Up the River (1930) | Region-Free (Blu-Ray) | Directed by John Ford

**DISC ONLY**

Source:   WEB/1080p HD.

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Title: Up the River (1930)

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Plot Synopsis:
Two friendly convicts, St. Louis and Dannemora Dan, escape from prison only to voluntarily return to help their fellow inmate, Steve, who is being blackmailed by his girlfriend’s former partner-in-crime. Inside the prison, camaraderie flourishes as the inmates engage in baseball games and theatrical performances, balancing humor with crime and redemption in this early John Ford film.

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Cast and Crew:

• Director: John Ford
• Writer: Maurine Dallas Watkins
• Cast:
  • Spencer Tracy as St. Louis
  • Claire Luce as Judy
  • Warren Hymer as Dannemora Dan
  • Humphrey Bogart as Steve
  • William Collier Sr. as Pop

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YouTube Trailer:
Up the River | Trailer 

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IMDb Link:
Up the River (1930) 

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Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. trolleyfreak – ★★
   “The anticipation of seeing a film directed by John Ford and starring the heavyweight acting talents of Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart right at the beginning of their careers was far outweighed by the mundanity of actually watching it.”

2. Robert Hayes – ★★★
   “A forgettable, if good-spirited, prison flick that would be entirely forgotten were it not directed by John Ford, and starring Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart in their only screen appearance together.”

3. Krautsalat – ★★★½
   “John Ford’s strange prison rom-com is the screen debut of Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. Unfortunately, large chunks of this are apparently lost, so a couple of scenes are full of missing frames, sentence fragments, and teleporting characters.”

4. {Todd} – ★★½
   “On the plus side, there is a vague acknowledgment of gay people in this film, and Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart are great. On the negative side, there is a pointless blackface scene and this is regularly a little bit boring.”

5. Xebeche – ★★½
   “The version I watched was recklessly edited, making it difficult to follow. However, seeing Tracy and Bogart in their early roles was a highlight.”

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Meta Description:
A classic prison comedy directed by John Ford, Up the River (1930) features the screen debuts of Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. Blending humor with crime and redemption, this early Hollywood film follows two convicts who escape, only to return and help a fellow inmate in trouble.