Femmes Fatales | May 1 2019 |
Her role is shrouded in mystery.
This photo shows U.S. actress Margaret Lindsay in femme fatale mode, dressed in black, brandishing a pistol, and looking to make a widow or two if anyone gives her a hard time. This image has appeared online for several years, but always with the film it was made to promote unattributed. We thought we'd be able to help there via a little research, but we were thwarted. Lindsay made many films, and at least twenty fit the bill for a promo like this, including G Men, Lady Killer, Private Detective 62, Fog Over Frisco, and Scarlet Street. We then turned to image manipulation, which we used to pull out the otherwise invisible bits of text, and it looks like it says “© C.P. Corp. E.O cor-5-8.” Aha! That tells us, er, absolutely dick. Well, maybe one of you can decode it.
Femmes Fatales | Feb 28 2019 |
She's a nightmare on Scarlet Street.
This beautiful photo features U.S. actress Joan Bennett and was made as a promo for her 1945 drama Scarlet Street, in which she plays a con artist who steals credit from a struggling artist for his critically acclaimed paintings. Directed by Fritz Lang and starring Edward G. Robinson and Dan Duryea, it's a solid film noir, well worth seeing. Check out its promo poster at this link.
Vintage Pulp | Jan 30 2016 |
Nice guys finish last—until they're pushed too far.
The 1945 film noir Scarlet Street is one of the bleaker offerings from a generally bleak genre. Edward G. Robinson plays an aspiring painter in a loveless marriage whose need makes him a perfect mark for a pair of hustlers, played by Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea, who shake him down for money, a free apartment, and even his recognition as an artist. The main treat here is seeing tough guy Robinson play a mild-mannered everyman, the sort of terminal pushover he also portrayed to great effect in the noir The Woman in the Window. The thing is, some people can only take so much abuse.