Dark Film Mysteries III

Great Guy (1936)

In this gripping crime drama, prizefighter-turned-government inspector James Cagney is recruited to deal a knockout blow to racketeers and corruption in the food and meat-packing business. Because he is far from a "dirty rat" and basically incorruptible, Cagney and his crusade are met with fierce resistance by the shady players who’d rather see him take a dive-permanently! With James Burke, Edward Brophy, and Cagney’s "The Public Enemy" co-star, Mae Clarke. 74 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Lady Gangster (1942)

Gritty crime drama starring Faye Emerson as a no-nonsense gun moll whose criminal ways are reformed with help from an understanding district attorney. With Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox and, in one of his first films, Jackie Gleason. 62 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Dark Mountain (1944)

Thrilling crime drama about a forest ranger (Robert Lowery) who furnishes his childhood sweetheart (Ellen Drew) with temporary quarters in a mountain cabin, unaware that her dashing racketeer husband, on the lam from the coppers, plans to use the retreat as a hideaway. Co-stars Regis Toomey, Elisha Cook, Jr. star. 57 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Gambler's Choice (1944)

Set in New York in 1910, this exciting crime drama focuses on a police lieutenant who falls in love with a nightclub singer while raiding gambling joints in the Bronx. Also trying to win over the singer is a gambler who happens to be the cop’s old friend. Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly, Russell Hayden, and Sheldon Leonard star. 66 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Great Flamarion (1945)

Erich von Stroheim had one of his best roles as a misogynous circus marksman who catches the eye of his lovely assistant (Mary Beth Hughes), whose husband turns up mysteriously murdered. Directed by Anthony Mann. 77 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Inner Circle (1946)

Enthralling mystery about a private detective who finds himself framed for murder by his secretary...who happens to be protecting her sister from the crime. Ricardo Cortez, Adele Mara, Warren Douglas, William Frawley star. 57 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Whistle Stop (1946)

Classic melodrama follows sultry beauty Mary (Ava Gardner) as she returns to her small town after years spent in Chicago. Her reappearance in the close-knit community stirs up animosity amongst two of her old boyfriends--one a gambler, the other a nightclub owner. Their shared desire for Mary quickly results in deception, betrayal, and tragedy. George Raft, Victor McLaglen co-star. 84 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Shoot To Kill (1947)

An incoming district attorney is slain in the company of a man he sent up for 20 years. What were they doing together? A determined reporter wants to find out. Russell Wade, Edmund MacDonald. BW/Rtg: NR

The Black Book (Reign Of Terror) (1949)

Director Anthony Mann gives a noirish look to this historical thriller set in 1790s France. Robert Cummings is Charles D'Aubigny, an ally of the exiled General Lafayette, who is seeking a book of names that can end the bloody regime of statesman Maximilian Robespierre (Richard Basehart). Arlene Dahl, Arnold Moss, Norman Lloyd, Charles McGraw also star. 84 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Hoodlum (1951)

Tough guy Lawrence Tierney is Vincent Lubeck, a habitual criminal causing problems for all who come in contact with him and grief for his family members. But even Lubeck crosses the line when he seduces his brother’s girlfriend, then plots a robbery of the bank next to his sib’s gas station. With Allene Roberts and Edward Tierney (Lawrence’s real-life brother). 60 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Limping Man (1953)

Riveting suspenser stars Lloyd Bridges as former American G.I. Frank Prior, who crosses the sea to find wartime girlfriend Pauline French (Moira Lister), whom he hasn’t seen in six years. Arriving in London, the reunion is complicated when Prior learns that Pauline is caught up in a web of deception, murder, and blackmail. Can he clear her name before they both become the target of a sniper? Alan Wheatley, Leslie Phillips co-stars in this filming of Anthony Verney’s novel "Death on the Tideway." 75 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Jail Bait (1954)

A hard-as-nails gangster film, Ed Wood-style. Young Don Gregor (Clancy Malone) may (or may not) live to regret the day he threw in with unrepentant hood Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell). Either way, it’s Don’s plastic surgeon father (Herbert Rawlinson) who is forced to change Brady’s face following a violent robbery. With Lyle Talbot, Dolores Fuller, and a young Steve Reeves. 71 min. BW/Rtg: NR

A Life At Stake (1955)

In this noirish, atmospheric drama, architect Edward Shaw (Keith Andes) enters into a land development deal with Doris Hillman (Angela Lansbury) and her husband Gus (Douglas Dumbrille), who’s putting out the cash for the project. But a hefty insurance policy Shaw was required to take out on himself, and an affair between him and Doris make him start to wonder if his life is jeopardy. Claudia Barrett, Jane Darwell, Gavin Gordon co-star. 76 min. BW/Rtg: NR