Pickup on South Street

Shot in just 20 days, Pickup on South Street is writer-director Samuel Fuller's 1953 film noir released by the 20th Century Fox studio. The film stars Richard Widmark, Jean Peters and Thelma Ritter.

Plot

Widmark plays Skip McCoy, a pickpocket street urchin who steals a wallet from Peters that contains a microfilm of top-secret government information. This sets off a frantic search for McCoy by the police and other interested parties who have a vested interest in securing the microfilm.

Related Topics:
Pickpocket - Microfilm

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Thelma Ritter was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance and Samuel Fuller was nominated for the 1953 Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival (the award was not given that year). The film was shot on location in New York City. In the opening scene on the subway, a soldier leaves a subway car wearing the "Big Red One" 1st Infantry Division shoulder patch. Director Fuller fought with the 1st Infantry Division during World War II, and later filmed the story in the movie The Big Red One (1980). The French release of the movie removed any reference to spies and microfilm in the translation. They called the movie, "Le Port de la Drogue" ("The Drugs Port").

Related Topics:
Oscar - Venice Film Festival - New York City - 1st Infantry Division - World War II - The Big Red One

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