The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival Schedule

The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival opens in Palm Springs on Thursday, May 11th.

Passes are now on sale for this year's festival. It will run through Sunday, May 14th, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center's Camelot Theatre, located at 2300 E. Baristo Road.

Festival producer and host Alan K. Rode will present 13 films between Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon, including a "bonus" film early Saturday morning. That special presentation will be for festival passholders only. Tickets to the other films at the festival may be purchased individually by non-passholders.

This year's guests are David Ladd (son of Alan), Victoria Mature (daughter of Victor), Nicholas von Sternberg (son of Josef), and producer/director James B. Harris.

To say that I'm excited about this schedule is an understatement. There are five films I've never seen before in any format, and three more I've seen at home, but never on a big screen. The other five films I've seen theatrically, but in most cases it's been a number of years.

Opening night on the 11th will feature Stanley Kubrick's THE KILLING (1956), with Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray heading a marvelous cast. The evening's guest, James B. Harris, who is now in his 90s, was the film's producer. This promises to be quite a special event. A reception will follow the screening and interview.

Friday morning, May 12th, will kick off with MGM's DIAL 1119 (1950), Marshall Thompson heading a strong cast which includes a personal favorite of mine, Andrea King.

Next comes the excellent "Western noir" BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948) with Robert Mitchum topping another great cast. The screening will be preceded by Alan Rode signing his new book on the film from University of New Mexico Press.

Friday rounds out with a pair of classics, THE NAKED CITY (1948) and THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942). The latter film stars Alan Ladd, whose son David will be interviewed at the screening.

The special "early bird" passholder screening Saturday morning, May 13th, is a 35mm restoration of THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947) starring Lawrence Tierney.

It's followed by the Poverty Row cult film DECOY (1946), which somehow I've never seen, and THE BIGAMIST (1953), which was directed by and stars Ida Lupino, along with Edmond O'Brien and Joan Fontaine. THE BIGAMIST will be shown in a 35mm print from UCLA, where I saw the film half a decade ago.

Next comes Alan Ladd in APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1950), and a busy movie day concludes with Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, and Victor Mature in THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (1941), shown in a restored 35mm print. Director Josef von Sternberg's son Nicholas and costar Mature's daughter Victoria are special guests.

The festival wraps on Sunday, May 14th, with Barbara Stanwyck in THE LADY GAMBLES (1949), followed by SCANDAL SHEET (1952), starring Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed, directed by Phil Karlson. The festival concludes with the classic DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944).

The Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival is always a highly enjoyable experience. I look forward to it each year and very much recommend attending.

For a look at past Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival coverage, please visit these links: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Update: The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review.

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