Hugo Haas was a director, screenwriter, and actor who fled Nazi-occupied Europe for Hollywood during World War II. Although he never reached A-list status, he contributed quite a bit to B-movies. In Pickup, he directed the movie, co-authored its screenplay with Arnold Lipp, and stars.
The role he plays is that of middle-aged railroad dispatcher Jan "Hunky" Horak. Hunky is an amiable widower whose job requires that he live in relative isolation on the outskirts of town. His best friend is "the Professor," a hobo with intellectual pretensions and a quasi-beatnik affect. When we meet Hunky, his dog has just died and he plans to go into town to purchase a replacement.
There is indeed a fellow selling puppies but Hunky finds the price too high so he goes puppy-less to a diner.
When we first see the femme fatale of the movie, the human "pickup," Betty Horak is riding the horse on a carousel. Betty is played by Beverly Michaels, a B-movie blonde beauty known for her being statuesque. Those shapely legs seem to go on forever and she returns the gazes of male admirers with a world-weary smile.
Betty is impoverished as is her female friend (not "girlfriend" in today's parlance) Irma (Jo-Carroll Dennison), a dark-haired beauty. The two women sit on a bench with Irma fantasizing out loud about a rich meal. "What, no champagne?" Betty rhetorically asks after Irma finishes. Betty spots the plain-looking and rather chunky "Hunky" and tells Irma to watch while Betty shows her the ancient power of femininity over the male gender.
The drop-dead gorgeous young woman sits beside Hunky at the diner. Using classic feminine wiles, she gets Hunky to pick up the check for her. He then takes her to visit his out-in-the-sticks residence. Inside his home, she noses around and finds he has a bank balance with a hefty sum for the time period.
We see a scene in which both Betty and Irma have been evicted by their landlady. A desperate Betty wonders how she can get a roof over her head. The next scene is her wedding to Hunky.
Betty has financial security; chunky Hunky has a lovely wife. The honeymoon soon fades. Unlike "the Professor," Betty is no bookworm so there is not much to keep her entertained.
Enter handsome, young, and penniless Steve (Alan Nixon). They soon have the hots for each other as we expect.
The chief complication in the story occurs when Hunky suddenly loses his hearing. This could actually improve the situation for Betty as he might be able to pull early retirement as a disabled man. In the meantime, she is increasingly frustrated and, as we also probably expect, those frustrations lead her to want Hunky out of the way.
"Pickup" is often said to be a low-rent version of "The Postman Always Rings Twice." But the films do not have much in common with each other. Much of what distinguishes "Pickup" is Hunky's deafness and, later, the question of whether or not his hearing has returned. Could he be faking his lack of hearing? Steve is suspicious on this score but Betty is not so she often calls him "an old monkey" and "a sucker" when he sits right beside her.
"Pickup" has a certain importance in film history as it may have helped launch the 1950s cycle of "bad girl" films. Although its basic pattern of an unloving union between a homely older man and a greedy young beauty is part of the folklore of marriage, "Pickup" has fresh surprises based on the disability factor.
Performances are not Oscar level but are adequate. There is, however, an inconsistency in the character of Betty Horak. No fault can be ascribed to the performance of Beverly Michaels as the problem resides in the script.
Taller than most actresses, Michaels possessed considerable allure, stage presence, and acting ability. However, the character of Betty veers from manipulative and sensual femme fatale to, in Betty's own words, that of a "grouch." Complaining and carping are hardly sexy. What's more, the script often calls for Michaels to be seen doing household chores like ironing and cooking, often sporting an apron, and the effect is that Betty Horak becomes a faded "hausfrau" slouching toward being a plain old "B-word." The shortcomings in the film are not greater than its clever twists or the sexual power Michaels possessed when she was called upon to express it. It is an interesting and clever twist to an old pattern.
The role he plays is that of middle-aged railroad dispatcher Jan "Hunky" Horak. Hunky is an amiable widower whose job requires that he live in relative isolation on the outskirts of town. His best friend is "the Professor," a hobo with intellectual pretensions and a quasi-beatnik affect. When we meet Hunky, his dog has just died and he plans to go into town to purchase a replacement.
There is indeed a fellow selling puppies but Hunky finds the price too high so he goes puppy-less to a diner.
When we first see the femme fatale of the movie, the human "pickup," Betty Horak is riding the horse on a carousel. Betty is played by Beverly Michaels, a B-movie blonde beauty known for her being statuesque. Those shapely legs seem to go on forever and she returns the gazes of male admirers with a world-weary smile.
Betty is impoverished as is her female friend (not "girlfriend" in today's parlance) Irma (Jo-Carroll Dennison), a dark-haired beauty. The two women sit on a bench with Irma fantasizing out loud about a rich meal. "What, no champagne?" Betty rhetorically asks after Irma finishes. Betty spots the plain-looking and rather chunky "Hunky" and tells Irma to watch while Betty shows her the ancient power of femininity over the male gender.
The drop-dead gorgeous young woman sits beside Hunky at the diner. Using classic feminine wiles, she gets Hunky to pick up the check for her. He then takes her to visit his out-in-the-sticks residence. Inside his home, she noses around and finds he has a bank balance with a hefty sum for the time period.
We see a scene in which both Betty and Irma have been evicted by their landlady. A desperate Betty wonders how she can get a roof over her head. The next scene is her wedding to Hunky.
Betty has financial security; chunky Hunky has a lovely wife. The honeymoon soon fades. Unlike "the Professor," Betty is no bookworm so there is not much to keep her entertained.
Enter handsome, young, and penniless Steve (Alan Nixon). They soon have the hots for each other as we expect.
The chief complication in the story occurs when Hunky suddenly loses his hearing. This could actually improve the situation for Betty as he might be able to pull early retirement as a disabled man. In the meantime, she is increasingly frustrated and, as we also probably expect, those frustrations lead her to want Hunky out of the way.
"Pickup" is often said to be a low-rent version of "The Postman Always Rings Twice." But the films do not have much in common with each other. Much of what distinguishes "Pickup" is Hunky's deafness and, later, the question of whether or not his hearing has returned. Could he be faking his lack of hearing? Steve is suspicious on this score but Betty is not so she often calls him "an old monkey" and "a sucker" when he sits right beside her.
"Pickup" has a certain importance in film history as it may have helped launch the 1950s cycle of "bad girl" films. Although its basic pattern of an unloving union between a homely older man and a greedy young beauty is part of the folklore of marriage, "Pickup" has fresh surprises based on the disability factor.
Performances are not Oscar level but are adequate. There is, however, an inconsistency in the character of Betty Horak. No fault can be ascribed to the performance of Beverly Michaels as the problem resides in the script.
Taller than most actresses, Michaels possessed considerable allure, stage presence, and acting ability. However, the character of Betty veers from manipulative and sensual femme fatale to, in Betty's own words, that of a "grouch." Complaining and carping are hardly sexy. What's more, the script often calls for Michaels to be seen doing household chores like ironing and cooking, often sporting an apron, and the effect is that Betty Horak becomes a faded "hausfrau" slouching toward being a plain old "B-word." The shortcomings in the film are not greater than its clever twists or the sexual power Michaels possessed when she was called upon to express it. It is an interesting and clever twist to an old pattern.