Night Passage was supposed to be the 6th western and 9th film of the director/actor combination of James Stewart and Anthony Mann. Unfortunately Stewart and Mann quarreled and Mann walked off the picture. James Neilson, who later went on to direct a bunch of Disney products, did most of the film. Of course Jimmy Stewart and a cast of Mann regulars like Jay C. Flippen, Robert J. Wilke, Dan Duryea, knew what was expected of them and delivered the goods.
Night Passage like the first Stewart/Mann film, Winchester 73 is the story of a good and bad brother. Stewart was a former railroad detective who was fired off the job for giving a break to bad brother Audie Murphy. Murphy is popularly known as fast gun Utica Kid and he rides with Dan Duryea's outlaw band. Like in Winchester 73, Dan Duryea's criminal activities deter Stewart in his mission.
Unlike in Winchester 73, Stewart's mission is to redeem and not kill his outlaw brother. That's a task easier said than done as Murphy, Duryea and the gang hold up the train Stewart's on that is carrying the railroad payroll. What happens to the brothers and the gang is the story behind Night Pasage.
Anthony Mann even though he was not directing this had the path already marked out and the players followed his lead. Audie Murphy and Jimmy Stewart, World War II heroes both, have a good chemistry between them. Dan Duryea like in Winchester 73 is unforgettable as the slightly psychotic outlaw leader.
Also featured here is Jimmy Stewart playing the accordion and singing a couple of songs that blend nicely with the plot. No surprise to real movie fans, after all Stewart is the guy who introduced Cole Porter's Easy to Love in Born to Dance.
Night Passage like the first Stewart/Mann film, Winchester 73 is the story of a good and bad brother. Stewart was a former railroad detective who was fired off the job for giving a break to bad brother Audie Murphy. Murphy is popularly known as fast gun Utica Kid and he rides with Dan Duryea's outlaw band. Like in Winchester 73, Dan Duryea's criminal activities deter Stewart in his mission.
Unlike in Winchester 73, Stewart's mission is to redeem and not kill his outlaw brother. That's a task easier said than done as Murphy, Duryea and the gang hold up the train Stewart's on that is carrying the railroad payroll. What happens to the brothers and the gang is the story behind Night Pasage.
Anthony Mann even though he was not directing this had the path already marked out and the players followed his lead. Audie Murphy and Jimmy Stewart, World War II heroes both, have a good chemistry between them. Dan Duryea like in Winchester 73 is unforgettable as the slightly psychotic outlaw leader.
Also featured here is Jimmy Stewart playing the accordion and singing a couple of songs that blend nicely with the plot. No surprise to real movie fans, after all Stewart is the guy who introduced Cole Porter's Easy to Love in Born to Dance.