Happy Noir Year

For the last several years, on Sunday mornings from September through early February, I’ve bestowed upon my social media friends tiny blurbs of information about – and hyperlinks to – a series of films that, perhaps, may open a new world for them, as it has for me.

I call this little corner of my life the NFL - The Noir Film League.

It began as a gag - and a dig -- at the other, more well-known NFL, the National Football League.?After that sports consortium unceremoniously yanked its team from my hometown of St. Louis – the second time in my life that’s happened -- many of my friends and I decided we basically wanted no further part of THAT NFL.?

We were done with it, and still are.

For the first few years of our not-so-amicable divorce from the football league, things like Sunday afternoon yard work, day trips, playing with the grandkids, visiting wineries and biking filled the void.

But on those days when the weather outside was frightful, we needed to find a TV viewing alternative to Sunday afternoon pro football. So, playing off the initials NFL, the Noir Film League was born.

I’ll admit it – I didn’t know much about Film Noir before I started this thing. And I still have a whole lot to learn. Even today, when people ask me just what “Film Noir” is, I have to go out to Google to cut and paste the definition the search engine provides: Film Noir is “a style of filmmaking characterized by cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, and frequent use of flashbacks.”

That’s what Google says.

The characteristics I’ve grown to love most about Film Noir are these: They’re filmed and presented in glorious, easy-on-the-eyes black-and-white (hence the above reference to stark lighting). They feature lots of images of mid-century city skylines, nighttime neon, scenes in overnight coffee shops and nightclubs, and big, round-fendered 1940’s and 50’s cars. Those automobiles are often convertibles, and yet, mysteriously, the actors never seem to be impacted by the wind!

The men of Noir wear double-breasted suits with pocket squares, even at ball games, the racetrack and boxing matches.

The women are similarly stylishly dressed, almost always in dresses by day and beautiful gowns by night.

And everybody wears hats.

Unlike many of today’s films and TV shows, Films Noir are basically politics-free. Just as their images are black-and-white, so too are their messages. With a few exceptions, good is good, bad is bad, and the people who do wrong usually “get theirs” in the end.

Which brings us to the language of Film Noir.

It’s a thing of beauty.

Running from the law? In the world of Noir, you’ve “given the flatfoots the slip,” and you’re now “on the lam.” The detectives who are chasing you are “gumshoes.” Guns are “heaters.” Carry one and you’re “packing heat.” Women are “dames” or “dolls.” Get into trouble and you’re “in a jam.” Double-cross the wrong “mug” and you might wind up in the “drink,” with the person who “knocks you off” winding up in “the Big House,”?maybe even getting "the chair."

To a “words” person, this is great stuff.?It’s so good, you almost wish somebody would build a glossary of the Film Noir lexicon.?Turns out somebody has, and here it is: www.miskatonic.org/slang.html.

I’ve grown from not knowing much about this cinematic genre, to knowing a little bit more, and loving it.

If nothing else, Film Noir has opened my eyes to the talents of some actors who deserve a lot more recognition – albeit posthumously – than they’ve received.

For every Noir actor’s name you know – like Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum or Kirk Douglas – there’s a Dan Duryea, Robert Ryan or Dana Andrews – names you should know.

And then there are the actresses. You’re familiar with Barbara Stanwyck, Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner. But do you know Deanna Durbin, Ann Savage or Lizabeth Scott???Watch a few Films Noir, and you will.

Of all the women of Noir, one stands above the rest -- the beautiful Gloria Grahame.

Many of you know Grahame from her appearance as head-turning town flirt Violet Bick in It’s A Wonderful Life. Fewer are familiar with her work in seven Films Noir.

Grahame was fascinating.

Born in Hollywood in 1923, she dropped out of Hollywood High School to pursue a career in acting in the 1940’s. Blessed with a natural beauty and alluring on-screen presence, she nonetheless was terribly insecure in real life, doubting her own good looks and acting ability.

She won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1952’s The Bad and The Beautiful but was so uncomfortable accepting the award, her acceptance speech was limited to just four words – “thank you very much.” It remains one of the shortest speeches in the history of the Academy Awards.

A scandal kept her from becoming a more well-known star, (feel free to look it up) and cancer ended her life in 1981 at the all-too-young age of 57.

In a world of Noir princesses, Gloria will always be the queen to me.

Recently at work, some of my colleagues and I were having an informal chat - as we sometimes do - and the subject turned to, for lack of a better term, “whatchya watchin’ these days?”

My co-workers, all of whom are considerably younger than I, spent lots of time talking about the latest television series’ that are running on the numerous streaming networks that are out there, usually available for a cost.

I just sat back and said nothing about my new found love of Noir, and the more than 700 titles that are available for FREE on YouTube.

Maybe I should have said something.?Maybe I should have mentioned all the terrific imagery, the campy dialogue, or all the underrated performers like Thelma Ritter, Dorothy Malone or Van Heflin.

Or not.

Maybe, I’ll just keep this what it is – a bit of a secret.

I’ve reached the point in my life where I know what I like, and what I like is Film Noir.?These cold and dreary evenings from now til April likely will find my wife and me on the couch, a bowl of popcorn between us, enjoying a style of film that’s still unfamiliar to many of our contemporaries.

But you’re free to come over and join us.

Together we’ll all explore, and enjoy, a Happy Noir Year.

As always, thanks for reading.