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Deadly Is The Female

 

By Bob Pakes
 
 

Veronica LakeA DAME WITH A PAST – A MAN WITH NO FUTURE.
 
“It was the 40’s, right after the war. You could always find me in the theater around the corner. People like me liked our pictures dark and mysterious. The French invented a name for these films: FILM NOIR (BLACK FILM), about the dark side of human nature. They lived on the edge. Told stories about life on the streets. Shady characters. Crooked cops. Twisted love. And bad luck.”
– Richard Widmark
 
It’s not easy to define ‘film noir’, but most movie scholars agree on the following:
– The woman is in full control. She is smart, sophisticated and powerful. But also cruel and ruthless. And very sexual.
– The man? Doomed from the start. Dead in the end. But thankful for the few weeks he got to spent with her.

 


 

This article is about the beautiful American 1-sheet posters that were issued to promote film noir movies.
Original 1-sheet (27″ x 41″) noir posters have become very collectible, with This Gun For Hire (1942) topping the list with auction prices going over $50.000. Many of the noir posters in this article, present the movie’s female lead, the femme fatale, in a seductive pose, while all of these posters are true works of art.
 
Enjoy these deadly females while you still can. There is no escape …

 
Deadly Is The Female BANNER (Rita and Lizabeth)

 
 

1941

 
 

The Maltese Falcon (1941) Hot Spot (1941) Out of the Fog (1941)

 
 

1942

 
 

Crossroads (1942) This Gun for Hire (1942) A Gentleman After Dark (1942)

 
 

1943

 
 

The Fallen Sparrow 1943) Journey into Fear (1943) Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

 
 

1944

 
 

The Man in Half Moon Street (1944) Christmas Holiday (1944)Destiny (1944)

 

Double Indemnity (1944)Laura (1944) Murder, My Sweet (1944)

 
 

1945

 
 

Fallen Angel (1945) Conflict (1945) Mildred Pierce (1945)

 

Dillinger (1945) Bewitched (1945) Uncle Harry (1945)

 
 

1946

 
 

Born to Kill (1946) Gilda (1946) Blonde Alibi (1946)

 

The Blue Dahlia (1946) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) The Killers (1946)

 
 

1947

 
 

Woman on the Beach (1947) Lady in the Lake (1947) The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

 

Singapore (1947) Nora Prentiss (1947) Johnny O'Clock (1947)

 

The Web (1947) Nightmare Alley (1947) Dead Reckoning (1947)

 
 

1948

 
 

Blonde Ice (1948) They Live by Night (1948) I Love Trouble (1948)

 

Cry of the City (1948) Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948)

 
 

1949

 
 

Alias Nick Beal (1949) A Woman's Secret (1949) Trapped (1949)

 

Red Light (1949) Manhandled (1949) Chicago Deadline (1949)

 
 

1950

 
 

The Woman on Pier 13 (1950) No Way Out (1950) Backfire (1950)

 

Born to be Bad (1950) Woman in Hiding (1950) The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

 
 

1951

 
 

Roadblock (1951) On Dangerous Ground (1951) He Ran All the Way (1951)

 
 

1952

 
 

Stolen Face (1952) Hoodlum Empire (1952) Affair in Trinidad (1952)

 
 

1953

 
 

Vicki (1953) The Big Heat (1953) Pickup on South Street (1953)

 
 

1954

 
 

The Long Wait (1954) Human Desire (1954) Drive a Crooked Road (1954)

 
 

1955

 
 

The Big Combo (1955) Kiss Me Deadly (1955) 5 Against the House (1955)

 
 

1956

 
 

The Come On (1956) A Kiss Before Dying (1956) Slightly Scarlet (1956)

 
 

1957

 
 

The Burglar (1957) Guns Don't Argue (1957) The Tattered Dress (1957)

 
 

212

 
 

Ava Gardner in The KillersPHOTO INFO:
At the top of this article we have a publicity still of Veronica Lake from the early 40’s. In the banner below that we see Lizabeth Scott (who co-starred with Elvis in Loving You) in Pitfall (1948) and Rita Hayworth in Lady From Shanghai (1947). Rita can also be seen in the banner below. Ava Gardner is the lady to the right, in a pubicity still for The Killers (1946).
 
RECOMMENDED READING:
Many excellent books about film noir have been published. The titles shown here come especially recommended:
 
Film Noir The Noir Style
 
Crime Scenes

 


 

Deadly Is The Female END BANNER (Rita Hayworth in Lady From Shanghai)

 
 

212

 
 

3 Comments Post a comment
  1. Alan White #

    Great memories of a bygone age, well done Bob.

    April 16, 2015
  2. Jove Pascual #

    Thanks for these posters, film noir is my favorite genre. I noticed the poster of The Maltese Falcon has Bogart as he appeared in High Sierra.

    May 1, 2015
  3. Alan White #

    Well worth a second look, fantastic.

    April 18, 2020

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