Boom Town (1940)

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

John Lee Mahin (screen play)
James Edward Grant (based on a story by)

Release Date:

30 August 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Where Men Are Rough And Tough . . . And Like Their Women The Same Way !

Plot:

Two buddies who rise from fly-by-night wildcatters to oil tycoons over a twenty year period both love the same woman.

Plot Keywords:

Oil | Wildcatter | Oil Field | Oil Tycoon | Partnership

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Big John McMasters
Spencer Tracy	...	Square John Sand
Claudette Colbert	...	Betsy Bartlett
Hedy Lamarr	...	Karen Vanmeer
Frank Morgan	...	Luther Aldrich
Lionel Atwill	...	Harry Compton
Chill Wills	...	Harmony Jones
Marion Martin	...	Whitey
Minna Gombell	...	Spanish Eva
Joe Yule	...	Ed Murphy
Horace Murphy	...	Tom Murphy
Roy Gordon	...	McCreery
Richard Lane	...	Ass't. District Attorney
Casey Johnson	...	Little Jack
Baby Quintanilla	...	Baby Jack
George Lessey	...	Judge
Sara Haden	...	Miss Barnes
Frank Orth	...	Barber
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	Deacon
Curt Bois	...	Ferdie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Bedford	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Hank Bell	...	Hank - Man in Dance Hall (uncredited)
Charles D. Brown	...	U.S. Marshal Stebbins (uncredited)
Ralph Bushman	...	Man with Nitroglycerine (uncredited)
Marietta Canty	...	Karen's Maid (uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	Parker - McMasters' Butler (uncredited)
Nell Craig	...	Compton's Secretary (uncredited)
Dick Curtis	...	Hiring Boss (uncredited)
Daisy	...	The Dog (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Mrs. Summers (uncredited)
James Dime	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn	...	Wildcatter (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Alarmed Townsman (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Man at Dice Table (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Worker in McMasters' Office (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Geologist (uncredited)
Sam Garrett	...	Rider / Roper (uncredited)
George Guhl	...	Baggage Man (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Man Abandoned by Whitey (uncredited)
William Halligan	...	McCreery's Associate #2 (uncredited)
John Hamilton	...	McMasters' Defense Attorney (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Smith - the Architect (uncredited)
Holmes Herbert	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Howard C. Hickman	...	McCreery's Associate #1 (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Rodeo Barker (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Jack Ingram	...	Oilman at Producers' Convention (uncredited)
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Oilman in New York (uncredited)
Mitchell Lewis	...	Venezuelan Foreman (uncredited)
Tom London	...	Sheriff Harris (uncredited)
Philip Morris	...	Oil Man (uncredited)
John T. Murray	...	Mr. Springtime (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Oilman at Producers' Convention (uncredited)
Ted Oliver	...	Man Asking 4 Bits to Cross (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	Man with Piece of Ground (uncredited)
Nestor Paiva	...	Venezuelan Officer (uncredited)
Milton Parsons	...	Aldrich's Assistant (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore	...	Mr. Summers (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Lawyer at Prosecution'sTable (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Hotel Lobby Extra (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	Hotel Desk Clerk #1 (uncredited)
Eddy Waller	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Douglas Wood	...	Oil Man at New York Meeting (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Conway

Writing credits
John Lee Mahin		(screen play)
James Edward Grant		(based on a story by)

Produced by
Sam Zimbalist	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
Harold Rosson		(director of photography)
Elwood Bredell		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Blanche Sewell		(film editor)
Paul Landres		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis		(set decorations)
Henry Grace		(uncredited)
Hugh Hunt		(uncredited)
Jack D. Moore		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Horace Hough	....	assistant director (uncredited)
John Waters	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Eddie Imazu	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects (as Arnold Gillespie)
John Hoffman	....	montage effects

Stunts
Yakima Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
George DeNormand	....	fight double: Spencer Tracy (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	....	stunts (doubtful) (uncredited)
Joe Hickey	....	fight double: Clark Gable (uncredited)
Herbert Holcombe	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Samuel Cohen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Ray Ramsey	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gile Steele	....	wardrobe: men

Music Department
Daniele Amfitheatrof	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Charles Maxwell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Ford Alexander	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (produced by: Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Central Motion Picture Exchange (1947) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1941) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1946) (Denmark) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6351) | Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

This was the last of three films (after San Francisco (1936) and Test Pilot (1938)) that Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy did together. After this film, Tracy insisted on a clause in his MGM contract that he would receive equal billing with Gable in all future films. While the two remained lifelong friends, they were never again paired together in a movie because MGM wasn't sure how to handle the equal billing.

Quotes:

Jonathan Sand:Now, how can a guy be breaking the law when he's trying to save the resources of this country? He didn't know that he was doin' anything that you might call conservation, but bein' one of the best oilmen there is, he's got the right hunch about oil. He knows it took billions of years to put it there, and takin' it out at the rate we're goin', there won't be any oil left in the good U.S.A.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Steele Sweet on You (#2.15)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Polly Wolly Doodle

A great movie

I love this movie! It's such a touching movie about romance, friendship, and oil...is that touching? Anyway, if I were Claudette Colbert, I would have a hard time deciding between Clark Gable (handsome and rugged) and Spencer Tracy (sweet, caring, and devoted). If you've never seen "Boom Town", you really have to! It's great.