Pickup on 101

I actually saw this movie when it came out fifty years ago. And it's stayed with me even though I've never seen it again. That's why I looked it up here. The final scene could have been sappy, but wasn't. Jack Albertson, Martin Sheen, and the lovely Lesley Ann Warren don't have a thing to look back on with embarrassment--unlike a lot of other actors who made movies during this time.

This used to play on late night TV all the time. A hobo (Jack Albertson), a runaway (Leslie Ann Warren) & an aspiring folk musician (Martin Sheen) hitchhike their way to California. This being a 1970s TV flick of course the Hobo is the cool one & the folk singer the hung up uptite dude. The hippie ethos is hammered home repeatedly and many of the scenes are a bit clumsy, but the film is still very entertaining and there's no denying the underlying sweetness of it. Made in a bygone era when TV flicks sometimes tried to relect on undercurrents in society (rather than now when they seek to exploit tragedies), this is one to catch if you ever see it in your latenight TV listings.

The movie is certainly not deep, but it has charm and has weathered much better than some other films of the hippy era. Lesley Ann Warren is luminous, sexy and a luscious knockout. Definitely one of her more appealing roles.