Film Noir and Neo-Noir on TCM: July, 2026

Thursday, July 2, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Noir-Tinged Double Bill

5:00 PM

BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948): Robert Mitchum ditches his fedora and trench coat for a Stetson and chaps in this evolutionary noir-stained Western. Robert Wise’s stellar “A” picture debut is complemented by screenwriter Lillie Hayward’s adaptation of Luke Short’s novel transplanting the rain slicked alleys of 1940s Los Angeles into the wide-open spaces of the 19th-century West. Gorgeously lensed by ace noir cinematographer Nicholas Musaraca, this picture was the forerunner of a darker genre of Westerns that became preeminent on the big and small screens during the next decade. Dir. Robert Wise

6:45 PM

VERTIGO (1958): An old friend hires ex-cop Scotty (Jimmy Stewart) to follow his beautiful but emotionally disturbed wife (Kim Novak) through the gorgeously shot streets of San Francisco. Stewart gives an intensely dark performance as Scotty spirals further and further into romantic obsession. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock

Friday, July 3, 5:00 PM – July 4, 3:30 AM

Summer of Darkness: Eddie Muller’s Top 25

Eddie Muller presents essential noir classics.
Eddie will not be introducing the late-night neo-noirs.

5:00 PM

FORCE OF EVIL (1948): A crooked lawyer (John Garfield) tries to protect his numbers running brother (Thomas Gomez) from a ruthless crime boss (Roy Roberts), only to be destroyed by a citywide system of graft and corruption. Noir siren Marie Windsor spices up the proceeding as the racketeer’s flirtatious wife. Dir. Abraham Polonsky

6:30 PM

ACT OF VIOLENCE (1949): An embittered veteran (Robert Ryan) tracks down Frank R. Enley, a POW camp informer (Van Heflin) now a respected member of his community and married to a wife (Janet Leigh) unaware of his actions during the war. Mary Astor steals the film as the boozy bar fly and prostitute trying to help Enley. Dir. Fred Zinnemann

8:00 PM

CRISS CROSS (1949): A lovelorn loner (Burt Lancaster) returns to Los Angeles and quickly falls under the spell of his one-time flame (Yvonne De Carlo), who is now in thrall to a sinister gangster (Dan Duryea). A daring armored car robbery becomes the fulcrum of their dangerous triangle as the two men play each other while vying for the dame’s loyalty. Siodmak creates one of the most seductive and spellbinding tales of l'amour fou in the entire noir canon—a complex and elegantly told tale of desire, desperation and sudden death. Dir. Robert Siodmak

9:45 PM

THIEVES’ HIGHWAY (1949): A returning war-veteran (Richard Conte) wants to avenge the fleecing and crippling of his truck-driver father by an amoral produce kingpin, noir favorite Lee J. Cobb. Valentina Corteses co-stars as the fiery love interest who may or may not be working for the bad guy. Jack Oakie gives a stand-out performance as a rival truck driver in the vet’s way Shot on location in San Francisco’s once thriving produce district. Dir: Jules Dassin

11:30 PM

AGAINST ALL ODDS (1984): In this adaptation of Out of the Past, gangster Jake Wise (James Woods) hires ex-professional football player Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges) to find his girlfriend Jessie Qyler (Rachel Ward). He does, but the pair fall in love and noir shenanigans ensue. Phil Collins’ title song was nominated for an Academy Award Noir greats Jane Greer and Richard Widmark have supporting roles. Dir. Taylor Hackford

1:45 AM

MARLOWE (1969): Raymond Chandler’s detective and knight errant, Philip Marlowe (James Garner) probes the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in search of a woman's missing sister. The case leads Marlowe to an exotic dancer (Rita Moreno), a blackmailed television star (Gayle Hunnicutt) and a dangerous gangster (H. M. Wynant). Screen legend Bruce Lee has a memorable cameo. Dir. Paul Bogart

Thursday, July 9, 3:15 AM – 8:00 AM

Small Town Noir Triple Feature

3:15 AM

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

4:45 AM

THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955): Based on a true story, two crusading lawyers, a father and son (John McIntire and Richard Kiley), take on the corrupt machine running a Southern town at great personal cost. Dir. Phil Karlson

6:30 AM

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955): A one-armed veteran (Spencer Tracy) uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian American war hero's family. Noir icon Robert Ryan shines as the bigoted boss of the town. This film earned three Oscar nominations: Spencer Tracy for Best Actor in a Leading Role; John Sturges for Best Director; and Best Writing, Screenplay for Millard Kaufman. Dir. John Sturges

Friday, July 10, 5:00 PM – July 11, 3:30 AM

Summer of Darkness: Eddie Muller’s Top 25

Eddie Muller presents essential noir classics.
Eddie will not be introducing the late-night neo-noirs.

5:00 PM

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

7:00 PM

GUN CRAZY (1949): In this justly legendary noir, a gun obsessed reform school graduate (John Dall) meets the girl of his dreams, a circus sharpshooter (Peggy Cummins). They get married in a fever, but she gets fed up living without the finer things of life. The two go on a crime spree, but her blood lust had fatal consequences. Eddie Muller called it “the most audacious work of “outlaw cinema” made during the classic Hollywood era.” He also wrote an entire book about it. Dir. Joseph H. Lewis

9:00 PM

NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950): Richard Widmark gives the performance of a lifetime as desperate small time hustler Harry Fabian. Stranded in London, he dreams of the big score that will deliver him out of the bush league. He attempts to break into professional wrestling as a promoter with tragic results. Gene Tierney plays, quite impressively, his long-suffering girlfriend and chronic mark. Adapted from the novel by Gerald Kersh. Dir. Jules Dassin

11:00 PM

BODY HEAT (1981): Shyster Ned Racine (William Hurt) begins a passionate affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), wife of a wealthy Florida businessman (Richard Crenna). She wants her husband’s money and Ned wants her. Things go badly for Ned. He should have paid attention when she told him, “You aren't too bright. I like that in a man.” Dir. Lawrence Kasdan

1:00 AM

NIGHT MOVES (1975): An aging actress hires football player turned P.I. Harry (Gene Hackman) to find her sexually precocious teenager daughter (Melanie Griffith). He traces her to Florida where he also finds trouble in the shape of a beautiful woman (Jennifer Warren) and a criminal conspiracy. Dir. Arthur Penn

Wednesday, July 15, 3:15 AM – 5:00 PM

Shadow Marathon

Not the Shadow, just shadow...
Here are the noirs...

3:15 AM

SHADOW OF A WOMAN (1946): After a quick courtship, naïve newlywed Brook (Andrea King) moves to San Francisco to her husband, diet doctor Eric Ryder’s (Helmut Dantine) home and less than receptive family. She continues to stand by her man, despite mounting evidence that he is a fraud and a series of weird accidents. It also appears that he also might be starving his son from a previous marriage to death in order to get his hands on the kid’s inheritance. Will Brook wake up in time? Dir. Joseph Santley

4:45 AM

CHASE A CROOKED SHADOW (1958): In this Brit noir, a stranger (Richard Todd) drops in on an heiress (Anne Baxter) at her villa, claiming he is her brother, who recently died in an accident. She knows that he’s not her brother but has problems convincing a police inspector (Herbert Lom) or anyone else otherwise. Dir. Michael Anderson

8:00 AM

SHADOW ON THE WALL (1950): Six-year-old Susan is left mute by the sight of her stepmother Celia's murder. The police arrest her father (Zachary Scott), who can’t remember what happened on the fateful night. His sister-in-law Dell (Ann Sothern) knows the truth and although tormented by guilt, will not speak out. A kindly psychiatrist (Nancy Davis) may be able to both bring back Susan’s voice and discover what really happened to Celia. Dir. Patrick Jackson

9:30 AM

CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955): A charmer (Dirk Bogarde) decides to make his fortune by marrying and murdering older women. He meets his match when he plots against his latest victim (Margaret Lockwood). Dir. Lewis Gilbert

3:00 PM

SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (1941): Dashiell Hammett’s hard drinking power couple Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) return for their fourth outing in MGM’s sophisticated and witty whodunit series. This time, the pair investigates a murder at a racetrack with the help of their son Nick, Jr. and their faithful wirehaired terrier Asta. Dir. W. S. Van Dyke II

Friday, July 17, 5:00 PM – Saturday, July 18, 3:30 AM

Summer of Darkness: Eddie Muller’s Top 25

Eddie Muller presents essential noir classics.
Eddie will not be introducing the late-night neo-noirs.

5:00 PM

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950): A hoodlum and ex-con (Sterling Hayden) hopes for one last big score that will enable him to go home to his farm in Kentucky. He falls in with a gang of small-time crooks plotting an elaborate jewel heist. Of course, you can never go home again. A young Marilyn Monroe plays a small but juicy part. The film was nominated for four Oscars including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Sam Jaffe as the mastermind undone by his passion for beautiful girls. Based on the novel by W. R. Burnett. Dir. John Huston

7:00 PM

IN A LONELY PLACE (1950): This heartbreaking noir revolves around an alcoholic screenwriter (Humphrey Bogart) and the woman who loves him but fears he may be a murder (Gloria Grahame). This film is both a bitter commentary on Hollywood and on the impossibility of romance. Very loosely based on Dorothy B. Hughes’ novel—an intense thriller and examination of post-WWII misogyny. Enjoy the movie then read the book. Dir. Nicholas Ray

9:00 PM

THE BREAKING POINT (1950): This film faithfully retells the story of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not. Charter-boat skipper Harry Morgan (John Garfield) will do anything to save his boat from creditors, even smuggling illegal aliens. Things get ugly when he attempts to double cross a gangster that hires him to spirit away a group of thieves hot off a racetrack heist. Patricia Neal co-stars as the sultry moll who tries to seduce the married Morgan. Dir. Michael Curtiz

11:00 PM

SEA OF LOVE (1989): Alcoholic Manhattan detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) investigates a serial killer who finds victims using newspaper personal ads and leaves their fingerprints and the song "Sea of Love" playing at the crime scenes. With the help of Queens detective Sherman Touhey (John Goodman), Frank concocts a plan to find the killer using his own personal ads. But when Frank falls for one of his chief suspects, Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin), things get complicated.

1:00 AM

KLUTE (1971) Small town detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) journeys to the Big Apple to search for a missing friend. He has only one lead: an obscene letter from the man to New York City prostitute Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda). He unravels both the mystery of the missing man and of the call girl. Fonda won a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the disturbed and disturbing Bree. Dir. Alan J. Pakula

Saturday, July 18, 12:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Noir-tinged Double Bill

12:45 PM

THE LUSTY MEN (1952): In this Nicholas Ray helmed Western noir, a faded rodeo star (Robert Mitchum) mentors a younger rider to help him raise the money he needs to buy his dream ranch through rodeo competition (Arthur Kennedy) and then falls for his wife (Susan Hayward). As one would expect, complications ensue. Dir. Nicholas Ray

3:00 PM

THE WRONG MAN (1956): In this gritty documentary style noir, victims of a robbery misidentify a musician (Henry Fonda) for the culprit, destroying the lives of him and his wife (Vera Miles). This film was based on the true story of Manny Ballestro and used extensive locations shooting in New York City. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock

Wednesday July 22, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Neo-Noir Double Feature

5:00 PM

THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968): A bored business tycoon (Steve McQueen) turns to bank robbery and courts the insurance investigator (Faye Dunaway) assigned to bring him in. Hard to decide which of the leads is prettier. Dir. Norman Jewison

7:00 PM

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967): In a small Mississippi town, racist Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) mistakenly accuses African American Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) of the recent murder of a prominent Northern industrialist. When Gillespie discovers that Tibbs is a Homicide detective from Philadelphia, he enlists his help to solve the murder. This groundbreaking neo-noir won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Dir. Norman Jewison

Thursday, July 23, 11:15 AM – 3:00 PM

Val Lewton Double Bill

11:15 AM

THE LEOPARD MAN (1943): Legendary B horror producer Val Lewton strays into noir territory with this suspenseful tale of a leopard on the prowl for human prey in a small New Mexican town. The night club performer (Jean Brooks) responsible for letting the leopard loose and her manager (Dennis O'Keefe), who dreamed up the stunt, began to suspect that a man, and not the leopard, is responsible for the deaths of several young women. Based on Cornell Woolrich’s novel, Black Alibi. Dir. Jacques Tourneur

12:30 PM

THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943): A young woman (Kim Hunter) leaves school to investigate the disappearance of her beautiful and mysterious older sister (Jean Brooks). She finds out some interesting facts, one, her sister was married and two, she was part of a satanic set. The husband (Hugh Beaumont), a poet (Erford Gage) and a psychiatrist (Tom Conway) aid her search for the truth about her sister. Produced by horror icon Val Lewton. Dir. Mark Robson

Thursday, July 23, 10:00 PM – 3:00 AM

Val Lewton Quadruple Feature

10:00 PM

CAT PEOPLE (1942): Produced by the legendary Val Lewton, this atmospheric and heartbreaking horror film tells the tale of Irina (Simone Simon), a beautiful and charming Serbian emigree who meets and marries all-American architect Oliver (Kent Smith). She is reluctant to consummate their marriage, and he turns to his friend and coworker Alice (Jane Rudolph) with tragic and frightening results. Producer Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur styles merge to produce one of the greatest films of the genre. Lensed by the noted noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca. Dir. Jacques Tourneur

11:15 AM

THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944): This is far from a traditional sequel as it focuses on the trauma resulting from the events of the first film. The survivors from Cat People, Oliver (Kent Smith) and Alice (Jane Randolph) are now married and have a child, Amy (Ann Carter). Oliver fears Amy’s vivid imagination, due to the events leading to the death of his first wife Irena (Simone Simon) whom he believes was driven mad by her belief in her homeland’s legends. When the lonely Amy wishes for a friend, Irena appears. Meanwhile, Amy is also befriended by an elderly neighbor whose daughter envies their connection to an unhealthy degree and who may well be dangerous. Dir. Gunther von Fritsch & Robert Wise

12:30 PM

ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945): Gen. Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff) takes leave from the 1912 Balkan War to visit a small island in Greece, where his wife is buried. While there, a plague breaks out—Pherides and a group of travelers are is forced to quarantine there. Soon, locals and foreigners alike succumb to the influence of Madame Kyra (Helene Thimig), who accuses a nurse (Ellen Drew) of being a vampire and the true cause of the recent deaths. The film's script was inspired by the painting of the same name by Arnold Böcklin, which appears behind the title credits. It was written by producer Val Lewton’s frequent collaborator Ardel Wray. Dir. Mark Robson

1:45 AM

BEDLAM (1946): Not a noir but we’re including it for our Val Lewton completist. Nell Bowen (Anna Lee), the protégé of Lord Mortimer, wants to help change the conditions of notorious St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum (Bedlam). In response, the head of St. Mary's, George Sims (Boris Karloff), uses his political savvy to have Nell committed. Being within St. Mary's does not deter the courageous Nell and she displays her own manipulative skill to rid herself and the mistreated inmates of the sadistic Sims. Dir. Mark Robson

Friday, July 24, 9:45 AM – 3:15 PM

The Dangers on the Road Triple Feature

9:45 AM

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 three 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

12:15 PM

DETOUR (1945): Ann Savage’s ferocious performance as an avaricious drifter known only as “Vera” is at the black heart of this ramshackle affair, often cited as the ultimate tale of noir fatalism, as well as one of the most creative—if impoverished—movies ever made in Hollywood. Tom Neal plays Al Roberts, a hard-luck nightclub piano player who decides to hitchhike cross-country to reunite with his estranged girlfriend. Things steadily go from bad to worse, especially once vixenish vagabond Vera gets her hooks into him. Shot in only a few days on the most minuscule budget, Ulmer’s most famous film is a delirious fever dream of paranoia and dread. Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer

1:30 PM

BADLANDS (1973): After a charismatic James Dean wannabe (Martin Sheen) kills her dad, a baton-twirling teen (Sissy Spacek) decides to join him on a shooting spree through Montana's Badlands. It’s loosely based on the Starkweather-Fugate killings of the 1950's which also inspired Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska and the key back story in Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners (1996). Dir. Terrence Malick

Friday, July 24, 5:00 PM – Saturday, July 25, 3:30 AM

Summer of Darkness: Eddie Muller’s Top 25

Eddie Muller presents essential noir classics.
Eddie will not be introducing the late-night neo-noirs

5:00 PM

SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950): Film Noir meets Hollywood Gothic meets biting satire in this piece of perfection. A failed, and drowned, screenwriter, William Holden, tells us how he fell into a mercenary romance with a faded silent-film star, Gloria Swanson who probably would have told us a rather different story. Admirable support provided Erich von Stroheim as Max, her devoted butler and chauffeur. Dir. Billy Wilder

7:00 PM

THE PROWLER (1951): Joseph Losey’s greatest American film, from a script by legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, is resurrected in all its bleak splendor in this 35mm restoration by UCLA Film & Television Archive, the first film ever rescued by the Film Noir Foundation. Materialistic cop Webb Garwood (Heflin) stalks a lonely, affluent Los Angeles housewife (Evelyn Keyes) and decides to win her love in the time-honored noir tradition: by knocking off her husband. Intense performances by the two leads drive this Cain-style tale of adultery, which was audacious and disturbing for its time. Dir. Joseph Losey

9:00 PM

THE KILLING (1956): The best laid plans… Ex-con Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) masterminds a racetrack heist. Instead of securing the two million dollar take, his gang’s emotional entanglements bring disaster. In a quintessential piece of noir casting, Marie Windsor plays the treacherous wife of Elisha Cook, Jr. Dir. Stanley Kubrick

10:30 PM

TEQUILA SUNRISE (1988): Two friends on the opposite sides of the law, a drug dealer trying to go straight, Mac (Mel Gibson) and L. A. detective Nick (Kurt Russell) find their friendship tested by a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia), the DEA, the Mexican feds and their mutual love interest Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer). Dir. Robert Towne

12:30 AM

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1981): David Mamet wrote this second adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel. 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. Angelica Huston plays the role originated by Audrey Totter in the first movie. Dir. Bob Rafelson

Thursday, July 30, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Edward G. Robinson Noir Double Bill

9:00 AM

THE STRANGER (1946): A small-town schoolteacher (Loretta Young) encounters a determined investigator (Edward G. Robinson) who suspects her new husband (Orson Welles) may be an escaped Nazi war criminal. Can he convince her before it’s too late? Dir. Orson Welles

11:00 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

Friday, July 31, 5:00 PM – Saturday, August 1, 3:30 AM

Summer of Darkness: Eddie Muller’s Top 25

Eddie Muller presents essential noir classics.
Eddie will not be introducing the late-night neo-noirs

5:00 PM

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957): A desperate press agent (Tony Curtis) stoops to new depths to help an egotistical columnist (Burt Lancaster) in an emotionally repugnant, but brilliant, performance, break up his sister's romance. Suitably noirish cinematography by James Wong Howe and an acidic script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman combine with an excellent cast to deliver a remarkable film. Dir. Alexander Mackendrick

7:00 PM

TOUCH OF EVIL (1958): Orson Welles’ masterpiece about a narcotics agent (Charlton Heston) who unintentionally put his wife (Janet Leigh) in grave danger when he investigates a crooked cop (Orson Welles). Utterly fantastic supporting performance by Marlene Dietrich as a Mexican Gypsy whore- no, really, I mean it. Dir. Orson Welles

9:00 PM

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (1959): Desperation forces a racist ex-con, the always great and always scary Robert Ryan, and a black gambler (Harry Belafonte) to plan a bank robbery together. Loads of tension ensues. Shelly Winters co-stars as Ryan’s long-suffering wife. Gloria Grahame has a small but memorable role as the couple’s sexy, and kind of kinky, neighbor. Dir. Robert Wise

10:45 PM

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 based on the 1962 novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake, writing under the pseudonym Richard Stark his wife. Angie Dickinson co-stars as his sympathetic sister-in-law who aids him. Dir. John Boorman

12:30 AM

MIKE’S MURDER (1984): A bank teller (Debra Winger) is pulled into the seedy world of Los Angel’s underworld when she tries to uncover the disappearance of her tennis coach and occasional lover with his partner in drug dealing (Darrell Larson). She is drawn into the underworld Dir. James Bridges