Law-abiding Jimmy Ferguson soon regrets giving a ride to killer Steve Morgan.Law-abiding Jimmy Ferguson soon regrets giving a ride to killer Steve Morgan.Law-abiding Jimmy Ferguson soon regrets giving a ride to killer Steve Morgan.
Glen Vernon
- Jack Kenny, Gas Station Attendant
- (as Glenn Vernon)
Arthur Q. Bryan
- Santa Ana Police Desk Sergeant
- (uncredited)
Roger Creed
- Motorcycle Cop
- (uncredited)
Harry Depp
- Belton Duncan
- (uncredited)
George Dockstader
- Policeman
- (uncredited)
Dick Edwards
- Nate Miller
- (uncredited)
Sarah Edwards
- Minnie
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe house Lawrence Tierney and his unfortunate companions roll into for the final act, is the same as Verna's (Susan Hayward) house that she shares with her friend in They Won't Believe Me, also RKO and of the same year.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Featured review
Pacey Tierney thriller
Jimmy 'Fergie' Ferguson is a pretty dumb travelling salesman who gives a late night ride to Steve Morgan(Lawrence Tierney),a man on the lam from the cops after a daring armed robbery went wrong leaving a guard dead.While stopping at a gas station Morgan offers a ride to two damsels in distress who are going their way,Morgan thinks it will help cover his tracks but the gas station attendant is a police informer and recognizes Morgan from police descriptions and soon the police are on their tails.Fergie himself has been drinking heavily and Morgan uses this as a ruse for his dodging the cops but as the heat mounts and they dodge roadblocks,Morgan whose ID is still not known to the occupents suggests they take the heat off and go to the nearby beach house owned by one of Fergie's workmates,it is here that the Devil in Morgan appears. There are a few well developed sub plots within this short but pacey thriller,the cops are given a humorous and a very relaxed crime fighting spirit,the crimes tending to interfere too much with their poker games,The card shark gas attendant who takes their money is also given a humorous side but all characters are given time to develop.Betty Lawford as the tough blonde Agnes is very good and is a good foil for the more sheltered brunette Carol Demming an aspiring actress who Morgan takes an immediate shine to,the feeling is not mutual.Ted North as Fergie is perhaps the least successful character,his role serving little more than a starting point for the film to gather pace but it is without doubt the performance of Tierney that steals the show,a real life tough guy whose menace is never in any doubt.Often compared to Ulmer's Detour and Lupino's Hitchhiker,The Devil Thumbs a Ride is perhaps left a little wanting in such high brow company,but it still remains a fun and exciting entry in the RKO back catalogue and despite its wonderfully descriptive title isn't really that violent,most of the violence occurring off screen.See it if you get a chance
helpful•32
- Prof-Hieronymos-Grost
- Nov 20, 2006
Details
- Runtime1 hour 2 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer