Noir Alley

[jamesjazzguitar]

23 minutes ago, marcar said:

Has anyone seen the new Noir Alley promo featuring the women of noir? It's pretty ridiculous..the dialogue is made up with some woman speaking in "tough tones" about being "Possessed" and saying things such as "Some are still trying to figure me out. So I'll tell you what I am. I'm no good, Baby. You've got to believe that." "I smoke. I drink. I do anything to get what I want. They can't fix me cause I don't need fixing." Danger makes me come alive and I will go chasing that feeling again and again. And I won't regret a single thing." 

Then there's pictures of Barbara Stanwyck, Claire Trevor, Peggy Cummins, Ida Lupino and more...interspersed with pics of Eddie Muller. GIVE ME A BREAK. When did he become a movie star? or a woman? or the object of anyone's fancy?

And then Eddie says: "A woman like that can only be found on Noir Alley."

It's all just too much, trying too hard, sexist as heck...and just badly written. Find a new copywriter E.M. and don't insert yourself so much into classic noir. You're on this side of the screen with the rest of us...watching, OK?
 

I'll keep on the look out for this.   Strange that Ida Lupino would be featured.  Yea, she was in many noir films but never as a femme fatale.    The closes she got to that persona was in the western Lust for Gold,  with Glenn Ford.

 

[cigarjoe]

1 hour ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

I'll keep on the look out for this.   Strange that Ida Lupino would be featured.  Yea, she was in many noir films but never as a femme fatale.    The closes she got to that persona was in the western Lust for Gold,  with Glenn Ford.

 

She was pretty close to that description in They Drive by Night (1940)

[jamesjazzguitar]

40 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:

She was pretty close to that description in They Drive by Night (1940)

Some do consider this remake of Bordertown, an early noir.    Either way she was a gal not to mess with in that film.

 

[sagebrush]

3 hours ago, marcar said:

It's all just too much, trying too hard, sexist as heck...and just badly written. Find a new copywriter E.M. and don't insert yourself so much into classic noir. You're on this side of the screen with the rest of us...watching, OK?
 

I kind of got a little chuckle out of the promo.

I would give Eddie a little more credit than merely being on the same side of the screen as us, though. He breathes Noir. He's written books about Noir and is the president and founder of the Noir Foundation. He is also a founder of the San Francisco Noir city film festival.

[marcar]

Believe me, I've Googled Eddie and know his credentials. But to see him worming his way along with these femme fatales and giving them the oogle-eye is quite something else.

[cigarjoe]

10 hours ago, marcar said:

Believe me, I've Googled Eddie and know his credentials. But to see him worming his way along with these femme fatales and giving them the oogle-eye is quite something else.

You do know that Eddie met, got to know, and interviewed, Coleen Gray, Jane Greer, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Savage, Audrey Totter, and Marie Windsor. 

Anyway I haven't seen the promo, so I can't really comment on it specifically.

[marcar]

Yes, he talks about it enough...

[cigarjoe]

Did you read his book Dark City Dames? It's pretty good.

[jamesjazzguitar]

2 hours ago, marcar said:

Yes, he talks about it enough...

FYI:   Eddie is a user of this forum.   He has replied directly to users.   He was challenged by someone (who didn't know he was an active participate),  about being the TCM 'noir guy'.   Eddie didn't get defensive and keep it light and humorous,  but he did explain that he was hired by TCM to be the noir guy.    He also explained that he loves other types of films \ genres but that his focus is on noir because that is what he was hired to do.  

I can see that promo being a little over-the-top but I assume that has to do more with the TCM marketing department than Eddie.     E.g. did you know that in the early days Ben was asked (told really),  to have facial hair and to dress in a casual style in order to NOT look like Robert Osborne.   This was revealed in a L.A. Times interview Ben did a few years back.     This was funny since some users here were saying things like 'why can't Ben be more like Robert,,  learn how to dress,   look less frumpy,,,!':    but again, that wasn't up to Ben.  TCM wanted him to NOT be like Robert as a way to attract a different type of viewer.     

 

 

[marcar]

I don't dislike Eddie Muller or deny that he's the Noir Czar. It's just a DUMB promo and made me laugh and comment.

[marcar]

"Night and the City" (1950) I watched it for the first time, if you can believe this of a Noir fan, but it is true.

I was amazed. It had everything: black-and-white stark, rich cinematography; incredible script; great performances both large and small; and characters from Mike Mazurski to midgets to scamming beggars dressed for optimum effect with fake limbs and dark glasses pretending to be blind--all run by a Fagin-like James Hayter playing Figler, King of the Beggars; Herbert Lom as a particularly nasty wrestling promoter; and finally, Richard Widmark.

Widmark's manic, sweaty performance is one I had seen featured in montages about film noir, but I never realized how great he is in this film. His blond hair flops and flips as he goes through highs and lows in his career as a small-time con man hoping to hit it rich with his next scheme that's just around the corner; only to end ignominiously dumped in the Thames (I assume, coz it's London).

As for characters, there was Googie Withers as the deceptive Helen, Francis L. Sullivan as the overweight and overwrought Phil Nosseros, Ada Reeve as Molly the Flower Lady, who ends up scoring the biggest pay-off in the whole desperate gang.

I loved the jangly, jarring soundtrack by Franz Waxman and the POV direction focused on Widmark's  Harry Fabian character by Jules Dassin. 

And Eddie M. gave great intro and outro on the ins and outs of getting this movie made from 1938 when the book rights were sold to someone else and failed scripts were written to Darryl F. Zanuck digging up director Jules Dassin in Europe after he was hounded by HUAC to its filming in London (because of studio financial benefit) to finally being released in 1950.

It don't like stars or ratings, but I have to say this is a film noir that defines the genre for me.

(It's too bad Gene Tierney didn't have much of role and that her character was changed from a prostitute to a nightclub singer. I would have liked to see her in the former role with more screen time.)

[jamesjazzguitar]

18 minutes ago, marcar said:

"Night and the City" (1950) I watched it for the first time, if you can believe this of a Noir fan, but it is true.

I was amazed. It had everything: black-and-white stark, rich cinematography; incredible script; great performances both large and small; and characters from Mike Mazurski to midgets to scamming beggars dressed for optimum effect with fake limbs and dark glasses pretending to be blind--all run by a Fagin-like James Hayter playing Figler, King of the Beggars; Herbert Lom as a particularly nasty wrestling promoter; and finally, Richard Widmark.

Widmark's manic, sweaty performance is one I had seen featured in montages about film noir, but I never realized how great he is in this film. His blond hair flops and flips as he goes through highs and lows in his career as a small-time con man hoping to hit it rich with his next scheme that's just around the corner; only to end ignominiously dumped in the Thames (I assume, coz it's London).

As for characters, there was Googie Withers as the deceptive Helen, Francis L. Sullivan as the overweight and overwrought Phil Nosseros, Ada Reeve as Molly the Flower Lady, who ends up scoring the biggest pay-off in the whole desperate gang.

I loved the jangly, jarring soundtrack by Franz Waxman and the POV direction focused on Widmark's  Harry Fabian character by Jules Dassin. 

And Eddie M. gave great intro and outro on the ins and outs of getting this movie made from 1938 when the book rights were sold to someone else and failed scripts were written to Darryl F. Zanuck digging up director Jules Dassin in Europe after he was hounded by HUAC to its filming in London (because of studio financial benefit) to finally being released in 1950.

It don't like stars or ratings, but I have to say this is a film noir that defines the genre for me.

(It's too bad Gene Tierney didn't have much of role and that her character was changed from a prostitute to a nightclub singer. I would have liked to see her in the former role with more screen time.)

I agree with everything you said about this very fine noir.    Widmark gives a more nuanced performance than his previous villain noir roles and as you noted all the supporting players are first rate.   

Too bad Tierney was wasted in a sanitized role and there was no need for the Hugh Marlowe character.    Still a first rate film that has everything I want in a noir (especially the dark ending).

PS:  This is a 20th Century Fox noir and TCM doesn't feature many Fox films.  But TCM has been showing more of their films.    They released many fine noirs during the 40s and 50s with their main noir stars being Dana Andrews,  Widmark,   Victor Mature,  Tierney,  and Linda Darnell.       

  

[ChristineHoard]

Excellent film for all the reasons given.  I was actually up early enough to watch in real time.  I hadn't seen it before and really enjoyed it.  Cinematography, the performances and music were exceptional.

[cigarjoe]

Stay away from the atrocious 1992 remake. 

[ElCid]

Got a catalog from Oldies.com and noticed they now have the DVD dual set of Illegal and The Big Steal.  As for as I know The Big Steal has not been available for quite a while.  I have this set and it originally came with one of those multi-packs of Noir movies, which is no longer available.

It is listed as a new release from Warner Archives, so is probably available elsewhere as well.

[Barton_Keyes]

Here's a bit of programming news: Eddie Muller announced on Twitter this morning that he has secured the rights to air CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944), with Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly, on Noir Alley in December 2018. 

[Hibi]

2 hours ago, Barton_Keyes said:

Here's a bit of programming news: Eddie Muller announced on Twitter this morning that he has secured the rights to air CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944), with Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly, on Noir Alley in December 2018. 

 

Great news! But a long way off.

 

[Grayceec]

I love Eddie and his picks. I interviewed him this week and what a great guy. I'll be posting it on Monday. He knows all. So fun. Thanks again Eddie!!

He wants it to be made clear that he is not the self proclaimed Czar of Noir. Someone else called him that and it stuck. You can hear it in interview. 

[Grayceec]

Excited about Christmas Holiday. I saw a bad copy on you tube. It was a very good movie. 

[bily jack]

hi  love the pic is it from   BRUTE  FORCE  the super film ive been trying to get  this film  has anyone got any idea were to buy it thanks  **** my email [...]  thanks

Edited December 16, 2017 by TCMModerator1
Edited Post to Remove Personal Information

[cigarjoe]

On 12/5/2017 at 2:22 PM, Barton_Keyes said:

Here's a bit of programming news: Eddie Muller announced on Twitter this morning that he has secured the rights to air CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944), with Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly, on Noir Alley in December 2018. 

Cool I guess I'll see if it's a better print than what I have on the DVD

[ElCid]

Tomorrow's feature is 1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice.

[Grayceec]

I don't know if I can post the link To Eddie Muller on my podcast. TCM Ok'd him to come on so I'll try it. He was fabulous. Such a great guy. Flirt alert..On my side. Sorry..Fun listen.. Thanks Eddie !!

 

http://www.inyourfacewithdonnieandgrace.com/news/no-donnie-or-danny-either-it-was-just-grace-and-her-not-self-proclaimed-czar-of-noir-crush-eddie-muller-from-tcms-noir-alley-we-talked-about-all-things-noir-and-high-waters-tooflirt-alert

 

Or here and you can download. I need to post to I Tunes. 

https://inyourfacewithdonnnieandgrace.podbean.com/e/no-donnieor-danny-eitheritwas-just-graceand-her-not-self-proclaimed-czar-ofnoircrush-eddie-mullerfromtcmsnoiralley-wetalked-about-all-thingsnoirand-h-1513520101/

[Grayceec]

PS

 

I'll be doing a once a month Classic movie podcast. I have such great guests lined up. If anyone wants to hear from someone or a topic please let me know..

 

THANKS<

Grace

[ElCid]

Watched my "new" DVD of The Big Steal yesterday.  Noticed that while box looks almost exactly like the old one, there are a few changes.  Content is the same, but some descriptions slightly rearranged.  Also, new one is copyrighted 2017 whereas old one was 2007.  Also new one is from Warner Archives whereas old was from Time Warner.

Maybe they are going to release more of the DVD's from the old Noir series sets.  Maybe already have.  Many of the sets would have six or more movies with two movies per DVD and only way to get them was as part of sets.