Bad Girls of Film Noir Vol. 2

Four films (2 on each disc) in new fine transfers from Sony-Columbia Pictures cool Film Noir series. In Volume One they gave us Evelyn Keyes,
Lizabeth Scott and Gloria Grahame. In Volume Two they start with the forgotten gem, the Film Noir B crime drama:

Night Editor 1946 Direction: Henry Levin

We are at a Newspaper's Night editoring department and one of the men is telling in Flashback the tragic story about the unlucky crime cop
Tony Cochrane (woodenly William Gargan), a family father with a mousy wife (Jeff Donnell) and kids. Tony looked tired and seemed to always
work late, but actually he spent his evenings with the high society woman Jill Merrill (a fantastic Janis Carter), married to an elderly millionaire.

Janis Carter - Very Good as Bad Rich Girl

One night when the lover couple sits in a car on the beach for some making out, they see how another couple in a car drives up into the Lover's
Lane and they witness the man killing the woman. Tony is about to grab the fleeing killer but stops when he's thinking about how scandalous it
would be if their love affair with Jill would be known. But, the Film Noir crime movie But, the murdered woman is the famous millionaire Elaine
Blanchard and the police goes into overdrive to find the murderer.
Tony feel extra bad about it as the amoral Jill not just knew the dead woman but also recognized the killer, as the bank man Loring (Frank Wilcox)
and .... she has absolutely no intention to tell this to the police, as - that was a handsome man, totally in my taste" she says.

This is Glorious B and withnmany bad actors in the smaller parts, but Wilcox is good and Janis Carter RULES, she's very entertaining as the
morally rotten rich woman. She's certainly a Bad Girl of Film Noir. Very recommended!

The film was presented in 4:3 fullscreen original ratio, black & white, english audio mono

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Disc One film 2: One Girl's Confession 1953 Direction: Hugo Haas

A charming Feel Good type of crime-drama and tall tale about a young woman's dreams, life and misadventures with the lovely Cleo Moore.

Voluptuous blonde Mary Adams (Cleo Moore) lives a shitty life, slaves as a waitress and cleaning-lady at a greasy joint. She steals a box with
25 000 USD in it, hides the loot and then confesses to the police, without saying where the money is, and spends 3 years in jail.
Free again, she yet again takes work as a waitress, this time for card-shark and restaurant owner Dragomir Damitrof (played by the director, Hugo
Haas). She meets fisherman Johnny, and when will she dare to start using her hidden money?

Cleo Moore may not be a Femme Fatale here or even that bad but she's a likeable tough girl. This film is not really a Film Noir either, but enjoyable.

The film was presented in 4:3 fullscreen original ratio, black & white, english audio. Extra: Short film Remember to Live 1954 directed by James Neilson
(22 minutes) with Cleo Moore, Barbara Hale and Dane Clark. Joe returns from the Korea war and tries to take up his painting, goes out with slutty
model Lana. Cleo Moore plays a small part and Judy Nugent performs one of the worst and most annoying child roles i've ever seen as Katy,
Original theatrical trailer and some Columbia Classics trailers

Cleo Moore, was said to be the poor man's Marilyn Monroe. Picture from the Web

Disc 2: Women's Prison 1954 Direction: Lewis Seiler

This is a WIP movie and not a film noir, a drama with a great Ida Lupino as the to harsh Prison Guard Boss.
Two new prisoners arrives to the women's prison, where Amelia van Zandt (Ida Lupino) rules with an Iron Fist, they are Brenda (Jan Sterling) and
Helene (Phyllis Thaxter) and among the other inmates we can see Mae (Cleo Moore) and Joan (Audrey Totter). Next to the Women's prison is the
mens prison and when Joan's husband sneaks in for a date, and Joan ends up pregnant, all Hell breaks loose.
Amelia is ordered by her bosses to find out what happened and she uses all means. Is Amelia van Zandt supposed to be the Bad Guy here?

Bad Amelia, really? Maybe the beauty of Ida Lupino confuses me, makes me ambivalent, but her insecurity and fear which can be seen in Amelia's
eyes makes me feel for her, and the one who's supposed to be the Good Guy, the smug prison doctor (Howard Duff) comes on as a sadistic bully
when he almost lustfully degrades her. It could be due to the enormous differences in acting ability, the GREAT legendary Ida Lupino vs. the
Woodlike slob Duff. This film was OK no more and then only because of Ida.
The film was presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, black & white, english audio with an theatrical trailer as extra

Disc 2: Over-Exposed 1956 Direction: Lewis Seiler - again!

Not really a Film Noir this film either as it starts out as a melodrama and with some crime elements at the end. With Cleo Moore - again! So with
this 2 disc and 4 films DVD we have 1 Film Noir out of 4 and 3 Cleo Moore out of 4.

Lily Krenska (Cleo Moore) is bitter over having no money and decides to get herself a real Career. She makes an older photographer learn her
his art and then she leaves for NY where she meets boring journalist Russ (wooden piece Richard Krenna) and becomes The Flashgirl, a
photographer at the mob sponsored nightclub La Bamba. She is a success with her career and earns a lot of money, and the question the
A-hole filmmakers pits to us - should Lily stay at home and wash Russ disgusting dirty socks instead as any true american woman?
Hopelessly dated garbage. Anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 black & white mono english audio, original theatrical trailer