Thunder Bay (1953)

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Gil Doud (screenplay)
George W. George (idea)

Release Date:

16 September 1953 (Denmark)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

Shrimpers and oilmen clash when an ambitious wildcatter begins constructing an off-shore oilrig.

Plot Keywords:

Fishing | Ocean | Oil | 1940s

Cast

James Stewart	...	Steve Martin
Joanne Dru	...	Stella Rigaud
Gilbert Roland	...	Teche Bossier
Dan Duryea	...	Johnny Gambi
Jay C. Flippen	...	Kermit MacDonald
Marcia Henderson	...	Francesca Rigaud
Robert Monet	...	Phillipe Bayard
Antonio Moreno	...	Dominique Rigaud
Harry Morgan	...	Rawlings (as Henry Morgan)
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Sheriff Antoine Chighizola
Mario Siletti	...	Louis Chighizola

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16321) | West Germany:6 (f) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Morgan City, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Although filmed in the standard 1.37-1 aspect ratio, Thunder Bay was chosen by Universal-International as its first wide screen feature, accomplishing this by cropping the top and bottom and projecting it at 1.85-1 at Loew's State Theatre in New York City, as well as other sites. Its initial presentation also marked UI's first use of directional stereophonic sound.

Quotes:

Johnny Gambi: Can you, uh, juggle or anything like that? We might pick up a few bucks.
Steve Martin: I can imitate a movie star.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cinemania (2002)

Transparent Plot Devices, Thin Script, but Interesting Look Back

The outsiders are the oil guys coming into a small fishing town off the Gulf of Mexico. Jealousies erupt, fear of the new technology is involved. Businessmen are risking everything they've got "and this time it has to work or they're finished". You know the rest.

You should decide for yourself whether it's the acting or the script that's marginal. Stewart plays it like he always does, but there's not much challenge in the role. I can't help but wonder if Senator Kerr (D - Okalahoma) helped finance this little "promo" piece for his company.

Interesting though that this really is a look at Kerr-McGee's first offshore oil platform, which struck oil at a time when the post-war (we can make cars again!!) economy was exploding. The shrimpers are still shrimping and the oil is still flowing from that day to this (with a little break for a few hurricanes).

An informally educational look back at the hot controversy that abounded at the time, 1947.