Last Week at the Noir City Hollywood Festival

It's been a great week at the Noir City Hollywood Festival!

Although I wasn't able to be there for as many screenings as in some past years, when I was able to attend as many as eight or even all ten days, we made it to the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on four days over the last week, seeing half a dozen films. I'd add that we had seen several of the films theatrically over the past couple of years which helped us narrow our choices.

Last Saturday evening we started out with lunch at the Santa Monica location of our favorite restaurant, El Cholo, which is celebrating its centennial this year.

Then it was on to the Aero to see Eddie Muller introduce A DOUBLE LIFE (which I reviewed last Sunday) and THE VELVET TOUCH (1948).

Tuesday evening we ate at the classic L.A. restaurant The Apple Pan, followed by a very special screening of one of my favorite noirs, CRY OF THE CITY (1948).

A CRY OF THE CITY poster from Brian Light's remarkable collection, signed by Debra Paget. (Click on this or any photo to enlarge for a closer look.) Incidentally, Debra Paget turns 90 next weekend, on August 19th.

Before the movie Alan K. Rode hosted a discussion with Victor Mature, the daughter of star Victor Mature, and 93-year-old actor Tommy Cook.  Cook played Richard Conte's kid brother in the film.

Tommy spoke with great enthusiasm about how much he enjoyed working with Victor Mature, Richard Conte, and director Robert Siodmak. He also recounted going on a date with young Debra Paget...whose mother shadowed them for the entire evening!

Victoria said that CRY OF THE CITY was one of the films of which her father was particularly proud. Here she is posing next to a poster featuring her father.

The Aero by night! The theatre was originally opened in 1940 by Douglas Aircraft. It was operated 24 hours a day throughout the war years so that shift workers could see movies when they were free.

More of Brian Light's marvelous original posters for Thursday evening's films, TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (1948) and WHIPLASH (1948).

I had last seen WHIPLASH at the Noir City Hollywood festival a dozen years ago! It was a real treat to see TO THE END OF THE EARTH for the first time on a big screen. Sadly, I don't believe it's ever had a release for home viewing, though it's been shown on Turner Classic Movies. It's a Dick Powell film I like very much.

Alan Rode introduced Thursday evening's films:

Since most of this week's movies were released in 1948, the Aero also featured candy which was available then. Chuckles originated over a century ago, in 1921, and I have fond memories of my father buying them for me when I was young. It was fun to enjoy them for the first time in a number of years.

On the festival's final day we caught the afternoon matinee of the fun RKO "B" film BODYGUARD (1948) starring Lawrence Tierney and Priscilla Lane.  I love this movie, which includes fun scenes featuring baseball and a "do-it-yourself" record album which Lane uses to impart important clues to Tierney.

It was great to chat with Eddie Muller for a few minutes after the show.  He seemed encouraged about how things are going recently at Turner Classic Movies, which was good to hear after the corporate issues earlier this summer.

I would have loved to see one of my favorite films, NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948) again tonight, but we needed an early evening. Fortunately I've seen it on a big screen a couple of times, even once in a nitrate print!

Before heading home we stopped in at Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica for fish and chips.

We had a truly wonderful time at this week's screenings. It was great to have the chance to say hello to several friends along with enjoying some excellent movies.

The Noir City Festival heads next to Chicago!

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