Pushover **** (1954, Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, Philip Carey, Dorothy Malone, E G Marshall) – Classic Movie Review 7614

Director Richard Quine’s 1954 film noir suspense thriller Pushover stars Fred MacMurray as Paul Sheridan, an undercover policeman on the case of a $200,000 bank robbery, who falls for blonde bombshell crook’s moll Lona McLane (Kim Novak) and soon finds himself seduced into a downward spiral of corruption and murder as they double-cross the bank robbing crook and the cops.

Quine’s enjoyable thriller is perhaps notable chiefly for acting as a springboard to stardom for 20-year-old Columbia Pictures studio favourite Novak, in her first credited film. But it is also a very efficient and compelling feature in its own right. Unusually, it is adapted (by Roy Huggins) from two novels, The Night Watch by Thomas Walsh and Rafferty by Bill [William] S Ballinger.

There may be no great surprises, but it is blessed with an overall atmosphere of noir-style seediness, a solid hero in MacMurray, a fine femme fatale in Novak and some charismatic support acting from the fine cast of very reliable actors.

It also stars Philip [Phil] Carey as Rick McAllister, Dorothy Malone as Ann Stewart, and E G Marshall as Police Lieutenant Carl Eckstrom. Also in the cast are Allen Nourse, Phil Chambers, Alan Dexter, Robert Forrest, Don C Harvey, Paul Richards, Ann Morriss, K L Smith, Paul Picerni, Mel Welles, Dick Crockett and Robert Carson.

Pushover is directed by Richard Quine, runs 90 minutes, is made and released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Roy Huggins, based on the novels The Night Watch by Thomas Walsh and Rafferty by Bill [William] S Ballinger, is shot in black and white by Lester B White, is produced by Jules Schermer, is scored by Arthur Morton, and is designed by Walter Holscher.

The working title was The Killer Wore a Badge. MacMurray was paid $75,000 out of the total $400,000 budget. It was shot at Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 N Gower Street, Hollywood, and exteriors were filmed on the streets of Burbank, California, where you can see the old Magnolia Theater, on Magnolia Street. For vintage flavour, there are many classic car shots.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7614

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