The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947)

The Tierney Terror.

The Devil Thumbs a Ride is directed and written by Felix E. Feist. It stars Lawrence Tierney, Ted North, Nan Leslie, Betty Lawford, Andrew Tombes, Harry Shannon, Glen Vernon and Marian Carr. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by J. Roy Hunt.

After just robbing a San Diego theater and killing the manager, Steve Morgan (Tierney) hitches a ride to Los Angeles with Jimmy Ferguson (North), a trusting young salesman. After a stop at a gas station, the two men pick up a couple of dames looking for a ride, and soon Morgan is manipulating everyone so as to stay ahead of the cops looking for him.

Compact at just over an hour in length, The Devil Thumbs a Ride thrives on account of Tierney’s strong performance. He in turn exudes a charming veneer and a cold hearted darkness that unnerves throughout. The set-up is pretty thin and even the most forgiving of noir fans will attest that the sheer idiocy of the other passengers beggars belief. No matter what Morgan does, however crazy or evil, he will spin a yarn and the dopes fall for it. While a plot strand that sees the head detective take a member of the public with him in pursuit of Morgan, is pushing it a bit too far.

Still, once the four of them reach a beach house belonging to a friend of Ferguson, the picture gathers apace and the drama explodes to reveal its bloody denouement. Good noirish characters and Tierney on form ensure it’s never less than entertaining, though the weakness of the writing asks a lot of the audience. 6/10