Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

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:

Train | Secret | Stranger | Japanese American | Murder

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) | Sweden:15 | 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 one biographer of Spencer Tracy, the script did not originally call for the lead character to be a one-armed man. The producers were keen to get Tracy but didn't think he'd be interested, so they gave the character this disability with the idea that no actor can resist playing a character with a physical impairment.

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:

Pete Wirth: Let's wait and see. There's no danger yet.
Reno Smith: No danger yet? This guy is like a carrier of smallpox! Since he arrived, this town has a fever... an infection. And it's spreading!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Return to 'The Great Escape' (1993) (V)

Powerhouse Cast in Taut Drama

Spencer Tracy heads a great cast in this much-admired drama that takes place in the west. It's a rare treat to see Tracy and Robert Ryan in the same film, with scenes together. Two truly top-notch veterans, with exemplary career acting achievements.

The tight script, solid directing (by John Sturges), a powerful score (by Andre Previn) and outstanding Cinemascope photography combine to elevate "Bad Day at Black Rock" to a place among the great films.

One really cannot fully apprecitate this film on a regular size pan-and-scan screen, and even the letterboxed version doesn't adequately convey the impact of its original Cinemascope moviehouse presentation. One only can try today to imagine the original. Yet, a fine film can overcome format, and "Bad Day" still packs a whopper punch.