# Finding old movie when I know only plot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994 "2003-11-30T00:24:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blt1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@blt1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blt1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/1 "2003-11-30T00:24:50Z")
Many years ago I saw a 50’s movie on tv that I really liked, but I can remember only the plot - no title, no actors. Is there some way to look it up? In case anyone here saw the same movie, here’s the plot as I remember it: A large Italian family moves to California & buys an orange grove. They know nothing of growing oranges but are willing to learn. A woman (social worker?) helps them & gives advice. She finds herself falling in love with the oldest son, but doesn’t want to because she is offended by his “old world” attitude towards women. In the end, she helps save the orange grove from a killing frost & falls in love for good. Can anyone help me with this? I’d really like to see it again. Thanks & God bless, Bonnie ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/2 "2003-11-30T01:23:32Z")
Sometimes you can use [IMDB.com](http://IMDB.com) even if you don’t have specific details. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to work here. I did a search under “plots” using _orange_ and _grove_ and turned up only three movies: _It’s a Gift_ (1934), _Smudge_ (1922), and _The Two Jakes_ (1990). I’m assuming you’d remember if your movie had W.C. Fields or Jack Nicholson in the cast. And the plot of _Smudge_ doesn’t sound like what you described. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/3 "2003-11-30T01:32:26Z")
I have a vague memory of that movie, except I could have sworn it was a vineyard, not an orange grove. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/4 "2003-11-30T08:16:18Z")
I’m recalling a vineyard owner who was opposed to his son being involved with the young woman. A Change of Winds, perhaps as a title? There was no killing frost in the movie I recall, only a fire that consumed the vineyard except for a few choice plants. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/5 "2003-11-30T08:40:10Z")
I recall that they lit fires to warm the plants because of the frost. Don’t recall whether the fires got out of control, but it would make a good scene, so maybe that did happen :o) ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/6 "2003-11-30T08:42:05Z")
That smiley, of course, was supposed to be the plain old ascii smiling goofball: :o) ---
**Author:** ![ECJones29](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@ECJones29](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ECJones29)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/7 "2003-11-30T15:21:50Z")
**blt1** , are you sure you aren’t thinking of _A Walk In The Clouds_ (1995) starring Anthony Quinn and Keanu Reeves? I know you said an older movie, but _Clouds_ is based on a 1942 Italian movie called _Quattro Poassi Fra Le Nuvole._ Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![blt1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@blt1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blt1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/8 "2003-11-30T22:03:43Z")
It couldn’t have been the '95 movie, because I saw it on tv sometime in the '70’s. I was pretty sure it was oranges, but I could be wrong! 🙂 I do remember they had to light the smudge pots to keep whatever it was from freezing. There was also a cute scene in her efficiency apartment. He says the kitchen is too small, how would she use the oven if she was pregnant. When he wasn’t watching, she pretended to be pregnant to check if she could use the oven. I’ll check out The Change of Winds. God bless, Bonnie ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/9 "2003-12-01T00:14:42Z")
Check your local library for _The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures_. Each volume has a subject/keyword index. You might want to look under the keywords _Italians_, _Italian-Americans_, _vineyards_ or _oranges_. Look in vol. F4 (features, 1941-1950) and vol. F6 (features, 1961-1970). Vol. F5 (features, 1951-1960) will be published in a few months. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/10 "2003-12-01T00:36:20Z")
Is the movie you’re looking for this [one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0033150/) ? ---
**Author:** ![blt1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@blt1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blt1)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/11 "2003-12-01T03:01:01Z")
No. I checked out the other movies on the recommended list & they weren’t it either. I’ll check at the library tomorrow. Thanks & God bless, Bonnie ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/12 "2003-12-01T03:07:26Z")
I believe the film you want is the classic _Mind the oranges, Marlon_ by those famed auteurs, D.R. Dobbs and Ernest Errol Quinch. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/13 "2003-12-01T03:50:52Z")
If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t crazy; I have a vague recollection of the smudge-pot scene in black and white. But I’m pretty sure it was grapes (though maybe for raisins, not wine) and maybe the family was Armenian? Other than that, I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![blt1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@blt1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blt1)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/14 "2003-12-01T04:41:03Z")
> [@](#): > > maybe the family was Armenian? They might have been! After all these years the only thing I’m really sure of is that they weren’t American! God bless, Bonnie ---
**Author:** ![luharerom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@luharerom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luharerom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/15 "2015-01-23T02:43:15Z")
The film you are looking for is ‘a walk in the clouds’ starring keanu reeves > [@blt1](#): > > Many years ago I saw a 50’s movie on tv that I really liked, but I can remember only the plot - no title, no actors. Is there some way to look it up? In case anyone here saw the same movie, here’s the plot as I remember it: > > A large Italian family moves to California & buys an orange grove. They know nothing of growing oranges but are willing to learn. A woman (social worker?) helps them & gives advice. She finds herself falling in love with the oldest son, but doesn’t want to because she is offended by his “old world” attitude towards women. In the end, she helps save the orange grove from a killing frost & falls in love for good. > > Can anyone help me with this? I’d really like to see it again. > > Thanks & God bless, > Bonnie ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/16 "2015-01-23T19:42:34Z")
All this talk about Armenians and grapes in California reminds me of an episode from a series called _ **The Great Adventure** _: > **[The Great Adventure (TV Series 1963–1964) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056761/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_63)** > > The Great Adventure: With Russell Johnson, Van Heflin, Eddie Little Sky, Kent Smith. A filmed series of one-hour dramatizations of the lives of famous historical people, as well as important historical events. The reason I remember it is because Walter Koenig (aka the true Ensign Chekov) was in it. He played an Armenian grower of grapes in (I think) California. Sorry, it’s been been more than fifty years since I last saw the show, so I can’t offer any more details. Is it possible what you saw was a rerun of it? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/17 "2015-01-23T19:50:23Z")
> [@luharerom](#): > > The film you are looking for is ‘a walk in the clouds’ starring keanu reeves If you go to IMDB and click on “Connections,” you’ll find this was a remake of an Italian film from 1942 that had already been remade in 1956. This is probably what the OP saw. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/18 "2015-01-23T19:54:25Z")
Remade orange zombie brains? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/19 "2015-01-23T20:50:20Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Remade orange zombie brains? Blood oranges… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994/20 "2015-01-23T20:59:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > If you go to IMDB and click on “Connections,” you’ll find this was a remake of an Italian film from 1942 that had already been remade in 1956. This is probably what the OP saw. No, probably not, because in each case, the plot diverges significantly from the OP’s description–the Italian’s family is his own (not hers) and the girl is not pregnant but rather an external consultant. Plus, both of those “Connection” movies were made in Italy. There’s no indication in the OP that this was anything other than an English-langauge film. Zombie threads like this I don’t mind, except when the person who revived the thread didn’t even bother reading the handful of posts that preceded it (which already eliminated the Keanu suggestion). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-old-movie-when-i-know-only-plot/215994.md?page=2)