*All times are PT. Please check your local listings to confirm dates and times.
Monday, December 1, 6:30 AM
WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967): A commercial artist unknowingly brings a stash of heroin into his home. A trio of bad guys (Richard Crenna, Jack Weston and Alan Arkin) trace the dope to him. They trick him into leaving the house, but, unfortunately, his blind wife (Audrey Hepburn) is there alone. They proceed to first try to trick and then to terrorize her while she tries to figure out how to turn the tables on her unknown assailants. Hepburn earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her remarkable performance. Adapted from the Broadway hit written by Fredrick Knott and directed by Arthur Penn. Dir. Terence Young
Monday, December 1, 8:45 AM – 5:00 PM
8:45 AM
CAPE FEAR (1962): Ex-convict, sex offender, and sociopath Max Caddy (Robert Mitchum) plots to destroy Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) the district attorney who sent him to prison. Caddy wages a ruthless game of psychological warfare on Bowden, seemingly threatening Sam’s wife (Polly Bergen) and 12-year-old daughter without breaking any actual laws. Dir. J. Lee Thompson
10:45 AM
SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (1964): In this extremely downbeat, late-era Brit noir, noted stage actress Kim Stanley gives a tour de force performance as a medium kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime. Richard Attenborough provides an equally impressive counterpoint as the psychic’s weak-willed husband and accomplice. Based on a novel by Mark McShane, imaginatively and impressively adapted a second time by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa as Séance in 2000. Score by the legendary John Barry. Dir. Bryan Forbes
1:00 PM
PSYCHO (1960): Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) impulsively embezzles $10,000 dollars from her employer and takes it on the lam. She checks into the Bates Motel, meets the queer but attractive Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), takes a shower and makes cinematic history. A detective (Martin Balsam), Miriam’s sister (Vera Miles) and her boyfriend (John Gavin) all arrive to look for the missing Miriam. Long time Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann created the rightfully legendary score. The immensely talented old time radio actress Virginia Gregg provides the voice of Norman’s mother Norma Bates. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
3:00 PM
SECONDS (1960): A bored middle-class man (John Randolph) learns of a secret company that will allow him to be "born again." He emerges into his new life as a younger, handsome California painter (Rock Hudson), but soon discovers that fixing the surface doesn’t solve problems of the soul. Startling camerawork by James Wong Howe helps make this John Frankenheimer's most deeply felt and disturbing film. Dir. John Frankenheimer
Tuesday, December 2, 7:15 AM
HARPER (1966): In this neo-noir, soon to be divorced private eye (Paul Newman) sets out to find the missing millionaire husband for his crippled wife (Lauren Bacall). The trail leads to a religious cult and a kidnapping plot. His investigation also leads him to Shelley Winters as a faded starlet. Janet Leigh plays his estranged wife whom Harper still loves. Dir. Jack Smight
Saturday, December 6, 9:00 PM & Sunday, December 7, 7:00 AM
CRY OF THE CITY (1948): A cop-killer (Richard Conte) escapes from a hospital after a sleazy lawyer (Berry Kroeger) tries to implicate his sweetheart (Debra Paget) in his crimes. A New York police lieutenant and the criminal’s former best friend (Victor Mature) walks a tightrope as he hunts for him. Dir. Robert Siodmak
Sunday, December 7, 11:15 AM
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 faithful wirehaired terrier Asta. Dir. W. S. Van Dyke II
Tuesday, December 9, 6:45 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
Tuesday, December 9, 12:45 PM
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955): Bogus preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) marries an outlaw’s widow (Shelly Winters in a stunning performance) in search of the dead man’s hidden loot. The widow’s son (Billy Chapin) sees through him and tries to keep the secret of the treasure location and protect his mother, sister and himself from Powell. Lillian Gish plays the force of good in opposition to Mitchum’s evil. Dir. Charles Laughton
Friday, December 9, 5:00 PM
Sunday, December 14, 9:00 AM
Wednesday, December 24, 1:15 PM
HOLIDAY AFFAIR (1949): Big bad Bob Mitchum is on the run from one of his RKO noir thrillers when he gets a job as house dick at a department store and busts adorable Janet Leigh, who's spying for the competition. Okay, it's not noir. It's a warm and witty romantic Christmas movie minus all the sappy sentiment. Hey, a little love never killed anybody! Dir. Don Hartman
Thursday, December 11, 5:45 AM
BECOMING HITCHCOCK: THE LEGACY OF BLACKMAIL (2024): This documentary, narrated by historian, critic and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell, explores the development of Alfred Hitchcock's signature style, through the making of one of his benchmark films, Blackmail (1929). Dir. Laurent Bouzereau
Friday, December 12, 8:15 AM
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955): A recovering heroin addict (Frank Sinatra) struggles to stay clean when returning to Chicago’s South side, to old friends and old temptations, after a prison stint. His drug dealer Nifty Louie (Darren McGavin) wants to get his hooks back into Frankie, but his love for Molly (Kim Novak) and his dreams of becoming a jazz drummer keep him on the straight and narrow. When Louie is killed, the cops figure him for the murder and come after him. Dir. Otto Preminger
Saturday, December 13, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
5:00 PM
KILLER’S KISS (1955): Boxer Davey (Davey Gordon) becomes entangled with taxi dance Gloria (Irene Kane) drawing the wrath of her boss/gangster Rapallo (Frank Silvera) who is obsessed with her. This is director Stanley Kubrick’s second feature and his first foray into film noir. Dir. Stanley Kubrick
6:30 PM
THE HARDER THEY FALL (1956): A cynical press agent (Humphrey Bogart) tempted by the money, goes to work as a PR flak for the corrupt manager (Rod Steiger) of a naïve boxer. He then must decide between the dough and exposing the inhuman conditions rife in the boxing game. DP Burnett Guffey earned an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for his work on the film. Dir. Mark Robson
Saturday, December 13, 9:00 PM & Sunday, December 14, 7:00 AM
CASH ON DEMAND (1961): In this stunningly suspenseful noir take on A Christmas Carol, Peter Cushing (in perhaps the finest performance of his long career) plays a Scrooge-like bank manager caught in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a charming and merciless thief (an equally great Andre Morell) who's devised a devious plan for a holiday heist. Known mainly for its horror films, this is one of the greatest movies ever produced by Britain's legendary Hammer Films. The perfect antidote to Yuletide schmaltz! Dir. Quentin Lawrence
Thursday, December 18, 1:45 AM
THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER (1945): In World War II England, an actor (John Loeder) celebrated for his portrayal of the lead character in The Brighton Strangler receives a blow to the head during an air raid on closing night. Dazed and confused he makes his way to Victoria Station, a WAFF speaks to him there and her words are identical to a line in the play triggering the actor to become the killer he portrayed. Dir. Max Nosseck
Friday, December 19, 7:00 AM
UNION STATION (1950): “If you see something, say something.” That’s what Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson) does when she notices a pair of suspicious men in the bustle of Chicago’s Union Station, igniting a suspenseful attempt to foil a kidnapping plot—as well as a potential romance with the cop in charge (William Holden). Union Station packs a double feature’s worth of thrills into its brief running time, including some Dirty Harry–style brutality that was a couple of decades ahead of its time. Ace crime scenarist Sydney Boehm keeps the plot humming like a runaway train and a pair of visual stylists, director (and renowned cinematographer) Rudolph Maté and actual DP Daniel L. Fapp, make the ride more vivid through use of actual locations. Although set in Chicago, Los Angeles’ Union Station served for the interiors. Barry Fitzgerald gives a nasty edge to the elfin Irishman he typically played, and Lyle Bettger is terrifying as leader of the kidnapping gang. Dir. Rudolph Maté
Saturday, December 20, 1:00 PM
THE THIN MAN (1934): Dashiell Hammett’s urbane but fun-loving sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, along with their pup Asta, investigate the disappearance of an inventor in this classic blend of laughs and suspense. Shot in just two weeks by director Woody "One-Shot'' Van Dyke and cinematographer James Wong Howe, this gem set the gold standard for the sophisticated comedy—inspiring five sequels as well as countless inferior imitations. Van Dyke previously directed Myrna Loy and William Powell in Manhattan Melodrama and spotted the terrific chemistry of their off-screen banter between takes. He insisted on casting the pair as Hammett’s hard-drinking super-couple and the glamorous pair became one of the movies' great romantic teams. Shot by the legendary cinematographer James Wong Howe. The film garnered four Oscar nominations, Best Picture, Best actor for Powell, Best Director, and Best Writing, Adaptation for Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Dir. Woody Van Dyke
Saturday, December 20, 5:00 PM
REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940): Preston Sturges wrote this Christmas tale which features his unique blend of comedy, romance and pathos. Assistant DA Fred MacMurray brings suspected shoplifter Barbara Stanwyck home for the holidays, so she doesn’t have to spend them in jail. This was the first of the four big screen pairings of the incendiary on-screen couple. Three guesses as to how it turns out for them. Dir. Mitchell Leisen
Saturday, December 20, 9:00 PM & Sunday, December 21, 7:00 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
Saturday, December 20, 11:00 PM – Sunday, December 21, 3:30 AM
11:00 PM
ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942): Reformed thief Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) helps present a charity Christmas show for New York prison inmates, but things go haywire when a wrongly convicted con (Larry Parks) uses the troupe to aid in his bust-out. Blackie frantically outraces the cops to recapture the con and spare him a bad end. This breathless combination of mystery, comedy, and action is perhaps the best offering in Columbia's long-running "Boston Blackie" series, one of the most popular "B" serials of all-time. Dir. Lew Landers
12:30 AM
COVER UP (1949): An insurance investigator (Dennis O'Keefe) smells a rat when he starts to look into a small-town suicide. He soon believes it is murder, but the locals including the sheriff (William Bendix), are inexplicably reluctant to believe him or aid him with his investigation. Dir. Alfred E. Greene
3:00 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
Tuesday, December 22, 11:15 PM
LADY ON A TRAIN (1945): Nikki Collins (Deanna Durbin) witnesses a murder while waiting for a train but can't get the police to believe her when no corpse is discovered. While they dismiss her as daft, she enlists the help of a mystery writer to sleuth out the culprits on her own. Based on a story by veteran mystery writer Leslie Charteris (The Saint), this is a wildly entertaining mix of comedy, musical, and suspense, rendered in evocative noir style by cameraman Woody Bredell (Phantom Lady, Christmas Holiday, The Killers), and featuring a superb cast of sinister and suspicious supporting players swirling ominously around "America's Sweetheart, including noir stalwart Dan Duryea. Dir. Charles David
Tuesday, December 23, 2:45 AM
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 attempt to keep the beautiful Diane, Joan Dixon. Screenplay by screenwriter and novelist Steve Fisher. Dir. Harold Daniels
Tuesday, December 23, 4:15 AM
KIND LADY (1935): A wealthy art collector (Aline MacMahon) takes in a young painter (Basil Rathbone) and his ill wife. When his extended family shows up, things get ugly, and she finds herself held captive in her own home. Remade in 1951 with Ethel Barrymore in the lead role. Dir. George B. Seitz
Tuesday, December 23, 7:15 AM
THE MAN I LOVE (1947): In this rather soapy noir, singer Petey Brown (Ida Lupino) lands a job at small-time-hood Nicky Toresca's (Robert Alda) nightclub while visiting her two sisters and brother, all of whom are in a rather remarkable amount of trouble, romantic and otherwise. While evading Toresca's unwanted advances, she falls for an ex-jazz pianist San Thomas (Bruce Bennett), who still carries a torch for his ex-wife. Will Sand start a new life with the songbird or run off to sea. Dir. Raoul Walsh
Tuesday, December 23, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
11:00 AM
BACKFIRE (1950): On Christmas Eve, wounded war veteran Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae), recovering from multiple surgeries is approached by a mysterious woman (Viveca Lindfors) who tell him that his army buddy (Edmond O'Brien) who disappeared has been in an accident and wants to commit suicide. Bob gets out of the hospital and is promptly questioned by the police about Steve, who they believe murdered a local gambler and racketeer. Bob and his nurse and girlfriend (Virginia Mayo) try to find evidence to clear him. Dir. Vincent Sherman
1:00 PM
MR. SOFT TOUCH (1949): Glenn Ford stars as Joe Miracle, a WWII vet who's returned to San Francisco seeking vengeance on the gangsters who stole his nightclub and murdered his partner. He hides from the heat in a homeless shelter run by angelic (but still sexy) Evelyn Keyes. This bizarre mix of tight-lipped noir and broad comedy features an array of actual San Francisco locations Dir. Henry Levin
Tuesday, December 23, 9:00 PM
MEET JOHN DOE (1941): In this final collaboration between director Frank Capra and actress Barbara Stanwyck, she plays cynical sob sister Ann Mitchell who publishes a fake letter to her own column from “John Doe” in order to save her job after the newspaper she works for is bought out. John Doe is disgusted by the state that America is in and pledges to protest it by jumping from the roof of City Hall at midnight on Christmas Eve. When the mayor wants to meet him, Ann and her new managing editor D. B. Norton (Edward Arnold) hire an ex-baseball player on the skids (Gary Cooper) to impersonate her fictional creation. As John Doe becomes nationally famous, Norton develops a plan to use him for his own agenda. Dir. Frank Capra
Wednesday, December 24, 10:45 PM
O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE (1952): This anthology of short stories by America's master of the ironic twist is as entertaining as it is star-studded, featuring juicy roles for Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Laughton, Jean Peters, and many more. 20th Century-Fox employed several of its most renowned directors, including Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Howard Hawks, Henry Koster, and Jean Negulesco, to bring to life such famous O. Henry tales as "The Last Leaf," "The Clarion Call," and the Christmas classic "The Gift of the Magi." Each segment introduced by John Steinbeck! Dir. Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Howard Hawks, Henry Koster, and Jean Negulesco
Saturday, December 27, 9:30 PM & Sunday, December 28, 7:00 AM
ODD MAN OUT (1947): Carol Reed’s intense manhunt thriller won the inaugural “Best Film” prize from the British Academy of Film Awards, and it remains one of the most highly regarded movies ever made in the United Kingdom. James Mason portrays beleaguered fugitive Johnny McQueen, an Irish Nationalist (the filmmakers were forbidden from using the name “Irish Republican Army”) on the lam after escaping from prison. While still in hiding, Johnny is roped into committing a heist that goes fatally wrong. Wounded, he caroms through the Belfast night trying to make it safely back to his guardian angel Kathleen (Kathleen Ryan), who has fallen for the escaped convict. Can Johnny navigate a nocturnal nightmare of danger and deceit? The stellar supporting cast, drawn mostly from Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, includes Cyril Cusack, Robert Newton, Dan (Conal Cochran) Dan O’Herlihy and William (Dr. Who) Hartnell. The cinematography by Robert Krasker is as good as his legendary work with director Reed on The Third Man. An all-time classic! Dir. Carol Reed
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 PM
BERLIN EXPRESS (1948): A multinational group of travelers find themselves thrown together to thwart the assassination of a prominent pacifist scientist by defiant Nazis bent on destabilizing post-war Germany. This improbable but intelligent thriller is a true rarity: a shot-on-location look at the resistance Allied powers faced reorganizing the vanquished German citizenry in the aftermath of WWII. Robert Ryan (the laconic American) and Merle Oberon (trying a sketchy French accent) head a cast comprising representatives of each Allied Zone: Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States. Although spiced with shadowy noir dramatics (lensed by Oberon’s husband, Lucien Ballard), the film’s most fascinating aspect is its time capsule view of global geopolitics in the rapidly closing window between the Marshall Plan and the building of the Berlin Wall. Dir. Jacques Tourneur
Alan Arkin menaces in Wait until Dark on December 1
Hitchcock's Psycho returns December 1
Rock Hudson stars in Seconds on December 1.
Eddie Muller presents Cry of the City on the December 6-7 edition of NOIR ALLEY
The Phenix City Story screens December 9
Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum in Holiday Affair on December 9, 14, and 24
Frank Sinatra stars in Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm on December 12
Early Kubrick — Killer's Kiss on December 13
Eddie Muller presents Cash on Demand on the December 13-14 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Nancy Olson in Union Station on December 19
The Thin Man returns December 20
Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Remember the Night on December 20
Eddie Muller presents Lady in the Lake on the December 20-21 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Chester Morris stars in Alias Boston Blackie on December 21
Dennis O'Keefe and Simone Simon in The Curse of the Cat People on December 21
Dan Duryea and Deanna Durbin in Lady on a Train on December 22
Joan Dixon in Roadblock on December 23
Robert Alda and Ida Lupino in The Man I Love on December 23
Evelyn Keyes and Glenn Ford in Mr. Soft Touch on December 23
Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper in Meet John Doe on December 23
Jean Crain and Farley Granger in O. Henry's Full House screening Christmas Eve
Eddie Muller presents Odd Man Out on the December 27-28 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Merle Oberon and Robert Ryan in Berlin Express on December 30