| They Drive by Night | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Raoul Walsh |
| Produced by | Mark Hellinger |
| Screenplay by | Jerry Wald Richard Macaulay |
| Based on | Novel: The Long Haul by A. I. Bezzerides |
| Starring | George Raft Ann Sheridan Ida Lupino Humphrey Bogart |
| Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
| Cinematography | Arthur Edeson |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | July 27, 1940 (United States) |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
They Drive by Night (1940) is a black-and-white film noir starring George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, and Humphrey Bogart, and directed by Raoul Walsh. The picture involves a pair of embattled truck drivers and was released in the UK under the title The Road to Frisco. The film was based on A. I. Bezzerides' 1938 novel The Long Haul, which was later reprinted under the title They Drive by Night to capitalize on the success of the film.[1]
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Joe (Raft) and Paul Fabrini (Bogart) are Wildcat or, independent truck drivers who have their own small one truck business. The Fabrini boys constantly battle distributors, rivals and loan collectors, while trying to make a success of their transport company.
Overworked Paul falls asleep at the wheel causing an accident that costs him his right arm. Meanwhile Joe is romancing a local waitress Cassie (Ann Sheridan), but is being seduced by Lana Carlsen (Ida Lupino), the wife of trucking executive Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale, Sr.). Lana, now in love with Joe, murders her husband and makes it look like an accident. She then offers Joe one half interest as a partner in Carlsen's organization. Initially bitter, Paul eventually gets over his self pity and returns to work after Joe is made partner of the company, now as a dispatcher for the Fabrinis' company. Joe accepts but turns away from Lana's sexual advances and says he plans to marry Cassie. This enrages Lana who then accuses Joe of plotting Carlsen's murder. However, eventually, the tide turns when Lana becomes hysterical on the witness stand and breaks down and confesses everything. The case is dismissed because the only witness (Lana) is insane and Joe reunites with Cassie.
When the film was released, The New York Times film critic, Bosley Crowther, gave the film a positive review, writing, "But for fanciers of hard-boiled cinema, They Drive By Night still offers an entertaining ride. As Mr. Raft modestly remarks of his breed, 'We're tougher than any truck ever come off an assembly line.' That goes for the picture, too."[2]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 94% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 17 reviews."[3]
The second half of the film, in which Lana kills her husband in an attempt to be with Joe, is essentially a remake of Bordertown (1935).