They Drive by Night

"No picture in 1940 will have bigger thrills!"

1940 1h 35m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 139

DramaCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Joe and Paul Fabrini are Wildcat, or independent, truck drivers who have their own small one-truck business. The Fabrini boys constantly battle distributors, rivals and loan collectors, while trying to make a success of their transport company.

“No picture in 1940 will have bigger thrills!”

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Cast

George Raft
Joe Fabrini
Ann Sheridan
Cassie Hartley
Ida Lupino
Lana Carlsen
Humphrey Bogart
Paul Fabrini
Gale Page
Pearl Fabrini
Alan Hale
Ed Carlsen
Roscoe Karns
Irish McGurn
Joyce Compton
Sue Carter (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Raoul Walsh
Writers: Richard Macaulay, Jerry Wald
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by Arthur Edeson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Adolph Deutsch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thomas Richards shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Raft and Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "No picture in 1940 will have bigger thrills!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0033149 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Raoul Walsh directs. Arthur Edeson behind the camera. Adolph Deutsch scores. Thomas Richards cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
286 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by Arthur Edeson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Adolph Deutsch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Thomas Richards shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6George Raft and Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "No picture in 1940 will have bigger thrills!".
8IMDB entry: tt0033149 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 34 different titles around the world.