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Some noir "classics" had inauspicious releases, receving a lukewarm response from critics and audiences, only to be appreciated later. Others were acclaimed at the time. This is one. Sudden Fear (1952) is anchored on a familiar noir plot: two lovers have a whirlwind romance and marriage; for one it is love at first sight, for the other it is manipulation at first sight. Successful playwright (Joan Crawford) overhears new husband (Jack Palance) plot with his secret lover (Glor

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

An acclaimed “gothic” noir - which is a blend of psychological terror, horror, and mystery, often in a "period' setting. After the first fifteen minutes, you enter - never to leave - a dark, suffocating Victorian mansion where a young mute caretaker is stalked by a notorious serial killer who targets women with disabilities. Stunning set design by Albert D’Agostino, one of the best Golden Age art directors, and a master class in film noir chiaroscuro, a high-contrast techniqu

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

Film noir seldom has patience for unhurried romance. Plots are convoluted, emotions intense, and the flames of passion must ignite fast and furious. Not the long and tortured road of When Harry Met Sally or the “slow burn” of Pride and Prejudice. “When it hits you it’s like a two-ton truck,” says a nightclub singer in The Strip. "You feel like that." Perfectly sensible people are victims. Brilliant and beautiful but sexually repressed psychoanalyst Ingrid Bergman falls head o

This cast directed by Sam Fuller is worth the price of admission alone. Thelma Ritter was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Richard Widmark continued to polish his bad-boy noir credentials playing a petty pickpocket suddenly ensnarled with dangerously beautiful Jean Peters and a lethal foreign spy ring. Perhaps the best of the anti-Communist film noirs. Intrigue, a rough-and-tumble love affair, and gritty action in that urban underbelly. The film has gone up in critic

Is “musical noir” an oxymoron? Consider The Strip (1951). No brilliant story line or acting, but dig that crazy sound. Features significant performances by greats Earl "Fatha" Hines, Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong, Barney Bigard, Vic Damone, and Monica Lewis. It is the only film noir to be nominated for Best Original Song - A Kiss to Build a Dream On, introduced to the world by Armstrong and his All-Stars Band. As a special treat, you get to watch the star, Mickey Rooney, t

If there is a first or “proto” film noir, this is it - 1931 German Expressionist thriller directed by Fritz Lang. The screen role established Peter Lorre. Shortly after M, the rise of Nazis forced both artists to flee Europe for Hollywood. Some of the most talented writers and directors of German cinema were in that migration. It will be an important part of the foundation for what we today call film noir. Fritz Lang would go on to direct some of the greatest American noirs.

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

Directed by a young Robert Aldrich (The Dirty Dozen, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? ) and now regarded as a classic. Tough-as-nails P.I. Mike Hammer gets ensnarled with a mysterious and lethal “Great Whatsit” box - a mad chase saturated in Cold War paranoia with people literally dying to possess it. Watch Cloris Leachman in a riveting first screen role, plus extended looks at two iconic sports cars: the 1954 Chevrolet Corvette C1, one of the earliest screen appearances for

Some say this is not a true film noir. Nevertheless, it’s as downright cynical and pessimistic as you could want. If you know Andy Griffith only as a good ole boy single-dad Sheriff, this movie will shock you. It shocked him, too. Griffith - in his first screen performance - found the role of amoral, narcissistic charlatan “Lonesome” Rhodes so personally distasteful he declared never to play such a character again. In 1960, he moved permanently to Mayberry. Co-starring Pa

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

If you got it, flaunt it On her twenty-fourth birthday, Orson Wells gives his future wife Rita Hayworth a 1941 Lincoln Continental Coupe. It costs $2,800. The average annual household income at the time is $1,750. The 1% has always been with us. As depicted in film noir, they were often old wealth and modern gangsters. They were also the actors who portrayed them. Five years later, the celebrity pair were married and co-staring in the film noir classic The Lady from Shang