''High Sierra'' is a 1941 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

directed by

Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh. He wa ...

, written by

William R. Burnett William Riley Burnett (November 25, 1899 April 25, 1982) was an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for the crime novel ''Little Caesar'', the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster m ...

and

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

from the novel by Burnett, and starring Ida Lupino and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

. Its plot follows a career criminal who becomes involved in a jewel heist in a resort town in California's

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

, along with a young former

taxi dancer A taxi dancer is a paid dance partner in a partner dance. Taxi dancers are hired to dance with their customers on a dance-by-dance basis. When taxi dancing first appeared in taxi-dance halls during the early 20th century in the United States, mal ...

(Lupino). Parts of the film were shot on location at Whitney Portal, halfway up

Mount Whitney Mount Whitney ( Paiute: Tumanguya; ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'') is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of . It is in East– Central California, on the boundary between California's Inyo and ...

. The screenplay was co-written by John Huston, Bogart's friend and drinking partner, adapted from the novel by William R. Burnett (also known for, among others, '' Little Caesar'' and '' Scarface''). The film cemented a strong personal and professional connection between Bogart and Huston, and provided the breakthrough in Bogart's career, transforming him from supporting player to leading man. The film's success also led to a breakthrough for Huston, providing him with the leverage he needed to make the transition from screenwriter to director, which he made later that year with his adaptation of '' The Maltese Falcon'' (1941), starring Bogart. The film contains extensive location shooting, especially in the climactic final scenes, as the authorities pursue Bogart's character, gangster "Mad Dog" Roy Earle, from Lone Pine to the foot of the mountain.

Plot

An aged gangster, Big Mac, is planning a robbery at a fashionable resort hotel in the resort town of Tropico Springs in the

. He wants the heist led by convicted bank robber Roy Earle, whose recent release from an Indiana prison was the result of Big Mac's bribing the governor. Roy drives cross-country to an abandoned logging camp in the mountains to meet with the three men who will assist him in the heist: Louis Mendoza, who works as a clerk in the hotel, Red, and Babe, who are already living at the camp. Babe has brought along his girlfriend Marie Garson, a

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in ...

performer from Los Angeles. Deriding Marie's involvement, Roy insists she return to her home in San Francisco, but after an argument, he agrees to her staying. At the camp, Algernon, a handyman, introduces Roy to Pard, a small dog to whom he takes a liking. Roy decides to adopt the dog. Meanwhile, Marie falls in love with Roy, but he does not reciprocate. In Tropico Springs, Roy witnesses a minor car accident involving Ma and Pa Goodhue and their granddaughter Velma, a young woman with a

clubbed foot ''Clubbed'' is a 2008 British drama film about a 1980s factory worker who takes up a job as a club doorman, written by Geoff Thompson and directed by Neil Thompson. Plot In 1984, Danny - a lonely factory worker intimidated by life - is batter ...

who walks with a limp. Swiftly enamored with Velma, Roy pays for corrective surgery to allow her to walk normally, despite her grandfather's warning that Velma is engaged. While she is recovering, Roy asks Velma to marry him, but she refuses, explaining that she is devoted to her fiancé, Lon. The group execute the heist at the hotel, but it goes awry when they are interrupted by a security guard. Roy makes his getaway with Marie, but Mendoza, Red, and Babe are involved in a car crash, killing Red and Babe. Mendoza is captured, and the police question him. Roy and Marie drive to Los Angeles with the jewels, only to find that Big Mac has died of a heart attack and that Jake Kranmer, an ex-policeman, has taken over the operation. Kranmer tries to force Roy to give him the jewels, but a defiant Roy shoots him to death. Back in Tropico Springs, Roy visits Velma, having promised her he would come to see her able to walk. He then meets with a fence who is to exchange money for the stolen jewels, but the man tells Roy he cannot pay him the $30,000 immediately. While the "fence" looks after the jewels, Roy and Marie go into hiding at a hotel, but they panic when Roy's name and face make newspaper headlines, along with mentions of Marie and their dog, Pard. Deciding that he would be safer on his own, Roy sends Marie to Las Vegas by bus. He returns to Los Angeles to exchange the jewels. However, he is forced to change direction upon noticing that police have set up roadblocks. Roy is pursued by police back into the mountains, where he is forced to abandon his car and flee on foot. Marie hears a news broadcast about the chase. She is subsequently interrogated by investigators, who try to persuade her to lure Roy out of hiding. She refuses, however, aware that Roy would rather die than return to prison. Regardless, she is forced to accompany the authorities on their search in the mountains. Meanwhile, Roy hides out behind a large rock on the mountainside. At dawn, Pard escapes the police encampment and runs to locates Roy, who is suddenly distracted by the dog's barking. Assuming Marie has found him, Roy runs out onto a precipice, calling her name, only to be killed by a sharpshooter. Marie watches in horror from below as Roy's body topples down the mountain peak. Followed by officers, Marie rushes to Roy's body, as does Pard, who lies down next to him. As Marie is escorted away with Pard, she takes small comfort in knowing that Roy will not have to again face prison. She wanted to know what it meant for a guy to crash out, which is what Roy talked about. She asked Healy what it meant, and he said it meant to be free. Marie smiled, knowing that Roy was free of his troubles.

Cast

* Ida Lupino as Marie Garson *

as Roy "Mad Dog" Earle/Roy Collins * Alan Curtis as Babe Kozak *

Arthur Kennedy John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...

as Red Hattery * Joan Leslie as Velma * Henry Hull as Doc Banton * Henry Travers as Pa Goodhue *

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 ...

as Healy * Minna Gombell as Mrs. Baughman * Barton MacLane as Jake Kranmer * Donald MacBride as Big Mac *

Willie Best William Best (May 27, 1913 – February 27, 1962), known professionally as Willie Best or Sleep n' Eat, was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African American film actors and comedians to become well kn ...

as Algernon * Zero as Pard * Elisabeth Risdon as Ma Goodhue *

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited app ...

as Louis Mendoza *

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

as Mr. Baughman * Isabel Jewell as Blonde * Spencer Charters as Ed * George Meeker as Pfiffer * Robert Strange as Art * John Eldredge as Lon Preiser * Sam Hayes as Announcer * Eddie Acuff as Bus Driver

Themes

Luke Goodsell, writing for ''

Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...

'', writes that ''High Sierra'' presents its heist narrative as "something of a grasp for the fabled new America. Here, the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

has been replaced by health spas and diets and a clean-living California; not coincidentally, a land that flourished in tandem with the aspirational illusion of Hollywood."

Production

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

was intended to play Roy Earle, but Bogart, who took a great interest in playing the role, managed to talk Raft out of accepting it. Walsh tried to persuade Raft otherwise but Raft did not want to die at the end. ''Filmink'' said Raft "turned down ''High Sierra'' because it was another gangster part, despite the excellent source material and Raoul Walsh directing (admittedly Paul Muni rejected the role first for the same reason… but Muni was a proper actor, well established in a variety of parts and Raft wasn’t)." Bogart had to persuade director Walsh to hire him for the role because Walsh envisioned Bogart as a supporting player rather than a leading man. Pard, the dog of Bogart's character erroneously was believed by some to be canine actor Terry (Toto from '' The Wizard of Oz''). In the final scene, Buster Wiles, a stunt performer, plays Roy's corpse. His hand is filled with biscuits to encourage Pard to lick Roy's hand. Many key shots of the movie were filmed on location in the

. In a climactic scene, Bogart's character slid down a mountainside to his just reward. His stunt double, Wiles, bounced a few times going down the mountain and wanted another take to do better. "Forget it," said Raoul Walsh. "It's good enough for the 25-cent customers." Special effects were handled by

Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...

Release

Box office

''High Sierra'' opened theatrically in Los Angeles on January 23, 1941. According to Warner Bros. records, the film made $1,063,000 in the U.S. ($ million in terms) and $426,000 ($ million in terms) in other market.

Critical response

Critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

liked the acting in the picture, and wrote "As gangster pictures go, this one has everything—speed, excitement, suspense, and that ennobling suggestion of futility, which makes for irony and pity. Mr. Bogart plays the leading role with a perfection of hard-boiled vitality, and Ida Lupino, Arthur Kennedy, Alan Curtis, and a newcomer named Joan Leslie handle lesser roles effectively. Especially, is Miss Lupino impressive as the adoring moll. As gangster pictures go—if they do—it's a perfect epilogue. Count on the old guard and Warners: they die but never surrender." ''Time'' reviewed the film when released as having "less of realistic savagery than of the quaint, nostalgic atmosphere of costume drama." The reviewer noted, "What makes ''High Sierra'' something more than a Grade B melodrama is its sensitive delineation of gangster Earle's character. Superbly played by Actor Bogart, Earle is a complex human being, a farmer boy who turned mobster, a gunman with a string of murders on his record who still is shocked when newsmen call him "Mad-Dog" Earle. He is kind to the mongrel dog (Zero) that travels with him, befriends a

(Ida Lupino) who becomes his moll, and goes out of his way to help a crippled girl (Joan Leslie). All Roy Earle wants is freedom. He finds it for good on a lonely peak in the mountains." Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a critic score of 91%, based on 22 reviews.

Home media

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

released ''High Sierra'' on DVD in November 2003. On October 12, 2021,

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scho ...

released a new edition of the film on Blu-ray and DVD.

Adaptations

* A radio play on two broadcasts of '' The Screen Guild Theater'', first on January 4, 1942, with Humphrey Bogart and

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

, and the second on April 17, 1944, with Bogart and Ida Lupino * The Western ''

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado. The territory was organized in the ...

'' (1949), starring

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

and

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. ...

, and also directed by Raoul Walsh * ''

I Died a Thousand Times ''I Died a Thousand Times'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope Warnercolor film noir directed by Stuart Heisler. The drama features Jack Palance as paroled bank robber Roy Earle, with Shelley Winters, Lee Marvin, Earl Holliman, Perry Lopez, Pedro Gonz ...

'' (1955), starring

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

and

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

, directed by Stuart Heisler

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links