The Hitch-Hiker
Who'll be his next victim... YOU?
1953 | 71m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Ida Lupino |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Collier Young, Robert L. Joseph, Daniel Mainwaring, Ida Lupino |
| Staring: |
| Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 30, 1953 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Ida Lupino |
| Writer: | Collier Young, Robert L. Joseph, Daniel Mainwaring, Ida Lupino |
| Genres: | Drama, Crime, Thriller |
| Keywords | mexico, film noir, hitchhiker, woman director |
| Production Companies | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 10, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Edmond O'Brien | Roy Collins |
| Frank Lovejoy | Gilbert Bowen |
| William Talman | Emmett Myers |
| José Torvay | Captain Alvarado |
| Sam Hayes | Radio Broadcaster |
| Wendell Niles | Wendell Niles |
| Jean Del Val | Inspector General |
| Clark Howat | Government Agent |
| Natividad Vacío | Jose |
| Larry Hudson | FBI Agent |
| Collier Young | Sleeping Mexican Peon |
| Gordon Barnes | Hendrickson |
| Rodney Bell | William Johnson |
| Orlando Beltran | Salesman |
| Wade Crosby | Joe |
| June Dinneen | Waitress |
| Joe Dominguez | Bit Part |
| Henry A. Escalante | Mexican Guard |
| Al Ferrara | Gas Station Attendant |
| Taylor Flaniken | Mexican Cop |
| Nacho Galindo | Jose Abarrotes, Store Proprietor |
| Martín Garralaga | Bartender |
| Ed Hinton | Chief of Police |
| Jerry Lawrence | News Broadcaster |
| George Navarro | Salesman |
| Kathy Riggins | Little Girl at Abarrotes |
| Tony Roux | Gas Station Owner |
| Felipe Turich | Bit Part |
| Rosa Turich | Woman |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Collier Young | Screenplay |
| Mel Berns | Makeup Artist |
| Douglas Stewart | Editor |
| Walter E. Keller | Art Direction |
| Harley Miller | Set Decoration |
| Darrell Silvera | Set Decoration |
| William Dorfman | Assistant Director |
| Harold E. Wellman | Special Effects |
| James H. Anderson | Producer's Assistant |
| Robert Eggenweiler | Producer's Assistant |
| Robert L. Joseph | Screenplay |
| Daniel Mainwaring | Story |
| Clem Portman | Sound Designer |
| Roy Meadows | Sound Designer |
| Ida Lupino | Screenplay, Director |
| Leith Stevens | Original Music Composer |
| Nicholas Musuraca | Director of Photography |
| Albert S. D'Agostino | Art Direction |
| C. Bakaleinikoff | Music Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Collier Young | Producer |
| Christian Nyby | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 7 |
| 2024 | 5 | 23 | 36 | 13 |
| 2024 | 6 | 14 | 23 | 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 12 | 26 | 7 |
| 2024 | 8 | 12 | 27 | 6 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 23 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 4 |
| 2024 | 12 | 9 | 18 | 5 |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Trending Position
William Talman ("Myers") is great in this thriller that follows the tortuous journey of two fishermen who stopped to pick up a traveller and discover they are now in the hands of a gun-toting psychopath. Determined to escape the pursuing authorities, he forces them to drive, then walk, through large ... ly desert terrain heading for a port and his escape. To make matters worse, he has already informed them that when he gets there - he is going to kill them!. Ida Lupino directed this quite spooky drama with some skill and Edmond O'Brien and Frank Bowen play well together as the captives in what is essentially a taut three-hander. It does push the bounds of plausibility at times, though - there are opportunities to overwhelm their antagonist and after a while those begin to undermine the threat; you do begin to believe that good will out and so the tension starts to diminish quite quickly... It's a very darkly filmed, moody piece of cinema that is rarely seen nowadays and is still well worth catching up with almost 70 years on.