Thunder Bay

• Directed by Anthony Mann
• May 19, 1953 (Premiere) / May 20, 1953 (US)

Two engineers drilling for oil in the Louisiana gulf deal with the hostility of the local shrimp fishermen fearing for their livelihood.

The opening of Thunder Bay is a little slow. It was like Anthony Man was taking his good old time to get things going in this one. The premise is nothing unique or groundbreaking with the characters being almost stock. Steve Martin (Jimmy Stewart) is a bit of a dreamer and certainly a salesman. He is a wildcatter and comes up with an audacious plan (at least for the time) to get oil. Much of the beginning is used selling to the audience that he is headstrong and capable.

His friend Johnny Gambi (Dan Duryea) is just a little too blue-collar to be real. Not an uncommon character type back in the day. My feeling is it always needed to be dialed back or just not used at all. He’s more comic relief than actual character. His ultimate purpose as those of such characters often were was to in a slightly humorous way help Steve reach the goal before pointing him in the correct romantic direction.

If there is a theme of this movie it is chasing a dream. Gambi and Steve have faced failure after failure yet keep looking for that big find because that is their dream. There is also progress/change clashing with tradition. The local shrimpers fear an end to their livelihood with this rig coming and do everything they can to make it go away.

What is an adventure movie from the 50s without a romance between two antagonistic people that fall for one another by the credits? Stella Rigaud (Joanne Dru) distrusts Steve mostly on principle. She thinks he’s going to destroy the entire local way of life when all he’s doing is chasing his big dream and trying to look out for everyone as best as he can. There’s no real will-they-or-won’t-they because you know them coming together is a given in the movies of this era. The treat is in how that happens.

Dru gives a little bit of nuance and depth to her part. I’m not exactly sure what Stella was implying with her father about how she was able to send him so much money, but it didn’t sound good. It sounded a little, how do I put this, shameful. That moment sticks with me. They move far too quickly from it rather than using it to make her a tragic character.

She’s not a weakling in personality. She’s in fact, a bit of a force to be reckoned with. Strong willed, and as strong willed as Steve is. In fact, they are almost mirror images of each other and personality making the difficulty in getting together a believable personality clash.

With his usual folksy delivery, Stewart-as-Steve charms the audience and makes you a believer in the character. His dream becomes your dream. You even find yourself asking why he doesn’t see that Steve and Stella are made for each other. This is not Western tough guy Stewart but a Jimmy Stewart more along the lines of Jefferson Smith or Harry Bailey. Just with a few more years of life behind him. 

Coincidentally, Steve’s best bud Gambi is romancing Stella’s younger sister Francesca (Marcia Henderson). Gambi is a love-‘em-and-leave-‘em type but Francesca convinces him to change his ways and settle down. This gestating romance is what causes the most friction between Steve and Stella though it also tells Steve that Stella is the one to settle down with.

When things do finally wrap up in the movie everybody comes out happy. The shrimpers find the fabled golden shrimp because the oil well somehow gets them all to come around at night. I’m not sure how that works but it does make for a happy ending for everybody. These golden shrimp are getting in the intakes and clogging up the equipment but only in the nighttime.

Nobody was going to get screwed over in this movie. I don’t think any studio would’ve been okay with that. Everybody ultimately benefits. The well helps the shrimpers by getting them a better type of shrimp. It also benefits community by providing work and people that can spend money there to enrich the community. 

A feel-good ending goes along with the romance and implied bright future of the main couple. Their banter is better than the crafting of their romance. I saw no moment of emotional realization from Steve. Stella is just truthfully the only option there. I don’t think there’s any other females of Steve’s age present in the film!

There are some familiar faces in this movie. Harry Morgan as corporate type Rawlings most notably. That man never really changed. He just got gray. Jay C. Flippen as investor Kermit MacDonald is recognizable as well having appeared with Stewart and Wayne in numerous productions. Gruff yet fatherly.

Thunder Bay is a good movie. Maybe not Anthony Mann’s and Jimmy Stewart’s finest but it’s very good. It’s entertaining and dramatic enough with the major irritant for me being Dan Duryea’s accent. A good watch for classic film fans.