Femme Noir

Though often thought of as primarily a male vehicle, the film noir offered some of the most complex female roles of any movies of the 1940s and 1950s. Stars such as Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Tierney and Joan Crawford produced some of their finest performances in noir movies, while such lesser known actresses as Peggie Castle, Hope Emerson and Helen Walker made a lasting impression with their roles in the genre. These six women and 43 others who were most frequently featured in films noirs are profiled here, focusing primarily on their work in the genre and its impact on their careers. A filmography of all noir appearances is provided for each actress.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is editor of the bimonthly film noir newsletter The Dark Pages and has written about the actors of film noir. She lives in Chicago.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry
Format: softcover (6 x 9 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 643
Bibliographic Info: 98 photos, references, filmographies, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010 [1998]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4682-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9159-9
Imprint: McFarland

Volume 1
Acknowledgments      vii
Introduction      1

Lauren Bacall      5
Joan Bennett      16
Ann Blyth      31
Peggie Castle      42
Jeanne Crain      52
Joan Crawford      64
Peggy Cummins      79
Rosemary DeCamp      89
Yvonne DeCarlo      99
Faye Emerson      111
Hope Emerson      121
Rhonda Fleming      130
Nina Foch      143
Sally Forrest      155
Ava Gardner      164
Gloria Grahame      174
Coleen Gray      192
Jane Greer      204
Jean Hagen      212
Dorothy Hart      222
Signe Hasso      230
Susan Hayward      241
Rita Hayworth      252
Virginia Huston      269
Adele Jergens      277
Evelyn Keyes      287
Veronica Lake      299
Ida Lupino      310

Volume 2
Dorothy Malone      327
Marilyn Monroe      340
Agnes Moorehead      356
Cathy O’Donnell      369
Dorothy Patrick      379
Jean Peters      387
Ella Raines      398
Ruth Roman      408
Gail Russell      420
Jane Russell      431
Lizabeth Scott      445
Barbara Stanwyck      456
Jan Sterling      478
Gene Tierney      493
Audrey Totter      510
Claire Trevor      522
Lana Turner      535
Helen Walker      545
Marie Windsor      556
Shelley Winters      569
Loretta Young      583

Bibliography      601
Index      603

“welcome…an excellent film biography of each star…an essential purchase for all film collections”—Library Journal; “fascinating…striking black-and-white studio portrait[s]”—Booklist; “beguilingly written…entertaining to read”—Choice; “an interesting and well written study. Recommended”—Public Library Quarterly; “well-researched…lively writing…a brilliant, first-rate examination”—Big Reel; “a welcome addition”—The Art Book; “fabulous…a superlative read for true fans of classic film in general, and film noir in particular”—journeyinclassicfilm.com; “well researched and engagingly written…a fine history of women who played some of the most complex and mesmerizing characters on the screen”—Past Times; “there are simply no other volumes like these…commendable…good solid research”—Classic Images; “invaluable…a must”—Femme Fatales.