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Feb 07
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This week, we watch the amazing noir/French New Wave hybrid, Elevator to the Gallows!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because, seriously, it’s amazing. This film is currently available on Hulu Plus and on DVD.
Join us on February 21st for our episode on Night and the City!
Elevator to the Gallows (1958) | |
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Rating: 7.9/10 (28,449 votes) Director: Louis Malle Writer: Roger Nimier, Louis Malle, Noël Calef Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly Runtime: 91 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller Released: 01 Feb 1958 |
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Plot: A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events. |
Jan 21
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This week, we watch the pre-Hayes Code pre-noir gangster classic, The Public Enemy!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because it’s a great gangster flick. This film is currently available for streaming rental on iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, and Microsoft, and is also available on DVD. (It’s also currently available for free on YouTube, but the sound on that copy is pretty lousy.)
Join us on February 7th for our episode on Elevator to the Gallows!
The Public Enemy (1931) | |
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Rating: 7.6/10 (22,976 votes) Director: William A. Wellman Writer: Kubec Glasmon, John Bright, Harvey F. Thew Stars: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods Runtime: 83 min Rated: Passed Genre: Crime, Drama Released: 15 May 1931 |
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Plot: An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime. |
Jan 07
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This week, we watch John Huston’s great heist flick, The Asphalt Jungle!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because it’s a truly fun movie. This film is currently available for streaming rental on iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, and Microsoft, and is also available on DVD.
Join us on January 21st for our episode on The Public Enemy!
The Asphalt Jungle (1950) | |
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Rating: 7.8/10 (29,660 votes) Director: John Huston Writer: Ben Maddow, John Huston, W.R. Burnett Stars: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen Runtime: 112 min Rated: Passed Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir Released: 12 May 1950 |
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Plot: A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel. |
Dec 21
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This week, we watch Fritz Lang’s amazing noir, The Big Heat!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because it is truly great. This film is currently available for streaming rental on iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, and Microsoft, and is also available on DVD.
Join us on January 7th for our episode on The Asphalt Jungle!
The Big Heat (1953) | |
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Rating: 7.9/10 (28,822 votes) Director: Fritz Lang Writer: Sydney Boehm, William P. McGivern Stars: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando Runtime: 89 min Rated: Passed Genre: Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller Released: 16 Nov 1953 |
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Plot: Tough cop Dave Bannion takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate. |
Dec 07
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In this episode, we are joined by special guest Pat Wick and we watch the bizarre noir-western, Johnny Guitar!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because, really, it must be seen to be believed. This film is currently available for streaming rental on iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, and Microsoft, and also has an excellent Blu-Ray release.
Join us on December 21st for our episode on The Big Heat!
Johnny Guitar (1954) | |
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Rating: 7.6/10 (19,492 votes) Director: Nicholas Ray Writer: Philip Yordan, Roy Chanslor, Nicholas Ray Stars: Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge Runtime: 110 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Drama, Western Released: 23 Aug 1954 |
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Plot: After helping a wounded gang member, a strong-willed female saloon owner is wrongly suspected of murder and bank robbery by a lynch mob. |
Nov 22
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In this episode, we are joined by special guest Pat Wick and we watch Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we spoil all the juicy parts. You want to see the movie. This film is currently available streaming on Hulu Plus, and it is easily findable on an excellent DVD from the Criterion Collection.
Join us on December 7th for our episode on Johnny Guitar!
Stray Dog (1949) | |
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Rating: 7.8/10 (18,829 votes) Director: Akira Kurosawa Writer: Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji Runtime: 122 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir Released: 31 Aug 1963 |
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Plot: During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol. |
Nov 07
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Dear listeners, you are in for a real treat this week. Our regular crew is joined by special guest star Sharon Stiteler (aka Birdchick) for our episode about Leave Her to Heaven!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we spoil the film. Like, a lot. You want to see the movie. While this movie isn’t on most of the usual streaming channels, there are a couple copies on YouTube, and it can usually be found for DVD rental.
Also, during the episode, we start talking about the Haunted Mansion at Disney theme parks. Here’s a quick correction: Melissa says that Thurl Ravenscroft is the voice of the Ghost Host, which is only sort of true. Mr. Ravenscroft is the Ghost Host on the album, Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion. The actual Ghost Host you hear during the American ride is Paul Frees, who is also awesome but who is not Tony the Tiger.
Also, here are some links that are relevant to this episode:
Join us on November 21st for our episode on Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog!
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) | |
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Rating: 7.6/10 (14,606 votes) Director: John M. Stahl Writer: Jo Swerling, Ben Ames Williams Stars: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain Runtime: 110 min Rated: Passed Genre: Drama, Film-Noir, Romance Released: 01 Jan 1946 |
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Plot: A writer falls in love with a young socialite and they're soon married, but her obsessive love for him threatens to be the undoing of them both as well as everyone around them. |
Oct 21
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We figured you might like something special for the Halloween season, so this week, we give you the dark carnival noir Nightmare Alley!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we spoil the hell out of this film, and I assure you, you don’t want that. While this movie isn’t on most of the usual streaming channels, you can easily find a DVD for under $10, and a search on Google will bring you a dozen probably-illicit copies. (There is currently a copy on YouTube, uploaded in 12 parts.)
Join us on November 7th for our episode on Leave Her to Heaven!
Nightmare Alley (1947) | |
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Rating: 7.7/10 (13,354 votes) Director: Edmund Goulding Writer: Jules Furthman, William Lindsay Gresham Stars: Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray Runtime: 110 min Rated: Passed Genre: Drama, Film-Noir Released: 28 Oct 1947 |
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Plot: The rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall. |
Oh, and if you want that meme we were talking about in the episode…
Oct 07
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It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly sweet-spot criminals-and-dames noir on this podcast, so this week we’re bringing you one of the lesser-known gems of the genre: Kansas City Confidential!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we spoil a lot of the fun bits. In this case, you really won’t have an excuse to not see the film, because it is in the public domain and it is EVERYWHERE online. However, the image and sound quality vary greatly between the digital copies. We found an excellent version of the film on Hulu.
We still don’t quite know what our next episode will be, but it will arrive on October 21st!
Kansas City Confidential (1952) | |
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Rating: 7.3/10 (8,041 votes) Director: Phil Karlson Writer: George Bruce, Harry Essex, Harold Greene Stars: John Payne, Coleen Gray, Preston Foster Runtime: 99 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir Released: 11 Nov 1952 |
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Plot: An ex-con trying to go straight is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to Mexico in order to unmask the real culprits. |
Sep 21
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We’ve gone far too long in this podcast without visiting the Master of Suspense, so join us this week in watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt!
We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we spoil a lot of the fun bits. The film can currently be found for rental on iTunes and Amazon Instant as well as various other places.
Our next episode will be about Kansas City Confidential, a great little noir that few people have seen. Listen for it on October 7th!
Oh, and in case you need that Hume Cronyn meme that we talked about during this episode… here you go!
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | |
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Rating: 7.8/10 (70,250 votes) Director: Alfred Hitchcock Writer: Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, Alma Reville Stars: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey Runtime: 108 min Rated: Passed Genre: Film-Noir, Thriller Released: 15 Jan 1943 |
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Plot: A teenage girl, overjoyed when her favorite uncle comes to visit the family in their quiet California town, slowly begins to suspect that he is in fact the "Merry Widow" killer sought by the authorities. |