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J. J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) is one of the most powerful men in New York City - a newspaper gossip columnist presented as a thinly veiled caricature of the best known exposé journalist of that era, Walter Winchell. Malicious, controlling and accustomed to getting whatever he wants, right now Hunsecker wants to break up his young sister’s relationship with a jazz musician. Enter Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis), a born hustler and ambitious press agent willing to do this dirty

Before they became Hollywood stars, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson were paying their dues in the dark conrners of flim noir. I Was a Shoplifter (1950) featured a young “Anthony Curtis” in a minor role as Pepe, a two-bit thug and womanizer, plus—if you don’t blink—Rock Hudson in an even more minor role as store detective Si Swanson, usually uncredited. Both were unknown twenty-five-year-olds. Studio publicity release. Here is called “Tony” Curtis for the first time. In this 1

1947 2021 The movie is based on William Lindsay Gresham’s acclaimed and controversial 1946 novel Nightmare Alley, which was intermittently banned and appeared in censored editions for decades. His depiction of human nature was regarded as obscene, along with his prose. This tale of karma follows ambitious carnival barker Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power/Bradley Cooper) who masters an ingenious mentalist act. Reinventing himself as a sophisticated nightclub performer, his char

What Women Say About Men "Men are such fools. They think they can buy everything with a smile and a few kind words. Or a gun." ~The Lady from Shanghai “Every guy thinks he’s something special but they’re all from the same assembly line. There’s always a replacement around in case the one you’ve got gets lost or broken. ~ Women’s Prison "Aren’t there any more comfortable men in this world? Now they’re all little and nervous like sparrows, or big and worried like sick bears

Film noir was never shy about showing off breasts, especially on curvaceous figures like Jane Russell. She became a trailblazer in the mid-1940s, testing the limits of public exposure. Those limits were brief and vague. Section 8, Subsection 4 of the Hayes Code stated: “Nudity can never be permitted as being necessary for the plot. Semi-nudity must not result in undue or indecent exposures.” The Hays Code - officially known as "A Code To Govern The Making of Motion and Ta

An unscrupulous reporter fired for bad behavior by a dozen newspapers banishes himself to the unheralded, low-circulation Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin. While covering a rattle snake hunt, he learns of a man trapped in a cave and callously manipulates the story into a sensational media circus, drawing big crowds to the remote locale as television and radio stations race to cover the unfolding rescue operation. The original name of the movie, “The Big Carnival,” is based on a real-

Some say this is not a true film noir. Noir is as noir does, and Face in the Crowd does. It's as downright cynical and pessimistic as you could want, brimming with ruthless dysfunctional characters. The story follows a charismatic drifter who shoots from obscurity to national fame, only to have his ambition and contempt for the public ultimately devour him. If you know Andy Griffith only as a good ol' boy single-dad Sheriff, this movie will shock you. It shocked him, too. Gr

Film noir gave us some of the greatest movie titles ever marqueed—raw, provocative, and loaded with B movie braggadocio. By the mid-1940s, the labor was turning scientific. Titles had always mattered, especially for films lacking star power, which included most noirs. The title was the hook, the first and maybe the only chance to snag an audience. The subtitles could promise still more, even if the “more” was seldom delivered. That publicity lure became more calculated afte

Some film noirs were box office bombs and critical flops when released, only to be resurrected and acclaimed by the next generation. No movie fits that bill better than Orsen Wells’ 1958 tour de force. In a corrupt Mexican American border town, narcotics officer Mike Vargas investigates a car bombing and clashes with crooked police captain Hank Quinlan. As Quinlan plants evidence to secure convictions, Vargas exposes his corruption while his own wife becomes a target. It’s

Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) going out with a bang in White Heat. Film noir anti-heroes are often flawed and damaged, or average Joes dealt a fateful, lousy hand. Even when they’re toxic, most have redeeming qualities. But some are just bad to the bone. The dark streets are crawling with them. It’s their playground. Almost by definition, a film noir must have at least one dangerously offbeat character. Some are “sociopaths.” You know them when you see them: tightly wound, i

“That’s life. Whichever way you turn, fate sticks out a foot to trip you.” If this were Noir 101, Detour would be required watching. Here is grit and crime, the weight of fate, and lost souls who take detours to a dead end. The plot is pure pulp: a hapless, unemployed piano player unwittingly tumbles down a rabbit hole of murder, blackmail and betrayal, done-in by a tough, cunning dame played by Ann Savage - a "B-actress" with a well deserved cult noir following as a "bad

The year was 1946. American movies had been scarce in World War II Europe. Suddenly, a backlog of productions from the early 1940s crowded French screens, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), Laura (1944), and Murder, My Sweet (1944). Post-war French critics were stunned. These were different from most of the films Hollywood had been churning out. The content was somber, steeped in fatalism and sensuous cravings. Characters were complex, morally compr

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.