All Films shown at The First Street Cafe
Reserve a table by calling ahead - these films are well attended
| Danger & Despair's | ||||
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All Films shown at The First Street Cafe |
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440 First Street Benicia, CA (707) 745-1400 | |||
| Dinner and a Movie? - Beer & Wine Bar - Desserts | ||||
| Screenings |
Reserve a table by calling ahead - these films are well attended |
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| in Vintage 16mm Film |
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The Schedule: Wednesdays
Night in May
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| Wednesday May 3rd - 7:30 pm |
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| 'IN A LONELY PLACE' 1950 Black & White | |||||||||
| w/ Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame & Art Smith | |||||||||
| " Would his temper cost him his happiness | |||||||||
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or the only woman he loved?" |
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| 'In A Lonely Place' was produced by Bogart's own production company and directed by the great Nicholas Ray. The script is based on the novel of the same name by Dorothy B. Hughes, one of the only women associated with the Hard-Boiled School of Literature which also included Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. | |||||||||
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Screenwriter Dixon Steele, faced with the odious task of scripting a lurid bestseller, he has hat-check girl Mildred Atkinson tell him the story in her own words at his apartment. Later that night, Mildred is found murdered and Steele is a prime suspect; his record of belligerence when angry and his macabre sense of humor go against him. Fortunately, lovely neighbor Laurel Gray gives him an alibi. Laurel proves to be just what Steele needs, and their relationship ripens into love. But, will suspicion, doubt, and Steele's inner demons come between them and destroy what they have? | ||||||||
| x Introducing the film - Marc Kagan | |||||||||
| Wednesday May 10th - 7:30 pm |
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| 'THE VELVET TOUCH' 1948 Black & White | |||||||||
| w/ Rosalind Russell, Sydney Greenstreet | |||||||||
| Claire Trevor & Leon Ames | |||||||||
| "Was it jealousy or fear that made | |||||||||
| Valerie Stanton a murderess?" | |||||||||
| A excellent but often overlooked production with Rosalind Russell in her only appearance in the noir canon. | |||||||||
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Broadway star Valerie
Stanton, breaking up with her producer/lover Gordon Dunning,
unintentionally kills him in a fit of rage. In flashback, she recalls
meeting her new flame Michael Morrell, and Dunning's machinations
leading to the fatal argument. The next day, it appears that Valerie's
former rival Marian Webster is the prime suspect. Enter theater buff and
police captain Danbury who plays a cat and mouse with Valerie.
Can she live with her conscience or will it drive to the brink? |
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Film Historian Marc Kagan will speak about the film before the screening . Marc carried the torch for 'The Touch Velvet' for many years, which now is accepted by many as a eccentric example of the noir style. He identified that element in the film early on. Marc is on the Board of Director's for the 'Art Deco Society of California' and a core member of 'The 'Danger & Despair Knitting Circle'. | ||||||||
| x Introducing the film - novelist David Corbett | |||||||||
| Wednesday May 17th - 7:30 pm | |||||||||
| 'NIGHTMARE ALLEY' 1947 Black & White | 47 |
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| w/ Tyrone Power, Helen Walker | |||||||||
| Joan Blondell & Mike Mazurki | |||||||||
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"He became what he feared most." |
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| Frustrated by his pretty boy image, Tyrone Power set out to find a role that would allow him to be taken seriously by his peers. What he found was the novel 'Nightmare Alley' by William Lindsay Gresham about the rise and fall of a carnival geek. Power lobbied hard for the project which turned heads at 20th Century Fox. The studio, reluctant of the idea and correct that the part wouldn't help Powers' career, eventually caved-in due to Tyrone Powers' big draw clout. | |||||||||
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Stanton Carlisle is an ambitious carnie who plays scams alongside phony mentalist Zeena and her alcoholic husband Pete, working the crowd as Zeena pretends to read their minds. But Stan has no intention of staying with the carnival; he has his heart set on an upscale night club act but gets involved with a beautiful but shifty psychiatrist which eventually leads to his doom. | ||||||||
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David Corbett, who will introduce the film is the author of two published street-wise novels 'Done for a Dime' & 'The Devils Redhead ', which received a Anthony and a Barry Award Nomination for Best First Novel in 2002. His third book, 'Blood of Paradise', set in present day El Salvador, has been purchased by Random House and will appear in Spring 2007 as one of its first offerings in its new Mortalis series, featuring crime novels of historical or foreign interest. http://www.davidcorbett.com | |||||||
| Corbett, a serious fan of noir film and literature, worked as private investigator in the 1980's and 90's on several high profile cases including the Lincoln Savings & Loan Case, The People's Temple Triale and a RICO civil litigation brought by the Teamsters against former union leaders associated with organized crime. |
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"The plot of David Corbett's first novel, The Devil's Redhead, might have come straight out of post-war noir fiction . . . . — New York Times Book Review |
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| x Introducing the film - film historian Armando Zumaya | |||||||||||
| Wednesday May 24th - 7:30 pm |
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| 'EXPERIMENT IN TERROR' 1962 Black & White | |||||||||||
| w/ Glenn Ford, Lee Remick | |||||||||||
| Ross Martin & Stefanie Powers | |||||||||||
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"Terror . . . Tension . . . Almost more |
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Ross Martin remembered for his role as the witty sidekick in TV's 'Wild Wild West', is a long ways from Dodge City in this picture. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award 'Best Supporting Actor' in 1962 as Red Lynch a heavy breathing manic spreading mayhem in the streets of San Francisco. |
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Asthmatic
psycho Red Lynch terrorizes bank teller Kelly Sherwood and threatens her
younger sister unless she steals $100,000.00 from the bank where
she works. It's death for her and her younger sister, if Kelly refuses.
Excellent location photography and a now-famous climax at a crowded baseball game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.
Blake Edwards directed this film which qualifies for entry into that exclusive country club called film noir, due to the extreme subjective focus on the sick mentality of the criminal. |
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| Film Plots and Taglines by Marc Kagan | |||||||||||
| Thanks to Vallejo film collector Ed Lewis for the loan of 'Experiment in Terror'. | |||||||||||
| The series is produced by Beth Rhodes / “First Street Productions” and Dark Marc / Danger & Despair | |||||||||||
| - All Films start at 7:30 pm - | |||||||||||
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Call to reserve for dinner and a table upstairs |
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The First Street Cafe - 440 First Street Benicia, CA phone (707) 745-1400 |
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