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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

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

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

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

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

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