Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Picking up the Themes in Noir Titles

Looking down lists of film Noir titles, you can't help noticing certain repeated themes,

I thought I'd  organize a list that put some of them together under common attributes. I know there are a ton that I've missed, so please feel free to add to this listing in the comments, with titles I've overlooked, & I'll insert them into the post!


Kisses/Acts of Love Blended with violence:

Kiss of Death
A Kiss Before Dying
Kiss me Deadly
The Naked Kiss
Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
Kid Glove Killer
Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Murder My Sweet
Touch of Evil
Bond of Fear
Other Love
The Deadly Game


Houses/Buildings
House of Strangers
House by the River
House on Telegraph Hill
House on 92nd Street
The House on Carroll Street
House of Bamboo
The Red House
5 Against the House
Road House
House Across the Street
Home to Danger
Shack Out on 101
Stranger on the Third Floor
Behind Locked Doors
Secret Beyond the Door
Knock on Any Door
The Shadow on the Window
Shadow on the Wall
Woman in the Window
The Window
High Wall
The Glass Wall
The Walls Came Tumbling Down
The Spiral Staircase
The Glass Key
Union Station
Grand Central Murder
Riot in cell Block 11
Women's Prison
Big House, U.S.A.
Crashout
Escape From San Quentin


Phone Numbers
Call Northside 777
Southside 1-1000
99 River Street
Dial 1119
Dial M for Murder
Call it Murder
Sorry, Wrong Number
Phone Call From a Stranger


Streets

13 Rue Madeleine
Scarlet Street
The House on 92nd Street
23 Paces to Baker Street
99 River Street
Race Street
Street With No Name
Mystery Steet
Side Street
Terror Street
Panic in the Streets
Crime in the Streets
Stakeout on Dope Street
The House on Carroll Street
House Across the Street
Sunset Boulevard
Mulholland Drive
Madison Avenue
Just off Broadway
Nightmare Alley
the Naked Road
Plunder Road
Road House
Roadblock
Shack Out on 101
They Drive by Night
Drive a Crooked Road
Walk a crooked Mile
The Crooked Way
Walk East on Beacon
The Fiend Who Walked West
Walk Softly, Stranger
I Walk Alone
He Walked By Night
Detour
U-Turn
Breakdown
The Hitchhiker
Where the Sidewalk Ends
The Asphalt Jungle
Girl on the Bridge
Across the Bridge
The Last Mile
Hot Cars
The Woman on Pier 13
Pier 23
Down 3 dark streets


Cities/Locations
City of Fear
Dark City
Night and the City
While the City Sleeps
City That Never Sleeps
The City Without Men
Cry of the City
The Captive City
Roaring City
Whispering City
Atomic City
Casablanca
The Man From Cairo
Passage to Marseille
Hollywood Story
The Phenix City Story
The Las Vegas Story
The Miami Story
The Houston Story
Shanghai Story
The Tijuana Story
Portland Expose
Chicago Deadline
Chicago Confidential
Kansas City Confidential
New York Confidential
The Killer That Stalked New York
Two Men in Manhattan
The Case Against Brooklyn
Niagara
Berlin Express
Tokyo Joe
Key Largo
Malaya
Macao
Affair in Trinidad
The Kremlin Letter
Chinatown
Brighton Rock
49th Parallel
Lure of the Wilderness
World For Ransom
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
In a Lonely Place
Mexican Manhunt
Mystery in Mexico


Crime
Crime Wave
Scene of the Crime
Crime in the Streets
Crime and Punishment
Appointment with Crime
Illegal
Homicide
The Killing
Born to Kill
Shoot to Kill
Paid to Kill
The Name of the Game is Kill
Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Appointment with Murder
Murder by Contract
Murder My Sweet
Murder is My Beat
A Blueprint for Murder
Anatomy of a Murder
Witness to Murder
Destination Murder
Grand Central Murder
Rx Murder
Murder Can Be Deadly
Please Murder Me
Murder, Inc.
Shield for Murder
Arson, Inc.
Act of Violence
Violent Saturday
The Big Steal
Plunder Road
Armored Car Robbery
The Conspirators
The Racket
The Mob
The Big Operator
Hoodlum Empire
The Lineup
The Underworld Story
Vice Raid
Crashout
Escape From San Quentin


Criminals
Criminal Lawyer
The Prowler
The Burgler
The Strangler
The Assasin
The Sniper
The Slasher
The Killer That Stalked New York
Kid Glove Killer
The Killers
The Killer is Loose
The Hoodlum
The Bigamist
Loan shark
Killing of a Chinese Bookie


Guns/Weapons
This Gun For Hire
Gun Crazy
My Gun is Quick
Point Blank
A Bullet for Joey
Backfire
Crossfire
Shoot to Kill
The Sniper
The Big Knife
The Weapon


Time
Out of the Past
The Big Clock
Two O'Clock Courage
Split Second
The Reckless Moment
Appointment with Crime
Appointment With Danger
Appointment with Murder
Fourteen Hours
Too Late For Tears
The Dark Hour
The Desperate Hours
Hell's Five Hoirs
The October Man


Margins/Deadlines
Below the Deadline
Deadline at Dawn
Chicago Deadline
The Narrow Margin
Deadline USA
Edge of Doom
Edge of Darkness


Personal Possessives
Murder My Sweet
Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
Farewell My Lovely
Sleep, My Love
My Son John
Murder is My Beat
My Gun is Quick
My Name is Julia Ross
His Kind of Woman
No Man of Her Own


Light and Dark
The Dark Corner
Man in the Dark
Dark Passage
Down 3 Dark Streets
The Dark Mirror
The Dark Hour
So Dark the Night
They Met in the Dark
Dark Waters
Spin a Dark Web
Pit of Darkness
Blackout
The Long Night
They Live By Night
Night and the City
Somewhere in the Night
All Through the Night
Clash By Night
Twilight Women
Night Must Fall
Nightfall
Night People
Fear in the Night
He Walked By Night
The Night Holds Terror
Sunset Boulevard
Between Midnight and Dawn
Deadline at Dawn
Tomorrow is Another Day
Nocturne
Escape in the Fog
Shadow Man
The Shadow on the Window
Shadow on the Wall
Moontide
Moonrise
Gaslight
Inferno


Colors
Black Angel
Black Widow
Black Narcissus
Portrait in Black
The Black Book
Blackout
The Black Glove
The Green Glove
Green For Danger
Slightly Scarlet
Scarlet Street
The Red House
Red Light
The Red Menace
The Blue Dahlia
The Blue Gardenia
Pete Kelly's Blues
Devil in a Blue Dress
Ride the Pink Horse
Blonde Ice
Bad Blonde
Flaxy Martin
Golden Salamander


Good And Evil
Bad For Each Other
Born to Be Bad
The Bad and the Beautiful
Bad Blonde
Force of Evil
Touch of Evil
Diabolique
Notorious
Ruthless
Johnny Angel
Fallen Angel
Black Angel
Angel Face
Beat the Devil
Devil in a Blue Dress
Private Hell 36
Hell Bound
Hell's Five Hours
Hell's Half Acre
Inferno
Damned
Leave Her To Heaven
Body and Soul
Actors and sin
The Seventh Commandment
The Unholy Four
The Tall Lie


Crooked
The Crooked Web
Drive a Crooked Road
Walk a crooked Mile
The Crooked Way


Life and Death
You Only Live Once
Nobody Lives Forever
Where Danger Lives
They Live By Night
Easy Living
Something to Live For
Condemned to Live
A Race for Life
A Life at Stake
Hangmen Also Die
Kiss of Death
a Kiss Before Dying
Death in Small Doses
Death of a Scoundrel
I Died a Thousand Times
Dead Reckoning
D.O.A.
The Big Sleep
The Glass Tomb



Nudity/Trasparency
Over-Exposed
The Glass Wall
The Glass Tomb
The Naked Kiss
the Naked Road
The Naked Alibi
The Shadow on the Window
Woman in the Window
The Window


Confessions and Secrets
One Girl's Confession
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
I Confess
Secret Beyond the Door
A Woman's Secret
Open Secret
Hidden Fear
Shield For Murder
Foreign Intrigue
Whispering City
Kansas City Confidential
New York Confidential
High School Confidential
Chicago Confidential
Portland Expose
No Questions Asked


Fear
Ministry of Fear
The Wages of Fear
Sudden Fear
Hidden Fear
The Fearmakers
Cape Fear
Storm Fear
Fear in the Night
Stark Fear
Bond of Fear
Fear No More
Reign of Terror
Experiment in Terror
Study in Terror
Panic in the Streets
Terror Street
The Night Holds Terror
I Wake up Screaming
Shock
Tension
Two O'Clock Courage
The Defiant Ones
Crack-up
The Breaking Point


Danger
Background to Danger
Appointment With Danger
Cry Danger
Five Steps to Danger
Where Danger Lives
Green For Danger
Home to Danger
Danger Zone
Wings of Danger
A Dangerous Profession
Dangerous Crossing
on Dangerous Ground
Experiment Perilous
The Red Menace
Storm Warning
Kiss Me Deadly
Murder Can Be Deadly
The Deadly Game


The Clutches of Fate
Spellbound
Snowbound
Cornered
Caught
Captive City
Trapped
Man-Trap
The Trap
Lure of the Wilderness
Man Bait
Pit of Darkness
Convicted
Tight Spot
Pressure Point
No Way Out
Damned
Caged
Pitfall
Undertow
Whirlpool
Quicksand
Snowbound
Bond of Fear
Hell Bound
Raw Deal
Hi-jacked
Loophole
Escape in the Fog
Desperate
Pursued
Backlash
Recoil
Track the Man Down
Mexican Manhunt
Woman on the Run
The Big Chase
the Hunted
The Girl Hunters



Mistaken Guilt/Identity
Above Suspicion
The Unsuspected
Betrayed
Decoy
Strange Impersonation
Stolen Face
The Verdict
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
They Made me a Fugitive
The Fugitive
The Wrong Man
Fall Guy
Fallguy
Framed
The Scapegoat
Railroaded
The Marked One
Cover-Up
The Set-Up
Fingerprints Don't Lie
Circumstantial Evidence
Pushover


Occupations
A Dangerous Profession
Tough Assignment
Night Editor
The Bodyguard
The Enforcer
The Postman Always Rings Twice
T-Men
FBI Girl
The Bunco Squad
Counterspy
Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard Inpector
Radar Secret Service
Motor Patrol
Western Pacific Agent
The Undercover Man
Detective Story
Mary Ryan, Detective
Gumshoe
Hangmen Also Die
Mr District Attorney
Criminal Lawyer
The Case of the Baby-Sitter
Actors and Sin
Paid to Kill


Money/Desired Objects/MacGuffins
Contraband
Maltese Falcon
Mask of Dimitrios
The Locket
The Brasher Doubloon
The Bribe
The Wages of Fear
I'll Get You
Treasure of Monte Cristo
The Golden Salamander


Character Names
Gilda
Miss Sadie Thompson
Rebecca
Laura
Vicki
Daisy Kenyon
All About Eve
The Two Mrs. Carrolls
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
The File on Thelma Jordan
My Name is Julia Ross
Mary Ryan, Detective
Captain Carey, USA
Dillinger
David Harding
Johnny Eager
Johnny O'Clock
Johnny Angel
Johnny Allegro
My Son John
A Bullet For Joey
Tokyo Joe
Mr Arkadin
Rififi
Marlowe
Two Jakes
Pete Kelly's Blues
Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond
Flaxy Martin
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
The Great Flamarion
Amazing Mr. X
Meet Mr. Callaghan
Bobby Ware is Missing


Crying
I Wake Up Screaming
Cry Danger
Cry Vengeance
Cry of the City
Too Late For Tears



Temperature
The Big Heat
Heat Wave
Blonde Ice


Strangers
House of Strangers
Strangers in the Night
Stranger on the Third Floor
The Stranger
Walk Softly, Stranger
Stranger on the Prowl
Phone Call From a Stranger
Don't Gamble With Strangers
Three Strangers
The Strange One
The Strange Woman
Strange Impersonation
Odd Man Out
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry


Men and Women
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Odd Man Out
The Third Man
Man in the Dark
The Man I Love
The Man With a Cloak
Man in the Attic
Track the Man Down
The Man From Cairo
Shadow Man
The Man on th Eiffel Tower
Manhunt
Man-Trap
Man Bait
Limping Man
No Man of Her Own
The 49th Man
Two Men in Manhattan
The City Without Men
The October Man
T-Men
No Man's Woman
His Kind of Woman
Woman in the Window
The Strange Woman
The Second Woman
Woman on Pier 13
Twilight Women
Phantom Lady
Lady in the Lake
Lady From Shanghai
Lady Gangster
The Lady Gambles
The Gambler and the Lady
A Lady Without a Passport
The Lady in Question
Dishonoured Lady
Forever Female
The Girl Hunters
Girl on the Run
The Girl on the Bridge
FBI Girl


Cards/Gambling
Two of a Kind
Ace in the Hole
5 Against the House
Four Deuces
The Lady Gambles
The Gambler and the Lady
Don't Gamble With Strangers
Raw Deal
Odds Against Tomorrow
The Big Combo
 Killing of a Chinese Bookie


Big Things
Big House, U.S.A.
The Big Steal
The Big Operator
The Big Knife
The Big Clock
The Big Sleep
The Big Chase
The Big Heat
The Big Combo

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