Night Passage (film)

''Night Passage'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by James Neilson and starring James Stewart and Audie Murphy.

Plot

On the way to meet his former boss, railroad tycoon Ben Kimball, Grant McLaine rescues a young boy, Joey Adams, from Concho. Ben informs Grant that his payroll has been robbed three times already by a gang led by Whitey Harbin and the Utica Kid. If Ben's workers do not get paid soon, they will all leave the end-of-track work camp. Over the objections of Kimball's number 2, Jeff Kurth, Grant accepts the undercover job of carrying $10,000 to the crew by train. Kurth bets his job that Grant will fail.

When the train is held up again, Grant hides the money in a shoebox carried by Joey. The ploy works, but the young boy turns out to be friends with the Utica Kid, who takes him along with him. When the robbers cannot find the money, Whitey kidnaps Ben's wife Verna to hold for ransom. Concho, a gang member, pistol-whips Grant, sending him tumbling down the steep embankment unconscious. The train leaves without him.

When Grant wakes up, he trails the gang to an abandoned mining camp. He boldly asks to join up, revealing that he is the Kid's older brother. Utica is suspicious of his heretofore honest sibling, so Whitey (who dislikes the Kid) accepts him. Concho tries to shoot Grant unexpectedly, but Grant is faster on the draw. Afterwards, he tells the Kid where the money is in an attempt to reform his brother. It does not work. The Kid gives Grant ten minutes to leave before he tells the gang, but Grant calls his bluff.

Then railroad employee Will Renner, Whitey's informant, shows up to collect his share of the loot. He recognizes Grant (by the song he sings and plays on his accordion) as the man assigned to deliver the payroll. A gunfight ensues. Grant and Verna manage to escape. In the stable, they join Charlotte "Charlie" Drew, the Kid's girlfriend, and ride out after Lee and Joey. At the ore mill, Grant sends Verna to safety down the mountain in an ore bucket. Charlie stays and reloads Grant's gun. Meanwhile, the Kid plans to quietly ride away with Joey and the money.

When Joey suddenly bolts toward Grant, Whitey shoots, and the boy and his horse fall. Grant rushes to Joey's side and throws himself in front of the boy when the Kid rides up, gun aimed—at a gang member. The Kid joins forces with his brother. They kill all the gang members except Whitey, who crawls up close and shoots the Kid. Grant kills Whitey with their last bullet and holds his brother as he dies. The Kid admits that Grant "hit him hard" with the Bullfrog Line song, their father's favorite. Grant buries his brother and returns the payroll. Grant refuses Kurth's job, but accepts his old job. Grant sends Joey off to his new job, carrying water at end of track. Grant and Charlie follow Joey together.

Cast

Production background

This film is reminiscent of the popular western collaborations between Stewart and director Anthony Mann. This is largely because the project was slated to be their sixth collaboration in the genre (ninth overall). Mann backed out of the project before production due to other obligations and a disagreement over the casting of Audie Murphy (Mann and Stewart did not work together again). Aaron Rosenberg, who produced many of the Stewart-Mann collaborations, stayed on as producer with new director James Neilson.

Dimitri Tiomkin scored the film, and co-wrote the songs "Follow the River" and "You Can't Get Far Without a Railroad" with Ned Washington, which were performed by James Stewart himself. The film also offered Stewart the rare opportunity to play the accordion, an instrument he had played since childhood. However, his accordion playing was rerecorded by a professional during post-production. The film was the first American production to utilize the Technirama process by Technicolor. This process helped make the blue skies crisper and brighten the autumn footage photographed by cinematographer William H. Daniels.

The railroad scenes were filmed at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Durango, Colorado, using Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad K-28 Class steam locomotive #476 which still operates in excursion service there today. Considerable footage from the railroad scenes was recycled into the 1966 Audie Murphy film '' Gunpoint''.

Co-star Dianne Foster was made aware of Audie Murphy's legendary temper when filming a scene in which his horse would not co-operate and several takes were needed. Murphy was riding his own horse, a quarter-horse named Flying John. Murphy got so angry with the animal that he drew back and punched the horse in the face. This film is one of the few which cast Audie Murphy as villainous.

See also

* List of American films of 1957

References

External links

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Night Passage at Dan Duryea Central
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{{Authority control

1957 films
1957 Western (genre) films
American Western (genre) films
Films scored by Dimitri Tiomkin
Films directed by James Neilson
Universal Pictures films
Audie Murphy
1957 directorial debut films
Revisionist Western (genre) films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films