Pickup

Jan Horak is a middle-aged railroad dispatcher posted at an empty spot in the desert; a widower, careful with money, with years of savings behind him. He drives into town to buy a dog, meets Betty there, and she wins his confidence and marries him for the seven thousand dollars he has put by. Once the marriage starts her patience runs out and it turns into a plan to be rid of him. The film’s most original device is Horak’s deafness: for a stretch he cannot hear, then he can, and the suspense is built precisely on who hears what and when. Hugo Haas wrote, directed and produced it and played Horak himself; it was the first American film as director by the Czech actor who had fled the Nazis. It was a surprise success and started his run as a director. Beverly Michaels plays Betty.