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What's After the Movie?
Crime drama

Pickup (1951): Cast & Plot

Pickup (1951) movie poster

Pickup is a 1951 crime drama starring Bernard Gorcey as Peddler with Dog, Hugo Haas and Allan Nixon. It runs 1 hour 18 minutes.

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Pickup (1951) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 18m (78 min)
Genres
Drama , Crime
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Pickup About?

The premise of Pickup without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Branded with a notorious nickname, Betty proves true to it. Jan Horak, a middle‑aged railroad dispatcher stationed at an isolated desert outpost, is a widower who has scrimped and saved enough to buy a dog in the nearest town. There he meets Betty, a flamboyant blonde who quickly earns his trust and marries him, motivated by his $7,000 “fortune.”

Pickup Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • psychotronic film
  • american remake of czech film
  • one word title
  • czech literature on screen
  • foreign language adaptation
  • title different than book
  • 1920s literature on screen
  • railroad worker
  • water stop
  • infidelity
  • eavesdropping
  • psychosomatic illness
+38 more
  • fake illness
  • hearing loss
  • dog
  • widower
  • carnival
  • czech american
  • small town
  • hit by a car
  • carousel
  • diner
  • headache
  • sunbathing
  • flirting
  • gin rummy
  • strangulation
  • bicycle
  • letter
  • confession
  • deceit
  • doctor
  • older man younger woman relationship
  • slapped in the face
  • death of pet
  • railroad
  • femme fatale
  • vagrant
  • puppy
  • lunch counter
  • czech immigrant
  • jukebox
  • gold digger
  • newlywed couple
  • husband wife relationship
  • tinnitus
  • deafness
  • going deaf
  • loss of hearing
  • romantic rival
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Cast & crew

Pickup Cast & Characters

Bernard Gorcey leads the cast as Peddler with Dog, with Hugo Haas as Jan 'Hunky' Horak and Allan Nixon as Steve Kowalski.

Also Starring in Pickup

· 7 more
Plot

Pickup Plot Summary

What happens in Pickup from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Czech-American Jan ‘Hunky’ Horak Hugo Haas is a middle-aged railroad dispatcher who mans an isolated Tank Stop 47, several miles out of town, by himself. When he takes a Sunday off for the first time in a year, his fill-in Steve Kowalski, a young man, steps in. While at the carnival, he is targeted by a much younger, attractive blonde named Betty Horak Beverly Michaels, who is just after his money. After their date, she returns to her room, but finds she and her friend Irma, Jo-Carroll Dennison, have been evicted, not having paid rent for months, and her landlady threatens to call the police unless she returns the silverware and linen she hocked. To solve her financial problems, she marries Hunky, a widower of two years.

Full summary

The whole story of Pickup, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

Pickup Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Pickup.

Trailer for The Pickup
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Pickup?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What is the profession of Jan 'Hunky' Horak at the beginning of the film?

Cars

Cars in Pickup

4 cars on screen, including the 1930 Ford Model A and the 1936 Pontiac Six.

  • 1930 Ford Model A in Pickup 1930 Ford Model A Main role
  • 1936 Pontiac Six in Pickup 1936 Pontiac Six Important role
  • 1928 Buick Standard Six in Pickup 1928 Buick Standard Six Minor role
  • 1947 International Harvester KB-1 in Pickup 1947 International Harvester KB-1 Minor role
Details

Pickup Also Known As

2 alternative titles: “Hlídač č. 47” and “Zastávka 47”.

Also known as
  • Hlídač č. 47
  • Zastávka 47

Seen Pickup?

FAQ

Pickup FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, cast and post-credit scenes of Pickup, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Pickup?

Pickup runs 1 hour 18 minutes (78 minutes).

When was Pickup released?

Pickup was released on July 21, 1951.

Who is in the cast of Pickup?

Pickup stars Bernard Gorcey as Peddler with Dog, Hugo Haas as Jan 'Hunky' Horak and Allan Nixon as Steve Kowalski, among 11 credited actors.

Does Pickup have a post-credit scene?

No. Pickup has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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