#John D MacDonald

[everythingsecondhand]

The Damned, by John D. Macdonald (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1981).

From a charity shop in Nottingham.

[mudwerks]

(via Pulp International - Hardback cover for The Beach Girls by John D MacDonald with Barbara Walton art)

[filmnoirfoundation]

ASK EDDIE returns Thursday, June 22, 7:00 PM PT to our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/filmnoirfoundation/live

FNF prez Eddie Muller responds to film noir fan questions fielded by the Foundation's Director of Communications Anne Hockens In this episode, we discuss LGBTQ+ characters in noir, the best noir cinematographers, “Executive Action”, author John D. MacDonald, circumventing the Hays Code, and more. Plus, we settle a debate regarding the portrayal of women in noir for a viewer. We wind up with a discussion of our fantasy casting for noir brothers and noir sisters. Stay tuned to the end for a special furry guest star.

Want your question answered in a future episode? We solicit questions from our email subscribers in our monthly newsletters. Sign up for free at https://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/signup.html

Everyone who signs up on our email list and contributes $20 or more to the Film Noir Foundation receives the digital version of NOIR CITY Magazine for a year. Donate here: https://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/contribute.html

Can’t join us on Thursday? No problem! A recording will be up on our YouTube channel, @NoirCity, on Friday, April 7: https://www.youtube.com/user/NoirCitySF

Note: Eddie will not be able to answer questions posted during the livestream nor ones left on our social media accounts

This week’s questions:

1.       I’d enjoy hearing from both of you about LGBTQ+ characters in Noir.

Marjorie (from the poor part of Connecticut)

2.       Are there any Film Noir Foundation restorations in the Flicker Alley pipeline this year?

Michael, Post Falls, Idaho

3.       Have you ever considered The Orpheum Theater in Phoenix, Arizona for a NOIR CITY showing? Also, are there any great film noirs from the golden age that are not readily available?

Vince from Arizona

4.       In a recent ASK EDDIE, you said that "The 13th Letter” is unavailable for showings because of rights issues, Are there any other noirs that similarly cannot be shown because of rights issues?  

Bill Miller, Chicago

5.       Who do you consider the best cinematographer of the classic film era?

Harry, West Chester, PA

6.       I recently engaged in a debate with someone about the concept of film. I wanted to get your perspective. The other person posits that the femme fatale trope was a sexist derivative of men's postwar angst of women taking their jobs and workplace. I argued that men and women in noir are oftentimes equally culpable, equally shrewd and equally guilty in their indiscretions. What are your thoughts on these arguments?

Andrew, Clayton, North Carolina

7.       TCM showed “Not As A Stranger” and I thoroughly enjoyed it. IMDB says that movie is a Film Noir.  I can’t see it. What do you think?

Stephen, Allen, Texas

8.       I recently saw the Italian neorealist film “Bitter Rice”, which has many film noir characteristics. Can you recommend other neorealist films that might also be regarded as film noir?

Ron

9.       It's hard to think of a movie more detested, shunned and now ignored than "Executive Action," a 1973 political drama, directed by David Miller and written by Dalton Trumbo, that blames the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on a right-wing capitalist conspiracy. I'd welcome any comments you have about "Executive Action."

Paul from "Fargo" land

10.   I recently watched “Journey into Light” (1951) starring Sterling Hayden and found it surprisingly emotionally moving.  Are there any film noir movies that you find especially moving? Also, do you consider this movie a "religious noir"?

Dan

11.   One great American crime writer you've never mentioned is John D. Macdonald, the creator of Travis McGee. Macdonald considered Victor Nunez's 1984 adaptation of his novel “A Flash of Green” to be the best film version of his work. What do the two of you think of Macdonald's work? And have either of you ever seen “A Flash of Green”?

Doug, Silver Spring, MD

12.   One of the many pleasures of viewing classic films noir is spotting the various ways in which the filmmakers circumvent the Hays Code and express graphic violence, et cetera, despite the limitations forced upon them, with clever filmmaking techniques. Can you think of any other good examples of this sort of Hays Code circumvention, in which a film is able to express graphic content without explicitly showing it?

Sam from Iowa

13.   Where is it that you tape introductions for NOIR ALLEY?  Are you given a blooper reel each year?  Have you ever finished it in one single take.  Do you have a favorite hotel you stay at when in L.A. or do you not stay at same place each visit?  

Alan, San Anselmo, CA.

14.   I came across an excellent book called “San Francisco Noir” which shows real locations from SF movies and proves interesting anecdotes about the locations and the films themselves. At the end of the book is a description of the Danger and Despair Knitting Circle, which sounds like an elite private showing of various noirs.  Does this still exist, and do you have stories about this group?

Phil from Boston

15.   My question addresses some fantasy casting as well as historic casting.  Who would both of you cast as Noir Brothers and Noir Sisters. What would be the best combustible pairs?

William from Lafayette

[head-vampire]

Death Trap by John D. MacDonald (1978)

Art by Robert McGinnis

[silvercompassjournal]

"Always simplify. Peel it down. One of the rules of McGeeism." - Travis McGee.

Shades of Travis McGee. Silver Compass Studio.

[theahole]

my elbow is killing me.

New listings in my book store:

You can find these here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/talesresold Please read the descriptions before you buy anything!

[mikesfilmtalk]

Tracker: A Pale Version of Travis Mcgee?

Tuning into the new offering from CBS called Tracker I found it felt a little familiar. It may just be me but the show’s main character feels like a pale version of Travis McGee. The “tanned beachcomber” who is also a “rewardist.” Although Trav, all 6’4″ of him, found things lost, or stolen, for half of their salvageable value. As Travis himself explains, half is better than nothing. Colton Shaw…

[quotes-that-speak-to-me]

“A piece of us is in every person we can ever meet.”

-John D. MacDonald

[ashlynaguirre]

[Review] The Dreadful Lemon Sky: Introduction By Lee Child (Kindle) With John D MacDonald

More Infor: https://teachab.com/the-dreadful-lemon-sky-introduction-by-lee-child-kindle-with-john-d-macdonald

Contact us: support@teachab.com

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

John D. MacDonald - Dress Her in Indigo - Robert Hale - 1971 (jacket design by Barbara Walton)

[90smovies]

[mariocki]

Cape Fear (1991)

"Let's get something straight here. I spent fourteen years in an eight by nine cell, surrounded by people who were less than human. My mission in that time was to become more than human. You see? Granddaddy used to handle snakes in church, Granny drank strychnine. I guess you could say I had a leg up, genetically speaking."

[weirdlookindog]

"It was a mountain, it was a stone.... it was a monster!" - John D. MacDonald

Vincent Napoli - The Great Stone Death

(Weird Tales - January 1949)

[pulpsandcomics2]

Murder in the Wind by John D. MacDonald published in 1965

cover by Robert McGinnis

[veryslowreader]

The Price of Murder by John D. MacDonald

The Woman

[silvercompassjournal]

“McGee will take a hotel hot tub and a very cold gin. This is where the mind works.” - Travis McGee.

Currently Reading. Get the whole series at Silver Compass Books.