The Long Haul *** (1957, Victor Mature, Diana Dors, Patrick Allen) – Classic Movie Review 7006

‘Mobsters invade teamsters!’

Co-writer/ director Ken Hughes’s robust and solid 1957 British black and white B-movie noir crime thriller drama film The Long Haul stars Victor Mature, Diana Dors and Patrick Allen. Hughes’s screenplay is based on the 1956 novel by Mervyn Mills.

Mature plays American ex-serviceman Harry Miller, who settles in the UK with his British wife Connie (Gene Anderson) and becomes a long-haul lorry driver in Liverpool, where he begins a relationship with a crime boss’s girlfriend, Lynn (Dors). The organized crime syndicate is controlling the trucking industry. Mature was a good choice as, in his early days, he had driven trucks for his father’s business. And Dors is well cast too as Lynn.

The cast are Victor Mature as Harry Miller, Diana Dors as Lynn, Patrick Allen as Joe Easy, Gene Anderson as Connie Miller, Peter Reynolds as Frank, Liam Redmond as Casey, John Welsh as Doctor, Meier Tzelniker as Nat Fine, Michael Wade as Butch Miller, Dervis Ward as Mutt, Murray Kash as Jeff, Jameson Clark as MacNaughton, John Harvey as Superintendent Macrea, Roland Brand as army sergeant, Stanley Rose as Foreman, Barry Raymond as depot manager, Norman Rossington as Liverpool driver, Sam Kydd as taxi driver and Arthur Mullard in a minor role.

The Long Haul is directed by Ken Hughes, runs 100 minutes, is a Marksman Films and Warwick Film Productions production, released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Ken Hughes, based on the novel by Mervyn Mills, is shot in black and white by Basil Emmott, is produced by Maxwell Setton, and scored Trevor Duncan.

Filming took place from April to June 1957 at British Lion studios in Shepperton, England.

Diana Dors stars as crime boss’s girlfriend, Lynn, in The Long Haul.

The film rights to Mills’ first novel, turned down by 12 publishers before luck with the 13th, were bought by Todon Productions, the film company of Tony Owen and Donna Reed, run by Maxwell Seton. They signed Ken Hughes, who had made films for them previously. The production is credited to Seton’s company, Marksman Films, but like most Todon films, it was released by Columbia Pictures. Columbia released it in a double bill with The Hard Man (1957) as: ‘The Long Haul will DELIGHT You! The Hard Man Will EXCITE You!”

Marlon Brando was considered and Robert Mitchum announced for the role of Harry Miller before Victor Mature signed in January 1957. Raymond Burr was approached to support Mature and Dors.

Joe Easy hands Harry Miller a Fifties iconic Esso road map of Great Britain with the route marked.

The main lorry is a 1955 Leyland Octopus. Easy’s car is a 1956 Ford Zephyr MKII 2-door convertible. Harry drives a Rio M35 at the US Army base in Germany.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7006

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