Special Subject: Film Noirlsons by Phil Karlson – KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952), 99 RIVER STREET (1953), FIVE AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955) and THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955)

There's Sometimes a Buggy

July's special subject is a sampler of noirs by 1950s noir auteur Phil Karlson: Kansas City Confidential (1952), 99 River Street (1953), 5 Against the House (1955), and The Phenix City Story (1955). We discuss one-time Fox musicals leading man John Payne's transformation into the ideal shlubby, haunted noir protagonist, Karlson's take on the hysterical male trope, his use of violence, his delineation of the ideal woman, the progressive and reactionary tendencies in his movies, and the lies and authenticity of his arguable masterpiece, The Phenix City Story. And much more, of course!

Read Gareth Hedges’ thesis!

Cinematic Memory and the Southern Imaginary: Crisis in the Deep South and The Phenix City Story

Time Codes:

0h 00m 45s: Brief introduction to Phil Karlson

0h 05m 45s: KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952) [dir. Phil Karlson]

0h 27m 44s: 99 RIVER STREET (1953) [dir. Phil Karlson]

0h 56m 42s: FIVE AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955) [dir. Phil Karlson]

1h 19m 14s: THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955) [dir. Phil Karlson]

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* Listen to our guest episode on The Criterion Project – a discussion of Late Spring

* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s

* Intro Song: “Sunday” by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)

* Read Elise’s piece on Gangs of New York – “Making America Strange Again”

* Check out Dave’s Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist’s 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!

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