Thankful Noir
Noirvember and Thanksgiving season.
The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are continuing to turn and fall. So, what better time to pull up a chair, grab a cup o’ cider, and join me as I serve up a heaping platter of noir-related goodies that I’m thankful for? Here goes . . .
- The expression on Phyllis Dietrichson’s face in Double Indemnity (1944) as her hapless hubby is murdered by her lover, inches away from her. She doesn’t flinch or gasp, or look afraid or even repulsed. Her eyes are cold and emotionless – and the faintest of smiles curves her lips as the deed is done.
- The crafty badassery that Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) employs in Sudden Fear (1952) after learning that her husband (Jack Palance) and his lover (Gloria Grahame) are plotting her murder. Her initial reaction upon learning of the scheme is understandably unhinged, but once she gets a good night’s sleep, she goes on the offense, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.
- Nora Prentiss (1947) and its unique plot, which centers around a man faking his own death in order to be with the woman he has fallen for.
- The many, many great lines in Detour (1945). Here’s one of my favorites: “Not only don’t you have any scruples, you don’t have any brains.”
- Richard Conte in anything, but especially in The Big Combo (1955), where he plays a mobster so ruthless that he doesn’t even need a first name – he’s simply Mr. Brown. He’s scary. He’s cruel. He’s cold-blooded. And he doesn’t care about anybody. Except Mr. Brown.
- Noirs that don’t have a happy ending – I’m looking at you, Scarlet Street (1945), The Breaking Point (1950), and The Killing (1956). I love a lot of elements about film noir, but one of my favorite things is an absolutely and completely downbeat ending. The last words uttered by Sterling Hayden’s character perfectly capture this feeling: “Eh, what’s the difference?”
- First-rate neo-noirs like Body Heat (1981), Blood Simple (1984), One False Move (1992), The Last Seduction (1994), and A Simple Plan (1998).
- Supporting characters like Marty Waterman and Mrs. Kraft (Elisha Cook, Jr. and Esther Howard) in Born to Kill (1947). The stars of this film are the murderous and aptly named Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney) and Helen Trent (Claire Trevor), who is Sam’s equal in the depravity department. But Marty and Mrs. Kraft are unforgettable standouts in their own right. Marty is the kind of friend anyone would want to have – loyal, understanding, and literally willing to kill for you. And Mrs. Kraft may be a beer-guzzling matron who cheats at cards, but she’s not one to cross – not as long as there’s a hatpin in the vicinity.
- Percy Helton.
- The fabulous ensemble cast of The Asphalt Jungle (1950). This feature has so many characters who are memorably and distinctively drawn, not to mention excellently brought to life, from the main characters like the mastermind of the heist, Doc Reidenschneider (Sam Jaffe), and Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden), the hooligan who serves as the muscle for the operation, to lesser-seen characters like the cat-loving hunchback Gus Minissi (James Whitmore) and the child-like mistress (Marilyn Monroe) of the lawyer charged with fencing the stolen diamonds. Every single character was both necessary and noteworthy.
- The fact that I don’t really know what’s going on in The Big Sleep (1946) half the time, but that never stops me from watching it every chance I get.
- Discovering offshoots of classic noir, like western noir (The Violent Men, 1955; Man of the West, 1958), British noir (It Always Rains on Sunday, 1947; Odd Man Out, 1947), and Gaslight noir (So Evil, My Love, 1948; and Blanche Fury, 1948). There are so many excellent titles within these genres, and it’s so much fun unearthing them.
- The scene in Gun Crazy (1950) where Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) and Bart Tare (John Dall) eat a hamburger at a diner. I don’t even eat red meat, and those burgers look mouth-wateringly delectable.
- Iconic moments like the scalding coffee thrown in Gloria Grahame’s face in The Big Heat (1953), Gene Tierney watching her brother-in-law drown in Leave Her to Heaven (1945), and Gloria Swanson’s film-ending close-up in Sunset Boulevard (1950) – moments that I knew and appreciated long before I ever saw the films.
- Noirs that are accessible for free on streaming platforms like YouTube, Pluto, and Tubi. Here’s just a fraction of the gems you can watch right now at no cost: Leave Her to Heaven (1945), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Brute Force (1947), Cry of the City (1948), Pitfall (1948), House of Strangers (1949), Shakedown (1950), Pickup on South Street (1953), Shield for Murder (1954), Private Hell 36 (1954), and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959). You can’t go wrong with a single one of these, trust me. Treat yourself!
Happy Noirvember and happy Thanksgiving!
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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.
If you’re interested in learning more about Karen’s books, you can read more about them on amazon here:
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