The programming was different during this festival. There were no repeat screenings on the week nights. The former practice was for the theater to screen two films following an A-B-A format which allowed early birds and night owls an equal opportunity to see both titles on a weekday. Another change was that there was only one double feature scheduled: "Flesh and Fantasy" was paired with its deleted episode stretched to a feature length film "Destiny." Every other film required a separate admission ticket for those without festival passes.
I would rank the five film titles that were brand new to me in this order:
1. "So Dark the Night."
2. "Call Southside 1-1000."
3. "Smooth as Silk."
4. "Party Girl."
5. "The Cruel Tower."
The top two on my list rated as pure film noir. I gave "Smooth as Silk" a slight edge over "Party Girl" because the latter recycles a trite and overly familiarly plot which also formed the basis for a B-side recording by the Kinks. The song entitled "The Big Black Smoke" referred to a young woman from the provincial countryside being corrupted by urban London -- "The Big Black Smoke." The movie directed by Joseph Pevney differs from the tune only in its setting: New York City.
The outlier at the festival was "The Cruel Tower." While it featured a cast of noir actors, it was more a melodrama about a love triangle. The script needed some work too, but it was a Lindsley Parsons production from Allied Artists. Steve Brodie falls to his death and there was no coroner's inquest or police inquiry?
Dan
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