Saturday, March 26, 2005
Darkness After Dawn
Pretty much my favorite couple of hours on tv each week is Darkness After Dawn on TCM at 8:00 a.m. each Saturday morning. The movies it shows are black and white, deliciously ominous, character-rich stories often with a sense of humor lurking just under the surface. The stars are a rafter of the utterly fabulous: Humphrey Bogart, Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor Claire Trevor, Kent Smith, Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sheridan, Sydney Greenstreet. . . . The male lead is usually driven by motives that fairly scream 'bad guy' and the female lead is usually pretty, well-dressed and smart. Not smart enough to resist the obviously dubious charms of the bad guy, of course, but wise-cracking, independent and sharp. Lots take place in San Francisco whose bridges and charm play perfect counterpoint to the wry dialogue and plots. Don't miss one of the next few weeks' offerings:
Born To Kill - A murderer marries a young innocent then goes after her more experienced sister. Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak. Director: Robert Wise.
Nora Prentiss - An ambitious singer ruins a doctor's life. Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett. Director: Vincent Sherman.
Johnny Angel - A sailor sets out to solve his father's murder. George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso. Director: Edwin L. Marin.
High Wall - Psychiatry provides the key to proving a veteran flyer innocent of his wife's murder. Robert Taylor, Herbert Marshall, Audrey Totter. Director: Curtis Bernhardt.
Conflict - A man murders his wife so he can be free to marry her sister. Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet. Director: Curtis Bernhardt.
Ride The Pink Horse - A con man tries to blackmail a Mexican gangster. Robert
Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, Thomas Gomez. Director: Robert Montgomery.
Labels: movies
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