John Ford's "Up the River" (1930) - ft. Spencer Tracy & Humphrey Bogart's feature-length film debuts

Описание: At the state penitentiary, two likable con men, Saint Louis (Spencer Tracy) and Steve Jordan (Humphrey Bogart), are serving time together, each respected by fellow inmates for his wit and nerve. Saint Louis is a seasoned swindler whose charm and quick thinking keep him out of trouble, while Steve, younger and more earnest, is nearing parole and hopes to go straight when he’s released. During a prison baseball game, they meet Judy Fields (Claire Luce), a young woman finishing a short sentence for fraud. Steve falls for her immediately, and she promises to write to him after their release.

When Steve is freed, he tries to build an honest life in his hometown, securing a job with the respectable but devious businessman Frosby (Morgan Wallace). Unaware of Frosby’s shady side, Steve works diligently, hoping to marry Judy once she’s out. Judy, meanwhile, finds work in the same city and reconnects with him. But their plans are threatened when Frosby discovers Judy’s criminal past and begins blackmailing her, demanding she help him cover up his crooked financial dealings or face exposure.

Back in prison, Saint Louis learns through the inmate grapevine that his old friend is in trouble. Unable to stand by, he stages a daring escape with his bumbling sidekick Dannemora Dan (Warren Hymer). Once outside, Saint Louis tracks down Frosby and pretends to go into business with him, all the while scheming to protect Steve and Judy. Frosby grows suspicious, but Saint Louis outwits him, stealing incriminating documents that prove Frosby’s fraud. When Frosby tries to flee, Saint Louis and Dan chase him through the city, finally cornering him at gunpoint and forcing a confession that clears Steve’s name.

Knowing he can’t stay free, Saint Louis cheerfully returns to prison, turning himself in just as the warden and guards prepare to hunt him down. Inside, he’s greeted like a hero by the inmates, joking that he just came back in time for the next baseball season. Meanwhile, Steve and Judy, now free of their pasts and of Frosby’s threats, plan to marry and start anew.

As Saint Louis watches the prison gates close behind him, he grins, content that he’s helped his friend find a clean slate—even if his own future lies “up the river.” The film ends with Saint Louis and Dan back in their cell, wisecracking about life and freedom, their camaraderie intact despite the bars between them.

A 1930 American Black & White pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, produced by William Fox, written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, cinematography by Joseph H. August, starring Claire Luce, Spencer Tracy, Warren Hymer, Humphrey Bogart, Morgan Wallace, William Collier, Sr., Joan Lawes, Bob Burns, Ward Bond, and Steve Pendleton. Screen debut appearances of Claire Luce and Althea Henley. Final screen appearance of Edythe Chapman. Released by Fox Film Corporation.

Feature film screen debut appearances for both Spencer Tracy & Humphrey Bogart.

The cast featured Spencer Tracy at the start of his screen career opposite Warren Hymer, with an early appearance by Humphrey Bogart in a “nice boy” role atypical of his later persona. Although Tracy and Bogart were good friends, this is the only film in which these two men appear together. Bogart was tied to a contract with Warner Bros., while Tracy was bound first to Fox, and then (famously) to MGM.

Broadway producer Herman Shumlin granted Spencer Tracy two weeks leave from his hit Broadway show "The Last Mile" after the actor appealed to him for the opportunity to work for John Ford in this picture. Tracy received a 2-week leave of absence in order to appear in this film. This required the film to be shot under a very tight production schedule.

This was produced in 1930 by Fox Film during John Ford's early sound period. It was originally conceived as a grim prison drama until MGM's "The Big House" (1930) prompted a reworking into a comedy, and Ford later credited William Collier Sr. with helping him rewrite the script, and the editing was by Frank E. Hull.

Upon release, Fox announced plans to continue Tracy and Hymer as a comedy team, but after a further teaming in "Goldie" (1931) the idea was abandoned.

Fox remade the film in 1938 starring Preston Foster and Tony Martin.

Ward Bond (1903-1960), born Wardell Edwin Bond, was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series Wagon Train from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert the cop in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Captain Clayton in John Ford's The Searchers (1956). As a character actor, Bond frequently played cowboys, cops, or soldiers.

This great classic 1930 film is a very early talkie made quickly by John Ford, a man destined to become one of the screen's greatest directors, and two actors who would become two of the greatest stars ever. Humble beginnings. A film that can best be appreciated by old movie buffs and film historians. Fascinating but forgettable.