Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on February 21, 2020

Several years ago, I started on a post about my favorite pre-Codes, which turned into a post about the pre-Codes I watch most often – and I discovered that these are frequently one and the same. I only included five films in the post, with a promise to write about...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on February 5, 2020

When I arrived at my mother’s house tonight, I was greeted by the sobering news that film legend Kirk Douglas had died at the age of 103. It was always such a pleasure in recent years to know that this cinematic giant was still with us. But now, knowing that...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on January 18, 2020

Happy New Year, y’all! Now that we’re in a new year, the countdown to the 2020 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival is on! And you know what that means – time for another installment in my ongoing, year-round coverage of the 2019 event! Today, I’m shining the spotlight on two...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 30, 2019

Well, noir lovers, we’ve come now to the end of another Noirvember – it seems like this one passed more rapidly than any other. But you know what they say – the older you get, the faster time flies. (They don’t say that? Well, they should.) I want to take...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 29, 2019

Can’t get enough of Kathie. For tonight’s Noirvember post, I thought I’d look at five of my favorite noirs, and share what I love best about them. Here goes… Out of the Past (1947) The character of Kathie Moffett, played to perfection by Jane Greer. I feel like I’ve mentioned...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 28, 2019

It’s Thanksgiving Day 2019, and while searching for turkey-themed photos, I came across this picture of Marilyn Monroe, who appeared in four films noirs during her career: The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Clash by Night (1950), Don’t Bother to Knock (1952), and Niagara (1953). In honor of the holida   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 27, 2019

Thumbing rides is dangerous. As the calendar winds down to the end of Noirvember, it’s a perfect time to revisit some more of noir’s great lines. Enjoy! “Thumbing rides may save you bus fare. But it’s dangerous. You never know what’s in store for you when you hear the squeal...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 26, 2019

Ever heard of Dorothy Patrick? During her brief heyday, she appeared with such luminaries as Robert Taylor, Wallace Beery and Loretta Young, and she was featured in three films noirs (with an uncredited part in a fourth). But after just 12 years, Patrick retired from the screen and, like her...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 25, 2019

Now that the passes for the 2020 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival have gone on sale, this is a perfect time for another installment of my ongoing coverage of this year’s TCM event. But for today’s Noirvember post, I’m serving up a treat — a guest post from a first-rate...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 24, 2019

Duff’s career began in radio. November 24th was a significant day in the lives of three classic movie performers, each of whom had a prominent role in at least three films noirs – they were either born on the 24th of November, or that was date on which they died....   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 23, 2019

If you were to ask a noir fan to name the greatest year for film noir, chances are that the answer would be 1947. Personally, I could also make a case for several other years – 1946 and 1950 come to mind most immediately – but when you take a...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 22, 2019

I don’t know if classic film stars spent as much time in the kitchen as the movie magazines of the day would have you believe, but I quite like to think of my favorite performers whipping up a three-layer chocolate cake or tasty batch of fried chicken. Today’s Noirvember post...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 21, 2019

This ain’t just acting. If you know anything at all about me, you know that I love trivia. Today’s Noirvember post serves up some trivial tidbits about some of my favorite film noir actresses. Here goes . . . Hope Emerson made her feature film debut in Cry of the...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 20, 2019

Two years ago, during Noirvember, I wrote about one of my book collection treasures, a beautiful coffee table tome called The Dark Page: Books That Inspired American Film Noir, by Kevin Johnson. The Dark Page shares beautiful photos of books that were the basis of film noir features in America,...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 19, 2019

November 19th was quite a day in the world of noir – it gave us two of the stars of the film noir Laura (1944) – Gene Tierney and Clifton Webb. Today’s Noirvember post celebrates this shadowy birthday duo and their road to the well-loved noir that they gave us....   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 18, 2019

Ask any noir fan to name their top 10 movies from the film noir era, and chances are very good that Out of the Past (1947) would be among them. Some would even call it the quintessential noir, with its flashback structure, exquisite use of lights and shadow, one of...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 17, 2019

Three years ago, in celebration of National Classic Movie Day, I participated in a blogathon hosted by Rick over at the Classic TV and Movie Café. The theme of the event was Five Movies On An Island. For today’s Noirvember post, I thought I’d revisit this theme, focusing only on...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 16, 2019

Ever heard of Dorothy Hart? She has eight film noir credits to her name – but, sadly, it’s a name that not many noir fans know these days. In today’s Noirvember post, I’m determined to remedy that. Dorothy Hart was once described as “the most beautiful actress in Hollywood today,”...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 15, 2019

Today’s Noirvember post shines the light on one of film noir’s most highly acclaimed features, Out of the Past (1947). A first-rate picture starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas, Out of the Past is fairly brimming with memorable dialogue and quotable lines. Here’s a   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on November 14, 2019

Some people say that in order to be film noir, a movie has to be in black and white. I don’t buy it. For me, it’s the feeling that truly makes a noir – the tone, the mood, that sensation of impending, inevitable doom. And that feeling can come over...   read more