They Drive by Night (1940)

They Drive by Night (1940)

starring George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart

directed by Raoul Walsh

95 minutes

Joe Fabrini (George Raft) and his brother Paul (Humphrey Bogart) are down on their luck independent truckers. They could work for Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale) who runs a big trucking company but they prefer to be their own bosses despite all the risks their line of work entails. It isn't until they get into accident and Paul loses his arm that Joe decides to accept a job working for Carlsen.

Lana Carlsen (Ida Lupino) has been carrying a torch for Joe for a number of years. She starts hitting on Joe once he starts working for her husband. Joe knows better than to cross that line because she is the boss's wife and because he has been seeing Cassie Hartley (Ann Sheridan). Lana gets fed up with her husband's heavy drinking and his lack of refinement. One night she kills him in such a way so as to make it look like suicide.

She asks Joe to take over Ed's role in the company. He agrees to it believing that it is just a business arrangement but Lana has other ideas.

Thoughts

I thought this started a little slow. The first third of the movie is very much focused on Joe and Paul. I wasn't sure where it was going but I was happy when the focus seemed to shift in the second act. Lana starts to becomes a bigger part of the story and Paul fades from prominence once the second act begins.

There is something about Lana's obsession with Joe that didn't feel fleshed out enough for me. It isn't clear. I like the intensity but it didn't feel fully justified. Good movie but it felt a little incomplete.

I think this is just the second movie that George Raft was in that I have seen. The only other film that he was in that I am sure I have seen is Some Like It Hot (1959). I'm pretty sure that it has been over 30 years since I last saw Some Like It Hot.

I think this movie might be the first thing that I have seen that either Ann Sheridan or Ida Lupino is in. I have seen Alan Hale and Humphrey Bogart is a number of other movies.

I saw this movie at the AFI Silver Theater. It was part of the American Film Institute's celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Warner Bros. See also AFI - Warner Bros Centennial for more films that I saw as part of this program.