''Castle on the Hudson'' (UK title: ''Years Without Days'') is a 1940 American film noir

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

directed by

Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...

and starring

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

, Ann Sheridan, and

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

. A thief is sent to

Sing Sing Prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

, where he is befriended by the reform-minded warden. The film was based on the book ''Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing'', written by Lewis E. Lawes, on whom the warden (played by O'Brien) in the film was based. ''Castle on the Hudson'' was actually a remake of an earlier

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

prison film, '' 20,000 Years in Sing Sing'' (1932), also based on Lawes's book.

Plot

Tommy Gordan (

), a cocky, arrogant career thief, is finally nailed by New York City authorities after pulling a big heist. He is sentenced to a minimum seven years at the state prison in Ossining, aka

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

, on the shores of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. There, he meets prison warden Walter Long (

), to whom he takes an immediate dislike. Months later, inmate Tommy settles into the dull routine of prison life. There is one rule that the superstitious Tommy Gordon has always obeyed—never pull a job on a Saturday. So when fellow inmate Steve Rockford (

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

) invites Tommy to assist him in a breakout, he at first agrees. Later however, learning that Rockford has scheduled the escape for a Saturday night, he backs out. Sure enough, Rockford's plans go awry, and he dies during the attempt. Afterwards, Warden Long learns of Tommy's refusal to collaborate with Rockford. So later, when he receives news that Tommy's girlfriend, Kay Manners ( Ann Sheridan), is seriously ill, he offers Tommy temporary unsupervised parole, just long enough to visit Kay. Despite the parole's taking place on a Saturday, Tommy gratefully accedes. Once in New York, however, Tommy becomes embroiled in an altercation involving his shyster lawyer Ed Crowley (

Jerome Cowan Jerome Palmer Cowan (October 6, 1897 – January 24, 1972) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early years Cowan was born in New York City, the son of William Cowan, a confectioner of Scottish descent, and Julia Cowan, née Palm ...

), who is shot dead by a sick, convalescing Kay. Though he is actually innocent of the crime, Tommy decides to protect Kay's reputation by taking the blame for his lawyer's death. So upon returning to Sing Sing, he greets the warden with a fake confession. A courtroom trial follows, where despite Kay's attempts to explain she is the real murderer, Tommy is convicted and sentenced to the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

. Unlike many of his death-row companions who panic and break down as their appointment with fate approaches, Tommy stolidly faces the consequences of his noble decision. In the end, he slowly walks that last mile before execution, accompanied by a solemn Warden Long and the prison chaplain.

Cast

as Tommy Gordan * Ann Sheridan as Kay Manners, his girlfriend *

as Warden Walter Long *

as Steve Rockford * Henry O'Neill as District Attorney *

as Ed Crowley *

Guinn "Big Boy" Williams Guinn Terrell Williams Jr. (April 26, 1899 – June 6, 1962) was an American actor who appeared in memorable westerns such as '' Dodge City'' (1939), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), and '' The Comancheros'' (1961). He was nicknamed "Big Boy" ...

as Mike Kagel *

John Litel John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor. Early life Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...

as Prison Chaplain *

Margot Stevenson Margaret Helen Stevenson (February 8, 1912 – January 2, 2011) was an American film, stage and radio actress, known for her role as Margo Lane in the radio adaptation of ''The Shadow'', opposite Orson Welles in 1938. Early life She was ...

as Ann Rockford *

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first ...

as Detective Ragan *

Edward Pawley Edward Joel Pawley (March 16, 1901 in Kansas City, Missouri – January 27, 1988 in Charlottesville, Virginia) was an American actor of radio, films and Broadway. The full name on his birth certificate is Edward Joel Stone Pawley; he never u ...

as Black Jack * Billy Wayne as Pete * Nedda Harrigan as Mrs. Long *

Wade Boteler Wade Boteler (October 3, 1888 – May 7, 1943) was an American film actor and writer. He appeared in more than 430 films between 1919 and 1943. Biography He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart ...

as Principal Keeper *

Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...

as Goldie * Robert Strange as Joe Morris *

William Hopper William DeWolf Hopper Jr. (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. The only child of actor DeWolf Hopper and actress and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, he appeared in predominantly minor r ...

as Reporter (uncredited) * Grant Mitchell as Psychologist Dr. Ames (uncredited) *

Frank Puglia Francesco Giuseppe "Frank" Puglia (9 March 1892 – 25 October 1975) was an Italian-American film actor. He had small, but memorable roles in films including ''Casablanca'' (a Moroccan rug merchant), ''Now, Voyager'' and ''The Jungle Book''. ...

as Tony, prisoner on Death Row (uncredited) * Adrian Morris as Prisoner (uncredited)

Production notes

A year earlier, John Garfield had refused to play a role in ''

Invisible Stripes ''Invisible Stripes'' is a 1939 Warner Bros. crime film starring George Raft as a gangster unable to go straight after returning home from prison. The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon and also features William Holden, Jane Bryan and Humphrey ...

'' (1939) as George Raft's younger brother, and this had forced Warner Brothers to place the actor on the first of 11 total suspensions while at the studio. It was only after Warners agreed to allow Garfield to play the lead role in a film based on

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Background Anderson was born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to ...

's 1927 play '' Saturday's Children'' that Garfield agreed to first act in ''Castle''. Before shooting commenced, John Garfield made two demands. First, he stipulated that the original ending, where his character dies in the electric chair for a crime he did not commit, be retained in the movie's script. Second, to seal the deal, Garfield pressed for a $10,000 bonus. Warners agreed to both demands. The week the film opened in New York City, Garfield guest-starred on the popular

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

network radio program, ''

Cavalcade of America ''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially ...

''. The March 5, 1940, broadcast promoted his work in a new play, Albert Bein's ''Heavenly Express'', but made no mention of the just-released ''Castle on the Hudson''. Ironically, Bein's play closed after only 20 performances, but ''Castle'' became a resounding commercial success.

Critical reaction

An unsigned critique in ''The New York Times'', published during ''Castle on the Hudson's'' premiere March 1940 engagement, praised the cast as being "so good that a player like Burgess Meredith appears satisfied with fourth billing." The reviewer, however, panned the

stock characters A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...

they played, complaining that "you have met them all before, and whether you care to renew the acquaintance or not, here is an excellent opportunity." According to one of John Garfield's biographers, the actor was disappointed that "the critics did not think more highly of the film or his performance." Further, it seemed he was continually trying to "prove that he had far more range as an actor" than Warners allowed him to demonstrate. So when the studio assigned him another shallow tough-guy role in ''

Flight Angels ''Flight Angels'' is a 1940 commercial aviation film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Edmund Grainger and directed by Lewis Seiler, from an original story by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay. The film stars Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, W ...

'' (1940), he rejected it and, for the second time, was placed on suspension. In 1977, th
Greater Ossining Arts Council
featured a film festival under the title of Stars in Stripes Forever. The movies selected for showing were those that were either filmed at or set in Ossining (Sing Sing) Prison. Besides paying tribute to ''Castle on the Hudson'', the festival also saluted such features as ''

'' (1939), '' Each Dawn I Die'' (1939), and '' 20,000 Years in Sing Sing'' (1932).Smothers, Ronald. "Doing Time at the Movies." ''The New York Times.'' (Oct. 21, 1977): p. 64.
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External links

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References