As a frustrated film programmer in waiting of many decades , let me put in my two cents. First, go to Google maps and get a street view of the Grand Lake and look at the marquee – warms the cockles of your heart. Secondly, the location is perfect for East Bay residents like Carl and Dan Hodges, but I doubt too many people in SF are going to venture there by car or even by BART.

As for the program, it’s always easy to second guess and quibble, so let’s quibble. Since the program is supposed to be somewhat timely, where does the Loretta Young vehicle THE ACCUSED fit? Young’s whole persona is pretty much antithetical to noir. THE ARGYLE SECRETS (a pretty weak film , imo) really doesn’t have much connection to ALL THE KING’s MEN. Instead, why not A LION IN THE STREETS with Cagney? Since NO WAY OUT culminates in a race riot, how does this connect with THE SNIPER? Better to have THE WELL, with SNIPER being pared with WITHOUT WARNING. Although, with a serial killer double bill the Oakland cops would need to check the ID’s of all attendees and take their photos :-)

Don mentions THE BURNING CROSS, but even if Eddie had that in mind just try to get a quality copy of it that can be shown on the big screen. My copy of it is suitable for my VLC player and nothing else. I agree, STORM WARNING would be a great title to fit in, then California audiences could boo Reagan when he comes on the screen.

They also could have thrown in the whole notion of a venal and corrupt press and found a way to fit in ACE IN THE HOLE pared with SLANDER.As wonderful as THE PROWLER is, it has been shown at Noir City, so if you are going to show a few corrupt cop films then why not SHIELD FOR MURDER, WHERE THE SIDEWAK ENDS or ROGUE COP?

Another double bill could have projected a left/right Cold War point of view paring STORM CENTER with Bette Davis about a librarian who refuses to take a library book about communism off the shelves. That could have been pared with TRIAL (a film somewhat forgotten nowadays) with Glenn Ford and Arthur Kennedy, where instead of big money trying to buy the courts and justice, like we have with the current bought and paid for SCOTUS, you have those mid 1950s Commies trying to corrupt the system of justice. Last, but not least, how about THE LAWLESS with SALT OF THE EARTH – just because. Some of these titles fall into that ridiculous category of “noir or not”, but the term film noir has become so elastic and merchandised to death that I don’t think it matters much anymore. These films are relics, but because of human nature, history always finds a way to repeat itself.