Some more interesting and funny foreign titles for posters and magazine covers.  ( assuming Google Translate is accurate).

THE CROOKED WAY……….FACING DEATH.

John Payne  looking like Bob Mitchum.

ALL ABOUT  EVE……….EVA AGAINST EVA.

(Can’t explain this one.)

WHERE  THE SIDEWALK ENDS…….WHEN THE ROAD ENDS.

( ‘sidewalk’ being an American expression, so probably needed to be changed.)

BACK STREET…………LOVE STORY.

I guess Love Story sounded more attractive than ‘Back Street.)

MIDNIGHT LACE……….MIDNIGHT TRAP

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT……….TO HAVE AND NOT HAVE.

That’s Bogie, but more work needed on Bacall.

LITTLE WOMEN.

Elizabeth Taylor gets star billing.

TWELVE ANGRY MEN……….THE TWELVE SWORN.

Maybe just not possible sometimes to have exact translation.

THE SISTERS………..PROM NIGHTS.

?? Can’t explain this one.

ADAMS’S  RIB………..MADAME IS WEARING THE PANTIES.

Literal translation !

PAT AND MIKE……….MADEMOISELLE WINS IT ALL.

Reference Pat being an all round athlete.

STAR STRUCK, MY UNLIKELY ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD (Goodnight Books, 2021) is a wonderful memoir by film historian Leonard Maltin who was born in 1950 in New York before his family moved to New Jersey.

So many great stories as he reminisces how his life has unwound.
……As a youngster he loved silent comedy. His parents had a Bell & Howell projector and he would buy 8mm prints of Chaplin, Keaton and Laurel & Hardy

………In 1969 he learned that director George Stevens was coming to New York. The 18 year old Leonard called round leading Manhattan hotels and found out where the directors was staying – he subsequently got an interview with him.

George Stevens

…….At the age of 13, he submitted articles to “Film Fan Monthly” which was then published in Canada. Two years later, he took over the film magazine at the request of Daryl Davy, the magazine’s originator. His first issue as editor/publisher came out in May 1966 and was numbered #59. Quoting Leonard, “I was 15 and about to finish tenth grade. I continued to edit and publish FFM for the next nine years, winding up with issue #168.”

It wasn’t easy to see certain old movies in the 60s. “If they didn’t turn up on local television or on the revival circuit, you were out of luck unless you  were plugged in to the underground network of collectors. Some were sharers, some were hoarders….”

Whilst a senior at High School, Leonard was approached by a publisher and asked if he’d like to produce a rival to a book called “Movies on TV” by Steven H. Scheuer. And thus  began a long association with  the publication which became  “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide” which sold millions of copies.
“Come to think of it, the history of my Guide parallels the advances in technology and communication over five decades. I never dreamt of a day when computers would replace typewriters, and a hand-held device could hold an encyclopedia’s worth of information.

I lived through the era of fax machines, the malling  of America and arrival of bookstore chains, the debut of video cassettes, laserdiscs and dvds, and streaming. I witnessed the decline of bookstores and the coming of Amazon.”

By 1982, Leonard was hired by “Entertainment Tonight” on television, and worked there for 30 years.

On his trips to Los Angeles – “I pursued mostly character actors and unsung  heroes during these early trips, and had wonderful conversations with Joan Blondell, Grady Sutton,Edgar Buchanan, Una Merkel, and unappreciated directors Mitchel Leisen and Gordon Douglas.”

His favourite interviewee? “I have no hesitation in answering: Katharine Hepburn.”

On their first of four meetings in 1988, as part of an E.T.crew, Leonard found himself invited into Miss Hepburn’s brownstone on east 49th Street – and was offered homemade soup!

Katharine even spoke about herself and Spencer Tracy: 

“I was very careful and Spencer was very careful. Mrs.Tracy lived in  Los Angeles, and I never went out with  Spencer, all those 28 years in California,ever. We didn’t make a spectacle out of the relationship.”

( They met only at her house or the  home of friends like George Cukor).

Leonard became a fan of old-time radio – “I still listen to old-time radio on a regular basis and never tire of it. I may be living in the past when I cue up  a ‘Kraft Music Hall’ with Al Jolson and Oscar Levant, but I don’t care. It brings me joy.”

Leonard has interviewed so many stars over the years, from Shirley Temple, Roy Rogers, Lena Horne, Bette Davis , James Stewart . I love his quote from Fred MacMurray – 

“I would have enjoyed westerns a lot more if horses hadn’t entered into it. I never felt at one with the horse.”

Having taken part in many film festivals, Leonard finally started one of his own – the MaltinFest in 2019. His wife, Alice and daughter,Jessie are very much a part of the enterprise. In fact Alice and Jessie greeted movie fans at the check-in desk for the three day festival at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre.

The Maltin family have had their share of medical problems and I was dismayed to read that Leonard  was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease seven years ago.

But he continues to do the work he loves whether it’s teaching a class at USC School of Cinematic Arts , interviewing stars at the TCM festivals or podcasting with his daughter,Jessie.  He really is a legendary film historian and if you ever catch any of his talks or interviews on You Tube, you’ll understand why he is so well liked by everyone. His knowledge of Classic film is unmatched and his love for it and enthusiasm is undimmed.
This book is quite simply a must-read. His story is the stuff that dreams are made of for any classic film fan.

Leonard meeting Ginger Rogers in 1967.

And his all time favourite movie?  CASABLANCA.

…….The Helpful Cabbie:

Tom D’Andrea (1909-1998) will forever be remembered as ‘Sam’, the cab driver in DARK PASSAGE (1947) who proves to be an unexpected help to fugitive Humphrey Bogart.

On Twitter recently I found the following comment:

“Sam is under appreciated – I’ve never gotten a good referral to a plastic surgeon from a cabbie.”

Humphrey Bogart, Tom D’Andrea

I love this scene where Bogart (as ‘Vincent Parry’)is considering giving himself up to the police because they have his picture all over the papers.  You  really have to suspend belief as this taxi driver called ‘Sam’ decides to help him even though ‘Parry’ is an escaped convict.

Sam: “You’re a man with plenty of trouble.”

Parry: “I don’t have a trouble in the world.”

Sam:”Don’t tell me, buddy, I know. Your trouble is women.”

And before you can say where did he study human nature ( and medicine), ‘Sam’ is transporting ‘Parry’ to his plastic surgeon pal, played by Housely Stevenson.

D’Andrea is so well cast as the quiet spoken taxi driver. He and Housely Stevenson provide two of the best scenes in the film.
I like “Dark Passage” more and more each time I watch it.

With Humphrey Bogart and Housely Stevenson

‘Sam’ sticks around to see the operation result .

Tom D’Andrea only appeared in about 20 films. He was once a publicist for Betty Grable and Gene Autry. In the 1930s, he wrote radio scripts for Jack Benny and Eddie Cantor.

Tom D’Andrea

With Richard Basehart

Tom was the sympathetic employee of druggist Richard Basehart in TENSION.

With Barton McLane and Errol Flynn.

In SILVER RIVER, Tom was Errol Flynn’s sidekick.

With Zachary Scott.

In FLAXY MARTIN, Tom helps Zachary Scott get out of the mess he is in ( caused by Virginia Mayo).
Tom once again played a character called  ‘Sam’  in this movie.

With Alan Mowbray

Tom was the bartender buddy of Howard Duff in the TV series “DANTE” which had a run in 1960/61. Alan Mowbray was the Maitre d’ at Duff’s nightclub called ‘Dante’s Inferno.’

(A few grainy   episodes are on You Tube.) Ida Lupino directed one of the 26 episodes. Howard Duff played ‘Willie Dante’ – the character had been played by Dick Powell in 8 episodes of Four  Star Playhouse.

Tom had  a seven year run on “THE LIFE OF RILEY”, as yet another good buddy, this time with William Bendix. ( from 1953).

……….Just recently found this lovely painting of Humphrey Bogart, which was done in  1937 by his mother Maud Humphrey Bogart , a famous children’s illustrator. (Humphrey was her maiden name).

Bogart’s father, DeForest Bogart, was a surgeon and for the first 23 years of his life, young  Humphrey lived at 245 West 103rd street, New York , in a four story Brownstone which his parents bought in 1898.

The block was subtitled Humphrey Bogart Place in 2006 and there is a small commemorative plaque at the address.

Apparently, baby Humphrey often posed for his mother.

The young  Humphrey – his father hoped he would follow in his footsteps and become a doctor.

………Coming from Criterion early next year, blu-Ray and dvd  releases of Love Affair (due 15/2/22) and Written on the Wind (due 1/2/22).

• Great Douglas Sirk melodrama, an Oscar winner for Dorothy Malone and one of Robert Stack’s best performances.

”Joseph, let me answer the phone, then we can tango!”

Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters in A  BLUE PRINT FOR MURDER.

……….News Item, July 1954:

David Selznick is to film  “War And Peace” – he is also planning a musical stage version of “Gone With the Wind”, to be called “Scarlett O’Hara.”

(Neither came to pass but I did see a musical version of the Gone With The Wind in 1972 at London’s Drury Lane Theatre. Scarlett and Rhett  were played by June Ritchie and Harve Presnell.)

• ………And finally , a quote from the great “The Day The Earth Stood Still.”

When Michael Rennie as ‘Klaatu’ speaks, you believe him:

“I won’t resort  to threats – I merely tell you the future of your  planet is at stake.”

Another example of perfect casting – you can’t imagine anyone else but Michael Rennie as ‘Klaatu’.

‘ Screwball’ comedies were a popular staple in 1930s Hollywood.  The term ‘Screwball’ comes from a pitch in baseball designed to confuse the batter.

And ‘having a screw loose’ seems appropriate for a lot of screwball comedies – etc eccentric households, fast, farcical situations, lots of gags. Logic goes out the window.

One  I love is “Bringing Up Baby”.

Cary Grant plays ‘David Huxley’, a professor of anthropology who has three missions in life – to complete the skeleton of a giant brontosaurus;  to marry  his secretary,’Miss Swallow’ :and  to persuade ‘Mrs. Carlton-Random’ , a rich socialite , to donate a million dollars to his museum.

All his plans are scuppered when he runs into  madcap socialite’ Susan Vance’ (Katharine Hepburn) whose brother ‘Mark’ in Brazil has sent her a pet leopard nicknamed ‘Baby’.
David doesn’t complete the skeleton and doesn’t marry his secretary, but he does get the million dollars, and Susan.

“Baby” is one of the few classic films I’ve  seen on the big screen , and I remember the audience applause both during and after the film.

Let’s all join in – “I  cant give you anything but love, baby.”

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn , with an assist from ‘George’ ( played by ‘Asta’.)

“That’s the only thing I’ve plenty of, baby.”

( With a bit of harmony from Cary)

That terrific song is by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields. It was first sung by Bert Lahr and Patsy Kelly in a Broadway show of 1927, “Delmar’s Revels.” But it became a hit when it was re-used in  the “Blackbirds of 1928” revue.

It has been recorded hundreds of times by vocalists such as Adelaide Hall, Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Ethel Waters, Dean Martin.

BRINGING UP BABY, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, 1938.

That tears it.

”COVER UP!”

And a great supporting cast.

Charlie Ruggles, May Robson.

Barry Fitzgerald

Gogarty, the handyman,  hadn’t a clue what’s going on – he’s just seen a giant cat!

Fritz Feld, Katharine Hepburn

Fritz is , as usual , very funny as the psychologist who tries to reassure Kate there really isn’t a leopard on the loose.

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Catlett.

Walter Catlett is the cop  who thinks he’s snared a big  time gang led by ‘Swingin’ Door Susie’.

The new blu-Ray came out on July 6th,2021.

• Stunt woman Helen Thurston recalled, “My first picture was “Bringing Up Baby”. I doubled for Katharine Hepburn, working with the panther and taking a tumble down a hill. Then I took a big fall from the dinosaur. That’s what started me off.”

(Helen doubled for Marilyn Monroe in “River of No Return” and also did stunts in “Perils of Nyoka “ and “Jungle Girl”.)

Helen Thurston,Marilyn Monroe

’Neisa’, the Indian leopard and her trainer Olga Celeste.

That’s for real! A lot of  the press said Kate was braver with Baby than Cary.

If only colour had been more available in the 30s.

I am grateful to the Columbia University Press for sending me a copy of this new book, BILLY WILDER, DANCING ON THE EDGE (2021) by Joseph McBride.

I can of course only say what I personally think of the book. If  you  are a fan of Billy Wilder’s films, whatever my following comments, you will want to judge it yourself .

It can be argued that Billy Wilder has been written about many times, both in book form and in magazine articles and film tributes and documentaries, and not least in interviews he gave in his lifetime.

The author ,Joseph McBride, is undoubtedly an expert on the work of Wilder, having interviewed and observed the director at work. He has also done dvd commentaries on several Wilder films.

The author describes the book as ‘a critical study not a biography.’ Of its 650 pages, 100 pages cover the index, filmography and copious sources. Over 100 pages concern Wilder’s work pre-Hollywood.
That said, I don’t think this book is aimed at the average classic film fan. More likely it will be of interest to film students,academics and critics who wish to study in depth the career of this famed writer/director.
When I see a paragraph that says, “I’ll begin with the locus  classicus  of negativism  towards Wilder….”,  I know I’m going to struggle.

The book quotes liberally from other sources and I’m sure that the author has probably read everything ever written about Wilder. He attempts  to piece together the creative  life of this artist who produced such a variety of films.
But in doing so, there is not a lot of details about the most famous films, like “Double Indemnity” or “Stalag 17” ,or even  “Sunset Boulevard.”

The film which is discussed at some length is HOLD BACK THE DAWN ( directed by Mitchell Leisen ) and I did enjoy all the observations about this film. Though I don’t agree with the comment on the film’s title – “The film’s title…….seemed hackneyed  and generic……a film’s reputation can be hurt by a weak title.”

And, ok, I’m a  Melvyn Douglas fan ( I can’t find Melvyn ‘s name in the index), and I take  exception to the description – “Melvyn Douglas was something of a second rate star….his less than glamorous appearance works to the film’s advantage.”
However you  rate Melvyn Douglas in the Hollywood hierarchy, in “Ninotchka” he is surely up there with Cary Grant in his suave appearance  and performance – which is necessary for the character he plays.

And we’ll also agree to disagree about “Bringing Up  Baby” ( which is mentioned in a theme about screwball comedies):

“BRINGING UP BABY is painful to watch……because of the highly abrasive degree of physical and psychological animosities.”

Excuse me?

Illustrations in the book are sparse and not particularly rare.

Although not a biography, a few pages about Wilder’s private life would have been useful.
Is it a critical study? It is clear that Mr. McBride is an avid Wilder fan. Any criticisms that he quotes from other sources ie Wilder was a cynic, are shot down as quickly as they are raised.

As I said, only my opinion of a book which has been written with enormous enthusiasm and vast knowledge.  It is after all about one of Hollywood’s royalty – a man who gave us some of the best comedies and dramas of the twentieth century.

The following photos are not from the book.

Charles Boyer, Olivia De Havilland. HOLD BACK THE DAWN

Melvyn Douglas

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

Kirk Douglas. ACE IN THE HOLE

SUNSET BOULEVARD

STALAG SEVENTEEN

Billy Wilder, Marilyn Monroe.

Shirley MacLaine, Billy Wilder.

• Sorry to hear of the death of Dean Stockwell at the age of 85.
• My tribute to Dean from April this year
• https://viennasclassichollywood.com/2021/04/14/dean-stockwell-life-in-hollywood

Who knew. I didn’t. Douglas Spencer, the breezy reporter from “The Thing from Another World” who warned the world  to “watch the skies”, was Ray Milland’s stand-in for many years.

Douglas Spencer

I enjoyed re-watching ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949) on blu-Ray, and later I watched it again with the audio commentary by Eddie Muller. (When Mr. Muller speaks, I listen!) Plus, Eddie has said this will be his last commentary.

The John Farrow film is basically the story of good versus evil, good in the form of   Joseph Foster (Thomas Mitchell), a crusading District Attorney who wants to nail a gangster but can’t quite get enough evidence – until the mysterious Nick Beal (Ray Milland) appears and offers Foster exactly what he needs to get a conviction.

Foster is then persuaded to run for Governor and begins to lose some of his values, as Nick Beal provides an easy road to success. Audrey Totter is added to the  cauldron mix as encouragement to take the wrong spike in the road.
Foster is well along the path of sacrificing integrity for political gain.

Thomas Mitchell That’s a sort of a giveaway!

Thomas Mitchell is maybe just a little too old for the part – his character says he is 47 – Mitchell was 57 but looked a decade older. But a great actor.

Audrey Totter, Ray Milland

Eddie Muller is obviously a big fan of Audrey Totter, having met her several times and interviewed her for his book, “Dark City Dames”. He describes her as completely unlike her screen characters – sweet,sensible and down to earth.

In the film there is a too sudden switch from a girl of the streets to a rich lady who donates time and money to Foster’s  campaign for Governor. But I’m with Eddie, Audrey  Totter  can do no wrong.

A great part for Ray Milland who appears and disappears at will. And generally with a lot of fog around.  He wants the soul  of Foster, it’s almost a game to him.

Eddie made an interesting point that he could see Cary Grant in the role    – definitely!

Apparently director  John Farrow chose to  do this film rather than THE GREAT GATSBY with Alan Ladd.

George Macready

A surprise to see the suave villain ,George Macready,here playing a man of  the cloth. Of course he does it well, but it is not a big part and I don’t know why Maccready would do it – unless  he hoped it would stop his typecasting. But he was such a good bad guy!

Audrey begins to wonder who Nick Beal really is.

Audrey gets a good line  after Beal offers her a swanky apartment and a wardrobe of furs –

“What do I gotta do, Murder?”

Beal’s reply: “Just the opposite, reform work in a boy’s club.”  ( The Foster character helps out in a boy’s  club .)

Also in the cast ,Fred Clark as a racketeer who likes to have politicians in his pocket, and  Geraldine Wall, very well cast as Thomas Mitchell’s wife who realises Nick Beal is up to no good.

THE DEVIL’S ENVOY

“Alias Nick  Beal” became THE CONTACT MAN when released in the U.K.  Have no idea why the change was necessary.

Last word about Douglas Spencer.(1910-1960)

Douglas Spencer

As well as stand-in duties, Douglas appeared in several Ray Milland films – The Lost Weekend, Kitty, The Big  Clock, It Happens Every Spring and A Man Alone.

He has some scenes with Milland in “Alias Nick Beal”, as a crooked bookkeeper.

He also appeared in many other films – Shane, This Island Earth and of course The Thing  From Another World.
He was only 50 when he died from diabetes complications.

It’s no mean feat – winning an an Oscar first time out of the blocks. And an exclusive club in the classic era – six women and one man made such an impression on their film debut ; nobody cared that they’d never appeared before a film camera before.

First up, Gale Sondergaard (1899-1985)  Best Supporting Actress for ANTHONY ADVERSE (1936). Gale as the scheming housekeeper who blackmails Claude Rains into marriage.

Gale Sondergaard

Tall and angular and generally playing older than she was, Gale was pretty much typecast in character roles ,generally foreign, villainess. But a very good actress (THE LETTER stands out). She made over 30 films in the 30s and 40s and had a contract with Universal from 1941 till 1947.

Her husband, director Herbert J. Biberman was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, and Gale suffered  too after  refusing to testify.  A career cut short. She did not film again till the late 60s. What a waste.

Gale with Claude Rains.

Katina Paxinou (1900-1973) made her screen debut in FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS  and won the Best  Supporting Oscar in 1944. So memorable as the rebel fighter Pilar.

Greek born Katina made a few Hollywood films then returned to her homeland where she was a distinguished stage actress.

As Pilar.

Harold Russell, Dana Andrews,Fredric March.

Harold Russell (1914-2002) pulled off a unique double, with  a Best Supporting  Oscar as ‘Homer’, for THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES,  and a special Honorary Oscar for being an inspiration to all returning veterans. (Harold lost both hands during service in the Pacific.)

For someone who had never acted before, Harold gave a touching and memorable performance as the young sailor trying to adjust to life after the war with his severe handicap.

He chose to go to university after filming and became an advocate for military veterans.

According to IMDB, Harold sold his Best Supporting Oscar  in 1992 for $60,000 to pay for his wife’s medical bills.

Harold Russell.

Mercedes McCambridge, John  Ireland, Broderick  Crawford

Another actress whom  Hollywood did not serve well was Mercedes McCambridge (1916-2000) who took home a Best Supporting  Oscar for ALL THE KING’S MEN in 1950.

A stage and radio actress, Mercedes had a powerful presence on screen, as the woman  who is as ruthless as the corrupt politician Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford.)

Mercedes’ film career was short but she received a further Oscar nomination for GIANT. And of course she locked horns with Joan Crawford in JOHNNY  GUITAR.

Mercedes McCambridge

I’d like to see this short lived television series ( only 13 episodes.) Not sure why there is a photo of George Brent with Ann Sheridan.

With James Dean. GIANT.

Shirley Booth (1898-1992) had done COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA on Broadway in 1950 and repeated the role in the film version, winning the Best Actress Oscar.

Shirley and Burt Lancaster play a middle aged couple who take in a young boarder, Terry Moore. ( ‘Sheba’ is their dog who goes missing). Personally I couldn’t take to the characters and Lancaster,at 38, seemed wrong casting – Sidney Blackmer originated the role on stage.)

Shirley only made a handful of films including THE MATCHMAKER ( which was turned into “Hello Dolly). She had a very successful television comedy show called HAZEL (1961-1966) in which she played Don  De Fore’s housekeeper .

She did three Broadway roles but lost out on the film versions – ‘Liz Imrie’ in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY; ‘Ruth’ in MY SISTER EILEEN; and THE DESK SET .

And she starred in the musical version of A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN in 1951.

Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster. COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA.

Whitney Blake, Don De Fore, Shirley Booth.HAZEL.

Eva Marie Saint, Marlon Brando.ON THE WATERFRONT.

Eva Marie Saint burst onto the film screen, winning the Best Supporting Oscar for ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). Fellow nominees that year were Jan Sterling, Nina Foch, Katy Jurado,Claire Trevor .)

Like some of the other first time winners, Eva’s film career was short – she only made 4 more films in the 50s and 6 in the 1960’s.  She had been on television from the 1940s and won several Emmies.

Eva was pregnant when she received her Oscar. Born In 1924, Eva was married for 65 years.

Jo Van Fleet (1915-1996) won  her Best Supporting Oscar for EAST OF EDEN(1955). Jo ,as James Dean’s estranged mother, had very little screen time but ,like Mercedes McCambridge, she commanded every scene she was in.

Jo Van Fleet.

Jo was another Oscar  winner who made only a few movies, acting on stage and on television for most of her career. She is remembered too for Gunfight at the O.k.Corral.

• Director Charles Walters points something out to Judy Garland, Peter Lawford. EASTER PARADE.

George Cukor,Judy Garland, James Mason. A STAR IS BORN.

Marlene Dietrich, script in hand, glasses on, Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION.

• Billy Wilder, Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray. DOUBLE INDEMNITY.

(Whoever chose THAT wig?)

Not sure what point director John Cromwell is making to Lizabeth Scott. DEAD RECKONING.

• Hitch ,far right, looks bored as Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings get their hair/makeup freshened up. DIAL M FOR MURDER.

Light moment on the set of MILDRED PIERCE, with Bruce Bennett, Joan Crawford.

• Careful, Jimmy! Ernst Lubitsch keeps an eye of the bundle of boxes James Stewart is lifting. Margaret Sullavan is amused. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.

• In costume and out of costume for SAN FRANCISCO. Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy.

• Having a break after all that roller skating. Ginger Rogers.  SHALL WE DANCE.

• Tea break for Barbara Stanwyck, Glenn Ford. THE VIOLENT  MEN.

• The mighty Kong. Or head and shoulders at least.

My 19 year old soft cover edition of Eddie Muller’s “DARK CITY;THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR” is starting to show signs of wear.

So it has been a pleasure to have the new 2021 hard back edition.

First published in 1998, author Eddie Muller  ( the Czar of Noir) has revised and expanded his book. In the afterword, he says: “When I started building Dark City more than 25 years ago, it was a shot in the dark. Imagine my surprise,discovering that films about desperation, deceit, betrayal and paranoia can unite people around the world in a shared passion.”

The new edition has 60 extra pages and new chapters – “The City Desk”, “The Big House”, “The Stage Door”. And some stunning new colour photos. Plus features on Joan Harrison, Belita, Sterling Hayden and Ben Hecht.

THE CITY DESK chapter covers films like Ace in the Hole, Scandal Sheet, The Front Page, While The City Sleeps.

STAGE DOOR looks at A Double Life, In A Lonely Place, The Velvet Touch, Sunset Boulevard .

THE BIG HOUSE talks about Brute Force, Caged, Riot in Cell Block 11.

Robert Mitchum

Robert Ryan

John Garfield

Belita. ICE QUEEN OF NOIR!

Jean Hagen, Sterling Hayden.

Howard Duff, Steve Cochran.PRIVATE HELL 36.

Alan Ladd. CHICAGO DEADLINE.

Broderick Crawford. SCANDAL SHEET

Dane Clark, Gail Russell. MOONRISE.

Ida Lupino. ROAD HOUSE

As Eddie says, “The pairing of Marie Windsor and Charles McGraw in “The Narrow Margin” provided  sufficient combustion to fuel a cross country train trip.”

If you  are a Noir fan, this is quite simply a must-buy.
On 31st.December,2020, I wrote a post ,”EDDIE MULLER AND FILM NOIR”.  And I’ll repeat Mr.Muller’s fantastic turn of phrase to sum up this wonderful history of FILM NOIR.

“..These titles are going to take you on a thrilling tortured journey through dark,mean streets in the company of a group of lost souls seeking salvation….

Remember, once across the Dark  City limits, the meter’s double and there is no coming back…….we’ll hit Sinister Heights, Shamus Flats, Blind Alley and maybe Losers Lane…..Dark City was built on fateful coincidence, double dealing and last chances.”

My only gripe – that cover with John  Garfield and Lana Turner from “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” Do we need reminding that constant smoking was part of the era.