Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 7:00pm
The Secret Cinema returns to the Woodmere Museum on Tuesday, March 31, to present THE HITCH-HIKER, a hard-as-nails thriller from the golden age of FILM NOIR, directed by Ida Lupino -- the only woman director then working in Hollywood.
The screening will be part of the regular Tuesday Nights at the Movies series, as presented by the Chestnut Hill Film Group…and like most Secret Cinema feature film programs, it will also include surprise short films.
There will be one complete screening, at 7:00 pm. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.
All Secret Cinema presentations are projected in 16mm film on a giant screen (not video).
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953, Dir: Ida Lupino)
One of the toughest, most suspenseful works in FILM NOIR was made by Ida Lupino -- the only female director working in mainstream Hollywood at that time. William Talman gives a terrifying performance as a psychopathic killer, given a lift by unsuspecting friends (Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy) on their way to a fishing vacation in Mexico. RKO’s ad campaign included the line, "Have you ever picked up a hitch-hiker? -- We guarantee you won’t ever after seeing this picture"…leading to protest letters to the studio from hitchhikers, and an angry editorial in Hobo News!. Lupino and Collier Young’s script was adapted from an unpublished (and uncredited) novel by Daniel Mainwaring, screenwriter of OUT OF THE PAST, THE PHENIX CITY STORY, and other high-tension thrillers.
