Here at Escape and Suspense! we love to watch old film noirs that star our favorite radio actors. Often, we have to go out to film festivals to catch some of these flicks, but here is one that is available for download from The Internet Archive.
Suspense favorite Ida Lupino directs Edmund O'Brien, William Talman, and Escape regular Frank Lovejoy in her 1953 classic The Hitch-Hiker. This film is considered to be the first noir directed by a woman, and it was chosen for preservation by the U.S. National Film Registry in 1998.
The screenplay (also co-written by Lupino) was based on the actions of a psychopath named Billy Cook and true events that occurred in California in 1950. The Doors song "Riders on the Storm" was also loosely based on Cook's crimes.
To visit The Internet Archive and download The Hitch-Hiker click HERE!
I've seen this film several times over the past few decades and never grow tired of it. In fact, it's become so fascinating and compelling to us that we have a monthly ritual to lower the lights, get comfy, and watch it. Flawless and inspired!
Posted by: KRD | February 07, 2010 at 11:48 AM