4 Must Watch Underrated Film Noir Classics (PART 2) 

I kept calling Ed Begley’s character in Odds Against Tomorrow Harry -it’s not, it’s Dave. Have you seen any of these films? Are some of these new to you? If you get around to watching any of these four fantastic noirs let me know in the comments below what you think. You can watch the film noirs mentioned in this video for free at the links below⬇ ⭐The Crooked Way (1949) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lDffh1ouSoU.html 💥Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) archive.org/details/oddsagainsttomorrow1959 ☠The Suspect (1944) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ejFbsXzapis.html 💔Crime of Passion (1957) archive.org/details/crime-of-passion-1957 Like the music? Here's a link to some of the moody jazz I use in some of these videos🎶: share.epidemicsound.com/l84tue/?playlist=d2qs5fkf8c2rofu41l0fnz90sxn918bk if you love classic Hollywood you should subscribe to the free cinema cities newsletter 📰screenspectator.substack.com?sd=pf If you're loving these videos consider supporting the channel at: ☕www.buymeacoffee.com/cinemacities ⭐ patreon.com/CinemaCities

Stanwyck had such incredible range as an actress.

The background music is wonderful. I wouldn't mind having it in the background as i go about my day.

I’m very glad to have come across your channel. God rest Harry Belafonte.

ANYTHING with Barbara Stanwyck in it is worth watching!

Just watched Odds Against Tomorrow. Fantastic from every aspect. Cinematography, cast, plot. What a climax!! The final line when couldn't tell the black man from the white 😮. Robert Wise is a genius. Another great recommendation

As I had the opportunity to write before, Mr. Sterling Hayden was a better actor than he thought about himself. Always a pleasure to watch his films noir!

👍 "...and boyfriend of the channel Sterling Hayden..." I'm feelin' that.

Your collection of titles are exceptional. I watched and still watching most of these movies from very early age. My wife just doesn’t get my fascination with film noirs. The quintessential film noir super star actors were Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum, and the super star actress was Barbara Stanwyck. However, there were a great number of great actors who graced the film noir genres which you have brilliantly mentioned in your great channel.

This channel is great. I especially like the links so I can find these films. For many years I worked second shift and when I got home I watched late night tv in Los Angeles. I saw many of the noir movies. I especially like the noir movies made in Los Angeles .

I love that you care about the blacklisting evil of the McCarthyite 1950’s. So many film buffs brush this aspect of Hollywood’s shame under a pretty hilly rug. It also suggests a deep knowledge of your topic, beyond the prima facia facts and artistic appreciation. Wonderful recommendations. So glad I found this channel. I’ve come home. Thanks.

Great choices. I've seen them all, but will rewatch them. The end of The Suspect broke my heart.

I like your videos. You even add that "film noir saxophone" music to the background. You also have this encyclopedic knowledge of cinema which I'm in awe of.

Forgotten GEMS, and thank you for bringing light to Noir with your well paced narrative . Humble thanks

The Suspect is very good. Charles Laughton is one of my favourite actors of all time. Such an immense talent. Excellent in everything he did. I will definitely have to check out Odds Against Tomorrow. Robert Wise has made such a wide variety of films.

RIP Mr. Belafonte - looking forward to watching 'Odds Against Tomorrow' - why have I not seen it! - and Robert Ryan, Ed Begley, Gloria Grahame, Shelley Winters - wow!!.......but wait! there is more...Robert Wise too

I just recently watched Odds Against Tomorrow and I thought it was fantastic. I also really enjoyed both the Suspect and Crime of Passion (I'll watch anything with Sterling Hayden, Charles Laughton, Raymond Burr, and Barbara Stanwyck). You really can't go wrong! Great list.

Thank you for these...I love film noir, so I'm always looking for new ones.

I LOVE it every video that you refer to Hayden as "boyfriend of the channel" I UNDERSTAND 😊

Odds Against Tomorrow: I liked the jazzy score and the gray, bleak winter landscapes; I especially liked the sound of a howling wind in the elevator scenes and in Ed Begley's apartment. And this one made its message about race in a less heavy-handed way than did "Crossfire" (another film where Robert Ryan plays a loathsome bigot.) One wouldn't necessarily pick Harry Belafonte as a noir character, but there he is - a desperate, driven man led to his destiny. And poor Robert Ryan - he just couldn't get free of playing unhinged bigots, tense cops or madmen.

Odds Against Tomorrow is a masterpiece, good selection!

As a fan of films noirs since way back in the 70s, I was delighted to come upon your site. After watching this video I took in Crime of Passion and was drawn in instantly. Barbara Stanwyck’s character reminded me of a Border Collie: very intelligent, needs something challenging to work on, and if deprived of this it will go out and find something - usually mischief - to do by itself. That a housewife’s life could be unbearable for such a person was an idea that most films of the time would not touch, and for this reason Crime of Passion was particularly intriguing. I saw this kind of frustration among my mother and her friends; many relied on over-the-counter anti-anxiety drugs, and the happiest were those who had work or at least some kind of life outside the home. Of course Kathy could have chosen a method of finding fulfillment other than transferring her aspirations to her husband, but that would mean no story. And it was so well done - thanks for putting it out there for us to enjoy. Bonus - for me, anyway: Getting to see Raymond Burr the year before the Perry Mason series started, playing a similarly authoritative, but very different, kind of character.

I also like these picks and will watch them. Your presentation makes me eager to watch. I also have several Stetson Fedoras.

I love film noir, but I've not seen any of these. They look great and will defin itely seek them out. Thanks for introducing them to me.

This was refreshing after the dozens of film noir lists/reviews I've watched over the years, the best of which I've saved. On the whole they've been repetitive where this one isn't, and NONE have mentioned The Suspect. I loved it when I saw it as a pre-teen or early teen circa 1960 and have been trying to find it for decades but didn't remember the title or that Laughton was the star, even though his performance captivated me at the time and has proved indelible ever since. I've waited a long damn time to see it again.

Loved Odds Against Tomorrow! RIP Harry Belafonte. Nice list! Will be watching or rewatching some of them. Cheers!

Odds Against Tomorrow is brilliant. It deserves to be ranked with the greatest of the films noir. How is this so neglected?

And you need to check out the only film that Charles Laughton directed, the Night of the Hunter! It’s an amazing film noir with some very stunning photography effects! Amazing film!

This is the second "Film Noir Classics" video of yours that I've watched and although I don't agree with all of your picks your presentation is superb.

Wow I'd never heard of any of these films! Now I have to go and find them to watch! Thanks for the video. I love your channel.

❤ Great recommendations as always ❤. My personal favorite is Barbara Stanwyck ❤ THANKS 😊

I love The Suspect, one of those films in which I always hope the sympathetic and much put-upon killer will get away with his crime; and it's so beautifully directed, acted, and written. If you're taking recommendations, two underrated noirs that deserve more recognition: 1) Act of Violence, with Robert Ryan and Van Heflin--an amazing noir about vengeance, post-WW2 bitterness, and the hollowness of the American dream. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, it features a brilliant performance by Mary Astor, unrecognizable as a burnt-out hooker. 2) So Evil My Love, an historical noir (set in the 19th century), in which Ray Milland (as a classic homme fatale) and Ann Todd set out to fleece rich, neglected, upper-class wife Geraldine Fitzgerald but encounter...complications. It was based on a true 19th-century murder case (unsolved to this day).

Absolutely Awesome! I’m going to watch all 4! Thank You!

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW is one of those flicks I push on people because NO ONE I know has seen it, and they all dig it. I'd never have guessed that Belafonte and Ryan would be so good together. Great ending, too. THE SUSPECT is one of those movies that gets you with the situation (annoying-as-hell, nagging wife, nice Ella Raines) and you just get pulled along to the inevitable end. CRIME OF PASSION is a good example of how Stanwyck is never lazy. Her character grabbed me because she thinks she can control this situation, and you wait to see how it'll all work out. I just found her mesmerizing, but she's my Sterling Hayden :D

Four Overlooked Film Noirs : Sorry, Wrong Number The Sound Of Fury Night And The City The Narrow Margin All are great film noirs, in fact, they are just great films period. Well worth checking out.

I saw "Crime of Passion" as well as "The Suspect" on RU-vid not so long ago. Films come and go and it's worth it to check regularly.

Sonny Tuffs played a good role in The Crooked Way! This film is much better than I he narrator states!

Odds Against Tomorrow is the film I suggest to people who are looking for a good noir film they haven't seen yet. Great movie and great choice for the list!

Wow, this was great! Thank you!

I really liked odds against tomorrow, which was produced by Harry Belafonte.

Have seen and enjoyed The Suspect and now must see the others.

I'm glad you later covered the 1946 'version' SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT. I enjoy both of these and that they diverge in their 2nd half.

I love your music choice.

Thanks for this.

Ella Raines is my favourite actress from the 40's. She has such an under-rated CV, films like Impact, The Suspect, Phantom Lady are all absolutely brillaint.

Thank you for this, we love noir movies and, we saw "The Crooked Way" and "the Suspect", which are both excellent excellent movies and now, we will probably check out the other two.

that was well written and presented. two of my favorite little known film noir are "fear in the night," 1946 starring deforest kelly from star trek. its about a man who keeps having horrific memories of events he doesn't recall ever taking place. the other one is 1953's "The hitchhiker." directed by ida lupino and starring edmond obrien, one of my favorite character actors, and frank lovejoy. "the hitchhiker" is missing the femme fatale but i think it still qualifies as film noir. both films are creative, well acted and very low budget which only adds to their charm. thanks for the recommendations.

I've seen the last two but I'll check out the first two. Thanks for the video.

Great piece!

Wow! This video just popped up in my feed-instant sub! I recently just watched Crime of Passion. It was much better than I’d expected. I’ll be checking out the rest of your list too.

Stanwyck is in the league of Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Gloria Swanson, Maureen O'Hara and Joan Crawford.

The soldier in "odds Against Tomorrow" is Wayne Rogers of M*A*S*H fame.

Sterling!

I love your entire channel. Thank you so much.

Love your stuff. We have favorites in common.

thank you for for an insightful post - great recommendations

How about "Fallen Angel" with Dana Andrews. Very underrated.

Superb video CC. I haven't seen any of these yet. I really like the look of Odds Against Tomorrow, that's made its way to the top of the must-see list. Thanks for the great background info and the links! 👌🎬

Another really great film noir is Out Of The Past with Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer. Also, The Naked City with Don Taylor and Barry Fitzgerald.

Thanks. All good.

Robert Ryan was the ultimate 50s movie heel, a regular role he cemented in "The Naked Sour," a brilliant Anthony Mann western starring Jimmy Stewart and Janet Leigh.

Excellent

I'm def gonna check out Odds Against Tomorrow

Stanwick was one of the greats in every movie she was ever in RIP

Thanks!

The Suspect is a great film!

Great recommendations! I love the background music you’re playing throughout. Can you provide the artist’s name? Thanks for posting! ✌🏻😉✌🏻

The suspect is an awesome film. Loughton is marvelous PS I wish there was a kind of TCM just for Noir.

Just a heads up you've pinned links to PT 1 flicks in the description, not this latest bunch. Love the selection, O noirish angel!

tHANK YOU.

Stanwick!

I completely agree on THE CROOKED WAY and ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW; I read the latter novel before seeing the film, and I was not disappointed. Speaking of terrific John Payne films, 99 RIVER STREET is one of my favorite films, period. Payne does more with his face in that movie than most actors do with entire bodies. KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL as well; LARCENY is less exciting. As for THE SUSPECT and CRIME OF PASSION, though, I have very mixed feelings. I will watch the hypnotic Ella Raines in pretty much anything (she plays my wife Nell in the film noir version of my life), and Robert Siodmak is one of my cinematic heroes, but THE SUSPECT left me kind of flat. Maybe Laughton and Raines are just not credible enough as a couple? Cora is too over-the-top horrible? My issue with CRIME OF PASSION is that noir was beginning to fray around the edges a bit - and it shows here. Stanwyck, pushing 50 to Hayden's 41, is probably miscast as Kathy Doyle - though kudos to Hollywood for not casting her aside (no pun intended) as they did with so many other actresses. Let me put it this way. While 1952's CLASH BY NIGHT is widely regarded as film noir, I do not think it is. Like, at all. Still, it can be read as the world-weary femme almost-fatale hitting middle age and returning home to settle down. The noir city has lost its allure, making a sleepy seaside village newly palatable. Stanwyck, at 45, gives a thoroughly exhausted performance as Mae Doyle that lifts an otherwise meh-lodrama. The contrast with the young and energetic Marilyn Monroe is telling. Bur then five years later, she is back in the dark city playing a role not unlike those in THE LADY EVE or, one of my personal favorites, BALL OF FIRE from 16 years earlier. All that being said, your reading of these films from the perspective of stifling domesticity has me seeing them in a new and interesting way.

Great wrk, please keep 'em coming. I'm a geezer now at 66, but my mom turned me on to these types of films and would talk to me about the Hollywood stars Not cheap gossip, just what she had seen d heard about the Noir films and those actors and actresses that she had known years before and her personal experiences regarding show biz, ad who croked and those who were drunks. he knew quiet a ot of prople in Hollywood, her first husband was in a few pictures and also made records as well. Sadly he had been in the Marines in WWII and was badly injured on Bouganville in the Solomons.. His back had ben badly injured and while in the military hospital they pumprd him full of morphine but when he discharged the doctors just cut off his morphine and he began drinking heavily and abusing my mom, My mom de]ivorced himand he became a bad alcoholic who was a mean drunk The military told himthat they would cut off his morphine so he wouldn' became an addict. He ended up in a VA hospital and just died there. Even though they had ben divorced some years before, my mom would visit him in the hospital. His older brother was a rich Hollywood actor but he never even lifted a finger to help his younger brother anything to his younger brother.His brother could have easily taken his brother to the best hospital, he just let my mom's husband waste away in the VA hospital. The older brother was the owner for the California Angels who my mom put a curse on the Angels, and it must have worked because a friend of mine from high school used to go to the Angel games in the early 1970's and except for Nolan Ryan. I used to boo the Angels and in a luxery suite at at the ballpark the former cowboy singing star, by then a at that time the owner just looked like a big ugly toad. If he could buy th Angels he could have helped his brother.

I've never seen any of these. looks like I'll have to rent them.

The Supect is excellent watch it 20x

The Crooked way deserves a release on bluray. So does Crime of passion, the others are available on bluray.

I wish they had never had that code because the pre-code movies are so amazing

Mr Belafonte rest in peace 🙏 🕊

That Belafonte movie could've been made, with no additions except for maybe color film, 10 or 15 years later. I'm convinced Rod Serling was influenced by the Laughton movie. Come to think of it, he may have been influenced by the Stanwyck/Hayden movie, too. There are at least two Twilight Zone eps about a mean wife, and one scheming away for her husband's career like little Lady Macbeth (as Stanwyck does in "Crime of Passion"). Never saw "The Crooked Way"!

Which movies are the opening scenes of the vid from ?I recognized "Too Late For Tears" but not the scene with a woman lighting a cig with the man's cigarette and that one with the woman stroking a man's hand carrying a gun. Thank you for fantastic job. It's a like a dream with no end for a noir movie fan.

Why were these movies ever considered B-movies? They were creative, very subversive for their time and the dialog was always fun. Barbara Stanwyck, IMHO, is the most watchable (I won't use the word greatest, because it doesn't mean much) actress to ever grace the screen, but I LOVE Gloria Grahame. Ms. Grahame was made for Film Noir.

Hey, i thought i knew film noir, guess again. Good picks!

I can never find the links that represent these noir fioms. Can anyone describe in detail where I might find these valuable links? Thank you...

RIP Harry!

The Narrow Margin and the fist fight on a train.

Do you know Pitfall (1948) by André de Toth? I think it's really underrated and largely forgotten.

Your videos are extremely good but there is a need to check things carefully because if you get something wrong it can annoy some viewers. I haven’t been able to see some of these films and I hope I get the chance. Barbara Stanwyck is a great favourite of mine

Saw Crime of Passion.

I'm wondering if you've any thoughts about a FN movie I watched, many years back late one night... called Hell's Half Acre with Evelyn Keyes and Wendell Corey. It could have been because I was really tired but it just enthralled me. Maybe because, as a Boomer, I had really just missed the film noir days. It's always stuck in my mind.

Despite John Alton's presence strongly reminding his work on T-men& Raw deal, i got a hard time with Crooked way..,pace and storytelling don't pass; Odds against tomorrow ain't underrated, favorite film of Melville who watched it dozen of times, immense work and start of the peak of Wise,10years after his first masterpiece,The set-up, he and Ryan work again for another classic.

Very underrated noir, Ladies in Retirement

Nice clip, but it's films noir, not film noirs (films black, not film blacks)

out of the four movies, Odds Against Tomorrow is the best, the racism is still shocking

Shadows & fog..... Do Citzen Kane, Hollywoodland, Chinatown & The Two Jakes count as noir? Did Nicholson really belong in 1932-1950?

Robert Ryan was so good at playing murderous racists, of course in his personal life he supported California migrant workers. Ryan and John Garfield, i loved them both.

You cant say Underrated now, as they were rated on their release. Do a proper investigation to see if this was so. Millennials say underrated on everything in the 20th Century because its not lauded now.

The last one was quite subversive from its story. Lifestyle-criticism during the 1950s was quite rare.

Cry Danger. The.Prowler. Armored Car Robbery..House of Strangers

Four films noir. Like Whoppers Junior, courts martial or attorneys general.

The plural of “ film noir “ is films noir.