Watch John Barleycorn for Free: How to Stream the Movie Online at 123Movies. . Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name. Jack London has struggled with alcoholism most of his life. At age five he was instructed to bring a pail of beer to his father and drank some to prevent it spilling over, getting drunk for the first time. As an adult, he goes through cycles of abstinence only to return to hard drinking.