Highway 301 **** (1950, Steve Cochran, Virginia Grey, Gaby André, Edmon Ryan, Richard Egan, Robert Webber, Wally Cassell) – Classic Movie Review 12,115

Richard Egan.

‘THEY SLASHED A CRIME-SCAR ACROSS THE MAP OF AMERICA!’

Writer-director Andrew L Stone’s tremendous 1950 Warner Bros gangster film noir crime drama Highway 301 stars Steve Cochran, Virginia Grey, Gaby André, Edmon Ryan, Richard Egan, Robert Webber and Wally Cassell.

Highway 301 is an astonishingly hardboiled, mean and moody, extremely effective little mob thriller about George Legenza (Steve Cochran)’s Tri-State Gang of robbers and his control of men (Robert Webber, Richard Egan, Wally Cassell) and molls (Virginia Grey, Gaby André). The gang of vicious armed robbers are terrorising and robbing banks and payrolls across the states of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, and their psychopathic killer leader Legenza is quite evidently relishing hitting or shooting any women or men who cross him.

It was rightly considered very tough and even sadistic for its day. Warner Bros must have wondered if they were crossing some lines. We’re going to spend an hour and a quarter enjoying the nefarious lives on these lowlifes before enjoying 10 minutes of seeing them get their comeuppance. But the real-life governors of the three states involved, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, all pop at the start of the film in to say that crime doesn’t pay, so that’s okay then. For example North Carolina Governor W Kerr Scott declares: ‘They started on their reign of terror by robbing the Bank of Winston-Salem in my home state. They realised at the end of their reign of terror that crime does not pay – nor will it ever pay.’

Steve Cochran gives a brio standout star turn as the cold-hearted, dead-eyed Legenza, making an irredeemably awful character mesmerising, Virginia Grey is bight and brassy as his much put-upon moll Mary Simms, and Edmon Ryan is excellent as dedicated head policeman Detective Sgt Truscott, who also acts as the film’s narrator. He gets the last word: ‘You cannot be kind to congenital criminals like these. They would show you no mercy. Let them feel the full impact of the law.’

In its day, the absurdly stern and hollow sounding words of the governors and the police detective’s smug narration and last lines might have undermined the movie, are they are so risibly corny and cheesy, but now they just add to its period appeal.

There are several impressive suspense sequences, including the opening downtown bank robbery and the armored car robbery, as well as the attempted escape of innocent moll Lee (Gaby André), the hapless girlfriend of Bill Phillips (Robert Webber), and the long climax that involves the gangsters’ attempt to kill Lee in the hospital and their attempted escape afterwards. [Spoiler alert] Legenza goes out in a satisfying blaze of glory reminiscent of the old Warner Bros’ gangster movies, with both machine guns and a train going after him to take him down.

It is all very well done. It looks stylish in the black and white by Carl Guthrie, mixing location and studio shots neatly. Stone’s direction is eye-catching, fluid and urgent, and his script is expertly organised, careful and credible, with first-rate work on characters and dialogue. Bill to Lee: ‘Don’t dance with strangers or talk to anyone with a moustache.’ Legenza after slapping Madeline: ‘Just make like you got caught in a revolving door. Well, come on. We’re supposed to be having fun. Enjoy yourself.’

Highway 301 is directed by Andrew L Stone, runs 83 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by Andrew L Stone, is shot in black and white by Carl Guthrie, is produced by Bryan Foy and is scored by William Lava.

The title Highway 301 refers to a US highway connecting Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, where the Tri-State Gang committed their crimes, though the route is not mentioned in the film.

It is partly filmed at the crime locations of Winston-Salem, North Carolina (opening downtown bank robbery), and Union Station, Los Angeles (armored car robbery), as well as at Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, California.

It is the film debut of Robert Webber, as Bill Phillips.

The film cost $530,000, and earned $759,000 in the US and $845,000 abroad for Warner Bros for a total of $1,604,000, so it must have been a nice little earner. So crime does pay after all.

The cast are Steve Cochran as George Legenza, Virginia Grey as Mary Simms, Gaby André as Lee, Edmon Ryan as Detective Sgt Truscott, Robert Webber as Bill Phillips, Wally Cassell as Bobby Mais, Aline Towne as Madeline Welton, Richard Egan as Herbie Brooks, Edward Norris as gang driver Noyes Hinton, Guy Kingsford as Police Captain Parker, Lyle Latell as Police Officer Murray, Maryland Governor William P Lane Jr, Virginia Governor John S Battle, and North Carolina Governor W Kerr Scott.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,115

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Steve Cochran.