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Day 16 of Noirvember: Trivia from the Shadows
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 16, 2014
Cathy O’Donnell (not Lana Turner, as you may have heard) was discovered at Schwab’s Drugstore. Today’s celebration of Noirvember offers up a mélange of trivia about some of our favorite noir performers. So sit back, grab a handful of popcorn, and enjoy! Cathy O’Donnell (They Live By read more
Day 15 of Noirvember: The Trials of William Talman
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 15, 2014
What’s a guy to do? To modern audiences, William Talman may be best known as the luckless district attorney Hamilton Burger, who never won a case against TV’s popular defense attorney, Perry Mason. He also appeared in 19 feature films over a span of 18 years, including memorable performances read more
Day 14 of Noirvember – Great Performances: Agnes Moorehead in Dark Passage
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 14, 2014
Even peeking through the door, this dame was intimidating. Dark Passage (1947) isn’t one of my favorite noirs. Oh, it’s interesting enough, with half of the feature filmed from the point of view of the protagonist and, of course, any film with Bogie and Bacall is worth the price of admission. But read more
Day 13 of Noirvember: Cop-Out on Noir Street
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 13, 2014
This is how I feel when I watch the end of The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry. No – it’s not the name of a rare noir that you somehow overlooked. It’s that rare phenomenon – a film noir with an unsatisfying – dare we say, “cop-out” – ending. I can’t think of many noirs that fit this read more
Day 12 of Noirvember: Stranger than Fiction
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 12, 2014
Leon Ames and his family…in simpler times. (Bum bum BUM!!!) More likely to be seen portraying a wise and sympathetic paternal figure or upstanding military leader, Leon Ames proved during the film noir era that he could be as dark and menacing as the toughest villain. In two first-rate noirs, read more
Day 11 of Noirvember: And Now For Something Completely Different
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 11, 2014
For today’s celebration of Noirvember, I’m not only offering a write-up on a film noir I’d never seen before, Fourteen Hours (1951), but I’m also trying something a little different. When I watch films that I’m going to write about, I take notes first and then I work on read more
Day 10 of Noirvember: House of Strangers (1949)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 10, 2014
Everybody knows about Out of the Past, Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Laura. But for today’s celebration of Noirvember, I’m taking a closer look at a noir that you don’t hear a lot about: House of Strangers (1949). It’s available on DVD and it’s definitely worth a look. read more
Day Nine of Noirvember: Femme Trivia
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 9, 2014
Betty Joan Perske Film noir is brimming with a variety of actresses who played everything from naive girlfriends to feisty femmes fatales. Today’s celebration of Noirvember shines the spotlight on some of these dames, include a trivia tidbit about each one, and the name that they were born wit read more
Day Eight of Noirvember: Top 10 Films Noirs of 1947
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 8, 2014
You’ve heard that 1939 is one of the best, if not THE best, year for classic film, right? Well, for film noir, that year is often said to be 1947. I’ve never actually done a year-by-year analysis of the features released during the classic noir period (I really will have to do that one day), so read more
Noirvember Day Seven: What is Film Noir? (According to me.)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 7, 2014
Fallen Angel (1946) The era of film noir is one that disdains absolute definitions, flaunts exceptions, and welcomes interpretations. The movies that comprise this category of filmmaking were released approximately between 1940 and 1959, but were first identified as “film noir” (literally “black read more
Noirvember Day Six: Film Noir Friday on TCM
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 6, 2014
Scary, ain’t she? Are you in the mood for some first-rate noir? Then tune into Turner Classic Movies Friday night for back-to-back-to-back noirs that will satisfy any shadow-seeker: Detour, The Hitch-Hiker, and Gun Crazy. What more do you want?? Read on to find out why you need to be no place read more
Noirvember Day Five: The Women of Brute Force (1947)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 5, 2014
The women of Brute Force with the film’s producer, Mark Hellinger. Brute Force was a rare noir set almost entirely inside the walls of a maximum security prison, focusing on a sadistic guard (Hume Cronyn) and a group of cellmates who try to escape his tyranny by carrying out an intricately pla read more
Noirvember Day Four: Out of the Past Discoveries, or “How I Got My Big Break”
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 4, 2014
Out of the Past (1947) is one of film noir’s best-known offerings – some even call it the quintessential noir. With its typically complex noir plot, OOTP offers everything a noir fan could want, including flashbacks, voiceover narration, a painterly use of light and shadow, an oh-so-fatal femme, read more
Noirvember Day Three: Gloria Brings The Big Heat
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 3, 2014
Perhaps the definitive film noir bad girl, Gloria Grahame was once described as “sexy in a strange way. Like a woman who’s begging you to wallop her in the mouth, ‘cause she’d just love it.” With her expressive eyes and sulky countenance, she possessed an on-screen presence that almost always read more
Noirvember Day Two: They Won’t Believe Me (1947)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 2, 2014
They Won’t Believe Me features enough twists and turns to satisfy any noir fan, a would-be sympathetic protagonist who’s really a heel, and standout performances from a trio of dames – Susan Hayward, Rita Johnson, and Jane Greer. The film stars Robert Young, who was first introduced to me when read more
Happy Noirvember! Day One: Ten of My Favorite Noir Quotes
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 1, 2014
Johnny Eager helps me kick off Noirvember with some hard-boiled patter. What’s Noirvember? It’s a month-long celebration of all things noir, started by Marya over at Cinema-Fanatic.com. This is my first year participating, so strap yourselves in and get ready for 30 days of noir – from reviews read more
Pre-Code Crazy: Ladies They Talk About (1933)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 1, 2014
Why is Ladies They Talk About (1933) my Pre-Code Crazy pick for November? Because Barbara Stanwyck, that’s why. Super-sassy, pulling no punches (literally!), name-above-the-title Barbara Stanwyck. Yes, ma’am! Just to sweeten the pot, the cast of this gem includes Lyle Talbot (always a plus in read more
Forgotten Stars Blogathon: Anita Page
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Oct 30, 2014
I don’t know what it is that I’ve always loved about Anita Page. Although once labeled “The Girl With the Most Beautiful Face in Hollywood,” I never found her looks, while certainly pretty, to be especially unique. And she isn’t necessarily renowned for her acting prowess – a critic read more
Top 10 Most Persuasive Film Noir Femmes
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Oct 13, 2014
How do I love film noir femmes fatales? Let me count the ways. I love them for their striking beauty – how did Virginia Christine expect to stand a chance with Ava Gardner slinking around in that single-strap black dress in The Killers (1946)? Or Alice Faye as long as sexy diner waitress Linda Darne read more
O Canada Blogathon: Norma Shearer in Strangers May Kiss (or, The Dumbbell and The Jackass)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Oct 9, 2014
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but Norma Shearer is one of my all-time favorite actresses. Her unaffected style, graceful manner, and infectious, girlish laugh combined to make her altogether delightful to watch. Not to mention that she looked darned good in a gown, and she could summon read more