An American ex-serviceman leaves Allied-occupied Germany after WWII and is persuaded by his English wife to settle in Liverpool' Looking for work, he becomes a lorry driver. He comes into contact with criminals involved in theft from commercial vehicles and draws close to the girlfriend of a major crime figure.
The film was based on the novel by Mervyn Mills which was published in 1956. It was Mills' first novel. According to his obituary, the novel "stemmed from his journeys through early post-war Britain on a moped, before the advent of the motorways, when he absorbed, on the Great North Road, something of the lives of the long-distance lorry drivers, their roadside cafes and the people, often women, who frequented them. The book was turned down by 12 publishers before being accepted by the 13th, and even then Mills had to fight for his artistic integrity with the director and general editor, Lovat Dickson, to retain the more colourful passages. After so many rejections, this took courage." The Irish Times called it "an exciting and unusually vivid book."
Development
Film rights were bought by Todon Productions, the film company of Tony Owen and Donna Reed, run by Maxwell Seton. Ken Hughes, who had made films for them before, signed to write and direct. In July 1956 Diana Dors agreed to play the female lead. Like many Todon films, it was distributed through Columbia. The production would be credited to Seton's company, Marksman Films. Columbia were financing a number of films in Britain at the time. Robert Mitchum was originally announced as the male star. In January 1957 Victor Mature signed. Mature had just made three films in England for Warwick Productions, who also distributed through Columbia: Zarak, Safari and Interpol. Mature had driven trucks for his father's business when younger. Setton tried to get Raymond Burr to support Mature and Dors but was unable to. A lead role was played by newcomer Patrick Allen who Setton signed to a three-picture contract over three years.
Production
Filming started 18 February and took place at British Lion studios in Shepperton. There was location filming in the Scottish Highlands.
Critical reception
dismissed the film as "Minor fare"; whereas DVD Talk commended a "Completely satisfying British B-noir. Sure the story is familiar, but it's handled with cold, professional skill. The performers are perfectly cast here. I'm highly recommending The Long Haul."
