Pushover (1954)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Bill S. Ballinger (novel)
Roy Huggins (writer)

Release Date:

6 August 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

This year the great suspense drama is PUSHOVER The Story of temptation

Plot:

A bank heist yields $210,000. Soon, sultry Lona McLane, girlfriend of one of the robbers, meets Paul Sheridan and has a torrid affair...

Plot Keywords:

Affair | Police | Beautiful Woman | Criminal | Based On Novel

Cast

Fred MacMurray	...	Paul Sheridan
Philip Carey	...	Rick McAllister (as Phil Carey)
Kim Novak	...	Lona McLane
Dorothy Malone	...	Ann Stewart
E.G. Marshall	...	Police Lt. Carl Eckstrom
Allen Nourse	...	Paddy Dolan

Also Known As:

The Killer Wore a Badge (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16953) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This film introduced 'Kim Novak'.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: As in "Double Indemnity", although Fred MacMurray's character is not married, he wears a wedding ring throughout the film.

Quotes:

Paul Sheridan: You just don't like women, Rick.
Rick McAllister: What keeps you single?
Paul Sheridan: Maybe I like 'em too much.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

A poor man's version of Double Indemnity

It's Fred MacMurray again, as a virtuous agent for the causes of good. Instead of playing an insurance salesman with an eye for the fast buck, here he's playing a cop assigned to shadow Novak, the mobster's moll. Kim Novak is as beautiful as she's ever appeared on the screen. The lighting in her early scenes is as dramatic and sensual as it can be. Who wouldn't fall in love with her? Comparisons with Double Indemnity just can't be ignored. She is the vamp that Barbara Stanwyck could never be. She's softer and more feminine in that 50's style, and less hard-edged than Stanwyck, which makes her much more dangerous. Novak's generally wooden acting style & "flat affect" gives way to a softer sex-kitten demeanor. MacMurray's character is a more active participant in the events that unfold than in "DD", where he seemed to get his courage and strength from Stanwyck's cold & calculating personna. Billy Wilder could have made this a masterpiece, but even without the guidance of the master's hand, this one is definitely well-worth watching.