Unfilmed Noir

[CaveGirl]

There are some books which never existed like "The Necronomicon" by Abdul Alhazred or "Mad Trist" by Launcelot Canning that you wish were real. There are also some films which don't exist that could have been made from great noir books, that one can only desire in their dreams.

I personally am a fan of noirish writers like Charles Willeford, and think some of his books would make fine films, like "Sideswipe" and "The High Priest of California". I also like Gerald Kersh who wrote the novel "Night and the City" that became a famed movie, but his "Prelude to a Certain Midnight" has never been filmed to my knowledge. There are so many other authors who've had a few books translated to the screen, but have more on reserve, like David Goodis, Nelson Algren, John Fante and even people like Cornell Woolrich and Richard Condon. All have books they wrote which could have become classic noirs, if someone would just peruse them.

If you have a novel you think would have made a fine noir film, please mention it here.

[TopBilled]

Jealous Woman by James M. Cain.

Published in 1950. Set in Reno. Barton Keyes, the insurance investigator from Double Indemnity, appears in this story. 

***

There are other Cain crime novels that weren't filmed. At least not yet.

[cigarjoe]

The big problem is keeping the stories true to the time periods they were written in, there would be a tendency to modernize them unfortunately.

However it would be easier to just name a few of the authors that were adapted and sketch all the untapped works,  there are plenty of novels out there by the likes of

John D. MacDonald - Only two Travis McGee stories ever made it to film, Darker Than Amber the best of them with Rod Taylor as Travis. Travis was a sort of freelance fixer, a salvage expert. Salvaged situations that the law couldn't. There are twenty-one of these altogether.

His other output, about forty novels has barely been tapped. MacDonald's novel Soft Touch was the basis for the 1961 movie Man-Trap. His 1957 novel The Executioners was filmed during 1962 as Cape Fear. Others filmed, novella Linda, The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything, Condominium, and A Flash of Green were films or TV movies. There are obviously a lot left.

Ross McDonald - Lew Archer Detective Novels 19 in total only two Harper, and The Drowning Pool, with Paul Newman ever made it to the screen a lot here would make good Noirs.

Jim Thompson - has about 28 novels only about 8 have been adapted. 

Charles Williams - has thirteen of his twenty plus novels made into films three of those are French.

Henry Kane - Johnny Liddell Detective he looted his own material for Mike Hammer TV 1958-59 in a sort of Hammer/Liddell composite - thirty novels only Key Witness (not a Liddell story)was made into a film.

[CaveGirl]

On 7/28/2018 at 5:59 PM, TopBilled said:

Jealous Woman by James M. Cain.

Published in 1950. Set in Reno. Barton Keyes, the insurance investigator from Double Indemnity, appears in this story. 

***

There are other Cain crime novels that weren't filmed. At least not yet.

Thanks, TB! I would love to see that filmed.

Cain, as the "poet of the tabloids" always knew how to draw one in to his written tales. I would like to see "Love's Lovely Counterfeit" in movie form and I wonder what they would do with "Serenade" now?

[CaveGirl]

On 7/29/2018 at 10:37 AM, cigarjoe said:

The big problem is keeping the stories true to the time periods they were written in, there would be a tendency to modernize them unfortunately.

However it would be easier to just name a few of the authors that were adapted and sketch all the untapped works,  there are plenty of novels out there by the likes of

John D. MacDonald - Only two Travis McGee stories ever made it to film, Darker Than Amber the best of them with Rod Taylor as Travis. Travis was a sort of freelance fixer, a salvage expert. Salvaged situations that the law couldn't. There are twenty-one of these altogether.

His other output, about forty novels has barely been tapped. MacDonald's novel Soft Touch was the basis for the 1961 movie Man-Trap. His 1957 novel The Executioners was filmed during 1962 as Cape Fear. Others filmed, novella Linda, The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything, Condominium, and A Flash of Green were films or TV movies. There are obviously a lot left.

Ross McDonald - Lew Archer Detective Novels 19 in total only two Harper, and The Drowning Pool, with Paul Newman ever made it to the screen a lot here would make good Noirs.

Jim Thompson - has about 28 novels only about 8 have been adapted. 

Charles Williams - has thirteen of his twenty plus novels made into films three of those are French.

Henry Kane - Johnny Liddell Detective he looted his own material for Mike Hammer TV 1958-59 in a sort of Hammer/Liddell composite - thirty novels only Key Witness (not a Liddell story)was made into a film.

As you say, do you keep the era it was written in true to form, or update which could be disastrous or at least not effective. Great point. I have a thing for the works of Jim Thompson, and have got to say I was totally surprised that the film made with Casey Affleck, was one of the best exposes of Thompson's work I'd see, brutal but true to the book.
 

Both MacDonalds are great, and years ago I read Ross's "The Chill" and was blown away by its storyline, which somewhat seemed inspired by bits from the life of Raymond Chandler. I'd love to see that filmed. I am not familiar with the work of Charles Williams,  so shall seek it out.

Thanks for being a mentor in this field, Cigar Joe as I value your opinion.

 

[cigarjoe]

4 hours ago, CaveGirl said:

"Love's Lovely Counterfeit" 

It has been CG, check out Slightly Scarlet (1956) is based on Love's Lovely Counterfeit.

[CaveGirl]

1 hour ago, cigarjoe said:

It has been CG, check out Slightly Scarlet (1956) is based on Love's Lovely Counterfeit.

OMG! 

And I've even seen that film and totally forgot the storyline. I think I first read LLC years before I ever saw the movie "Slightly Scarlet".

Thanks for clearing that up, CJ!

[cigarjoe]

8 minutes ago, CaveGirl said:

OMG! 

And I've even seen that film and totally forgot the storyline. I think I first read LLC years before I ever saw the movie "Slightly Scarlet".

Thanks for clearing that up, CJ!

Of course they changed the story a lot. All the watery grave stuff didn't make it into the plot and if I remember right the sister doesn't show up till you get about two thirds of the way through the novel, and not that significant to the plot. 

[cigarjoe]

Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins novels

Devil in a Blue Dress, 1990, The book was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name, which starred Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins, and also featured Jennifer Beals, Tom Sizemore, Maury Chaykin, and Don Cheadle as the unhinged "Mouse."

The rest are out there.

A Red Death, 1991
White Butterfly, 1992
Black Betty, 1994
A Little Yellow Dog, 1996
Gone Fishin’, 1997
Bad Boy Brawly Brown, 2002 
Little Scarlet, 2004
Cinnamon Kiss, 2005

Six Easy Pieces, 2003

Blonde Faith, 2007
Little Green, 2013
Rose Gold, 2014
Charcoal Joe, 2016
 

[Thenryb]

I would add to that list, James Lee Burke novels featuring Dave Robicheaux. I think only one movie was made from these with Alec Baldwin as Robicheaux. I suspect one of the issues with this author as well as John D. McDonald is casting the lead. There are not that many actors who fit the physical description of the leading character. Certainly not Rod Taylor as Travis McGee or Alec Baldwin as Dave Robicheaux. (although both of those are closer to the book's description than Tom Cruise is to the book description of Jack Reacher).

[BingFan]

It's not a novel (obviously), but has Kurosawa's Rashomon ever been adapted as a noir?

When I first watched it a few weeks ago, I could imagine it being set in the late 40s or early 50s -- it just seemed like that kind of story.

[CaveGirl]

7 hours ago, Thenryb said:

I would add to that list, James Lee Burke novels featuring Dave Robicheaux. I think only one movie was made from these with Alec Baldwin as Robicheaux. I suspect one of the issues with this author as well as John D. McDonald is casting the lead. There are not that many actors who fit the physical description of the leading character. Certainly not Rod Taylor as Travis McGee or Alec Baldwin as Dave Robicheaux. (although both of those are closer to the book's description than Tom Cruise is to the book description of Jack Reacher).

Thank you, Henry! I believe your author is mentioned in a book I have on cult authors, who are great but not as famous as they should be. Some of the ones mentioned by Cigar Joe are also in the book and I try to find their books occasionally since I enjoy reading the old time classics of noir. Enjoyed your take about the difficulty of casting a proper lead for some of these tales.

[CaveGirl]

5 hours ago, BingFan said:

It's not a novel (obviously), but has Kurosawa's Rashomon ever been adapted as a noir?

When I first watched it a few weeks ago, I could imagine it being set in the late 40s or early 50s -- it just seemed like that kind of story.

I love "Rashomon" and it could end up as a two-thirds noir film, with the guy's versions of the tale indicting the shady woman but of course she was say she was as blameless as June Allyson, so her part would be non-noir.

What is noirish and extremely dark and foreboding, is watching the awful Paul Newman take on the original Kurosawa film. Oh, it was so horrid. Wasn't it called "Outrage" or something? I've tried to block it from my memory bank for years and years it was such a travesty. Thanks!

[cigarjoe]

4 hours ago, CaveGirl said:

What is noirish and extremely dark and foreboding, is watching the awful Paul Newman take on the original Kurosawa film. Oh, it was so horrid. Wasn't it called "Outrage" or something? I've tried to block it from my memory bank for years and years it was such a travesty. Thanks!

Yes Outrage