Film Noir: Swagger on the Marquee

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 after pioneering pollster George Gallup established the Audience Research Institute in 1939 specifically to serve the motion-picture industry. Madison Avenue now extended all the way to Hollywood and Vine. Studios could test prospective titles and publicity materials through surveys and focus groups. The public approved titles before they ever saw them.

Here are some of my favorites, regardless of the films themselves.

If you enjoyed this post, please share.