Special posting today for the holiday, and hopefully to promote activism for freedom and civil rights and musical protest and exploration. After premieres in L.A. and for the Guthrie Center in Tulsa, our film is now streaming at PBS.org and PBS apps and airing over PBS stations around the country (for example at 2 p.m. today in Austin). But you can also watch the final cut of “Woody Guthrie and The Ghost of Tom Joad Today,” narrated by Rosanne Cash and with a Springsteen finale, below via Vimeo. If you do, please share and comment below. Thank you!
Update: new Rolling Stone piece on the film.
Written and directed by Greg Mitchell, co-produced by Lyn Goldfarb, editor Rob Burgos, associate producer Barbara Bedway, narrated by Rosanne Cash. (2026, 57 minutes) You can reach Greg Mitchell at: epic1934@aol.com
“Well done! And perfect for the spirit of the times.” — Joe Klein, author of “Primary Colors,” “Woody Guthrie: A Life,” and other books
“I was proud to narrate a new documentary by Greg Mitchell about Woody Guthrie. A beautiful film about a timeless artist.” – Rosanne Cash
“Greg Mitchell has written and directed a wonderful documentary. It chronicles the intertwining paths of Guthrie and writer John Steinbeck in the 1930s, as the author chronicled the travails of migrant workers, culminating in The Grapes of Wrath, and the singer-songwriter gave voice to the Dust Bowl refugees, immigrants, and itinerant workers exploited, oppressed, and assaulted in the fields of California. But the film goes beyond depicting this important history and draws a poignant connection to the plight of migrant workers today and the cruelty and brutality they currently face from ICE raids and Trump’s anti-immigration crusade.” — David Corn, Mother Jones
“A marvelous film. It is so effective in its approach to social unrest and justice.” — Van Dyke Parks
“An extraordinary film.” — Anna Canoni, president of Woody Guthrie Publications and Woody’s granddaughter.
“It’s a splendid piece of work. Very fine use of stills and footage, ditto for songs and music, a highly resonant story about great American artists, and above all a strong social conscience.”
– David Sterritt, author and former president, National Society of Film Critics
“An excellent documentary.” — Peter Rainer, LAist and Christian Science Monitor
“This is a fantastic documentary. Wonderful narration by Rosanne Cash. Bravo, Greg Mitchell. Very proud to debut the film at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa.” — Steve Higgins, director of the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie centers
“Mitchell’s only-too-timely doc comes in just under an hour as a visually arresting history lesson that forges links between the struggle of migrants then and the immigrant population now. Woody’s legacy runs straight on to Springsteen.” — Fred Schruers, author of Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography and other books,
A fabulous documentary that doesn't shy away from the hard truth.
What an enlightening story! Congratulations on this wonderful, inspiring and timely documentary! It’s amazing how relevant it still is even today.