“Up the River” is a comedy film about the adventures of two convicts after they escape from prison. Director John Ford, who began his career in 1917 in the silent film era and went on to be on of the most influential directors in history, has a real dud on his hand here with sloppy directing and a meandering storyline from a poorly written screenplay by Maurine Dallas Watkins.
On the positive side, this film is noted for being the motion picture debut of both Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. Co-stars include Claire Luce, Warren Hymer, William Collier, and Ward Bond in an uncredited part. This was an early role for Bond, who would go on to appear in numerous John Ford pictures. “Up the River” was not successful at the box office for producer William Fox and the Fox Film Corporation, which would merge with Twentieth Century Pictures in 1935 to form 20th Century Fox.
Up the River (1930)
cinema
My Review
“Up the River” is a comedy film about the adventures of two convicts after they escape from prison. Director John Ford, who began his career in 1917 in the silent film era and went on to be on of the most influential directors in history, has a real dud on his hand here with sloppy directing and a meandering storyline from a poorly written screenplay by Maurine Dallas Watkins.
On the positive side, this film is noted for being the motion picture debut of both Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. Co-stars include Claire Luce, Warren Hymer, William Collier, and Ward Bond in an uncredited part. This was an early role for Bond, who would go on to appear in numerous John Ford pictures. “Up the River” was not successful at the box office for producer William Fox and the Fox Film Corporation, which would merge with Twentieth Century Pictures in 1935 to form 20th Century Fox.