Ida Lupino in They Drive By Night (1940). Also starring George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, and Ann Sheridan, with Alan Hale in a supporting role.
Warner Bros. producer Mark Hellinger—-impressed by Ida’s performance in Paramount’s The Light That Failed opposite Ronald Colman—-wanted Ida for this role. Director Raoul Walsh was ready to sign up another actress, when Ida gave a screen test arranged by Hellinger that sold studio boss Jack Warner on her.
This role and film launched Ida’s great career at Warner Bros. that lasted through much of the 1940s, before she finally decided to make her own films.
originally posted in The Vintage Classics on October 23, 2018
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