Noirvember Day 7: Three You Should See

There are numerous well-known noirs that always come up in discussions about the era, like Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, Laura, The Killers, and the like. There are many, many more, though, that never get talked about, but are so worthy of mention. Today’s Noirvember post takes a look at three of these, all released by 20th Century Fox: Somewhere in the Night (1946), The Dark Corner (1946), and Thieves’ Highway (1950).

— Christy Smith is one earnest gal.

Somewhere in the Night (1946)

Sometimes complicated and often confusing (not that there’s anything wrong with that), Somewhere in the Night stars John Hodiak as a victim of amnesia – we meet him at the film’s start, when he awakens in a military hospital to realize he has no idea who he is. He gets a clue from the hospital personnel who call him “George Taylor,” but any satisfaction he may have gained from this moniker is wiped out by a note he finds in his wallet. “I despite you now, and the memory of you,” the note reads. “And I shall pray as long as I live for someone or something to hurt and destroy you.” (Yikes.)

Traveling to Los Angeles, Taylor finds that he’s been left $5,000 and a gun by a man called Larry Cravat, and he determines to learn the truth about his past. Along the way, he encounters a nightclub singer, Christy Smith (Nancy Guild – rhymes with “wild”), whose best friend was jilted by Cravat; Christy’s boss, Mel Phillips (Richard Conte), who offers to help Taylor; and Lt. Donald Kendall (Lloyd Nolan), a shrewd detective who shares that Cravat disappeared several years earlier – with a cool $2 million. Playing small roles in the film are a passel of noir vets: Jeff Corey, Harry Morgan, John Kellogg, and Sheldon Leonard.

Favorite quote: “In about two minutes, a bouncer is coming back in here with no sense of humor. He’s a foot bigger than you in all directions.” – Christy Smith (Nancy Guild)

— Galt always has his trusty secretary at his side.

The Dark Corner (1946)

When you think of Lucille Ball, film noir isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But before she became the beloved redhead of the small screen, the actress appeared in a number of films on the dark side – the best of these was, arguably, The Dark Corner. In this feature, she stars as Kathleen Stewart, secretary to private investigator Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens), who has moved to New York after a two-year prison stretch.

As Kathleen develops feelings for her handsome boss, she learns that he’s being followed by a mysterious dude in a white suit – and after Galt gives the man a beatdown, “White Suit” reveals that he was hired by Galt’s ex-business partner, who was behind the frame-up that sent Galt to prison. But in typical noir fashion, it turns out that the answers aren’t quite so simple, and Kathleen and Galt discover that the center of this whirlwind is a wealthy art dealer named Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb). The film’s cast also includes Ellen Corby, who was in numerous classic films before reaching a new level of popularity on TV’s The Waltons.

Favorite quote: ““I hate the dawn. The grass always looks as though it has been left out all night.” – Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb)

Thieves’ Highway (1949)

— Are they all waiting for Nick’s review of the java?

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it more than once – Richard Conte, in my eyes, can do no wrong. And he does no wrong in this feature as Nick Garcos, who returns from the war to discover that his truck driver father has been crippled after a road accident. Garcos soon learns that a crooked San Francisco merchant, Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb), was responsible for the accident and he makes up his mind to exact his revenge.

Garcos learns that his task won’t be as easy as he’d hoped – he’s not only beaten and robbed by a pair of Figlia’s thugs, but he’s picked up by an alluring refugee (Valentina Cortesa), who was hired by Figlia. And that’s just the start of his troubles. Keep your eyes peeled for the film’s director Jules Dassin who, a la Alfred Hitchcock, makes a cameo appearance in a freight elevator.

Favorite quote: “Touch my truck and I’ll climb into your hair.” – Nick Garcos (Richard Conte)

Make the time to check out these 20th Century Fox noirs – all three are accessible on YouTube. You only owe it to yourself.

And join me tomorrow for Day 8 of Noirvember.

~ by shadowsandsatin on November 7, 2022.