Pickup on South Street

Pickup on South Street (1953)
Director: Samuel Fuller




Q1: How does the film relate to the chapter in Foner?
A1:“Pickup on South Street” was an anti-communism film made during the Cold War in the United States. The Cold War was not a traditional war, based on military battles, it turned into a more economical, technological, and ideological war. The American reaction of anti-communism really illustrated the ideological conflicts and circumstances in America. This film describes the intense and stressful social mood during the Cold War. Namely, the flourishing spy activities and strong anti-communist emotions were so vivid in this film. The story begins with a woman named Candy who is taking the subway in New York City with FBI agents following her. Without awareness, a pickpocket named Skip McCoy steals her wallet. However, in this wallet there is a very important microfilm that is associated with underground communist activity, both Candy and Skip do not know the fact, and will get involve in this unusual event. In fact, Candy is asked by her ex-boyfriend Joey to transport this film to his “customer.” Candy always does this transporting job for Joey, and Joey tells her inside the microfilm is a secret chemical formula that he would like to give to his opposed side clients for money. The fact is that Joey is really a communist, and sending America’s secrets to the communists. The FBI and police seek to know Skip’s place, and they pay money to an old lady, Moe, an informant. Then, the FBI agent Zara and captain Tiger go to Skip’s place, and ask him to turn in the secret microfilm. Moreover, they tell Skip the truth of this secret film is associated with underground communist activity, and promise that they will clean his crime record if Skip hands in the microfilm. Skip does not trust them and keeps pretending he is innocent. Wanting to find out for himself, Skip goes to the library and finds out the truth and importance of this microfilm. Meanwhile, Candy also gets Skip’s place address from the informant Moe, and sneaks in. Skip is not at home when she is searching for the microfilm. Suddenly Candy is knocked down by Skip when he is coming home. After Candy wakes up, they little by little fall in love with each other when discussing the microfilm. They have the conclusion that Candy needs to exchange the secret microfilm for some money. Candy goes back and asks Joey for money, and visits Skip again. However, the money is not enough to Skip’s appetite. Skip asks Candy for more money, and also tells her the importance of this film; moreover, the fact is that this microfilm is really associated with underground communist activity. She does not believe Skip, and goes home for more money to exchange the microfilm. However, when she goes home, she finds out the truth that Joey is really a communist. He then kills Moe after his failure to get Skip’s address. Finally, by Candy’s love and Moe’s death, Skip forgets his personal interests, and finally successfully finds out the lost microfilm from the higher rank underground communists. Just as the police promised, his criminal history record is cleared after he hands in the microfilm. Indeed, this film reflects the main idea of how anti-communist mentalities was so advocated and emphasized during the Cold War. This film also really reveals some of Foner’s points of view regarding the Cold War in Chapter 23. First, no doubt, the anti-communist mentality was strongly advocated during the Cold War. The main two political groups, America and the Soviet Union, they fight against each other not in physical war, but more economically and ideologically. As a matter of fact, anti-communism is an ideological war that was not only supported by the government, but also considered a social phenomena supported by the public. Foner points out the evidence in this special social phenomena during the Cold War, “Local anticommunist groups forced public libraries to remove from their shelves ‘un American’ books like the tales of Robin Hood, who took from the rich to give to the poor” (Foner 864). Moreover, this anti-communist mood influenced the education: “Universities refused to allow leftwing speakers to appear on campus and fired teachers who refused to sign loyalty oaths or to testify against others” (Foner 864). Indeed, this really distorted the meaning of “democracy” and “freedom”. Second, from the film it is not hard to observe the flourishing spy activities, and strong involvement like local police and FBI. Foner indicates that how these government agencies have strong association with these spy activities, and how powerful they were during that time “ the FBI developed files on thousands of American citizens, including political dissenters, homosexuals, and others, most of whom had no connection to communism” (Foner 865). Finally, the atmosphere of fear was so clear and vivid during the Cold War. In fact, the anti-communist mentality strongly affected people’s daily life, and Foner points out evidence that, “Throughout the country in the late 1940s and 1950s, those who failed to testify about their past and present political beliefs and to inform on possible communists frequently lost their jobs” (Foner 864) to illustrate how it strongly affected people’s lives. This film does not reflect the points of the reason how Cold War emerges after World War II, but it does illustrate the strong effects of anti-communism.


Q2: What can we learn about American culture during the time period by interpreting the film as a primary historical source?
A2:Again, the strong anti-communist mentality and actual activities really increased intense mood in America during the Cold War. Based on this film, a secret microfilm can affect people’s lives, even brush away a criminal’s crime record. From the trailing FBI agents and police and informant Moe’s death, these illustrate how this intense mood affects people’s daily lives and their own lives. Moreover, when Candy finds out that her ex-boyfriend is a communist, her reaction is immediately changed into protecting Skip by not revealing his living place. This film also reflects how Americans think about communists as a group of people who will do everything to achieve their goal; they will even beat a woman or kill an old lady. This really shows how Americans think that communists are brutal and unethical evil. Finally, also the most important one is that even like Skip, a pickpocket can give up his personal interests to fight against the communism. In fact, this shows how everyone in the Unites States was united together against communism, even a criminal like Skip is not an exception. Namely, even a criminal knows that he should stop communist’s evil behavior once he can. Therefore, the government agency like FBI would like to get rid of a criminal’s crime record, only because this criminal helps them fight against communism. This indirectly shows government’s strong determination and stand point that they take against communism as a priority in the country.


Q3: What does the film reveal about attitudes toward gender, class, and race?
A3: “Pickup on South Street” really does not mention any issue or conflict regarding class and race. However, in gender, some perspectives and issues emerge in the film.
First, there is the female character Candy; she is abused by both Skip and her ex-boyfriend Joey. In Skip’s case, it is first the serous pull and drag of having her purse, then, there is another scene that when Candy is passed out, Skip splash beer on her face to wake her up. Indeed, this is not very respectful, and should be considered to underrate women. Moreover, in Joey case, when Candy held the piece of the microfilm to Joey, he reacts and gives Candy a serious beating. This physical violation in the film strongly underrates women’s social status, and seemed like women’s liberty and social status was moving backward at that time. In contrast, women’s sexual-determination was very liberal. For instance, Candy falls in love with Skip in such a short time; moreover, they are hugging and kissing when they first met. These all illustrate women having their own rights to determine who they want to love, and how soon this relationship will go through. Women’s liberty, in this perspective, is more advanced than before. They have high sexual-determination to make their own decisions in having a relationship.


Q4: What was the most important scene in the film?
Q4: The most important and significant scene is the scene that before Joey kills Moe with a pistol. Just before Moe is killed by Joey, Moe realizes that Joey is a communist, and says “I just don’t like them (communists)”. Indeed, this reveals a problem that most of the public did not know the reasons why they disliked and feared anything that associated with communism. By supporting government, and the pressure from the general public’s will, people were forced to perceive a message that this is a “right way” to fight against communism, and was the only way to deal with communism. Indeed, this really deprived the public’s freedom of having other political beliefs; moreover, their freedom was constrained by the intense mood of who associated with communism. For instance, Foner points out that “States and localities required loyalty oaths of teachers, pharmacists, and members of other professions, and they banned communists from fishing, holding a driver’s license, and in Indiana, working as a professional wrestler” (Foner 864). Consequently, no one wanted to be associated with communism, and the government made a clear line to present their strong will against communism. In another perspective, this might indirectly illustrate that during that time, the government asked people to unite together against communism. Moreover, anti-communism is advocated to be a practical patriotic behavior that supported government and country. Just as what Foner says, “ As the historian Henry Steele Commager argued in a 1947 magazine article, the anticommunist crusade promoted a new definition of loyalty- conformity”(Foner 865). During the Cold World, loyalty to country might only be conformed to the government’s point of view. Moe, in this perspective, is also a conformer who follows government’s expectation or we should say order to show her loyalty to America.