FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA XXV - Collection Featuring John H. Auer's The Flame (1947), City That Never Sleeps (1953) And Hell's Half Acre (1954)

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Product Description: This collection features three film noir classics from Republic Pictures and director John H. Auer (A Man Betrayed):

THE FLAME (1947) – George MacAllister (John Carroll, Flying Tigers) is the black sheep of a wealthy family who has squandered his share of the family inheritance and lives in constant resentment of his rich, terminally-ill half-brother Barry (Robert Paige, Tangier). So George gets his girlfriend, Carlotta Duval (vivacious Vera Ralston, The Lady and the Monster), a job as Barry’s nurse with the plan that she will eventually marry him for his money and then dispose of him. But the scheme turns complicated when Carlotta finds that she is really in love with Barry. Co-starring Broderick Crawford (Human Desire), Henry Travers (Shadow of a Doubt) and Hattie McDaniel (Gone with the Wind).

CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS (1953) – The Creeps, the Hoods, and the Killers Come Out to War with the City! In the vein of William Wyler’s popular Detective Story of two years earlier, this gritty noir gem juggles around five characters through a particularly bad night in a Chicago police precinct: stressed-out cop Johnny Kelly (Gig Young, Wake of the Red Witch); lounge singer Sally “Angel Face” Connors (Mala Powers, Outrage); thug-for-hire Hayes Stewart (William Talman, Crashout); corrupt district attorney Penrod Biddel (Edward Arnold, Johnny Eager); and Sgt. Joe (Chill Wills, Giant), an honest cop trying to keep Johnny on a straight path. Striking urban cinematography by John L. Russell (Psycho) and another great bad-girl performance by noir goddess Marie Windsor (Force of Evil).

HELL’S HALF ACRE (1954) – City of Sin…Toughest Spot in the Pacific! This Hawaii-set noir tells the twisting tale of ex-racketeer Chet Chester (Wendell Corey, Desert Fury), who is being blackmailed by his former partners-in-crime. When Chester’s gal Sally (Nancy Gates, Suddenly) kills one of his enemies, he assumes that he has enough clout to get a lighter sentence and takes the rap. Meanwhile, a visitor from L.A. (Evelyn Keyes, 99 River Street) comes to believe that Chester is the husband she thought she had lost at Pearl Harbor. Written by Steve Fisher (I Wake Up Screaming) and shot by ace D.P. John L. Russell (Moonrise), this offbeat crime yarn features standout support from Elsa Lanchester (Bride of Frankenstein), Jesse White (Witness to Murder), Leonard Strong (The Naked Jungle), Keye Luke (Gremlins), Philip Ahn (Macao) and the great Marie Windsor (The Killing).

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New on Blu-ray: 99 RIVER STREET (1953) Starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes

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Product Description: In this classic film noir, a down-on-his-luck former boxing contender (John Payne, Larceny, The Boss), turned cab driver has to hide from the police when he’s accused of murdering his badgering wife when her lifeless body turns up in the back of his cab. On the run and out of time, he needs to bring the real killer to justice before the cops and the thugs responsible for the set-up get their hands on him. Top-notch direction by the great Phil Karlson (Kansas City Confidential, The Phoenix City Story) and featuring a great cast that includes Evelyn Keyes (Iron Man), Brad Dexter (Run Silent, Run Deep), Frank Faylen (The Looters), Peggie Castle (Back from the Dead) and Jay Adler (The Killing).

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New on Blu-ray: FILM NOIR - THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA XVI (Mystery of Marie Roget / Chicago Deadline / Iron Man )

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Product Description: This collection features three film noir classics:

THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET (1942) – The Mystery-Master’s Spine-Clutching Classic of the Phantom Mangler of Paris! The haunting film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s pioneering detective story The Mystery of Marie Rogêt paints the future “Queen of Technicolor” Maria Montez (Cobra Woman, Tangier) in stunning shades of noir. A successful actress in the City of Light, Marie Rogêt (Montez) has a sinister dark side: she is plotting the death of her younger sister. When Marie goes missing and the maimed corpse of a young woman is discovered, Rue Morgue sleuth Dr. Paul Dupin (Patric Knowles, O.S.S.) works to track down the killer. Filled with suspense and intrigue, this gripping classic (also known as Phantom of Paris) was inspired by the real-life unsolved murder case of Mary Rogers. Featuring Maria Ouspenskaya (The Wolf Man), John Litel (Pitfall), Edward Norris (The Man with Two Lives) and Lloyd Corrigan (The Chase).

CHICAGO DEADLINE (1949) – Was She Good or Evil? Ladd Provides the Answer. From noir king Lewis Allen, director of The Uninvited, Desert Fury, So Evil My Love and Appointment with Danger, comes a twist-filled mystery headlined by screen greats Alan Ladd (Lucky Jordan, O.S.S.) and Donna Reed (It’s a Wonderful Life, Backlash). In a cheap hotel room on Chicago’s South Side, hard-nosed newspaperman Ed Adams (Ladd) finds the body of a dead girl, Rosita Jean d’Ur (Reed). Her address book leads to a host of men frightened by her death but claiming never to have known her. The more questions Ed asks…the more he uncovers the shocking truth. June Havoc (No Time for Love), Irene Hervey (Play Misty for Me) and Arthur Kennedy (Bright Victory) add strong support to the smoldering suspense of Chicago Deadline.

IRON MAN (1951) – He’s All Man in the Ring—or Anywhere! Jeff Chandler (Man in the Shadow, The Tattered Dress) stars as a coal miner who turns to professional boxing in the knock-out noir Iron Man. In a small Pennsylvania mining town, Coke Mason (Chandler) is a man with simple life ambitions: he endeavors to marry Rose (Evelyn Keyes, 99 River Street) and own a small business. But his gambling brother George (Stephen McNally, The Raging Tide) has plans to take advantage of Mason’s intense rage and turn him into a professional boxer. Worried that his “killer instinct” may prove to be too much in the ring, Mason must cope with the pressures of his newfound success in this blistering boxing drama from noir master Joseph Pevney, director of Flesh and Fury, Foxfire and Female on the Beach. Featuring future Hollywood legend, Rock Hudson (Man’s Favorite Sport?), and TV legends James Arness (Gunsmoke) and Jim Backus (Mister Magoo, Gilligan’s Island).

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Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.

New on Blu-ray: 99 RIVER STREET (1953)

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Product Description: Newly re-mastered in HD! In this classic film noir, a down-on-his-luck former boxing contender (John Payne, The Crooked Way, Hidden Fear), turned cab driver has to hide from the police when he's accused of murdering his badgering wife when her lifeless body turns up in the back of his cab. On the run and out of time, he needs to bring the real killer to justice before the cops and the thugs responsible for the set-up get their hands on him. Top-notch direction by the great Phil Karlson (Kansas City Confidential) and featuring a great cast that includes Evelyn Keyes (The Prowler), Brad Dexter (The Magnificent Seven), Frank Faylen (Riot in Cell Block 11), Peggie Castle (I, the Jury) and Jay Adler (The Killing).

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