*All times are PT. Please check your local listings to confirm dates and times.
Saturday, May 31, 9:00 PM & Sunday, June 1, 7:00 AM
THE BIG STEAL (1950): Seduction and murder follow the theft of an Army payroll. An army lieutenant (Robert Mitchum) accused of robbery pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's ex-girlfriend (Jane Greer). Dir. Don Siegel
Monday, June 2, 4:30 AM
TIGER BAY (1959): Tomboy Gillie (Hayley Mills) witnesses Polish sailor Korchinsky (Horst Buchholz) murdering his love in a jealous rage. Instead of reporting the crime to the authorities, Gillie merely pockets Korchinsky's revolver and flees the scene. Korchinsky catches up with her, abducts her, and the pair from an interesting bond. Shot on location in Cardiff, Whales. Based on Noël Calef’s Rodolphe et le Revolver by Noël Calef. Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Monday, June 2, 10:00 AM
THE GHOST SHIP (1943): In this dark thriller, produced by the great Val Lewton, a young merchant marine officer (Russell Wade) begins to suspect that his ship's captain (Richard Dix) is mentally unbalanced when crewman Louie (Lawrence Tierney) dies in a horrible accident after challenging the captain’s authority. However, as more mysterious deaths occur, his shipmates are convinced that the ship is haunted. Dir. Mark Robson
Monday, June 2, 3:15 PM
MURDER AHOY (1964): Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) takes to the seas to investigate murder on a naval training ship for delinquent boys. As in the rest of the series, her friend Jim Stringer, played by Rutherford’s husband Stinger Davis. The screenplay borrowed only one element from Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple novel They Do It with Mirrors. Dir. George Pollock
Tuesday, June 3, 1:00 AM
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
Tuesday, June 3, 7:15 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
Saturday, June 7, 9:00 PM & Sunday, June 8, 7:00 AM
THE UNDERCOVER MAN (1949): Treasury man Frank Warren (Glenn Ford) attempts to convict ruthless mobster “The Big Fellow” of tax evasion. But the trail to the needed evidence continually ends with the murder of his witnesses. When the mobster threatens the T-man’s wife (Nina Foch), he must decide whether or not to keep pursing his target. The film was based on an article titled Federal Agent Frank J. Wilson’s "He Trapped Capone," the first part of the autobiography Undercover Man by, serialized in Collier's in 1947. Dir. Joseph H. Lewis
Saturday, June 14, 12:45 PM
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953): In this gripping suspense piece, a murderous madman (William Talman) on the lam from the law kidnaps two businessmen (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) on a hunting trip. Noir siren Ida Lupino both directed and co-wrote the film, which was produced by The Filmmakers, the independent production company she founded with her then husband Collier Young. Dir. Ida Lupino
Saturday, June 14, 9:15 PM & Sunday, June 15, 7:00 AM
CRACK-UP (1946): A museum curator (Pat O'Brien) survives a massive train wreck but wakes up an amnesiac. It gets worse...Seems the accident never happened, and now everyone is convinced he's losing his mind. Frederic Brown's ingenious short story "Madman's Holiday" is inventively realized by Irving Reis and enacted by a top-flight cast, including suave, sinister Herbert Marshall and a sartorially splendid Claire Trevor. Dir. Irving Reis
Tuesday, June 17, 3:00 AM
DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946): In this adaptation of the Cornell Woolrich novel, a taxi dancer June (Susan Hayward) helps an amnesiac sailor Alex (Bill Williams), that she believes to be innocent, try to track down the real killer of a woman whom Alex apparently robbed earlier in the evening, after she helped fleece him in a card game. A friendly cabbie (Paul Lukas) aids them in their search for the murderer. Dir. Harold Clurman
Tuesday, June 17, 8:30 AM
THE LUSTY MEN (1952): In this Nicholas Ray helmed contemporary Western noir, a faded rodeo star (Robert Mitchum) mentors a fellow ranch hand (Arthur Kennedy) through rodeo competition to help him raise the money he needs to buy his dream ranch and then falls for wife (Susan Hayward). As one would expect, complications ensue. Dir. Nicholas Ray
Wednesday, June 18, 1:30 AM
SO LONG AT THE FAIR (1950): In this period piece Brit Noir, a woman (Jean Simmons) searches for her missing brother in Paris when he and the hotel room he was staying in disappear. Of course, no one else believes that he existed in the first place. Dir. Terence Fisher
Friday, June 20, 6:00 AM
CRY WOLF (1947): A woman (Barbara Stanwyck) visits her late husband's family to claim her inheritance and soon finds herself in conflict with her scientist brother-in-law (Errol Flynn). Things take a gothic twist when she discovers agonizing cries coming from his secret laboratory. Richard Basehart, as always, raises the film out of its slightly silly story with his supporting performance. Dir. Peter Godfrey
Friday, June 20, 9:30 PM – Saturday, June 21, 1:30 AM
9:30 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
11:30 PM
NINE QUEENS (2000): Over the course of one day, small-time swindlers Juan (Gastón Pauls) and Marcos (Ricardo Darín) meet in a convenience store and become involved in a half million-dollar deal—swindling a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps (the nine queens). As the deceptions and duplicity mount, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom. Can anyone be trusted? Dir. Fabian Bielinsky
Saturday, June 21, 3:00 AM
THE RED HOUSE (1947): In this Southern Gothic noir, young and innocent Meg (Allene Roberts) lives with her Uncle Pete (Edward G. Robinson) and Aunt Ellen (Judtih Anderson) on an isolated farm. When Meg asks her friend Nath to help Pete on the farm, she unwittingly stirs up a tragic past centered on a mysterious “red house” hidden on her uncle’s property. Miklós Rózsa’s haunting score contributes much to this disturbing thriller. Based on the novel by George Agnew Chamberlain. Dir. Delmer Daves
Saturday, June 21, 3:15 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 his wife. Angie Dickinson co-stars as his sympathetic sister-in-law who aids him. Dir. John Boorman
Saturday, June 21,7:00 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
Saturday, June 21, 9:15 PM & Sunday, June 22, 7:00 AM
PALE FLOWER (1964): Aging yakuza soldier Muraki (Ryô Ikebe), released from prison, returns to an underworld he barely recognizes. Rival gangs have joined forces, and his skills and fealty no longer seem necessary or appreciated. His loyal girlfriend now feels like a domestic dead-end. Adrift as a modern-day ronin, Muraki encounters the beguiling and mysterious Saeko (Mariko Kaga) in a gambling den; before long, her reckless craving for excitement pushes them to dangerous extremes they seem unable, or unwilling, to resist. From this simple premise, director Shinoda crafts an electrifying masterpiece of existential noir, a film so sleek and sensual in its imagery, editing, and soundtrack it’s almost impossible to believe it was made in 1964. Ryô Ikebe and Mariko Kaga bring so much smoldering heat to their roles, you may not realize they never share a moment of physical intimacy — as if sex could equal the roaring adrenalin rush their mind games provide. Who will get pushed over the edge? Dir. Masahiro Shinoda
Sunday, June 22, 3:15 PM
THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1948): An Irish sailor (Orson Welles) gets caught between a corrupt tycoon (Everett Sloane) and his voluptuous wife (Welles’ real-life wife Rita Hayworth) and their plans to eliminate one another in this wonderfully convoluted noir. Trivia: Columbia chief Harry Cohn sent future horror icon William Castle along on location to keep Welles in line, on time and under budget, to no avail. Dir. Orson Welles
Sunday, June 22, 12:30 AM
CRIME & PUNISHMENT, USA (1959): Director Denis Sanders wanted to make a version of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 19th century Russian masterpiece for the beat generation according to star George Hamilton who made his big screen debut in the film. Hamilton plays Robert, a student who murders a pawnbroker and believes he can get away with it. He more than meets his match in Lieutenant Porter (Frank Silvera) who slowly breaks him down. Dostoevsky’s detective was also the inspiration for Lieutenant Columbo. The action was transplanted to contemporary Los Angeles and was one of the few films that executive producer Roger Corman lost money on. Dir. Denis Sanders
Monday, June 23, 4:30 AM
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
Tuesday, June 24, 9:30 AM
FOG OVER FRISCO (1934): Heiress Val Bradford (Margaret Lindsay) investigates the disappearance of her reckless sister Arlene (Bette Davis) who has been playing around in the San Francisco underworld, along with her ineffectual fiancé (Lyle Talbot), In the process, Val joins up with reporter Tony Sterling (Donald Woods) and press photographer Izzy Wright (Hugh Herbert). Dir. William Dieterle
Tuesday, June 24, 1:15 PM – 7:30 PM
1:15 PM
JOURNEY INTO FEAR (1942): This playful film features Joseph Cotten, who adapted the novel for the screen, as a munitions expert who gets tangled up in an espionage plot in Turkey. Watch for Orson Welles as an amorous army officer. Karl Struss served as director of photography. Dir. Norman Foster
2:30 PM
ARMORED CAR ROBBERY (1950): In this awesome little action-packed noir, a police officer, Charles McGraw in a rare outing as a good guy, tries to find half a million dollars stolen by gangsters. Dir. Richard Fleischer
3:45 PM
DETOUR (1946): A hitchhiker (Tom Neal) takes on a dead man's identity only to face blackmail by an unscrupulous woman (Ann Savage)—possibly the meanest woman in the history of cinema. Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Wednesday, June 25, 8:30 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
Thursday, June 26, 5:00 PM – Friday, June 27, 2:00 AM
Here are the noirs...
5:00 PM
DEAD RINGER (1964): In this late era noir, Bette Davis stars as twins, the rich and mean Margaret and the other poor and put-upon spinster Edith meet after many years at the funeral of Margaret’s husband Frank. Edith snaps when she discovers from Margaret why Frank dumped her and married Margaret instead. Edith shoots her sister, takes her place and tries to make “Edith’s” death look like a suicide. Edith's boyfriend, police sergeant Jim Hobbson (Karl Malden) and Margaret's lover Tony (Peter Lawford) soon complicates things. Dir. Paul Henreid
10:30 PM
A STOLEN LIFE (1946): Wealthy aspiring painter Kate (Bette Davis) falls for Bill (Glenn Ford). Her manipulative twin Pat, also played by Davis, steals him away. Kate tries to concentrate on her art after the pair marries, taking lessons from a talented but arrogant painter (Dane Clark). A twist of fate gives her the chance to impersonate her sister and fulfill her dream of being Bill’s wife, but things do not go as planned. Dir. Curtis Bernhardt
Friday, June 27, 9:00 PM
I LOVE YOU AGAIN (1940): Cheap, stuffy small town businessman Larry Wilson (William Powell) gets conked in the head and when he regains his consciousness remembers that he is in fact con man George Carey who has been suffering from amnesia. Carey decided to go back to his small town as Wilson and fleece the Community Chest and Anti-Vice crusade. When he encounters the wife he married during his amnesiac period as Wilson, who is desperate to divorce him due to boredom, things take a turn. Why? Well, she is played by Myrna Loy. Note: not a noir but our followers love Powell and Loy, so we always give a heads up when their films play. Dir. W. S. Van Dyke II
Saturday, June 28, 1:00 AM
NOBODY LIVES FOREVER (1946): John Garfield is a shady ex-GI hooked up in a plot to bilk a war widow (gorgeous Geraldine Fitzgerald). When he falls for her, the gang wants them both dead. Director Jean Negulesco ladles atmospherics onto W. R. Burnett's witty screenplay. Great support from Walter Brennan, George Coulouris, Faye Emerson, and George Tobias. Dir. Jean Negulesco
Saturday, June 28, 10:45 AM
THE KILLERS (1946): Expanded from the Hemmingway short story, two professional killers come to a small town looking for The Swede (Burt Lancaster). An insurance investigator (Edmond O'Brien) unravels the tangled skein of events that led up to the hit. Ava Gardner plays Kitty, the woman who led the Swede to his doom. Dir. Robert Siodmak
Saturday, June 28, 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM
5:00 PM
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944): Barbara Stanwyck—in a platinum blonde wig—plays Phyllis Dietrichson—the consummate femme fatale who lures insurance salesman and all-around chump Walter Neff (Fred McMurray) into a plot involving murder and insurance fraud. His friend, and insurance adjuster, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) smells a rat. Nominated for seven Oscars: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Director; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture; Best Picture; Best Sound, Recording; and Best Writing, Screenplay. Dir. Billy Wilder
7:00 PM
CHINATOWN (1974): In this critically lauded neo-noir, a private eye (Jack Nicholson) unwittingly sets up an innocent man for murder and then joins his widow (Faye Dunaway) in unearthing the corruption behind the crime in this physically beautiful but emotionally bleak neo-noir set in a morally bankrupt 1930s Los Angeles. Dir. Roman Polanski
Saturday, June 28, 9:30 PM & Sunday, June 29, 7:00 AM
SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948): Barbara Stanwyck gives a tour-de-force performance (Oscar-nominated) as a bedridden woman who, through crossed phone wires, overhears a murder being planned. This engrossing extension of Lucile Fletcher’s legendary 22-minute radio drama is pure noir, tracking an ill-fated romance that spirals into deceit, despair, and death. Featuring Burt Lancaster in one of his earliest roles and richly atmospheric camerawork by the great Sol Polito. Famous, yet still underrated! Dir. Anatole Litvak
Monday, June 30, 9:30 PM
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951): Childlike but charming psychopath Bruno (Robert Walker) suggests that he and Guy (Farley Granger), a tennis player with political ambitions, crisscross murders. Unfortunately, Guy realizes too late that Bruno wasn’t joking. Guy’s unwanted wife shows up murdered and he has no alibi. Screenplay by Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormonde, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith. D.P. Robert Burks’ outstanding work earned an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Eddie Muller presents Hitchcock's The Big Steal on the May 31-June 1 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Horst Buchholz and Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay on June 2
Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple in Murder Ahoy on June 2
Tony Curtis in Sweet Smell of Success on June 3
Eddie Muller presents The Undercover Man on the June 7-8 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Ida Lupino directs — The Hitch-Hiker screens June 14
Eddie Muller presents Crack-up on the June 14-15 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Susan Hayward and Robert Mitchum star in The Lusty Men on June 17
Brit Noir — So Long at the Fair on June 18
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair on June 21
Ricardo Darin stars in the Argentine noir Nine Queens on June 21
Southern Gothic noir —The Red House on June 21
Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon on June 21
Eddie Muller presents Pale Flower on the June 21-22 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Orson Welles and Rita Hayward in The Lady from Shanghai on June 22
George Hamilton stars in Crime and Punishment on June 22
Bette Davis in Fog Over Frisco on June 24
Charles McGraw and Adele Jergens in Armored Car Robbery on June 24
Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper in Frank Capra's Meet John Doe on June 25
Bette Davis and Karl Malden in Dead Ringer on June 27
Glenn Ford and Bette Davis in A Stolen Life on June 27
Myrna Loy and William Powell in I Love You Again on June 27
Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity on June 28
Faye Dunaway in Chinatown on June 28
Eddie Muller presents Sorry, Wrong Number on the June 28-29 edition of NOIR ALLEY
Robert Walker v. Farley Granger in Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train on June 30