THUMB TRIPPING (1972)

Title: THUMB TRIPPING

Year of Release: 1972

Director: Quentin Masters

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: A young man and woman meet while hitchhiking in California, having various experiences together, learning about life, and each other along the journey.

Within a film history context: Films which feature hitchhiking characters have been around in cinema since the silent era. E. Mason Hopper's THE RIGHT DIRECTION (1916) is an early documented example of this. A young woman begins hitchhiking to take herself, and her younger brother, to a better life away from their miserable existence, and finds problems with the family of the man who picks up her and her brother. One of the most famous scenes of hitchhiking can be found in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), directed by Frank Capra. With Claudette Colbert attempting to gain a ride for her and Clark Gable in a most amusing sequence, it was one of the best ever scenes of hitchhiking to be presented in cinema. William Dieterle's DR. SOCRATES (1935) had a supporting character who was a hitchhiker, in this crime film which starred Paul Muni in the title role. In the overtly titled HITCH HIKE LADY (1935), directed by Aubrey Scotto, a mature woman hitchhikes from New York to California to visit her son, who, unbeknown to her, is in jail. With Leigh Jason's THAT GIRL FROM PARIS (1936), an opera star hitchhikes after leaving her husband-to-be in the lurch, and encounters romance and adventure while hitchhiking. On the other hand, HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE (1939), directed by Ricardo Cortez, starred Glenn Ford as a young man who hitchhikes across America, accompanied by another man and a woman, to reach his land in Arizona. As with the 1930s and prior, the 1940s also had varied hitchhiking scenarios.

Preston Sturges' SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941), the story of a film director who conducts unconventional research as a vagrant for his next movie, finding romance along the way, featured a lead character, played by Joel McCrea, who hitchhiked as part of his personal journey. DETOUR (1945), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, was much more dramatic. As with SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, it also had a hitchhiking male protagonist, this time a pianist who becomes enmeshed in intrigue, taking on the identity of the mysterious man with whom he rode. Tay Garnett's THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) had a central character who hitchhiked his way into the lives of others in the movie, causing torment. Another film with a shady hitchhiker was THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947), directed by Felix Feist. In this tale, an upstanding man takes in a murderous hitchhiker, with many unexpected consequences. Similar to THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, Delmer Daves' DARK PASSAGE (1947), began with a main character who hitchhikes to another life, this time escaping from jail, leading to an intricate set of compelling events. Into the 1950s, there were equally interesting hitchhiking scenarios and characters.

As with the films of the mid to late 1940s with their dark post-war premises, TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951), directed by Felix Feist, follows a couple involved in a crime who hitchhike to evade capture. Dangerous hitchhikers are again presented in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER (1953). In this movie, two fishermen make the grave error of picking up a psychotic man who gives them a chilling pronouncement - after they arrive at their destination, he will kill both of them. Equally tense was THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR (1955), directed by Andrew L. Stone. A wealthy man picks up a hitchhiker who, along with several others, cause mayhem for the man and his family. In a more exploitation, but surprising vein was Charles Saunders' KILL HER GENTLY (1957). A man picks up two hitchhikers who are wanted criminals, but does not turn them over to the authorities, instead, he propositions them to murder his wife. As with other film decades, the 1960s also had diverse hitchhiking themed films.

A benign view of hitchhiking was brought forth by the Elvis Presley vehicle IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR (1963), directed by Norman Taurog. Here, two friends hitchhike to the Seattle World Fair as their mode of transport was confiscated by police, finding romance and fun. Marc Lawrence's NIGHTMARE IN THE SUN (1965), co-starring real life couple John Derek and Ursula Andress in the lead roles, followed a married woman who picks up a male hitchhiker, their affair leading to intrigue and murder. A romantic view of hitchhiking could be found in WILD SEED (1965), directed by Brian Hutton. A young woman runs away from home after discovering her true parentage, and meets a drifter, their fraught relationship blossoming over the course of the movie. In contrast, Dennis Hopper's EASY RIDER (1969), altered the mode of transport from automobile to motorcycle, the bikers in the film picking up a number of hitchhikers on their way across the country. CHASTITY (1969), directed by Alessio de Paola, featured Cher as a young woman who hitchhikes to find a new life, and get away from her tragedy-twinged existence. Before the release of THUMB TRIPPING there were several films which looked at hitchhiking in varying ways.

Bob Rafelson's FIVE EASY PIECES (1970) showcased two hitchhiking scenes. The first is a revealing scene where Bobby picks up two hitchhikers, one of whom speaks continuously about anything and everything in the car, which is one of the film's best. The second scene occurs at the movie's end when Bobby hitches a ride from someone, subsequently abandoning girlfriend Rayette at the gas station. A more exploitative journey into hitchhiking was evident in JANIE (1970), directed by Roberta Findlay and Jack Bravman. A young woman hitchhikes to reach her father, but the means by which she accomplishes this are thoroughly decrepit and base, with murder and sex on her mind. Richard Sarafian's VANISHING POINT (1971), most notably, features a gay couple whose intentions with the driver are anything but legal. TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971), directed by Monte Hellman, had a number of hitchhiker characters, including a woman, and a gay man. In Jerry Jameson's BRUTE CORPS (1971), a man and woman hitchhiking together fall in with brusque soldiers, and pay a hefty price in this violent melodrama. THUMB TRIPPING shared elements of the previous films with hitchhikers, but added its own touches to the genre.

Where THUMB TRIPPING overlapped with other hitchhiking films was in that the hitchhiking served as a mean to an end for its characters, and without any tragic consequences. This was something also present in HITCH HIKE LADY, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, and IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR, where overall the narrative itself was light, and not meant as a diatribe on the evils of hitchhiking. It was more of characters experiencing the world, with the films themselves charting their perceptions of the events occurring to them, such as in CHASTITY. It is about learning, self-awareness and enlightenment, more than moral considerations taking place. Aside from this, THUMB TRIPPING was the first movie to totally focus upon hitchhikers in its narrative. While the other films featured hitchhikers as supporting characters, or an event that occurs in isolated instances, here it took up the whole running time, making THUMB TRIPPING a specialized film on the topic. Other features of THUMB TRIPPING also made it stand out compared to other entries.

As with many of the other films, such as the afore-mentioned examples, the hitchhikers in THUMB TRIPPING were not of a malevolent nature, which was a trend marked from the mid-1940s onwards. The people who pick them up along the way are all of different persuasions and states of mind, while one in particular is especially psychotic. This is the exception, rather than the rule in THUMB TRIPPING. The remainder of the people who pick up Gary and Chay have emotional issues that are sometimes addressed via the presence of the hitchhikers, who in a manner of speaking 'heal' their drivers. This is especially evident in the truck driver who has a sexual relationship with Chay, to Gary's consternation. The married couple also are better after being with Gary and Chay, even though there are hiccups along the way with their open marriage. One of the most revealing parts was the woman who picks them up, and talks about her family and their problems. These are the most unique segments of the movie, those that are the most memorable in retrospect. A different take on hitchhiking, THUMB TRIPPING is an unconventional movie with some interesting moments.

Overview: Quentin Masters is an Australian director who helmed four feature films in his career, with several other writing, cinematography, and producing credits. His second film, THE STUD (1978) is perhaps Mr Masters' best-known movie. Starring Joan Collins in this tale of a woman who owns a nightclub, and her various marital, and extra-marital problems, it was adapted from a novel by Miss Collins' sister Jackie Collins. Mr Masters' third film, A DANGEROUS SUMMER (1982), was a thriller about the burning of a hotel, and the investigation mounted surrounding this incident. Quentin Masters' last movie, MIDNITE SPARES (1983), as with his previous picture, was made in Australia. This adventure film centred around a man's pursuit in finding his father's killers, with plentiful action sequences included. THUMB TRIPPING marked Quentin Masters' movie debut, and is of interest for several reasons.

Mr Masters has made a film that is entirely devoted to an examination of hitchhiking, and how his characters interact with the various people they encounter along the road. He tackles the different scenarios with vigor, making them all as individual as possible to avoid repetition in the narrative. The people who pick up Gary and Chay are variously happy, sad, comfortable within their own skin, while others are jumping out of it with regularity. This gives the film a spontaneity that works, and a realistic quality. It also makes the point that the world is filled with individuals whose mindsets are never alike, which is valid. While this is to be lauded, not all of the vignettes are as effective as each other, or as powerful in effect. The stop and start nature of events has the effect of running the viewer hot and cold with great regularity.

The scenes with the psychotic man, played by Bruce Dern, are compelling to watch, and one does not know what will happen to Gary and Chay, but these are downplayed by their laughter after leaving his car. It dulls the effect of what has taken place prior, and while their laughing might have been a nervous reaction to being in danger, it does not help the film's mood. Another scene that is rather incongruous is the one with the mother and her children. While it works as an acting showcase for Joyce Van Patten, it does not have that much punch. The other two vignettes in the film function in a similar watchable, but odd manner. The randy truck driver who takes more than a passing interest in Chay, and the frustrated married couple who see Gary and Chay as a diversion, are both well-acted, but the effect in total does not add up in an emotionally fluent way. Possibly it was the movie's intention of having its characters witness human nature in often bizarre ways, but it needed more to strike a powerful mental chord. There were some other ellipses which could have made an average film so much better.

While there is a segment at the beginning where Gary and Chay are with some campers, who are possibly the most level-headed of all the characters, there are no further characters without neuroses, which makes the movie topsy turvy. Not everyone in the film had to be alienated to make an impact, which does become a little tiresome as the picture unreels. Apart from this, we never really find out why Chay has taken to the road hitchhiking, the lack of access to her character makes her enigmatic to a degree. While there is a voiceover explaining the rationale for Gary's actions, which is helpful, nothing of the same degree is presented for Chay. Nevertheless, in summation, some things can be said about THUMB TRIPPING in retrospect, in spite of its deficiencies. It is an original film that sheds light not only about hitchhiking but also, humanity, in its thoughtful, but clipped, way.

Acting: The performances in THUMB TRIPPING are one its strongest assets. Michael Burns, as hitchhiker Gary, exhibits a naturalistic acting style, and is the film's central focus. His reactions to everything, moods and feelings are all spot-on, and expertly delivered by Mr Burns. As his hitchhiking partner, Meg Foster is equally fine. An actress with striking eyes, utilized in the movie to express non-verbal behavior, Miss Foster does a great job as the intriguing, but ultimately faithless Chay. In complete contrast, Bruce Dern as the psychotic man who picks up Gary and Chay gives another excellent performance, but the number of unbalanced men Mr Dern played in the early part of his film career makes one wish his tremendous talents had been used in more complex ways. Four other actors make the most of their appearances in THUMB TRIPPING to make indelible impressions.

As Diesel, the truck driver with eyes for Chay, Michael Conrad plays his role with steamy assurance, seeming every bit his part, his eerie expression just right. Joyce Van Patten, as a mother who picks up Gary and Chay on the side of the road, contributes another excellent portrayal in THUMB TRIPPING. Her crumbling psychological excesses, mumbling, and lack of remorse make her mother character one of the most complex people to appear in THUMB TRIPPING. Burke Byrnes, as Jack, one half of the film's married couple, does a fantastic job as the virile husband with definite reservations about his life, carried out beautifully by the good-looking Mr Byrnes. A performer with a resemblance to Australian actor Rod Taylor, his mix of working class man bravado, and sadness is excellent. The last acting of note in the movie was by Marianna Hill as Lynne, Jack's wife. Exhibiting marital frustration with her high-strung, overwrought behavior, this coming to a head when she starts dancing in a bar wearing just a bikini, Miss Hill makes the viewer wonder what went so badly she had to resort to this, and empathize with the emptiness her character is feeling.

Soundtrack: THUMB TRIPPING has a soothing introspective score that is in keeping with its pensive mood. The opening credits feature an instrumental tune that works well to set the film's easy-going, casual tone. The movie has a number of 1970s songs which are played at various intervals, such as 'Go Where The Feeling Takes You', during a montage of Gary and Chay together by the ocean, that deftly emphasize what is occurring onscreen. A screaming rock score would not have been appropriate for THUMB TRIPPING, and would have detracted from its elegaic aura, thus making it one of the film's best aspects.

Mise-en-scene: The cinematography by Harry Stradling, Jr is beautiful, taking advantage of the film's many outdoor sequences by presenting the landscapes in a soft, pleasant manner, without ever being garish or harsh in its color hues. THUMB TRIPPING takes advantage of lush locations in the California Big Sur Coast, and San Francisco, giving the movie crispness and immediacy, and centering the characters in this dreamy milieu.

Notable Acting Performances: Michael Burns, Meg Foster, Bruce Dern, Michael Conrad,  Joyce Van Patten, Burke Byrnes, Marianna Hill.

Suitability for young viewers: No. Infrequent coarse language, brief female nudity, adult themes, low-level violence.

Overall Grade: C

Link: IMDB Page

Trailer