*All times are PT. Please check your local listings to confirm dates and times.
Wednesday, May 1, 5:00 PM – 11:45 pm
5:00 PM
LAURA (1944): In this film noir based on the Vera Caspary novel, dedicated detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates the death of the beautiful Laura (Gene Tierney), brutally gunned down at the door of her flat. As he interviews her friends and lovers, a complicated portrait of her emerges and he finds himself falling for the deceased girl. Clifton Webb and Vincent Price give outstanding performances as two bickering rivals for Laura’s affections. Joseph LaShelle won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for his work on the film. Dir. Otto Preminger
6:45 PM
REBECCA (1940): Hitchcock adapted Daphne du Maurier’s novel for his first American film which won Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Picture. Joan Fontaine was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as the unnamed lead character who marries the older, rich and charming widower Max De Winter (Laurence Olivier) whose first wife Rebecca casts a destructive shadow on his second marriage. Judith Anderson also earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actress for her knockout performance as Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper still deeply devoted to her dead mistress. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
9:15 PM
MARNIE (1964): A forceful millionaire (Sean Connery) blackmails a beautiful thief (Tippi Hedren), who attempted to rob him, into marrying him. He tries to unravel the mystery of her compulsion to steal. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Thursday, May 2, 1:00 PM
I WANT TO LIVE (1958): Susan Hayward deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for her bravura performance as Barbara Grahame, a former prostitute and drug addict, executed for murder. Hayward perfectly captures a possibly innocent woman convicted more for her lifestyle than evidence. Dir. Robert Wise
Friday, May 3, 7:45 AM
FLAMINGO ROAD (1949): Carnival dancer Lane Bellamy (Joan Crawford), while stranded in a small town, becomes romantically involved with deputy sheriff Fielding Carlisle (Zachary Scott), a whose career is controlled by Sheriff and corrupt political boss Titus Semple (Sydney Greenstreet). Semple dislikes Bellamy and mounts a campaign against her but she’s not one to take things lying down. Dir. Michael Curtiz
Friday, May 3, 5:00 PM
DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID (1982): When a famous cheese maker dies in a freak car crash, his daughter (Rachel Ward) is convinced that it was no accident. She hires detective Roy Reardon (Steve Martin) to find the truth. Along the way, he interrogates and sometimes employees the help of iconic Hollywood stars via footage from 18 classic film noirs. Cinematographer Michael Chapman painstakingly matched the new film to the classic film stock and set up the shots to match the blocking in the film clips. Film editor Bud Molin masterfully and meticulously spliced the old content with the new. Composer Miklos Rozsa matched the scoring from the older films. Unfortunately, the new restoration of Dead Man undid this work, since the older footage was not restored. This was Edith Head’s final film, she outfitted Martin with twenty suits during production, each painstakingly rendered and executed to assimilate seamlessly into the classic action; the film’s dedication was made in part to her. Dir. Rob Reiner
Saturday, May 4, 7:07 AM
THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942): The Falcon (George Sanders) replaces Phillip Marlowe in this adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s pulp classic, Farewell, My Lovely. The Falcon still has his sidekick Goldy (Allen Jenkins) and his friend on the force, Inspector Mike O’Hare (James Gleason). Ward Bond co-stars as Moose Malloy. Dir. Irving Reis
Saturday, May 4, 9:15 PM & Sunday, May 5, 7:00 AM
DARK PASSAGE (1947): Adapted from a story by David Goodis, this noir follows convicted wife murderer Vincent Parry’s (Humphrey Bogart) escape from jail and subsequent hunt for the real killer of his wife. Sympathetic stranger Irene (Lauren Bacall) encounters him during his jail break and aids him. Agnes Moorehead steals the show as Irene’s shrewish friend who knew Vincent and his wife prior to the murder. Dir. Delmer Daves
Sunday, May 5, 7:15 PM
WHITE HEAT (1949): “Top of the world, Ma!” A G-man (Edmond O'Brien) infiltrates a gang run by a mother-fixated psychotic, James Cagney in a standout performance. This film marks the cinematic movement away from the traditional Warner Brothers’ portrayal of the gangster to the more cynical and psychological film noir interpretation. Virginia Kellogg garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story for the film. Pointless trivia: Naked Gun 33 1/3 borrowed the plot. Dir. Raoul Walsh
Tuesday, May 7, 8:30 AM
THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953): Based on a story by Vera Caspary, author of Laura, a telephone operator (Anne Baxter) believes that she has killed a creepy pick-up (Raymond Burr) in self-defense but can't remember the details of the encounter. She is suitable terrified that the police will connect her to the crime. Her path soon crosses with that of an intrepid, and attractive) reporter (Richard Conte) determined to crack the case. Ann Sothern co-stars as her sympathetic roommate. Nat King Cole has a cameo as himself and sings the movie’s theme song. Dir. Fritz Lang
Tuesday, May 7, 5:00 PM
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959): Foreign agents mistake suave and swinging advertising man Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) for a spy. He takes it on the lam and encounters a beautiful blonde (Eva Marie Saint) who may or may not be trusted. This film earned 3 Oscar nominations: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen; and Best Film Editing. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Saturday, May 11, 7:08 AM
THE FALCON’S BROTHER (1942): Gay Lawrence, aka "The Falcon," investigate his brother Tom’s apparent suicide with the help of his sidekick Lefty (Don Barclay). He uncovers a Nazi plot along the way. Gay and Tom are portrayed by real life brothers George Sanders and Tom Conway. Look for Keye Luke in a small part. Dir. Stanley Long
Saturday, May 11, 11:45 AM – 3:00 PM
11:45 AM
POINT BLANK (1967): Existential neo-noir at its best. Lee Marvin stars as a wraith like criminal out to get his share of the loot from a robbery after his partner shots him, leaves him for dead and absconds both with all the money and his wife. Angie Dickinson co-stars as his sympathetic sister-in-law who aids him. Dir. John Boorman
1:30 PM
ROADBLOCK (1951): This film provides a change of pace for noir stalwart Charles McGraw who usually played heavies. This time he plays the sucker who destroys himself by turning to a life of crime to woo and then to attempt to keep the beautiful Diane, Joan Dixon. Screenplay by screenwriter and novelist Steve Fisher. Dir. Harold Daniels
Saturday, May 11, 9:45 PM & Sunday, May 12, 7:00 AM
FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949): A plucky crime writer (Dorothy Patrick) and a tough cop (William Lundigan) hunt for The Judge, a mysterious serial killer who only strikes when it’s raining. Legendary noir director Anthony Mann wrote it and worked (uncredited) as a director on it. Dir. Richard O. Fleischer
Saturday, May 11, 11:15 PM – Sunday, May 12, 2:30 AM
The Miss Marple movies aren’t noir, but they are fun.
11:15 PM
MURDER SHE SAID (1961): When nobody believes she witnessed a murder, Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) investigates herself along with her friend Jim Stringer, played by Rutherford’s husband Stinger Davis. Based on Agatha Christie’s 4:50 from Paddington. Trivia: Joan Dixon has a small part in the film and would go on to become the definitive Miss Marple in the BBC series that aired from 1984-1992. Dir. George Pollock
1:00 AM
MURDER AT THE GALLOP (1963): Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) suspects foul play when two accidental deaths in a family in quick succession leave behind a considerable fortune for the three remaining members. Robert Morley plays one of her chief suspects. Very loosely based on based on Agatha Christie’s After the Funeral which featured Hercule Poirot and not Miss Marple. Dir. George Pollock
Sunday, May 12, 12:45 PM
MILDRED PIERCE (1945): Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her performance as a woman who builds herself up from grass widow to successful restaurateur in a desperate effort to win the love of the most ungrateful brat in the history of cinema, her daughter Veda, brilliantly played by Ann Blyth. A marriage of convenience, adultery and murder ensue. At least Mildred has the greatest best friend ever, a wisecracking Eve Arden. Based on the James M. Cain story. Dir. Michael Curtiz
Monday, May 13, 9:45 AM
INTRUDER IN THE DUST (1949): Nobel prize winner William Faulkner's 1948 novel is a high-minded piece of crime fiction, written as atonement for the mistreatment of blacks in his native South. Proud African American farmer Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez, in a memorable portrayal) is a defiant Mississippi landowner accused of murdering a white man. When the county's most prominent lawyer (David Brian) refuses to defend him, it's up to a young boy (Claude Jarman Jr.) to stand up to the vigilantes and help solve the crime. Dir. Clarence Brown
Tuesday, May 14, 3:00 AM
KEY LARGO (1948): A returning veteran (Humphrey Bogart) tangles with a ruthless gangster (Edward G. Robinson) during a hurricane while falling for his dead war buddy’s widow (Lauren Bacall). Claire Trevor steals the film with her Oscar winning performance as the gangster’s alcoholic and emotionally abused girlfriend. Dir. John Huston
Tuesday, May 14, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
1:30 PM
CRY OF THE HUNTED (1953): Barry Sullivan is an L.A. cop hunting a Cajun fugitive (Vittorio Gassman) back to the bayou, "assisted" by a hateful partner (William Conrad). Sounds straightforward . . . but nothing is "straight" in Jack Leonard's screwy script or Lewis's delirious direction, which veers from goofy to brutal without missing an off-kilter beat. Dir. Joseph H. Lewis
3:00 PM
THE DROWNING POOL (1975): In this neo-noir, private dick Lew Harper (Paul Newman) is in the Louisiana bayou working on a blackmail case involving the daughter (Melanie Griffith) of his old flame, Iris Devereau (Joanne Woodward). As he tries to solve the case, he becomes entangled in a power struggle between Iris and a local oil tycoon. Dir. Stuart Rosenberg
Thursday, May 16, 4:15 AM – 5:00 PM
Call in sick, turn off your phone.
4:15 AM
PITFALL (1948): This independently produced gem is one of the most realistic explorations of adultery produced in 1940s. Bored suburbanite insurance salesman (Dick Powell) drifts into a dalliance with an anti-femme fatale, hard-luck model Mona (Lizabeth Scott), only to find his life and family threatened by an obsessive private eye (Raymond Burr) and a jealous ex-con. Director de Toth had the gifted Bill Bowers rewrite the script. The result is truly believable noir—a wrenching tale of repressed lust and suburban ennui. Dir Andre de Toth
6:00 AM
THE SET-UP (1949): An aging boxer (Robert Ryan) defies the gangsters who've ordered him to throw his last fight, believing that he can still be a champ. Audrey Totter plays his devoted wife who begs him to retire from boxing before he’s destroyed. Dir. Robert Wise
7:15 AM
THE MALTESE FALCON (1941): How do I love this movie, let me count the ways… In arguably the first, and greatest, film noir, hard-boiled detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets caught up in the deadly search for a priceless statue. Along the way he tangles with a murderous liar (Mary Astor), a foppish thug (Peter Lorre) and an obese mastermind (Sydney Greenstreet). Director John Huston brilliantly adapted it from the Dashiell Hammett novel and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay. The film also garnered nominations for Best Picture and for Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut, Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Dir. John Huston
9:00 AM
LADY IN THE LAKE (1947): A lady editor (Audrey Totter) hires Phillip Marlowe to investigate the disappearance of her boss’ wife. First time director Robert Montgomery, who also starred as Marlowe, chose to shoot the entire film from Marlowe’s POV using a subjective camera to replicate visually Raymond Chandler’s first-person narrative from the novel. Dir. Robert Montgomery
11:00 AM
THEY LIVE BY NIGHT (1949): Nicholas Ray’s fiercely romantic noir about a young innocent, Farley Granger who gets mixed-up with hardened criminals and a violent escape after serving an unjust prison sentence. Cathy O'Donnell plays the girl who becomes his lover in an ill-fated romance. Based on the Edward Anderson novel Thieves Like Us. Dir. Nicholas Ray
1:00 PM
THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946): Years after a murder drove them apart, an heiress (Barbara Stanwyck) tries to win back her lost love, Sam Masterson (Van Heflin). Her scion husband (Kirk Douglas), a four-star sot, objects. Lizbeth Scott plays the down on her luck girl that falls for Sam and further complicates things. Writer John Patrick earned an Oscar nod for Best Writing, Original Story. Dir. Lewis Milestone
3:00 PM
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946): Drifter Frank (John Garfield) takes a job with roadside diner owner Nick Smith (Ceil Kellaway). Frank begins a torrid affair with Nick’s younger and extremely sexy wife (Lana Turner). Betrayal, murder, perversion of the law, and divine justice follow. Based on the novel by James M. Cain. Dir. Tay Garnett
Saturday, May 18, 7:07 AM
THE FALCON IN DANGER (1943): The daughter of an industrialist appeals to “The Falcon” (Tom Conway) for help when her father is kidnapped. Dir. William Clemens
Saturday, May 18, 12:15 PM
THE FBI STORY (1959): A dedicated FBI agent (Jimmy Stewart) thinks back on the agency's battles against the Klan, organized crime and Communist spies. Dir. Mervyn LeRoy
Saturday, May 18, 9:00 PM & Sunday, May 19, 7:00 AM
TAKE AIM AT THE POLICE VAN (1961): At the beginning of Seijun Suzuki's taut and twisty film noir, a prison truck is attacked and a convict inside murdered. The penitentiary guard on duty Daijiro (Michitaro Mizushima), is accused of negligence and suspended, only to take it upon himself to track down the killers. Dir. Suzuki Seijun
Monday, May 20, 5:00 PM
HOUSE OF BAMBOO (1955): Where do I start with this luridly color and intensely homoerotic film noir? Trust me, you have to see it to believe it. An Army investigator, a young, virile and handsome Robert Stack, infiltrates a Tokyo crime syndicate to solve a colleague's murder. The boss, a tightly wound Robert Ryan, becomes increasingly obsessed with his newest gang member. Dir. Samuel Fuller
Tuesday, May 28, 12:00 PM
CURSE OF THE DEMON (1957): In this noir horror hybrid, an American psychologist (Dana Andrews) travels to England to discredit the occult beliefs of the "Demon Cult." He's aided by a feisty schoolteacher (Peggy Cummins) whose father may have been killed by the Satanists. This suggestive and suspenseful sojourn into the Black Arts is one of the most spellbinding horror films ever made. Dir. Jacques Tourneur
Thursday, May 30, 4:30 AM
CROSSROADS (1942): A recently wed French diplomat (William Powell) is accused of being a master criminal. He is suffering from amnesia and must find out for himself if the accusations are true. The women in the case are his new bride (Hedy Lamarr) and a witness against him (Claire Trevor). Dir. Jack Conway
Friday, May 31, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
12:30 PM
THE GETAWAY (1972): In this first big screen adaptation of Jim Thompson’s novel, a husband (Steve McQueen) and wife (Ali McGraw) meet a series of misadventures after a bank heist and the wife’s shooting of the mastermind of the robbery who double crossed them. Stars McQueen and McGraw fell in love during the shooting of the film. Walter Hill penned the screenplay. Dir. Sam Peckinpah
2:45 PM
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975): In New York city, a bank robbery turns into a media circus when Sonny (Al Pacino) tries to steal enough money for his lover's (Chris Sarandon) sex change operation and takes the bank’s employees hostage. The film earned five Oscar nominations, only Frank Pierson won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay for the film, based on true events. Surprisingly co-star John Cazale was not nominated for his excellent performance as Sal, Sonny’s partner in crime. Dir. Sidney Lumet
Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney in Otto Preminger's Laura on May 1
Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery on May 1
Joan Crawford and Zachary Scott in Flamingo Road on May 3
Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid on May 3
George Sanders and Lynn Bari in The Falcon Takes Over on May 4
Bogart in North Beach on the set of Dark Passage screening on NOIR ALLEY May 4 and May 5, presented by Eddie Muller
Robert Osterloh plays relay to James Cagney in White Heat on May 5
Real-life brothers George Sanders and Tom Conway in The Falcon's Brother on May 11
Lee Marvin stars in Point Blank on May 11
Roadblock starring Charles McGraw screens May 11
Eddie Muller presents Follow Me Quietly on NOIR ALLEY May 11 and May 12
Margaret Rutherford in Murder She Said on May 11
Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth in Mildred Pierce on May 12
Juano Hernandez and Claude Jarman, Jr. in Intruder in the Dust on May 13
Claire Trevor in Key Largo on May 14
Vittorio Gassman and Barry Sullivan in Cry of the Hunted on May 14
Lizabeth Scott in Pitfall on May 16
Humphrey Bogart and Elisha Cook in The Maltese Falcon on May 16
Back seat driver? Howard Da Silva and Farley Granger in They Live by Night on May 16
Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Kirk Douglas in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers on May 16
James Stewart in The FBI Story on May 18
Eddie Muller presents Take Aim at the Police Van on NOIR ALLEY May 18 and May 19
Robert Stack in House of Bamboo on May 20
Hedy Lamarr in Crossroads on May 30
Jack Dodson getting uneasy with Sally Strothers and Al Lettieri in The Getaway on May 31
Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon on May 31
