They Drive by Night (Warner 1940, Humphrey Bogart, George Raft)

Small masterpiece They Drive by Night features George Raft’s greatest role and Raoul Walsh’s typically gritty direction. Humphrey Bogart and Raft are truck-driving brothers who buy a truck and start driving for themselves.

When Bogart gets into an accident, Raft must return to working for a trucking company as traffic manager. Along comes Ida Lupino, the boss’s seductive wife, who takes a liking to Raft. Though he has no interest (he’s married to Ann Sheridan), Lupino murders her husband in order to take over the business and pursue Raft. When he rejects her advances, she tries to pin the murder on him.

George Raft, learned to drive a big rig while working as a rum runner for a New York bootlegger. His skills came in handy on the film when the brakes of one of the trucks failed at 80 mph.

production details
Country: USA | Warner Bros | 96 minutes
Release Year: 1940

Director: Raoul Walsh
Producer: Mark Hellinger
Director: of Photography: Arthur Edeson
Editor: Oliver S. Garretson
Composer: Adolph Deutsch
Screenwriter: Jerry Wald
Art Director: John Hughes

cast
Humphrey Bogart as Paul Fabrini
Eddie Acuff as Driver in Cafe
George Raft as Joe Fabrini
Billy Wayne as Repairman
Frank Faylen as Driver in Cafe
Chet Brandenburg as Man Griping at Farnsworth
Matt McHugh as Repairman
Jack Mower as Deputy with Farnsworth
Pat Flaherty as Driver in Cafe
John Ridgely as Hank Dawson
Frank Wilcox as Reporter #1
Al Hill as Driver in Cafe
Marie Blake as Waitress
John Litel as Harry McNamara
William Haade as Tough Driver
Joe Devlin as Fatso – Driver
Charles Sherlock as Driver in Cafe
Ann Sheridan as Cassie Hartley
Ida Lupino as Lana Carlsen
Gale Page as Pearl Fabrini
Alan Hale as Ed Carlsen
Roscoe Karns as Irish McGurn
George Tobias as George Rondolos
George Lloyd as Barney
William Bendix as Truck driver watching pinball game
Eddy Chandler as Driver
Richard Clayton as Young Man
Joyce Compton as Sue Carter
Alan Davis as Driver
Demetris Emanuel as Waiter
Eddie Fetherston as Driver in Cafe
Bess Flowers as Party Guest
Brenda Fowler as Prison Matron
Sol Gorss as Truck Driver Warning About Farnsworth
Jesse Graves as Charles Culpepper
Mack Gray as Mike – Driver
Charles Halton as Farnsworth
John Hamilton as Defense Attorney
Phyllis Hamilton as Stenographer
Carl Harbaugh as Mechanic
George Haywood as Policeman at Accident
Oscar ‘Dutch’ Hendrian as Driver
Howard C. Hickman as The Judge
J. Anthony Hughes as Reporter #3
Paul Hurst as Pete Haig
Claire James as Party Guest
Michael Jeffers as Trucker
Dorothea Kent as Sue
Mike Lally as Man Griping at Farnsworth
Vera Lewis as Landlady
Wilfred Lucas as Bailiff
Frank Mayo as Motorist at Accident Scene
Edmund Mortimer as Extra in Courtroom
Henry O’Neill as District Attorney
Pedro Regas as Harry’s Partner
Ralph Sanford as
Cliff Saum as Man Outside Barney’s
Harry Semels as Leo – Cashier
Charles Sullivan as Driver in Cafe
Don Turner as Driver
Dorothy Vaughan as Courtroom Matron
Max Wagner as Sweeney – Driver
Dick Wessel as Driver in Cafe
Norman Willis as Neves – Mike’s Assistant
Charles C. Wilson as Mike Williams
Tom Wilson as Man Outside Barney’s
Jack Wise as Jake
Lillian Yarbo as Chloe – Lana’s Maid