Pushover (1954) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Sheridan agrees to meet Lona on the rooftop because he cannot resist her charm and the temptation of the $250,000. Though he remains essentially honest in his instincts and initially refuses her plan, his resolve wavers as she pressures him to kill Wheeler so they can run away together with the money.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Lona accuses Sheridan of tampering with her car to lure her into a trap, showing she understands the dangerous game they're playing.

• sheridan
• lona
• wheeler
• money
• temptation
• corruption

Paddy is shot with his own gun during a tense confrontation with Sheridan. Paddy had grown suspicious of Sheridan's motives and wanted to confess everything to Lieutenant Eckstrom and return the money, even if it cost him his pension. In the struggle, Sheridan shoots him and stages the scene to look like suicide.

Foreshadowing: Eckstrom warns Sheridan to keep Paddy in line since Paddy is near retirement and coping with a drinking problem that could jeopardize his pension.

• paddy
• sheridan
• death
• suicide
• pension
• police

Sheridan stages Paddy's death as a suicide to cover up the murder and protect himself. He convinces himself that the pension would have been lost anyway if they'd continued disobeying orders and if Paddy's drinking problem and disappearance became known.

Foreshadowing: Paddy's mounting suspicions pull him toward a dangerous stand, creating the confrontation that leads to his death.

• sheridan
• paddy
• cover-up
• suicide
• pension
• murder

Miss Stewart is Lona's quiet neighbor who becomes an unintended witness to the unfolding events. She asks for ice during a party and tells McAllister about a man she saw in Lona's apartment, which leads police to realize Sheridan is the intruder. She is later abducted by Sheridan and used as a pawn to retrieve the money from Wheeler's car trunk.

Foreshadowing: Sheridan saves Ann from a persistent suitor early in the film, softening the edge of the routine surveillance and hinting at her eventual importance.

• miss stewart
• ann
• neighbor
• witness
• abduction

Sheridan abducts Miss Stewart to secure the money from Wheeler's car trunk. With the police closing in and Lona uncertain about his plans, Sheridan uses Miss Stewart as a hostage to retrieve the money while keeping both women under his control.

Foreshadowing: Miss Stewart's conversation with McAllister reveals someone saw a man in Lona's apartment, tipping off the investigators to Sheridan.

• sheridan
• miss stewart
• money
• kidnap
• hostage
• wheeler car

The police set up surveillance on Lona's apartment from a nearby building, with officers Sheridan, Rick McAllister, and Paddy Dolan monitoring her movements around the clock. Their goal is to wait for Wheeler to arrive so they can capture him alive for questioning about the bank robbery and murder.

Foreshadowing: The stakeout is arranged the morning after Sheridan meets Lona, and Eckstrom emphasizes capturing Wheeler alive.

• stakeout
• police
• surveillance
• lona apartment
• wheeler

Lona wants Sheridan to kill Wheeler so they can take the $250,000 from the robbery and run away together. She pressures Sheridan to eliminate Wheeler and steal the money, presenting it as their chance for a new life together.

Foreshadowing: Lona confesses her love for Sheridan but immediately presses him to kill Wheeler and take the money.

• lona
• wheeler
• money
• kill
• escape
• runaway

Sheridan's corruption is triggered by his intense affair with Lona McLane, the girlfriend of the bank robber he's supposed to be surveilling. Over three days together, he falls in love with her, and her relentless pressure to kill Wheeler and take the money gradually breaks down his integrity as a cop.

Foreshadowing: Sheridan takes Lona to a bar while her car is repaired, and they spend the night together, setting the tone for his temptation.

• sheridan
• lona
• corruption
• temptation
• moral decline
• police

Sheridan is mortally shot by a detective waiting in the shadows near Wheeler's car. As he attempts to escape with Lona, he misreads the field of fire. The detective fires, wounding Sheridan fatally. An ambulance arrives, and Lona kneels at his dying side while Rick McAllister leads Miss Stewart away from the scene.

Foreshadowing: Eckstrom and McAllister realize Sheridan has both women and race toward Wheeler's car to intervene.

• sheridan
• death
• shooting
• police
• lona
• escape

The film ends tragically: Sheridan is shot and dies from his wounds while Lona kneels beside him. Meanwhile, Rick McAllister and Miss Stewart walk away together into the night, leaving a somber, unresolved mood. The crime, confession, and close of the operation solidify the film's bleak noir worldview.

Foreshadowing: Miss Stewart is warned to stay down by McAllister before gunfire erupts, foreshadowing the violent climax.

• ending
• death
• sheridan
• lona
• miss stewart
• noir

During the opening bank robbery, Harry Wheeler shoots and kills a guard while escaping with $250,000. The police then mount a manhunt and set up surveillance on Wheeler's girlfriend Lona McLane, hoping she'll lead them to him so they can capture him alive for questioning.

Foreshadowing: The entire film stems from this robbery, as the stakeout on Lona is designed to catch Wheeler.

• wheeler
• bank robbery
• guard
• money
• escape
• police

Paddy Dolan is near retirement and has a drinking problem that could jeopardize his pension. Lieutenant Eckstrom specifically warns Sheridan to keep Paddy in line because his drinking could cost him his retirement benefits. This makes Paddy's decision to risk confessing everything even more significant, he chooses integrity over his pension.

Foreshadowing: Eckstrom warns Sheridan about Paddy at the beginning of the stakeout operation.

• paddy
• pension
• drinking
• retirement
• police
• eckstrom