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 | Purse | Subway | Police

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Parley Baer	...	Headquarters Communist in Chair (uncredited)
George Berkeley	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Virginia Carroll	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Detective Dietrich (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Subway Passenger (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper	...	Detective Eddie (uncredited)
George Eldredge	...	Fenton (uncredited)
John Gallaudet	...	Detective Lt. Campion (uncredited)
Frank Kumagai	...	Lum (uncredited)
Jay Loft-Lyn	...	Microfilm Library Clerk (uncredited)
Ray Montgomery	...	FBI Agent Ray (uncredited)
Ralph Moody	...	Coffin Boat Captain (uncredited)
Roger Moore	...	Mr. Victor (uncredited)
Jerry O'Sullivan	...	FBI Agent Enyart (uncredited)
Vic Perry	...	Lightning Louie aka Godkin (uncredited)
Stuart Randall	...	Police Commissioner (uncredited)
Maurice Samuels	...	Peddler (uncredited)
Henry Slate	...	Detective MacGregor (uncredited)
Ray Stevens	...	FBI Agent (uncredited)
George E. Stone	...	Willie - Police Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook	...	Elevator Passenger (uncredited)
Wilson Wood	...	Police Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Samuel Fuller

Writing credits
Samuel Fuller		(screenplay)
Dwight Taylor		(story)

Produced by
Jules Schermer	....	producer

Original Music by
Leigh Harline

Cinematography by
Joseph MacDonald		(as Joe MacDonald)

Film Editing by
Nick DeMaggio		(as Nick De Maggio)

Art Direction by
George Patrick
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Al Orenbach

Costume Design by
Travilla

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ad Schaumer	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
Winston H. Leverett	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)
Bernard Mayers	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century - Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (released by)
• CBS/Fox (1991) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Filmax (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Centfox (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Rank (1961) (France) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

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:

Shot in 20 days.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Skip gets off a subway train at the 33rd street station, he is getting off of an IND line R-1 train. There is no 33rd street station on any IND line. The only 33rd street station is on the Lexington Ave Line(today known as the #6 train). The Lexington Ave line is a branch of the IRT line and did not use the R-1 cars. They used the Low V cars. An R-1 car was too wide and would not fit on to the IRT tracks

Quotes:

Moe Williams:Ask a silly question, you get a dopey look.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edge of Outside (2006)

Soundtrack:

Mam'selle

Maybe Fuller's best film

The best of the seven Sam Fuller movies that I've seen (including Park Row, Run of the Arrow, Verboten!, Shock Corridor, The Naked Kiss, The Big Red One, and this film), Pickup on South Street counts as one of the best film noirs. It represents Fuller at his most controlled. I like him when he's out of control, of course, but nearly everything in Pickup is perfect. The film is absolutely beautiful. Richard Widmark stars as a pickpocket who steals some microfilm that was meant to go to communist spies. Jean Peters plays the woman who was carrying the film for her boyfriend, played by Richard Kiley. Peters is forced to find Widmark and get it back. She finds him through a stool pigeon played by Thelma Ritter. Widmark and Peters are attracted to each other, which changes Peters loyalties (that, and the fact that she learns she's working for communists; the Cold War stuff is really interesting). The love story is done a little quickly and not entirely believable, but it's not so bad that it harms the film (unlike Fuller's previous film, Park Row). Richard Widmark is great. This must be one of his best roles, but I'm not so familiar with his career that I can say that for sure. Thelma Ritter gives the most memorable performance. Her role gives the film an unexpected emotional resonance, and her final scene in this film is as touching as any you will find in the cinema. I will never forget that. 10/10.