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It’s Super Sucker Saturday again, and have I got a super sucker for you! The luckless, common sense-less fella I’m shining the spotlight on this time around comes from one of my favorite (I know – how many favorites can one person have?) low-budget features – Decoy (1946). This is a movie that read more

Phyllis. Kathie. Kitty. Brigid. We don’t even need their last names – we know exactly who these dames are. They’re some of film noir’s most iconic femmes fatales, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they’re guaranteed to appear on any Top 10 list of dangerous noir dames. But what about read more

Today, on Thankful Thursday, I’m taking a look at memorable character introductions in film noir. There are so many great ones, especially on the distaff side – the ones that automatically come to mind are Gilda (Rita Hayworth), Cora (Lana Turner) in The Postman Always Rings Twice, Kathie Moffat read more

Happy Whatshisname Wednesday! It’s not only hump day – it’s the day of the week when I take a look at those film noir fellas with familiar faces but names that tend to escape us. I’m shining the spotlight today on an actor who was compared throughout his career to Clark Gable (and not necessarily read more

If it’s Tuesday, it’s not Belgium … it’s Trivia Day! Dive in! Robert Mitchum – who served up an iconic performance as Jeff Bailey in Out of the Past (1947) – turned down the role in The Defiant Ones (1958) that would ultimately be played by Tony Curtis. Mitchum, who’d been read more

In 2020, I discovered the “Western Noir” genre through a collection of 11 movies airing on the Criterion Channel. According to author and historian Imogen Sara Smith, who introduced the films, the stories of Western noir could be “transported into an urban setting and fit right in as hard-boiled read more

Earlier this month, instead of the November Film Noir Files, my pal Kristina created a Noir Scavenger Hunt over at her Speakeasy blog, where she invited her readers to provide a noir movie for each of the items on her scavenger list. For this week’s Sunday Funday, I’m joining the hunt to provide read more

So . . . first of all, I can’t believe that Noirvember is half over. But be that as it may, I’m excited to see another Super Sucker Saturday roll around, because today, I’m taking a look at one of noir’s most sad sack suckers – none other than Christopher Cross from Scarlet Street (1945). read more

A couple of years back, during Noirvember, I made the case for why I don’t think the title character of Gilda (1946) is a femme fatale. This year, I’m revisiting this notion with another femme from classic film noir: Laura Hunt of Laura (1945). In a nutshell, Laura is about a beautiful and successfu read more

Take a look at the videos on YouTube and you’d get the impression that pretty much every movie with a murder and a venetian blind is film noir. It’s maddening. I know that noir can often be a slippery little imp, inviting more opinions than there are gin joints in Casablanca. But I’m pleased to read more

Happy Whathisname Wednesday! This is the day of the week where I take a look at the personal and professional lives of noir performers whose names you may not know. On deck for this week is Jack Lambert, who was once called “the man with the meanest eyes in Hollywood” – and, for my money, that read more

Happy Trivia Tuesday, y’all! I hope you’re ready for some trivial tidbits about some of your favorite noir performers and films, ‘cause I sure am! Let’s go! Mike Mazurki played a wrestler in the 1950 noir Night and the City. In real-life, Mazurki had been a professional wrestler before starting read more

When I think of horror movies, the type of film that comes to mind generally involves vampires or zombies, or man-made monsters, a la Frankenstein and his bride. In other words, the type of movie from which I steer firmly clear. But the description for this year’s Classic Movie Blog Association Fall read more

Every now and again, a supporting player in a film stands out like a flash of lightning in the fog. For me, one such player is Patricia Dane in the 1941 noir, Johnny Eager. This feature stars Robert Taylor in the title role of an ex-convict who fronts as a taxi driver but leads a double life as a sm read more

Happy Sunday Funday! This week, I’m celebrating by inviting y’all to join me in a little trip down my personal Memory Lane. Back in 2013 (when my daughters were still in high school!), the Turner Classic Movies network sponsored the “Ultimate Fan Contest,” which would give t read more

Welcome to Super Sucker Saturday for Noirvember 2025, where I shine the spotlight on the hapless, witless, and altogether dumb dudes of film noir – the guys who see a pretty face and let their lust do the talking, not to mention the acting. The otherwise upstanding fellas who get a whiff of a spicy read more

Welcome to Femme Fatale Friday for Noirvember 2025, where each week, I’ll dive into the world of the irresistibly deadly dames of noir. As you know, femmes fatales come in all shapes and sizes, and with a variety of motivations; there are those who use their wiles to convince hapless dudes to do the read more

Welcome to the first Thankful Thursday of Noirvember 2025, where I share things about noir that I’m thankful for! I’m kicking off this series with a list of first-rate noirs that, thankfully, are available for free viewing on YouTube, Tubi, and the Internet Archive! I’m sharing 10 for each streaming read more

Welcome to the first Whatshisname Wednesday of Noirvember 2025! I’m devoting this day of the week to shining the spotlight on those fellas who you’ve seen in more than one noir, but you don’t have a clue about their name – or, basically, anything else about them. For my inaugural Whatshisname read more

Welcome to the first Trivia Tuesday of Noirvember 2025, where I’m delighted to share some of the fascinating noir-related tidbits that I’ve uncovered. Dive in and enjoy! Joan Crawford was not the first choice to play the title role in Mildred Pierce. Both Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan were offered read more