IMDb > Night Passage (1957)

Night Passage (1957) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   905 votes
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Director:
James Neilson
Writers:
Borden Chase (screenplay)
Norman A. Fox (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Night Passage on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 July 1957 (USA) more
Genre:
Western more
Tagline:
This was the night when the naked fury of the McLaines flamed out with consuming vengeance across a terrorized land! more
Plot:
The workers on the railroad haven't been paid in months --- that's because Whitey and his gang, including fast-shooting... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
"I've Been Working On the Railroad..." more (34 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Stewart ... Grant McLaine
Audie Murphy ... The Utica Kid
Dan Duryea ... Whitey Harbin
Dianne Foster ... Charlotte Drew
Elaine Stewart ... Verna Kimball
Brandon De Wilde ... Joey Adams
Jay C. Flippen ... Ben Kimball

Herbert Anderson ... Will Renner

Robert J. Wilke ... Concho
Hugh Beaumont ... Jeff Kurth

Jack Elam ... Shotgun
Tommy Cook ... Howdy Sladen
Paul Fix ... Mr. Feeney
Olive Carey ... Miss Vittles
James Flavin ... Tim Riley
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Norway:16 | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #18417) | UK:U | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U
Filming Locations:
Buttermilk Country, Inyo National Forest - 351 Pacu Lane, Bishop, California, USA more
Company:
Universal International Pictures (UI) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
James Neilson replaced Anthony Mann as director when Mann walked off the picture after a falling out with James Stewart. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: Eighty-three minutes into the film, a bullet hole suddenly appears on a steel cable car right behind Charlie as she ducks bullets with Grant. Charlie looks behind her, apparently reacting to the sound of the bullet hitting the car - but there is no sound whatsoever. more
Quotes:
The Utica Kid: That's a pretty good rig.
Howdy Sladen: Too good for the guy that owned it. Remember that draw you taught me? It worked - he went down with his gun in the leather.
The Utica Kid: And now you're an in-case man.
Howdy Sladen: In-case?
The Utica Kid: Yeah, in case you miss six times with one, you draw the other... if you have time.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Crime Story: The War (#1.5)" (1986) more
Soundtrack:
You Can't Get Far Without a Railroad more

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User Comments

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11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
"I've Been Working On the Railroad...", 17 May 2003
7/10
Author: (bsmith5552@rogers.com) from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

"Night Passage" is one of a series of westerns made by the venerable James Stewart for Universal in the 50's and 60's. This one is directed by James Neilson rather than Anthony Mann but is nonetheless an above average western.

Grant McLaine (Stewart) has been wondering from place to place over the past five years earning his living by singing songs and playing the accordion. McLaine had been fired by the railroad for appearing to have helped his outlaw brother, The Utica Kid (Audie Murphy) escape justice five years earlier. The railroad is being robbed of their payrolls by Whitey Harbin (Dan Duryea) and his gang. Railroad boss Kimball (Jay C. Flippen) rehires McLaine to guard the next payroll. Along the way McLaine learns that the Utica Kid is a part of Whitey's gang.

McLaine befriends a boy, Joey (Brandon DeWilde) as he is being chased by surly villain Concho (Robert Wilke). Later, the train on which they are traveling is held up by the gang and Kimball's wife Verna (Elaine Stewart) is taken captive. After being pistol whipped by Concho, McLaine recovers and trails the gang to their hideout. There he poses as the person bringing the ransom money while meeting up with his brother. Will blood be thicker than water? You'll have to wait until the final showdown.

The film is beautifully photographed and the railroad setting provides for many scenic moments. The Stewart character doesn't quite have the edge that he would have had in a Mann film, however ANY film with James Stewart is worth your time. Murphy playing in an rare "A" level movie does okay as the all in black gunfighter. Duryea is at his usual sneering slightly mad best as the chief villain.

Of the supporting players, Olive Carey (widow of Harry Carey) has a delightful bit as a muleskinner named Miss Vittles. Dianne Foster appears as Murphy's girl, "Charlie" and Paul Fix and Ellen Corby are hilarious as the Feeneys. In addition to Wilke, Duryea's gang includes Jack Elam and Chuck Roberson. For nostalgic TV fans Herbert Anderson (Dennis the Menace) and Hugh Beaumont (Leave It To Beaver) have small roles as well.

Worth your while.

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