to the mixture, you get a delightful story about a ne'er-do-well dreamer whose sons salvage a ship and Papa, Laughton, spends the prize money. I especially loved it when Papa Tuttle has spent all the money and gets a note from the bank that he's overdrawn and sends one of his kids with a check to cover the checks he's been writing. How many times have we all wanted to do that? The story is a bit too romantic and commonplace for today's audiences who demand slice 'n dice bloody scenes along with spectacular eye-dazzling effects. It's still a wonderful tale and has a great deal of charm about a lost time and place before it all turned to modernity. If that sounds too maudlin or nostalgic, I guess that's just how it is. Check it out. Bates and Laughton are great as is Hall out of his usual sarong roles with Dottie Lamour.