Blonde Crazy / The Asphalt Jungle

Two films for the price of one!
(Or just come for one show — your call)

Blonde Crazy (12:30 pm): No, BLONDE CRAZY is not a film noir. It’s a pre-Code drama starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell as two charming con artists. So why is it leading Noirvember? Well, it could be called proto noir. Its sharp banter and rebellious spirit foreshadowed noir attitudes–albeit with a lighter touch. It’s a warm up for the “real” noirs that follow. Featuring a superb supporting cast including Louis Calhern, Noel Francis, Ray Milland, and Guy Kibbee.

The Asphalt Jungle (2:30 pm): THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is a gritty noir directed by John Huston that follows a team of crooks attempting an audacious jewel heist. Anchored by superb performances, including Sterling Hayden as the tough guy, Jean Hagen as a needy girlfriend, Louis Calhern as a sleazy attorney, and Marilyn Monroe as a kept woman in a luminous breakout performance. The film was made at MGM, but studio boss Louis B. Mayer was not a fan: “It’s trash. That Asphalt Pavement thing is full of nasty, ugly people doing nasty things. I wouldn’t cross the street to see sh*t like that.” Well, that quote may be apocryphal, but has there ever been a better film noir endorsement? With Sam Jaffe and James Whitmore.

BLONDE CRAZY and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE will be screened as a double feature, with a break in between films.

Director Roy Del Ruth / John Huston

Cast James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern / Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Marilyn Monroe, Louis Calhern

Country USA

Language English