Prof-Hieronymos-Grost 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

drednm This little gem sure packs a punch---or a low blow. Lawrence Tierney is wonderful as the psycho who tricks a dope (Ted North) into giving him a ride from San Diego to Los Aangeles. Along the way they pick up two stranded women: a tough blond (Betty Lawford), and an innocent (Nan Leslie). Of course Tierney is on the lam from a robbery and murder but he fools them into dodging the cops (after he runs one down) by going to the dope's friend's beach house for the night. Several sub plots involve some interesting characters. No on is really what they seem to be. The dope is driving drunk across state but he's actually a devoted husband trying to get home. Tierney is a vicious killer. The blond is a willing accomplice, and the innocent wants to be an actress. The cops (especially Harry Shannon) are almost comical in their rapport, and the gas station kid (Glen Vernon) turns out to be a card shark. Great characters here with everyone having some nice screen time. Andrew Tombes is the night watchman who makes a spectacular drunk. Minerva Urecal is the widow with THE phone (Laguna Beach was the STICKS in 1947), and Marian Carr is the little wife who makes a surprise appearance. Josephine Whittell is the mother in law. Dick Elliott is the guy with the stupid dog.Tierney is the driving force and he's really good in his patented tough guy role. Lawford is surprisingly good. She hadn't made a film since 1937 and never made another after this one. She kept reminding me of Lizabeth Scott. Vernon almost steals the film as the gas station kid who goes along for a ride with the cops. North is the weakest actor but his dope part doesn't really call for much. Interesting little noir film with a totally unrepentant main character. He never even bats an eye!

Michael O'Keefe Not the best film noir, but the story does have a grip that lasts to the fadeout. Bad boy Lawrence Tierney plays Steve Morgan, a charming criminal who has just robbed and killed a cashier at a movie theater. Jimmy Ferguson(Ted North)is a little tipsy returning home from a convention and picks up a hitch-hiker...Morgan. Along the way he convinces 'Fergie' to pick up a couple of women(Nan Leslie and Betty Lawford)and proceed to a friend's beach house to dodge roadblocks and hide from the law in hot pursuit. This melodrama turns very predictable very fast. Glen Vernon plays a gas station attendant that alerts the law to Morgan's whereabouts. Others in the cast: Marian Carr, Harry Shannon and William Gould. Running time is a mere 63 minutes, but is a worthwhile watch. THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE makes rare appearances on TCM.

existenz-6 I saw this many years ago on AMC. I barely remember the story, but I do remember that it was a very effective piece of noir. I've wanted to see it again, but it is extremely hard to come by. It isn't on video or DVD, and it rarely appears at revival theatres. If you ever have the chance to catch this on AMC or TCM, do whatever you can to see it. I definitely put it up there with "Detour" and "They Walked By Night". Great stuff.