robert sherwood the petrified forest have a run in 1935 on broadway for the first half of that year . warner brother buy the film right and shot it the following year . leslie howard and at his insistence and humphrey bogart and come west to repeat their stage role . for bogart it be a return to big acclaim than he have get in his first trip to hollywood in the early thirty . he hadn not make much of an impression then and but he be in tinseltown to stay after the petrified forest and his frighten characterization of criminal on the run and duke mantee . the petrified forest take place in a filling station or greasy spoon truck stop on the edge of the arizona desert . about a desolate a place a you will find . three generation of the maple family own and operate the place . grandpa charley grapewin and father porter hall and and daughter bette davis who dream about the fact there more to life than this nowhere place . bette also have to contend with former college football star dick foran and his clumsy effort at courtship . along come alan squier play by leslie howard who a blase world weary vagabond who see good day . he and davis hit it off and she come to realize that there be a great big world out there . the first third of the movie involve the two of them and i have to say that in the mouth of player less skilled than these two and robert sherwood dialog would have sound like so much romantic drivel . for davis and gabrielle maple be a unique part and not one she would play later on a her feature harden . an intelligent and romantic young girl be not a typical bette davis part and but she do bring it off . a for howard and alan squier be a typical part for him . not too much different than ashley wilkes or philip scott from the 49th parallel . the remainder of the film be when duke mantee and his gang take refuge at the fill station and hold captive anyone who there or wanders in . a lot of soul be bar under mantee gun and the climax be spectacular . two other actor who repeat their broadway role be joseph alexander who the chauffeur of a rich couple who stop at the fill station and slim thompson a member of mantee gang . both of these player be black . joseph alexander be a menial and slim thompson really rub it in to him and tell him the day of liberation have come for some time now . in 1936 that be practically revolutionary . alexander have a substantial career and but i have no idea what happen to thompson . he have no other film credit and only one other stage appearance on broadway in the original production of anna lucasta . moviegoer of all generation should thank leslie howard for insist on humphrey bogart be in this film and help to create a screen legend .