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What is it about the dark worldview -- rainy nights, unfamiliar and unfriendly streets, shady grifters and duplicitous dames – that archetypal film noir milieu that fascinates us so? The plight of an Everyman (or woman) sucked into a whirlpool of dismal circumstance beyond his control – these scenarios hold us spellbound. Are we watching as voyeurs, glad to see someone else with worse luck than our own? Or are we hoping to find a key to dealing with our own existential plight that may not be as violent or as dramatic but nevertheless just as traumatizing? All one has to do is listen to the news to see very plainly that, hey, it’s a noir world, baby! Today, with unparalleled global access through the Internet, we witness it on a worldwide scale. To help you chart your path through a perilously dark universe, we’ve assembled another grand gathering of noir gems, starring an array of iconic noir role models, including Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lorre, Barbara Stanwyck, Steve Cochran, Ida Lupino, Edward G. Robinson, Dana Andrews, Richard Widmark and more! A few of these classics are encore presentations (DESERT FURY, WICKED WOMAN, STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR, TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY, HIGHWAY 301). But the majority are masterpieces we’ve never shown before, including popular favorites DEAD RECKONING, SORRY WRONG NUMBER, BOOMERANG, NORA PRENTISS and NIGHT AND THE CITY. We’ll also be screening such ultra-rare titles as the Dick Powell double shot of CORNERED and TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, the James Mason bill of Carol Reed’s THE MAN BETWEEN and ONE WAY STREET, plus HELL’S FIVE HOURS, CRY OF THE HUNTED, LURE OF THE SWAMP, THE RED HOUSE, Richard Fleischer’s THE CLAY PIGEON and Don Siegel’s COUNT THE HOURS. There’ll be brand new 35mm prints, as well, of such rarities as NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES, THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK, THE STORY OF MOLLY X and WOMAN IN HIDING, many of these struck at the enthusiastic urging of The Film Noir Foundation. And the vast majority? Yes, still not on DVD! Last but not least, Noir City bon vivant and co-programmer Eddie Muller will be presenting the L.A. Premiere of his directorial debut, the stunning, suspenseful short film "The Grand Inquisitor," with 90-year-old star (and noir icon) Marsha Hunt (RAW DEAL) in attendance! Starting the first week, hosted by Alan K. Rode and Chris D with Eddie Muller joining us for the second and third weekends. Don’t miss this series, one of our best yet!

Thursday, April 3 – 7:30 PM

Lizabeth Scott Double Feature:

DESERT FURY, 1947, Universal, 96 min. Dir. Lewis Allen. Lizabeth Scott (PITFALL) in Technicolor glory -- swirls of yellow hair, emerald eyes, fire-engine red lips -- is truly something to behold, but she’s only one of the over-the-top treats in this very strange crime drama. Mary Astor (THE MALTESE FALCON) seems a bit too enamored of her own daughter (Liz), Wendell Corey is murderously miffed at being tossed aside by partner-in-crime John Hodiak, and beefcake lawman Burt Lancaster seems oblivious to the mix-and-match sexuality surging around him. DESERT FURY is absolutely saturated -- incredibly lush colors, fast and furious dialogue dripping with innuendo, double entendres, dark secrets, outraged face-slappings, overwrought Miklos Rozsa violins. This is Hollywood at its most gloriously berserk. NOT ON DVD

DEAD RECKONING, 1947, Sony Repertory, 100 min. Dir. John Cromwell (CAGED). "He Doesn't Trust Anyone…especially Women!" Colonel Humphrey Bogart knows something’s fishy when his best friend, Sergeant Johnny Drake (William Prince), jumps off his train rather than continue on his way to receive a much-publicized Medal of Honor. Bogart follows his trail to southern Gulf City, only to find his pal burnt to a crisp on a morgue slab. Things can only go downhill from there. Before long, other bodies pile up, and Bogart does some fancy footwork to keep out of a murder frame. The twisted clues lead to Johnny’s bewitching sweetheart Cora (Lizabeth Scott), smooth casino operator Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky) and sadistic thug Krause (Marvin Miller). A passel of contradictory stories point to a number of guilty parties, and Bogart has to think fast to figure out who he can trust -- or he may end up like his dead buddy. "Excellent hardboiled shenanigans…highly enjoyable…" –Time Out: New York

Friday, April 4 – 7:30 PM

Dick Powell Double Feature

CORNERED, 1945, Warner Bros., 102 min. Completing the thespian metamorphosis from song-and-dance man to film noir protagonist that began with MURDER, MY SWEET, Dick Powell stars in this post-war tale of a demobilized Canadian flyer seeking the collaborator who killed his French wife. Traversing a blind alley from Paris to Buenos Aires while hot on the trail of the elusive Marcel Jamac (Luther Adler), Powell contends with the sinister bulk of Walter Slezak, and the elegant cool of Morris Carnovsky while being alternately soothed by Micheline Cheirel and menaced by Jack La Rue. Directed and produced by Edward Dmytryk and Adrian Scott before both men were frog-marched to Washington and blacklisted, this rarely seen picture remains a visual feast for noir aficionados. NOT ON DVD

Saturday, April 5 – 7:30 PM

Barbara Stanwyck Double Feature:

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER, 1948, Paramount, 89 min. Dir. Anatole Litvak (DECISION BEFORE DAWN; THE SNAKE PIT). Writer Lucille Fletcher adapted her own mega-hit radio play to the big screen, with Barbara Stanwyck as the emotionally crippled, bedridden heiress who overhears a murder plot on a crossed phone connection. As she tries to get someone, anyone, to take her fears seriously, Stanwyck gradually realizes she may be the intended victim. Who could want her dead? Why can’t she get in touch with her husband (Burt Lancaster), who works for her wealthy father? Could it be spouse Lancaster plotting against her? Or someone else? Expert director Litvak gets the most out of his enclosed set, making unobtrusive use of flashbacks to briefly take us out of Stanwyck’s lavish bedroom – what amounts to a luxurious prison where she waits for her appointment with the Grim Reaper. The suspense builds to a shattering conclusion. With Wendell Corey, Ann Richards, Leif Erickson, Ed Begley.

Sunday, April 6 – 7:30 PM

Rare! WICKED WOMAN, 1954, MGM Repertory, 77 min. Dir. Russell Rouse (THE OSCAR; THE WELL). In this racy little B-movie, scarlet woman Beverly Michaels (PICKUP) cons saloon owner Richard Egan (SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE) into bilking his boozy wife out of her dough, then toys with the affections of slavering devotée Percy Helton. But she plans on dumping them both and leaving a dust trail to Mexico. Michaels was definitely director Rouse’s kind of woman: they married after making this picture -- an extra twist to this juicy noir. "…well-drawn characters, surprisingly salacious moments, and a sympathetic performance by hardboiled B-movie queen Beverly Michaels…provides many unexpected pleasures…the film is well-made enough to raise a few eyebrows today…" TV Guide NOT ON DVD

Ultra-Rare! New 35mm Print! THE STORY OF MOLLY X, 1949, Universal, 82 min. Writer-director Crane Wilbur (CANON CITY; OUTSIDE THE WALL) had an obsession with prison stories, but this ultra-rarity has a twist: The protagonist is a brass-knuckled dame (June Havoc) who takes over her boyfriend's Frisco gang when he's killed. After murdering the culprit in cold blood, she winds up in women's prison -- and you know what happens in those places. Part melodrama, part documentary look inside the Women's Correctional Institution at Tehachapi, this shot-on-location drama is also notable for its frank take on sexual abuse leading to a life of crime. Presented in a brand-new 35mm print courtesy of Universal Pictures! NOT ON DVD

Thursday, April 10 – 7:30 PM

Rare! THE MAN BETWEEN, 1953, Paramount, 100 min. Director Carol Reed’s underrated, shot-on-location post-WWII Berlin thriller was unfairly compared to his masterpiece THE THIRD MAN on its initial release. But it’s a different kind of crime story altogether, much closer to Reed’s ODD MAN OUT in style and spirit. Naïve Claire Bloom arrives in a newly divided Berlin to visit her doctor brother (Geoffrey Toone), but immediately senses underlying conflict from German sis-in-law Hildegarde Neff and Neff’s strange relationship with cynical former lawyer James Mason. Soon shady Mason is caught in the middle when his Commie business associates plot to put a permanent stop to the outflow of smuggled East Germans making it into the West. When they kidnap smitten Bloom, Mason has to decide where his true loyalties lie, and a deadly game of nerve-jangling cat-and-mouse begins. NOT ON DVD

Rare! ONE WAY STREET, 1950, Universal, 79 min. Dir. Hugo Fregonese (BLACK TUESDAY). Even though he had just started his American career, James Mason already had his doomed-fugitive persona down pat. From Carol Reed’s ODD MAN OUT (1947) through Max Ophuls’ THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1949), with the lift of an eyebrow or a barely perceptible change in voice inflection, Mason could convey a whole history of loneliness and emotional pain hidden behind a cultured, dignified front. Here he’s a disillusioned doctor who feels responsible for his wife’s death and believes he’s only worthy of patching up wounded criminals. Deciding to take a gamble, he tricks Los Angeles gang boss Dan Duryea out of his latest haul, as well as absconding with Duryea’s more than willing moll, Marta Toren. The pair head for Mexico with the swag – but can they outrun Duryea’s seemingly limitless reach? With William Conrad, Jack Elam. NOT ON DVD

Friday, April 11 – 7:30 PM

Ultra-Rare! HELL’S FIVE HOURS, 1958, Paramount, 73 min. Dir. Jack L. Copeland. Vic Morrow (THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE), with a performance seemingly inspired from the bowels of a trailer park in a "Cops" rerun, goes maniacally postal on his ex-employer, a missile base that he intends to blow to kingdom come! The maddened Morrow pauses long enough to shanghai one of the original Dark City Dames, Coleen Gray, to make his resignation statement particularly deadly. Co-starring Stephen McNally, as Gray’s understandably concerned mate, and the ubiquitous Robert Foulk, this gut-check suspenser hasn’t been screened theatrically since the Earth cooled and is an emblematic example of the new veins of noir being jointly mined by the American Cinematheque and the Film Noir Foundation. A leading candidate as this year’s festival sleeper. Don’t miss it! NOT ON DVD

Rare! New 35mm Print! THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR, 1955, Sony Repertory, 86 min. "Three young, empty-eyed killers, without mercy or morals, turn a private home into a house of horror!" Director Andrew L. Stone (THE LAST VOYAGE) was known for his vivid re-creations of both fictional and true-life stories, and here he pulls out all the stops, as usual, with stunning, down-and-dirty on-location shooting. John Cassavetes and Vince Edwards effortlessly project a Charlie Starkweather-type menace as part of a trio holding middle-class, average American Jack Kelly (Bart in the original "Maverick" TV series) and his family hostage in their suburban home. Based on a real-life hostage story that took place in 1953, the actual kidnappers were angry at the film’s depiction of their exploits because it ruined their chance for an appeal! NOT ON DVD Discussion in between films with actress Coleen Gray (HELL’S FIVE HOURS).

Saturday, April 12 – 7:30 PM

Peter Lorre Double Feature:

STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR, 1940, Warner Bros., 64 min. Dir. Boris Ingster. A newspaper reporter (John McGuire) plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death. A stunning example of cinematic expressionism, cited by many as the first studio film shot in a completely noir style. Peter Lorre virtually reprises the eerily convincing persona he created in Fritz Lang’s M, adding an emotion-wringing melancholia to his performance as a paranoid, lost soul. Featuring the astounding art direction of Van Nest Polglase and the brilliant cinematography of Nicholas Musuraca, as well as reportedly uncredited script work by Nathanael West (The Day of the Locust)! With Margaret Tallichet, Elisha Cook Jr. NOT ON DVD

Rare! New 35mm Print! THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK, 1941, Sony Repertory, 69 min. Dir. Robert Florey. "What fiendish fury turns man into monster?" Peter Lorre gives one of his most affecting performances as an immigrant watchmaker, horribly disfigured in a fire, whose despair and alienation lead him into a life of crime. A friendship with a young blind woman (Evelyn Keyes) offers him a shot at love and redemption. But … this is a noir film festival. An amazing blend of brutally efficient pulp theatrics and genuine pathos makes this one of Lorre's most unforgettable films. Presented in a brand-new 35mm print courtesy of Sony Repertory. NOT ON DVD

Plus, preceding the features, Eddie Muller’s short film directorial debut: "The Grand Inquisitor" (2008, 20 min.) Legendary blacklisted Hollywood actress Marsha Hunt, 90, makes a stunning return to the screen in this haunting short film that writer-director Eddie Muller describes as "a noir fairy tale, based on actual events." A young woman (Leah Dashe) discovers a cache of used books that she believes holds clues to solving decades-old crimes. When the authorities dismiss her, she takes matters into her own hands, ringing the doorbell of Hazel Reedy (Hunt), a lonely recluse who may or may not be the widow of America's most notorious serial killer. Their cross-generational confrontation, played out in real time, leads to an unexpected and shocking conclusion. Adapted from Eddie Muller's short story of the same name, published in A Hell of a Woman: An Anthology of Female Noir (Busted Flush Press, 2007). Discussion following "The Grand Inquisitor" and before the feature films with actress Marsha Hunt.

Sunday, April 13 – 7:00 PM [Spielberg Theatre]

Sunday, April 13 – 7:30 PM

Ultra-Rare! CRY OF THE HUNTED, 1953, Warner Bros., 80 min. GUN CRAZY director Joseph H. Lewis follows obsessed prison security man Barry Sullivan (TENSION; THE GANGSTER), abetted by evil-tempered deputy William Conrad, as they plunge into the Louisiana bayou hunting fugitive Vittorio Gassman. Although neither can admit it, Sullivan and Gassman share many of the same inflexible ideas about personal pride and honor, and their fiery personalities suck them ever deeper into a vortex of brutality. With Polly Bergen (CAPE FEAR) as Sullivan’s long-suffering wife. "…an engagingly taut affair, its various visual flourishes climaxing in a characteristically atmospheric swamp shoot-out…highly enjoyable." –Time Out London NOT ON DVD

Ultra-Rare! LURE OF THE SWAMP, 1957, Paramount, 75 min. "Destination... HELL! Greed led them into the misty depths of a strange land!" Comparatively unknown pulp novelist Gil Brewer, (The Vengeful Virgin; Wild to Possess) had a rep during the 50’s for some of the most nihilistic, sex-driven, ultra-violent fiction this side of Jim Thompson. Director Hubert Cornfield (NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY) helmed this hard-to-see, low-budget adaptation of one of Brewer’s steamy, noir bestsellers. Marshall Thompson (IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE) charters his skiff for jaunts into the swamp, and his curiosity is aroused when his newest client is unusually secretive. After the man turns up dead the next day, Thompson learns he was a bank robber – and the loot is missing! Our hero has an idea where the plunder is stashed, but is conflicted whether to keep it or give it up. Unfortunately for him, avaricious swamp vixen Joan Vohs (CRY VENGEANCE) gets stirred into the mix. With tough-guy veterans Jack Elam and Leo Gordon (RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11). NOT ON DVD

Thursday, April 17 – 7:30 PM

Ultra-Rare! TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY, 1951, Warner Bros., 90 min. Handsome Steve Cochran with the perpetual 5 o’clock shadow-racked up a slew of noir credits before his premature death in 1965, including WHITE HEAT, PRIVATE HELL 36 and THE DAMNED DON’T CRY. Here, he’s an ex-con who’s never been with a woman. Ruth Roman (STRANGERS ON A TRAIN) is a dime-a-dance dame with no use for sappy men. A hotel room, a dirty cop, a gunshot -- the perfect jumpstartfor a fugitives-on-the-run love story. This virtually unknown noir is director Felix Feist’s masterwork, packed with revelatory set-pieces. Feist also helmed the legendary THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE, and this hard-luck saga more than matches DEVIL’s twisted pyrotechnics. Cochran was never more vulnerable, Roman never sexier. Imagine GUN CRAZY scripted by Steinbeck -- it’s that good. NOT ON DVD

Rare! HIGHWAY 301, 1950, Warner Bros., 83 min. Director Andrew L. Stone (CRY TERROR!) was known primarily for musicals (including the pioneering black showcase STORMY WEATHER with Lena Horne) before suddenly switching to a solid decade of hardboiled yarns shot largely on authentic locations. This was the first in that vein, and one of the best. Steve Cochran is among our favorite noir tough guys -- here he's a cold-blooded outlaw leading the "Tri-State Gang" on a robbery and murder spree. The film combines the popular early-1950’s "documentary" approach with flashes of wildly stylized and (for the time) graphic violence. With Virginia Grey (THE THREAT), Gaby Andre and Robert Webber (12 ANGRY MEN) in his feature film debut. NOT ON DVD

Friday, April 18 – 7:30 PM

Rare! New 35mm Print! NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES, 1948, Universal, 81 min. "This gift, which I never asked for and don’t understand, has brought me only unhappiness!" A lost noir returns to the big screen! Edward G. Robinson gives a doom-laden performance as a bogus carnival "mentalist" who becomes cursed with the ability to actually see into the future. John Farrow, a director at his most stylish in noir terrain, adapts from the novel by master of suspense Cornell Woolrich (REAR WINDOW). Co-starring Gail Russell (THE UNINVITED) and John Lund (NO MAN OF HER OWN), and featuring gorgeous camerawork from John Seitz (DOUBLE INDEMNITY). Universal Pictures struck this brand-new 35mm print exclusively for Noir City! "This nifty little B-thriller…packs a powerful wallop, offering plenty of suspense and tension …John Seitz’s stark B&W cinematography adds to the rich atmosphere of the tale..." – FilmFanatic.org NOT ON DVD

Rare! THE RED HOUSE, 1947, 100 min. Dir. Delmer Daves. "What I cannot have…I’ll destroy!" One of the most haunting American Gothic films ever made. A strange brother and sister (Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson) raise a foster daughter on their remote farm and always tell her not to go into the woods…ever. Beautifully written and directed by Delmer Daves (helmer of DARK PASSAGE and the original 3:10 TO YUMA) with a compelling score by the great Miklos Rozsa. Co-starring Rory Calhoun, Julie London, Allene Roberts, Lon McCallister, Ona Munson. This rare gem has not been screened theatrically for decades! Don’t miss this one, but please, don’t come and watch THE RED HOUSE by yourself!

Saturday, April 19 – 7:30 PM

Unjustly Accused? Double Feature:

BOOMERANG!, 1947, 20th Century Fox, 88 min. District Attorney Dana Andrews thinks he’s got an open-and-shut case on a beloved Catholic priest’s murder, with all but certain guilt hanging over the head of down-on-his-luck ex-GI Arthur Kennedy. But when Andrews looks more closely at the evidence, he begins to have his doubts. Tough, honest cop Lee J. Cobb, as well as public opinion and the town’s good-ol’- boy political machine, want a guaranteed guilty verdict. Andrews soon learns that not only his job but his family’s reputation will be dragged through the mud if he doesn’t ram through the expected conviction. Director Elia Kazan’s chops with actors were already expert in this early stage of his career, and he coaxes fierce performances from the whole cast, including Ed Begley (ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW) as a frantic real estate developer with a huge stake in the next mayoral election. With Karl Malden, Sam Levene, Jane Wyatt. "BOOMERANG! is a gripping, real-life melodrama, told in semi-documentary style. Lensing was done on location at Stamford, Conn. the locale adding to realism. Based on a still unsolved murder case in Bridgeport, Conn. plot is backed up with strong cast." – Variety NOT ON DVD

Sunday, April 20 – 7:30 PM

Rare! THE CLAY PIGEON, 1949, Warner Bros., 63 min. Amnesia, treason and murder are nicely dished up at a breakneck pace by ace director Richard Fleischer (THE NARROW MARGIN). One of the most striking of the RKO "B" noirs stars the real-life husband and wife duo of Bill Williams and Barbara Hale along with Richard Loo and Martha Hyer, with an original screenplay by the great Carl Foreman (HIGH NOON). Don’t miss this seldom-screened programmer that combines classic noir with WWII propaganda amid period L.A. location photography. Williams portrays a returning, memory-challenged POW on the run, charged with being a turncoat. Co-star Richard Quine, who plays another POW survivor, became a director in the 1950s, making such films as noir PUSHOVER and comedies BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE and HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE. NOT ON DVD

NORA PRENTISS, 1947, Warner Bros., 111 min. Dir. Vincent Sherman (THE DAMNED DON’T CRY) "A mouth like hers was for kissing, not telling!" Inspired by the success of MILDRED PIERCE, Warner Bros. gave the full noir makeover to "Oomph Girl" Ann Sheridan, darkening her breezy image by casting her as a San Francisco chanteuse who, through no fault of her own, has a knack for destroying the men who fall in love with her. Kent Smith (CAT PEOPLE) gives his finest performance as the good doctor who throws away his life for the woman of his dreams. One of director Sherman's most memorable melodramas, screenwriter N. Richard Nash and story writers Paul Webster and Jack Sobell supply a scenario worthy of David Goodis -- perhaps one of the most bleak, subversive views of middle-class values to ever come out of a major studio in the 1940s. With Bruce Bennett, Rosemary DeCamp, Robert Alda. NOT ON DVD Discussion in between films with actress Barbara Hale (THE CLAY PIGEON).

Thursday, April 24 – 7:30 PM