Road House (1948 film)
| Road House | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jean Negulesco |
| Produced by | Edward Chodorov |
| Screenplay by | Edward Chodorov |
| Story by | Margaret Gruen Oscar Saul |
| Starring |
Richard Widmark Ida Lupino Cornel Wilde |
| Music by | Cyril J. Mockridge |
| Cinematography |
Joseph LaShelle Norbert Brodine |
| Edited by | James B. Clark |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,350,000 (US rentals) |
For the 1989 film, see Road House (1989 film).
Road House is a 1948 film noir drama directed by Jean Negulesco, with cinematography by Joseph LaShelle. The picture features Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm, Richard Widmark, among others.
The drama tells the story of Lily Stevens (Lupino) who takes a job as a singer at a roadhouse—complete with a bowling alley. When Lily dumps the owner Jefty (Widmark) for his boyhood friend Pete Morgan (Wilde), problems begin. They only get worse when Jefty is rejected after proposing to Lily, causing Jefty to go on a murderous rage.
Lupino sings the classic Johnny Mercer song "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" in the film. The song "Again", written by Dorcas Cochran (words) and Lionel Newman (music), debuted in this film, and was also sung by her.
Pete Morgan manages Jefty's Road House for his longtime friend, Jefferson "Jefty" Robbins, who inherited the place from his father. Jefty is attracted to Lily Stevens, his new singer from Chicago, but Pete thinks she is just another in a long string of girls he will eventually have to send on her way. Jefty, however, is convinced that Lily is "different", even though she is playing hard-to-get.
Although Pete tries to pay Lily off and put her on a train, she is not about to leave and makes a successful debut at the club, accompanying herself on piano. Jefty asks Pete to teach Lily how to bowl in the roadhouse's alley but she shows little interest in the sport and quite a bit more in Pete.
Susie Smith, the club's cashier who is fond of Pete, becomes jealous of Lily. Before Jefty leaves on a hunting trip, he tells Lily that she is not like any other girl he has ever met. Lily tries to join Pete for a boat ride on a lake, but he refuses as she is Jefty's girl. Lily contradicts that notion, so Pete arranges to pick her up later. Susie also goes along, although the women's friendship is decidedly frosty. Later, Pete comes to Lily's rescue when a drunk causes a scene at the club.
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