#49: Pushover (Richard Quine, 1954)

Released: July 30, 1954

Director: Richard Quine; Screenplay: Roy Huggins based on the novels “The Night Watch” by Thomas Walsh and “Rafferty” by William S. Ballinger; Cinematography: Lester White; Music: Arthur Morton; Producer: Jules Schermer; Studio: Columbia Pictures

Cast: Fred MacMurray (Paul Sheridan), Philip Carey (Rick McAllister), Kim Novak (Lona McLane), Dorothy Malone (Ann Stewart), E.G. Marshall (Lieutenant Carl Eckstrom), Allen Nourse (Paddy Dolan), Phil Chambers (Briggs), Alan Dexter (Fine), Robert Stevenson (Billings), Don C. Harvey (Peters), Paul Richards (Harry Wheeler), Ann Morriss (Ellen Burnett)

This one is likely to be looked upon as a stretch in the ranking, as traditionally Richard Quine’s Pushover has been discarded as an inferior imitation of the classic Double Indemnity. In terms of greatness, this one wouldn’t register in a countdown, even one this large in scope. So my own taste and discretion is the main factor for placing it inside the top half of the countdown. Is it derivative of Double Indemnity? Sure it is, but I’m not claiming that it’s at the same level as that masterpiece. But I stand by the contention that this one has been unfairly cast aside precisely because of the Double Indemnity similarity, despite the fact that there is enough variation to keep it fresh. It may not be completely original, but the claustrophobic atmosphere – with similarities to Rear Window (released later in 1954) as well – that Quine creates, and the lead performances of Fred MacMuarray and Kim Novak, I am at a loss as to why Pushover is so easily overlooked.

The film opens with a bank robbery gone awry. Things are going smoothly until a security guard tries to play the hero and is gunned down in a gun fight. The robbers escape with $200,000, but their leader Harry Wheeler (Paul Richards) is quickly identified as the mastermind and is pursued by the authorities. Detective Paul Sheridan (Fred MacMurray) is charged with locating the missing money and to do so he decides to try and get close to Wheeler’s girlfriend Lona McLane (Kim Novak). Going undercover, Paul begins wooing Lona in order to extract information about Wheeler’s whereabouts, but in the process the two genuinely begin to fall in love. When Paul finally reveals to Lona that he is a police officer, Lona uses her pull to draw the detective into a dangerous scheme. She proposes the two of them murdering Wheeler when he tries to come back to her, then running off together with the robbery money. At first, Paul rejects the offer, but eventually comes back to Leona and agrees. Paul is then left to figure out a feasible plan that takes into account the significant surveillance operation that he and the police have put together. From a building across a courtyard that looks directly into Lona’s apartment, the police are maintaining 24-hour surveillance. He is juggling things very well, keeping his fellow officers completely clueless, until Wheeler finally shows up. Things do not go as planned, and after complications with the killing of Wheeler, Paul is then forced to go even further to keep his partners from catching onto him.


The close confines of everything are what most come through. The deeper that Paul gets drawn in, the more apparent the claustrophobia becomes. The police are able to see everything that Lona does, can listen to every call coming in and out, which means that any maneuvering that Paul tries to do to further their plot is also potentially there to be observed. This creates some wonderful opportunities for Quine to amp up the tension with very simply situations. Innocuous events like a missed telephone call or a glance down a hallway are enough to create tension that matches high-octane thrillers. The more chances Paul takes, the more suspicious that his colleagues become, and you begin to wonder how long he can string things along before everything falls apart. It is not really constructed like an action movie or conventional thriller, but it is just as intense. Adding to the overall noir atmosphere is the fact that literally everything takes place at night, in the close quarters of an apartment or on the dark streets of L.A. just outside the building.

MacMurray is his always-solid self, a staple noir actor for playing intelligent men who can’t help but get themselves in over their head. The revelation here is Kim Novak in her first starring role. Her Lona is another element that distinguishes Pushover from Double Indemnity. Lona is not an ice-cold villain in the Phyllis Dietrichson mold. She undoubtedly manipulates Paul into the original plan, but she is no puppetmaster directing what he does. Paul takes control of things once the plan is set in motion. The other unique thing about the dynamic of this relationship is that Paul and Lone seem to genuinely care for each other.


This is the second time that a Richard Quine film has appeared in this countdown, and considering that I have only ever seen two movies that he directed, that is quite an accomplishment. On the basis of those two efforts, I look at him as an unsung champion of noir. I’m sure I value this one far higher than most that read this, but like Drive a Crooked Road, I can’t deny how well it works for me.

#56: Drive a Crooked Road (Richard Quine, 1954)

Released: March 10, 1954

Director: Richard Quine; Screenplay: Blake Edwards and Richard Quine based on a story by James Benson Nablo; Cinematography: Charles Lawton, Jr.; Music: Ross DiMaggio; Producer: Jonie Taps; Studio: Columbia

Cast: Mickey Rooney (Eddie Shannon), Dianne Foster (Barbara Mathews), Kevin McCarthy (Steve Norris), Jack Kelly (William McIntyre), Harry Landers (Ralph), Jerry Paris (Phil), Paul Picerni (Carl), Dick Crockett (Don)

[NOTE: Parts of this write-up have been taken from a Noir of the Week entry that I penned over a year ago at The Blackboard noir message board under the screenname "BlankSlate." I'm just throwing this note up on the off chance that someone who frequents that board recognizes anything written here and should think that I nicked it. I didn't, it's all my own writing, just adapted for this countdown. Enjoy!]

Here is a very personal selection and one that is likely to puzzle folks. This might rightly be considered my first "reach" of the countdown. I don't know how many people have seen this, but judging by ratings and reviews on sites like IMDB, it connected with me far better than the majority of people. As you can tell, I don't really care. In my opinion, this is a truly overlooked film. Richard Quine in general seems to be forgotten by all but the most ardent noir fanatics. He actually made a few great noirs and this one deserves a larger reputation than it currently has. Plenty of my favorite noirs I went into expecting to be great, because they had a reputation of being all-time classics. This was one that I knew virtually nothing about, but afterward was amazed that it is never discussed or recommended.

Best known for his role as Andy Hardy in a wildly successful streak of films for MGM, it is interesting to consider the performance turned in by Mickey Rooney in Drive a Crooked Road. Rooney had appeared in roles less wholesome than that of Andy Hardy in the recent past (such as Quicksand in 1949), but never was he more effective than in his portrayal of the hapless Eddie Shannon, a lonely mechanic and amateur race car driver who is lured into a heist scheme that – surprise, surprise – does not end well for all involved.


The one place where Eddie Shannon (Mickey Rooney) is sure of himself is behind the wheel of a car. The film opens to scenes of a road race in which Eddie charges to the finish-line and takes second place. In the crowd of fans are two interested observers watching the drivers intently. They are Steve Norris (Kevin McCarthy) and Harold Baker (Jack Kelly) and it quickly becomes obvious that they are in need of a wheelman for a job. In zeroing in on their man, Harold remarks that Eddie – with his driving skills and job as a mechanic – is “the ripe type” for their piece of work. So when a few days after the race a bombshell named Barbara Matthews (Dianne Foster) comes into the garage to have her convertible worked on and specifically asks for a man named Shannon to service it, the plot begins to take shape and the audience is given the first hint as to what is likely to transpire. Eddie is clearly intimidated by her beauty. The degree to which he longs for some sort of female companionship is made clear when Eddie coyly pockets a handkerchief he finds in the car that was left behind (intentionally?) by Barbara. Just a simple visit, with only brief interaction, is enough to lay the trap that Eddie eventually walks into.

The next day Barbara calls the garage and claims that her car will not start, so Eddie is sent to her house in order to fix it. Sitting on a front step with a picnic basket and clad in beach wear, she lures Eddie in even closer. After flirting with him, she lets “slip” precisely where she is headed in Malibu and remarks that it is never very crowded there. This is enough to get Eddie to drive to the beach, where the fateful introduction to heist mastermind Steve Norris is made. What Eddie is unaware of, and what the audience gradually comes to learn, is that Steve is really Barbara’s boyfriend and that he has sent her as bait to nab Eddie and convince him to be the wheelman in a bank robbery. It works precisely as planned. That night, after his visit to the beach, Eddie works up the courage to call Barbara and from that point forward he is completely smitten. Since I know how much I personally hate reviews or write-ups of movies that give away every last detail, I will not reveal all that transpires with the plot from this point forward. What I will say is that the filming of the heist scene is very well done. There is a perpetual feeling that the robbery is going to unravel at any moment. Director Richard Quine utilizes this apprehension to his advantage, staging key moments during the course of the robbery that leaves the audience expecting the three men to be caught immediately. The robbery eventually comes off as planned, but when Eddie realizes that he has been used by Barbara, the lives of all involved take an even harder turn for the worse.


Rooney truly is outstanding in this film. The understated performance that he gives as Eddie Shannon is just the way the character needs to be played. The interaction between Rooney and Dianne Foster is good, as he is able to convey enough shyness to make the viewer understand why the character is susceptible to this plot, but not so over the top as to make it farcical. You genuinely feel sorry for Eddie and at every point are begging for him to put the pieces together and figure out that he is being played. Also worthy of praise is Kevin McCarthy. His portrayal of the scheming Steve Norris is perfectly sleazy. He is smooth, always appearing to be completely confident that he can get whatever he wants from whomever he wants – be it Barbara, Eddie or anyone else.

TCM runs this one occasionally, which is how I got a copy. For someone looking to give an unheralded film noir a shot, it's the perfect candidate.