They Drive by Night (1940)
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- Approved
- 1h 35min
- Crime, Drama
- 03 Aug 1940 (USA)
- Movie
When one of two truck-driving brothers loses an arm, they both join a transport company where the other is falsely charged as an accessory in the murder of the owner.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- 2 wins.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| George Raft | ... |
Joe Fabrini
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| Ann Sheridan | ... |
Cassie Hartley
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| Ida Lupino | ... |
Lana Carlsen
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| Humphrey Bogart | ... |
Paul Fabrini
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| Gale Page | ... |
Pearl Fabrini
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| Alan Hale | ... |
Ed Carlsen
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| Roscoe Karns | ... |
Irish McGurn
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| John Litel | ... |
Harry McNamara
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| George Tobias | ... |
George Rondolos
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Eddie Acuff | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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| William Bendix | ... |
Truck Driver Watching Pinball Game (uncredited)
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| Marie Blake | ... |
Waitress (uncredited)
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| Chet Brandenburg | ... |
Man Griping at Farnsworth (uncredited)
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| Eddy Chandler | ... |
Driver (uncredited)
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Richard Clayton | ... |
Young Man (uncredited)
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| Joyce Compton | ... |
Sue Carter (uncredited)
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Alan Davis | ... |
Driver (uncredited)
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| Joe Devlin | ... |
Fatso (uncredited)
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Demetris Emanuel | ... |
Waiter (uncredited)
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| Frank Faylen | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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Eddie Fetherston | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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| Pat Flaherty | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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| Bess Flowers | ... |
Party Guest (uncredited)
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| Brenda Fowler | ... |
Prison Matron (uncredited)
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| Ned Glass | ... |
Prison Door Repairman (uncredited)
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| Sol Gorss | ... |
Truck Driver Warning about Farnsworth (uncredited)
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| Jesse Graves | ... |
Charles Culpepper (uncredited)
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| Mack Gray | ... |
Mike (uncredited)
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| William Haade | ... |
Tough Driver (uncredited)
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| Charles Halton | ... |
Farnsworth (uncredited)
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| John Hamilton | ... |
Defense Attorney (uncredited)
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Phyllis Hamilton | ... |
Stenographer (uncredited)
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| Carl Harbaugh | ... |
Mechanic (uncredited)
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George Haywood | ... |
Policeman at Accident (uncredited)
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Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian | ... |
Driver (uncredited)
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| Howard Hickman | ... |
The Judge (uncredited)
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| Al Hill | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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J. Anthony Hughes | ... |
Reporter #3 (uncredited)
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| Paul Hurst | ... |
Pete Haig (uncredited)
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Claire James | ... |
Party Guest (uncredited)
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| Michael Jeffers | ... |
Trucker (uncredited)
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| Dorothea Kent | ... |
Sue (uncredited)
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| Mike Lally | ... |
Man Griping at Farnsworth (uncredited)
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Harry Levette | ... |
Second butler at Carlsens' home (uncredited)
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| Vera Lewis | ... |
Landlady (uncredited)
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| George Lloyd | ... |
Barney (uncredited)
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| Wilfred Lucas | ... |
Bailiff (uncredited)
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| Frank Mayo | ... |
Motorist at Accident Scene (uncredited)
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| Matt McHugh | ... |
Repairman (uncredited)
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| Edmund Mortimer | ... |
Extra in Courtroom (uncredited)
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| Jack Mower | ... |
Deputy with Farnsworth (uncredited)
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| Henry O'Neill | ... |
District Attorney (uncredited)
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| Pedro Regas | ... |
Harry's Partner (uncredited)
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| John Ridgely | ... |
Hank Dawson (uncredited)
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| Ralph Sanford | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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Cliff Saum | ... |
Man Outside Barney's (uncredited)
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| Harry Semels | ... |
Leo (uncredited)
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| Charles Sherlock | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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| Charles Sullivan | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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Don Turner | ... |
Driver (uncredited)
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| Dorothy Vaughan | ... |
Courtroom Matron (uncredited)
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| Max Wagner | ... |
Sweeney (uncredited)
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Howard Washington | ... |
Garage attendant (uncredited)
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| Billy Wayne | ... |
Repairman (uncredited)
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| Dick Wessel | ... |
Driver in Café (uncredited)
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| Frank Wilcox | ... |
Reporter #1 (uncredited)
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| Norman Willis | ... |
Neves (uncredited)
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| Charles C. Wilson | ... |
Mike Williams (uncredited)
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| Tom Wilson | ... |
Man Outside Barney's (uncredited)
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Jack Wise | ... |
Jake (uncredited)
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| Lillian Yarbo | ... |
Chloe (uncredited)
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Katherine Yorke | ... |
Courtroom spectator (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Raoul Walsh | ||
Written by
| Jerry Wald | ... | (screen play) and |
| Richard Macaulay | ... | (screen play) |
| A.I. Bezzerides | ... | (from a novel by) |
Produced by
| Mark Hellinger | ... | associate producer |
| Hal B. Wallis | ... | executive producer |
Music by
| Adolph Deutsch | ||
Cinematography by
| Arthur Edeson | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Thomas Richards | ||
Editorial Department
| Robert Burks | ... | montage (uncredited) |
| Don Siegel | ... | montage (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| John Hughes | ||
Costume Design by
| Milo Anderson | ... | (gowns) |
Makeup Department
| Perc Westmore | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Jack L. Warner | ... | in charge of production |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Elmer Decker | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Oliver S. Garretson | ... | sound |
Special Effects by
| Byron Haskin | ... | special effects |
| Hans F. Koenekamp | ... | special effects (as H.F. Koenekamp) |
Stunts
| Ed Brandenburg | ... | stunt driver (uncredited) |
| Harvey Parry | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Buster Wiles | ... | stunt double: George Raft (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| George Hurrell Sr. | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Leo F. Forbstein | ... | musical director |
| Hugo Friedhofer | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Arthur Lange | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Jerome Moross | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Hugh MacMullan | ... | dialogue director (as Hugh MacMullen) |
Production Companies
- Warner Bros. (a Warner Bros.-First National Picture)
Distributors
- Warner Bros. (1940) (United States) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Pictures (1940) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1940) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Finland (1941) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Pictures Mexico (1941) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Pictures (1941) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Film (1945) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1947) (France) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1948) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1963) (Finland) (tv)
- Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (1967) (West Germany) (tv)
- CBS/Fox (1983) (United States) (CED videodisc)
- Key Video (United States) (VHS) (For CBS Fox Video)
- Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1988) (Finland) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2000) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
- Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
- Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD)
- Living Colour Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Epoca (Argentina) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of: affiliated with American Federation of Labor)
- MGM Home Entertainment (VHS package design)
- Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (approved: certificate no. 6278)
- RCA (sound system)
- Turner Entertainment (DVD package design)
- Turner Entertainment (VHS package design)
- Warner Bros. Entertainment (DVD package design)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Brothers Paul and Joe Fabrini run a trucking business in California mainly hauling fruit from farms to the markets in Los Angeles. They struggle to make ends meet in the face of corrupt businessmen and intense competition. They are forced into driving long hours, and one night pick up waitress Cassie Hartley who's just quit her job at a truck stop. The three of them witness the death of a mutual acquaintance when he falls asleep at the wheel. This has a profound effect on Joe who becomes determined to find a way to make the business pay while Paul and his wife would prefer a steady job that keeps him home so they can start a family.
Written by Col Needham |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Thrills . . . from coast to coast . . . ! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $400,000 (estimated) |
| Cumulative Worldwide Gross | $4,000,000 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The wife of producer Mark Hellinger, Gladys Glad, a former showgirl for Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., was responsible for getting this film made. Hellinger had brought home a large stack of scripts that he was to read for filming consideration. He had leafed through the script and read the summary, but felt that "nobody would pay money to see a bunch of truck drivers." His wife read this script, liked it, and pressured Hellinger to read it. Reluctantly, he did, the film eventually got made, and it became the sleeper hit of the year for Warners. It was made for an estimated $400,000 and grossed more than $4 million. (Source: Book "The Mark Hellinger Story" by Jim Bishop, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1952) See more » |
| Goofs | When Joe and Paul's truck crashes, a motorist in a 1933 Cadillac with California license number 2N 214 stops to give assistance. Later, at Ed and Lana Carlson's anniversary party the same car (and same license number) is shown as one of Ed's cars as he demonstrates his garage door opener. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963). See more » |
| Soundtracks | When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano See more » |
| Quotes |
Ed Carlsen:
Early to rise and early to bed, makes a man healthy, but socially dead! See more » |