As we wake up to the news that bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, frequent sideman on Tom Waits records, composer of The Happy Solstice Song, wit, big time classic movie buff and friend of this blog Ralph Carney has passed after injuries suffered in a fall at his home, our holiday spirit has been severely shaken.
Ralph accompanied silent films at several movie events we at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog produced. We mourn his passing but remember his music, lighthearted personality and good humor fondly.
So, feeling sad, we suggest strongly that Bay Area moviegoers darken their spirits further by attending the eighth annual NOIR CITY XMAS program at San Francisco's Castro Theatre on this Wednesday night, December 20.
Film Noir Foundation president Eddie Muller of TCM's Noir Alley will be your noir Noël host for the evening.
The Noir City Xmas double feature will include a brand new 35mm print of ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE, starring Chester Morris, and arguably the best offering in Columbia's long-running "Boston Blackie" series.
Presented via a special one-night-only arrangement with Paramount Pictures, MANHANDLED (1949), directed by Lewis R. Foster, who much earlier in his career made Laurel & Hardy 2-reelers.
Based on "The Man Who Stole a Dream" by L.S. Goldsmith, it's a sly twist on the conventions of mystery and noir thrillers and the only film this writer can think of co-starring Dorothy Lamour (the glamour gal who fed straight lines to both Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in so many Road pictures that she was for all practical purposes an unofficial member of the comedy team) with genre film mainstays Sterling Hayden and Dan Duryea.
The evening will also feature the unveiling of the full schedule (and poster!) for NOIR CITY 16 coming to San Francisco's Castro Theatre January 26 — February 4, 2018.
NOIR CITY 16 Passports (all-access festival passes) will be available for sale at NOIR CITY Xmas – just visit the FNF's merchandise table on the Castro mezzanine. Tickets for NOIR CITY XMAS are now available online and can also be purchased at the Castro Theatre box office on the day of the show.
Noting the holiday season, there will have collection bins for the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program and the SF-Marin Food Bank. The San Francisco Firefighters are looking for toys for kids, infants through 12 years old. Toys must be not be gift wrapped. The SF-Marin Food Bank needs the following: peanut butter, low-sugar cereal, whole-grain rice, pasta, oats, low-sodium soups and stews, tuna and other canned meats, and canned fruits and vegetables. Please no glass, opened items, perishables, or items past their "use before" date. Moviegoers are encouraged to give what they can - Holiday Giving is good.
The Film Noir Foundation deserve kudos, bravos and huzzahs for putting their money where their booze-stained, cigarette-burned, red lipstick-smudged mouths are and presenting newly struck 35mm prints of these classic films for the festival. For more info, go to the Noir City website.
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