Noir Alley

[Vautrin]

Walter's flirting with Phyllis was just a feint. He was really

interested in a three-way with Lola and Nino Zachetti. When

Nino took an instant dislike to Neff, he knew his life was over

and he didn't care what he did anymore.

[jamesjazzguitar]

For those interested in Los Angeles 'noir' check out last Sunday's L.A. Times,   Arts and Books section.

There are 3 L.A.  noir articles;

Land of Noir - Flawed heroes,  dark angels and dashed dreams. This is L.A.'s story too:   general write-up of noir and L.A.  

Stake out the L.A. haunts of Connelly's Harry Bosch:  Connelly is a modern noir writer and the article lists the L.A. haunts that are featured in his books that one can still visit today;  e.g. Musso and Frank Grill,  Hollywood's oldest restaurant (and one TCM has featured with Ben going there),  the El Matador,  Jazz clubs etc...

20 Essential noir books; In the spirit of exploring crime novels set in and around L.A.,  a city where noir is instinctive and eerily resplendent,,.    Of course there is The Big Sleep,  The Grifters, In a Lonely Place,  Devil in the Blue Dress and other books that were made into noir films set in LA LA land.

 

 

 

[filmnoirguy]

On 4/19/2017 at 9:24 PM, cmovieviewer said:

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post miscellaneous Noir Alley comments but here goes:

- As one who sometimes worries about the possible decline of TCM, I’m encouraged to see TCM go “all in” on a new franchise such as Noir Alley.  Complete with a regular schedule, a brand-new set, a knowledgeable host, and detailed introductions and wrap-ups, I think this has been a great series so far.  I have to admit the Sunday morning time seems a little curious to me, but I have gotten in the habit of recording it to watch later.

- I have very much enjoyed Eddie Muller as host. Of course he is TCM’s acknowledged Noir expert, and I have been impressed with the comments he has made based on his personal experiences with the writers, producers, and actors in the films.  I try to avoid movie spoilers at all costs, so another advantage of recording the show is that I can watch the movie first and then watch the intro and wrap-up comments afterwards. Eddie isn’t really spoiling anything, but sometimes I think he does present information in the intro that may influence the perception of the film if you have not seen it before.  (This is just me, I’m sure most people like the background before watching the film.)

- As others have mentioned, I was surprised at how truly dark 'Scarlet Street' was.  Compares with ‘M’ as the darkest Fritz Lang film I can recall.  As Eddie pointed out, it also did not have an ending you would expect given the Production Code rules of the time. Turns out this Noir business can be more serious than I thought.
 

I'm with you.  I've also been avoiding Eddie's intros until after I've watched the movie.  His intros are quite lengthy and I think he gives away more than he intends.

[speedracer5]

1 minute ago, filmnoirguy said:

I'm with you.  I've also been avoiding Eddie's intros until after I've watched the movie.  His intros are quite lengthy and I think he gives away more than he intends.

I can understand being worried about possible spoilers if you've never seen the film before.  I love Eddie's intros and closing commentary.  He presents information that is different than the usual trivia that can easily be read on imdb. He's obviously done his research and utilizes sources not available to everyone via internet.  I appreciate that. Noir Alley is one of the highlights of the week for me. 

[jamesjazzguitar]

7 minutes ago, filmnoirguy said:

I'm with you.  I've also been avoiding Eddie's intros until after I've watched the movie.  His intros are quite lengthy and I think he gives away more than he intends.

Since I have seen every noir Eddie introduces I can't say if he gives away too-much.

But I do like his take on these films.

[Bronxgirl48]

Alan Ladd is so adorable in THIS GUN FOR HIRE.  Lurv him as Raven!

There's one scene in particular that really cinches it for me re: his star quality -- when he asks Lake if she's going to marry Robert Preston.  After she answers "Yes", Alan smiles and says "O.K."  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jamesjazzguitar]

15 hours ago, Bronxgirl48 said:

Alan Ladd is so adorable in THIS GUN FOR HIRE.  Lurv him as Raven!

There's one scene in particular that really cinches it for me re: his star quality -- when he asks Lake if she's going to marry Robert Preston.  After she answers "Yes", Alan smiles and says "O.K."  

 

Hollywood magic at work given his occupation.

 

[Bronxgirl48]

Of course, who in their right mind would want to marry Robert Preston?

 

[Dr. Somnambula]

1 hour ago, Bronxgirl48 said:

Of course, who in their right mind would want to marry Robert Preston?

 

[jamesjazzguitar]

2 hours ago, Dr. Somnambula said:

Victor or Victoria? 

 

[Dr. Somnambula]

1 hour ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

Victor or Victoria? 

 

Robert Preston: Carole "Toddy" Todd

[Hoganman1]

I just got around to watching THIS GUN FOR HIRE. It was great. All these years I thought it was a Western. I guess SHANE made me think of Alan Ladd as a cowboy star. Obviously, I have a lot to learn about this Hollywood icon. Although I've been a big fan of films made in the late 40s and early 50s for decades, Noir Alley has introduced me to many great actresses and actors I have overlooked. Here's hoping Eddie keeps doing his thing. As I age I find these films much more entertaining that the comic book action films that seem to dominate the market today. There is nothing wrong with Ironman, Wonder Woman and The Hulk. I just prefer Sam Spade, Walter Neff and Jeff Bailey.

[Hibi]

Well, sadly, you wont learn much about Ladd on TCM as he was a Paramount star.

[Sepiatone]

Ladd's done a wide variety of different roles and characters in his career.  A lot has been made about his short stature and having him or cast members stand in ditches or him on boxes to equalize their difference in height. 

One thing though, always stands out.  And that's his penchant for never disappointing.   

Sepiatone

[Hoganman1]

7 minutes ago, Hibi said:

Well, sadly, you wont learn much about Ladd on TCM as he was a Paramount star.

So TCM cannot show films made by Paramount?

[Hibi]

11 minutes ago, Hoganman1 said:

So TCM cannot show films made by Paramount?

Mostly, NO. They do air some films. Shane does pop up from time to time, but overall, few Paramount films are shown. It's not that they CAN'T, they dont want to pay to air them.

[speedracer5]

33 minutes ago, Hoganman1 said:

I just got around to watching THIS GUN FOR HIRE. It was great. All these years I thought it was a Western. I guess SHANE made me think of Alan Ladd as a cowboy star. Obviously, I have a lot to learn about this Hollywood icon. Although I've been a big fan of films made in the late 40s and early 50s for decades, Noir Alley has introduced me to many great actresses and actors I have overlooked. Here's hoping Eddie keeps doing his thing. As I age I find these films much more entertaining that the comic book action films that seem to dominate the market today. There is nothing wrong with Ironman, Wonder Woman and The Hulk. I just prefer Sam Spade, Walter Neff and Jeff Bailey.

When I was little, before I really got into old movies, for some reason I thought The Thin Man films were a series of Westerns.  I know. 

Also for the longest time, because I was such an avid I Love Lucy viewer, I was only aware of Alan Ladd by name only because his wife is mentioned in the Don Loper fashion show in the episode, "The Fashion Show." I think the Ladds are mentioned by Lucy in another episode when she's reading the celebrity news in Variety or the Hollywood Reporter, or some newspaper like that.

[Bronxgirl48]

What was Marion the Librarian thinking?  A con man like Harold Hill is bad enough, but one who looks like Robert Preston....just....NO.

I certainly wouldn't be racing over to the footbridge for that.

Great Honk!

[speedracer5]

26 minutes ago, Hibi said:

Well, sadly, you wont learn much about Ladd on TCM as he was a Paramount star.

I am hoping that TCM will air The Blue Dahlia at some point in the near future.  It's the only Ladd/Lake film I haven't seen.  I have The Glass Key on my DVR.

[Hibi]

They do show it once in awhile. Hoping Eddie will air it. (not sure if he has already).

[speedracer5]

20 hours ago, Bronxgirl48 said:

Of course, who in their right mind would want to marry Robert Preston?

I know, right? I've only seen a couple Alan Ladd movies, I thought he was rather handsome in this film. And I liked that he took such good care of his cat.  Ladd's short stature wouldn't bother me, everyone's taller than me... except Veronica Lake. I do have a few inches on her, so there's that.

[Hibi]

1 minute ago, speedracer5 said:

I am hoping that TCM will air The Blue Dahlia at some point in the near future.  It's the only Ladd/Lake film I haven't seen.  I have The Glass Key on my DVR.

So you've seen Saigon? That's the only one of the  four I haven't seen.

[speedracer5]

Looks like this week's feature is Force of Evil with John Garfield.  I remember really liking this film. I'd be interested in hearing Eddie's comments on it.

[speedracer5]

1 minute ago, Hibi said:

So you've seen Saigon? That's the only one of the  four I haven't seen.

No. I've never heard of Saigon.  I didn't realize they made 4 films.  Ok.  I've only seen 2/4 films Ladd and Lake made together: This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key. 

[Hibi]

2 minutes ago, speedracer5 said:

No. I've never heard of Saigon.  I didn't realize they made 4 films.  Ok.  I've only seen 2/4 films Ladd and Lake made together: This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key. 

Yeah, that was their last film. It's not well known (and probably not that good). Made in the late 40s.