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Current Specials: |
TAPE SPECIAL | |
The Film Noirs of Producer & Writer: MARTIN MOONEY | |
Plus: | |
GET A FREE BOOK | |
DARK CITY DAMES The Wicked Women of Film Noir by Eddie Muller | |
FILM NOIR READER 1 OR 2 Edited by Alain Silver & James Ursini | |
DEATH ON THE CHEAP The Lost 'B' Movies of Film Noir by Arthur Lyons | |
THE LITTLE BLACK & WHITE BOOK of film noir quotes by Peggy Thompson | |
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TAPE SPECIAL | |
Martin Mooney"A self-crowned king of a gray-walled world of treacherous men... He out-schemed, out-talked, out-fought them all!" This was the original tagline for the 1940 movie 'Millionaires in Prison' , based on a story by Martin Mooney. With the top executives of Enron, Worldcom and etc. waiting in the wings for a stint at the Federal Government's country club, we have to ask ourselves could Mooney have foreseen the future? Who knows? We do know that Martin Mooney was a prolific but obscure hard-boiled writer and producer who worked on several low budget noir classics including 'Blonde Ice', 'Detour' & 'Bluebeard'. After years of working in New York City as a newspaper reporter, columnist, playwright and press agent, he entered the film business in 1935 as a screenwriter. Between 1935 and 1939 he wrote the stories for 9 movies including 'Special Agent' (1935) ,'Bullets and Ballots' (1936), 'Missing Girls' (1936) and 'Mutiny In the Big House' (1939). During this period Mooney proved that he wasn't afraid to push the censors and tackle controversial topics. In 1943 he joined the poverty row studio PRC Pictures (Producers Releasing Corporation), where his duties included screenwriting and managing the advertising and publicity departments. Mooney's background in the rough-and-tumble New York City newspaper world was the impetus for PRC specializing in the gritty urban crime dramas it was known for. While he may be best remembered for being an associate producer and co-scriptwriter on Edgar G. Ulmer's masterpiece, "Detour", he was not listed in the credits when the film was released. Mooney was born in New York City April 17, 1896 and died in Los Angeles January 21, 1967. We hope, through this tape special, to bring to light the accomplishments of this talented man who quietly contributed to classic film noir. |
Film Noir Filmography & List of Videos Available: | ||
BLUEBEARD 1944 | |
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer | |
Script: Pierre Gendron | |
Starring: John Carridine, Jean Parker, Nils Asther | |
Martin Mooney was the associate producer for Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | |
Released : October 19th, 1944 | |
Bluebeard is truly a weird picture and the noir purest will say "What's this doing here"! It is a Horror thriller but the visuals and lighting can be appreciated much in the same way as a Val Lewton picture. John Carridine plays a 19th century puppeteer and artist who strangles women after having painted their portraits. Fans of Carridine love this film because it's one of the few movies that puts his acting abilities in the spot light. If you like Poverty Row movies this is worth the price of admission. | |
DANGEROUS INTRUDER 1945 | |
Directed by Vernon Keays | |
Script: Martin Goldsmith | |
Starring: Charles Arnt, Veda Van Borg, Tom Keene | |
Martin Mooney was the associate producer for Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | |
Released : August 21st, 1945 | |
This is a rich little cheapie that fans of 'Detour' will appreciate. Jenny (Veda Ann Borg), is hitchhiking across the country when she is accidentally struck by a car. The driver, Max Ducone (Charles Arnt), offers to take her into his home until she can resume traveling. Later Ducone's wife is murdered and Jenny wants to find the killer. With the aid of detective Curtis (Tom Keene), she discovers who did it and why! While 'Dangerous Intruder' is lacking the direction of a Edgar G. Ulmer, it is steaming with that PRC atmosphere. | |
DETOUR 1945 | |
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer | |
Script: Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney | |
Starring: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake | |
Martin Mooney was the associate producer for Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | |
Released : November 30th, 1945 | |
This is one of the all-time great examples of film noir. Told in flashback, New York musician Al Roberts (Tom Neal) decides to hitch-hike to Los Angeles to be with his actress girlfriend. Along the way he's picked up by a man who later shows up dead. Fearing the police, Al assumes the identity of the dead man. But when he ends up giving a lift to a woman simply known as Vera (Ann Savage), everything goes haywire! 'Detour' can practically be used to define the noir style: shadowy black and white cinematography; a star-crossed protagonist ("...fate sticks out a leg to trip you."); a femme fatale (the unforgettable Ann Savage as Vera); cynical voice-over narration; ambiguous morality. All these elements are brought together magnificently by director Edgar G. Ulmer, who incredibly made this movie in six days on a budget of $30,000.00. His direction is so masterful that the low budget sets only add to the film. This is a great masterpiece and one of the marvels in film history. | |
SAN QUENTIN 1946 | |
Directed by Gordon Douglas | |
Script: Howard J. Green, Lawrence Kimble, Martin Mooney | |
Starring: Lawrence Tierney, Marion Carr, Barton MacLane | |
Martin Mooney was the producer for RKO Radio Pictures | |
Released : December 16th, 1946 | |
San Quentin is a one of a kind picture that only Martin Mooney could of have produced. It has the distinctive RKO look and feel, but the plot for this movie may be more wack-o than it's male lead was in real life. Lawrence Tierney, plays an ex-con let out of prison early, to fight in WWII. While in prison he helps to start a progressive prisoners league, which helps harden cons reform. When one of the leaders of the league escapes and goes on a killing spree, hard-line politicos want to shut down the League. Will Larry be able to save it? A must have tape for fans of Hollywood tough guy Lawrence Tierney. | |
CRIMINAL COURT 1947 | |
Directed by Robert Wise | |
Script: Lawrence Kimble from a story by Earl Fenton | |
Starring: Tom Conway, Martha O'Driscoll, Steve Brodie, Robert Armstrong | |
Martin Mooney was the producer for RKO Radio Pictures | |
Another rare obscure 'B' noir produced by Martin Mooney. In Criminal Court, Stephen Barnes (Tom Conway) is an lawyer who is planning to run for District Attorney. He accidentally kills a gangster who owns a nightclub where his girlfriend is the singer. Although he manages to cover up his involvement in the crime, his girlfriend Georgia (Martha O'Driscoll) discovers the body and is subsequently charged with the murder. | |
BLONDE ICE 1948 | |
Directed by Jack Bernhard | |
Script: Kenneth Garnet, Raymond Schrock, Edgar G. Ulmer | |
From the novel 'Once Too Often' by Whitman Chambers | |
Starring: Leslie Brooks, Robert Paige | |
Martin Mooney was the producer for Film Classics Inc. | |
Released : July 24th, 1948 | |
This is the legendary 'B' classic starring Leslie Brooks as femme fatale Claire. Set in San Francisco it's easy to wonder which is colder, the local fog or Claire with "ice in her veins, Icicles on her heart!". You can forget about introducing this lady to your mother. Blonde and beautiful, Claire marries rich men for their money and then murders them. Is there any other reason? Blonde Ice was photographed by cameraman George Robinson who lensed 'Dracula' and helped to create the look of the Universal horror films. | |
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FILM NOIR READER 1 or 2 | ||
Edited by | ||
Alain
Silver and James Ursini
The Film Noir Readers are a collection of 22 - 25 essays each by various writers and critics from 1945 up to the present READER 1 includes the historic essay from 1955 ' Towards A Definition of Film Noir' by Raymond Borde & Etienne Chumeton and traces the earliest use of the term "noir" in France. Also included is Paul Schrader's classic article 'Notes on Film Noir' (1972). READER 2 : Nino Frank's 1946 article 'A New Kind of Police Drama' in which he coins the term "series noir" and Elizabeth Ward's important work, 'The Unintended Femme Fatale: The File on Thelma Jordan and Pushover. Required reading for all noirheads! |
Buy 20 or more tapes on any one order and get a free copy of: |
DEATH ON THE CHEAP | ||
The Lost B Movies of FILM NOIR | ||
By
Arthur Lyons
Ever heard of the films Please Murder
Me, The Come-On or The Mysterious Mr. Valentine? No...? Well then get
into the car Punchy, we're going for a ride into dark and dank world of
film noir. Thanks to Arthur Lyons' book 'Death On The Cheap', obscure
film noir is back! This important book not only reviews the most rare of noir titles but also explains the historic forces at play in Hollywood when many were being made. 'The book loaded with movie stills, also features a witty and informative filmography (including video resources) of B films that have largely been ignored or neglected - "lost" to the general public but now restored to their rightful place in movie history thanks to Death On The Cheap.' On the cover we find a photo of Leslie Brooks as, the femme fatale "Claire" in 'Blonde Ice' (1948). What more can we say? |