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In noir films, almost everyone smokes, and almost all the time. By modern standards this is excess verging on parody. But no one at the time saw it that way. At least half the population was smoking and the other half were second-hand smoking without complaint. In fact, smoking gradually increased during the 1950s and hit its peak in the mid-60s. Women were puffing almost as much as men. Film noir was reflecting reality. If you were that proverbial alien from another planet w