Strange And Startling
Film Noir Scenes

I just love the film noir scenes that are a little strange or offbeat...you know, the ones that make you go, "What the ...?!".

The kind of scenes that make you laugh a little nervously, or with unabashed delight. Or maybe just make you squirm a bit in your seat. These scenes are great because they're unexpected, fresh, out of the box. Titillating.

I've noticed that RKO put out an awful lot of the movies that had the best of these types of scenes. Like Pavlov's dog, when I'm in a theater and see their logo come up on the screen, my brain does a little salivating in memory of past gems. Maybe because the film noir movies out of RKO tended to be rawer, grittier, and with more independent spirit.

A knife thrower and a chanteuse make for an exquisitely bizarre nightclub scene in Madonna's Secret.

Here's another scene from a nightclub:

Click here to read about the drummer in Phantom Lady.

Another scene worth mentioning takes place in a small tavern near the waterfront. Evelyn Keyes plays a girl helping her male pal (John Payne) catch a killer.

Find out how Linda (Evelyn Keyes) goes all out to distract the killer in 99 River Street.

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