Pickup on South Street

"How the law took a chance on a B-girl … and won!"

1953 1h 20m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 335

ThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy, inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy and steals her wallet. Unaware that she has been making deliveries of highly classified information to the communists, Candy, who has been trailed by FBI agents for months in hopes of nabbing the spy ringleader, is sent by her ex-boyfriend, Joey, to find Skip and retrieve the valuable microfilm he now holds.

“How the law took a chance on a B-girl … and won!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Richard Widmark
Skip McCoy
Jean Peters
Candy
Thelma Ritter
Moe Williams
Murvyn Vye
Captain Dan Tiger
Richard Kiley
Joey
Willis Bouchey
Zara
Milburn Stone
Detective Winoki
Parley Baer
Headquarters Communist in Chair (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Samuel Fuller
Writers: Samuel Fuller, Dwight Taylor
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nick DeMaggio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Widmark and Jean Peters and Thelma Ritter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "How the law took a chance on a B-girl … and won!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Samuel Fuller directs. Joseph MacDonald behind the camera. Leigh Harline scores. Nick DeMaggio cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
373 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nick DeMaggio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Richard Widmark and Jean Peters and Thelma Ritter carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "How the law took a chance on a B-girl … and won!".
9IMDB entry: tt0046187 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 23 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald
Original score: Leigh Harline
Editing: Nick DeMaggio
Costume design: Travilla
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 80 min · 1h 20m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $780,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Pickup on South Street (1953)

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Samuel Fuller

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-06-25
★ 9/10
Forget the communist fervour and delve deeper. Skip McCoy is a three time loser pick pocket, unable to curb his instincts back on the street, he picks the purse of Candy on a subway train. What he doesn't realise is that Candy is carrying top secret microfilm, microfilm that is of high interest to many many organisations. Director Samuel Fuller has crafted an exceptional drama set amongst the seedy underworld of New York City. Communist spies and shady government operatives all blend together to make Pickup On South Street a riveting viewing from first minute to the last. Based around a Dwight Taylor story called "Blaze Of Glory", Fuller infused this adaptation with a heavy set political agenda, something that many at the time felt was over done, but to only focus on the anti communist leanings is doing it a big disservice. Digging a little deeper and you find characters as intriguing as any that Fuller has directed. The main protagonist for one is the hero of the piece, a crook and a shallow human being, his heroics are not born out of love for his country, they are born out of his sheer stubborn streak. It's quite an achievement that Fuller has crafted one of the best anti heroes of the 1950s, and I'm sure he was most grateful to the performance of Richard Widmark as McCoy. Widmark is all grin and icy cold heart, his interplay with the wonderful Jean Peters as Candy is excellent and is the film's heart. However, it is the Oscar nominated Thelma Ritter who takes the acting honours, her Moe is strong and as seedy as the surrounding characters, but there is a tired warmth to her that Ritter conveys majestically. It's a "B" movie in texture but an "A" film in execution, Pickup On South Street is a real classy and entertaining film that is one of the best from its most intriguing director. 9/10
CinemaSerf2023-06-21
★ 7/10
Richard Widmark is quite effective in this quickly paced espionage thriller. He's a petty thief whom we see lifting something from a woman's purse on a busy subway train. He's not the only one watching her, though, and as he makes his exit he narrowly avoids capture the police. Why are others watching this woman? Well it turns out that she is suspected of passing secrets to the communists and that the police reckon the purse purse contains evidence. Of course, "Skip" (Widmark) knows nothing of this but is soon working with the authorities to find "Candy" (Jean Peters), trace her compatriots and thwart the deceit. Thelma Ritter always adds value - if perhaps not versatility - and it features a tightly knit supporting cast as Samuel Fuller keeps the dialogue focussed and the pace deft before quite an exciting ending. It does play a little to cold war politics and paranoia, but it's still a superior cat and mouse thriller well worth a watch.