Pickup, A Deadly Femme Fatale

The lonely and vulnerable man is at a disadvantage.  This is especially so when a sultry blonde dame with a shiny blouse, a slightly tight skirt, fishnets, and heels enters the picture.  Being this a Film Noir film, murder is in the air.  A man's best friend is a dog, not a gold-digging floosy, but a lonely man will be slow on the uptake. Today we look at 1951's "Pickup," directed by the star, Hugo Haas.

Jan (Haas) is a lonely widower with a simple life. Too simple.  His best friend, his dog, just died and he is a widower for the past two years.  His only friend now is a half-hobo intellectual known as the professor (Howland Chamberlain). Jan mans a railroad tank stop and monitors and assists freight trains that go by. His employment at the railroad necessitates he be there 24 hours a day. Jan thinks he needs a break and the railroad sends the hunk Steve (Allan Nixon) to spell him. Now let us meet Betty (Beverly Michaels). She's quite the dish and described above. Jan is taken by her beauty and she is 20 years younger than he. She is a skank, a thief, and a gold-digger. When she is evicted for theft and non-payment of rent, she makes her move and Jan marries her. She has her eyes on his bank account.  He has his eyes on her..., well, her smile.

Now Betty is going mad living at Tank Stop 47. She begins having eyes for Steve and he, her.  Uh oh! You won't believe what happens next.  Then, you won't believe what happens after that. You will have to watch the movie to see but you can figure Betty wants out of the marriage, but not before getting a hold of the bank account. Jan won't give her joint rights to the account. Betty begins plotting Jan's demise and recruits the hunk Steve to help.  Poor Betty, she has no idea what a disadvantage she is in.  Once Jan figures out all he needed was a dog, the sultry Betty may be in more danger than Jan. Still, we do get a lot of gratuitous Beverly Michael's scenes. Most will like the white swimsuit and suntan lotion scene.  

Just what is Betty's plan to murder Jan and get away with his money? Can a sultry femme fatale ever be happy watching trains go by for the rest of her life?  Just what is Jan's advantage over his younger wife, and does that lead to his own murder plot?  Guys who have ever been wronged by sultry dames will love this movie.  The end is violent, humorous, and weirdly uplifting.  See "Pickup" and see all the intrigue and allure that can happen around railroad tracks.