The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Two fishermen pick up a psychotic escaped convict who tells them that he intends to murder them when the ride is over.

Director:

Ida Lupino

Writers:

Collier Young (screenplay), Ida Lupino (screenplay)

Stars:

Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edmond O'Brien	...	Roy Collins
Frank Lovejoy	...	Gilbert Bowen
William Talman	...	Emmett Myers
José Torvay	...	Captain Alvarado (as Jose Torvay)
Sam Hayes	...	Radio Broadcaster
Wendell Niles	...	Wendell Niles (as Wendel Niles)
Jean Del Val	...	Inspector General
Clark Howat	...	Government Agent
Natividad Vacío	...	Jose (as Natividad Vacio)

Storyline

Two friends on a fishing trip pick up a stranded motorist who turns out to be a psychotic escaped convict. This sociopath has already murdered other good Samaritans in his efforts to evade authorities. He sadistically taunts and threatens the two men and perversely delights in telling them that he has them both marked for death sometime before the end of the trip. His destination is a ferryboat in Baja, California, which he hopes will help him get to the mainland. The hostages hope to stay alive long enough to escape or be rescued by Mexican authorities.

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Plot Keywords:

trip | mexico | serial killer | hostage | national film registry | 

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Taglines:

there's Death in his upraised Thumb!

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 April 1953 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Persuader

Filming Locations:

Big Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures,The Filmakers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based upon an incident that happened in California in the early 1950s. A man named Billy Cook murdered a family of five, including three children, and then killed a traveling salesman. He then kidnapped two hunters and took them across the border into Mexico, intending to kill them, too, but before he could he was captured by Mexican police and subsequently extradited to the US, where he was tried for the murders, convicted, and died in the gas chamber at San Quentin on Dec. 12, 1952.

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Goofs

When Frank Lovejoy shoots the can from Edmund O'Brien's right hand with his rifle, the next scene shows the rifle with the hammer cocked which it would not be if he just fired the rifle. The rifle is a pump .22, not a semi-automatic.

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Quotes

Emmett Myers: You guys are soft. You know what makes you that way? You're up to your neck in IOU's. You're suckers! You're scared to get out on your own. You've always had it good, so you're soft. Well, not me! Nobody ever gave me anything, so I don't owe nobody!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: This is the true story of a man and a gun and a car. The gun belonged to the man. The car might have been yours-or that young couple across the aisle. What you will see in the next seventy minutes could have happened to you. For the facts are actual.

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Connections

Referenced in The Subhuman (2010)

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Soundtracks

Violin Concerto No 2 in E Minor, Op 64--Andante
Written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

User Reviews

An excellent suspense thriller that works!

Directed by Ida Lupino, this tension filled suspense movie is absolutely outstanding. Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy and William Talman star in a story about two companions, O'Brien and Lovejoy, heading out for a hunting trip only to be side tracked by a sadistic killer. Bill Talman's performance is especially effective as the bad guy in this film. Good luck trying to find it in video or on television. I have not seen it since the early 1950's. It was tied up in legal problems for many years and may still be.