Pickup on South Street (1953)

Directed by: Sam Fuller

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) gets in over his head when he pick pockets a microfilm wanted by spies.

Kitty Cameo: In one tense scene one of the spies named Joey (Richard Kiley) is trying to escape from the authorities by hiding in a dumbwaiter. One of the officers rushes toward the dumbwaiter shaft in the basement, kicking over a garbage pail and startling a black cat in the process.

Pickup on South Street - black cat eating from floor in basement

Pickup on South Street - black cat being startled by man running into basement

Pickup on South Street - black cat being startled by man running into basement animated gif

Pickup on South Street - black cat hiding from man looking into dumbwaiter

The cat is still wandering around the basement as the agent starts to lower the dumbwaiter.

Pickup on South Street - black cat wandering near man lowering dumbwaiter

Joey hurries the last few feet of the drop and lunges at the officer, knocking him out cold. After Joey runs away, the black cat is “catapulted” back into the shot and starts to eat something on the floor, resuming his meal from the beginning of the scene.