Samuel Fuller’s gritty film noir, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, follows the shadowy tale of a ditzy dame and her three-time loser. Candy (Jean Peters, NIAGARA) is delivering a package for her abusive ex-boyfriend Joey (Richard Kiley, THE PHENIX CITY STORY). While on the subway, her purse is pickpocketed by Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG), a three-time loser who just got out of jail on his last rap.
What both Skip and Candy don’t know is that in Candy’s wallet is a strip of microfilm that Russian spies are after. FBI agent Zara (Willis Bouchey, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE) was on the subway when Skip pinched the film. So while Zara enlists Capt. Dan Tiger (Murvyn Vye, ROAD TO BALI) to help find the thief, Joey pressures Candy to use her “contacts” to do the same. Tiger calls on the services of grifter Moe Williams (Thelma Ritter, REAR WINDOW) to lead them to Skip.
When the cops arrive at his place, Skip has a few snide comments for the fuzz. Skip isn’t proud of what he does, but he isn’t going to let anyone make him feel bad about it. If he’s a three-time loser than Candy is a 10-time loser. She’s an impressionable, young woman, who always falls for the wrong guys and falls for them fast. The first thing that Skip does to her is knock her out, but that doesn’t stop her for falling for the lug. She may be the first person in his life to see the good in him.
The story is a redemption tale about a guy who ends up doing the right thing because a pretty girl believes in him. The sexual tension between Widmark and Peters burns holes in the celluloid. Widmark has never been better. His laid-back cynicism masks his buried scars. If Candy knows one thing, it’s how to use her looks to get men to do what she wants. However, it seems Skip is the first man that knows it and doesn’t mind letting her at least try. Peters smolders sex and Widmark watches her with a wry grin. Additionally, Ritter gives yet another fine performance. Her big speech when confronted by Joey is great. It embodies all the feelings of the “loser” characters in the tale.
Fuller (SHOCK CORRIDOR) paces the story nicely with some wonderful subtle flares to add texture. Listen to the subtle sound that plays when Candy realizes that the film has been stolen. Fuller also doesn’t hold back on the violence. For a 1950s film, the fights are raw and unflinching. When Joey roughs up Candy, we feel it.
The themes tackle conflicts such as greed against redemption, Right versus Red, and passion against self-preservation. It’s interesting to watch the film demonize the “Commies,” but what do you think Fuller is saying with the events involving the Feds and Candy? Skip and Candy are obviously the little people stuck in-between the manipulations of big powers. The final scene between Skip and Capt. Tiger says a lot about what the establishment thinks of Skip and what Skip has become. PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET is a great example of the best in classic film noir.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
