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.^[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.

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 Figlia 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, California, 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.

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

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

[top-1] "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. 4 January 1950. p. 59.

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

[Paste-3] "The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time". Paste. August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[4] Thieves' Highway at IMDb .

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

[6] Golden Gateway, DOCOMOMO

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