It seems that during the Depression, people gave rides to hitchhikers; during the war and post-war, to servicemen and women. Well, in The Devil Thumbs a Ride from 1947, it's not the Depression and Lawrence Tierney isn't in uniform. At some point, hitchhiking became ill-advised.
It sure is here - Tierney, as Steve Morgan, robs a bank and kills a man, then hitches a ride out of San Diego with nice guy Jim Ferguson (Ted North). When they stop for gas, Jimmy goes to call his wife inside the station, while Steve tells two women, Agnes and Carol (Betty Lawford and Nan Leslie) that they can have a ride, even though it isn't his car.
Steve enters the station and insults a photograph of the gas station attendant's little girl, saying she has large ears. Jimmy tells his wife they are about 3-1/2 hours out of Los Angeles in the middle of the night with no traffic - they must have been traveling by way of Paducah.
Back in the car, Steve is attracted to the demure 21-year-old Carol while he refers to the 35-year-old Agnes as Grandma. My kind of guy. When he spots a cop, he insists that they stop at Jimmy's boss' weekend home so that they can eat and relax. Jimmy is reluctant, but since a drink spilled on him and he smells like a brewery, he realizes it's for the best.
Once there, Steve lets the air out of Jimmy's tires, rips out the phone cord, and gets the caretaker drunk. He also makes a play for Carol, who makes it clear she's not interested.
Meanwhile back at the gas station, the attendant (Glen Vernon) hears a description of Jimmy's car on the radio and calls the police. Steve has not endeared himself to him.
The end of this film was a little abrupt -- and strange, but the movie itself is okay, with Tierney giving a good performance at what he did best - being hateful. This is a must for Tierney fans. I happen not to be one, but I love noir, so I usually end up watching something he's in.
It sure is here - Tierney, as Steve Morgan, robs a bank and kills a man, then hitches a ride out of San Diego with nice guy Jim Ferguson (Ted North). When they stop for gas, Jimmy goes to call his wife inside the station, while Steve tells two women, Agnes and Carol (Betty Lawford and Nan Leslie) that they can have a ride, even though it isn't his car.
Steve enters the station and insults a photograph of the gas station attendant's little girl, saying she has large ears. Jimmy tells his wife they are about 3-1/2 hours out of Los Angeles in the middle of the night with no traffic - they must have been traveling by way of Paducah.
Back in the car, Steve is attracted to the demure 21-year-old Carol while he refers to the 35-year-old Agnes as Grandma. My kind of guy. When he spots a cop, he insists that they stop at Jimmy's boss' weekend home so that they can eat and relax. Jimmy is reluctant, but since a drink spilled on him and he smells like a brewery, he realizes it's for the best.
Once there, Steve lets the air out of Jimmy's tires, rips out the phone cord, and gets the caretaker drunk. He also makes a play for Carol, who makes it clear she's not interested.
Meanwhile back at the gas station, the attendant (Glen Vernon) hears a description of Jimmy's car on the radio and calls the police. Steve has not endeared himself to him.
The end of this film was a little abrupt -- and strange, but the movie itself is okay, with Tierney giving a good performance at what he did best - being hateful. This is a must for Tierney fans. I happen not to be one, but I love noir, so I usually end up watching something he's in.