Who cares, though, about classification? This is a damn good movie showing off Lucille Ball as a serious actress with the bonus appearances of horror veterans Boris Karloff and George Zucco.
Captain Warren 'Rip' Murdock: I'm the brass-knuckles-in-the-teeth-to-dance-time type.
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Wow! Old post!
Anyway I do agree with you. I wouldn't classify it as noir, but more of a whodunit.
On the other hand, there are movies classified as noir, by "experts" such as Robert Osbourne, that in my opinion are not noir either. The Maltese Falcon is the first one that pops into my head. In my opinion, it is strictly a whodunit also, but it is universally accepted as noir.
The only noirish thing about that one is the flippant hot and cold Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor). That's the ONLY thing I can see in it. Other than that, and that really is actually stretching it, there is nothing but mystery.
So true. All noir are crime dramas, but not all crime dramas are noir.
"Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency."
I saw it last night and it was a great surprise. A really good story, pretty interesting.
8/10
No.
All noir are NOT crime dramas.
Hardboiled noirs pertain to crime. But that is your personal, unstudied idea of noir.
That is just one variation on noir. There are also tragedies & romances (Humoresque, Casablanca), dramas(Citizen Kane, No Man of Her Own, Clash by Night) social dilemma (Johnny Belinda), Kafaesque nightmares (The Trial), sci-fi noirs (Invasion of the Body Snatchers).
It's a Wonderful Life (!) drifts into noir for the entire 'fantasy world without George' sequence.
I love Karloff's cameo appearance. It's probably one of my favorite cameo appearances ever.
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Jim Hutton: talented gorgeous hot hunk; adorable as ElleryQueen; SEXIEST ACTOR EVER
Eddy Muller showed it as one of his "Noir Alley" features on TCM, and even referred to it as "noir". I don't think it is. It is, however, a very entertaining crime drama/mystery with subtle comedic touches.
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