CORNELL WOOLRICH : King of Noir

[RedRiver]

I hope it's OK to revive this old thread. I've just joined the board!

As for the books, I like RENDEZVOUS IN BLACK better than BRIDE WORE BLACK. The plot and the format are almost exactly the same. But I find "Rendezvous" a little more entertaining. A few years ago, the Hard Case paperback series published something called FRIGHT. Wow! I'd never even heard of this little sizzler. It's creepy, ironic and over before you know it. The pages, all 180 of them, just fly by as you waste no time heading for the conclusion. I believe FRIGHT is my favorite of the dark poet's novels. Where has it been hiding?

The movies...REAR WINDOW is probably my choice. It's my favorite Hollywood Hitchcock film. An irresistible concept. I, also, like BLACK ANGEL. DEADLINE AT DAWN is satisfying in a lighthearted way. As with all good prose, it's better on paper than on film.

HAIL TO THE KING!

[JackFavell]

That's funny that you brought this thread back up. I just found some vintage William Irish books on ebay, while looking for a copy of Deadline at Dawn, and wondered if I should buy them. The cover art is great.

[RedRiver]

That reminds me. FRIGHT was originally published under the name George Hopley. That's one I hadn't heard before!

[Dewey1960]

Hey Red River! George Hopley was the name he used on one of my favorites of his books: NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES.
It's also among my favorites of the filmed adaptations. I read FRIGHT a year or so ago and likewise thought it was great!
The topic of WOOLRICH is endlessly fascinating and rewarding. A couple obscure poverty row adaptations you might want
to check out are I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES (1948) and THE GUILTY(1947), both released by Monogram Pictures!

[ChiO]

Now let us praise Pack Rats --

Just returned from a short visit to my parents on the farm (MichiganJ: Did you see me wave to you from I-65?) in order to also see our granddaughter (and her parents) as they were passing through on their way to Detroit. My Mother said, "I've been cleaning and found some things of yours for you to go through." Amongst the comic books, Mad and Hit Parader magazines from the '60s, there was an Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and an Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, both from January 1964. No Woolrich (or Irish or Hopley) stories, but an Agatha Christie and a Ben Hecht.

[movieman1957]

Hey RedRiver. I'm glad you've come over. We don't mind old threads being brought up. Once in a while on we note it or mention the current year but some of the info is too good to be buried so go mining and have fun.

[ChiO]

A young unmarried pregnant woman is on a train trying to escape from her Life. But Fate intervenes. She meets a married couple who are her age on the train. That woman is pregnant, too. After their whirlwind courtship and marriage, they are off for him finally to introduce her to his wealthy family. His family hasn't even seen a picture of her. While washing her hands, she removes her wedding ring and suggests the unmarried woman try it on.... Train crashes.... The couple are dead.... The other woman can only be the family's surviving daughter-in-law.... Guilt, fear and trepidation ensue...as well as a blackmailer, murder and a romance with her new "brother-in-law"....

I Married a Dead Man was my first vacation read, followed quickly by The Killer Inside Me (Jim Thompson) -- WOW! -- and Side-Swipe (Charles Willeford). Gotta fill in the huge gaps in my noir lit experience.

Forty-three years ago today, Cornell Woolrich, William Irish, and George Hopley died. Three names, but they died alone together.

[JackFavell]

I am extremely disappointed that my kindle offers no Woolrich titles, but you've given me the idea to search for other names.

I watched Deadline at Dawn recently. It's a quirky little tale that never really makes up it's mind to be straight noir, but what a nifty story! Well acted by all, with a sad, fatalistic twist at the end. Not too much suspense, but the cast of characters makes it all worthwhile.

[RedRiver]

I MARRIED A DEAD MAN is one of Woolrich's more diabolical stories. A fast and fascinating read. Isn't there a film version? I haven't seen it. DEADLINE AT DAWN is one of those ultimate B features. Not a great movie. But so small. So unpretensious. And so Cornell Woolrich!

[ChiO]

NO MAN OF HER OWN (Leisen, 1950), starring Barbara Stanwyck, is based on I Married a Dead Man.

[JackFavell]

So glad I'm not the only fan of Deadline at Dawn. I really enjoyed it's small, quirky charms. And it has excellent lighting.

[ChiO]

Ranking film based on Woolrich stories is tough. The virtues of a movie get blurred with fealty to the Woolrich tone and atmosphere. REAR WINDOW is my favorite movie based on a Woolrich story, but it has little of what makes Woolrich Woolrich. On the other hand, NIGHTMARE is reasonably loyal to Woolrich, but it is near the bottom of the adaptations I've seen. What I've seen:

THE LEOPARD MAN (Jacques Tourneur, 1943)
PHANTOM LADY (Robert Siodmak, 1944)
DEADLINE AT DAWN (Harold Clurman, 1946)
BLACK ANGEL (Roy William Neill, 1946)
THE CHASE (Arthur Ripley, 1946)
THE GUILTY (John Reinhardt, 1947)
FEAR IN THE NIGHT (Maxwell Shane, 1947)
THE RETURN OF THE WHISTLER (D. Ross Lederman, 1948)
I WOULDN"T BE IN YOUR SHOES (William Nigh, 1948)
NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (John Farrow, 1948)
THE WINDOW (Ted Tetzlaff, 1949)
REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
NIGHTMARE (Maxwell Shane, 1956)
THE BRIDE WORE BLACK (Francois Truffaut, 1968)
MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (Francois Truffaut, 1969)
MARTHA (Rainier Werner Fassbinder, 1973)

The movies based on Cain, Chandler, and Hammett stories are wonderful, but I'll go with the Woolrich movies. There's filming noir...then there's being film noir (especially those '40s films).

[JackFavell]

Am I right in assuming those are ranked?

Your list makes me realize how few of the movies I've seen. six so far.

I am really P.O'd that they took The Night Has a Thousand Eyes off of Youtube before I could watch it.

[ChiO]

Nope - chronological. I'm certain Prof. Dewey has seen several more. Ranking would be painful. Just see all that you can.

[JackFavell]

You guys are so far ahead of me!

I just ordered a cheap copy of The Night Has Thousand Eyes on ioffer. I hate buying things, but...I had to.