Pickup

In the 1950’s, Czech émigré Hugo Haas made a string of low-budget noirs in which he starred as a naïve (and often cuckolded) chump stuck on a no-good, manipulative blond played by either Cleo Moore or Beverly Michaels: Pickup was the first and arguably the best. Here, Michaels plays the cold, scheming, hollow-hearted Betty, a small town girl from the wrong side of the tracks who sets her sights on train station agent Jan Horak (“the old walrus”) for the financial security he might offer; Jan (Haas) falls for her within minutes (the initial pickup scene is quite amusing, including dividing up a lunch bill for $1.15), and they’re married within weeks, only after she finds his checkbook to verify his assets. The marriage is strained by Betty’s attraction to Jan’s young, hunky assistant Steve (Allan Nixon), especially after Jan loses his hearing in a headache attack (portrayed effectively by novel sound editing), enabling Betty and Steve to plot their exit strategy in his presence. With her bellicosity and bitter delivery, Michaels is hugely entertaining to watch here, quite a feat since her character is utterly despicable; as she gnaws on an apple to symbolize sex, she asks Jan, “Aren’t you afraid to be carrying such a big wad?”