The MoFo Top Film Noir Countdown - Preliminary Thread

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One Ornery Sumbitch
01-04-24
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
As I started typing this I kept thinking that Inmate's suggestion was Street With No Name, or was it Street With No Sidewalks Crazy noir titles I tell ya!
Lots of similar titles. For example, do you know how many titular Johnny flicks there are in Noir? Johnny Apollo (1940), Johnny Eager (1941), Johnny Angel (1945), Johnny O'Clock (1947), Johnny Allegro (1949), Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949), Johnny Holiday (1949), Johnny One-Eye (1950), and Johnny Gunman (1957) in Classic Noir, plus Johnny Nobody (1961), Johnny Cool (1963), and Johnny Handsome (1989) in Neo Noir.


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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
01-04-24
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
Ha, I've a helluva time remembering which noir is which. Even when Frightened Inmate suggested Where the Sidewalk Ends, a film I seen only two weeks ago, I couldn't remember what it was about or who was in it...It's a good noir too. I've a hard time getting noir titles mixed up too. As I started typing this I kept thinking that Inmate's suggestion was Street With No Name, or was it Street With No Sidewalks Crazy noir titles I tell ya!

Noir titles are hilariously similar. I'm sure you could do a kind of noir title generator: pick one from each box...


1. The


2. Dark, Naked, Scarlet, Deadly, Blue, Sweet, Third, Seventh, Big, Nightmare, Hell, Evil, Strange...


3. Street, City, Stranger, Window, Man, Woman, Kiss, Murder, Staircase, Sidewalk, Alley, Driver, Hunter, Killer, Clock, Mirror, Dahlia...



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"Lois, I never lie."
01-08-24
I finally watched a noir (on "Noir Alley" on TCM) the other night... it was called Pickup (1951).

I wasn't planning to watch the whole thing, but got intrigued. It's about an attractive, yet unscrupulous gold-digger who marries an older widower in hopes of getting his money.

According to the trivia after the movie, Beverly Michaels did such a great job at playing this nasty, bitchy, femme fatale, that studios had her resurrect the character for other films, but with a different name (she wasn't supposed to BE the same character, but a character who was exactly the same as the one she played in Pickup).




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Trouble with a capital "T"
01-08-24
Originally Posted by Captain Steel
I finally watched a noir (on "Noir Alley" on TCM) the other night... it was called Pickup (1951).

I wasn't planning to watch the whole thing, but got intrigued. It's about an attractive, yet unscrupulous gold-digger who marries an older widower in hopes of getting his money.

According to the trivia after the movie, Beverly Michaels did such a great job at playing this nasty, bitchy, femme fatale, that studios had her resurrect the character for other films, but with a different name (she wasn't supposed to BE the same character, but a character who was exactly the same as the one she played in Pickup).
Ah, I recognize that movie poster. Don't think I've seen that one but I will watch it. Did you like it?



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"Lois, I never lie."
01-08-24
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
Ah, I recognize that movie poster. Don't think I've seen that one but I will watch it. Did you like it?
Oh, yes. I mean I hated the female character, but you were supposed to hate her. She was about as off-putting as she was good looking (which made you wonder why her victim couldn't see her intentions from a mile a way, but then, they say loneliness will blind a man to these things - and that's what the story is about).

WARNING: "Ending" spoilers below
In the after-movie trivia they said that director Hugo Haas (who starred as the older man) liked to end noirs differently: instead of killing off the murderous bitch of a wife who had targeted him, he has her live at the end. They said most noirs leave these types of women dead at the end, but Haas liked to end his movies on an up-note despite the dark material they contained in-between. This made the film feel a little different from other noirs, plus some offbeat details to the story. Since the lady gets away alive at the end, some audiences who saw this movie thought her subsequent movies might be sequels - since she resurrected an almost identical character. But all the movies were one-shots as she was supposed to be a different character in each one.



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Trouble with a capital "T"
01-08-24
Originally Posted by Captain Steel
Oh, yes. I mean I hated the female character, but you were supposed to hate her. She was about as off-putting as she was good looking (which made you wonder why her victim couldn't see her intentions from a mile a way, but then, they say loneliness will blind a man to these things - and that's what the story is about).

WARNING: "Ending" spoilers below
In the after-movie trivia they said that director Hugo Hass (who starred as the older man) liked to end noirs differently: instead of killing off the murderous bitch of a wife who had targeted him, he has her live at the end. They said most noirs leave these types of women dead at the end, but Hass liked to end his movies on an up-note despite the dark material they contained in-between. This made the film feel a little different from other noirs, plus some offbeat details to the story.
I think I'll wait to read your spoiler until after I seen it.



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"Lois, I never lie."
01-08-24
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
I don't know I'll probably find the dame to be hot!
She is. And in this film she walks the thin line between classy and totally slutty. (Part of the reason I kept watching!)
She's quite beautiful in fact, especially her eyes, but she's so ugly on the inside and has such a two-faced personality that it's hard to find her beautiful after a while.



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Trouble with a capital "T"
01-08-24
Originally Posted by Captain Steel
She is. And in this film she walks the thin line between classy and totally slutty.
She's quite beautiful in fact, especially her eyes, but she's so ugly on the inside and has such a two-faced personality that it's hard to find her beautiful after a while.
Sounds temping!



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Trouble with a capital "T"
01-12-24
Originally Posted by Captain Steel
[Pickup (1951)]..She is. And in this film she walks the thin line between classy and totally slutty. (Part of the reason I kept watching!)
She's quite beautiful in fact, especially her eyes, but she's so ugly on the inside and has such a two-faced personality that it's hard to find her beautiful after a while.
I watched Pickup last night, gotta say I'm a fan. I really liked the story Hugo Hass the older guy and the femme fatale Beverly Michaels. She was nasty! But I liked her as a character. Thanks for mentioning this movie.



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Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
01-16-24
I haven't posted much here but for the first time I'm watching new movies for the countdown. Seen about ten noirs in the scope lately. Now, I'm about to see Gilda (1946) in a day or two.
Unfortunately, still can't find Ace in the Hole.

I'm going to complete my ballot next week, I think...
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Last edited by mrblond; 01-16-24 at 04:26 PM.



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Trouble with a capital "T"
01-16-24
Originally Posted by mrblond
I haven't posted much here but for the first time I'm watching new movies for the countdown. Seen about ten noirs in the scope lately. Now, I'm about to see Gilda (1946) in a day or two.
Unfortunately, still can't find Ace in the Hole.

I'm going to complete my ballot next week, I think...
Gilda and Ace in the Hole...two amazing noirs! Ace in the Hole, you can stream it legal like at Flix and Indie Flix. Lots of legal options stream Ace in the Hole And if you need a 'free' link for it just shout out and I'll message you one.

You still have plenty of time to watch more noirs, over 5 weeks (deadline to send your list in is February 25th)



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Please Quote/Tag Or I'll Miss Your Responses
01-17-24
Originally Posted by mrblond
I haven't posted much here but for the first time I'm watching new movies for the countdown. Seen about ten noirs in the scope lately. Now, I'm about to see Gilda (1946) in a day or two.
Unfortunately, still can't find Ace in the Hole.

I'm going to complete my ballot next week, I think...

"Ace In The Hole" is one of a few movies I've given a 10/10.



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Winner by Default
01-17-24
I rewatched a couple noirs this past week in the hopes that I could put some order to my shortlist, but it didn't really help lol. Not sure if I want to focus on revisiting the films I'm uncertain of, or if I should switch to watching ones that are entirely new to me.



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Trouble with a capital "T"
01-17-24
Originally Posted by CosmicRunaway
I rewatched a couple noirs this past week in the hopes that I could put some order to my shortlist, but it didn't really help lol. Not sure if I want to focus on revisiting the films I'm uncertain of, or if I should switch to watching ones that are entirely new to me.
Maybe it would help if you checked out the first post on the noir watch/review/rate thread. So far there's been 135 classic noirs watched and logged there since Nov 1st! Some have been rated 4/5 and even 5/5. It might give you an idea of what to watch.



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Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
01-23-24
What about High Sierra by Raoul Walsh? I've came across it today and wonder if to watch. Does someone consider it for the ballot?
IMDB says it is from 1940 / Wikipedia says 1941

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