Visiting Film Noir: They Drive By Night

1940 Film Noir

From Warner Bros

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Starring

George Raft

Ann Sheridan

Ida Lupino

Humphrey Bogart

Alan Hale

Gale Page

Roscoe Karns

John Litel

George Tobias

The story of trucker brothers is enlivened with robust direction from Raoul Walsh, a better-than-usual George Raft performance and most especially a spellbinding turn from Ida Lupino as a calculating, controlling, murderous wife, one of the best in her long career.

As the Fabrini brothers Raft and Bogart run into all kinds of problems working for others delivering fruit from farms to vendors in Los Angeles.   There are accidents, competition and loan sharks to complicate their lives.  The only bright spot in Raft's life during these times is that he meets Sheridan, a waitress who quits her job and ends up driving with the brothers to Los Angeles. 

Finally they earn enough money to get their own rig.  Then a friend of Raft's, Hale, who owns his own trucking company, offers Raft a job.  Raft wants to remain independent while still accepting work from Hale. 

Hale's wife, Lupino, notices Raft at her husband's business.  She has wanted him for years but he has always spurned her attentions.  We see that she has nothing but contempt for her husband.

Bogart, Sheridan & Raft trucking

Hale gives the brothers a run to transport fruit and they are involved in an accident that destroys their truck and causes Bogart to lose an arm.   Bogart's wife (Page) is concerned for her husband who feels his chances for employment are severely limited.

Lupino convinces her husband to make Raft traffic manager and once he accepts, Lupino starts dropping by the office more frequently.  Raft continues putting her off, trying not to provoke her ire.  She remains hopeful.

One late night after a party, a drunken Lupino drives home with Hale passed out in the passenger's seat.  Pulling into the garage and on a impulse, she leaves him in the car with the motor running and closes the garage door.  She later reports his death to the police who consider it a tragic accident.

Unaware that Raft has another woman in his life and still trying to manipulate him into a relationship, Lupino offers him half ownership in the trucking company.  She says she knows nothing about the business or the people working there and she needs his expertise to keep things going forward.  Reluctant at first, he ultimately gives in.  One of his first moves is to give his troubled brother a job as a dispatcher.

When Lupino learns that Raft intends to marry Sheridan, she flies into a rage and she blurts out that she killed her husband so that she and Raft could be together.  She then goes to the police and tells them that Raft helped her murder her husband.  Both of them land in jail before their trial date.

Lupino & Sheridan in my favorite scene

Some of you wouldn't be surprised to hear my favorite scene features the two women.  Sheridan visits Lupino in jail.  A scene full of threats, pleas and lies, Sheridan begs Lupino to tell the truth while the latter vindictively holds to her fiction.

Another favorite scene is Lupino breaking down on the stand, revealing her insanity and falsehoods.  Raft goes free.  He is reluctant to stay on with the company but Sheridan and his staff encourages his continuing.

The Lupino courtroom scene is generally considered to be a duplicate of the Bette Davis role in 1935's Bordertown.

Lupino losing it

A largely unhappy story ends well.  We thought it would.

Toward the ending of filming, director Walsh was already into pre-production plans for his next film, High Sierra.  He had talked two of his They Drive By Night stars, Lupino and Raft, into starring in it.  But Raft then made the decision that he didn't want to do a film in which he dies so Walsh turned to Bogart and the film helped the actor immensely on his road to  superstardom.  The following year Bogart starred in The Maltese Falcon and the year after that Casablanca.

Bogart owes much to Raft.  The latter was known for making poor career choices.  He turned down roles in Dead End, All Through the Night, The Big Shot, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse and The Maltese Falcon... all of which went to Bogart.  It's long been said that Raft also turned down Casablanca but that's now considered apocryphal since, while he was in discussions for the part of Rick Blaine, he was actually never offered it.  

This was a Warner Bros flick through and through.  Walsh directed some of his finest work there and all the principal players were under contract... Raft, Sheridan, Lupino, Bogart, Page and Hale.  It was like working at home.

Walsh had directed Lupino in one film before this one and two afterwards.  Sheridan would work with the director twice more.  Bogart worked for Walsh seven times.  Raft worked for Walsh five times.

This was the fifth and final time Sheridan and Raft worked together and she worked with Bogart seven times.  Sheridan and Lupino share the screen five times.  Lupino and Raft appeared in three films together.

This constant working together certainly makes it easier for actors and also working with the same director is a bonus.  The ease and expertise show here. 

While all are good, Lupino comes out the best.  When she was bad she was so good.  And again, this is one of the wooden Raft's best roles.  Surely he felt a little competition working with all of the others and decided to rise to the occasion.  Sheridan plays the heroine here and isn't given a lot to chew on.  Bogart, billed fourth, has a smaller role.

Happy to be working together

The film, interestingly shot in sequence, was a big box office success and WB was happy about that.  I suspect the four principals got a better seat in the studio cafeteria for awhile.

Frankly I was surprised that a movie about truck drivers would do so well.  I was just as surprised that I liked it although admittedly its stars pulled me in.  It's wonderfully entertaining with Walsh directing a bunch of pros who know how to put on a show.

Here's Lupino with her claws out:

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