Highways by Night
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Peter Godfrey
Richard Carlson
Jane Randolph
Jane Darwell
Barton Maclane
Ray Collins
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Tommy Van Steel, a reclusive millionaire, is taunted by his uncle Ben for being out of touch with the common man. Tommy has defined his life by the theoretical mechanical plans necessary to running his business, and consequently, when he announces that he has joined the Navy, Ben warns him that he will be unable to communicate with his fellow enlistees. Becoming inebriated during his birthday party that night, Tommy argues with his gold- digging fiancée, Ellen Cromwell, and decides to go bar- hopping alone. While at a dive, Tommy witnesses racketeer Johnny Lieber murder his rival, James "Duke" Wellington, who has recently been paroled. After Tommy is knocked unconscious, Johnny orders his men to dress him in Duke's clothes, drive him into the countryside and kill him. On a bumpy country road, Tommy rolls out of the gang's truck, and when he awakens, he thinks that he has been robbed because his pockets are empty except for Duke's parole papers with the words "Leo Bronson at the Satin Slipper" written on them. Tommy phones his uncle for help, but when Ben chides him about getting a job before reporting for Naval duty, he takes to the road. He soon meets Peggy Fogarty, whose truck has been sidewiped by racketeer Bronson. Peggy takes Tommy home and introduces him to her wise old grandmother, who explains that Bronson is trying to drive the family out of their trucking business and offers him a job helping her grandson Footsy load the trucks. Posing as Duke, Tommy visits Bronson at the Silver Slipper and learns that Duke has been hired to eliminate Footsy. When Tommy uses his ingenuity to generate business for the Fogartys, Grandma offers to make him a partner, and Tommy calls on the manager of the local hotel to bid on a moving job. In the hotel lobby, Tommy encounters Bronson, and when Peggy overhears the two men talking, she assumes that Tommy has betrayed her family. Before Peggy can confront him, Tommy visits Ben in New York to rent trucks for the hotel job. When Ben, who is an attorney, tells him that the police are hunting him for the murder of Duke Wellington, Tommy asks for Ben's help with the district attorney. Before Tommy leaves, Ben hands him a note from Ellen. Tommy then returns to the Fogartys, where Peggy accuses him of betrayal. In response, Tommy recounts his story and asks for their trust while they finish moving the hotel. As Tommy completes his tale, Bronson's men appear and take him to Bronson's office. Johnny is about to order Tommy's demise when a police officer interrupts their meeting. Tommy seizes the opportunity to escape and rushes to the Fogarty house just as the trucks arrive. As they go to work, Tommy tells Grandma and Peggy to wait for Ben. Realizing that Peggy has fallen in love with Tommy, Grandma shows her a newspaper photo of him and Ellen. Soon after, Ben arrives accompanied by men from the district attorney's office and calls the police for help. Meanwhile, Tommy, Footsy and the other drivers battle Bronson's thugs and speed to the hotel where they confront Bronson. At that moment, the police arrive to arrest Bronson, and Ben informs Tommy that he has been exonerated of Duke's murder. With the hotel job completed, Tommy proposes to Peggy, who questions him about his fiancée. Remembering that he has Ellen's unopened note in his pocket, Tommy reads it and learns that she has jilted him, clearing the path for his marriage to Peggy.
Director
Peter Godfrey
Cast
Richard Carlson
Jane Randolph
Jane Darwell
Barton Maclane
Ray Collins
Gordon Jones
Renee Haal
George Cleveland
Marten Lamont
Jack La Rue
John Maguire
James Seay
Cliff Clark
Paul Fix
Sally Wadsworth
Ben Welden
Russell Wade
Iris Adrian
Dick Wessel
Leon Belasco
Frank Mills
Mady Lawrence
Charles Coleman
Johnny Indrisano
Guy Kingsford
Jack Briggs
Emory Parnell
Patricia Farr
Charles Miller
Don Brodie
Frank Mitchell
John Dilson
Walter Sande
Lloyd Ingraham
Mickey Simpson
David Bruce
George Chandler
Harry Strang
Eddie Dew
Mary Halsey
Mary Stuart
Ann Summers
Julie Warren
Crew
James Anderson
C. Bakaleinikoff
Carroll Clark
Albert S. D'agostino
Frank Fenton
Robert De Grasse
Harry Marker
Lou Ostrow
Carlos Romero
Lynn Root
Herman Schlom
Roy Webb
Earl A. Wolcott
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Silver Spoon. According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter, Dorothy Comingore refused the part of "Peggy."
