They Drive by Night (1940)

94% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(2,209 ratings)

They just don't make 'em like They Drive By Night anymore. This slam-bang Warner Bros. attraction stars George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as Joe and Paul Fabrini, owners of a small but scrappy trucking firm. The film deftly combines comedy with thrills for the first half-hour or so, as the Fabrini… More They just don't make 'em like They Drive By Night anymore. This slam-bang Warner Bros. attraction stars George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as Joe and Paul Fabrini, owners of a small but scrappy trucking firm. The film deftly combines comedy with thrills for the first half-hour or so, as the Fabrini boys battle crooked distributors and unscrupulous rivals while establishing their transport company. Things take a potentially tragic turn when the overworked Paul Fabrini falls asleep at the wheel and cracks up, losing an arm in the accident. He's pretty bitter for a while, but, with the help of his loving wife, Pearl (Gale Page), Paul eventually snaps out of his self-pity and goes to work as a dispatcher for the Fabrinis' company. Meanwhile, Joe's on-and-off romance with wisecracking waitress Cassie Hartley (Ann Sheridan) is threatened by the presence of seductive Lana Carlsen (Ida Lupino), the wife of glad-handing trucking executive Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale). At this point, the film metamorphoses into a remake of the 1935 Paul Muni-Bette Davis vehicle Bordertown. Desperately in love with Joe, Lana murders her husband, making it look like an accident, then offers Joe half-interest in Carlsen's organization. Joe accepts the offer, but spurns Lana's romantic overtures, whereupon the scheming vixen accuses Joe of plotting Carlsen's murder. Thus, the stage is set for a spectacular courtroom finale, completely dominated by a demented Lana, whose "mad scene" rivals those of Ophelia and Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition to the full-blooded performances by the stars and the virile direction by Raoul Walsh, They Drive By Night benefits immeasurably from the nonstop brilliant dialogue by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay -- especially in an early lunch-counter scene between Ann Sheridan and George Raft, generously seasoned with hilarious double- and single-entendres. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Raoul Walsh
Written By: Jerry Wald
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1940 Wide
On DVD: Nov 4, 2003
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Performances are fine, with a bonus in the endearing corny wisecracking and dialogue of a type that cinema has now abandoned in favor of visual effects.
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Riveting mix of working man film and crime drama, inventively directed by Raoul Walsh.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Walsh keeps the film close to the ground and makes the transition between the two very different stories with complete confidence.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Sem se decidir se quer ser um drama sobre a difícil vida dos caminhoneiros ou um frágil e artificial filme de tribunal, este trabalho de Walsh desperdiça Raft, Bogie e Sheridan, além de contar com uma atuação pavorosamente ruim de Lupino.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Raoul Walsh directs this entertaining romantic melodrama with tenderness.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
The film's U-turn is so radical that it arguably transforms They Drive By Night into one of the U.S. cinema's earliest experiments in portmanteau
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
A forgotten gem.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
It's the hilarious 1940s dialogue like "Aw, you dames are sure screwy" that makes the film so fun to watch.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

I don't know why there was a fascination with truck drivers in the 40s, but the movies about them always turned out great. This movie is no exception, and it has a great cast.
danny d

a wonderful film. raft and bogart make a solid team and the subject matter is one that most people would never think could make a solid drama. the script is the strength of the film and the acting was superb. The film has layers to it that have to be peeled back to be appreciated.
Veronique K

a neglected classic directed by raoul walsh (who also handled the ultimate james cagney gangster classic "white heat"), a star-studded flicks with good wisecrackers from its appealing cast. it's a story about a pair of trucker brothers(raft and bogart) who take the… More
a neglected classic directed by raoul walsh (who also handled the ultimate james cagney gangster classic "white heat"), a star-studded flicks with good wisecrackers from its appealing cast. it's a story about a pair of trucker brothers(raft and bogart) who take the risk of having everything expropriated by the scrivener just to strive for the chances to rise high...then with a twist, everyone seems to obtain what he/she desires at the first place except the dame (lupino) who has an intense crush on george raft's character, consequent with murder, un-requited love and heart-twenching insanity. the first issue with this movie is that it's departed into two gendres of storylines which have been re-blended into one piece: social drama and meldromatic noir. it could be deemed as one flick before humprey bogart's crippling accident. a quaint social drama which discusses the bloody grimness about the prole trucking business, the labour and sweat from the working men, also emblemished with the pleasant romance between raft and ann sheridan, particularly their witty flirtation about "red means stop"...and sheridan utters her quick wits as the dainty waitress whom the customers drool over. lack of his usual mystic aura, bogart still gives a nice performance of a tough trucker even it's not quite riveting, and raft is quite in the right niche of his ambitiously clever truck leader with charisma. the three of them all inspire audience's empathetic approval of their hardship and occupational dignity..a peacefully cozy scenarios with likable characters that shelter you in an easefully relaxed atmosphere.... it all works harmoniously until the emergence of the sharp-tongued spunky ida lupino takes the spotlight from everyone who turns out to be lackluster compared to lupino's deliriously edgy performance as the love-struck rich wife who desperately craves for raft then disposes of her own husband to facilliate herself to court him, eventually ends up in a straitjacket. no one could ignore her running-amok scene in the court room that sets her overnight reputation. this twist transforms the whole flick into a semi-film-noir which is quite uneven. besides it's dealt with thick melodramaticity..(accordingly it was recycled from the plotline of bettie davis' "border town" with paul muni from warner bros.....) but the arrangement of lupino's doom is a bit too coincidental just to deliberately grant audience a crowd-pleasing happy ending. sketchily "they drive by night" is a well-acted movie which is a bit un-usual and deserves more credits and applauds toward today. and it has enough social topicality and flamy dramatization to keep your interests throughout the whole flick. it's worthy taking a view in holiday just to shift into a congenial mood.
jay n

ida owns this
Michael G

Ida Lupino makes the movie. I don't know why, but a one-armed Bogart is kind of funny.

Cast

            George Raft as Joe Fabrini

            Ann Sheridan as Cassie Hartley

            Humphrey Bogart as Paul Fabrini

            Ida Lupino as Lana Carisen

            Gale Page as Pearl Fabtini

            Alan Hale as Ed J. Carlsen

            Roscoe Karns as Irish McGurn

            John Litel as Harry McNamara

            George Tobias as George Rondolos

            Eddie Acuff
            
            Marie Blake as Waitress

            Eddy Chandler as Truck Driver

            Joyce Compton as Sue Carter

            Alan Davis
            
            Joe Devlin as Fatso

            Frank Faylen
            
            Eddie Fetherstone
            
            Pat Flaherty as Driver (uncredited)

            Brenda Sue Fowler as Matron

            Sol (Saul) Gorss
            
            Mack Gray as Mike

            William Haade as Driver (uncredited)

            Charles Halton as Farnsworth

            Carl Harbaugh as Mechanic

            George Haywood as Policeman

            Howard Hickman as Judge

            Al Hill
            
            J. Anthony Hughes as Reporter

            Paul Hurst as Pete Haig

            Vera Lewis as Landlady

            George Lloyd as Barney

            Wilfred Lucas as Bailiff

            Frank Mayo
            
            Matt McHugh as Electrician

            Jack Mower as Deputy

            Henry O'Neill as District Attorney

            Pedro Regas as Mexican Helper

            John Ridgely as Hank Dawson

            Ralph Sanford
            
            Charles Sherlock
            
            Charles Sullivan
            
            Don Turner
            
            Dorothy Vaughan
            
            Max Wagner as Sweeney the Driver

            Billy Wayne
            
            Dick Wessel
            
            Frank Wilcox
            
            Norman Willis as Neves

            Charles C. Wilson as Mike Williams

            Lillian Yarbo as Chloe

            Ralph Lynn
            
            Richard Clayton as Young Man

            Dutch Hendrian as Driver

            Claire James as Party Guest

            Michael Lally
            
            Demetrius Emanuel as Waiter

            Phyllis Hamilton as Stenographer
See full cast