Noir Films

[RedRiver]

I've never come across Vince Edwards before but he's quite striking

Millions of American women found him so in BEN CASEY. Are you familiar with this outrageously popular TV show from the 1960's?

BLAST OF SILENCE...I'm trying to remember if I've seen it. I have a feeling I'd remember if I had. MURDER BY CONTRACT became available to me through a set that included THE SNIPER, a better hit man story. That one I do remember!

[Western Guy]

Vince Edwards was quite a popular B or C-film bad guy in the 50s. "Murder by Contract", "The Night Holds Terror", "Rogue Cop", Cell 2455 Death Row", "City of Fear". Despite playing Hiawatha in the film of the same name, he needed the success of Ben Casey to reform his screen image.

Born Vincent Edward Zoino, he was kind of an arrogant, bullyish guy in his early years, but as he matured he became a nice fella and more sedate. Sadly he died of the same cancer that killed Patrick Swayze. He has a very nice memorial headstone, btw.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Glad to know that he mellowed. My family and I I enjoyed him as Ben Casey.

[CineMaven]

You rang???????

[charliechaplinfan]

Something else I remember about Murder By Contract, Coldwater Canyon where the murder took place is that the road that leads up towards the Hollywood sign in LA?

[kingrat]

For the first time in several years TCM showed THE FALLEN SPARROW, based on a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes, who also wrote the novels IN A LONELY PLACE and RIDE THE PINK HORSE. THE FALLEN SPARROW, though not one of my very favorite noirs, has a fine brooding intensity as Spanish Civil War vet and torture victim Kit McKittrick (John Garfield, in a role that's perfect for him) returns to New York to find out who killed his buddy. Could one of the refugees from the Nazis actually be a Nazi agent, perhaps even the limping man who oversaw the torture? Kit finds his old society girlfriend (Patricia Morison, who disappears from the movie too soon for my liking), discovers that the "Imp" (Martha O'Driscoll) isn't at all the funny awkward little girl he knew, and falls head over heels for a mystery woman (Maureen O'Hara, who's so beautiful in this movie that anyone would flip for her). Wheelchair-bound Walter Slezak silkily caresses each syllable when he talks about different kinds of torture. Some of the movie may unfold a bit predictably, but the journey is worth taking.

Richard Wallace directs; Nicholas Musuraca is the gifted cinematographer; Edward Stevenson provides the gowns, which deserve the full commentary of our fashionistas. Maureen O'Hara, beautifully lit by Musuraca, has a flawless complexion, and the upswept 40s hair actually looks good on her. Garfield gives full value to the anger, sarcasm, determination, and fear of insanity without lapsing into the hammy or the obvious. Parts of this film, which I last saw when Bob Dorian was introducing classic films on AMC, stick in the mind.

[RedRiver]

My family and I I enjoyed him as Ben Casey

One of the great TV melodramas. Overwrought to the hilt!

[charliechaplinfan]

I happened across another Vince Edwards film today, he played a similar character but this time he had no redeeming qualities, The Night Holds Terror is an OK noirish thriller, it has John Cassavettes in what must be one of his earliest roles, who is slightly more nasty than Vince Edwards, the interesting thug was played by David Cross and the victims are played by Jack Kelly and Holdy Cross, their life is turned upside down when he gives a lift to Vince Edwards character who then shakes him down for money, he only gets away with his life by offering the gang his car and suffers a night held hostage in his own home and then is kidnapped in the morning and is facing execution if his wife talks to the cops. It's a tense drama, very seriously told by the narrator when he's describing what the police are doing and how they are tracking the calls, interesting but not the fastest moving.

[charliechaplinfan]

I loked up another Sally Gray movie, They Made Me A Fugitive made in 1947, it stars Trevor Howard playing a 27 year old ex RAF man (I don't believe Trevor Howard ever looked 27). It's a noir movie that has a sense of humour about it, a black marketeer gang set in an undertakers, the booty being smuggled in the coffins, Mary Merrill who plays Aggie is the grand dame of the undertakers, the respectable front. Howard gets a job with the outfit but balks when he sees that opium is part of the cargo, plans are made by the boss, Narcy (short for narcissus) to frame Howard for a cops death. he goes down and is visited in prison by Sally Gray, Narcy's ex who wants to right the wrong. When Howard escapes he has a long journey back across England to London to get retribution. Two good escapades on the way, one with a plainly mad woman who looks after him then hands him a gun to kill her husband. The other is with a truckdriver who picks him up and evetually realises that he has the fugtive. despite the humour the film is unbelievably gritty, with Rene Ray being given a good beating with a metal rimmed belt. It gives a look at wartime London, black marketeers, ruthless gangs. as Howard hunts down Narcy, he visits Sally Gray to get his wounds tended to and the final showdown is in the undertakers amongst the coffins then up on the roof amongst a big RIP sign.

If anyone hasn't seen this I heartedly recommend it.

[JackFavell]

I've only seen half of it, but I agree Alison, the last half is quite a good mix of comedy and grit. An excellent movie, at least the part I saw. I'm looking forward to catching up on the rest.

[charliechaplinfan]

Did you get to see the nutty wife segment? She lets him have a bath and some food and in return she asks for a favour.

[JackFavell]

Yes, I think that's where I started watching it, and when you described the scene, I knew I'd seen the movie. I didn't know the title of it when I watched it. That scene totally captured my attention, that's for sure! I thought the comic elements really highlighted the darker ones well.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've never quite seen a scene like it in a noir film, the humour does highlight the tense storyline, it's a shock at first to find out how bad the criminal mastermind is.

[JackFavell]

I found it on youtube Openflix, if anyone is interested.

[charliechaplinfan]

It's worth the watch, I'm a bigger Sally Gray fan now