Pitfall (1948) is an American film noir drama directed by Andre de Toth and starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, and Jane Wyatt. The supporting cast includes Ann Doran, John Litel, and Raymond Burr. Johnny Forbes (Powell) works for an insurance company in downtown Los Angeles Johnny is introduced to the case of Mona Stevens and Bill Smiley by former policeman and private investigator J.B. “Mac” MacDonald (Burr). Smiley has been showering Mona with expensive gifts with money he embezzled. Johnny gets involved with Mona Stevens (Scott) the girlfriend of jailed criminal Bill Smiley (Byron Barr ..read more

Title: From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir By: Alain Silver and James Ursini Publisher: Running Press – Turner Classic Movies ISBN: 978-07624-8493-5 (hardcover) ISBN: 978-0-7624-8495-9 (ebook)   The new book by Alain Silver and James Ursini is a detailed account of how the classic film noir Double Indemnity came to be. The authors take a look at the real-life crime that influenced James M. Cain’s novel on which the film is based. The thesis of the book is that Double Indemnity is the definitive film noir and its influence is still felt today ..read more

Dead Reckoning (1947) is an American film noir directed by John Cromwell and starring Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott. Bogart plays Capt. Warren “Rip” Murdock who is trying to unlock the mystery surrounding the disappearance and death of his WW II buddy Sergeant Johnny Drake. During his search he meets Drake’s girlfriend Coral (Scott). During his search, Rip falls in love with Coral but is she worthy of his trust. Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott John Cromwell (1886 – 1979) was an American film and stage director. Cromwell started his career as an actor on the stage and in ..read more

Foreign Correspondent (1940) is an American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, and George Sanders. The screenplay was written by Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison. The music was by Alfred Newman and the cinematography was by Rudolph Mate. Before the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Powers (Harry Davenport), editor of the New York Morning Globe, sends crime reporter John Jones (McCrea) to report on the situation there. While in the Netherlands, Jones attends an event sponsored by the Universal Peace Party led by Stephen Fisher (Marsha ..read more

Guest blog post written by Stephen Galen Estevan We all know the lines, we've probably seen the tearful goodbye a hundred times, but what truly sets this 1942 classic apart? It's not just the trench coat drama or the Bogie-Berman magic. Casablanca's secret sauce is its unique ability to cook up a storm of moral complexity in a wartime setting. Buckle up, cinephiles, because we're diving into the heart of what makes this movie so darn special. Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart First off, Casablanca throws you right into the grimy underbelly of a war-torn Europe. Rick's Cafe Ame ..read more

He Walked by Night (1948) is an American film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited Anthony Mann. The film stars Richard Basehart and Scott Brady. Others in the cast include Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell, James Cardwell, Dorothy Adams, and Jack Webb. The cinematography is by the legendary John Alton. Set in Los Angeles, California, the film is based on the real-life crime spree by Edwin “Machine-Gun” Walker. Walker, a former police department employee and World War II veteran committed a series of burglaries, robberies, and shootouts in the Los Angeles area between 1945 and 1946. Off ..read more

One, Two, Three (1961) is an American political comedy film directed by Billy Wilder and starring James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Lilo Pulver, Pamela Tiffin, and Arlene Francis. The screenplay was written by Wilder and frequent partner I.A.L. Diamond. The music is by Andre Previn and the cinematography is by Daniel L. Fapp who won an Academy Award for West Side Story (1961). C.R. “Mac” MacNamara (Cagney) is an executive with the Coca-a-Cola Company, based in West Berlin during the early days of the Cold War. He was sent there after a business failure in the Middle East. Still bitter over the dem ..read more

Psycho (1960) is an American suspense thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh. The supporting cast included Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Albertson, and Pat Hitchcock. The music was by Bernard Herrmann and the cinematography was by John L. Russell. The film was edited by long-time Hitchcock collaborator George Tomasini. What happens when Marion Crane (Leigh) an on-the-run thief meets Normal Bates (Perkins) an odd motel proprietor? That is the mystery of Psycho. Marion Crane has left town with $40,000 in ca ..read more

To Sir, With Love (1967) is a British drama directed by James Clavell who also wrote the screenplay based on the autobiographical novel (1959) by the same name by E. R. Braithwaite. Sidney Poitier stars as a teacher in an inner-city school. The all-British supporting cast includes Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Patricia Routledge, and Lulu. Mark Thackery (Poitier) has had no success obtaining an engineering position after a long 18-month job search. He accepts a teaching position for Class 12 at North Quay Secondary School in the East End of London. He took the position as a sto ..read more

The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) is an American comedy directed by Richard Quine and starring Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas. The supporting cast includes Fred Clark, John Williams, Ray Collins, Neva Patterson, and Arthur O’Connell. Laura Patridge (Holliday) attends the board meeting for International Projects, a billion-dollar corporation. John T. Blessington (Williams) announces that he is replacing Edward L. McKeever (Douglas) who founded the company and served as president and chairman of the board. McKeever is resigning to serve as Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C. Laura is a stockho ..read more