Noir Nook: Iconic Moments in Film Noir

Noir Nook: Iconic Moments in Film Noir

As another holiday season rolls around, this month’s Noir Nook is devoted to gift-giving. If you like to visit this website, you’re obviously a classic film lover, and one of the many great things about these movies is the moments that you simply can’t forget – the moments that you find yourself waiting for when you watch your favorites over and over again – the moments that practically leave you breathless, no matter how many times you see them – the moments that you may have seen years before you first watched the film. So, in honor of the holidays, I’m giving the gift of my top three iconic movie moments from film noir. And when I’m finished, I may just go watch them again! (Watch your step as you proceed – spoilers abound!)

The film: Gilda (1946)

The plot: Small-time grifter Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) becomes the right-hand man of Ballin Mundson (George Macready), the owner of a Buenos Aires casino, but the symbiotic relationship is shattered when Ballin shows up with a brand-new wife, Gilda (Rita Hayworth). And his bride just happens to be Johnny’s ex-lover. 

The moment: Ballin doesn’t invite Johnny to his wedding to Gilda, which takes place while Ballin is on a business trip. In fact, he doesn’t even tell Johnny that he’s married until Johnny shows up at Ballin’s sprawling abode, completely unaware that anything is amiss until he notices that Ballin “looks foolish.” Even then, Johnny doesn’t suspect a thing – not until Ballin opens the door to his bedroom and Johnny hears the faint strains of a song playing on the phonograph: “Put the Blame on Mame.” The music is accompanied by a woman softly singing, and Johnny’s stunned countenance reflects his instant recognition of the owner of the voice. Ballin calls out to his wife, “Gilda, are you decent?” And we’re then taken inside of the bedroom, where Gilda explodes into view, flipping back her mane of hair, and smilingly querying, “Me?” As Johnny steps out of the shadow and into view, Gilda’s smile slowly fades and she says flatly, “Sure, I’m decent.”

The film: Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

The plot: Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) meets writer Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde), who reminds her of her beloved, recently deceased father. After a whirlwind romance steered by Ellen, the two get married. But behind Ellen’s beautiful and fascinating façade lurks a psychopath who wants her new husband all to herself – to the exclusion of her family, Richard’s disabled brother, and even her own unborn child.

The moment: Ellen has been working with her young brother-in-law, Danny (Darryl Hickman), who’s trying to surprise his big brother with his ability to swim across the lake behind their home; as Danny tries to swim a little farther each day, Ellen trails behind in a rowboat. On this particular day, before Danny takes the plunge, Ellen tries to gently persuade him to join her mother and sister in Bar Harbor, Maine, instead of remaining with the newlyweds at the Back of the Moon lodge. Danny says he’d rather wait until the three of them can go together, and although Ellen stresses that it would only be for a few weeks, Danny holds firm. As Danny climbs into the water and starts his swim, Ellen dons her sunglasses, which serve to complete the expressionless, enigmatic mask of her face. Even her voice lacks inflection as she rows behind Danny, assuring him that she’ll keep him on course. But less than a minute later, Danny begins to get winded and complains of getting tired. “Take it easy,” Ellen says stiffly. “You don’t want to give up when you’ve come so far.” Danny keeps going, but before much longer, he stops – he ate too much lunch, he tells Ellen breathlessly, and he has a cramp. His voice sounds increasingly anxious, but Ellen is now motionless, no longer using the paddles, impassively staring in Danny’s direction from behind those glasses. Danny goes underneath the water for several seconds, then emerges, screaming Ellen’s name and calling for help as he struggles ineffectively to keep his head above the water. Still, Ellen doesn’t move – she simply watches as Danny goes down for the final time. Suddenly, Ellen hears her husband whistling as he walks along a nearby trail. She snatches the glasses from her face and screams her brother-in-law’s name before shedding her robe and diving into the water. But it’s all for show – and all for naught. Just as she planned.

The film: White Heat (1949)

The plot: A small mob of criminals carries out a series of heists, led by their psychotic boss Cody Jarrett (James Cagney), who suffers from debilitating headaches and has an abnormal attachment to his mother (Margaret Wycherly). After his beloved mother is murdered while he’s in prison, Cody stages a break along with his trusted cellmate, Hank Fallon (Edmond O’Brien), unaware that Fallon is a federal agent. And when he finds out, well, let’s just say it’s not pretty.

The moment: Cody has planned a heist at a huge gas facility and the scheme is underway when Fallon is recognized by one of Cody’s men, causing the already fragile Cody to become completely unglued. “A copper. A copper. How do ya like that, boys? A copper,” Jarrett says. “And we went for it. I went for it. Treated him like a kid brother. And I was going to split 50-50 with a copper.” As the authorities – tipped off by Fallon – converge on the plant, Cody’s men are picked off one by one, until only Cody is left. He climbs to the top of a storage tower, daring the cops gathered below to come after him. When Fallon fires a rifle, striking Cody twice, the gangster begins to laugh uncontrollably, managing to stand to his feet. He fires his gun into the huge gas tank, setting off a geyser of flames, then fires a second shot, producing more flames and causing the men on the ground to run for safety. Cody then firmly plants his feet, assumes a defiant, almost triumphant stance, and shouts skyward, “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” A second later, the tank, and Cody, are engulfed in an enormous exploding ball of fire. And from the ground, Fallon wryly comments: “Cody Jarrett. He finally got to the top of the world. And it blew right up in his face.”

What other iconic scenes can you think of from film noir? Let me know and it may be in a future Noir Nook column!

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– 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.
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