Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) | |
| Director(s) | John Sturges |
| Producer(s) | Herman Hoffman (associate), Dore Schary |
| Top Genres | Crime, Drama, Film Adaptation, Mystery, Thriller/Suspense, Western |
| Top Topics | Book-Based |
Featured Cast:
Bad Day at Black Rock Overview:
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) was a Drama - Mystery Film directed by John Sturges and produced by Dore Schary and Herman Hoffman.
SYNOPSIS
A taut suspense story that seems to be always teetering on the edge of explosive violence. Tracy commands attention as a one-armed man who tames the ruffians who run roughshod over a weatherbeaten desert town. In the process, he uncovers the town's secrets and fulfills a promise made to the man who saved his life. A powerful, influential film. Based on Howard Breslin's novel.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1955 --- Ceremony Number 28 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actor | Spencer Tracy | Nominated |
| Best Director | John Sturges | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Millard Kaufman | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Classic Films in Focus: BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955)
By Jennifer Garlen on Aug 5, 2025 From Virtual ViragoThere's more than one bad day being referenced in the title, but Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) mostly focuses on the deadly 24 hours spent by Spencer Tracy's war veteran protagonist in a dusty little town that definitely doesn't want him there. It's a searing and sadly still relevant indictment of pr... Read full article
Hidden Classics Blogathon – Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
By Carol Martinheira on May 18, 2021 From The Old Hollywood GardenHidden Classics Blogathon – Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) On May 18, 2021May 18, 2021 By CarolIn Uncategorized The Spring Blogathon at the Classic Movie Blog Association is here and this year, our lovely hosts decided to go with Hidden Classics ? movies not ev... Read full article
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955): Spencer Tracy and Small-Town Bigotry
By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 10, 2019 From 4 Star FilmsIn its theatrical cut, Bad Day at Black Rock opens furiously, charging forward with the momentum of a freight train as the credits roll and Andre Previn’s score thrashes in the film’s most manic moment. From thenceforward, its greatest strength is restraint. The whole town cowers around ... Read full article
Warner Archive Blu-ray: Spencer Tracy Fights a Whole Town in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
By KC on Feb 15, 2017 From Classic MoviesBad Day at Black Rock opens with a startling long shot of a train shooting through the desert like an angry centipede. There is a feeling of recklessness to the image, as if the hurtling Streamliner could go off the rails from the aggression of its momentum. From that first jarring moment, there is ... Read full article
New on Blu Ray: Bad Day at Black Rock
By Amanda Garrett on Jan 27, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm reviewing Warner Archive's new Blu ray release of Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), starring Spencer Tracy. Here's what you need to know about Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), which was just released on Blu ray by the good folks at Warner Archive. The Director: John Sturges. The... Read full article
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Quotes from
Doc T.R. Velie Jr.: Like what?
John J. Macreedy: Like a potential customer.
Doc T.R. Velie Jr.: Huh. Everyone is.
Reno Smith: I believe a man is as big as what he's seeking. I believe you're a big man, Mr. Macreedy.
John J. Macreedy: Flattery will get you nowhere.
Reno Smith: Why would a man like you be looking for a lousy Jap farmer?
John J. Macreedy: Ohhh, dadgum, maybe I'm not so big.
Reno Smith: Oh yes you are. I believe a man is as big as what'll make him mad. Nobody around here seems big enough to get you mad.
John J. Macreedy: What makes you mad, Mr. Smith?
Reno Smith: Me? Nothing, nothing...
John J. Macreedy: Ah, you're a pretty big man yourself, then. Yet the... the Japanese make you mad, don't they?
Reno Smith: Well, that's different.
Reno Smith: I swear, you're beginning to make me mad.
John J. Macreedy: All strangers do, hmm?
Reno Smith: No, they don't. Not all of them. Some do, when they come around snooping...
John J. Macreedy: Snooping for what?
Reno Smith: I don't know, outsiders coming in, looking for something...
John J. Macreedy: Looking for what?
Reno Smith: I don't know! Somebody's always looking for something in this part of the West. To the historian it's the Old West, to the book writer it's the Wild West, to the businessman it's the Undeveloped West -- they say we're all poor and backward, and I guess we are, we don't even have enough water. But to us, this place is *our* West, and I wish they'd leave us alone!
John J. Macreedy: Leave you alone to do what?
Reno Smith: I don't know what you mean.
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Facts about
The suit that Tracy wears throughout the film was bought by him off the rack, at his insistence.
Exteriors for this film (particularly the trip to "Adobe Flat") were filmed in and around Lone Pine, California (a location often used by other films). The Japanese farmer central to the plot was (supposedly) sent to an (unnamed) internment camp after Pearl Harbor. Coincidentally, Lone Pine is just five miles from Manzanar, the best known internment camp. Present day visitors may inspect both the Alabama Hills and Manzanar.
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