Film-Noir | Hollywood Yesterday

Jane Greer, Out of the Past (1947): Perfectly Stunning Picture and a Perfectly Stunning Film-Noir

August 3, 2023 By Joi

Jane Greer, Out of the Past

The 1947 movie Out of the Past (directed by Jacques Tourneur) is, in my estimation, one of the best film-noirs ever made. The perfect cast was put in place to tell the dramatic story.. and did they ever do it with style. In addition to the stunningly beautiful Jane Greer, pictured here, the cast also includes Robert Mitchum, Rhonda Fleming, Kirk Douglas, Richard Webb, Steve Brodie, and Virginia Huston.

Out of the Past is (understandably) one of the first films recommended to people who are new to the world of film-noir. It’s just so deliciously perfect in every way and is, quite honestly, the picture perfect image of what a film-noir should look like.

You can watch Out of the Past on Prime Video or buy the dvd (Amazon link) for your collection.

Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford in The Big Heat (1953)

November 22, 2022 By Joi

Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford

Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford completely light the screen UP in The Big Heat (1953), directed by Fritz Lang. The film-noir (one of the best ever made in my opinion) also stars Lee Marvin and Jocelyn Brando.

I’ve said it before and I KNOW I’ll say it again, Gloria Grahame fascinates me. She always has. The versatility this actress had is honestly remarkable.

You can find The Big Heat on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.

Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford

The Big Heat (1953) with Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame: An Extraordinary Film-Noir

November 17, 2022 By Joi

Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford

The Big Heat (1953) was directed by the wonderful Fritz Lang and stars two of film-noir’s greatest stars, Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame. What these two meant to the genre cannot be overstated. They brought the magic!

The Big Heat movie also stars Lee Marvin, Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando’s big sister!), Alexander Scourby, and Carolyn Jones.

If you love film-noir, suspense, great acting, and spellbinding dramas, you’ll love this one.

You can find The Big Heat on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.

Barbara Stanwyck and Paul Douglas in the Classic Film-Noir Clash by Night

October 4, 2022 By Joi

Barbara Stanwyck and Paul Douglas

One of my favorite film-noirs, Clash by Night (1952), is the very definition of the genre. Deliciously dark with a very strong female character who is heck in heels.

The film was directed by Fritz Lang, and has a cast that includes Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, J. Carrol Naish, Keith Andes, and Marilyn Monroe.

It’s one of MANY extraordinary performances by Barbara Stanwyck and one of her best film-noirs.

You can find the wonderful Clash By Night on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Amazon Prime.

Ava Gardner, A Gorgeous Publicity Photo for The Killers

July 27, 2022 By Joi

Ava Gardner

The gorgeous photo above is a publicity photo for Ava Gardner’s wonderful film The Killers (1946). The film-noir is one of Ava’s most popular films and is one of the best ever made, in my opinion.

The Killers was directed by Robert Siodmak and boasts a great cast that includes Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmund O’Brien, Sam Levene, and Albert Dekker.

You can find The Killers on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Lawrence Tierney and Kathleen Crowley in Female Jungle

July 12, 2022 By Joi

Lawrence Tierney and Kathleen Crowley in Female Jungle

Two names you, unfortunately, don’t hear talked about a lot today are Lawrence Tierney and Kathleen Crowley. They starred together in the 1955 film-noir Female Jungle. I haven’t seen this particular film in ages but I remember being awfully impressed with both stars and I remember liking the movie a lot.

I think the main reason these stars aren’t as well-remembered today as others boils down to their films. While there were a few stand outs, for the most part, their films aren’t the ones that are aired frequently on TCM or anywhere else for that matter. It’s frustrating and unfortunate, but it is what it is.

I always recommend that fans of old Hollywood…

Faithfully watch TCM and other networks (Such as the ones that showcase Westerns… don’t know where I’d be without them!).
Support old films and the wonderful stars from the era on streaming services. Stream their movies and even request ones you don’t see!
Buy as many as you can on dvd and blu-ray.
Seek out new (to you) stars and watch as many of their films as you can find. Don’t make a snap judgment by watching only one or two films – watch at least 4 before you decide whether you’re a fan or not.
Seek out new genres! I am (and have always been) very, very partial to Westerns, Comedies, Science Fiction, and Musicals, but have recently fallen hard for film-noirs. If I had not given them a chance, I wouldn’t have discovered MANY wonderful films.

Speaking of film-noirs, Female Jungle is an especially good one – very, very true to the genre! It was directed by Bruno VeSota and stars Kathleen Crowley, Lawrence Tierney, John Carradine, and Jayne Mansfield.

You can find Female Jungle on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the film on Prime Video. I was delightfully surprised to find it on Prime!

Veronica Lake Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire (1942)

July 12, 2022 By Joi

Veronica Lake Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire

Every now and then I get SO frustrated with myself for not talking more about certain stars from old Hollywood – stars I actually adore, but somehow simply don’t spend nearly enough time doing my part to keep their name and films shining bright and making noise.

Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd are two such stars. I love their films to distraction and am a very big fan of both of them. If we’re being completely and totally honest, however, I think I actually know why I don’t talk about them more and, while, I SEE the reason…. I don’t APPROVE of the reason.

Simply put… they break my heart. Each star had so much going for them – they were beautiful and had a world of talent. Each was versatile and could do any genre thrown their way. However, neither had what could remotely be called a happy life and both stars turned to alcohol for their therapist.

Obviously, drinking is a complete failure when it comes to therapy and both stars died at the age of 50.

Devastatingly sad. To make matters worse, Veronica battled a mental illness that couldn’t possibly be understood or treated at the time. She was considered by some to be “difficult,” when in reality, she was battling demons the others wouldn’t recognize.

I’ve spent a great deal of time looking into both of their lives, looking for rays of sunshine – time or times when they were happy. A friendship/relationship Alan Ladd shared with June Allyson seems to have given him happiness while it lasted and both stars seemed to enjoy working together. I also love the fact that they were successful in their careers (especially during the 40s) and knew how many fans adored them.

I also feel like these two wonderful (and so very likable) stars would be talked more about and would become better-known if their films were televised more often. It seems that they simply aren’t shown as often as other stars and that’s a real shame.

The pictures shown here are from the 1942 film-noir This Gun for Hire (directed by Frank Tuttle). It was the first film Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd made together and turns up on a lot of “favorite film-noir” lists. Their chemistry was palpable and they would go on to make more movie magic together.

Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake made seven movies together, all in the Forties:

This Gun for Hire (1942)

The Glass Key (1942)

The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Saigon (1947)

Star-Spangled Rhythm (1942)

Duffy’s Tavern (1945)

Variety Girl (1947)

You can find the classic film-noir This Gun for Hire on dvd and blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire

Beautiful Rita Hayworth Publicity Photos for The Lady from Shanghai

May 5, 2022 By Joi

Rita Hayworth

The Lady from Shanghai (1947) is based on a novel by Sherwood King and was directed by Orson Welles. The wonderfully talented Orson Welles also wrote the screenplay and stars alongside Rita Hayworth.

The film-noir also includes Everett Sloane, Ted de Corsia, and Glenn Anders.

You can find The Lady from Shanghai on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the drama unfold on Prime Video.

The Lady from Shanghai Movie Poster:

The Lady from Shanghai Movie Poster

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, Behind the Scenes of Gilda (1946)

May 4, 2022 By Joi

Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford

Some days I only have enough time to throw a picture in your direction and hope you love it. This is one of those days, so I’ve chosen a photo with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.

No way you can’t love it! That’s what we call hedging our bets, y’all.

This is a photo of the two fan-favorites behind the scenes of their 1946 film-noir Gilda, directed by Charles Vidor.

You can find Gilda (link to the dvd or blu-ray on Amazon) on dvd on Amazon or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles, The Lady from Shanghai

April 21, 2022 By Joi

Rita Hayworth, The Lady from Shanghai

I don’t post many photos from or information about The Lady from Shanghai and I honestly have no idea why! Rita Hayworth gives such a wonderful performance in the film – truth be told, I love her performance more than I do the movie, itself. She’s truly remarkable in it.

The 1947 film-noir was based on a novel by Sherwood King and was directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the screenplay and stars alongside Rita.

While Rita and Orson are most certainly the stars of the show, the drama also includes Everett Sloane, Ted de Corsia, and Glenn Anders.

You can find The Lady from Shanghai on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the drama unfold on Prime Video.