Film Noir archivist Marc Dolezal presents :  
Danger & Despair's

 
Thursday Night Screenings
16mm Films - Free Admission
 
  Four films with actress
  Gloria Grahame:
   

The acting of Gloria  Grahame, more than any other Hollywood actress, may best embody the essence of what is Classic Film Noir. The characters she portrays in noir are tough women with calloused exteriors who are at the same time very fragile and vulnerable, but always attractive.  They are complex women who at first glance appear confident, but are laboring under a syndrome called "The Law of the Jungle".  Grahame’s modern acting style was a perfect fit with the existential view into humanity’s problems as played out by the individual, a historical element in Noir.   

This series features four films with our featured star, in both lead and supporting roles.

   
  February   12th         Thursday  8:00 pm  
  ' In A Lonely Place '         (1950)      
  Directed by Nicholas Ray  
  w/ Humphrey Bogart, Frank Lovejoy & Art Smith  
  Grahame, in what may be her best performance, shines in this perfectly cast study of a Blacklisted screenwriter struggling to make a comeback. Made by Humphrey Bogart’s own production company, this is a film noir that breaks many of the style rules and yet comes out a near masterpiece.  Great screenwriting and taken from a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes.    
     
  Co-Host and series programmer Jolene Huey will introduce ' In a Lonely Place '  
     
  February   19th         Thursday  8:00 pm   
  ' Macao '           (1952)   
  Directed by Joseph Von Sternberg & Nicholas Ray  
  w/ Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell & Brad Dexter  
  Gloria Grahame plays Margie a scheming bar fly who’s bidding her time in Brad Dexter’s gambling house set in Portuguese China.  A good example of the genre sub-group ‘Adventure Noir’. This Howard Hughes production was basically a vehicle for Jane Russell & Robert Mitchum, but Grahame holds her own against bad guy Brad Dexter. With Thomas Gomez as a sleazy cop!    
     
  Guest Speakers:   Series Host Jolene Huey will introduce the film.    
  Historian Marc Kagan will talk about Ms. Grahame's career and lead a discussion group following the film.  
     
  February   26th          Thursday  8:00 pm
  ' The Glass Wall '           (1953) 
  Directed  by  Maxwell Shane
  w/ Vittorio Gassman, Ann Robinson & Douglas Spencer
  A true ‘LOST NOIR’!!  The Mystery Channel recently aired this film but until then it hadn't been seen in years. This may be the first public film screening in several decades. Here's what we know about the picture. 'Glass Wall'  is a Cold War themed thriller, centered around Italian citizen Peter Kaban (Vittorio Gassman) who desperately wants to immigrate to the USA. Kaban helped out the Allies during WWII and by doing so was promised citizenship.  He arrives in NYC by boat, jumps ship and has 24 hours to find the ex-G.I. who can help him. If he fails he’ll be deported back home for good. Things begin to look bad, then he runs into Maggie Suthand (Gloria Grahame) who has some problems of her own. This could be a lost jewel or a forgotten stinker, we just don't know. But join us in what promises to be a unique screening.   
     
  Guest Speaker:   Popular author Eddie Muller will talk about the life & times of Gloria Grahame.     www.noircity.com  
     
  March   4th                 Thursday  8:00 pm  
  ' The Big Heat '           (1953)   
  Directed  by  Fritz Lang  
  w/ Glenn Ford, Alexander Scourby, Lee Marvin  
  'The Big Heat' is a quintessential film noir that's notorious for one of the style's most violently gut-wrenching moments, known as the "Coffee Scene". Glenn Ford plays an obsessive cop who has to fight a powerful criminal syndicate all alone until ex-mob doll Debbie Marsh steps in, and who's of course played by a steamy Gloria Grahame. Once you see her in this role you'll never forget it!    
     
  Guest Speaker:      
  So. Cal. writer Alan K. Rode will introduce the film .     www.filmmonthly.com  
     
  ____________________________________________________________  
     
  Free Admission by reservation    
  email  darkmarc@msn.com Doors open at 7:00 pm  -  Films at 8:00 pm  
or call  415 552-1533  for a seat reservation Lobby doors will close & lock at 8:10 pm  
       
  NOTE LOCATION:  Lobby Attendant will direct you  
  182 2nd Street  San Francisco to the location within the building  
2nd Street @ Howard, 2 blocks south of  Market    
    Come early for a drink - Enjoy Our No Host Bar  
Use Montgomery Bart Station,  walk south on 2nd St. Start your weekend countdown on Thursday night!  
     
  The series is programmed & hosted by : Gloria Grahame  
  Jolene Huey  &  Dark Marc 
   
  Event Directors :  Marc Kagan & Christi Dolezal 
  Couldn't do it without :  Ilene Shapiro, Roma Dolezal, Allen Petrich & Lance Carnes
       
       
Sponsored by the Danger & Despair Knitting Circle  -  www.noirfilm.com
 
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