Night Passage (1957)

A fired railroad man is rehired and trusted to carry a 10,000 dollar payroll in secret, even though he is suspected of being connected to outlaws.

Director:

James Neilson

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay), Norman A. Fox (novel)

Stars:

James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea

1 nomination.

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

Storyline

The workers on the railroad haven't been paid in months --- that's because Whitey and his gang, including fast-shooting, dangerous, but likeable Utica Kid, keep holding up the train for its payroll. Grant McLaine, a former railroad employee who was fired in disgrace, is recruited to take the payroll through under cover. A young boy and a shoebox figure into the plot when Whitey's gang tries to hold up the train and Grant and the Kid meet again to settle an old score.

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Plot Keywords:

train | railroad | payroll | shootout | ambush | 

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Taglines:

THE SAGA OF THE McLAINE BROTHERS! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Uhr ist abgelaufen

Filming Locations:

Buttermilk Country, Inyo National Forest - 351 Pacu Lane, Bishop, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real name of the Utica Kid turns out to be Lee, thus the names of the warring brothers are Grant and Lee, just like the opposing generals in the Brothers' War (the American Civil War)

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Grant McLaine: You like eggs?
Joey Adams: No!
Grant McLaine: That's too bad. You got an omelet comin' up.

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Connections

Referenced in Crime Story: The War (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Follow the River"
Lyrics by Ned Washington
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Performed by James Stewart (uncredited)

User Reviews

lots better than that..

this is a terrific film with a terrific cast and an outstanding score by dmitri tiomkin who composed for many films, many of them western: high noon, the alamo.. the film tells of two brothers, one honest, one outlaw, who separate and cross paths later, on both sides of the law..one look at the cast and you know who's what..the plot is somewhat moralistic, as it includes a juvenile who is shown the right and wrong paths in life..today, it would be cliche: no gratuitous gore, sex, language, chases, crashes and few screams..i guess this is what would be known as an adult film, because only adults (who remember these actors) would appreciate how things were done in the '50s..and more's the pity; in those days, less was more..an audience could enjoy one gunshot, one smile, one look and not get as bored as audiences do today when they see schwarzenegger, stallone, seagal, norris, etc., then ask gee, i wonder what he'll do next time that's better? even in the '50s, many films had class, today, it's all kitsch and glitz..thank god films last forever..