Film Noir?

[Naphtali]

I've never seen the 50's Mike Hammer tv show. However I have seen Kiss Me Deadly where Mike Hammer slams the guys fingers in the desk drawer to get some information out of him.

Doug

Different ambiance. "Kiss Me Deadly" was legitimately rough and tough. The television show, as I remember it, had much humor (subliminal??), except for an episode where Mike Hammer's fiancée was murdered. And I'm uncertain there was such an episode in reality. The episodes with Vito Scotti were hilarious in my memory. My recollection of hilarity while Mike Hammer is beating a man nearly to death may indicate something unendearing about my personality.

But I must insist that Darren McGavin's performance was so far superior compared with Craig Stevens' that I am mystified at the disparity in popularity between "Mike Hammer" and "Peter Gunn."

 

[Atomic Age]

Different ambiance. "Kiss Me Deadly" was legitimately rough and tough. The television show, as I remember it, had much humor (subliminal??), except for an episode where Mike Hammer's fiancée was murdered. And I'm uncertain there was such an episode in reality. The episodes with Vito Scotti were hilarious in my memory. My recollection of hilarity while Mike Hammer is beating a man nearly to death may indicate something unendearing about my personality.

But I must insist that Darren McGavin's performance was so far superior compared with Craig Stevens' that I am mystified at the disparity in popularity between "Mike Hammer" and "Peter Gunn."

I'm a huge Darren McGavin fan from his Night Stalker days. I'll have to see if I can find some episodes of the show to check out.

Its surprising how often the more popular thing is actually less appealing. The example that comes to mind are the two competing movies Deep Impact and Armageddon. I thought Deep Impact was the far superior film, but Armageddon is the one everyone remembers.

Doug

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Endless Night: A Noir Valentine

This 6 minute short was screened at the Seattle Noir City festival last night. The Film Noir Foundation members were so impressed they created a new "Endless Night" award for aspiring noir film makers and awarded the first one to the author of the piece.

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[Widebrim]

^^Great short, MB! I recognized most of the scenes, but a few got me wondering. Glad to hear that the FNF created an award due to this piece, and that the creator was the first recipient.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

^^Great short, MB! I recognized most of the scenes, but a few got me wondering. Glad to hear that the FNF created an award due to this piece, and that the creator was the first recipient.

I can't quite name them all either. I'm especially curious about the scene with the bald woman slashing at the camera. If anyone recognizes that one, let me know.
If you go to the direct page for the film the creator has listed all of the movies she used in the piece.

 

[Kinney]

Best Noir, Period.

I don't know if you are still looking for suggestions, but my favorite noir is The Thin Man. It simply cannot be beat. It's actually quite hilarious, and remains funny 75 years later. It seems that the contemporary Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang styles itself after the William Powell and Myrna Loy vehicle.

P.S. Sorry if either of those flicks have been suggested.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

But I must insist that Darren McGavin's performance was so far superior compared with Craig Stevens' that I am mystified at the disparity in popularity between "Mike Hammer" and "Peter Gunn."

I'd rank Mike Hammer over Peter Gunn but place Johnny Staccato over them both. John Cassavetes was always so much fun to watch with that intensity. The late-1950s were a great time for the "swingin' detective."

As for The Thin Man TV show, Peter Lawford was definitely no William Powell but Phyllis Kirk as Nora was actually quite good. An episode of the show appears on the bonus disc of the Thin Man box set.

 

[Feraud]

I cannot find much about The Thin Man films I would call Noir other than the fact that Hammett wrote the original story.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

I cannot find much about The Thin Man films I would call Noir other than the fact that Hammett wrote the original story.

I wouldn't classify it as Noir either, though James Wong Howe was the DP on it and there are some rough and tumble characters in the story. Hammett wrote the book as more of a tongue-in-cheek take on his and Lillian Hellman's drinking and wisecracking escapades.

 

[Kinney]

Thematically, I've always considered it squarely within the boundaries of Noir, even if the visual style may not be.

Regardless, it's a great detective story made during the heyday of Film Noir, and should not be missed.

 

[Atomic Age]

I'm not sure I'd call The Thin Man movies Film Noir either, but they did start a film genre that I refer to as the Mystery/Comedy. Fox did them with the Michael Shane, (which are good little films BTW) Mr. Moto, and Charlie Chan movies. In addition to the Thin Man films, MGM was doing the "Whistling" series with Red Skelton. At Paramount Bob Hope did My Favorite Blonde, My Favorite Brunette and The Ghost Breakers.

It seems that every studio was trying to come up with their own answer to The Thin Man in the late 30's and early 40's. I think its a shame that its a kind of film that Hollywood doesn't seem to make anymore.

Doug

 

[Nathan Dodge]

A book that I highly and heartily recommend is The Detective in Hollywood by Jon Tuska. It was published in 1978 and covers most every mystery series as well as some Noir entries, as The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and Farewell My Lovely are discussed. It was in the school library where I work and I finally decided to buy a copy of my own after having checked it out every year for the last three years!

It's an especially valuable reference to those interested in Perry Mason, The Thin Man, Philo Vance, The Crime Doctor, Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, Dick Tracy, Nick Carter, Nero Wolfe, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, Philip Marlowe, and Mike Shayne, to name a few.

Once again: highly recommended!

 

[Kinney]

I think its a shame that its a kind of film that Hollywood doesn't seem to make anymore.

As I suggested above, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is a great mystery/comedy/neo-noir that came out a few years back. It's one of my favorites.

I'll definitely have to check out that book, Nathan, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

If we are talking about film noir nouveau, Bound (1996) by the Wachowski's is definitely worth checking out. A great film along the lines of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Human Desire (1954) with a very modern twist.

 

[Atomic Age]

As I suggested above, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is a great mystery/comedy/neo-noir that came out a few years back. It's one of my favorites.

I'll definitely have to check out that book, Nathan, thanks for the suggestion!

I've seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Very good film. I love all the reference to the Mike Shane type novels. They even got the guy who did the cover art for the Mike Shane books to create the fake novel covers.

Doug

 

[Atomic Age]

If we are talking about film noir nouveau, Bound (1996) by the Wachowski's is definitely worth checking out. A great film along the lines of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Human Desire (1954) with a very modern twist.

I've seen Bound. Good film. As for Neo Noir, some of my favorites are Body Heat, Tequila Sunrise, Devil in a Blue Dress. I also consider The X-Files TV show to be noir.

Doug

 

[Feraud]

Blood Simple and Memento are great neo-noir.

 

[Widebrim]

A book that I highly and heartily recommend is The Detective in Hollywood by Jon Tuska. It was published in 1978 and covers most every mystery series as well as some Noir entries, as The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and Farewell My Lovely are discussed. It was in the school library where I work and I finally decided to buy a copy of my own after having checked it out every year for the last three years!

It's an especially valuable reference to those interested in Perry Mason, The Thin Man, Philo Vance, The Crime Doctor, Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, Dick Tracy, Nick Carter, Nero Wolfe, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, Philip Marlowe, and Mike Shayne, to name a few.

Once again: highly recommended!

Thanks for the reference. Is it published by McFarland? Tuska also wrote Dark Cinema: American Film Noir in Cultural Perspective (as well as The Vanishing Legion: A History of Mascot Pictures).I would also recommend The Detective in Film, by William K. Everson.

 

[HosManHatter]

Would (the original) "D.O.A." be considered film noir? I`m guessing it would.Watched it last night--a true classic!(Lots of cool hats too)

HMH

 

[Atomic Age]

Would (the original) "D.O.A." be considered film noir? I`m guessing it would.Watched it last night--a true classic!(Lots of cool hats too)

HMH

I consider it Noir, and I think most experts would as well.

Doug