Coming of age in black and white - WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED

Before G, PG and PG13 movie ratings, we had As and Bs. I was quite young when the rating system changed but I still remember my parents talking in whispers about B movies.

Unlike PG13 movies which often ride the popular wave of slapstick sex and references, a B movie might have been more subtle - as though you were viewing lives - broken or criminal or sensual lives - through a veil. They were salty and sultry - like a lipstick stain on a cigarette butt - and usually not slapstick. So much i...