Brendan Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I had an odd intro to Film Noir. When I was about 8 years old,I went to the movies to see the Steve Martin film "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and that was my gateway to Film Noir. In the film, Martin "co-stars" with the heavyweights of Film Noir via wonderfully edited clips from films such as "Double Indemnity", "The Big Sleep" and "White Heat". Martin and Carl Reiner's collaboration was a loving parody/homage to a Film Noir and it introduced me to that dark world. Watching this movie made me want to track down all of the movies featured in it. And soon my love of Film Noir was in full swing. Which movie got you hooked on Film Noir? Link to post Share on other sites
jamesjazzguitar Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I had an odd intro to Film Noir. When I was about 8 years old,I went to the movies to see the Steve Martin film "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and that was my gateway to Film Noir. In the film, Martin "co-stars" with the heavyweights of Film Noir via wonderfully edited clips from films such as "Double Indemnity", "The Big Sleep" and "White Heat". Martin and Carl Reiner's collaboration was a loving parody/homage to a Film Noir and it introduced me to that dark world. Watching this movie made me want to track down all of the movies featured in it. And soon my love of Film Noir was in full swing. Which movie got you hooked on Film Noir? Mine was The Big Sleep. When I was in my early 20s I had to move back home with my mom and her boyfriend. He was into 'old' movies so one day I saw the film. I liked it so much I sought out other Bogart films, and Warner Brother films in general. Link to post Share on other sites
MyMoll Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 the maltese falcon and double indemnity, they are just great movies Link to post Share on other sites
jamesjazzguitar Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 the maltese falcon and double indemnity, they are just great movies Those are movies that should get anyone hooked on film noir. BTW, love the hat in your avatar. Is that a picture of an actress? Link to post Share on other sites
CarolinaNoir Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 It's funny you ask that, as it alludes to one of my previous posts on todays films. The tease was a coffee table book in my high school library which featured b/w photos of classic stars. The cover photo was Veronica Lake and I was smitten. The film that hooked me was The Maltese Falcon. The first time I saw it was with my Grandma. Link to post Share on other sites
ThePaintedLady Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I'm a huge Rita Hayworth fan. I've always enjoyed her films when I was younger. In fact, I've always had a love of classic films in general (my parents are my primary influences). Even though I had watched several films noir when I was a kid, it was Gilda that got me into researching film noir in depth; that was about 15 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites
PiercingMildred Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Who Framed Roger Rabit comes to mind, lead me where I am today loving Mildred Pierce, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Big Sleep etc etc... Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Pierce Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Sunset Blvd and The Big Sleep...but I'm not hooked on film noir. Just like movies in general,from old to new. Link to post Share on other sites
Brendan Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Oh yeah. I'm hooked on movies. But I really dig Film Noir. Link to post Share on other sites
MyMoll Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Thanks, i'm still trying to figure out who that is. like you, i like her hat. If any one knows who she is chime in Those are movies that should get anyone hooked on film noir. BTW, love the hat in your avatar. Is that a picture of an actress? Link to post Share on other sites
MyMoll Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 On second thought on this topic, a while back TCM, i think on Saturday mornings used have a segment called Darkness After Dawn, that's how I watched all my film noir movies Link to post Share on other sites
Bill Holmes Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Growing up pre-cable in NYC, TV was a steady diet of Bowery Boys, Superman, Three Stooges and Little Rascals, but even with limited channels there was a steady diet of crime films. I realize now it was a blend of gangster flicks (Cagney is still my favorite actor) and noir that drew me in like a magnet. So it's too long ago to be 100% positive, but I think the first might have been The Killers. Strangely enough I do remember my first horror flick being House on Haunted Hill (Vincent Price) as it ran every day for a week (on Million Dollar Movie??) and I probably watched it four days out of the five. Still creeped out by the "floating lady" suddenly appearing in the basement room. Link to post Share on other sites
speedracer5 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 The film that got me hooked on film noir would probably be Double Indemnity. I loved the narration, the overall style of the film and the dialogue. Since then, I've seen many more film noir that have kept me hooked: Gilda, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, Laura, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Touch of Evil, The Third Man, The Lady From Shanghai, The Killers, Sunset Blvd, The Woman in the Window, The Blue Gardenia, Mildred Pierce, The Blue Dahlia, The Glass Key, This Gun for Hire, I Wake Up Screaming... and the list goes on and on. Link to post Share on other sites
Mack Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I wish I could say that there is a film that got me hooked on film noir but I give credit to the Clute and Edwards podcast, Out of the Past. I had a passing familiarity with film noir but they really got me thinking about it and provided a list of films to start with. Link to post Share on other sites
girlydiva Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 For me, it was "Born To Kill." It is dark and nasty. Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Pierce Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Who Framed Roger Rabit comes to mind, lead me where I am today loving Mildred Pierce, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Big Sleep etc etc... If im not mistaken,I think the laughing weasels in Roger Rabbit are based on Tommy Udo from Kiss of Death-'47 At least that's what came to my mind,in viewing both films. Link to post Share on other sites
Rainydaygirl Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 It wasn't really one film in particular that got me hooked on Film Noir. I watched wall-to-wall AMC when it was American Movie Classics. I found my favorites were the crime dramas---particularly the Film Noir movies. Been a fan ever since. Very happy to be among like-minded people with this class and TCM Film Noir showings this summer! Link to post Share on other sites
cigarjoe Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 It was for me actually through the back alley, I loved the hard boiled novels of Hammett, Chandler, and Cain, and in seeking out the movie versions of those that got me on to Noir. Later I've added Cornell Woolrich (and his various pseudonyms) , Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson, John D. MacDonald, Ross MacDonald and a lot of others to the cannon . Link to post Share on other sites
PiercingMildred Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Woody Allen's Play it Again Sam got me roped n tied. Link to post Share on other sites
vagabond1 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Though not a noir film, when I first saw Citizen Kane as a little boy, it made me seek out movies made in a similar fashion. Later I fell in love with pulp magazines, and sought out how the stories were interpreted on film. i don't think i watched film noir consciously until i was in my mid 20s. Link to post Share on other sites
Film401 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I did a show called "The Concrete Jungle" and in it were lines from various noir films such as The Big Sleep and Double Indemnity as well as others. We also watched some of these films as research for the style we should use in our performances. Link to post Share on other sites
ElCid Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 It was for me actually through the back alley, I loved the hard boiled novels of Hammett, Chandler, and Cain, and in seeking out the movie versions of those that got me on to Noir. Later I've added Cornell Woolrich (and his various pseudonyms) , Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson, John D. MacDonald, Ross MacDonald and a lot of others to the cannon . Might want to check out Hard Case Crime. They publish a lot of old mystery books and some new ones. Originally were under Dorchester Publishing, but changed a few years ago. Link to post Share on other sites
PiercingMildred Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 The film that got me hooked on film noir would probably be Double Indemnity. I loved the narration, the overall style of the film and the dialogue. I foundDouble Indemnity to be a double stuffed truffle of film noir trouble. Loved every last morsel. Link to post Share on other sites
Brendan Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Might want to check out Hard Case Crime. They publish a lot of old mystery books and some new ones. Originally were under Dorchester Publishing, but changed a few years ago. I'll second the endorsement for Hard Case Crime. They put out some terrific stuff. Great cover artwork, too. Link to post Share on other sites
ElCid Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I'll second the endorsement for Hard Case Crime. They put out some terrific stuff. Great cover artwork, too. At one time they had an insert with the first 50 covers on it. Very neat. While the covers are good, they aren't necessarily indicative of a character in the book. Hair color, general appearance, etc. may be different in the text. Oooo. That's an idea, go read some more in my latest Hard Case Crime while listening to old music. Link to post Share on other sites
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