Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on March 14, 2024

What’s the Marathon Stars blogathon, you may ask? It’s an event that invites participants to select a performer that they’ve seen in no more than three movies, and then view and write about at least five of that performer’s features that are new to them. When I read about this...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on March 7, 2024

If you know me, you know that I enjoy a tasty cocktail from time to time. I even like the word “cocktail” – it invokes Art Deco rooms peopled by beautiful people clad in impeccable clothes exchanging exquisitely memorable bon mots. Toss a pre-Code movie into this mix, and I’m...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on February 29, 2024

My TCM picks for March aren’t the most highly acclaimed films in the history of pre-Code and film noir – but I like them. I hope you will, too. Satiny Pick: Big Business Girl (1931) I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – I am not a big...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on February 23, 2024

A few days after I saw Shed No Tears (1948) for the first time, I told my mother about the movie and recommended that she watch it. After she did, she called me and said, “I just have one question. Why??” And I told her, “Because it’s so bad, it’s...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on February 3, 2024

Rarely has a Blu-ray set been more aptly named than French Revelations, a recent Flicker Alley release featuring two French-language films: Fanfare D’Amour (Fanfare of Love) and Mauvaise Graine (Bad Seed). I’m always up for a foreign film, but I was especially looking forward to checking out these t   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on January 30, 2024

Looking for some good stuff to watch in February? TCM’s got you covered. Satiny Pick: One Way Passage (1932) I found the pre-Code pickings for February to be rather slim but, never fear, I picked a real winner. One Way Passage may not be overflowing with salacious scenes and gratuitous...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on January 1, 2024

Another year, another 365 days of quality stuff on TCM! And January 2024 is no different – I have two must-see winners to recommend to you for this month. And they’re coming up near the start of January, so mark your calendars! Shadowy Pick: The Locket (1946) I’ve mentioned The...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on December 16, 2023

If you’re like me, you know Erich von Stroheim best as Max Von Mayerling, the butler (and first husband) of aging silent movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in the classic 1950 noir Sunset Blvd. But there was so much more to von Stroheim than Max. While writing about von...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on December 5, 2023

Hi, all! I was recently a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, Attaboy Clarence, hosted by Adam Roche. I started listening when I got my first iPhone several years ago, and I’ve loved it ever since. In November, I had a blast sharing with Adam five noirs that I...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on December 5, 2023

Nestled in between the holiday fare on TCM, there’s some good noir and pre-Code stuff airing in December – so much so that selecting my two recommendations was a breeze! Check ‘em out . . . Satiny Pick: Another Language (1933) I fell for this movie within minutes of first...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 30, 2023

I can scarcely believe that another Noirvember — my 10th! — has come to an end. It’s been another great ride, made even more awesome by all of you who commented, read, or even just strolled by on your way elsewhere! I appreciate you so much, one and all. You...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 29, 2023

All month long this Noirvember, I’ve enjoyed participating in the Noirvember Challenge on Twitter, created by self-described “noircheologist” Kari Hansbarger. Every day during the month, under the #NoirvemberChallenge hashtag, a different category was featured, and interested participants could offe   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 28, 2023

I first met her decades ago as a sassy flirt in the 1946 Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Since then, Gloria Grahame has become one of my favorite noir femmes, turning in standout performances in a spate of shadowy classics. Grahame was born Gloria Grahame Hallward in Los Angeles,...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 27, 2023

As Noirvember 2023 winds down, I thought I’d squeeze in one more entry of “What’s that guy’s name?” Today, I’m taking a look at Don Beddoe, who was one busy dude. During a performing career that spanned seven decades, Beddoe was seen in nearly 200 films; in one year alone,...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 26, 2023

It’s the last Sunday of Noirvember 2023, y’all – why not celebrate with one final batch of those awesome noir lines . . . “There are only three ways to deal with a blackmailer. You can pay him and pay him and pay him until you’re penniless. Or you can...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 25, 2023

Whenever I think and talk and write about film noir, I have a tendency to focus on the distaff characters: the Phyllis Dietrichsons, the Kathie Moffats, the Gildas and the Lauras and the Mildreds. For today’s Noirvember post, I’m giving the gents a much-deserved nod and shining the spotlight on...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 24, 2023

Of all of the noirs I’ve seen in my lifetime, one of the absolute best, in my estimation, is The Asphalt Jungle (1950). It has so much going for it – a stellar ensemble cast, hard-hitting dialogue, a simple but riveting story, and a perfect noir ending. Helmed by John...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 23, 2023

Vincent Leonard Price is known by many (including my own daughters, I learned today) for his horror movie roles and the “rap” naration he performed on Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit record, “Thriller.” For others – like me – he’s strictly a noir man, with standout appearances in Laura (1944)   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 22, 2023

On November 21st, as part of the month-long spotlight on Gloria Grahame, TCM aired the 1959 noir Odds Against Tomorrow, starring Robert Ryan, Harry Belafonte, and Ed Begley. This first-rate feature, one of the last of the classic film noir era, serves up a simple, but unforgettable, story: former co   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 21, 2023

The more I see William Talman, the more I like him. That is, the more I see him outside of a courtroom with Perry Mason. That’s where I first met this actor and first grew to view him with equal parts dislike and disdain. But boy, his film noir performances...   read more