My Review of 'Pickup' (1951)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW (ARGUABLY) REVEALS SPOILERS.

This movie has been compared to The Postman Only Rings Twice, even though it’s more like The Postman Fails to Make an Appearance.

In short order, we meet our protagonist, a guy who’s worked all his life for the railroad. He’s a widower named Jan Horak, but he goes by the nickname “Hunky” (played by Hugo Haas). He also has a remarkably expressive face. One that seems to glow with warmth and kindness.

This sweet old man widower catches the notice of the Wrong Dame, who (through combined feminine stealth and idiotic male assumptions) finagles a free meal out of him. From that point on, she turns on the charm and he naturally falls madly in love with her. They hang out and have laughs, etc., until she’s evicted from her apartment. Does she ask Hunky for a loan? Naw, she decides to marry him.

Check out those fishnets! (Image via IMCDB)

Did I mention that Hunky lives in a shack right next to the railroad tracks? Would you believe that the Wrong Dame (whose name is Betty) ain’t too thrilled about that? You might have thought about that before you …oh, never mind!