Thieves' Highway

Thieves' Highway
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jules Dassin
Produced by	Robert Bassler
Screenplay by	A. I. Bezzerides
Based on	Thieves' Market 1949 novel by A. I. Bezzerides
Starring	Richard Conte Valentina Cortese Lee J. Cobb Barbara Lawrence
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Norbert Brodine
Edited by	Nick DeMaggio
Production company	20th Century Fox
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	October 10, 1949 (1949-10-10) (United States)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.5 million (US rentals)

Thieves' Highway is a 1949 film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides, based on his novel Thieves' Market.

A war-veteran-turned-truck driver Nico "Nick" Garcos (Richard Conte) arrives at home to find that his foreign-born father, a fruit farmer, has lost his legs and was forced to sell his truck. He learns that his father was crippled at the hands of an unscrupulous produce dealer in San Francisco, Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Garcos vows revenge.

Garcos goes into business with Ed Kinney, who bought the Garcos truck, and drives a truckload of apples to San Francisco, where he runs into Figlia. With the help of other drivers and a streetwalker (Valentina Cortese), he defeats Figlia and restores his family honor.

Dana Andrews and Victor Mature were originally announced for the lead.

The film was shot on location in San Francisco, California, and is noted for its accurate depiction of the vibrant fruit and produce market in that city (and the use of extras who worked at the market). The film was released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection in 2005.

The outdoor Fruit Market scenes were shot in the Oakland Produce Market area on 3rd street. Several indoor and street shots were also made in that locale. The story discusses San Francisco, and does feature the city, but the majority of scenes were in the actual Produce Market in Oakland (now the Warehouse district).