They Drive by Night (1940)
Genres: Drama, Noir
Cast: George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan
They Drive by Night is a 1940 American film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, and Humphrey Bogart. The picture involves a pair of embattled truck drivers and was released in the UK under the title The Road to Frisco. The film was based on A. I. Bezzerides' 1938 novel Long Haul, which was later reprinted under the title They Drive by Night to capitalize on the success of the film. Part of the film's plot was borrowed from another Warner Bros. film, Bordertown (1935) with Paul Muni and Bette Davis; almost a year after the release of Bordertown, actress and comedienne Thelma Todd's actual death in 1935 by carbon monoxide poisoning in her garage is generally agreed to be an accident resulting from intoxication.