Up the River (1930) Review: Tracy and Bogart's Weirdly Fun Debut

Is it worth the watch?

If you like old movies where people talk fast and nobody takes anything seriously, then yes. You’ll dig this if you want to see the exact moment movie history changed, because this is where Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart started out.

But if you want a gritty prison drama like The Shawshank Redemption, you are going to be very confused. This movie thinks prison is basically a high school locker room with better security. 😅

I sat down to watch this mostly because I wanted to see 'Baby Bogart.' He’s got this weirdly soft face here, and he hasn't quite found that tough-guy voice yet.

It’s funny how he’s basically the secondary character to Spencer Tracy, who just dominates every scene he’s in. Tracy plays St. Louis, a guy who seems to have the entire prison staff wrapped around his finger.

The Most Chill Prison Ever

The first thing that hit me was how nice this prison looks. They have a band. They have a massive baseball team.

The inmates basically walk around like they own the place. St. Louis and his buddy Dannemora (played by Warren Hymer) are constantly cracking jokes and making the guards look like idiots.

There’s this one scene where they are literally just hanging out, and it feels more like a The Rising Generation type of vibe than a place for criminals. It’s almost too lighthearted, but that’s the charm, I guess.

The plot kicks in when Steve (Bogart) falls for Judy, who is in the women's wing. Yeah, they have a women's wing in the same place.

They get out and try to start a life, but this oily guy named Frosby shows up to ruin things. He’s the kind of villain who practically twirls his mustache.

"I’m going to tell everyone you’re an ex-con!"

That’s basically his whole deal. It’s a bit thin, honestly.

The Break-Out (and Break-In)

The middle of the movie gets a bit slow, but it picks up when St. Louis and Dannemora decide they need to help Steve. They don't just escape; they basically check out of prison for a weekend.

It’s handled with so much casual energy that it becomes hilarious. They just want to make sure Steve doesn't get his life ruined.

One of the best moments is when they are trying to act like 'normal' people in the real world. They are so used to being cons that they can't quite turn it off.

• Spencer Tracy’s comedic timing is already 100% there.
• The baseball game at the end is surprisingly tense for a movie this old.
• Humphrey Bogart looks like he’s trying really hard to be a romantic lead.
• The way they sneak back into prison is the highlight of the whole film.

I noticed the audio is a bit rough in a few spots. There’s a scene where a dog is barking in the distance and it almost drowns out a line of dialogue.

It’s 1930, so the cameras don't move much. It feels a bit like a filmed play, but John Ford (the director) throws in some weird angles during the baseball game that keep it alive.

It reminds me a bit of the atmosphere in The Show, where everything feels a bit theatrical and staged. But the chemistry between Tracy and Hymer is what saves it from being boring.

Final Random Thoughts

The female lead, Claire Luce, is fine, but she doesn't have much to do. She mostly just looks worried about Steve.

I also kept thinking about how different this is from something like A Christmas Carol—there’s no real redemption arc here. These guys are criminals, they like being criminals, and they’re going to keep being criminals. 🤷‍♂️

The movie is short, which is a blessing. It doesn't overstay its welcome.

If you’re a film nerd, you’ll enjoy spotting the little things that would become Bogart’s trademarks later on. But mostly, it's just a strange, breezy comedy that happens to take place behind bars.

It's not a masterpiece. It's just a good time from a time when movies were still figuring out how to talk.

I’d say give it a watch if you find it on a streaming service late at night. It’s better than most of the stuff from that specific year.