The Devil Thumbs a Ride

The Devil Thumbs a Ride is directed and written by Felix E. Feist.

This is a near-legendary noir (but curiously rare – since it has not been issued on DVD or shown on Italian TV despite, respectively, the Warner Noir Box Sets and a comprehensive RKO retrospective!) due to the memorable title and the commanding presence of one of the major cult figures within its ranks, leading man Lawrence Tierney.

When I first heard about this film, I knew I had to see it. I love Lawrence Tierney and his bad-guy persona on screen (and supposedly off screen as well) and when he's in a movie, you know it's gotta be good.

The Devil Thumbs a Ride is basically just your classic 40's B-movie; it's cheap and there are a lot of things wrong with it, but it's also fast moving and very entertaining, which makes it very easy to forgive all the flaws and just sit back and enjoy the film. It soon becomes clear that the film was made with little budget as it looks very cheap and most of the acting is terrible; but we launch straight into the plot with minimum hanging around and the fact that the film is only an hour long means that there's no filler and the film sticks to the important stuff.

I'm a big baby doll" says Betty Lawford (Agnes) in one of the funniest lines in the movie. Another contender comes from Lawrence Tierney (Steve) who comments about a baby girl's ears.

This is a little-seen film noir that doesn't quite live up to its hype but comes pretty damn close.Starring that quintessential bad guy, Lawrence Tierney (who was a bad guy in his personal life as well which eventually sank his career)this film is truly deranged.

THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE 1947I was not sure how this one would work for me. It has a reputation as a hard case example of film noir.

Tierney's an authentic tough guy, but this movie misfire from normally competent RKO undercuts his impact at every turn. The script is about as plausible as OJ Simpson at a Ten Cmmandments dinner.

Sinister forties road movies with 'joe' from reservoir dogs as the 'hitcher'. Worth catching if you can find it.