CS #499. Up the River (1930

CS #499. Up the River (1930

) is a pre-Code comedy-drama notable for being the feature film debut of both Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. Directed by John Ford, it is the only film in which Tracy and Bogart appeared together.
Movie Overview
Plot: The story follows two career criminals, "Saint Louis" (Tracy) and "Dannemora Dan" (Warren Hymer), who repeatedly escape from a loosely run prison. They break out to assist Steve (Bogart), a former inmate being blackmailed by a scam artist named Frosby (Morgan Wallace). After successfully thwarting the blackmailer and recovering stolen bonds, they return to the prison just in time for an annual baseball game.
Genre Transition: Originally intended as a serious prison drama, the film was reworked into a lighthearted comedy following the release of MGM’s The Big House earlier that year.