Noir Films

[Western Guy]

I heard the Harvey Keitel version but have to laugh. Replacing Carey with Lawrence Tierney because Keitel thought Carey was scary??!! Carey was decidedly eccentric but Tierney was unpredictable. Apparently he got along well with "son" Chris Penn but never warmed to Michael Madsen.

So unfortunate that he terrorized the "Seinfeld" cast. Tierney's episode is arguably my favorite and it would have been fun to have him become a recurring character.

Red River, I can't think of another actor who changed so drastically as Tierney. Heck, the guy was a model at one time. Then to be compared to The Thing. Even his voice did a 180.

[JackFavell]

I saw the Joseph Cotten film The Steel Trap and was also on the edge of my seat... I wanted to see Cotten get away with it so much! He was very sympathetic. I missed the end (AARRGH) can you PM me Alison as to what the outcome was? I am assuming that he ended up getting caught.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've sent you a PM with the outcome Wendy.

I'll look out for more Lawrence Tierney movies. I liked Female Jungle very much.

[Western Guy]

Really enjoyed "The Steel Trap". Got right into that one. Suspenseful yet satisfying ending - unlike other heist/caper films I've enjoyed: "The Killing" coming instantly to mind. Don't think I've ever felt the same about poodles after watching that one.

Alison, definitely check out more Tierney films. His tough guy makes Mitchum look like Arnold Stang.

[JackFavell]

Thanks Alison! I thought I was going to jump out of my skin when he broke into the passport office. Suspenseful is right!

[charliechaplinfan]

I don't know who Arnold Stang is I'm glad you liked The Steel Trap too, it was a gem of a movie, I didn't expect it to be so suspenseful and completely unpredictable but so right.

I will check out Lawrence Tierney.

I watched Tight Spot this afternoon. Starring Ginger Rogers and Edward G Robinson both doing creditable jobs, Ginger as a prisoner and Edward G as a lawyer trying to get her to testify against a mob boss. The film belonged to Brian Keith who had the most complex part, the one that gave the twist. Despite the stars and the brightness that Ginger shone and she did, she looked wonderful with a blonde bob and Jean Louis costumes, it did drag a little and was a tad unsatisfying at the end. Worth a look just to see Ginger.

[Western Guy]

"Tight Spot" is another film I really like, Alison. But then I love any film with Eddie G.

And how can you go wrong watching Pa Cartwright portraying a ruthless gangster. Lorne Greene's mob boss is right up there with Dan Beaumont.

[charliechaplinfan]

I know who Lorne Greene is famous for playing but I've never watched him as Pa Cartwright so he truly was an awful man for me.

I have to agree with Edward G, he never fails to live up to expectations and although he has little to do here I felt his character might have dissappeared in less capable hands. I've caught Ginger Rogers in two later performances in recent weeks and she doesn't fail to deliver. She might not have the biggest range but she's good at what she does.

[CineMaven]

WHICH ONE OF THESE MEN IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER?



Alison, Arnold Stang is a 50's/60's character actor here in Hollywood, who played meek, mild little men. ( I remember him using his voice for one of the cats in the 60's tv cartoons I used to watch: "Top Cat." ) I've enjoyed and would recommend you see Lawrence Tierney with Claire Trevor in "Born To Kill" a good one. But I would disagree that his tough guy would make Mitchum look like Arnold Stang. Mitchum was pretty tough in "Night of the Hunter" and "Cape Fear." Tierney's a tough guy alright...but without nuance and without charm. But I'm speaking merely as a woman.

[knitwit45]

Ali, if you've ever seen It's a Mad, Mad World and I can't remember how many Mads there were in the title, then you have seen Mr.Stang. He and Buddy Hackett were mechanics who debated whether or not to kill Jonathan Winters... funniest part of that movie.

[movieman1957]

WHICH ONE OF THESE MEN IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER?

The one on the left. No hat.

[charliechaplinfan]

Chris you are funny

I've watched Top Cat, I loved Top Cat, thanks for putting me wise as to Mr Strang. I find it hard to believe that anyone could have been tougher the Robert Mitchum on screen but if there is someone, I'm going to check him out

[ChiO]

Some of us were introduced to Arnold Stang by The Milton Berle Show. If you want to see Mr. Stang in a Noir, then I highly recommend THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (Otto Preminger 1955)

[Western Guy]

Well, my comparing Bob Mitchum to Arnold Stang was meant more in humor, of course. Mitchum was plenty tough. But there was a likeable side to his character in even some on his meanest roles that rarely came through in Tierney's tough guy (especially in "Born to Kill" and "The Hoodlum"). He was one of the screen's earliest badasses.

[JackFavell]

You mean One of the screens earliest psychopaths.