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<<< April 3 - 20, 2008
>>> |
Return to Noir City: The 10th
Annual Festival of Film Noir Presented in
association with The Film Noir Foundation
This series is an Egyptian Theatre exclusive!

Special Membership Offer when you Join as a New Member during Film Noir!
Watch NBC News at 5:45 PM tonight on for
an interview with Alan K. Rode launching our Film NoirFestival!
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, its 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, weve 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 weve
never shown before, including popular favorites DEAD RECKONING, SORRY WRONG NUMBER,
BOOMERANG, NORA PRENTISS and NIGHT AND THE CITY. Well 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 Reeds THE MAN
BETWEEN and ONE WAY STREET, plus HELLS FIVE HOURS, CRY OF THE HUNTED,
LURE OF THE SWAMP, THE RED HOUSE, Richard Fleischers THE CLAY PIGEON and
Don Siegels COUNT THE HOURS. Therell 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. Dont 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 shes 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 somethings 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 Johnnys 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
Ultra-Rare! TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, 1948, Sony Repertory,
109 min. One of the first post-war movies that attempted to deal seriously with the
burgeoning narcotics trade in defiance of a Production Code that forbade nearly any
mention of the subject! In true "docu-noir" style, Treasury agent Dick Powell
trots the globe trying to pin down the leader of a diabolical heroin ring with a series of
surprising occurrences culminating in a stunning denouement. Directed by Robert
Stevenson and co-starring Signe Hasso, Gloria (Maylia) Fong, Vladimir Sokoloff
and John Hoyt, this fascinating period suspenser is almost never screened
theatrically: Dont miss this one! NOT ON DVD. Discussion
between film with Jean Porter Dmytryk,
actress and wife of director Edward Dmytryk.
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 cant
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 Stanwycks 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.
THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS,
1946, Paramount, 116 min. Dir. Lewis Milestone. In one of the darkest psychodramas
of the 1940s, Barbara Stanwyck portrays the title character, the cast-iron magnate
of an East Coast steel town whose passion is rekindled by the return of a long-lost
childhood friend (the redoubtable Van Heflin, of THE PROWLER and ACT OF VIOLENCE).
This doesn't sit well with Martha's husband (Kirk Douglas, in a vivid debut), who's
faithfully kept the dark secret at the core of Martha's life. Will Iverstown survive the
flames of furious forties' melodrama? Also starring Lizabeth Scott. Screenwriter
Robert Rossen was to hit the noir jackpot the very next year, directing Abe
Polonskys screenplay of the classic BODY AND SOUL starring John Garfield. Discussion between films with actor Darryl
Hickman (The Strange Love of Martha Ivers)
Sunday, April 6 7:30 PM
Tough Dames Double Feature
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 Rouses 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
James Mason Double Feature:
Rare! THE MAN
BETWEEN, 1953, Paramount, 100 min. Director Carol Reeds underrated,
shot-on-location post-WWII Berlin thriller was unfairly compared to his masterpiece THE
THIRD MAN on its initial release. But its a different kind of crime story
altogether, much closer to Reeds 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 Neffs 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 Reeds 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 hes a
disillusioned doctor who feels responsible for his wifes death and believes
hes 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 Duryeas more than willing moll, Marta Toren. The pair head
for Mexico with the swag but can they outrun Duryeas seemingly limitless
reach? With William Conrad, Jack Elam. NOT ON DVD
Friday, April 11 7:30 PM
Hostage Noir Double Feature:
Ultra-Rare! HELLS 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 Grays understandably concerned mate, and the
ubiquitous Robert Foulk, this gut-check suspenser hasnt 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 years festival sleeper. Dont 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
films depiction of their exploits because it ruined their chance for an appeal! NOT ON DVD Discussion in between films with actress Coleen Gray
(HELLS FIVE HOURS).
Saturday, April 12
Egyptian Theatre Historic Tour
& FOREVER HOLLYWOOD
10:30 AM Behind The Scenes Tour
11:40 AM FOREVER HOLLYWOOD
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 Langs 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 Mullers 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
Egyptian Theatre Historic Tour
& FOREVER HOLLYWOOD
10:30 AM Behind The Scenes Tour
11:40 AM FOREVER HOLLYWOOD
Sunday, April 13 7:00 PM [Spielberg Theatre]
Sunday, April 13 7:30 PM
Swamp Noir Double Feature:
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 Sullivans
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 50s 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 Brewers
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
Steve Cochran Double Feature:
Ultra-Rare! TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY, 1951, Warner Bros., 90
min. Handsome Steve Cochran with the perpetual 5 oclock shadow-racked
up a slew of noir credits before his premature death in 1965, including WHITE HEAT,
PRIVATE HELL 36 and THE DAMNED DONT CRY. Here, hes an ex-con whos 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
Feists masterwork, packed with revelatory set-pieces. Feist also helmed the
legendary THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE, and this hard-luck saga more than matches DEVILs
twisted pyrotechnics. Cochran was never more vulnerable, Roman never sexier. Imagine GUN
CRAZY scripted by Steinbeck -- its 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-1950s "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
Edward G. Robinson Double Bill:
Rare! New 35mm Print! NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES, 1948, Universal,
81 min. "This gift, which I never asked for and dont 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 Seitzs 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
Ill 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! Dont
miss this one, but please, dont 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 hes got an open-and-shut case on a beloved
Catholic priests 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 towns good-ol- boy political machine, want a guaranteed
guilty verdict. Andrews soon learns that not only his job but his familys reputation
will be dragged through the mud if he doesnt ram through the expected conviction.
Director Elia Kazans 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
Rare! COUNT
THE HOURS, 1953, Warner Bros., 76 min. Director Don Siegel (DIRTY HARRY)
and supreme noir cinematographer John Alton conjure up a nightmarish flight through the
justice system as a migrant farm worker (John Craven) is accused of the double
murder of his employers. SHADOW OF A DOUBT stars Teresa Wright and Macdonald
Carey reunite here Wright plays the workers wife who convinces skeptical
defense attorney Carey that her husband is really innocent. But with Carey unable
to prove his case, the accused gets an appointment with the executioner. Carey continues
to try to find the real killer as the clock counts down, losing his fair-weather fiancée
and his community standing in the process. Hope glimmers when Carey gets wind of a lead,
but proving that a scapegoat is unjustly accused is never easy -- and Carey and Wright are
beset with more confounding twists as time runs out. Look for Jack Elam as a
memorably reptilian slimeball. NOT
ON DVD Actress Cara Williams will appear for discussion between films.
Sunday, April 20 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
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). Dont 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 DONT 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
Double Feature:
New 35mm Print! NIGHT AND THE CITY, 1950, 20th Century Fox, 96 min.
Dir. Jules Dassin (THE NAKED CITY; BRUTE FORCE). We close out Noir City with a
stunning print of the most baroque and bleak film noir of them all. The greatness of this
film -- besides Richard Widmark's devastating portrayal of the maniacal, pathetic
con man and small-time promoter Harry Fabian -- is its stubborn refusal to allow even the
tiniest ray of light into Harry's headlong descent into hell. Featuring an unforgettable
supporting rogue's gallery, including Googie Withers, Herbert Lom, Francis L. Sullivan,
Mike Mazurki, Stanislaus Zbyszko -- and the gorgeous Gene Tierney (LAURA). With
a screenplay by Jo Eisinger from the novel by Gerald Kersh.
New 35mm Print! WOMAN IN HIDING, 1950, Universal, 92 min. Dir. Michael
Gordon (THE WEB). Noir City favorite Ida Lupino gives another superb
performance, playing a successful career woman who marries Mr. Wrong (Steven McNally)
and finds herself desperately trying to evade his plans to dispose of her and take over
the business. Stylish direction from the grandfather of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (THE LOOKOUT)
and fabulous camerawork from the legendary William Daniels (THE NAKED CITY) highlight this
long-missing (and underrated) thriller, presented in a gloriously pristine new print from
Universal Pictures! Co-starring Howard Duff (who was Lupinos real-life hubby
at the time). Screenplay by Oscar Saul and Roy Huggins (who created "The
Fugitive" and "77 Sunset Strip" TV series). NOT ON
DVD |
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