Up the River

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Up the River ★★½ 1930

Tracy's film debut as convict St. Louis. He breaks out of jail with sidekick Dan (Hymer) and the two go their separate ways but can't keep out of trouble. They wind up back in the joint, this time sharing a cell with rich boy Steve (Bogart). Steve gets blackmailed after his release and his two prison buddies break out again to come to his aid. Ford reworked the original dramatic script into a comedy and shot the film in two weeks. 90m/B DVD . Spencer Tracy, Warren Hymer, Humphrey Bogart, Morgan Wallace, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Clare Luce, Joan Lawes; D: John Ford; W: Maurine Watkins, William “Buster” Collier Jr.; C: Joseph August.