When paroled trustee Steve and former inmate Judy who try to put their criminal lives behind them are blackmailed, two career criminals come to their rescue.When paroled trustee Steve and former inmate Judy who try to put their criminal lives behind them are blackmailed, two career criminals come to their rescue.When paroled trustee Steve and former inmate Judy who try to put their criminal lives behind them are blackmailed, two career criminals come to their rescue.
- Actress
- (uncredited)
- Inmate Socked by Saint Louis
- (uncredited)
- Deputy Warden
- (uncredited)
- Slim - Bazooka Player
- (uncredited)
- Guard
- (uncredited)
- Mrs. Jordan
- (uncredited)
- Nash
- (uncredited)
- New Inmate
- (uncredited)
- Upstate Baseball Manager
- (uncredited)
- Sophie
- (uncredited)
- Cynthia Jordan
- (uncredited)
- May
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the only movie in which Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy co-star. Although Tracy and Bogart were good friends, they never appeared in another movie together, as Bogart was tied to a contract with Warner Bros. for much of his career while Tracy was bound first to Fox, and then (most famously) to MGM. When the freelance era arrived in the 1950s and both were free of their studio contracts, the two talked about co-starring together in a picture, but according to Katharine Hepburn, they could never agree on who would get top billing (although Tracy was the more respected thespian, Bogart was more popular at the box office; however, after playing second-fiddle to Clark Gable for many years at MGM, Tracy wasn't about to accept second billing at that time in his career). Hepburn recalled they considered a suggested compromise that would have created an "X"-shaped credit in which Humphrey Tracy would have co-starred with Spencer Bogart, when read normally.
- GoofsAs Steve and his two friends walk into his mother's living room his handkerchief becomes deeper in his pocket.
- Quotes
Saint Louis: Well?
Dannemora Dan: Well, I ain't gonna go through with it, I tell you.
Saint Louis: Now, listen. I never break my word, and I gave my word to Judy - and we're goin' to New England, and we're goin' tonight!
Dannemora Dan: I can't go to New England, not tonight. I'm in the finale.
Man: [offscreen] Oh, St. Louis! What's the use?
Saint Louis: Say, if you don't do like I tell yuh, it's gonna be your finale!
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn (1986)
- SoundtracksUp the River (Prison 'College' Song)
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by James F. Hanley
Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy
Played during the opening credits
Sung by the inmates at the show and the baseball game
I probably liked this better than most of the people who reviewed the movie here. The ongoing problems with the baseball team ("the pitcher got paroled right before the big game") are amusing. I also liked the free-for-all atmosphere of the prison, with the warden's daughter and her dog wandering around the jail yard, friendly with all the prisoners. The warden's a lovable fellow too. I also liked the bit where notes are hidden in the hem of a charity woman's skirt on the women's side, and when she enters the men's yard, they all rush over and dust off her shoes, retrieving the letter at the same time. Finally, there's an ongoing bit based on the fact that Saint Louis deliberately drove off and left Dannemora in the lurch previously. They're now in the same prison together, Saint Louis swearing up and down that he thought the car had a rumble seat.
Besides the bad sound, the film has the usual politically incorrect blackface number. I will say that the black prisoners seemed to be on an equal footing with the whites, if that means anything.
"Up the River" is fascinating, too, for the use of microphones throughout the set and actors needing to be near them. No one really has figured out screen acting yet - Bogart speaks quickly while the woman playing his mother drags out every sentence. Tracy appears very natural, however.
Films had a long way to go. This one was made quickly by a man destined to become one of the screen's greatest directors and two actors who would become two of the greatest stars ever. Humble beginnings.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Iz neprilike u nepriliku
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color