Thieves' Highway
Thieves' Highway is a 1949 film noir directed by Jules Dassin.[3] The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides, based on his novel Thieves' Market.[4] The film was released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection in 2005.
| Thieves' Highway | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jules Dassin |
| Produced by | Robert Bassler |
| Screenplay by | A. I. Bezzerides |
| Based on | Thieves' Market 1949 novel by A. I. Bezzerides |
| Starring | Richard Conte Valentina Cortese Lee J. Cobb Barbara Lawrence |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Norbert Brodine |
| Edited by | Nick DeMaggio |
Production company | 20th Century Fox |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.5 million (US rentals)[1][2] |
Plot
A war-veteran-turned-truck driver Nico "Nick" Garcos (Richard Conte) arrives at home to find that his foreign-born father, a California fruit farmer, has lost his legs and was forced to sell his truck. He learns that his father was crippled at the hands of an unscrupulous produce dealer in San Francisco, Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Garcos vows revenge.
Garcos goes into business with Ed Kinney, who bought the Garcos truck, and drives a truckload of apples to San Francisco, where he runs into Figlia when his truck is immobilized with a suspiciously cut tire, blocking Figlia's busy wholesale stand, and cannot be towed. Figlia hires a streetwalker, Rica (Valentina Cortese), to seduce and preoccupy Nick in her room while his men unload the apples without Nick's permission. Figlia later pays Nick for his fruit, but that night his goons waylay and rob Nick of the cash. Meanwhile, Kinney is killed when his own truck mechanically fails, veers off the road, and burns after speeding out of control down a long hill. Foul play is suspected. Polly, Nick's hometown sweetheart, then arrives in the city ready to marry him, but leaves disillusioned after she finds him recovering from his beating in Rica's apartment and with no money. Nick and a friend finally confront the cowed bully Figlia at a tavern, and have him arrested, restoring Nick's family honor.
Cast
- Richard Conte as Nico "Nick" Garcos
- Valentina Cortese as Rica
- Lee J. Cobb as Mike Figlia
- Barbara Lawrence as Polly Faber
- Jack Oakie as Slob
- Millard Mitchell as Ed Kinney
- Joseph Pevney as Pete
- Morris Carnovsky as Yanko Garcos
- Tamara Shayne as Parthena Garcos
- Kasia Orzazewski as Mrs. Polansky
- Norbert Schiller as Mr. Polansky
- Hope Emerson as Midge, a buyer
Background
Dana Andrews and Victor Mature originally were announced for the lead.[5]
The film was shot on location in San Francisco, and is noted for its accurate depiction of the vibrant fruit and produce market in that city, then located adjacent to the Embarcadero north of the Ferry Building. The Figlia Market is depicted on the corner of Washington and Davis Streets (clearly indicated by a street sign). The produce market was closed and moved to the southeastern part of the city by the end of the 1950s. The warehouses were demolished to make way for the Alcoa Building, and the Golden Gateway residential and commercial development.[6] The Hotel Colchester where Rica resides was located at 259 Embarcadero (now a parking lot). Also depicted is the old State Belt Line Railroad which provided service to the piers and warehouses of the entire Embarcadero.
Some of the outdoor produce market scenes were shot at the Oakland Produce Market, near today's Jack London Square.
Reception
Critical
When the film was released, New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said, as a part of a larger review:
"But particular thanks for this crisp picture should go to the Messrs. Bezzerides and Dassin for their keen writing, well-machined construction and sharpness of imagery. Once again, Mr. Dassin, who directed "The Naked City," has gone forth into actual settings for his backgrounds — onto the highways and the city streets, the orchards and teeming produce markets of California and San Francisco. He has got the look and "feel" of people and places in the produce world. You can almost sense the strain of trucking and smell the crated fruit. More than that, he has got the excitement and. the tension of commerce today. "Thieves Highway" is a first-class melodrama which just misses — yes, just misses — being great."[7]
References
- "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. 4 January 1950. p. 59.
- Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 223
- "The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time". Paste. August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- Thieves' Highway on IMDb.
- THOMAS F. BRADY (Apr 1, 1948). "METRO ACQUIRES 'BODIES AND SOUL': Studio Buys French Novel for $40,000 -- Hodiak Gets Role in 'Command Decision'". New York Times. p. 29.
- Golden Gateway, DOCOMOMO
- Crowther, Bosley (1949-09-24). "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Thieves' Highway,' One of Best Melodramas of the Year, Opens at the Roxy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
External links
- Thieves' Highway on IMDb
- Thieves' Highway at AllMovie
- Thieves' Highway at the TCM Movie Database
- Thieves' Highway at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Thieves’ Highway: Dangerous Fruit an essay by Michael Sragow at the Criterion Collection
- Thieves' Highway selected scene on YouTube