Film Stories From The Book:
Hollywood of the Rockies
By: Frederic B. Wildfang
Night Passage
1957 — Universal — produced by Aaron Rosenberg — written by Borden Chase, directed by James Neilson, photography by William Daniels, music by Dimitri Tiomkin — starring James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Dianne Foster, Brandon de Wilde, and Elaine Stewart
This is the story of two brothers — one good, one gone bad — finally reconciled, but only after it is too late — as the bad one lies dying in the arms of the good one. The good brother, Grant McCain (played by Jimmy Stewart), is hired by the railroad to keep a $10,000 payroll out of the hands of a band of notorious train robbers. Enroute, however, the robbers strike again. In the attempt to regain the money, McCain discovers that his little brother Lee — alias The Utica Kid (played by Audie Murphy) — has joined up with the robbers. When the affections of a lady (Dianne Foster) and the aspirations of a young boy (Brandon de Wilde) become torn between the two, the contrast between the brothers becomes drawn in bold relief. The effect becomes especially poignant as Grant tries vainly to bring Lee back into the family. In the end, when The Utica Kid relents and comes to the aid of his older brother, good typically overcomes evil — reinforcing that principle not only for the benefit of the young boy but also for the movie audience.
Locations for this movie included sections of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (one site just above the Ah Wilderness Ranch) as well as sites at Molas Lake, Red Mountain City, Silverton, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mine and the Mayflower Mine — both north of Silverton.
At the Silverton site, a one-block spur was actually added to the existing D & RG tracks — extending the tracks further into the center of town. As reported in the Durango-Herald News at the time of filming:
The track originally ended at Blair street, a block from the Grand Imperial. Now it runs right up to Greene Street, just across from the hotel. The movie company is also building a second train depot
At the Shenandoah-Dives Mine site, Jimmy Stewart made his entrance in the movie — riding up on a horse and meeting Olive Carey, accepting a cup of coffee from her. Olive Carey (now diceased) was the mother of Harry Carey, Jr. — well-known cowboy star of numerous John Ford movies and now a local Durango resident.
The Mayflower Mine north of Silverton was the setting for the final shootout scene in the movie.
Again, the spectacular Durango setting was a hit with everyone. As Dianne Foster remarked:
...we’re all raving about the mountains and streams, the golden aspens and vivid scrub oak...and of course the fishing, the hunting, the clean fresh air — and the feeling of well being that never leaves.
“‘It’s really a vacation for us,’” said Audie Murphy’s wife, Pamela — who joined her husband here with her children, renting the Third Avenue home of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Barker, Jr. during the shoot. Although, the “Murphys have been fishing and they’ve visited the usual tourist attractions,” said the Herald-News, “just being here seems to delight them.”
‘When I take laundry out,’ Mrs. Murphy says, ‘it’s beautiful just to look around at the surrounding country.’
The beautiful setting was the cause of some trouble for starlet Elaine Stewart, another one of the female leads in the movie. The “quicksilver blonde” siren was arrested for “delaying and impeding traffic” in downtown Durango while posing for stills — wanting to get some publicity shots with a Rocky Mountain background. Again, as reported in the Herald-News:
Miss Stewart had been arrested for insisting on continuing her ‘cheesecake’ poses on the rocks of the Animas River when Police Sgt. Willmer Collins tried to stop her because traffic was jamming up as drivers insisted on a bumper-to-bumper look at the free show.
Durango Judge Erwin DeLuche dismissed all charges, however, proclaiming that “‘...Miss Stewart’s charms greatly augment the natural beauty of Colorado” and that the “traffic problem is secondary.’”
Pointing out that he is a practicing sportsman who enjoys the great scenic charm of the state, the judge said, ‘Anytime we can add an Elaine Stewart to the scenic wonders of Colorado, I’m all for it.’
“‘Hereafter,” the judge added, “let it be known that we’ll appoint a special police detail to direct traffic while the beauty poses to her heart’s content.’”
