*** 2nd Annual HTF Noirvember Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings!

11-12-22

25) 11-12-22 "Outside the Law" (1956) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
I kind of liked this "B" movie from Universal-International starring Ray Danton as an ex-con serving in the Army shortly after WWII that is recruited by the Treasury Department to help them in a counterfeit investigation. The film's concept is ridiculous as it starts off in Germany, when a soldier friend of Danton is killed and ends in Los Angeles where the counterfeit operation is taking place. However, I really enjoyed the movie, especially, seeing Grant Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man) playing a villain in this movie. Another preposterous plot point is the lead Treasury Agent heading up the investigation is actually Danton's father. However, that silly plot point made the film more interesting to me as we see the estranged father and son work together for the first time after many years of separation between the two of them. Granted, this is not a good film and has received bad reviews. However, I still enjoyed it and found the movie entertaining as the supporting cast has some familiar actors. This movie was directed by Jack Arnold, known for his sci-fi movies and the screenplay was from Danny Arnold, who later on produced Barney Miller along with some other TV shows. From what I can gather, the Arnolds weren't related. This Blu-ray is part of Kino's "Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema V" box set. There is an audio commentary by Richard Harlan Smith that I will listen to on my next viewing.

26) 11-12-22 "The Fearmakers" (1958) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
Another film from the paranoia cycle of "B" movies about anti-communism and equating opposing nuclear weapons with being a Communist. Alan Eaton/Andrews returns from two years in a Chinese internment camp in which he was subjected to torture and brainwashing. He soon discovers his partner in their Washington D.C. PR firm was killed in a hit and run accident and that prior to that accident he sold the company to a recent employee played by Dick Foran. Jacques Tourneur directs this 1958 thriller that can easily be made today with some screenwriting changes as to how the general public can be easily swayed by intentional misinformation. This is a pretty good film with crooner Mel Torme playing a bullied employee that is part of the company conspiracy as Eaton finds himself in a vipers next of conspiracy and murder. At first glance, this movie can be seen as just another anti-communism film from the Cold War era. However, if you look closer, it reveals a much deeper film that can be made today about how people consume misinformation and choose to not think for themselves, along with their refusal to seek out correct facts beyond whatever bubble they reside in. This Blu-ray is part of Kino's "Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema VII" box set.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing

Rating - Out of a possible 4 View attachment 162147

18) 11/10/2022 Rogue Cop (1954) View attachment 162147 View attachment 162147 View attachment 162147

Crooked cop Robert Taylor's kid brother Steve Forrest (also on the force) is in the right place at the right time to identify a killer. Crime boss George Raft wants the identification squashed and will pay Forrest $15K to keep his mouth shut. But Forrest isn't like his brother, and if Taylor can't change Forrest's mind, the consequences could be fatal. Raft and Taylor, especially, are great in this engrossing, tension-filled drama. Highlights include a brawl between Taylor and Alan "Skipper" Hale, Jr. and the climatic shootout. Anne Francis does nice work as Raft's lush of a girlfriend.

Man, I would love to see Rogue Cop on Blu-ray from WAC. However, Eddie Muller keeps saying there is some kind of rights issue with that particular title.

 

[dana martin]

Day 11: 11 Noirvember 2022

Feature Presentation

10. The Jury 3D (Classic Flix) First Time Viewing
Parklane Pictures (Release Date Aug 14, 1953) Director: Harry Essex, Photography: John Alton

Next up, well I think a lot of us jumped on this Classic Flix release, The first film adaptation of Mickey Spillane. Mike Hammer (Biff Elliot) makes his screen debut, Harry Essex gives a script and directs, and the camera work is all John Alton, score by Franz Waxman. Sounds like everything should be great, but the thing of it is, Elliot crammed reading the books, and then played him as he is represented in the book. A rough, brutish man, driven from the past and feelings a sense of duty to solve a murder of a former Army buddy that took a bayonet instead of him, and subsequently lost an arm because of it. Yes, this Hammer is a hothead, a bull in a China cabinet crashing his way through the suspects.

Everything in place, the film has the one weakness, Elliot, and his acting, if it had been a little more low key, think Ralph Meeker in Kiss me Deadly. Actually, that bit of casting in this film and portrayal would have elevated a very good film to great. Look for some great cameos and parts Joe Besser playing it straight, Elisha Cook, who can steal the scenes that he is in.

If this would have had the budget to turn Alton loose on the city instead of having to use a postcard inserts, to show the area. One can only imagine.

Robert stated that he thought that this version of Hammer was a little to prone to jump straight to violence. But that interpretation is very inline with the book version. And that balance for the character wouldn’t happen till the remake with Armand Assante.

Highly Recommended

 

[Robert Crawford]

Robert stated that he thought that this version of Hammer was a little to prone to jump straight to violence. But that interpretation is very inline with the book version. And that balance for the character wouldn’t happen till the remake with Armand Assante.

Highly Recommended

Which Robert stated that because I don't remember ever saying that?

 

[dana martin]

My mistake I thought we were discuss that in Noir on Blu-ray titles thread, that you said that you thought maybe he was a little over the top or maybe I more than likely miss remembered. Honestly he was the only real weak point in that and the budget if the budget would have allowed Alton to film some outside scenes I think that that would have probably been hands down a classic.
That's the downside of getting older I miss remember things from time to time. And trying to bounce online to get an information with the crappy service that I've been getting from Cox Communications lately doesn't help. My internet's in and out three to four hours every day.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I guess I'll jump in for the rest of the month. Went through two of the Kino box sets over the last few days and once again there really wasn't a noir to be found outside of one.

The Fearmakers (1958) ***

This Cold War thriller is one that I've been aware of for decades now and I'm really not sure what took me so long to check it out since I'm a big fan of Jacques Tourneur and Dana Andrews. I was really impressed by this one and especially because you can tell that Tourneur believes all the warnings on display here and he just sells every scene. The entire movie is rather intense as we slowly start to learn what's going on. The performances were all very good with Andrews having no problem playing this beat up hero. I also liked Dick Foran in the role of the villain, although it seems many didn't.

The Boss (1956) ***

John Payne plays a man who gets out of WW1 only to get into politics after his brother's death. Before long he's letting the greed of power to take over. This here was extremely good and especially if you're a fan of Payne. This here is certainly one of the best performances I've seen from him and the make-up effects to make him look older were very good. I liked how this started during WW1 and then went to the stock market crash and then later.

Street of Chance (1944) ***

Burgess Meredith gets a bump on his head and it restores who he is but he also doesn't remember who he's been living as for the past year. This noir is actually pretty darn good for the first forty-minutes when we slowly learn why the Meredith character has people chasing him. I thought once the reveal happens the film became a bit too predictable but it was still fun. Meredith offers up a very good performance as does Sheldon Leonard. Claire Trevor steals the show however.

Enter Arsene Lupin (1944) **

Really Kino? A woman (Ella Raines) comes into possession of a priceless jewel, which puts her life in danger. Arsene Lupin (Charles Korvin) also gets interested in the woman and the jewel. This "B" picture was apparently meant to kick off a new series but that didn't happen. The biggest problem is that the story is rather bland and the direction is pretty forgettable. I thought Korvin was good in his role and J. Carrol Naish was also fun as the French officer. There's one great sequence where Lupin attempts to get the officer arrested but that's about it.

Temptation (1946) ** 1/2

Merle Oberon marries George Brent but soon she is seduced by Charles Korvin and he talks her into killing her husband. This is pretty much a costume drama that throws a bit of noir in at the very end. I thought the performances were wonderful and especially Oberon who really delivers in her erotic approach to the material. The biggest problem is that director Irving Pichel does very little so we've got a flat story without any sort of tension.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Through November 12th, I've watched 30 film noirs and each of them were first time viewings. I can quit the challenge now, but I'll continue to watch more noirs as the month continues on. See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings!

11-12-22

27) 11-12-22 "Dancing with Crime" (1947) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
After London cabdriver Ted Peters/Attenborough finds his boyhood and army pal Dave Robinson murdered in the back of his cab, Ted/Attenborough and girlfriend Joy Goodall/Sim, impatient with with Scotland Yard's lack of success in solving the murder, decide to do their own investigation. Therefore, places themselves in danger as they focus their attentions at a local dance club as they get targeted by that black marketing gang that killed Robinson. I enjoyed this film with Attenborough and Sim playing a couple when they were actually married in real life too. Some comic, but also brutal moments in the film as the body count does start to climb a bit. Another good Brit crime film!


28) 11-12-22 "The Green Cockatoo" (1937) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
This Brit movie was filmed in 1937, but wasn't released until 1940. It's directed by American William Cameron Menzies and is considered the first UK noir. A young woman/Rene Ray from a small country town arrives in London to seek work and before she knows it, becomes the chief suspect to a murder that she didn't committed when Dave Connor/Robert Newton is killed and dies in her arms after double-crossing the Terrell gang in a fixed dog racing scheme. Before dying, he tells Ray to go to "The Green Cockatoo" club where Connor's brother Jim/John Mills works as an entertainer. Soon, the both of them are on the run from the cops and the Terrell gang. I expected more from this movie because the screenplay was derived from a story written by Graham Greene. Instead, the movie's dialogue comes off as a cheap imitation of an American crime movie. It's not a bad movie, but I expected better than just being an average film.

29) 11-12-22 "A Life at Stake" (1955) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
Debt-ridden developer Edward Shaw/Andes is lured by femme fatale Doris Hillman/Lansbury into what he believes at first will be a lucrative home development project. However, when Doris and her husband, Augustus/Douglass Dumbrille, insist he takes out a massive life insurance policy in their favor, a red flag goes up. He then finds out from Doris's younger sister, Madge/Claudia Barrett that Doris's first husband and Augustus's business partner died in an automotive accident after taking out a similar life insurance policy. Scared, Shaw goes to the police and insurance company for help, but gets very little of it from either entity. So, he and Madge tries to pit Doris against Augustus in a scheme that backfires which leads to an interesting ending that I kind of expected would happen. IMO, I think Lansbury was miscast in this film and there are a couple of plot points that are inconceivable, but overall, I thought it was a fairly entertaining mid-1950s film noir. I will listen to the audio commentary the next time I watch 2021 Blu-ray released by The Film Detective.

30) 11-12-22 "Highway Dragnet" (1954) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
Accused in Las Vegas by Lt. Joe White Eagle/Reed Hadley of strangling a woman, demobilized Marine Jim Henry/Richard Conte escapes police custody and hitches a ride with widowed fashion photographer Mrs. Cummings/Joan Bennett and her young model, Susan Willis/Wanda Hendrix. In due time, the two women discover Jim is wanted by the police, but for their own different reasons they don't hand him over to the police. The movie's script is full of plot holes and inconceivable coincidences that many people will have difficulty in accepting as being realistic. Thus, they would consider this a bad movie. They might have a point, but it's a bad film that I still found highly entertaining, as the film's climatic ending takes place at the Salton Sea.

 

[Suzanne.S]

OK. I'm off to a slow start, but at least it's a start.

I am approaching this a bit differently than I did Halloween. I was going for quantity there and I really felt like I should look at the extras and listen to the commentaries to get the most out of the experience. I am doing that now. And it is working out really well. I am not well versed in Film Noir and listening to the commentaries has been extremely helpful so far.

November 1, 2022
1. Murder, My Sweet (1944) Warner Bros. Film Noir Classic Collection DVD Box Set. First time viewing.
It took a bit to warm to Dick Powell as a tough guy as I was most familiar with him from his WB musicals. Once I got into it, I think that the tough persona is where he shines. He is a much better actor in this role than as a juvenile lead in a musical. Claire Trevor is marvelous as conniving Helen. She is bad and you can tell from her first introduction on screen.
I watched it again immediately with the commentary by Alain Silver. Fairly informative but not outstanding.

November 3, 2022
2. The Set-Up (1949) Warner Bros. Film Noir Classic Collection DVD Box Set. First time viewing.
I'll start by saying I really hate boxing, wrestling, fights or any of the violent sports. I don't enjoy watching them and I don't see the entertainment value in violence for the sake of violence. So I was not looking forward to this but I wanted to watch all the films in the box set and I have always seen great reviews of this title.

Wow! I was blown away. It was an incredible experience. The performances, particularly that of Robert Ryan were stellar. His optimism in the face of utter hopelessness is touching. Audrey Totter as his wife embodies that hopelessness and a yearning for a different and hopefully better life. However, to me, the most engrossing aspect of the film were the glimpses of the audience members during the fight scenes. This critique of the blood-thirsty nature of humans has stayed with me. The ending leaves one with more questions than answers for the lead couple. This was an excellent and thought-provoking movie.

I was not as impressed with the commentary on this disc. Robert Wise's comments are informative and insightful into his process for directing, but Martin Scorsese's comments often lapse into "when I made Raging Bull..." I expected more from Marty because he is so knowledgeable about film. He also stresses numerous times that it should be seen on a big screen in 35mm. Thank you Captain Obvious! That doesn't play well when you are watching a DVD at home.

I had a few days of drama taking care of my Mom while my sister is on vacation so I didn't get to watch anything for several days.

November 10, 2022
3. Gun Crazy (1950) Warner Bros. Film Noir Classic Collection DVD Box Set. First time viewing.
This is another film about which I had heard great things over the years. People were not exaggerating. This was a wonderful film. Definitely Bonnie & Clyde Lite. The performances by both Dall and Cummins were wonderful. Cummins, as Laurie is the embodiment of the femme fatale. She manipulates Bart into doing her bidding through her sexual hold on him even when he wants to resist. He knows at the end that there is only one way that they can escape this life. It is a fascinating look at a passionate yet dysfunctional relationship. I never once doubted their love for each other but it was killing them both.

The commentary by Glenn Erickson delves deeply into comparisons with the original source material and the finished film. It is interesting and informative.

November 10, 2022
4. Out of the Past (1947) Warner Bros. Film Noir Classic Collection DVD Box Set. First time viewing.
Another film that lives up to the hype. Mitchum is, in many ways, Film Noir. His Bailey/Markum is the man who tries to outrun the past but knows how hopeless that endeavor is. He is at times surprisingly slow on the uptake and at others just flat fatalistic. He knows that he is being led by his libido and doesn't care. Jane Greer is beautiful and alluring but vicious and ultimately deadly. She is a text-book sociopath with her utter lack of morals and inability to take responsibility for her actions. In his commentary, James Ursini makes a great argument for her to be seen as a feminist icon due to her willingness to take action and be decisive in an oppressive, patriarchal society. I just found her to be impulsive, evil and untrustworthy. Ursini's commentary is thoughtful and informative. It made me look at the film from a different perspective than my initial impression.

I am looking forward to seeing more and hopefully I will make it to 20 before the end. If I don't I do feel that I am getting more out of them by exploring the extras during the process.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings!

11-13-22

31) 11-13-22 "The Chase" (1946) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
A WWII veteran Chuck Scott/Robert Cummings down on his luck in Miami finds a wallet on the street. He takes the wallet to its owner, who proves to be a "narcissistic sociopath" hoodlum Eddy Roman nicely played by Steve Cochran. Roman hires Scott as a chauffeur. Soon, we're introduced to Roman's wife Lorna/Michele Morgan. To say the wife is being abused by her husband is quite an understatement. Anyhow, she begs Scott to help her escape from her situation and he agrees. From there, the entire movies turns murky with reality and dream sequences mixed in that leads to an ending that some might find satisfying, while others will have some questions about certain coincidences moving the film to its final conclusion. Peter Lorre has a significant role in the film as Roman's henchman. As always, he's very good. I think Morgan was kind of wasted in this film as the abused wife. Cummings was okay, but he's not a great actor and I think somebody like Robert Mitchum could have done a much better job as Chuck Scott. This film was considered lost to public domain as no good home video release existed until it was restored by UCLA's Film and Television Archive back in 2012. Kino released it on Blu-ray back in 2016, that I never got around to watching until today.

32) 11-13-22 "Tension" (1949) (DVD) 4/5 Stars
After 31 first time viewings, I finally watched my first movie that I've seen beforehand, "Tension" (1949) which was the TCM's "Noir Alley" movie for the second time this weekend. It first was shown by Eddie Muller back in 2017, when it was one of the first "Noir Alley" movies. Anyhow, I viewed it today on DVD from Warner that they released as part of the 2007 "Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 4" DVD box set. I listened to the audio commentary by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward with some audio excerpts from Audrey Totter. Totter's comments were very limited as she had to be in her mid-late 80s when she made those comments. After watching the DVD, I then listened to Eddie Muller's comments about the movie. I think the movie is on the TCM app until November 20th.

I always loved this movie because of the performance of Audrey Totter as one of best "femme fatales". Talk about a narcissistic personality on display and how she delivered her lines. Basehart is very good as the meek druggist, who devises an elaborate plan to murder his two-timing wife's lover. However, along the way, he meets another attractive woman played by Cyd Charisse, that restores his self confidence and thus, changes his mind about life in general as he realizes his cheating no-good wife is not worth murdering somebody for. Anyhow, a murder does occur and detectives Barry Sullivan and William Conrad are investigating the murder. IMO, this is an entertaining movie even with some implausible plot holes. However, the acting performances by the entire cast lifts this film over those issues. A really good film noir that I hope one day is released on Blu-ray, but I'm not holding my breath on it.

 

[John Stell]

Man, I would love to see Rogue Cop on Blu-ray from WAC. However, Eddie Muller keeps saying there is some kind of rights issue with that particular title.

FYI, I watched this on an Italian import DVD. The picture quality was good, much better than some of these foreign releases of old non-US-released American films look.

 

[John Stell]

Rating - Out of a possible 4

22) 11/13/2022 Gun Crazy (1950)

Recently released from reform school for trying to steal a gun, John Dahl attends a carnival show featuring sharp-shooter Peggy Cummins. Love blossoms, as does a crime spree. Dahl, willing to go along with various robberies, doesn't want to kill anyone; Cummins has no such reservations. Stylishly shot by director Joseph H. Lewis and his DP Russell Harlan, this low-budget effort has achieved quite a cult following. I saw it for the first time over 12 years ago and watching it again I remembered almost nothing about it, pretty much confirming my original impression that this a bit overrated. What I do really like about it is that even though Cummins is the quintessential femme fatale, she does seem to genuinely love Dahl, as opposed to just using him to get what she wants. Dahl though does better at playing thoroughly despicable characters (see his great work in Rope) as opposed to conflicted ones. Here he's asked to play what might be termed a Jekyll/Hyde type villain. But the psychological struggle isn't that convincing. Still, a solid noir with sweet-voiced Cummins proving a most lethal partner in crime.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings!

11-14-22

33) 11-14-22 "A Woman's Devotion" (1956) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
An American artist Trevor Stevenson/Ralph Meeker, in Acapulco with his young wife Stella/Janice Rule, is still traumatized by his wartime experiences in which he was a highly decorated. When a waitress is found strangled to death, the evidence points at Stevenson who was the last to see her as she pose for sketching. Leading the murder investigation is Capt. Monteros/Henreid. Stevenson is questioned by Monteros regarding his interactions with the waitress. Instead of telling the complete truth to Montero, Stevenson lies about not going to the murder victim's home and from there he's being blackmailed by the dead woman's husband and his lover, who works as a housekeeper at the boardinghouse the couple is staying at. Of course, another murder takes place as Stevenson has bouts of amnesia due to his battle fatigue. An interesting melodrama and mystery unfolds throughout this 1956 film that was also directed by Paul Henreid. This was my first viewing of this movie from watching 2018 Kino Blu-ray.

34) 11-14-22 " Pool of London" (1951) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
I've been meaning to watch this movie for a very long time. This morning that finally happen as I viewed the 2020 Kino Blu-ray. It's a ground-breaking Brit film as it's the first movie to have a brief interracial romance between Johnny Lambert/Earl Cameron, a Jamaican, and a young white woman played by Pat/Susan Shaw. IMO, it's not really a romance, but a friendship that never materialize into a definite relationship between the young couple. Anyhow, Dan MacDonald/Bonar Colleano and his buddy Johnny are merchant seamen on the ship Dunbar. They're in London for a weekend before sailing again. Dan is into smuggling items like cigarettes and stockings. He's asked to smuggle a small package back onto his ship to be delivered to a place in Rotterdam. Unbeknownst to him, that small package he's being asked to smuggle aboard his ship contains stolen diamonds from a heist gone bad when a guard was killed. Needless to say, there is a police dragnet for the criminals and the stolen merchandise. The film is a product of its time as it does tackle the overt racism on display in London during the early 1950s. A really good film with some great London location filming!

 

[Robert Crawford]

FYI, I watched this on an Italian import DVD. The picture quality was good, much better than some of these foreign releases of old non-US-released American films look.

I have no interest in that DVD because it's a bootleg.

 

[HawksFord]

We’re getting a late start on Noirvember and I don’t know that we’ll be able to see many noir titles this month, but we did work our way through Kino Lorber’s Dark Side of Cinema VII. This set focuses on political corruption. None of these are classics and each has significant weaknesses, but all are worth watching at least once.

1
The Boss (1956) NEW — John Payne plays a World War I veteran who takes over his brother’s political machine in this story inspired by the Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast. I didn’t care for the choices made here in how to portray the main character. Payne rages as he seeks to gain more and more power, but there’s no depth of character. The commentary by Alan K. Rode does a good job of putting the film into a historical context.
(out of 5)

2
Chicago Confidential (1957) NEW — Brian Keith plays a U.S. attorney investigating murder and mob involvement in a labor union. Beverly Garland and Elisha Cook Jr. also appear. The film moves along briskly, but is hampered by the fact that both Keith and the mob are remarkably dumb. It’s hard to believe that people in their positions would make the choices they do. Maybe that’s because the film clocks in at only 78 minutes and doesn’t have much time for complexity.


3
The Fearmakers (1958) — Four years before The Manchurian Candidate, Dana Andrews plays a brainwashed Korean War POW returning to civilian life. A public relations expert, Andrews finds the polling firm he co-founded is now in the hands of Dick Foran (also in Chicago Confidential). It’s heavy-handed and very much a product of the time in which it was made, but it’s also a compelling story. This was our favorite of the three. There’s an excellent commentary by Jason A. Ney.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Bury Me Dead (1947) ** 1/2

Barbara (June Lockhart) shows up at her own funeral and then sets out to try and find out who wanted her dead and whose body is in the coffin. The film's premise is excellent and things get out to a good start but things slowly start fo fall apart as it plays out. The flashbacks really didn't help the story and the sluggish direction really doesn't help. Lockhart and Hugh Beaumont are very good in their roles but sadly they just didn't have a great screenplay to work with. John Alton's cinematography steals the picture.

The Chase (1946) ***

Robert Cummings gets a job working for a bad guy (Steve Cochran) with a wife (Michelle Morgan) who wants to get away. This is a pretty unique noir since it deals with not only reality but also dreams and the mental state of the main character. I won't reveal the various twists but I thought they were quite good and the director manages to bring some nice tension to things. The B&W cinematography was wonderful and we get three very good performances from the leads and then you've got Peter Lorre playing a bad guy like no one else could.

Force of Evil (1948) *** 1/2

John Garfield plays a lawyer who decides to cross the line and work with a gangster in the numbers racket. The New York City locations are terrific and the screenplay is really good. I think it's fair to say that this film had an influence on the work of Martin Scorsese but there are also elements here that would be seen in ON THE WATERFRONT. Garfield is so damn wonderful here as is Thomas Gomez who plays his brother. Their relationship is so detailed and believable and, again, you have to think it influenced WATERFRONT and even RAGING BULL. The message of the film is quite clear and the ending packs a nice little punch.

 

[Wayne_j]

5) Vertigo (1958) UHD Blu
A unhappily married man hires an old acquaintance ( James Stewart) to follow a doppelganger of his wife (Kim Novak) to provide a basis for thinking the future murder of his wife is a suicide.

Not one of my favorite Hitchcock films but still good. I prefer both Strangers on a Train and Shadow of a Doubt which I intend to watch later this month. And what was up with that tombstone? Just the first name Madeline with no last name and the only additional information being that she was the wife of some guy. Not even a birth or death date.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings!

11-14-22

35) 11-14-22 "Kid Glove Killer" (1942) (DVD) 3/5 Stars
On Monday night, I was in the mood to revisit a couple of MGM "B" noirs that starred Van Heflin. Both films were released in 1942, during the spring of that year. The first movie was "Kid Glove Killer" which was Fred Zinnemann's first Hollywood directed film. I've been meaning to watch this movie ever since Marsha Hunt died several weeks ago. Anyhow, I think this was the first Hollywood movie to use forensics as a police investigation tool. Heflin plays the head of the police forensics trying to solve the murders of the mayor and district attorney. Hunt plays his assistant and possible romantic partner. Mob-connected attorney Jerry Ladimer/Lee Bowman is a friend of Heflin while romantically pursuing Hunt. An innocent man is being fingered for the mayor's death, but luckily for him, he has Heflin using scientific means to determine the real murderer. A nice little movie that was shot in less than four weeks in December, 1941, and released the following April.

36) 11-14-22 "Grand Central Murder" (1942) (DVD) 3/5 Stars
This second MGM "B" movie starring Van Heflin was released about a month or so after "Kid Glove Killer" in May, 1942. What I like about his movie is the impressive cast of actors in it. Along with Heflin, we got Sam Levene, Virginia Grey, Samuel Hines, Tom Conway, Stephen McNally, Millard Mitchell, Roman Bohnen, Frank Ferguson and Cecilia Parker. The movie evolves around a floozy entertainer murdered in a rail car at Grand Central Station. The police have plenty of suspects as the murdered victim had her share of enemies wanting her dead. Heflin plays a private detective involved in the investigation along with his wife, Grey while Levene plays his usual role as the police inspector investigating the murder of this gold digging entertainer that pissed off the wrong person.

 

[HawksFord]

4
Tension (1949) NEW — We watched the Noir Alley airing on the DVR. This one was really good and I thought Eddie Muller undersold the film in his comments. Richard Basehart’s wife, Audrey Totter, is running around with another man and he decides to take revenge. Noirish complications ensue. Great fun.

 

[John Stell]

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing

Rating - Out of a possible 4

23) 11/13/2022 Murder, My Sweet (1944)

In hopes of changing his image as strictly a song and dance man, musical star Dick Powell campaigned for and won the role of Philip Marlowe, tough guy private eye, in this fine version of Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely. Marlowe is first hired by thug Moose Malloy, recently finished serving an 8-year stretch, now looking for his old girlfriend Velma. The next day Marlowe's hired by slippery Lindsay Marriott to accompany him on a payoff for some stolen jewels. Marlowe gets slugged, Marriott gets dead, Moose still wants his Velma, and now Marlowe's a murder suspect. Claire Trevor is the woman whose jewels were stolen and who knows some nasty people. Powell gets his butt kicked now and again but remains resilient. There's some dazzling work here from director Edward Dmytryk, especially that nightmare sequence. But I still prefer Bogart's Marlowe even though Chandler himself preferred Powell's.

24) 11/14/2022 The 13th Letter (1951) 1/2

In a small Canadian town someone is sending poison pen letters to various residents, seemingly aimed at discrediting doctor Michael Rennie, who may or may not be having an affair with Constance Smith, wife of Charles Boyer, a fellow medico. Eventually tragedy strikes and the authorities are now determined to discover the identity of the writer. Louis Chavance's story Le Corbeau was better realized by director Henri-Georges Clouzot in the 1943 film bearing the original story's title. Director Otto Preminger doesn't truly capture the mounting tension or suspense. But Boyer is terrific as the robust, charming Dr. Laurent, and the story itself is so intriguing that the viewer is going to have no choice but to stick around for the denouement.

25) 11/14/2022 The Other Woman (1954)

Wacko model Cleo Moore blows her chance at an acting debut, and decides it was all director Hugo Haas' fault. So she plots her revenge by setting him up for blackmail. But Haas may not be the easy target she thinks he is. I believe this is my first exposure to actor-writer-producer-director Hugo Haas, who seems loathed by some (Leonard Maltin's classic movie guide rates this a BOMB) and admired by others. I thought this was OK. Nothing really new here, and I wanted a better ending, perhaps with an original twist. But having all of this take place in the world of low-budget filmmaking, with Haas doing battle with his father-in-law, a once successful director, gave the film an interesting backdrop. Moore is fine, if one-dimensional, as the femme fatale. Ultimately though this is pretty standard, predictable fare.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I started Something Weird Video's "Weird Noir" collection about seven years ago but never finished it so that's my goal now.

The Naked Road (1959) *

Model Gay Andrews (Jeanne Rainer) is out with her married boyfriend when he is pulled over for speeding. They wind up at the Justice of Peace where she's eventually picked up by a man who decides to turn her into a prostitute. I must admit that I sometimes go on Letterboxd and see **** or ***** star reviews and then watch the film and immediately want to go ask those folks what they saw. I really don't understand how anyone could enjoy this film, which is basically an exploitation film with some noir elements thrown in. The performances are awful, the direction even worse and the majority of the running time just has people talking in the same location. It really does seem like the director yelled action and then just let the actors go until the film ran out. Several goofs happen throughout.

Fallguy (1962) **

Teenager Sonny (Ed Dugan) witnesses a car crash so he stops to help the man not realizing that the crash was a murder attempt. Soon the teenager is brought into the crime and is about to be made the fall guy. The horror genre allows for no-budget movies where the director is just clearly trying to make some money. The end results are often awful and the director doesn't make another film. Well, the director here never made another film but he at least made a decent picture. The biggest issue is that the story isn't that original and there's nothing fresh done with it. At just 61-minutes it goes by well enough but there's just nothing too special here.