A Preview of Noir City Hollywood 2026
March 28, 2026
It’s classic film festival season in Los Angeles! We had a short break after the American Cinematheque’s Nitrate Film Festival two months ago, and now it’s full steam ahead with Noir City Hollywood, quickly followed by the TCM Classic Film Festival and UCLA’s Festival of Preservation.
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Noir City Hollywood’s 2026 theme is “Face the Music.” The 20-film celebration spreads across two weekends in April with live musical performances and special guests. I have some conflicts the second weekend, so most of my movie-going will be limited to the first half, but I’m still eagerly awaiting the screenings I’m able to make. By my (not fully accurate) count, I’ve only seen four of the movies on the docket, so there’s a lot to catch up on! Here's a short preview of the programs I'm attending and the other titles I want to spotlight.
FRIDAY, 4/3
Black Angel (1946)
I mean, a cast of Dan Duryea, Peter Lorre, and Broderick Crawford is noir heaven, for starters. Then add in the fact that this is an adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich novel, who was known for his noir tales, and you’re off the charts. The story sounds appropriately madcap, with Duryea going undercover as a musician with a man accused of murdering his wife… in order to help prove his innocence. I will be there on opening night, and I’m looking forward to this wild ride!
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Blues in the Night (1941)
This early noir entry is notable for being the first of its kind to explore the world of jazz, as an up-and-coming bandleader falls for a femme fatale nightclub owner. That last part, in itself, has my attention!
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SATURDAY, 4/4
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
I have never seen this Otto Preminger classic—yes, really—and what better place to watch it than the Egyptian Theater with a Noir City crowd? I don’t have a ticket for this yet, because the courtroom drama is almost three hours long and I’m already committed to the evening’s program, so it would be a VERY long day, but we’ll see!
The Yellow Canary (1963)
The fact that co-star Pat Boone will be there in person aside, I am thoroughly intrigued by several elements here. We’re talking a script by Rod Serling, adapted from a book by Whit Masterson (who penned Touch of Evil), and co-stars Barbara Eden and Jack Klugman. Plus, the story sounds bonkers, as per the Cinematheque’s website: “Starring Pat Boone as an egomaniacal pop crooner whose only child is kidnapped for a king’s ransom.” There’s a lot to be excited for here!
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The Crimson Canary (1945)
I’ve missed this B-movie that my pal Jeremy Arnold has introduced at past LA screenings, so I’m happy to finally get to see it here! The film—about a trumpet player accused of murder whose name his fiancée attempts to clear with a detective who just so happens to love jazz—also runs just over an hour, which is perfect for the second half of a double bill. Hopefully I can stay awake!
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SUNDAY, 4/5
Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Musicals aren’t my favorite genre, so I’m not familiar with a lot of Doris Day’s movies, but I am intrigued by this “vivacious and vitriolic biopic that is equal parts lavish musical and noir-stained psychodrama,” as the Cinematheque puts it. Day plays singer-dancer Ruth Etting, and she becomes an apprentice, of sorts, to gangster Jimmy Cagney. The more I write about this, the more curious I get, so I may need to buy a ticket now!
A Man Called Adam (1966)
Sammy Davis, Jr. plays a self-destructive musician who goes through a lot of ups and downs in A Man Called Adam. In addition to the famous musician, the cast features a slew of well-known stars, musical and otherwise—Louis Armstrong, Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson, Frank Sinatra Jr., Peter Lawford, and more. My boyfriend has a ticket for this—I don’t—because we will already be at Noir City Friday and Saturday nights, but he might end up convincing me to join him!
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FRIDAY, 4/10
The Man I Love (1947) and Nora Prentiss (1947)
These two Warner Bros. dramas sound familiar, and I feel like I may have seen them, which is why I’m sitting this evening out. The first one, starring actress/director Ida Lupino is “part noir, part soap opera, and pure Hollywood magic,” claims the Cinematheque. In the second film, Ann Sheridan plays a nightclub singer who gets involved with a doctor, breaks it off when she finds out he’s married, and naturally he can’t deal with that rejection so he takes on a new identity to get back with her. Perfectly normal noir behavior!
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SATURDAY, 4/11
The Long Goodbye (1973) and Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
I can’t make it to either of these films, which is a shame because I haven’t seen them before, and they are both bona fide classics. Elliott Gould will be in attendance for Robert Altman’s Philip Marlowe drama, which I could have sworn said it was sold out (not anymore, if you’re looking for a ticket!), and that will be a sight to behold. Luckily, the Tony Curtis-Burt Lancaster starring Sweet Smell of Success is not hard to come by, so hopefully I’ll actually sit down and watch it soon.
SUNDAY, 4/12
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
A previously scheduled pre-Code trio of screenings this day prevents me from making yet another Otto Preminger classic I haven’t seen yet, this one with recovering addict Frank Sinatra trying to pursue a music career with the manipulative Eleanor Parker as his wife (always love seeing her in bad girl roles!) and the supportive Kim Novak as the girl who tries to get him clean. I also won’t be able to make yet another new-to-me noir, Odds Against Tomorrow, with Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte helping pull off a bank heist—if the racially-charged hostility between them doesn’t blow the lid on the whole thing first. Harry’s daughter Shari will be on hand to discuss the film and her father, which is a conversation I would have loved to hear.
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If you’re attending Noir City Hollywood this year, let me know which movies you can’t wait to see!
thanks for stopping by!
I See a Dark Theater is a website dedicated to classic movie-going—and loving—in the City of Angels. Whether it's coverage on screenings, special presentations, or Q&As around Los Angeles that you're looking for, or commentary on the wonderful and sometimes wacky world of classic cinema, you've come to the right place for a variety of pieces written with zeal, awe, and (occasionally) wit. Enjoy.
