Leofwine_draca THUNDER BAY is another collaboration between director Anthony Mann and star James Stewart, riding high on the success of their western collaborations such as WINCHESTER '73. This one's a less successful story about Stwart's oil man who is convinced that he's on the verge of discovering a rich bed of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and the conflict that arises when he interrupts the livelihoods of the local shrimping fishermen.The story isn't so bad, it's just that the execution feels dated and a bit melodramatic. For one of the first times I can remember I didn't like Stewart's character; I like the actor well enough, but his character seemed single-minded and oblivious to the feelings of others here. The pacing is slow with the story bogged down by the standard romantic sub-plots and the like, and it only really picks up with an admittedly impressive climax. THUNDER BAY is a piece of drama that's only so-so to my mind.

weezeralfalfa Beats me why this Technicolor film was titled "Thunder Bay", which is the name of a Canadian city on Lake Superior and the associated little 'bay', with no obvious connection to this story about the first distant offshore oil rig emplaced in the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps refers to the often stormy relations between the principals? There was some thunder associated with the very dramatic sequence when a hurricane hit soon after the rig was finished, but before oil was struck. Not only was Steve(James Stewart) alone on the rig, except for Stella(Joanne Dru), a shrimp boat carrying jilted lover Phillipe approached and a bundle of dynamite sticks was attached to the rig, hoping to blow it up and blame it on the storm. While waves dashed over them and the fuse burned, they fought on the open platform until Phillipe fell into the sea. Beats me why the boat wasn't pitched into the rig, probably wrecking both. Steve's assumption that Stella was in on the sabotage plan also makes no sense. If successful, she would have died along with Steve! Steve stays mad at her after this until the finale, when assured that she was not involved.This was just one of a whole series of crises that threatened to bring an end to this pioneering endeavor. Twice , lynching mobs of local fishermen threatened Steve and his workers. Incredibly, Steve dispersed the first mob by throwing sticks of dynamite near them! The resulting 'explosions' looked and sounded like flares rather than dynamite! The final confrontation, near the end, was dissipated by the serendipitous spectacle of a gusher, as the mob swarmed onto the rig platform, combined with news that the long sought 'golden shrimp' bed had been discovered around the drill site. This last facet comes across as an unlikely fabrication to placate the concern that oil production in the Gulf might have a severe negative effect on commercial fisheries. There is no such thing as a commercial 'golden' shrimp in the Gulf! Yes, big oil spills have since caused marine life devastation. However, oil rigs also encourage many forms of life, acting as artificial reefs, especially important where natural reefs have being dying out. We are presently confronted with the debate whether depleted rigs should be removed, or remain to promote sea life.This story has some historical credibility, in that it takes place in 1946-7, when the first oil rig far off the Gulf coast actually was emplaced. Most of the film was appropriately shot on the LA Gulf coast. Stewart plays a Horatio Alger-like figure, who along with his faithful partner, played by Dan Duryea, begin the film penniless, armed only with a model of how to build an offshore rig that could withstand hurricanes. They have to convince not only the beleaguered president of the oil company(played by Jay Flippen), but also the local fishermen, that their scheme is worth the risk. The former proves much easier than the latter.A secondary aspect of the plot involves two beautiful flirtatious Nordic-looking daughters of an elderly Latino fisherman, who have a strong hankering to leave this little backwater village, and find Stewart's and Duryea's characters convenient prospects toward a more exciting, affluent, life. Unfortunately, papa doesn't like losing his daughters to these outsiders, expecting that they would marry fishermen like himself. Joanne Dru's character(Stella) has baggage of a hurtful 3 year romance in Chicago. She and Steve spend the film alternatively hating and loving each other. Marcia Henderson, playing Stella's more naïve younger sister, develops a more stable relationship with Duryea. But, we suspect he is not really a right man for her: too old and a potential drunkard. Duryea mostly played villains, and his role as Stewart's sometimes disapproving sidekick doesn't feel quite comfortable.If you like stories about oil discoveries, you might check out some of the following films I am familiar with: "Boom Town"(1940), "Flowing Gold"(1940), Tulsa(1949) and "Joe Dakota"(1957). Of these, "Tulsa" has the most similar plot to the present film. It's a war between cattle and oil interests. In place of poor Cajun fishermen, the oil interests have to deal with Native Americans. In the end, its decided that cattle and oil, like shrimp and oil, can get along well enough. Another film the present film reminds me of is the 1936 "Trail of the Lonesome Pine"(also shot in Technicolor, believe it or not!). Fred Mac Murray takes on Stewart's role, as the representative of a coal company that wants to mine the coal on land belonging to warring backwoodsmen. Again, there is a bittersweet romance with one of the 'native' girls.

dbdumonteil Anthony Mann made five movies with James Stewart;my favorites are "the naked spur "and mainly "the man from Laramie" ."Thunder bay " is,IMHO ,the least interesting of the lot.Conceived to be shown on a wide screen for it contains many spectacular scenes (particularly the finale),much of it is lost on a tiny TV screen.Besides ,if James Stewart and Dan Duryea seem to be as thick as thieves ,you cannot say the same about the two love affairs.Joanne Dru is so cold there's no real chemistry between Steve and Stella .Like in "bend of the river" ,Mann shows some interest in economics :oil- drillers against shrimp fishermen,in this case.

grtfred Apparently the public was mainly unaware of Cajuns and their culture, which would have been the largest population group of shrimp fishermen in Louisiana at the time. The portrayal of the 'hurricane' would have given them the impression of, at best, a big squall. What was a real hoot, was Stewart tossing sticks of dynamite at the crowd while he 'talked sense' to them. ("Alright now, just settle down"). If this movie is shown on a show where there is a 'host' or 'moderator' who comes on before and after the film, it would be informative to mention the 'microenvironment' created by the oil rigs; not so much with shrimping, but with sport fishing, which is a major economic force in the Gulf. The metal structure of the rig platforms becomes an 'artificial reef', which first becomes populated by barnacles and other stationary marine life; then becomes a focal point of fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and various other species. The area around the rig becomes a jackpot for fisherman.