View source for Night Passage (film)

{{Short description|1957 film by James Neilson}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Night Passage
| image          = Night Passage - 1957 - Poster.png
| caption        = 1957 theatrical poster by [[Reynold Brown]]
| director       = [[James Neilson (director)|James Neilson]]
| producer       = [[Aaron Rosenberg]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''Night Passage''<br>1956 novel|[[Norman A. Fox]]}}
| screenplay     = [[Borden Chase]]
| starring       = [[James Stewart]]<br>[[Audie Murphy]]
| music          = [[Dimitri Tiomkin]]
| cinematography = [[William H. Daniels]]
| editing        = [[Sherman Todd]]
| color_process  = [[Technicolor]]
| studio         = Universal Pictures
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1957|7|17|Denver, Colorado|1957|7|24|Los Angeles|1957|7|24|New York City}}
| runtime        = 90 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| gross          = $2.6 million (US)<ref>"Top Grosses of 1957", ''Variety'', 8 January 1958: 30</ref>
}}
'''''Night Passage''''' is a 1957 American [[Western (genre)|Western]] film directed by [[James Neilson (director)|James Neilson]] and starring [[James Stewart]] and [[Audie Murphy]].<ref>[http://www.audiemurphy.com/movies21.htm ''Night Passage''] at Audie Murphy Memorial Site</ref>
== Plot ==
On the way to meet his former boss -- railroad tycoon Ben Kimball --  Grant McLaine rescues a young boy, Joey Adams, from villain Concho. Ben informs Grant that his payroll has been robbed three times already by a gang led by Whitey Harbin and the Utica Kid. If Ben's workers do not get paid soon, they will all leave the end-of-track work camp. Over the objections of Kimball's number 2, Jeff Kurth, Grant accepts the undercover job of carrying $10,000 to the crew by train. Kurth bets his job that Grant will fail.
When the train is held up again, Grant hides the money in a shoebox carried by Joey. The ploy works, but the young boy turns out to be friends with the Utica Kid, who takes him along with him. When the robbers cannot find the money, Whitey kidnaps Ben's wife Verna to hold for ransom. Concho, a gang member, pistol-whips Grant, sending him tumbling down the steep embankment unconscious. The train leaves without him.
When Grant wakes up, he trails the gang to an abandoned mining camp. He boldly asks to join up, revealing that he is the Kid's older brother. Utica is suspicious of his heretofore honest sibling, so Whitey (who dislikes the Kid) accepts him. Concho tries to shoot Grant unexpectedly, but Grant is faster on the draw. Afterwards, he tells the Kid where the money is in an attempt to reform his brother. It does not work. The Kid gives Grant ten minutes to leave before he tells the gang, but Grant calls his bluff.
Then railroad employee Will Renner, Whitey's informant, shows up to collect his share of the loot. He recognizes Grant (by the song he sings and plays on his accordion) as the man assigned to deliver the payroll. A gunfight ensues. Grant and Verna manage to escape. In the stable, they join Charlotte "Charlie" Drew, the Kid's girlfriend, and ride out after Lee and Joey. At the ore mill, Grant sends Verna to safety down the mountain in an ore bucket. Charlie stays and reloads Grant's gun. Meanwhile, the Kid plans to quietly ride away with Joey and the money.
When Joey suddenly bolts toward Grant, Whitey shoots, and the boy and his horse fall. Grant rushes to Joey's side and throws himself in front of the boy when the Kid rides up, gun aimed—at a gang member. The Kid  joins forces with his brother. They kill all the gang members except Whitey, who crawls up close and shoots the Kid. Grant kills Whitey with their last bullet and holds his brother as he dies. The Kid admits that Grant "hit him hard" with the Bullfrog Line song, their father's favorite. Grant buries his brother and returns the payroll. Grant refuses Kurth's job, but accepts his old job. Grant sends Joey off to his new job, carrying water at end of track. Grant and Charlie follow Joey together.
== Cast ==
The film's cast was notable for having two famously highly decorated, real-life [[World War II]] combat veterans -- former infantryman Murphy ([[Medal of Honor]], [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]], [[Silver Star]], etc.<ref name="sgt_audie_murphy_club_army_mil">[https://www.usarj.army.mil/misc/samc/ "Sergeant Audie Murphy Club,"]  U.S. Army Japan, [[U.S. Army]], retrieved January 7, 2024</ref> -- "the most decorated Soldier in American history"<ref name="killer_hero_wapo">[[Michael Kernan]]: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/07/28/audie-murphy-killer-hero/93c85b6e-6e9d-466a-9d10-c21ae38d27b5/ "Audie Murphy, Killer Hero,"] July 28, 1989, ''[[Washington Post]],'' retrieved January 7, 2024</ref><ref name="inducts_2007_12_14_army_mil">[https://www.army.mil/article/6591/Medal_of_Honor_recipient_inducts_NCO_into "Medal of Honor recipient inducts NCO into prestigious club,"] December 14, 2007, Public Affairs Office, [[U.S. Army War College]], republished by Army Public Affairs, [[U.S. Army]], retrieved January 7, 2024</ref>), and former bomber pilot and squadron commander Stewart ([[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]es, French [[Croix de guerre 1939–1945|Croix de Guerre]], [[Air Medal]]s, etc.<ref name="honors_2008_05_29_usaf">Petcoff, Russell P., Master Sgt., USAF: [https://www.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/158411/air-force-honors-famous-actor-reservist/ "Air Force honors famous actor, reservist,"] May 29, 2008, 11th Wing Public Affairs, [[United States Air Force]], retrieved January 7, 2024</ref>) -- featured as this film's two lead actors. Also, each played the pacifist-hero character "Destry" -- in [[Destry Rides Again|1939]] or [[Destry (film)|1954]] versions of the namesake western films -- to critical acclaim.<ref name="destry_parke_insp_com">Parke, Henry C.: [https://www.insp.com/blog/audie-murphy-james-stewart-men-who-played-destry/ "A Tale of Two Destrys:  Audie Murphy, James Stewart—the men who played Destry -- Destry Rides Again and Again,"] [[INSP (TV network)]], retrieved January 7, 2024</ref><ref name="cinema_1939_12_18_time">[https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,763131,00.html "Cinema: The New Pictures: Dec. 18, 1939,"] December 18, 1939, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]],'' retrieved January 7, 2024</ref><ref name="destry_variety1954_archive_org">[https://archive.org/stream/variety196-1954-12/variety196-1954-12_djvu.txt "Destry"] (mis-scanned as "Donlry"), December 1954, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]],'' OCR transcript from [[Internet Archive]], retrieved January 7, 2024</ref><ref name="audie_murphy_indiana_edu">Graham, Don B.:  [https://publish.iupress.indiana.edu/read/shooting-stars/section/5739a76c-387a-4bb4-88fa-cc684eb230b3##ch7 "Audie Murphy: Kid With a Gun,"] in [https://publish.iupress.indiana.edu/projects/shooting-stars ''Shooting Stars: Heroes and Heroines of Western Film,''] Archie P. McDonald, editor, 1987, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, retrieved January 9, 2024</ref>
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[James Stewart]] as Grant McLaine
* [[Audie Murphy]] as The Utica Kid
* [[Dan Duryea]] as Whitey Harbin
* [[Dianne Foster]] as Charlotte "Charlie" Drew
* [[Elaine Stewart (actress)|Elaine Stewart]] as Verna Kimball
* [[Brandon deWilde]] as Joey Adams
* [[Jay C. Flippen]] as Ben Kimball
* [[Herbert Anderson]] as Will Renner
* [[Robert J. Wilke]] as Concho
* [[Hugh Beaumont]] as Jeff Kurth
* [[Jack Elam]] as Shotgun
* [[Tommy Cook (actor)|Tommy Cook]] as Howdy Sladen
* [[Paul Fix]] as Clarence Feeney
* [[Olive Carey]] as Miss Vittles
* [[James Flavin]] as Tim Riley
* [[Donald Curtis]] as Jubilee
* [[Ellen Corby]] as Mrs. Feeney
* John Daheim as Latigo
* Kenny Williams as O'Brien
* [[Frank Chase (actor)|Frank Chase]] as Trinidad
* [[Harold Goodwin (American actor)|Harold Goodwin]] as Pick Gannon
* [[Harold Hart]] as Tommy Shannon
* Jack C. Williams as Dusty
* [[Boyd Stockman]] as Torgenson
* Henry Wills as Pache
* [[Chuck Roberson]] as Roan
* Willard W. Willingham as Click
* Polly Burson as Rosa
* Patsy Novak as Linda
* [[Ted Mapes]] as Leary
}}
==Production background==
[[File:Elaine Stewart-James Stewart in Night Passage trailer.jpg|right|thumb|[[Elaine Stewart (actress)|Elaine Stewart]] and [[James Stewart]]]]
The film is reminiscent of the popular western collaborations between Stewart and director [[Anthony Mann]], who had directed Stewart eight times in the last six years. This is partly because the project was slated to be their sixth collaboration in the genre (ninth overall). Mann backed out of the project before production due to other obligations and a disagreement over the casting of Audie Murphy and was replaced by [[James Neilson (director)|James Neilson]].
Mann and Stewart did not work together again. [[Aaron Rosenberg]], who produced several of the Stewart-Mann collaborations as well as ''Night Passage'', said that Stewart and Mann fell out after a disagreement over the film's quality, which according to Mann was "trash". Mann felt that Stewart was only making the film so he could play his accordion. This enraged Stewart so much that the two didn't speak again.<ref>{{cite book | first=Michael | last=Munn | authorlink=Michael Munn | title=Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend | publisher=Skyhorse Publishing | year = 2013 | orig-year=2006 | pages=233–235 | isbn=978-1-62636-094-5}}</ref><ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/84942/Night-Passage/articles.html Paul Tatara, 'Night Passage', ''Turner Classic Movies''] accessed 4 June 2012</ref>
[[Dimitri Tiomkin]] scored the film and co-wrote the songs "Follow the River" and "You Can't Get Far Without a Railroad" with [[Ned Washington]], which Stewart performed himself. The film also offered Stewart the rare opportunity to play the [[accordion]], an instrument he had played since childhood. However, his accordion playing was rerecorded by a professional during post-production. The film was the first American production to utilize the [[Technirama]] process by [[Technicolor]]. This process helped make the blue skies crisper and brighten the autumn footage photographed by cinematographer [[William H. Daniels]].
The railroad scenes were filmed at the [[Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad]] in [[Durango, Colorado]], using [[Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad]] K-28 Class [[steam locomotive]] #476 which still operates in excursion service there today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railserve.com/trainmovies/ |title=Railroad Movies on DVD |website=railserve.com}}</ref> Considerable footage from the railroad scenes was recycled into the 1966 Audie Murphy film ''[[Gunpoint (film)|Gunpoint]]''.
Co-star [[Dianne Foster]] witnessed Audie Murphy's legendary temper when filming a scene in which his horse would not co-operate and several takes were needed. Murphy was riding his own horse, a quarter-horse named Flying John. Murphy became so angry with the animal that he punched it in the face.<ref name="films_2009_larkins">{{cite book | first=Bob | last=Larkins | first2=Boyd | last2=Magers | title=The Films of Audie Murphy | publisher=McFarland & Company Publishing | year = 2009 | orig-year=2004 | pages=114–115 | isbn=978-0-7864-4508-0}}</ref> The film is one of the few in which Murphy played a villain.
==Home media==
===Video===
Over the years, ''Night Passage'' has been released in several single and collection forms on VHS and DVD media. More recently, it now appears on Blu-ray.
===Soundtrack===
In 2024 Dimitri Tiomkin's original score was featured in a limited-release CD with Bonus material from [[Intrada Records|Intrada]].
==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1957]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=84942|title=Night Passage}}
* {{IMDb title|0050763|Night Passage}}
* {{amg movie|103989}}
* {{AFI film|52298}}
* [http://sarahbethonline.com/danduryea/films/nightpassage.html Night Passage at Dan Duryea Central]
* {{Letterboxd film}}
*[https://archive.org/details/variety206-1957-05/page/n171/mode/1up? Review of film] at ''Variety''
{{James Neilson}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1957 films]]
[[Category:1957 Western (genre) films]]
[[Category:American Western (genre) films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Dimitri Tiomkin]]
[[Category:Films directed by James Neilson]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:1957 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Revisionist Western (genre) films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:English-language Western (genre) films]]