Highway 301 (1950)

A vicious gang of armed robbers, led by a psychotic killer, terrorizes the tri-state area of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, robbing banks and payrolls and murdering at will, especially women.

Director:

Andrew L. Stone

Writer:

Andrew L. Stone

Stars:

Steve Cochran, Virginia Grey, Gaby André

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Steve Cochran	...	George Legenza
Virginia Grey	...	Mary Simms
Gaby André	...	Lee Fontaine (as Gaby Andre)
Edmon Ryan	...	Detective Sgt. Truscott / Narrator
Robert Webber	...	William B. 'Bill' Phillips
Wally Cassell	...	Robert 'Bobby' Mais
Aline Towne	...	Madeline Welton
Richard Egan	...	Herbie Brooks
Edward Norris	...	Noyes Hinton - Gang Driver
William P. Lane Jr.	...	Himself - Governor of Maryland (as Governor William P. Lane Jr.)
John S. Battle	...	Himself - Governor of Virginia (as Gov. John S. Battle)
W. Kerr Scott	...	Himself - Governor of North Carolina (as Governor W. Kerr Scott)

Storyline

A vicious gang of armed robbers, led by a psychotic killer, terrorizes the tri-state area of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, robbing banks and payrolls and murdering at will, especially women.

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Plot Keywords:

police shoot out | getaway car | digit in title | richmond virginia | hit by train | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Two Million Dollar Bank Robbery

Filming Locations:

Union Station - 800 N. Alameda Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's title, "Highway 301" refers to a U.S. highway that connects Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina - where the Tri-State gang committed their crimes. The route itself was never mentioned in the film.

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Quotes

Madeline Welton: Maybe I'll hear you cracked the skull of an old bank guard, killed a truck driver or ran over a child in a getaway. I'm scared! Even liquor won't drive away the nightmares. I can't sleep. When you're away, I'm fenced in and when you come back, it's the same terror. Oh, please, George, please - I want out!
[George slaps Madeline]
George Legenza: Okay, now you got it out of your system. You feel better. Just make like you got caught in a revolving door. Well, come on. We're supposed to be having fun. Enjoy ...

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Connections

Referenced in True Romance (1993)

User Reviews

Gang-on-the-run movie packs a dirty wallop

The heart sinks when Highway 301 opens as the governors of three states bore us blind with pompous crime-does-not-pay speeches, one after the other. (It was 1950, and before we had a good time we had to be morally reassured.) Luckily, things pick up quickly in this modest but very well done look at life on the lam. A gang of bank-and-payroll robbers is terrorizing North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland; its leader (Steve Cochran) is especially vicious, and seems to take particular delight in bumping off women who cross him. One of them (Virginia Grey) gets bumped off much too early, as her sassy mouth is one of the best things in the movie. Another is the French-Canadian girlfriend (Gaby Andre) of another gangster, who only slowly comes to realize that she's fallen in with a den a theives ("duh?"). The tensest sequence in the movie occurs when Cochran is stalking her, by night, in the streets of Richmond, Virginia. The concluding scene, in a hospital, is almost as good. Again, by no means a vital installment in the noir canon, but quite professional and engaging.