The Long Voyage Home (1940)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Eugene O'Neill (plays)
Dudley Nichols (adaptation)

Release Date:

11 November 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Women ! the world passed by.

Plot:

Aboard the freighter Glencairn, the lives of the crew are lived out in fear, loneliness, suspicion and cameraderie...

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Friendship | Swede | Munitions | London England

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Olsen
Thomas Mitchell	...	Driscoll
Ian Hunter	...	Smitty
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Cocky
Wilfrid Lawson	...	Captain
John Qualen	...	Axel
Mildred Natwick	...	Freda
Ward Bond	...	Yank
Arthur Shields	...	Donkeyman
Joe Sawyer	...	Davis (as Joseph Sawyer)
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Crimp
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Bella
Carmen Morales	...	Principal Spanish Girl
Jack Pennick	...	Johnny
Bob Perry	...	Paddy (as Bob E. Perry)
Constant Franke	...	Norway (as Constant Frenke)
David Hughes	...	Scotty
Constantine Romanoff	...	Big Frank
Danny Borzage	...	Tim (as Dan Borzage)
Harry Tenbrook	...	Max
Cyril McLaglen	...	First Mate
Douglas Walton	...	Second Mate
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Billy Bevan	...	Joe, Limehouse Barman (uncredited)
Mary Carewe	...	Elizabeth, Smitty's Wife (uncredited)
Bing Conley	...	Limehouse Roustabout (uncredited)
Lita Cortez	...	Bumboat Girl (uncredited)
Jane Crowley	...	Kate (uncredited)
Carmen D'Antonio	...	Bumboat Girl (uncredited)
Lowell Drew	...	Blind Man (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Dock Policeman (uncredited)
Soledad Gonzales	...	Bumboat Girl (uncredited)
Guy Kingsford	...	London Policeman (uncredited)
Judith Linden	...	Bumboat Girl (uncredited)
Elena Martínez	...	Bumboat Girl (uncredited)
Tina Menard	...	Bumboat Girl (uncredited)
Art Miles	...	Captain of the Amindra (uncredited)
Lionel Pape	...	Mr. Clifton (uncredited)
Luanne Robb	...	Smitty's Daughter (uncredited)
Ky Robinson	...	Limehouse Roustabout (uncredited)
Maureen Roden-Ryan	...	Meg (uncredited)
Lee Shumway	...	Dock Policeman (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley	...	London Policeman (uncredited)
Wyndham Standing	...	British Naval Officer (uncredited)
Roger Steele	...	Smitty's Son (uncredited)
Sammy Stein	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Blue Washington	...	Black cook on Glencairn (uncredited)
Harry Woods	...	Amindra 1st mate - signals to Shanghai (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Eugene O'Neill		(plays "The Moon of the Caribees", "In The Zone", "Bound East for Cardiff" and "The Long Voyage Home")
Dudley Nichols		(adaptation)

Produced by
John Ford	....	producer
Walter Wanger	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Richard Hageman

Cinematography by
Gregg Toland

Film Editing by
Sherman Todd

Art Direction by
James Basevi

Set Decoration by
Julia Heron

Production Management
James Dent	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jack Noyes	....	sound
Robert Parrish	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ray Binger	....	special effects (as R.O. Binger)
R.T. Layton	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Edward Paul	....	conductor

Other crew
Lowell J. Farrell	....	production assistant (as Lowell Farrell)
Bernard McEveety	....	production assistant (as B.F. McEveety)
Wingate Smith	....	production assistant
Bob Burkhardt	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Argosy Pictures
• Walter Wanger Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Masterpiece Productions (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Masterpiece Productions (1950) (USA) (TV)
• atlas Film (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Castle Hill Productions (????) (USA) (TV)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)

Runtime:

105 min | Soviet Union:72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6410)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Harbor, Wilmington, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

The name of Arthur Shields' character, "Donkeyman", is a nickname for the job he performed, the sole caretaker of the ship's single-piston "Donkey" engine.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Wilfrid Lawson's name is spelled Wilfred in the opening credits, but is spelled correctly in the end credits.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Visions of Light (1992)

Soundtrack:

Irish Washerwoman

Nice blend of O'Neill, Nichols, and a touch of Ford

The Long Voyage Home is a compilation film of four one act plays by Eugene O'Neill who some will argue is America's greatest dramatist. The man who did the stitching together of O'Neill's work about the crew of the S.S. Glencairn is Dudley Nichols and presiding over it all is the direction of John Ford.

Mr. Ford is usually someone who really puts an individual stamp on one of his movies. But the usual Ford trademarks are noticeably absent from The Long Voyage Home. Probably in mood and style the film of Ford's this comes closest to is The Informer. In fact J.M. Kerrigan is playing almost the same part in this as he did in The Informer.

One thing Ford always did was use the right kind of music to set the tone for a film. Those 19th century ballads like I Dream of Jeannie that work so well in something like Stagecoach are substituted for Harbor Lights. That song expresses so well the longing of a whole bunch of rootless men to find some kind of stability in their lives.

Eugene O'Neill spent many years at sea and the characters of these men on the S.S. Glencairn are drawn from his own youthful experience. Most of our planet is covered by water and no country owns it. It's just called the high seas and the seamen on it are an international fraternity, like the S.S. Glencairn crew. I've always felt that O'Neill was trying to say that if there's any salvation to be had in this old world, it's to be found on the salt water. It's the only place where all kinds of people really work for a common goal, stay alive and make the trip.

The original plays had a World War I background, but it has been updated for World War II. Especially in the part when the crew becomes convinced that Ian Hunter is some kind of spy. Certainly the second World War in 1940 gave the audiences some real interest. Ian Hunter may have given his career performance in this as Smitty. Turns out he's far from what everyone suspects.

Hard to believe that John Wayne would be in a film by one of our greatest dramatists. But the Duke holds his own in the ensemble. It's the only time he ever attempted some kind of accent and he pulls it off. But I'm sure he thought once was enough.

Wayne as Olsen is the innocent of the group, maybe the only time he's ever been that on the screen. The rest of the crew makes every effort to see he does in fact get home to Sweden. It turns out to cost one of them his life ultimately.

If you're any kind of depressed, The Long Voyage Home or any Eugene O'Neill is not good for your mental health. He's one pessimistic fellow that O'Neill. But his insights into our character and soul are always penetrating as they are in The Long Voyage Home.