 Haas showcased Michaels in the 1951 film noir "Pickup".The movie was a surprise hit, albeit a secondary B feature, and launched Haas's career as a Hollywood director and had a large part in starting the cycle of bad girl movies of the 1950s, which usually starred blonde sex symbols.Their follow-up release, "The Girl on the Bridge" (1951), was not a success, however, and Haas dropped Michaels in favor of newcomer Cleo Moore as his regular female star.