Night Passage (1957)

Director:

James Neilson

Writers:

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

Release Date:

24 July 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

This was the night when the naked fury of the McLaines flamed out with consuming vengeance across a terrorized land!

Plot:

The workers on the railroad haven't been paid in months --- that's because Whitey and his gang, including fast-shooting...

Plot Keywords:

Railroad | Train | Payroll | Main Character Shot | Lasso

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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
Donald Curtis	...	Jubilee
Ellen Corby	...	Mrs. Feeney
John Daheim	...	Latigo (as John Day)
Kenny Williams	...	O'Brien
Frank Chase	...	Trinidad
Harold Goodwin	...	Pick Gannon (as Herold Goodwin)
Harold 'Tommy' Hart	...	Shannon (as Harold Tommy Hart)
Jack C. Williams	...	Dusty
Boyd Stockman	...	Torgenson
Henry Wills	...	Pache
Chuck Roberson	...	Roan
Willard W. Willingham	...	Click (as Willard Willingham)
Polly Burson	...	Rosa
Patsy Novak	...	Linda
Ted Mapes	...	Leary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edwin C. Johnson	...	Telegraph Operator Near Beginning (uncredited)
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Blacksmith / Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
Ben Welden	...	Pete (uncredited)

Directed by
James Neilson

Writing credits
Borden Chase		(screenplay)
Norman A. Fox		(novel)

Produced by
Aaron Rosenberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(as William Daniels)

Film Editing by
Sherman Todd

Art Direction by
Robert Clatworthy
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
Oliver Emert
Russell A. Gausman

Makeup Department
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marshall Green	....	assistant director
James Curtis Havens	....	second unit director (as James C. Havens)
Wilbur Mosier	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound
Frank H. Wilkinson	....	sound
James V. Swartz	....	sound technician (uncredited)

Stunts
Polly Burson	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Regis Parton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd Stockman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Clifford Stine	....	special photography
Phil O'Neil	....	camera technician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bill Thomas	....	costumes
Bucky Rous	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor

Other crew
William Fritzsche	....	technicolor color consultant
Fred Banker	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Harold Goodwin	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI) (presents) (as Universal - International)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (as Universal International)
• Universal Pictures France (UPF) (1957) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (reissue)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• C.E.A. Distribución (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Comet Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2003) (Canada) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

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

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Anthony Mann refused to direct the film, saying nobody would understand it. He also said he believed the script was bad and that Audie Murphy - who was 5'5" - would not be believable as the brother of James Stewart, who was 6'3". After the film opened to poor reviews and business, Stewart never spoke to Mann again.

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.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Crime Story: The War (#1.5)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

You Can't Get Far Without a Railroad

Kudos for Audie Murphy's acting and James Stewart's accordion playing

Without Anthony Mann to deliver the goods, one would expect "Night Passage" to be a flop under the direction of the TV-oriented James Neilson. Quite the contrary is the case. This is one of the best westerns of the 50's. Audie Murphy, continually underrated by the Hollywood big wigs, turns in his best performance ever, even better than in the more touted "The Red Badge of Courage" or in "To Hell and Back" in which he plays himself. One senses that he is actually portraying himself more in "Night Passage" than in his autobiographical film. He is up against stiff competition and more than takes care of himself. James Stewart is fine as always and his accordion playing is above average. Hell, even his singing isn't all that bad. Some entertainers with less musical talent have built careers for themselves in the record industry. Dan Duryea gives an over the top rendition of gang leader Whitey Harbin, which isn't bad, just different for the gifted actor. The only one wasted in the picture is the fabulous Jack Elam, given only a minor character role with no place to go with it. The rest of the cast, including Hugh Beaumont, aka Ward Cleaver, strut their stuff, including the two women, Dianne Foster and Elaine Stewart. Brandon De Wilde is still playing his Joey Starrett part from "Shane." The viewer can almost hear him yelling, "Shane! Come back, Shane!"

The script by Borden Chase from a story by Norman Fox is a fairly predictable one, reminiscent in some ways of the more complex one Chase wrote for the Stewart/Mann masterpiece, "Winchester '73." Grant McLaine (Stewart) wants his old railroad job back. He's provided the opportunity by doing a job for the railroad, personally carrying the payroll to the workers at the end of the track to prevent Whitey and his gang from stealing it as they were in the habit of doing on a regular basis. There is a conflict of interest though since a gun riding with the Whitey gang is The Utica Kid (Murphy) with whom McLaine has a private connection. Unable to find the payroll, Whitey and his gang kidnap the wife of railroad tycoon, Ben Kimball (Jay C. Flippen), holding her until the payroll is turned over to them. The title "Night Passage" concerns not only the action that takes place in the night between McLaine and the gang but also the personal transactions that occur among the assorted characters involved in the resolution of the story.

Another asset for "Night Passage" is the cinematography zeroing in on the beautiful Colorado landscape around Durango. The Narrow Gauge Railroad train ride from Durango to Silverton is available for tourists to see the topography first hand. The El Rio de las Animas Perdidas (The River of Lost Souls), called the Animas River by most, is indeed a site to behold.