Thunder Bay (1953)

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(250 ratings)

Thunder Bay was another inspired collaboration between star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann. Stewart plays an ex-GI named Steve, who has a hankering to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Together with his army buddy Gambi (Dan Duryea, in a rare good-guy role), Steve attains the financial… More Thunder Bay was another inspired collaboration between star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann. Stewart plays an ex-GI named Steve, who has a hankering to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Together with his army buddy Gambi (Dan Duryea, in a rare good-guy role), Steve attains the financial backing of irascible oil-company chieftain Kermit MacDonald (Jay C. Flippen) and the two head southward. Before they can even place their drills in the clamps, Steve and Gambi run afoul of local shrimp fishermen who consider the presence of oil speculators as a threat to their livelihoods. Things get dicey when Steve falls in love with Stella (Joanne Dru), the daughter of combative fisherman Dominique Rigaud (Antonio Moreno). Mob mentality threatens to overcome common sense until a clever -- and mutually beneficial -- compromise between the drillers and the fishermen is reached. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Anthony Mann
Written By: Gil Doud, George W. George
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1953 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
There's just a single extra feature: the movie trailer.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Sets up fascinating tensions between people and ways of looking at the world, but ultimately backs away from any kind of meaningful examination of them.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
There's not many directors other than Anthony Mann who could have made the rival wildcatters and shrimpers become so lovey-dovey.