Thieves' Highway

Thieves' Highway
Thieves' Highway
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jules Dassin
Screenplay by	A. I. Bezzerides
Produced by	Robert Bassler
Starring	Richard Conte; Valentina Cortese; Lee J. Cobb; Barbara Lawrence
Cinematography	Norbert Brodine
Edited by	Nick DeMaggio
Music by	Alfred Newman
Production; company	20th Century Fox
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	October 10, 1949 (United States);
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.5 million (US rentals)

Thieves' Highway is a 1949 film noir directed by Jules Dassin.^[2] The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides, based on his novel Thieves' Market.^[3]

Plot

A war-veteran-turned-truck driver Nico "Nick" Garcos (Richard Conte) arrives at home to find that his foreign-born father, a 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. With the help of other drivers and a streetwalker (Valentina Cortese), he defeats Figlia and restores his 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 were originally announced for the lead.^[4]

The film was shot on location in San Francisco, California, and is noted for its accurate depiction of the vibrant fruit and produce market in that city (and the use of extras who worked at the market). The film was released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection in 2005.

The outdoor Fruit Market scenes were shot in the Oakland Produce Market area on 3rd street. Several indoor and street shots are also were made in that locale. The story discusses San Francisco, and does feature the city, but the majority of scenes were in the actual Produce Market in Oakland (now the Warehouse district).

References

^ 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 at IMDb .
^ METRO ACQUIRES 'BODIES AND SOUL': Studio Buys French Novel for $40,000 -- Hodiak Gets Role in 'Command Decision' By THOMAS F. BRADYSpecial to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 01 Apr 1948: 29

External links

Thieves' Highway at IMDb
Thieves' Highway at AllMovie
Thieves' Highway at the TCM Movie Database
Thieves' Highway at the American Film Institute Catalog
Thieves' Highway essay at the Criterion Collection by Michael Sragow
Thieves' Highway selected scene on YouTube

[1] Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 223

[Paste-2] "The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time". Paste. August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[3] Thieves' Highway at IMDb .

[4] METRO ACQUIRES 'BODIES AND SOUL': Studio Buys French Novel for $40,000 -- Hodiak Gets Role in 'Command Decision' By THOMAS F. BRADYSpecial to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 01 Apr 1948: 29

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