Tycoon (1947)

Engineer Johnny Munroe is enlisted to build a railroad tunnel through a mountain to reach mines. His task is complicated, and his ethics are compromised, when he falls in love with his ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Wallace

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay), John Twist (screenplay),

Stars:

John Wayne, Laraine Day, Cedric Hardwicke

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Johnny
Laraine Day	...	Maura
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Alexander (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Judith Anderson	...	Miss Braithwaite
James Gleason	...	Pop
Anthony Quinn	...	Ricky
Grant Withers	...	Fog
Paul Fix	...	Joe
Fernando Alvarado	...	Chico
Harry Woods	...	Holden
Michael Harvey	...	Curly
Charles Trowbridge	...	Señor Tobar
Martin Garralaga	...	Chavez

Storyline

Engineer Johnny Munroe is enlisted to build a railroad tunnel through a mountain to reach mines. His task is complicated, and his ethics are compromised, when he falls in love with his boss's daughter.

---

Plot Keywords:

train | flood | railway | based on novel

---

Taglines:

Adventure In The Untamed Andes! (re-release print ad)

---

Genres:

Romance | Adventure | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 December 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stormfloden

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,209,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 95 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Produced for $3.209 million, this was RKO's biggest flop of 1947, losing $1.035 million.

---

Goofs

As the work crew is putting the last bridge span in place, their shadows are clearly visible on the lower part of the sky in the background.

---

Quotes

Johnny Munroe: I've got a railroad to build.

---

Connections

Referenced in Personal History: Foreign Hitchcock (2004)

User Reviews

big, sprawling yawn of a movie

MGM never had any idea what to do with its contract star, Laraine Day, other than cast her as Lew Ayres' girlfriend in the "Dr. Kildare" series. Other than that, they loaned her out. I'm not sure if she was still with MGM when "Tycoon" was filmed - I have absolutely no clue why anyone would think of her as a South American, but there she was, with black hair and her skin darkened.

I digress. "Tycoon" stars John Wayne, Day, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Anthony Quinn, and Judith Anderson in a technicolor film about the travails of a) falling in love with the boss' daughter; and b) then having the boss make sure you don't have the materials to build your railroad, tunnel, or whatever else you're building. Seems a bit self-defeating and spiteful.

Filmed in technicolor, some of the shots are gorgeous, and some are hilarious - for instance, the South American town, which is a painted backdrop.

I actually like John Wayne when he's not in a western, and here, he's handsome and tough and brings some life to the proceedings. I've always been a fan of Laraine Day, and she's lovely - but a chimpanzee could have played her part. I understand Day's husband, Leo Durocher, was on the set most of the time and was jealous of John Wayne. Judith Anderson as her duena is very good and Hardwicke is dignified. Anthony Quinn, as he often was back then, was shown to great advantage in a supporting role.

It might have been a better film if it had been shorter - there's just too much down time in "Tycoon." The script is a bore. The explosions are good.