Created by Michael Lennox and George Zuckerman Newshawk MARY ROBERTS works the Québec City crime beat in the Duplessis-era Whispering City, an obscure but surprisingly strong noir from 1947. The fatal car crash of a long-retired actress intrigues intrepid reporter Roberts, sporting a rather nifty tam, and she decides to investigate further. She soon discovers … Continue reading Mary Roberts (Whispering City/La forteresse)
Tag: Film Noir
Rigby Reardon (Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid)
Created by George Gipe, Steve Martin and Carl Reiner Juliet Forrest: What are you doing? Rigby Reardon: Adjusting your breasts. You fainted and they shifted all out of whack. RIGBY REARDON is the doofus P.I. (played by Steve Martin) who gets by with a little help from his friends, in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, … Continue reading Rigby Reardon (Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid)
Out of the Past and Against All Odds
Two versions of one story... with a 32 minute difference By Sam Wiebe The following is from Sam Wiebe's always interesting newsletter (available in free and paid versions, wherein he expounds on writing, crime fiction, film and whatever else catches his attention. Sam, of course, is the award-winning Canadian crime writer and the creator of … Continue reading Out of the Past and Against All Odds
Tom Dwyer (The Last Crooked Mile)
Created by Jerry Sackheim "She doesn't know anything. She's with me."-- Tom introduces his girlfriend. In the 1946 B flick, The Last Crooked Mile (1946, Republic Pictures), the Jarvis Gang's bold daylight robbery of the Harrison Bank in San Francisco leaves one of them dead on the sidewalk and one of the bank's customers injured, … Continue reading Tom Dwyer (The Last Crooked Mile)
Mike Callahan (World for Ransom)
Created by Lindsay Hardy and Hugo Butler In World for Ransom, a rough-and-tough little B-noir from 1954, MIKE CALLAHAN is an Irish war vet working as a P.I. in Singapore who goes to work for an ex-lover who thinks her husband's up to something shady. Sure enough, good ol' Mike (played by twitchy, dapper noir … Continue reading Mike Callahan (World for Ransom)
Xavier Lombard
Created by Eric Leclere "The Lost Son was not written for the book establishment to sanction, censure or kill. Books are for reading, and we feel the public should be given a chance to do just that." —the author explains why he was giving away his book. Speaking of British crime flicks (well, I was … Continue reading Xavier Lombard
Art for Art’s Sake
Artists Inspired by Noir Noir is everywhere these days, used to flog everything from over-priced coffee and cheap lingerie to high-end make-up and mediocre crime films that mistake ill-fitting fedoras and second-hand cigarette smoke for style. But real fans know that noir is more than just a few visual effects and a cool marketing tool. … Continue reading Art for Art’s Sake
Brad Lang’s Ten Favourite Detective, Hard-boiled & Noir Films
A Little Slice of Hardboiled Heaven Freelance writer, web designer and film buff Brad Lang is a sometime-contributor to this site, the author of the Crockett private eye series and the man behind both Hardboiled Heaven and Classic Movies.org. Back when this site was in its infancy, he generously offered us this list of his … Continue reading Brad Lang’s Ten Favourite Detective, Hard-boiled & Noir Films
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
DOCUMENTARY (2006) The 2006 documentary Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light, from director and film historian Gary Leva, was originally tucked away on various DVD film noir collections from Warner Bros. (it's on Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 3, and still shows up occasionally as a "bonus feature"), but it's also available separately. It's billed as … Continue reading Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
Gus Slavin (Loophole)
Created by Dwight V. Babcock and George Bricker This time out, he's GUS SLAVIN, an LA-based investigator for a bonding service, who's putting the screws on war hero turned nice guy bank teller Mike Donovan (Barry Sullivan, the star of the show, playing the classic noir bonehead/doofus to perfection). Gus is convinced Donovan had something … Continue reading Gus Slavin (Loophole)