Noir Alley in January 2021

As a fan of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies, January is a bit of a special month. After all, with February Noir Alley will be pre-empted by TCM's 31 Days of Oscar programming block. While I never try to miss Noir Alley, in January I make absolutely certain I don't. As to this January, it features an old favourite, another movie I have also seen before, and some movies new to me.

January 2, The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945): I have never seen this film, although I have always wanted to. It was directed by Robert Siodmak (who also directed such films as the 1946 version of The Killers and The Crimson Pirate) and stars George Sanders, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Ella Raines. As to the plot, it centres on bachelor Harry Quincey who lives with his two single sisters. Problems arise after he develops a romance with a colleague.

January 9, The Glass Key (1942): This is the old favourite to which I was referring. The Glass Key is based on the Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name. It stars Brian Donelvy as a political boss, Alan Ladd as his right hand man, and Veronica Lake as the woman they develop a rivalry over.

January 16, Witness to Murder (1954): This is another film I haven't seen, but I want to, particularly given it stars Barbara Stanwyck. Barbara Stanwyck plays the witness of the title, who sees a young woman being strangled to death.

January 23, Born to Kill (1947): I haven't seen Born to Kill yet, but it is intriguing. It was directed by Robert Wise and stars Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney. The cast alone makes me want to see the movie.

January 30, The Killers (1964): This is not the classic 1946 version of The Killers, but the 1964 movie of the name. Despite being based on the same Ernest Hemingway short story of  the same time, it has an entirely different plot. While it is not as good as The Killers (1946), it does stand up on is own, and features some solid performances from Lee Marvin, Clu Gulagher, and Claude Akins.