Up the River (1930)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writer:

Maurine Dallas Watkins (story)

Release Date:

12 October 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Plot:

When paroled trustee Steve and former inmate Judy who try to put their criminal lives behind them are blackmailed, two career criminals come to their rescue.

Plot Keywords:

Welfare Worker | Convict | Warden | Marriage Proposal | Fraud

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Saint Louis
Claire Luce	...	Judy
Warren Hymer	...	Dannemora Dan
Humphrey Bogart	...	Steve Jordan
William Collier Sr.	...	Pop
Joan Marie Lawes	...	Jean (as Joan Lawes)

Runtime:

92 min | USA:85 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This is the only movie in which Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy co-star. Although Tracy and Bogart were good friends, they never appeared in another movie together, as Bogart was tied to a contract with Warner Bros. for much of his career while Tracy was bound first to Fox, and then (most famously) to MGM. When the freelance era rolled around in the 1950s and both were free of their studio contracts, the two talked about co-starring together in a picture, but according to Tracy's lover Katharine Hepburn, they could never agree on who would get top billing (although Tracy was the more respected thespian, Bogart was more popular at the box office; however, after playing second-fiddle to Clark Gable for many years at MGM, Tracy wasn't about to accept second billing at that time in his career). Hepburn recalled they considered a suggested compromise that would have created an "X"-shaped credit in which Humphrey Tracy would have co-starred with Spencer Bogart, when read normally.

Quotes:

Saint Louis: Well?
Dannemora Dan: Well, I ain't gonna go through with it, I tell you.
Saint Louis: Now, listen. I never break my word, and I gave my word to Judy - and we're goin' to New England, and we're goin' tonight!
Man: I can't go to New England, not tonight. I'm in the finale.
Man: [offscreen] Oh, St. Louis! What's the use?
Saint Louis: Say, if you don't do like I tell yuh, it's gonna be your finale!

Movie Connections:

Remade as Up the River (1938)

Soundtrack:

M-O-T-H-E-R, a Word That Means the World to Me

Up The River Without a Storyline

This film must be viewed with an eye towards its atavistic value, because it is almost inconceivable that the great John Ford could put his name on such a vapid piece of film-making. Script, plot and continuity are all found wanting. The only reason to watch it is to see the feature debuts of Tracy and Bogart, both looking very young and energetic.

I do not like movies with comic book stories as they do not help to 'suspend your disbelief', in the words of critic Kenneth Tynan, but this film is a mess and has to be seen to be believed. We hardcore fans do not mind movies that are severely out of date, as long as they are well done.This one, however, does not qualify on any level.