Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on September 1, 2021

I’m so excited to announce that, after two long years, my pal Kristina at Speakeasy and I are bringing back our series Pre-Code Crazy, where we each recommend a pre-Code feature airing on TCM in the coming month. It’s hard to believe it, but our last Pre-Code Crazy entry was...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on July 4, 2021

As I’ve mentioned a time or two in previous posts, I am a member of a classic movie meetup group that continued to flourish throughout the pandemic; each week, we’re assigned an old movie that’s available on YouTube, and then we gather via Zoom to discuss it. Moderated by Steven...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on May 20, 2021

Up until a few months ago, I’d never heard of the movie Bad Sister. Then I read a book called Hollywood’s Hard-Luck Ladies by Laura Wagner (which I highly recommend, by the way). The book centers on 23 actresses who “suffered early deaths, accidents, missteps, illnesses, and tragedies.” The chapter   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on May 16, 2021

Every year, on May 16th, the classic film community celebrates National Classic Movie Day. And every year, Rick over at the Classic TV and Film Café hosts a blogathon to acknowledge this significant day. And every year, no matter what’s going on in my “real” life, I make it at...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on April 18, 2021

If you’re a William Holden fan (and, really, how can you NOT be?), you may have enjoyed this handsome and talented actor in such noirs as The Dark Past (1948), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Union Station (1950), but you haven’t lived until you’ve seen him in a little-known gem called...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on March 12, 2021

A few years ago, I posted a list of the week that focused on famous classic movies that I hadn’t yet seen. I thought I’d revisit that idea today and serve up 20 more films that fall into this category. Some, like Make Way for Tomorrow and Dr. Jekyll and...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on February 28, 2021

A couple of weeks back, in one of the noir-related Facebook groups that I frequent, a poster commented that film noir movies “don’t have happy endings.” This was disputed by several in the group, and I’m in agreement with them; while I love a downbeat noir ending as much as...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on January 17, 2021

Happy New Year, classic film lovers! I hope that you all are having a great start to 2021 – the last time I wrote, it was for 30 straight days of noir for Noirvember 2020, so I thought I’d start this year with a leap into the pre-Code pool. If...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 30, 2020

Can you believe that this is the last day of Noirvember? Seriously, where does the time go? Ah, well – no use moaning over spent months. We’ve got more important things to do. I’m wrapping up my YouTube noir series with The Hitch-Hiker (1953). Interestingly (to me, at least), it’s...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 29, 2020

Today, I’m recommending a movie that I’ve only seen once and, frankly, I don’t know if I’ll ever see it again. It’s not because it’s not a first-rate noir. It is. It’s just that it’s often hard to take – especially toward the end. But please don’t let that stop...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 28, 2020

You don’t hear much about City That Never Sleeps (1953), and that’s a real shame. It’s got a lot of good stuff, from great use of shadows to voiceover narration (okay, it’s the city talking, but whatever). It’s also chock full of dark, cynical, and duplicitous characters, including a magician...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 27, 2020

Kiss of Death (1947) is one of those noirs that I knew about before I saw it. This is the one where Richard Widmark tosses a wheelchair-bound old lady down a flight of stairs. How could you not want to check out a movie with a scene like that? But...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 26, 2020

Mickey Rooney? In film noir? You bet your babes in arms. Today’s YouTube pick is Quicksand (1950), a noir that will have you practically on the edge of your seat. It’s so chock full of noir, it’ll have you shouting at your TV: “No! Don’t do it!” Until almost the...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 25, 2020

I’d heard about today’s YouTube pick for years, but I never had any real interest in seeing it. Once I finally decided to check it out, I was blown away. Odd Man Out (1947) stars James Mason, but he may be the only performer in the film that you’ve ever...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 24, 2020

Today’s YouTube pick is one of noir’s best-known offerings: D.O.A. (1949). It’s got a perfect noir premise, a perfect noir opening, a perfect noir end, and in between, a characteristically labryrinthine noir plot. D.O.A. also serves up a great cast that includes Edmond O’Brien, Luther Adler and, pla   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 23, 2020

Like a handful of my other YouTube recommendations this month, I’d only seen today’s film once, years ago, before reviewing it again for today’s post. But once was enough. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I discovered the movie – I didn’t know anything about it going in, except that...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 22, 2020

I love, love, love today’s YouTube noir pick: The Great Flamarion (1945). It’s another one of those films that, for decades, was completely off my noir radar. (Noir-dar?) Then, a few years ago, I was sent a copy of the movie by a fellow noir lover who I met through...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 21, 2020

For my money, John Payne is one of the most underrated stars of the film noir era. Like his fellow noir vet Dick Powell, Payne’s earlier career consisted of a number of comedies and musicals – lightweight vehicles that seemed a perfect fit for his good looks and breezy air....   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 20, 2020

Finding Fourteen Hours (1951) was a happy accident. Before a couple of years ago, I’d never even heard of it before – despite the fact that the cast includes noir vets Richard Basehart, Paul Douglas, Agnes Moorehead, Jeff Corey, and Howard da Silva. I don’t even remember how I happened...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 19, 2020

Today’s pick is my third Lizabeth Scott starrer of the month: Pitfall (1948). Do I need to even bother saying that it’s a favorite? The film boasts a stellar cast that, in addition to Scott, includes Dick Powell, Jane Wyatt, and Raymond Burr; brisk direction by Andre De Toth; and...   read more