Whistle Stop is a 1946 film noir starring George Raft and Ava Gardner. It doesn't go where you think it's going. Ava had gone to Chicago to find glamour, excitement, money. Now she's come back to the loser she loves. Excellent underrated movie.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/10/whistle-stop-1946.html

William Castle's Undertow (1949). Tony has a flirtation in Reno with a pretty schoolteacher but he's on his way to Mary his sweetheart whose uncle is a gangster, Tony's a nice guy with a shady past and now he's framed for murder. Enjoyable.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/09/undertow-1949.html

Chicago Deadline is a good 1949 hardboiled crime thriller with just the faintest hint of film noir, with Alan Ladd in top form as a reporter investigating a murder. There's an ambiguous femme fatale figure and a touch of cynicism.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/09/chicago-deadline-1949.html

Lady on a Train (1945) is based on a Leslie Charteris story. Deanna Durbin witnesses a murder from a train window. A lighthearted comic murder mystery with a decided screwball comedy flavour. It’s rather delightful and Durbin is adorable.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/08/lady-on-train-1945.html

Tangier (1946) starring Maria Montez involves a stolen diamond and a murder. It does not take place in Tangier, but in the Tangier created by the Hollywood dream factory - a fantasy world of danger, intrigue, adventure and romance. Enjoyable.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/08/tangier-1946.html

Three On a Ticket (1947), the fourth of PRC's Mike Shayne PI B-movies. A guy walks into Shayne's office and drops dead. He was a PI as well, but an unsavoury one. Then a blonde wants to hire Shayne to kill her husband. A good solid B-picture.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/08/three-on-ticket-1947.html

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) is not, as some claim, film noir but it is one of Hitchcock's best movies. With one of his most interesting and ambiguous protagonists. Joseph Cotten is superb as the man who may or may not be a murderer.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/08/shadow-of-doubt-1943-hitchcock-friday-12.html

In Raoul Walsh's Pursued (1947) Robert Mitchum is on the run, haunted by the past. Reminded me a little of Spellbound. Sometimes touted as a noir western but it isn't very noir. A psychological thriller but a bit tame and a bit disappointing.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/07/pursued-1947.html

Ramrod, a 1947 range war western directed by André De Toth stars Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. A complex grown-up western with morally grey characters so you can’t make assumptions about how the story will end. A great western.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/07/ramrod-1947.html

George Raft (one of my favourite actors), Raymond Burr and Virginia Mayo star in Red Light (1949), a neglected film noir gem. Raft gets to be a tough guy, Burr gets to be evil. A must-see noir.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2014/07/red-light-1949.html

The Flame of New Orleans (1941) is a stylish romantic comedy set in early 19th century New Orleans with Marlene Dietrich as an adventuress torn between money and love. Visually lush, frothy, very amusing and totally captivating. Dietrich in top form.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-flame-of-new-orleans-1941.html

Dressed to Kill (1946), the last Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movie. Vital evidence to a robbery is concealed in three music boxes. A lesser entry in the series but reasonably entertaining and it has a fine femme fatale.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/03/dressed-to-kill-1946.html

Nocturne (1946) is a great noir-tinged hardboiled crime thriller with George Raft (one of my favourite actors) giving one of his best performances. Raft is a tough cop with an attitude. Lynn Bari makes a fine femme fatale.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2016/05/nocturne-1946.html

Phantom of Chinatown (1940), last of the Mr Wong crime B-movies with Keye Luke taking over from Boris Karloff as Mr Wong. It starts with some horror and adventure as an expedition searches for fabulous lost treasures in Mongolia. Enjoyable.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/02/phantom-of-chinatown-1940.html

The October Man (1947) is a British crime film starring John Mills. The main drawcard is that it was produced and written by Eric Ambler. It's a fine psychological suspense thriller with some hints of noir.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-october-man-1947.html

George Raft in top form in the entertaining film noir-inflected crime film Johnny Allegro (1949). Raft is an excellent flawed noir protagonist with two weaknesses - dames and taking risks. Nina Foch is a fine femme fatale.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2019/09/johnny-allegro-1949.html

Henri-Georges Clouzot's Quai des Orfèvres (1947) is a police procedural, a murder mystery, a showbiz movie (with plenty of seediness and sleaze) and has a slight film noir vibe. A singer will do whatever it takes to reach the top. Good stuff.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2024/01/quai-des-orfevres-1947.html

The other great Carol Reed-Graham Greene collaboration, a year before The Third Man, was The Fallen Idol (1948). A story of growing up, of trust, of lies and of secrets. Lies and secrets can be well-intentioned but have bad results. Great film.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-fallen-idol-1948.html

The Spider and the Fly is a 1949 British crime thriller directed by Robert Hamer. Cop Maubert obsessively hunts master criminal Philippe and hopes to use Philippe's mistress to trap him. Quite good but with an out-of-left-field ending.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-spider-and-fly-1949.html

#Noirvember #filmnoir Act of Violence (1948) belongs to the crazy WW2 vet noir sub-genre. Lots of angst, moral ambiguity and self-pity. An emotional roller-coaster ride and it’s a full-blooded excursion into the noir depths.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2018/04/act-of-violence-1948.html