Pickup on South Street (1953)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writers:

Samuel Fuller (screenplay)
Dwight Taylor (story)

Release Date:

1 August 1953 (Japan)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

How the law took a chance on a B-girl... and won!

Plot:

A pickpocket unwittingly lifts a message destined for enemy agents and becomes a target for a Communist spy ring.

Plot Keywords:

Communist | Microfilm | Subway | Purse | Pickpocket

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Skip McCoy
Jean Peters	...	Candy
Thelma Ritter	...	Moe Williams
Murvyn Vye	...	Captain Dan Tiger
Richard Kiley	...	Joey
Willis Bouchey	...	Zara (as Willis B. Bouchey)
Milburn Stone	...	Detective Winoki

Also Known As:

Blaze of Glory (USA) (working title)
Pickpocket (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

80 min | Spain:75 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Germany:16 (DVD rating) (2004) | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16197)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Betty Grable, not wanting to take on a downcast role, decline to play Candy. Twentieth Century-Fox then put Miss Grable on suspension.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Skip and Joey fight in the subway station, they are fighting in a cleared area near the ticket office and then the next two shots show them confined by exit railings near the newspaper stand and then the next shot cuts back to the open area.

Quotes:

Moe Williams: What's the matter with you? Playing footsie with the Commies!
Skip McCoy: You waving the flag, too?
Moe Williams: Listen, I knew you since you was a little kid. You was always a regular kind of crook. I never figured you for a louse.
Skip McCoy: Stop, you're breaking my heart.
Moe Williams: Even in our crummy line of business you gotta draw the line somewhere.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edge of Outside (2006)

Soundtrack:

Mam'selle

Terrific film-noir political thriller

I really enjoyed this film. All aspects of the film were top notch including the most important, for me anyway, the screenplay and the acting. This is definitely one of Richard Widmark's strongest roles. He is totally convincing in his performance. Just out of curiosity, imagine how Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum might have tackled this role. This is my first exposure to Jean Peter's work that I can remember. She impressed so much here that I will definitely be on the lookout for her other work. Thelma Ritter, in an unglamourous role, deserved the Oscar nomination she received for playing the informant. This film works on every level. The black and white photography is perfectly appropriate and the story hooks the viewer right from the beginning. Widmark and Peters have great chemistry in their difficult romance. Strongly recommended, 9/10.