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Furry Noir

It may be a dark and stormy night in film noir, but it’s seldom raining cats and dogs. Pets represent normality, stability, family - hardly the settings for twisted tales of intrigue and passion. But furry creatures do appear, and can play a significant role. If there were an Oscar for Best Canine Actor in a film noir it should go to Friday, the handsome German Shepherd guide dog for blind detective (Edward Arnold) in Eyes in the Night. He shares every scene with his boss p

Terry Hamburg

5 days ago3 min read

Smoke Gets in Your Lens

In noir films, cigarettes are part of the cast. By modern standards the sheer volume of smoke is excess verging on parody. But audiences at the time scarcely gave it a second thought. At least half the population smoked and the other half were second-hand smokers without complaint. In fact, smoking gradually increased during the 1950s, hitting its peak in the mid-60s. Women were as addicted as men. Film noir was reflecting reality. If you were that proverbial alien from anoth

Noir Talk

The slang and street talk in noir films is familiar. You know chump, stoolie, scram - this is 1930s/40s "Runyonesque" dialect that went mainstream and is now regarded as campy vernacular. But some language is more esoteric and can be confusing. Here is a glossary to help. Bangtails: racing horses B-girl: Literally, “bar girl.” B-girls were young women paid to converse and dance with male patrons. It ranged from selected “nice” ladies entertaining GIs at the USO to legiti

Devil or Angel?

I knew him as Ward, the kind-hearted dad of Beaver Cleaver, long before I discovered him playing cops and gumshoes. Hugh Beaumont had an impressive B-film noir resume. He was no Humphrey Bogart, but Bogart was no Ward Cleaver. Many personalities who cut their acting teeth on the dark streets found kinder and gentler careers on the small screen. This transition required special acting versatility. As a medium beamed free into the sanctity of your living room, television answer

REVIEWS: WORTH A LOOK

Sudden Fear

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE

PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET

From the early 1940s through the late 1950s, Film Noir flourished. NOIR LENS explores how the culture of this period shaped Hollywood and the public imagination.

WHAT IS FILM NOIR?

THE HAYES CODE

THE NOIR GENERATION

STATE OF THE UNION: 1950

COST OF LIVING

NEO-NOIR

DO YOU KNOW?

Click the lightbulb to test your knowledge of all things Noir.

"You believe people are either good or bad, yet good and evil can change places like light and shadows. How can we be sure where one ends and the other begins?"

The 13th Letter