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The Hitch-Hiker

Directed by Ida Lupino

Release: 1953
Runtime: 71
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Director: Ida Lupino

Beyond its obvious cultural significance as the only classic film noir directed by a woman (actress Ida Lupino), THE HITCH-HIKER is perhaps better remembered as simply one of the most nightmarish motion pictures of the 1950s. Inspired by the true-life murder spree of Billy Cook, THE HITCH-HIKER is the tension-laden saga of two men on a camping trip (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) who are held captive by a homicidal drifter (William Talman). He forces them, at gunpoint, to embark on a grim joyride across the Mexican desert.

Renegade filmmaking at its finest, THE HITCH-HIKER was independently produced, which allowed Lupino and ex-husband/producer Collier Young to work from a treatment by blacklisted writer Daniel Mainwaring, and tackle an incident that was too brutal for the major studios to even consider.

Gallery

William Talman, as the titular character, takes the wheel in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
Good pals Frank Lovejoy and Edmund O'Brien have their fishing expedition interrupted by trigger-happy William Talman in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
Frank Lovejoy and Edmund O'Brien star as two good friends whose fishing expedition goes awry when they encounter THE HITCH-HIKER, directed by Ida Lupino.
William Talman, as THE HITCH-HIKER, terrorizes everyone he encounters in the classic noir directed by Ida Lupino.
William Talman's Emmett Myers emerges from the shadows in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER features the distinctive rock formations and terrain of Lone Pine.
Frank Lovejoy is perhaps best remembered as the quintessential noir everyman, a description that fits his role as Gilbert Bowen in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
Edmund O'Brien, a veteran of many a film noir, here plays Roy Collins in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
From left: William Talman, Frank Lovejoy and Edmund O'Brien in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
A fraught moment for Frank Lovejoy and Edmund O'Brien in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
William Talman may be outnumbered for most of the running time, but his is a frightening and formidable villain in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER.
Edmund O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy cannot shake William Talman's THE HITCH-HIKER.
Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER is a prototypical noir film set in an environment more normally seen in a western.
Edmund O'Brien involuntarily dons THE HITCH-HIKER's black leather coat.

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Technical Info

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Color: B&W

playdates

Venue City Date
Indiana University Cinema Bloomington 1612242000February 2 - February 18, 2021