Up the River

Plot

The film follows the misadventures of two charismatic convicts, St. Louis and Dannemora Dan, who treat their prison stays with a surprisingly lighthearted attitude, focusing more on the prison's baseball team and marching band than their sentences. While incarcerated, they befriend a young, earnest inmate named Steve, who has fallen in love with Judy, a prisoner in the neighboring women's unit. When Steve is paroled, he attempts to build a legitimate life in his New England hometown, but he is soon blackmailed by Frosby, a crooked former associate who threatens to reveal Steve's criminal past to his unsuspecting mother and neighbors. Learning of their friend's plight through the prison grapevine, St. Louis and Dan stage a daring escape to confront Frosby and clear Steve's name. After successfully outwitting the villain and securing Steve's future, the duo voluntarily breaks back into prison just in time to lead their team in the highly anticipated annual baseball game against a rival penitentiary.

Historical Background

Released in 1930, 'Up the River' arrived during the 'Pre-Code' era of Hollywood, a brief window before the strict enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934. This allowed the film to depict prison life with a level of cynicism and moral ambiguity that would later be censored, such as the prisoners' casual attitude toward escaping and the lighthearted treatment of criminal activity. Historically, the film reflects the American public's fascination with the 'Big House' subgenre during the Great Depression, where stories of the downtrodden and the incarcerated resonated with audiences facing their own economic hardships. It also captures Hollywood in the midst of the 'Talkie' revolution, as studios scrambled to find stage-trained actors like Tracy and Bogart who could handle dialogue-heavy scripts.

Making Of

The production of 'Up the River' was a chaotic but creative environment. John Ford, known for his efficiency, reportedly ignored much of the original script by Maurine Dallas Watkins, calling it 'junk.' He worked closely with William Collier Sr. to improvise scenes and dialogue that emphasized the camaraderie between the prisoners. Spencer Tracy, who was still a stage actor at the time, was initially nervous about the transition to film, but Ford's relaxed directing style helped him develop the naturalistic acting method that would later make him a legend. Humphrey Bogart, conversely, was cast as a 'nice boy' type, which is a stark contrast to the hard-boiled noir personas he would adopt later in his career. The crew had to work around the technical limitations of early sound recording, which often required hiding microphones in props like flower pots or prison bars.

Visual Style

The cinematography by Joseph H. August is notable for its early use of deep focus and fluid camera movements in the prison yard. August, who would become a frequent collaborator of Ford's, used high-contrast lighting to give the prison interiors a sense of depth, despite the film's comedic tone. The use of real locations for some exterior shots added a layer of authenticity that was rare for the period.

Innovations

The film is cited for its early experimentation with sound synchronization in large outdoor spaces, specifically during the baseball game sequences. It also utilized some of the earliest examples of 'process photography' (rear projection) for the escape scenes involving automobiles.

Music

The film features a mix of diegetic music provided by the prison marching band and the prison choir. Notable songs include 'The St. Louis Blues,' played on a 'bazooka' (a musical pipe) by Bob Burns, and various traditional marches. The music is used to underscore the 'community' aspect of the prison, a recurring theme in John Ford's work.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening escape scene where St. Louis tricks Dan into checking a tire and then drives off, leaving him behind.
• The 'meet cute' between Bogart and Luce, where they talk through a prison gate while facing away from each other to avoid being caught 'fraternizing.'
• The final baseball game sequence where the escaped convicts sneak back into the prison just to play for their team.
• The scene where St. Louis and Dan attempt to tell a riddle to the warden's young daughter, only for her to repeatedly spoil the punchline.
• The prison choir sequence where the camera pans across the faces of all the inmates, a classic Fordian touch of humanity.

What Critics Said

At the time of its release, 'Up the River' received mixed to positive reviews. Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times called it 'violently funny' in parts but noted that it occasionally felt slow. Many critics were surprised by the comedic tone, as they expected a serious drama following the success of 'The Big House.' Modern critics view it as a 'creaky' but fascinating relic, praised more for its historical importance and the charisma of its leads than for its narrative structure. It currently holds a 'Fresh' reputation among classic film enthusiasts for its 'tongue-in-cheek' spoofing of the genre.

What Audiences Thought

The film was a significant box office success for Fox Film Corporation, proving popular with Depression-era audiences who enjoyed the escapist humor and the relatable 'everyman' quality of Spencer Tracy. It was particularly well-received in urban centers where the prison slang and baseball themes struck a chord with the working class.

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