Category: Podcast

Episode 17: The Public Enemy

The Public EnemyThis 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)
The Public Enemy poster Rating: 7.6/10 (22,876 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
Plot: An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.

Episode 16: The Asphalt Jungle

Asphalt JungleThis 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)
The Asphalt Jungle poster 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
Plot: A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.

Episode 15: The Big Heat

The Big HeatThis 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)
The Big Heat poster 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
Plot: Tough cop Dave Bannion takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate.

Episode 14: Johnny Guitar

, with special guest:

Johnny GuitarIn 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)
Johnny Guitar poster 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
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.

Episode 13: Stray Dog

, with special guest:

StrayDogIn 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)
Stray Dog poster 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
Plot: During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.

Episode 12: Leave Her to Heaven

, with special guest:

Leave Her to HeavenDear 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)
Leave Her to Heaven poster 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
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.

Episode 11: Nightmare Alley

Nightmare AlleyWe 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)
Nightmare Alley poster 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
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…

NightmareAlleyMeme

Episode 10: Kansas City Confidential

Kansas City ConfidentialIt’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)
Kansas City Confidential poster 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
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.

Episode 9: Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a DoubtWe’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)
Shadow of a Doubt poster 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
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.

Episode 8: Brick

BrickWe’ve done a seven episodes exploring original films noir, so it is high time we take a look at a modern film that was influenced by noir. Join us for a viewing of Rian Johnson’s directorial debut, Brick!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we spoil the ending and a lot of the fun bits. The film can currently be found for rental on iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Instant, Google Play, and YouTube.

Our next episode will be returning to old school noir with a bit of Alfred Hitchcock: Shadow of a Doubt! Listen for it on September 21st!

Brick (2005)
Brick poster Rating: 7.1/10 (109,787 votes)
Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin
Runtime: 110 min
Rated: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Released: 14 Apr 2006
Plot: A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.