Paul Parcellin

George La Main (John Barrymore, Jr.) turns 17 and witnesses his father take a thrashing from sports reporter Al Judge (Howard St. John). George prowls the streets with his father's gun and looks to settle a score. But things aren't as they seem. "The Big Night" (1951) #filmnoir

Whiteout Noir: 6 Films With Cold Blooded Crimes In Wintery Places Film noir is usually set in the big city, but sometimes noir crime dramas unfold against a wintery, snow covered landscape.

Ward Bond, Robert Ryan, "On Dangerous Ground" (1951). Snowfall plays a dramatic role in a handful of noirs and it’s a surprisingly natural fit. (Click link to read.) #filmnoir
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Chuck Wheeler (Gerald Mohr), fresh out of the slammer, plans an armored car knockoff. A buddy plus Vi Victor (Mamie Van Doren), wife of his former cellmate, are in on it. But the ex-bunkie is the jealous type — and he just busted out. "Guns, Girls and Gangsters" (1959) #filmnoir

Spanish Civil War veteran Kit McKittrick (John Garfield) returns home to New York to find out who killed his best friend, a police lieutenant who arranged Kit's escape from his war captors. And Nazi spies are in hot pursuit of him. "The Fallen Sparrow" (1943) #Thriller #Noir

San Francisco society columnist Claire Cummings (Leslie Brooks) gets hitched to a rich dude, then shows off her mastery in the art of two-timing. Claire never met a man she couldn't play for a sucker, because she's ... you know, cold like ice. "Blonde Ice" (1948) #filmnoir

Crooked cop Christopher Kelvaney (Robert Taylor) tries to talk his kid brother out of telling the police about the mob killer he saw fleeing a crime scene. Gangster Dan Beaumonte (George Raft) can't buy the kid brother's silence, so it's on to plan B. "Rogue Cop" (1954) #filmnoir

Syndicate honcho Big Jim drives low-level mobster Tony Reagan (Scott Brady) out of Chicago for romancing the big man's niece. Reagan is set to return to the city and propose to the niece. But then Big Jim turns up dead and it's open season on Reagan. "Undertow" (1949) #filmnoir

Theatrical producer Larry O'Brien (Richard Conte) buys a disused movie studio from the silent era and finds that a famous director was murdered on that site. He decides to make a film about the still unsolved case, but some want him to drop it. "Hollywood Story" (1951) #filmnoir

Allen Baron, ‘Blast of Silence.’ (1961). Are noirs set in New York as dark and suspenseful as those set in L.A.? You can count on it. (Click link to read.) #filmnoir
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Mob boss Charlie Lupo (Broderick Crawford) hires stone cold hitman Nick Magellan (Richard Conte) as his bodyguard. Lupo's daughter, Kathy (Anne Bancroft), takes a shine to Magellan. He's assigned a big hit, and things get complicated. "New York Confidential" (1955) #filmnoir

“ … you’re a cookie full of arsenic.”

Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ (1957). New York’s noirs are just as gritty as the ones set in L.A. Here are 20 reasons for it. (Click link to read.)
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Ann Nicholson (Ruth Roman) offers John Emmett (Sterling Hayden) a ride after his car breaks down. A woman claiming to be a nurse tells John that Ann is an escaped mental patient. He's not sure who to believe. But soon the cops are after them. "5 Steps to Danger" (1957) #filmnoir

Concentration camp survivor Peter Kuban (Vittorio Gassman) stows away on a ship bound for New York. Authorities want to deport him, but he teams up with unemployed Maggie (Gloria Grahame) as police chase him on a false assault charge. "The Glass Wall" (1953) #filmnoir

Vaudeville hoofer Tom Quinn (Don Castle) chucks his shoes at a noisy alley cat. But when his cash laden neighbor turns up dead, Tom's footprints are at the crime scene. A police detective (Clint Judd) tries to find the real killer. "I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes" (1948) #filmnoir

Ambassador's son Philippe (Bobby Henrey) idolizes embassy majordomo Baines (Ralph Richardson). But Baines is engaged in some hanky panky behind his wife's back with embassy secretary Julie (Michèle Morgan). Then an untimely accident occurs. "The Fallen Idol" (1948) #filmnoir

New York noir: 20 films that explore the big city's dark corners Here are 20 films noir that explore the many dark sides of New York City.

John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, ‘Force of Evil’ (1948). Why New York noirs are different from those set in Los Angeles. Hint: One has elevated trains, not palm trees, overhead. Click link to read. #filmnoir
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Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell) is a junior partner in a casino with Guido Marchettis (Thomas Gomez). Guido's wife Nelle (Ellen Drew) has eyes for Johnny and gives him a watch with a romantic inscription. Soon, bodies begin to pile up. "Johnny O'Clock" (1947) #filmnoir

Ethel Whitehead (Joan Crawford) is trapped in a bad marriage. When her child dies she opts to leave her husband. Using her good looks, she manipulates men and winds up with a mobster, George Castleman (David Brian). Then things turn deadly. "The Damned Don't Cry" (1950) #filmnoir

Railway engineer Jacques Lantier (Jean Gabin) witnesses deputy station master Roubaud (Fernand Ledoux) kill his wife Séverine's (Simone Simon) godfather. Lantier and she have an affair and she urges him to kill her husband. "La Bête Humaine" (1938) #filmnoir

Dr. Dan Proctor (Scott McKay) introduces his betrothed, frail invalid Evelyn Heath (Anne Baxter), to his aunt Martha (Aline MacMahon) who senses that evil has entered her home. Meanwhile, Evelyn goes after Dan's brother, Douglas (Ralph Bellamy). "Satan in Skirts" (1944) #filmnoir

Violent convict Vincent Canelli (Edward G. Robinson) busts out of prison on the night he is to be executed. He takes a pack of hostages with him, including an injured convict, Peter Manning (Peter Graves), who leaves a trail of blood behind them. "Black Tuesday" (1954) #filmnoir

Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) smuggles 50 grand worth of diamonds into the country only to find that her husband and sister are two-timing her. But her troubles spiral when an epidemic sweeps the city and she becomes infected. "The Killer That Stalked New York" (1950) #filmnoir

Con man Ace Connors (John Hodiak)
pushes a bogus oil investment on a dupe — until the dupe's friend, Ricki Woodner (Lucille Ball), out-cons him. When Ace cooperates with the law, his partner, Fly Feletti (Elisha Cook, Jr.), is peeved. "Two Smart People" (1946) #CrimeFilm #Noir

If you're wealthy New Yorker Alison Courtland (Claudette Colbert) and you awake aboard a train for Boston — and have no idea how you got there — you've got problems. More so because your husband has a slug in his arm and you're carrying his gun. "Sleep, My Love" (1948) #filmnoir

When a key witness in an organized crime trial takes a deadly fall from a window ledge, it's up to Dist. Atty. Martin Ferguson (Humphrey Bogart) to round up more evidence to bring down crime boss Albert Mendoza (Everett Sloane). "The Enforcer" (1951) #filmnoir

In 1940s rural Mississippi, Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez), a black man, is found standing over a murdered white man and is arrested. Lawyer John Gavin Stevens (David Brian) won't take the case. But a local boy tries to change his mind. "Intruder in the Dust" (1949) #filmnoir

When farmer Fred Morgan and his housekeeper turn up dead, hired hand George Braden (John Craven) looks good for the murder rap. Atty. Doug Madison (Macdonald Carey) feels he's defending a guilty man, but then new evidence comes to light. "Count the Hours!" (1953) #filmnoir

Lieut. Andy Doyle (Bill Elliott) is after Henry Johnson (Douglas Dick) for killing his neighbor. Johnson insists he's innocent. But oddly enough, a wealthy tenant at a nearby motel bears a striking resemblance to the murdered man. "Footsteps in the Night" (1957) #filmnoir

Don Gregor (Clancy Malone) is a partner in crime with gangster Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell). The duo commit a robbery that goes bad. That's when Don's father, plastic surgeon Dr. Boris Gregor (Herbert Rawlinson) must perform a highly unusual surgery. "Jail Bait" (1954) #filmnoir