75th Anniversary Noir – 2026 Edition
It’s about that time, y’all! February at the Noir Nook means our annual look at the noirs that are celebrating their 75th anniversary, and have I got four winners for you from 1951!
Before I proceed, I’d like to toss a few honorable mentions your way – if you’re ever in search of additional time-worthy noirs from 75 years back, these will fit the bill: Appointment with Danger (Alan Ladd and Phyllis Calvert), Cry Danger (Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming), Fourteen Hours (Richard Basehart and Paul Douglas), The Mob (Broderick Crawford and Richard Kiley), and Roadblock (Charles McGraw and Joan Dixon). There’s nary a clunker in the bunch . . .
Ace in the Hole
This Billy Wilder-directed gem stars Kirk Douglas as Chuck Tatum, an ambitious reporter whose past misdeeds on a string of big-city newspapers have landed him in a ho-hum job on a small publication in “sun-baked Siberia” – also known as Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, he spends most of his days pacing the floor, kicking his chair in frustration, and trying to decide whether he should cover the local soapbox derby or the tornado that “double-crossed us and went to Texas.” All he wants for Christmas (and every other day) is that one big story that will catapult him back to the big leagues – and he gets it when he learns about a local trading post owner – Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict) – who is trapped underground after a cave-in.
That incident would make a satisfactory one-day story for most reporters, but not Chuck. He teams up with corrupt sheriff Gus Kretzer (Ray Teal), promising a reporting campaign that will ensure Kretzer reelection if the sheriff gives him exclusive access to Minosa. Then, Chuck and Kretzer mastermind a pivot in the rescue effort in favor of one that will take up to a week longer to reach Minosa. And if you haven’t guessed that things are not going to turn out well, you just haven’t been watching enough noir. The dark atmosphere is heightened by the spate of tourists who flock to the scene of the cave-in, transforming it into a carnival-like event complete with food vendors, rides for the kids, and even a theme song (“We’re Coming, Leo!”). Oh – and I almost forgot to mention Minosa’s less-than-devoted wife Lorraine (Jan Sterling), who’d planned to walk out on her husband after learning about his accident, but was persuaded to stay by the prospect of the big bucks she’d make from the influx of tourists to the area.
Favorite quote: “I don’t go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.” – Lorraine Minosa (Jan Sterling)
He Ran All the Way
In his last feature film before his death at the age of 39, John Garfield plays Nick Robey, a low-level hood who still lives at home with his mother and embraces the concept of “from bad to worse” when he teams with a pal to carry out a payroll robbery. He takes it on the lam when his buddy is shot and a security guard is killed, but he doesn’t go far, seeking refuge at a local public pool. There, he hides in plain sight, flirting the day away with a shy and emotionally needy swimmer, Peg Dobbs (Shelley Winters) – who will come to regret accepting Nick’s attentions after he walks her home and winds up taking her family hostage.
The picture is unique in the presentation of its characters – they’re not a cookie-cutter, predictable lot but, instead, offer personality traits that are layered and outside of the norm. Peg, for example, initially comes off as inexperienced and immature, but she demonstrates her mettle later on, as the stakes get higher and the danger ramps up within the Dobbs household. And you’d expect Peg’s mother, played by Selena Royle, to be frightened and skittish, overcome with anxiety over the gun-wielding killer in her home; instead, she demonstrates an unshakable combination of courage and outrage, and doesn’t hesitate to do whatever she can to protect her family. But the most multifaceted character is Nick – while he’s undeniably a criminal with a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for poor decision-making, he manages to invoke the viewer’s sympathy through his interactions with the family. In one scene, for instance, he exhibits genuine concern after Mrs. Dobbs is injured in a sewing machine mishap, and later, we see his pain when the family rejects the turkey dinner he was so pleased to provide for them. He’s a heartbreaker – killer or no.
Favorite quote: “Everybody gets to the point where they draw a line. When that line is drawn, you can’t force them any farther. Not even with a gun.” – Fred Dobbs (Wallace Ford)
The Prowler
This unique entry centers on housewife Susan Gilvray (Evelyn Keyes), who gets more than she bargains for when she reports a suspected prowler to police. One of the cops who responds to the call is Webb Garwood (Van Heflin), and before you can say “Bob’s your uncle,” he and the very married Susan are embroiled in a torrid affair. But they don’t have to sneak around for long, because Susan’s husband winds up dead (three guesses as to who’s responsible, and the first two don’t count). The absence of Mr. Gilvray clears the way for Webb and Susan to tie the knot, but unfortunately for Susan, she learns that there’s more to her groom than meets the eye. This becomes even more apparent when Susan gets pregnant and Webb insists on relocating with his bride to a remote cabin in the desert.
Heflin, in particular, turns in a standout performance in this often-overlooked film – his Webb is one of noir’s most unsavory villains. His persona is especially insidious because it’s cloaked behind the uniform and the badge, and he’s not immediately seen as the bad guy he turns out to be. Instead, red flags begin to crop up and the viewer, along with Susan, gradually realizes what a lethal trap she’s in.
Favorite quote: “So, I’m no good! Well, I’m no worse than anybody else! You work in a store, you knock down on the cash register. A big boss, the income tax. Ward heeler, you sell votes. A lawyer, take bribes. I was a cop . . . I used a gun. But whatever I did, I did for you.” – Webb Garwood (Van Heflin)
Strangers on a Train
One of my many favorite Alfred Hitchcock films (on any given day, it’s definitely in the top three), this feature is based on the well-received 1950 debut novel by Patricia Highsmith. One of the two strangers of the title is Guy Haines (Farley Granger), a tennis pro who’s stymied in his desire to marry his girlfriend (Ruth Roman) because his shrewish – and pregnant – wife (Laura Elliott), refuses to divorce him. (Did I mention that the baby isn’t Guy’s?) The other stranger, Bruno Antony (Robert Walker), is charming and gregarious – and a complete sociopath. When Guy and Bruno meet by accident aboard a train, Bruno secures what he perceives as Guy’s approval for a foolproof “criss-cross” murder idea, where Bruno will kill Guy’s wife and Guy will extend the same treatment to Bruno’s hated father. And Bruno is nothing if not a man of action, if you get my drift.
Hitchcock does a masterful job in helming this feature – the subject of a first-rate 2025 book by Stephen Rebello – and Walker turns in the performance of his career, creating a character that is at once appealing and terrifying. In addition to Elliott and Hitchcock’s real-life daughter, Patricia, the film’s standout performers include Marion Lorne (who played Aunt Clara on TV’s Bewitched) as Bruno’s ditzy but harmless mother. And even though Hitchcock didn’t get the ending he wanted (Warner Bros. studio head Jack Warner insisted on a more lightweight conclusion), the entire production is first-rate, from start to finish.
Favorite quote: “I may be old-fashioned, but I thought murder was against the law.” – Guy Haines (Farley Granger)
And that’s it for this year’s celebration of films turning 75 this year – what are some of your favorite noirs from 1951? Leave a comment and let me know!
…
– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub
You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.
Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the author of the Shadows and Satin blog, which focuses on movies and performers from the film noir and pre-Code eras, and the editor-in-chief of The Dark Pages, a bimonthly newsletter devoted to all things film noir. Karen is also the author of two books on film noir – Femme Noir: The Bad Girls of Film and Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @TheDarkPages.
If you’re interested in learning more about Karen’s books, you can read more about them on amazon here:
