I'm beginning to see a pattern, formulating a supposition, especially after viewing this film and recently 1967's Aroused. It's almost as if during Classic Film Noir's original run the darker subject matter of the films, even though hampered by the Hayes Code would reflect the realities of society albeit in a coded way, but with a sort of delayed time lag. But once the code and the Studio System began to breakdown and when film began to get increased competition from TV the subject matter began to get up to speed so to speak and cover more current topics, i.e., beatniks (The Beat Generation 1959) juvenile delinquency
(Crime in the Streets 1956, The Young Savages 1961), heroin addiction (The Man With The Golden Arm 1955, Stakeout on Dope Street 1958), rape (Anatomy of a Murder 1959), racism ( No Way Out 1950, The Crimson Kimono 1959, Odds Against Tomorrow 1959, The Pawnbroker 1964). Eventually independently produced films began to explore and depict fringe sex topics, virginity (The Moon Is Blue 1953 ) multiple partners (The Night of the Iguana 1964) homosexuality (Suddenly, Last Summer 1959, The Children's Hour 1961, Reflections in a Golden Eye 1967) fetishism (Satan In High Heels 1962), prostitution and sex maniacs (Aroused 1967) and this film The Pick-Up which features casual sex and a bit of bondage and sadism. But the sadism/bondage sequence would for all intents and purposes be equal to the Daniel Craig torture sequence in Casino Royale (2006) but getting an R rating because the victim is female.
The last two films are shot in the Film Noir style but The Pick-Up would have benefited with just a tad bit of restraint. It just crosses over the line in a few sequences lingering on female nudity going into, for me, what I would consider definite exploitation. You could trim each to just a few seconds and get the same effect, and would have been sufficient enough and also would have left a bit more to the imagination, the best of both worlds. You could say it went over the speed limit of the prevailing Zeitgiest. Non Crime Noir for the most part sort of went underground. The mainstream culture wouldn't catch up to sex and some taboo subjects for 20 or 30 years.
If you overlook those small excesses in The Pick-Up you will discover one of the last great gritty Black & White Transitional Noir's.
"THE ECCENTRIC & OFTEN GUTSY STYLE OF FILM NOIR HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO… BUT TO REACH FOR EVEN MORE OFF-BEAT, DEVIANT– ENDLESSLY RISKY & TABOO ORIENTED SET OF NARRATIVES FOUND IN THE SUBVERSIVE AND EXPLOITATIVE CULT FILMS OF THE MID TO LATE 50s through the 60s and into the early 70s!" (The Last Drive In)
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| Title |
Directed by Lee Frost (a notable grindhouse feature director i.e., The Defilers, The Animal), the film is surprisingly well made and written for it's budget, writing credits also by Lee Frost (original story) (as R.L. Frost) , and Lee Frost (screenplay) and Wes Bishop (screenplay) (as Wesdon Bishop). Cinematography is also by Lee Frost. Remember these films made all their money back running in a grindhouse theater for just two weeks, it was a way to make a living.
The percussive score was by Michael Terr (The Sinister Urge), you know you are in the 60's and Transitional Noirsville when you hear those bongos. We also get a sequence of an audition for the nightclub with folk singer on acoustic guitar.
The Film starred writer, actor, producer, Wes Bishop (Perry Mason TV(1957), Combat! TV(1962), Bonanza (1959) and The High Chaparral (1967, Chain Gang Women (1971), The Thing With Two Heads (1972), Police Woman (1974)) as Tony. Tony reminds you of a cool Robert Wagner type. Stefan Zema (Crime Story TV Series (1986–1988)), plays Frankie, he's comes off like a young Ernest Borgnine.
Our femme fatales are Lois Ursone (Divorce Las Vegas Style) as Dana, and Lynn Harris (Ed Woods The Only House in Town) as Marcia. Marcia is going to Vegas to be a showgirl, and Dana is just along for kicks, a huh.
With David F. Friedman (uncredited director The Defilers) as Charlie Rosa, Bob Cresse (producer) as Sal, John Alderman (The Stunt Man, Cleopatra Jones) as Gordon, classic Noir vet Robert B. Williams (an actor with 345 credits) provides some cinematic memory (Lady In The Lake, High Wall, Raw Deal, Street With No Name, T-Men, Call Northside 777, He Walked By Night, Manhandled, Where The Sidewalk Ends, Storm Warning, The Sniper, Wicked Woman, Death In Small Doses, The Killing, and more, mostly in bit parts, also in Hang 'em High and a lot of TV).
Story
Tony and Frankie are bag-men for the mob transporting Las Vegas skim in a '66 Cadillac Fleetwood from a strip Hotel / Casino run by Charlie Rosa (exploitation film producer David F. Friedman) to a Los Angeles Mob boss Sal (sexploitation producer Bob Cresse).
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| Wes Bishop as Tony |
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| Stefan Zema as Frankie |
The story set up is that Tony, the veteran bag-man is breaking in hired gun Frankie the newbie. The operation has a simple check and balance Tony works for Sal a Las Vegas mobster, and Frankie (from back East), who was hired to work for Eddie, of the Los Angeles mob.
Frankie has never been to Vegas before and since they have arrived early in the morning well before the scheduled pick-up, driving past the strip, and ending up downtown on Fremont. Frankie wants to explore downtown a bit. Frankie is like a kid in a candy store, exclaiming at one point that the mass of neon lights the street "like daylight."
Tony plays by the book but breaks down a little and while the Caddy is being serviced and he and Frankie walk Fremont St., he even lets Frankie try his had at the slots. The opening sequence is a great traveling time capsule through the windshield of the Fleetwood to circa 1967 Las Vegas as Tony & Frankie glide into town.
Las Vegas circa 1968
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| The Sands on the strip |
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| The Dunes |
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| The Lido and The Stardust |
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| Fremont Street - It's like Daylight |
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| Fremont Street |
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| Walking Fremont |
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In the film, BTW, whenever Tony has to get serious he puts on his shades, perhaps a reference to Sam Fuller's killer in Underworld U.S.A. (1967).
After sunrise they head to mob boss Charlie Rosa's hotel/casino.
Cut to Charlie has a penthouse suite. We watch as Gordon his mod attired secretary, i.e. white pants and Nehru jacket, gold necklace. walks down a hall to Charlie's room.
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| Tony and Frankie drive into Charlie's private lot. |
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| John Alderman as Gordon |
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| David F. Friedman as Charlie Rosa |
When they park by the entrance awning of the hotel Tony tells Frankie to stay inside the car while he puts on his shades and makes the transaction accepting two suitcases from Charlie's cronies, who place them in the trunk of the Caddy. Then Gordon and Tony each handing over receipts.
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Tony hops back in the Caddy and they turn onto the strip, they head South out of town and out into the desert on old Highway 91, and then towards Los Angeles on I-15.
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Approaching a state line rest stop, Tony tells Frankie he needs some nap time. Cut to Caddy with Frankie driving down a desolate stretch of highway while Tony tries to catch some shut eye
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Cut to Caddy with Frankie driving down a desolate stretch of highway while Tony tries to catch some shut eye
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Up a head Frankie spots a car with a hood up sitting on the side of the two lane road. He must have had to detour off I-15. There might have been detour or possibly there were still a few unfinished stretches of I-15 in 1967 probably ,when this was originally filmed. (we find out later in the film the answer)
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It's two women stranded on the side of the road. The women, dressed in miniskirts try to flag Frankie down as he passes them. Frankie slows down and stops. He's looking back through his side view mirror at the women.
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Stopping the caddy wakes up Tony. Tony yells at him to drive, but Frankie whining about how hot they look and telling him it could be hours before they get help, convinces Tony.
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So they U-turn the Caddy around and go back and give the ladies a hand, and pull up behind the women. Tony always on guard, puts on his sunglasses and tells Frankie to stay inside and lock the doors.
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| Lois Ursone as Dana |
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| Lynn Harris as Marcia. |
Our femme fatales are played by the sultry Lois Ursone (Divorce Las Vegas Style) as Dana and waif-ish space case Lynn Harris as Marcia who looks like brunette Goldie Hawn circa her Laugh-In years.
Marcia is going to Vegas to be a showgirl, and Dana is driving her there just along for kicks, a huh.
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Frankie convinces Tony to give the girls a ride to a service garage. On the way Marcia comes on to Frankie in the back seat.
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Back Seat Shenanigans
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When they spot Tommy Driscoll's a garage along a service road Marcia hurriedly buttons up and gets back into her clothes.
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Dana hops out and goes into the service station.
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Frankie sufficiently turned on asks Tony to step out of the car so that they can discuss the situation. Frankie begs Tony to call into Sal and tell him that they are having car trouble, what's a few hours for a little party time, he doesn't want to loose a sure thing.
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When Dana returns she explains that the mechanic will be able to go get her car in a couple of hours. She suggests they find a bar to kill the time. They take off down the service road looking for a watering hole.
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They drive a few miles and come upon another roadside cluster of civilization.
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They disappointedly find only a cafe and beer bar.
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However it's next to a motel, and Dana, surprise, surprise, surprise pulls to bottles of booze out of her hand bag. Frankie suggests that they get a room.
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Dana looking at Tony makes the suggestion that they get two rooms. What could go wrong?
Motel Fun
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Meanwhile, Marcia and Frankie....
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| Take your gun off Frankie |
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So a good time is had by all until it goes Noirsville when Dana starts moving her one hand off the mattress and into her handbag. She fumbles around a bit and then pulls out what looks like a small 1908 Colt vest pocket automatic and brings it up slowly, while Tony is grinding away, and puts the muzzle to Tony's head.
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| What could go wrong... |
So the gals are really confidence women and they have been after the loot all along.
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Soon Frankie shows up outside at the cabin calling for Tony. Dana rushes behind the door as Frankie walks in and finds Tony laying awkwardly on the bed.
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When Frankie pulls on Tony's shoulder, Tony rolls over with a piece of tape over his mouth, and Frankie has less than a second to contemplate what it means before Dana puts her automatic against his head.
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She slaps a tape over Frankies mouth and hog ties him alongside Tony on the bed.
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| Hog tied |
They girls skedaddle out of the cabin unit, jump in the Fleetwood and spin gravel in a cloud of dust out of the parking lot then burn rubber down the highway will all the moolah in the trunk.
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Tony and Frankie finally wiggle loose and knowing that their lives are now on the line waste no time renting a plane to comb the highways looking for Dana and Marcia who have now abandoned the Fleetwood and transferred the loot into their own car and are headed for LA.
Noirsville
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Director Lee Frost keeps up a pretty good pace throughout the film. It just bogs down a bit during the various sexploitation sequences (here, you got to remember, its what got asses in the grindhouse seats back in the day after all).
The film segues between the hunt for our femme fatales, Sal and his plant fetish sequences, back to the penthouse digs of Charlie the Casino Boss, and both mobsters send men to hunt down the missing bagmen who are eight hours late.
At Charlies penthouse we actually get a folk singer strumming a tune, he's a headliner act for the casino. Charlie and some of his associates get to casting couch "audition" some showgirl wannabes. Charlie keeps getting coitus interruptus by phone calls from Sal who is wondering what happened to his delivery. This is an excuse for a little more sexploitation, as is the lesbian sequence where, when the gang goes to check on Tony's gal pal, they find her in bed with another woman. By todays standards it all could be trimmed and you'd still get the same effect and add some imagination, which is always a bonus.
Lots of Noir Visual Style cinematography crops up throughout with Dutch angles, chiaroscuro lighting, shadows, high and low angles. Bravo!
A new 4K blu is available from Something Weird Video 8/10
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