Summary
Tycoon is a 1947 American Technicolor romantic drama film directed by Richard Wallace and starring John Wayne, Laraine Day and Cedric Hardwicke. It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. It is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Charles Elbert Scoggins.
| Tycoon | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Wallace |
| Written by | Borden Chase John Twist |
| Based on | Tycoon by Charles Elbert Scoggins |
| Produced by | Stephen Ames |
| Starring | John Wayne Laraine Day Cedric Hardwicke |
| Cinematography | W. Howard Greene Harry J. Wild |
| Edited by | Frank Doyle |
| Music by | Leigh Harline |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.2 million[1] |
| Box office | $2.5 million (US rentals)[2] |
Plot edit
Johnny Munroe (John Wayne) travels to South America to build a mountain railroad tunnel for Frederick Alexander (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), a wealthy industrialist. Complications arise when Alexander insists upon a shorter, more dangerous passage and when his daughter Maura (Laraine Day) develops a romantic interest with Johnny.
Cast edit
- John Wayne as Johnny Munroe
- Laraine Day as Maura Alexander Munroe
- Cedric Hardwicke as Frederick Alexander
- Judith Anderson as Miss Braithwaite
- James Gleason as Pop Mathews
- Anthony Quinn as Ricky Vegas
- Grant Withers as Fog Harris
- Paul Fix as Joe
- Fernando Alvarado as Chico
- Harry Woods as Holden
- Michael Harvey as Curly Messenger
- Charles Trowbridge as Señor Tobar
- Martin Garralaga as Chávez
Production edit
Maureen O'Hara was originally cast as Wayne's leading lady, but RKO put her in Sinbad the Sailor instead.[3] Set in the Andes, the film was originally intended to be filmed at RKO's Estudios Churubusco in Mexico City but at the last minute production was shifted to Lone Pine, California.[3]
Reception edit
Though successful, the film did not earn back its huge production costs of RKO's most expensive production up to that time.[4][self-published source] It ended up losing $1,035,000.[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p225
- ^ "Top Grossers of 1948", Variety 5 January 1949 p 46
- ^ a b p.287 Roberts, Randy & Olson, James Stuart John Wayne, American 1997 University of Kentucky Press
- ^ p.131 Reid, John Howard Popular Pictures of the 1940s 2004 Lulu.com
- ^ Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p46
External links edit
- Tycoon at IMDb
- Tycoon at the TCM Movie Database
- Tycoon at AllMovie
- Tycoon at the American Film Institute Catalog
