Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Howard Breslin (story)
Don McGuire (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 January 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

Suddenly you realize murder is at your elbow! - and there's no way out!

Plot:

A one handed stranger comes to a tiny town possessing a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.

Plot Keywords:

Color In Title | Beautiful Woman | Silence Conspiracy | Research | Animosity

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	John J. Macreedy
Robert Ryan	...	Reno Smith
Anne Francis	...	Liz Wirth
Dean Jagger	...	Sheriff Tim Horn
Walter Brennan	...	Doc T.R. Velie Jr.
John Ericson	...	Pete Wirth
Ernest Borgnine	...	Coley Trimble
Lee Marvin	...	Hector David
Russell Collins	...	Mr. Hastings, Telegrapher
Walter Sande	...	Sam, Cafe Proprietor

Also Known As:

Bad Day at Hondo (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) (Western Electric Sound System) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #17154)

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

According to director John Sturges' commentary track on the Criterion Laserdisc, this film was also filmed simultaneously in a standard 4:3 ratio version (as well as Cinemascope), because MGM executives were unsure of the wide screen version. It was never released.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: As the train approaches the town, the horn blows twice, which is the signal for starting up. The mandatory signal for a grade crossing (long, long, short, long) is never blown, although one clearly exists. When the train departs, the conductor makes a confused hand signal to the engineer resembling the horizontal motion that means "stop" rather than the vertical motion that means "go". The engineer never responds with the "long, long" starting signal.

Quotes:

John J. Macreedy: [to the town mortician] Mind not looking at me like that?
Doc T.R. Velie Jr.: Like what?
John J. Macreedy: Like a potential customer.
Doc T.R. Velie Jr.: Huh. Everyone is.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' (2000) (TV)

Thrilling Study On American Xenophobia

Superb little suspense movie, tightly constructed and brilliantly directed by Sturges. The film's premise is simple, but one has to admire how Sturges and his people play with the concept. It is a terrific exercise in minimalism, relying on basic storytelling techniques in order to tell the story. This is the first time I watch the movie in its original widescreen format (courtesy of the wonderful new DVD disc), and it is amazing to see how well director Sturges uses wide angels. Actually, I found odd to see such a small scale production rely so much on the visual glories of Cinemascope, but the experiment works beautifully. The cast is wonderful, with no less than five Oscar-winning actors among the great ensemble cast. However, Spencer Tracy walks away with the movie - his naturalistic style has never been better displayed. Also, kudos to Millard Kaufman's great script (it has a very interesting xenophobia subtext).