Thieves' Highway (1943)
Throughout his career, you’ll be hard pressed to find Richard Conte in a movie where he not only headlines it but also plays the hero. If you like to see bad guys play good guys once in a while, check out the obscure Thieves’ Highway. Richard plays a veteran returning from WWII with a terrible shock at home: his father was in an accident at work that left him crippled for life. As a trucker hauling produce, he used to report to Lee J. Cobb, a big grocery boss. But a couple of Lee’s goons got him drunk one night, took all his money, and left him to drive drunk and crash, ruining his legs. Richard wants vengeance – but don’t worry; he’s not going to turn into the bad guy.
He gets together a couple of partners, Millard Mitchell, Jack Oakie, and Joseph Pevney, and together they start the difficult trek up to San Francisco hauling Golden Delicious apples, hoping to confront Lee once they get there and get satisfaction. But their journey is fraught with problems, not the least of which is that their trucks aren’t in good shape. There’s a terrible scene in which Richard tries to change a flat tire and the entire truck collapses on his neck. There’s no way he would survive an accident like that, but since it’s not too far into the start of the film, we know he’s going to be okay.
If you like trucker movies like They Drive at Night or The St. Louis Kid, you can try this one out. It definitely feels low-budget, but as long as you’re not expecting a John Garfield quality picture, you can give Conte a try. He also has a romance thrown in (actually a triangle) with Valentina Cortese and Barbara Lawrence.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Lee J. Cobb movies here!
He gets together a couple of partners, Millard Mitchell, Jack Oakie, and Joseph Pevney, and together they start the difficult trek up to San Francisco hauling Golden Delicious apples, hoping to confront Lee once they get there and get satisfaction. But their journey is fraught with problems, not the least of which is that their trucks aren’t in good shape. There’s a terrible scene in which Richard tries to change a flat tire and the entire truck collapses on his neck. There’s no way he would survive an accident like that, but since it’s not too far into the start of the film, we know he’s going to be okay.
If you like trucker movies like They Drive at Night or The St. Louis Kid, you can try this one out. It definitely feels low-budget, but as long as you’re not expecting a John Garfield quality picture, you can give Conte a try. He also has a romance thrown in (actually a triangle) with Valentina Cortese and Barbara Lawrence.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Lee J. Cobb movies here!