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Bad Day at Black Rock ()

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Following World War II, a one-armed stranger arrives in a tiny California desert town, but finds the residents hostile and protecting a terrible secret they want to keep hidden, by violent means if necessary.
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Writers:
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Awards:
  • Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.
  • See more »
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Photos and Videos

87 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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John J. Macreedy
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Reno Smith
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Liz Wirth
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Tim Horn
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Doc Velie
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Pete Wirth
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Coley Trimble
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Hector David
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Mr. Hastings
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Sam
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Walter Beaver ...
Cafe Lounger (unconfirmed)
Billy Dix ...
Cafe Lounger (unconfirmed)
Mickey Little ...
Cafe Lounger (unconfirmed)
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Cafe Lounger (unconfirmed)
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Second Train Conductor (uncredited)
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First Train Conductor (uncredited)
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One of Two Porters (uncredited)
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Tall - White-haired Cafe Lounger (uncredited)

Directed by

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John Sturges

Written by

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Millard Kaufman ... (screen play)
 
Don McGuire ... (adaptation)
 
Howard Breslin ... (based on a story by)

Produced by

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Herman Hoffman ... associate producer
Dore Schary ... producer

Music by

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André Previn

Cinematography by

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William C. Mellor ... director of photography

Editing by

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Newell P. Kimlin

Editorial Department

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Alvord Eiseman ... color consultant

Art Direction by

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Malcolm Brown
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by

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Fred M. MacLean ... (as Fred MacLean)
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department

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John Truwe ... makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Joel Freeman ... assistant director

Art Department

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Mentor Huebner ... production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Wesley C. Miller ... recording supervisor
Ed Haight ... sound editor (uncredited)
Kurt Hernfeld ... sound editor (uncredited)
Harold Humbrock ... sound editor (uncredited)

Stunts

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Roger Creed ... stunt double: Spencer Tracy (uncredited)
John Indrisano ... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Carey Loftin ... fight double Spencer Tracy (uncredited) / stunt double: (uncredited)
Danny Sands ... stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Joan Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Leo Arnaud ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Alexander Courage ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Wally Heglin ... orchestrator (uncredited)
André Previn ... conductor (uncredited) / orchestrator (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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John Indrisano ... judo instructor (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

From the time John J. Macreedy steps off the train in Black Rock, he feels a chill from the local residents. The town is only a speck on the map, and few strangers ever come to the place. Macreedy himself is tight-lipped about the purpose of his trip and he finds that the hotel refuses him a room, the local garage refuses to rent him a car, and the sheriff is a useless drunkard. It's apparent that the locals have something to hide, but when he finally tells them that he is there to speak to a Japanese-American farmer named Kamoko, he touches a nerve so sensitive that he will spend the next 24 hours fighting for his life. Written by garykmcd

Plot Keywords
Taglines Suddenly you realize murder is at your elbow! - and there's no way out! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Conspiración en silencio (United States, Spanish title)
  • Bad Day at Hondo (United States)
  • Coup dur à Black Rock (France)
  • Un homme est passé (France)
  • Stadt in Angst (Germany)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 81 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $1,271,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia John Sturges had already moved on to his next film, The Scarlet Coat (1955), so Herman Hoffman took charge of filming the opening. The plan was to shoot the train hurtling toward the audience, almost like a 3-D movie, but it would have been deadly to attempt a helicopter maneuver into the path of a speeding locomotive. Stunt flier Paul Mantz offered the perfect solution: have the train running backwards, fly the copter over the retreating engine, then project the footage in reverse. "It's a helluva shot," Sturges later said, "but I didn't make it." See more »
Goofs As the train approaches the town, the horn blows twice, which is the signal for starting up. The mandatory signal for a grade crossing (long, long, short, long) is never blown, although one clearly exists. When the train departs, the conductor makes a confused hand signal to the engineer resembling the horizontal motion that means "stop" rather than the vertical motion that means "go". The engineer never responds with the "long, long" starting signal. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn (1986). See more »
Quotes Coley Trimble: You're a yellow-bellied Jap lover! Am I right or wrong?
John J. Macreedy: You're not only wrong. You're wrong at the top of your voice.
Coley Trimble: [gets ready to scrap] You don't like my voice?
See more »
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