Day 29 of Noirvember: Favorite Things About My Favorites

Can’t get enough of Kathie.

For tonight’s Noirvember post, I thought I’d look at five of my favorite noirs, and share what I love best about them. Here goes…

Out of the Past (1947)

The character of Kathie Moffett, played to perfection by Jane Greer. I feel like I’ve mentioned this earlier this month (but I’m just too lazy to go back and look), but as femmes fatales go, Kathie is one of my favorites. Beautiful, fearless, sexy, fun, ruthless. The total fatal package.

Double Indemnity (1944)

The scene where Edward G. Robinson’s character, Barton Keyes, explains to his boss why he’s completely off the boil in his theory that the death of Phyllis Dietrichson’s husband was due to suicide. It’s a veritable tour de force – Keyes only displays his vast knowledge, but he does it with wit and panache, leaving his employer looking like the complete buffoon that he is.

Mildred Pierce (1945)

The scene where Mildred (Joan Crawford) kicks her daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth) out of her house. The scene starts out when Mildred learns that Veda has extorted money from her ex-fiancee’s wealthy family by inventing a pregnancy. When Mildred realizes that her soon-to-be grandchild is not to be, Veda gives off with a hateful diatribe that includes calling her mother a “common frump whose father lived over a store and whose mother took in laundry.” Mildred tears up the check Veda received, calling her “cheap and horrible.” And that’s when the proverbial poop hits the fan, as Veda actually slaps her mother. (Her mother, y’all!) Although Veda’s slap literally knocks Mildred offer her feet, scant seconds pass before Mildred rises up, affixes her daughter with a death stare, and tells her to “get out before I kill you.”

Sherry stole every scene.

The Killing (1956)

The character of Sherry Peatty, played by the always fabulous Marie Windsor. Obviously, the only reason that Sherry married her mousy, racetrack cashier husband George (Elisha Cook, Jr.) was for the promise he made about “hitting it rich, having an apartment on Park Avenue and a different car for every day of the week.” And since that didn’t happen, Sherry doesn’t hesitate to make her displeasure known. Every exchange between Sherry and George is an absolute treat, with Sherry either serving up a heaping helping of sarcasm and disdain, or using her considerable wits (not to mention her ability to read George like a book) to get her way. Until the end, that is.

Life is like a ball game.

Detour (1945)

The lines are the BEST. Here are just three of my favorites:

“Life’s like a ball game. You gotta take a swing at whatever comes along before you wake up and it’s the ninth inning.”

“Money. You know what that is, the stuff you never have enough of. Little green things with George Washington’s picture that men slave for, commit crimes for, die for. It’s the stuff that has caused more trouble in the world than anything else we ever invented, simply because there’s too little of it.”

“Fate, or some mysterious force, can put the finger on you or me for no good reason at all.”

What are some of your favorite noirs – and what do you love about them? Let me know…

And then join me tomorrow on Day 30 – the last day – of Noirvember!

~ by shadowsandsatin on November 29, 2019.