East of the River (1940)

Troubled youths Joe and Nick Lorenzo grow into very different men: Joe a small-time hoodlum and Nick an honored college graduate. When Nick falls for Joe's girl Laurie, trouble erupts ... See full summary »

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Fred Niblo Jr. (screenplay), John Fante (story),

Stars:

John Garfield, Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Garfield	...	Joseph Enrico 'Joe' Lorenzo
Brenda Marshall	...	Laurie Romayne
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Mama Teresa Lorenzo
George Tobias	...	Tony Scaduto
William Lundigan	...	Nicholas Antonio 'Nick' Lorenzo
Moroni Olsen	...	Judge R.D. Davis
Douglas Fowley	...	Cy Turner
Jack La Rue	...	Frank 'Frisco' Scarfi (as Jack LaRue)
Jack Carr	...	'No Neck' Griswold
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Balmy
Russell Hicks	...	Warden
Charley Foy	...	Customer (as Charles Foy)
Ralph Volkie	...	Smith, Turner's Henchman
Jimmy O'Gatty	...	Turner's Henchman
Robert Homans	...	Patrolman Shanahan

Storyline

Troubled youths Joe and Nick Lorenzo grow into very different men: Joe a small-time hoodlum and Nick an honored college graduate. When Nick falls for Joe's girl Laurie, trouble erupts between the two men and also with the gang that has it in for Joe.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | gangster | wedding | frame up | new york | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mama Raviola

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Cagney turned down the role of Joe Lorenzo.

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Connections

Featured in The John Garfield Story (2003)

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Soundtracks

"You Can't Stop Me from Dreaming"
(uncredited)
Written by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin
Played when Joe is playing blackjack and gets the letter

User Reviews

Reaching For Something Better

East Of The River is your typical Warner Brothers urban drama which that studio had down as a formula. Though the plot might not be recognizable at first, it's taken from The Charge Of The Light Brigade where Olivia DeHavilland switches her affections from Errol Flynn to younger brother Patric Knowles. More than any other major studio, Warner Brothers was big on recycling stories if they worked.

The two brothers are John Garfield and William Lundigan. As no one would believe these two are blood kin, there is a prologue where the orphan who grows up to be Lundigan is placed in the care of Marjorie Rambeau the Italian immigrant mother and she raises him as her own. Lundigan turns out to be a real straight arrow, college degree and all. Garfield however continues in his hoodlum from childhood and he's just getting out of prison on the West Coast when he goes east to see Lundigan graduate from college and he takes his moll Brenda Marshall with him.

Garfield also has a score to settle with Douglas Fowley and Jack LaRue who framed him into the joint though the film ain't real clear on how they did it. The fact he's losing Marshall to Lundigan cramps his style though.

Of course it all works out in the end and East Of The River doesn't exactly break any new ground. James Cagney passed on this one, he'd done it all before and Garfield was only in his third year at Warner Brothers.

Both Marjorie Rambeau and George Tobias played all kinds of ethnic characters in their careers and they do well in their silver screen Italian parts. Marshall does well also as the girl reaching for something a lot better than Garfield can give her.

John Garfield's most devoted fans won't rate East Of The River as one of his top performances, but the film does showcase Garfield at his urban best.