Pushover (1954)

Undercover cop falls for the beautiful moll of a bank robber on the run and together they double-cross the hood and the cops.

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Roy Huggins (screenplay), Thomas Walsh (novel)

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, Philip Carey

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

A bank heist yields $210,000. Soon, sultry Lona McLane, girlfriend of one of the robbers, meets Paul Sheridan and has a torrid affair. When she finds out Paul's a cop, to save herself she sets out to corrupt him. He's a pushover. But it won't be easy for Paul to get his hands on the money when he's part of a complex, peeping-tom stakeout. Soon, he's in much deeper than he'd planned, amid atmospheric night scenes.

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Plot Keywords:

voyeurism | voyeur | beat generation | movie theatre | song | 

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Taglines:

"Just pull the trigger", she whispered. "Then take the money and me".(original half-sheet poster)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Killer Wore a Badge

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the sources for the film was the novel "The Night Watch" by Thomas Walsh, which was serialized under the title "The Killer Wore a Badge", in the Saturday Evening Post from November 10 to December 15, 1951.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Paul Sheridan: If you'd known where his dough came from, would you still have taken it?
Lona McLane: Money isn't dirty. Just people.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood and the Stars: In Search of Kim Novak (1964)

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Soundtracks

There Goes That Song Again
Music by Jule Styne (uncredited)
Played by duo pianists at the cocktail lounge

User Reviews

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.