The Petrified Forest (1936)

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Charles Kenyon (screenplay) and
Delmer Daves (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 February 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

AGAIN THEY TRIUMPH!...The stars of 'Human Bondage' in a picture greater than the play!

Plot:

A waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Gangster | Arizona | Hostage | Gun

Cast

Leslie Howard	...	Alan Squier
Bette Davis	...	Gabrielle Maple
Genevieve Tobin	...	Mrs. Chisholm
Dick Foran	...	Boze Hertzlinger
Humphrey Bogart	...	Duke Mantee
Joe Sawyer	...	Jackie (as Joseph Sawyer)
Porter Hall	...	Jason Maple
Charley Grapewin	...	Gramp Maple
Paul Harvey	...	Mr. Chisholm
Eddie Acuff	...	Lineman
Adrian Morris	...	Ruby
Nina Campana	...	Paula
Slim Thompson	...	Slim
John Alexander	...	Joseph
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arthur Aylesworth	...	Commander of the Black Horse Troupers (uncredited)
Jack Cheatham	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
George Guhl	...	Black Horse Trouper (uncredited)
Gus Leonard	...	Jim - Postman (uncredited)
Tom McGuire	...	Driver (uncredited)
Addison Richards	...	Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Francis J. Scheid	...	Second Lineman (uncredited)
Perc Teeple	...	Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Archie Mayo		(as Archie L. Mayo)

Writing credits
Charles Kenyon		(screenplay) and
Delmer Daves		(screenplay)
Robert E. Sherwood		(play "The Petrified Forest") (as Robert Emmet Sherwood)

Produced by
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Bernhard Kaun		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Sol Polito		(photography by)

Film Editing by
Owen Marks

Art Direction by
John Hughes

Costume Design by
Orry-Kelly		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Maybery	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Frank Shaw	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
W.H. Patterson	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Charles Lang	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Fred Jackman	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Warren Lynch	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Willard Van Enger	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Ellis	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Frank Evans	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Al Green	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Harold Noyes	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Dery	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)
Elmer Ellsworth	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Bernhard Kaun	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Henry Blanke	....	supervisor (uncredited)
Flo O'Neill	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Carl Schaefer	....	publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• Vitaphone Corporation, The (1936) (USA) (theatrical) (as The Vitaphone Corp'n.)
• Dominant Pictures Corporation (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• Warner Bros. First National Films (1936) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Key Video (video)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (video)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Petrified Forest (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

82 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Germany:16 | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1936) | USA:Approved (PCA #1751) | Germany:6 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Constance Bergen is in studio records/casting call lists for the role of "Doris," but she did not appear, although her character name is mentioned.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where the rich couple and their black servant return to the gas station, behind Bogart a window opens. The football jock flinches, the sound of the window hitting open is heard and that sound is repeated when the window actually opens shown by Bogart turning around.

Quotes:

Gramp Maple: But let me tell you one thing, Mr. Squier. The woman don't live or ever did live that's worth five thousand dollars!
Alan Squier: Well, let me tell you something. You're a forgetful old fool. Any woman's worth everything that any man has to give: anguish, ecstasy, faith, jealousy, love, hatred, life or death. Don't you see that's the whole excuse for our existence? It's what makes the whole thing possible and tolerable.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hold Your Breath and Cross Your Fingers: The Story of 'Dark Passage' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

I'd Rather Listen to Your Eyes

American Classic...

This movie needs better spokespeople! So here goes: take Bogart, Howard, Davis. Classic story with modern undertones. Stage play that works on screen. Clever dialog. Bittersweet longing for a better place. Missed chances for love. Violent gangsters. Quaint desert cafes. Mix in blender: out comes a classic from 1936 which still tastes good today.

Don't miss it. You can't talk about American cinema until you've seen this one, too.