Once Upon a Screen has come up with the fabulous idea of rendering “The 12 Days of Christmas” into a film-lovers blog post. After seeing what she and MovieMovieBlogBlog did with it, I thought I’d try my own, limiting all entries to noir, of course. (It was a lot of work!)

ON THE 12th DAY OF SCREENINGS, THE FILM INDUSTRY GAVE TO ME…

12 BY FRITZ LANG

  • Fury (36)
  • Man Hunt (41)
  • Moontide (42)
  • Ministry of Fear (44)
  • The Woman in the Window (44)
  • Scarlet Street (45)
  • House by the River (50)
  • Clash by Night (53)
  • The Blue Gardenia (53)
  • The Big Heat (53)
  • Human Desire (54)
  • While the City Sleeps (56)

11 EDWARD G.’S

  • Little Caesar (31)
  • Bullets or Ballots (36)
  • Double Indemnity (44)
  • The Woman in the Window (44)
  • Scarlet Street (45)
  • The Stranger (46)
  • The Red House (47)
  • Key Largo (48)
  • House of Strangers (49)
  • Black Tuesday (54)
  • A Bullet for Joey (55)

10 BARBARA STANWYCKS

  • Double Indemnity (44)
  • The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers (46)
  • The Two Mrs. Carrolls (47)
  • Sorry Wrong Number (48)
  • No Man of Her Own (50)
  • The File on Thelma Jordon (50)
  • Clash by Night (52)
  • Jeopardy (53)
  • Witness to Murder (54)
  • Crime of Passion (54)

9 BRITISH NOIRS

  • My Name is Julia Ross (45)
  • It Always Rains on Sunday (47)
  • The October Man (47)
  • The Upturned Glass (47)
  • Odd Man Out (47)
  • The Third Man (49)
  • Night and the City (50)
  • Turn the Key Softly (53)
  • Postmark for Danger (55)

8 PHILIP MARLOWES

  • Dick Powell, Murder, My Sweet (44)
  • Humphrey Bogart, The Big Sleep (46)
  • Robert Montgomery, The Lady in the Lake (47)
  • George Montgomery, The Brasher Dubloon (47)
  • James Garner, Marlowe (69)
  • Elliot Gould, The Long Goodbye (73)
  • Robert Mitchum, Farewell My Lovely (75) and The Big Sleep (78)
  • Danny Glover, Red Wind (95)

7 FEMMES FATALES

  • Brigid (Mary Astor), The Maltese Falcon (41)
  • Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck), Double Indemnity (44)
  • Velma (Claire Trevor), Murder, My Sweet (44)
  • Laura (Gene Tierney), Laura (44)
  • Vera (Ann Savage), Detour (45)
  • Kitty (Joan Bennett), Scarlet Street (45)
  • Kathie (Jane Greer), Out of the Past (47)

6 QUEERS* IN PAIRS

  • Fante and Mingo (Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman), The Big Combo (55)
  • Ballin and Johnny (George Macready and Glenn Ford), Gilda (46)
  • Violet and Corky (Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon), Bound (96)

* I use the term “queer” as shorthand for LGB and/or to indicate a range of sexuality that is or seems non- or contra-straight. It is not intended as a slur.

5 NO-GOOD WIDMARKS

  • Kiss of Death (47)
  • Road House (48)
  • Street with No Name (48)
  • No Way Out (50)
  • Pick Up on South Street (53)

4 WITH SHELLY WINTERS

  • A Double Life (47)
  • Cry of the City (48)
  • He Ran All the Way (51)
  • Night of the Hunter (55)

3 ILL-FATED ELISHA COOK, JR. ROLES

  • The Maltese Falcon (41)
  • The Big Sleep (46)
  • Born to Kill (47)

2 BY IDA LUPINO

  • Outrage (50)
  • The Hitch-Hiker (53)

…AND A CLOSE-UP FOR NORA DESMOND!

Sunset_Boulevard_Ready_For_My_Close-up

  • Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard (50)

A MERRY NOIR-MAS

AND A CHIAROSCURO NEW YEAR TO ALL!