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Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Penzler Pick, August 2001: Two years ago, I wrote a book titled 101 Greatest Films of Mystery and Suspense. In addition to watching every one of those movies again (not exactly a horrendous ordeal), I did tons of research, flipping through or reading more than a hundred books about film. The best book--the one with the most offbeat stories and anecdotes, the most accurate information, and the most entertainingly written--was Dark City by Eddie Muller. It was a fascinating study of the great films noir, and a page didn't go by without my learning something.
Now Muller is back with Dark City Dames. It's a very different kind of book, not offering the big-picture overview that Dark City did, but it's nearly as fascinating. It's a portrait of six of the greatest femme fatales of the wonderful black-and-white crime movies that filled the screens in the 1940s and '50s: Jane Greer (the star, with Robert Mitchum, of Out of the Past and The Big Steal), Marie Windsor (The Killing, The Narrow Margin), Ann Savage (Detour), Evelyn Keyes (The Prowler, Johnny O'Clock), Audrey Totter (The Lady in the Lake, The Unsuspected), and Coleen Gray (The Sleeping City, Kiss of Death, Nightmare Alley).
But these aren't rehashes of plots and quotes from the rave reviews of these stars. Muller personally interviewed each of them, and the second half of the book is a kind of "Where are they now?" Perhaps oddly--perhaps not--these wicked, lying, cheating, double-crossing, money-hungry temptresses of the screen turn out to be rather nice ladies, as normal as one could expect of beautiful movie stars, and Muller brings them fully to life.
There are regrets here, both on the part of the reader and of Muller, that space couldn't be devoted to many of the biggest female stars of film noir. There's no Barbara Stanwyck, or Gloria Grahame, or Veronica Lake, or Lisabeth Scott, or Claire Trevor, or Ida Lupino. Scott became a silent recluse, and the others had died. But that is only in real life. On the screen they will live forever, just as they do in Muller's marvelous love letter to them all. --Otto Penzler
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2001
98 people are currently reading
826 people want to read
About the author
Eddie Muller
42 books106 followersEDDIE MULLER is a second generation San Franciscan, product of a lousy public school education, a couple of crazy years in art school, and too much time in newspaper offices and sporting arenas. No college, but he's compensated by always hanging around smarter people, an effortless feat typically accomplished in bars.
Despite repeated warnings, he followed in his father's footsteps, earning a living as a print journalist for sixteen years. No scoops, no big prizes, but he left behind a thoroughly abused expense account that got him into (and out of) various intriguing parts of the world.
His career as an ink-stained fourth estate wretch sidetracked Muller's early goal of becoming a filmmaker. A stint in George Kuchar's notorious "narrative filmmaking" class at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1970s resulted in the creation of a 14-minute, 16mm hommage to Raymond Chandler called Bay City Blues, one of five national finalists for the 1979 Student Academy Award. He also appeared as an actor in several Kuchar movies of the period.
Since 1998 Muller has devoted himself full-time to projects that pique his interest, ranging from the creation of a Historical Boxing Museum, to a fully illustrated history of Adults Only movies, to acting as co-writer and -producer of one of the first completely digital theatrical documentaries, Mau Mau Sex Sex. He created his own graphics firm, St. Francis Studio, which enables him to design, as well as write, his non-fiction books. He has achieved much acclaim for his three books on film noir, earning the nickname "The Czar of Noir."
His father, the original Eddie Muller (he's not a junior— long story, don't ask), was a renown sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner who earned the nickname "Mr. Boxing" during his 52-year run. The senior Muller served as inspiration for the character of Billy Nichols, the protagonist of the younger Muller's two critically acclaimed novels, The Distance (2002) and Shadow Boxer (2003).
Eddie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Kathleen Maria Milne.
Despite repeated warnings, he followed in his father's footsteps, earning a living as a print journalist for sixteen years. No scoops, no big prizes, but he left behind a thoroughly abused expense account that got him into (and out of) various intriguing parts of the world.
His career as an ink-stained fourth estate wretch sidetracked Muller's early goal of becoming a filmmaker. A stint in George Kuchar's notorious "narrative filmmaking" class at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1970s resulted in the creation of a 14-minute, 16mm hommage to Raymond Chandler called Bay City Blues, one of five national finalists for the 1979 Student Academy Award. He also appeared as an actor in several Kuchar movies of the period.
Since 1998 Muller has devoted himself full-time to projects that pique his interest, ranging from the creation of a Historical Boxing Museum, to a fully illustrated history of Adults Only movies, to acting as co-writer and -producer of one of the first completely digital theatrical documentaries, Mau Mau Sex Sex. He created his own graphics firm, St. Francis Studio, which enables him to design, as well as write, his non-fiction books. He has achieved much acclaim for his three books on film noir, earning the nickname "The Czar of Noir."
His father, the original Eddie Muller (he's not a junior— long story, don't ask), was a renown sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner who earned the nickname "Mr. Boxing" during his 52-year run. The senior Muller served as inspiration for the character of Billy Nichols, the protagonist of the younger Muller's two critically acclaimed novels, The Distance (2002) and Shadow Boxer (2003).
Eddie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Kathleen Maria Milne.
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May 30, 2025a birthday gift and it's an absolute beauty! ❤️
October 21, 2014
If you are a fan of the noir and "B" films of the late 1940s/early 50s, you will enjoy this book which highlights the careers of six women who were an essential part of the genre....the "dames and wicked women" of cinema. But they never reached actual stardom until a cult arose around them after their careers were over and only then were they were awarded the attention they deserved.
Jane Greer: She made several "A" level films but her most memorable performance was with Robert Mitchum in "Out of the Past".
Marie Windsor: the dame with the huge eyes was a fixture in "B" films and she is remembered for two films: "The Killing" and "Narrow Margin".
Audrey Totter: The glacial blonde who gave a great performances in "The Set-Up" and "The Lady in the Lake".
Evelyn Keyes: She was Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister in "Gone With The Wind" but soon was making "B" films.
Coleen Gray: I don't know why she was included since she always played the good girl.
Ann Savage: My favorite.....her performance as Vera in the cult classic poverty row film "Detour" is so outstanding that it is a mystery as to why her career stalled after that film.
The book traces the careers and lives of these ladies during and after their film career. All were alive when the book was published in 2001 and they provided interviews to the author about their experiences. Sadly, they have all left us but we have great memories of them captured on the screen. I recommend this book for the film lover.
Jane Greer: She made several "A" level films but her most memorable performance was with Robert Mitchum in "Out of the Past".
Marie Windsor: the dame with the huge eyes was a fixture in "B" films and she is remembered for two films: "The Killing" and "Narrow Margin".
Audrey Totter: The glacial blonde who gave a great performances in "The Set-Up" and "The Lady in the Lake".
Evelyn Keyes: She was Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister in "Gone With The Wind" but soon was making "B" films.
Coleen Gray: I don't know why she was included since she always played the good girl.
Ann Savage: My favorite.....her performance as Vera in the cult classic poverty row film "Detour" is so outstanding that it is a mystery as to why her career stalled after that film.
The book traces the careers and lives of these ladies during and after their film career. All were alive when the book was published in 2001 and they provided interviews to the author about their experiences. Sadly, they have all left us but we have great memories of them captured on the screen. I recommend this book for the film lover.
April 29, 2025
If you’re a film noir fan you’ll want to read this.
The best thing about Eddie Muller is his enthusiasm for everything about noir. He enjoys the films, he enjoys the backstories, and, in this case, he enjoys learning about, talking to, and telling us about some of the principal actresses.
The first part of the book (“Hollywood Midcentury”) is a set of profiles of six actresses from the film noir period: Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage.
These aren’t necessarily the six best actresses or the six most influential. Muller’s selection criteria included that the actresses be available for interviews while he was writing the book in the late 1990s. His plan, as you’ll see in the second part of the book, was to visit and interview those same six actresses much later in their lives, by that time some of them in their eighties. A vantage point from which they can place their acting careers in the context of their lives, and in the larger context of film and film noir as wholes.
The selection criterion excludes some actors who would certainly have a strong claim to have made major contributions to “defining Film Noir.” Ida Lupino, Gloria Grahame, and Barbara Stanwyck for starters. All had died before Muller’s interviews.
That said, there’s something to be said for focusing on actresses who may not be so well known, and, as Muller also notes, haven’t been written about so much. These were successful, distinctive actresses who, in most cases, occupied the spotlight for relatively short times.
These were also the days of the “studio system,” where actors and actresses were contracted with a specific studio and called upon to make, by today’s standards, a lot of movies over short production times, with small budgets and low salaries, and with varying quality. The jobs of actors, actresses, photographers, directors, and screenwriters were to make the most of what they got to work with. The results were all over the place, but we got some noir classics out of those years and these actresses — Out of the Past (Jane Greer), The Postman Always Rings Twice (Audrey Totter), The Killing (Marie Windsor), The Prowler (Evelyn Keyes), Nightmare Alley (Coleen Gray), Detour (Ann Savage).
And these were the days of HUAC investigations, blacklisting, and witch-hunts for Communists. Being apolitical, as most were, didn’t give anybody a free pass. If not affected personally, they were collateral damage to what happened to other actors (e.g., John Garfield), directors (e.g., Joseph Losey), and writers (e.g., Dalton Trumbo).
Muller’s profiles include brief descriptions of the actresses’ backgrounds, families, how they got into acting, how they managed (or didn’t manage) their career paths, the highlights of their careers, and how their personal lives fared during the demands and rewards of those usually brief prime years.
All the glamour and the fame is frozen in time, but the people go on. And the second part of the book (“Hollywood Fin de Siecle”) picks up the actresses’ lives in their later years, in the 1990s. Although Muller has given us glimpses into the their personal lives already, seeing them later in life emphasizes the difference between the living, breathing women and their celluloid-bound images.
It’s us, not them, who do the Norma Desmond thing, freezing them in what we regard as their “moment,” while they go on to have lives that they care about as much or more than they care about those frozen moments. Many of these women arguably traveled the opposite of the Norma Desmond arc. Ann Savage, the evil-hearted Vera of Detour, went on to spend twenty-eight years working as a law clerk, into her late 70s. Twenty-eight years a law clerk, a few weeks filming as Vera.
We can call those later profiles the “declining” years if we want, but they are also the years in which the actresses, in some cases, extended their careers into television and “mature” roles, or as with Ann Savage, lived completely different lives. Evelyn Keyes notes of her entire life, “My private life has been a better movie than anything Hollywood could have concocted for me.”
Still it’s us who want to bring them back to the 1940s, in black and white glory. In later years, Jane Greer went on tour to promote a remake of Out of the Past called Against All Odds. She found, to her own surprise but maybe not ours, that fans really wanted to know about Out of the Past, not Against All Odds.
The final part of the book (“Eternal Flames”), written for this new edition, is comprised of briefer profiles of ten additional actresses of the film noir era: Joan Bennet, Peggie Castle, Rhonda Fleming, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines, Ruth Roman, Gail Russell, Jan Sterling, Claire Trevor, and Helen Walker. Most are household names only to noir households, but all representative of that era, up through the early 1950s when noir was so prominent.
In addition to all the profiles and stories, this is part picture book. In addition to promotional photos and movie posters, there are some candid and even personal shots, many from Muller’s own collection. The photos are great — they conjure the time, with the clothing, hairstyles, and personality projections that hit the mark, especially in the case of the promotional photos. And the more personal ones remind us of the people who were the actresses and other players behind it all.
The best thing about Eddie Muller is his enthusiasm for everything about noir. He enjoys the films, he enjoys the backstories, and, in this case, he enjoys learning about, talking to, and telling us about some of the principal actresses.
The first part of the book (“Hollywood Midcentury”) is a set of profiles of six actresses from the film noir period: Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage.
These aren’t necessarily the six best actresses or the six most influential. Muller’s selection criteria included that the actresses be available for interviews while he was writing the book in the late 1990s. His plan, as you’ll see in the second part of the book, was to visit and interview those same six actresses much later in their lives, by that time some of them in their eighties. A vantage point from which they can place their acting careers in the context of their lives, and in the larger context of film and film noir as wholes.
The selection criterion excludes some actors who would certainly have a strong claim to have made major contributions to “defining Film Noir.” Ida Lupino, Gloria Grahame, and Barbara Stanwyck for starters. All had died before Muller’s interviews.
That said, there’s something to be said for focusing on actresses who may not be so well known, and, as Muller also notes, haven’t been written about so much. These were successful, distinctive actresses who, in most cases, occupied the spotlight for relatively short times.
These were also the days of the “studio system,” where actors and actresses were contracted with a specific studio and called upon to make, by today’s standards, a lot of movies over short production times, with small budgets and low salaries, and with varying quality. The jobs of actors, actresses, photographers, directors, and screenwriters were to make the most of what they got to work with. The results were all over the place, but we got some noir classics out of those years and these actresses — Out of the Past (Jane Greer), The Postman Always Rings Twice (Audrey Totter), The Killing (Marie Windsor), The Prowler (Evelyn Keyes), Nightmare Alley (Coleen Gray), Detour (Ann Savage).
And these were the days of HUAC investigations, blacklisting, and witch-hunts for Communists. Being apolitical, as most were, didn’t give anybody a free pass. If not affected personally, they were collateral damage to what happened to other actors (e.g., John Garfield), directors (e.g., Joseph Losey), and writers (e.g., Dalton Trumbo).
Muller’s profiles include brief descriptions of the actresses’ backgrounds, families, how they got into acting, how they managed (or didn’t manage) their career paths, the highlights of their careers, and how their personal lives fared during the demands and rewards of those usually brief prime years.
All the glamour and the fame is frozen in time, but the people go on. And the second part of the book (“Hollywood Fin de Siecle”) picks up the actresses’ lives in their later years, in the 1990s. Although Muller has given us glimpses into the their personal lives already, seeing them later in life emphasizes the difference between the living, breathing women and their celluloid-bound images.
It’s us, not them, who do the Norma Desmond thing, freezing them in what we regard as their “moment,” while they go on to have lives that they care about as much or more than they care about those frozen moments. Many of these women arguably traveled the opposite of the Norma Desmond arc. Ann Savage, the evil-hearted Vera of Detour, went on to spend twenty-eight years working as a law clerk, into her late 70s. Twenty-eight years a law clerk, a few weeks filming as Vera.
We can call those later profiles the “declining” years if we want, but they are also the years in which the actresses, in some cases, extended their careers into television and “mature” roles, or as with Ann Savage, lived completely different lives. Evelyn Keyes notes of her entire life, “My private life has been a better movie than anything Hollywood could have concocted for me.”
Still it’s us who want to bring them back to the 1940s, in black and white glory. In later years, Jane Greer went on tour to promote a remake of Out of the Past called Against All Odds. She found, to her own surprise but maybe not ours, that fans really wanted to know about Out of the Past, not Against All Odds.
The final part of the book (“Eternal Flames”), written for this new edition, is comprised of briefer profiles of ten additional actresses of the film noir era: Joan Bennet, Peggie Castle, Rhonda Fleming, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines, Ruth Roman, Gail Russell, Jan Sterling, Claire Trevor, and Helen Walker. Most are household names only to noir households, but all representative of that era, up through the early 1950s when noir was so prominent.
In addition to all the profiles and stories, this is part picture book. In addition to promotional photos and movie posters, there are some candid and even personal shots, many from Muller’s own collection. The photos are great — they conjure the time, with the clothing, hairstyles, and personality projections that hit the mark, especially in the case of the promotional photos. And the more personal ones remind us of the people who were the actresses and other players behind it all.
July 2, 2022
Profiles of various actresses who made film noir what it is, still, today.
January 11, 2018
The book covers six Hollywood stars of the genre: Jane Green, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Colleen Gray, and Ann Savage. The author covers their early careers in the late 40’s to mid-50’s. There is lots of gossip about Hollywood producers, actors, etc. Then the author follows them 50 years later and includes lots of personal information. For fans and film history students.
February 27, 2019
This book is actually a biography of six Hollywood actresses who starred in iconic Film Noirs: Jane Green, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Colleen Gray, and Ann Savage. Muller splits the book into two halves. The first half covers their early careers in the late 40’s to mid-50’s: the Film Noir years. In the second half of the book, he resists them 50 years later and covers their lives post-Noir. Lots of info about the movie business and excellent biographical work on these six great actresses.
February 27, 2018
An invaluable film reference and poignant view into the lives of Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Ann Savage, Marie Windsor, Coleen Grey and Evelyn Keyes. Muller relies on the women's own words to tell their stories, while providing informed supporting background material.
December 17, 2024
{{I received an advanced copy of this book for a review in a trade journal}}
What a gem this is! I missed the earlier version which was published in 2001. This update includes additional profiles of actresses who are remembered in the film noir genre. The original six actresses - Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Ann Savage, Coleen Gray, Evelyn Keyes and Marie Windsor are profiled in lengthy chapters which covers their careers as well as their personal lives. Section Two brings back another chapter on each, this time covering their lives after their careers faded. The new version includes shorter chapters on actresses Claire Trevor, Rhonda Fleming, Marsha Hunt, Gail Russell, Helen Walker, Ella Raines, Joan Bennett, Ruth Roman, Jan Sterling and an actress I was totally unfamiliar with - Peggie Castle. The author got to know his subjects well and his insights go far beyond your typical film biographies. In addition to the superb writing, the book is wonderfully illustrated with film stills, posters and portraits. A totally fascinating book for film lovers and one that is highly recommended!
What a gem this is! I missed the earlier version which was published in 2001. This update includes additional profiles of actresses who are remembered in the film noir genre. The original six actresses - Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Ann Savage, Coleen Gray, Evelyn Keyes and Marie Windsor are profiled in lengthy chapters which covers their careers as well as their personal lives. Section Two brings back another chapter on each, this time covering their lives after their careers faded. The new version includes shorter chapters on actresses Claire Trevor, Rhonda Fleming, Marsha Hunt, Gail Russell, Helen Walker, Ella Raines, Joan Bennett, Ruth Roman, Jan Sterling and an actress I was totally unfamiliar with - Peggie Castle. The author got to know his subjects well and his insights go far beyond your typical film biographies. In addition to the superb writing, the book is wonderfully illustrated with film stills, posters and portraits. A totally fascinating book for film lovers and one that is highly recommended!
December 14, 2009
Wow. Enjoyed this tome over a cold, sleety weekend. If you like film noir, grab it. Six actresses of the classic noir flicks have their say. Author and cinema expert Eddie Muller writes their stories with authority and panache. These ladies give the unvarnished side of making their unforgettable pictures. Who can forget Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, and Robert Mitchum starring in OUT OF THE PAST? I love that gritty gem. Recommended for noir & crime fiction fans.
July 20, 2022
Creatively organized, the first part covers their movie careers, the second revisits them 50 years later.
Skimmed.
Skimmed.
March 30, 2025
Initially I thought this book would be about the femme fatales found in the great Film noirs. Instead it was the story of the actresses who played them. Nothing wrong with that.
First we learned about these women’s lives in Hollywood. They discuss the movies they made and those movies that got away. We peek into the world of starlets in the age of the great studios
The latter part of the book shows interviews with these women taken years later. It answers the question “where are they now.?”
So why did I give this book only 4 stars? It was certainly an interesting book filled with marvelous stories. The problem was that a lot of the top film noir actresses were not included One could hardly blame the author. So many of these women have since passed away. Eddie Muller worked with who he had.
Another problem I had was on me. I found that though I loved all the lasses in old movies I really didn’t like some of their portrayers. Now when I watch them on celluloid my inside knowledge taints the performances.
This only applied to some of the actresses. There were many that I really enjoyed learning about. I cheered them on in their careers and followed their live’s fortunes.
Learning about these unsung heroes of the silver screen definitely added to my Hollywood education. Although my favorites were Jane Greer and Ann Savage, they all led interesting lives.
First we learned about these women’s lives in Hollywood. They discuss the movies they made and those movies that got away. We peek into the world of starlets in the age of the great studios
The latter part of the book shows interviews with these women taken years later. It answers the question “where are they now.?”
So why did I give this book only 4 stars? It was certainly an interesting book filled with marvelous stories. The problem was that a lot of the top film noir actresses were not included One could hardly blame the author. So many of these women have since passed away. Eddie Muller worked with who he had.
Another problem I had was on me. I found that though I loved all the lasses in old movies I really didn’t like some of their portrayers. Now when I watch them on celluloid my inside knowledge taints the performances.
This only applied to some of the actresses. There were many that I really enjoyed learning about. I cheered them on in their careers and followed their live’s fortunes.
Learning about these unsung heroes of the silver screen definitely added to my Hollywood education. Although my favorites were Jane Greer and Ann Savage, they all led interesting lives.
October 22, 2019
An interesting story of six film noir dames (Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, Ann Savage), providing a look inside these women's careers and lives. Their roles and their personal stories make them go from good girls to bad girls, from saints to sinners.
The plus of the book is having the author personally interviewed these ladies. It's interesting to meet them at their old age and find out what their destinies were, what dreams they managed to achieve and what regrets were left behind. And also have the photos to witness their evolution over decades.
The minus of the book is that it doesn't include more dames and maybe more prominent names in the film noir history.
From the reading point of view, it was a little difficult for me to manage the non-linear story telling, the jumps back and forth in time. And the separation in two parts, what they were and what they've become. I've read the two parts for each actress in succession.
Overall, a good and interesting book.
The plus of the book is having the author personally interviewed these ladies. It's interesting to meet them at their old age and find out what their destinies were, what dreams they managed to achieve and what regrets were left behind. And also have the photos to witness their evolution over decades.
The minus of the book is that it doesn't include more dames and maybe more prominent names in the film noir history.
From the reading point of view, it was a little difficult for me to manage the non-linear story telling, the jumps back and forth in time. And the separation in two parts, what they were and what they've become. I've read the two parts for each actress in succession.
Overall, a good and interesting book.
January 5, 2023
This is everything I look for in a book about old Hollywood. Eddie Muller does a beautiful job providing actresses with personal accounts of their Hollywood careers, with an emphasis on another common element they share, being cast in movies that later became known as Noir. Muller makes the book even more intriguing by having the second half of the book examine the various paths each actress led after they left Hollywood. I found the latter as equally riveting as the first half.
June 7, 2025
An enjoyable look at the lives is several mid-century, mostly forgotten stars of the great film noirs. The six mini-biographies capture many of the stories you’d expect from the era: one of the women was romanced by Hugh Hefner, another was sexually harassed by Harry Cohn, and each had to fight for opportunities and respect. Especially worthwhile if you’ve seen some of the movies referenced such as The Narrow Margin, The Prowler, and Nightmare Alley.
August 4, 2018
A select group of the young women who came to Hollywood to be in the movies and how the industry treated them. They all made bad decisions throughout their careers and in their private lives. Yet each survived their short careers and in later years achieved a more balanced life.
April 26, 2020
It was great fun reading about actresses famous for their success in my favorite genre. It's just the right mixture of their professional lives with their personnel lies and their lives during their professional heyday with their lives at the start of the new millennium.
April 13, 2023
Thanks to Eddie Muller, we have the story of 6 of Film Noir's female stars. The book is very interesting. The first half deals with their Hollywood careers. The second half brings the reader up to date with their post-Hollywood lives.
August 27, 2025
Read revised edition
August 9, 2025
An unusual movie book in that it's not about STARS. These aren't the superstars who appeared in noir. No Bacall, no Turner, no Hayworth. These are the actresses who toiled away and made their careers in the B's and missed becoming household names. I enjoyed the workaday aspect of it. Making movies was their job. Playing bad girls was their niche. You won't get the massive trailers and huge mansions and luxurious limos with these dames. I found this made their reminiscences refreshing and relatable.
I also enjoyed how Eddie contrasted them "then and now." These women were impossible to define or categorize, and their later years took them in all different directions. Fascinating!
I also enjoyed how Eddie contrasted them "then and now." These women were impossible to define or categorize, and their later years took them in all different directions. Fascinating!
August 3, 2025
For those who love classic films, Eddie Muller takes on 6 under-recognized actresses from film noir, and details their careers and personal lives, both in their heydays and into later age. The stories are fantastic.
Coming away from this, I have A LOT of movies I need to watch now!!
Coming away from this, I have A LOT of movies I need to watch now!!
May 25, 2025
In the 1990s Eddie Muller interviewed six women associated with film noir. He tells of their time in the business during the 1940s and 50s, and a second part of the book looks at their lives since (the original edition of the book was published in 2001). A third section, added for this expanded release, looks at ten other actresses associated with film noir - some Eddie Muller got to know, others he included for their stories.
Most of these are not the big names as Muller wanted to illuminate those not already covered in other biographical works. With some minor reservations it's an enjoyable and beautifully made book (typical of the Turner Classic Movies book series) - glossy on good quality paper. It stands well on my shelf next to the even better 'Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir' by the same author.
My personal minor criticisms would be that I think it was a mistake to split the first two parts of the book. If you read the book the way that it's published you would read the individual lives of the six actresses in the 1940s and 50s in part one, then start again in part two by reading the six actresses stories in later years. Well I have to confess, I found myself looking back a few times to check - is this the one who...? Or was she the one married to...? etc. I've loaned the book to my mother and advised her to read Jane Greer in part one, then jump to part two to read the continuation of Jane Greer; and do the same for the other five actresses. I would also add that it's a good thing that the book now contains a third section as there were a few moments in the first two parts that weren't always compelling. I did like Evelyn Keyes' no nonsense feet on the ground approach to life. In interviews Eddie Muller has stated he didn't want to become a character in the interviews. He no doubt has his reasons, but I do wonder whether this results in a detachment from proceedings and a loss of atmosphere. He could have done so subtly without intruding, and even given it that film noir narration. Or is this the reason he chose not to do it this way? Mmm, I'm not sure.
Still, this is a very likeable introduction to some lesser names in film noir and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the genre, or classic film in general, as there are many stories here of old Hollywood and its characters.
A pity Liz Scott didn't want to participate as I'm sure she had many stories of interest...
[Note: The third part of this book could be a template for a work on so many others connected with film noir - like cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca; composers Miklos Rozsa and Roy Webb; directors like Robert Siodmak; and many other actors and actresses not covered in big biographies who had fascinating, or little know lives. The film noir man himself, Elisha Cook Jr, is someone I know nothing about.].
Most of these are not the big names as Muller wanted to illuminate those not already covered in other biographical works. With some minor reservations it's an enjoyable and beautifully made book (typical of the Turner Classic Movies book series) - glossy on good quality paper. It stands well on my shelf next to the even better 'Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir' by the same author.
My personal minor criticisms would be that I think it was a mistake to split the first two parts of the book. If you read the book the way that it's published you would read the individual lives of the six actresses in the 1940s and 50s in part one, then start again in part two by reading the six actresses stories in later years. Well I have to confess, I found myself looking back a few times to check - is this the one who...? Or was she the one married to...? etc. I've loaned the book to my mother and advised her to read Jane Greer in part one, then jump to part two to read the continuation of Jane Greer; and do the same for the other five actresses. I would also add that it's a good thing that the book now contains a third section as there were a few moments in the first two parts that weren't always compelling. I did like Evelyn Keyes' no nonsense feet on the ground approach to life. In interviews Eddie Muller has stated he didn't want to become a character in the interviews. He no doubt has his reasons, but I do wonder whether this results in a detachment from proceedings and a loss of atmosphere. He could have done so subtly without intruding, and even given it that film noir narration. Or is this the reason he chose not to do it this way? Mmm, I'm not sure.
Still, this is a very likeable introduction to some lesser names in film noir and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the genre, or classic film in general, as there are many stories here of old Hollywood and its characters.
A pity Liz Scott didn't want to participate as I'm sure she had many stories of interest...
[Note: The third part of this book could be a template for a work on so many others connected with film noir - like cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca; composers Miklos Rozsa and Roy Webb; directors like Robert Siodmak; and many other actors and actresses not covered in big biographies who had fascinating, or little know lives. The film noir man himself, Elisha Cook Jr, is someone I know nothing about.].
July 30, 2025
No surprise Eddie Muller knew exactly which six actresses he wanted to cover for this, and how their careers and legacies will be shaped most by roles in film noir. Plus you get an idea that he really got a good rapport with them, and wasn't just a prying memoirist, but a genuine archivist and historian who went right to the source.
September 18, 2014
As a voracious reader of showbiz biographies and autobiographies, I took an interest in this book because it featured the stories of six actresses who I knew precious little about (their fame being mostly for a film genre I am less versed in than many others.) I really was only familiar with Jane Greer and, to a lesser degree, Marie Windsor, the others really just being vaguely familiar names.
The concept of the book is interesting. Each lady gets a lengthy chapter about her early life and career, then, just at a certain turning point, the chapter ends and it's on to the next lady. (A less patient reader might skip to the second half of the book and read on, chronologically, and I was tempted to, but didn't!) Then the author revisits each "dame" and proceeds with her story, bringing everything up to the (then) present day.
What struck me the most about this book are two things. #1 - These stories reinforce that fact that talent is only a small part of "making it" in show business. It's more about who you know, what you'll do and what you'll tolerate along with whether your looks feed into a certain "type" with only a few exceptions along the way. #2 - Each of these ladies faced some sort of hardship, but they are survivors and intelligent ones, with a great grip on life and its facets. Some of them made mistakes, some of them were ill-treated, but they are philosophical and sensible about it all now, and, above all, honest.
Not everyone will necessarily agree with each lady's stance on things, but I found a remarkable amount of wisdom and smart assessment in the pages of this book and really wound up liking each actress. I recommend it not only to fans of Film Noir (that arena is present, but not always predominant), but also to anyone who likes to learn about women trying to make it in a business that is often shallow, fickle, simple-minded and mostly controlled by men. There was one cathartic, late-in-life moment for Ann Savage that came close to bringing me to tears, but I was reading in a restaurant and so I kept it together. ;-)
I didn't feel that it was loaded with pictures, but the ones within were usually rare or never before published and the current portraits of the ladies were wonderfully artistic, yet real. Great job!
The concept of the book is interesting. Each lady gets a lengthy chapter about her early life and career, then, just at a certain turning point, the chapter ends and it's on to the next lady. (A less patient reader might skip to the second half of the book and read on, chronologically, and I was tempted to, but didn't!) Then the author revisits each "dame" and proceeds with her story, bringing everything up to the (then) present day.
What struck me the most about this book are two things. #1 - These stories reinforce that fact that talent is only a small part of "making it" in show business. It's more about who you know, what you'll do and what you'll tolerate along with whether your looks feed into a certain "type" with only a few exceptions along the way. #2 - Each of these ladies faced some sort of hardship, but they are survivors and intelligent ones, with a great grip on life and its facets. Some of them made mistakes, some of them were ill-treated, but they are philosophical and sensible about it all now, and, above all, honest.
Not everyone will necessarily agree with each lady's stance on things, but I found a remarkable amount of wisdom and smart assessment in the pages of this book and really wound up liking each actress. I recommend it not only to fans of Film Noir (that arena is present, but not always predominant), but also to anyone who likes to learn about women trying to make it in a business that is often shallow, fickle, simple-minded and mostly controlled by men. There was one cathartic, late-in-life moment for Ann Savage that came close to bringing me to tears, but I was reading in a restaurant and so I kept it together. ;-)
I didn't feel that it was loaded with pictures, but the ones within were usually rare or never before published and the current portraits of the ladies were wonderfully artistic, yet real. Great job!
August 6, 2015
Eddie Muller's clearly loving tribute to the bad girls of film noir focuses on six women who were great at being bad on-screen: Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray and Ann Savage.
None of these ladies were exactly hit-out-of-the-park famous; they all, more or less, had careers that existed on the periphery of Hollywood fame. Some had more success than others, of course, but what unites them is that they all had at least one major noir role that - to this day - captivates noir lovers and keeps the memory of them alive and fresh.
In short: Greer in 'Out of the Past', Totter in 'Tension' and 'Lady in the Lake', Windsor in 'The Killing' and 'The Narrow Margin', Keyes in 'The Prowler' and '99 River Street', Gray in 'Kiss of Death', 'The Killing' and 'Nightmare Alley', and Savage in 'Detour'.
Muller wisely and cleverly splits his valentine to these women in two parts. In the first, we see them as actors and get not only a razor-sharp look at the underbelly of the motion picture business, but an overview of what has cemented these 'dames' now as evergreen; in the second, his individual interviews with each continue as we are privy to their post-Hollywood lives.
With marvelous candor, each one reveals, in one way or another, valiant survival. Some lived reasonably well and drama-free; others had a harder hand dealt to them. But it seems their experiences in the world of noir taught each of them one valuable lesson: You face life with guts and you accept what comes as best you can.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It's no surprise that Muller, a noir expert - arguably, *the* noir expert - has written the book in a sparse, staccato style while maintaining the kind of elegance we'd expect from noir photography. It's very precise writing, to-the-point with no frills - but there's no doubt that his intent was to capture these women with the dignity they deserve.
None of these ladies were exactly hit-out-of-the-park famous; they all, more or less, had careers that existed on the periphery of Hollywood fame. Some had more success than others, of course, but what unites them is that they all had at least one major noir role that - to this day - captivates noir lovers and keeps the memory of them alive and fresh.
In short: Greer in 'Out of the Past', Totter in 'Tension' and 'Lady in the Lake', Windsor in 'The Killing' and 'The Narrow Margin', Keyes in 'The Prowler' and '99 River Street', Gray in 'Kiss of Death', 'The Killing' and 'Nightmare Alley', and Savage in 'Detour'.
Muller wisely and cleverly splits his valentine to these women in two parts. In the first, we see them as actors and get not only a razor-sharp look at the underbelly of the motion picture business, but an overview of what has cemented these 'dames' now as evergreen; in the second, his individual interviews with each continue as we are privy to their post-Hollywood lives.
With marvelous candor, each one reveals, in one way or another, valiant survival. Some lived reasonably well and drama-free; others had a harder hand dealt to them. But it seems their experiences in the world of noir taught each of them one valuable lesson: You face life with guts and you accept what comes as best you can.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It's no surprise that Muller, a noir expert - arguably, *the* noir expert - has written the book in a sparse, staccato style while maintaining the kind of elegance we'd expect from noir photography. It's very precise writing, to-the-point with no frills - but there's no doubt that his intent was to capture these women with the dignity they deserve.
May 11, 2025
Has the heft of a coffee table book with thick glossy pages, attractive photos and text by Eddie Muller, host of TCM’s Noir Alley. The writing is in the unique style that Muller uses in his introductions and final comments on the films shown on Noir Alley. If you are a fan of Noir Alley, this new edition of Dark City Dames will have a familiar feel. The book is divided into three parts. In the first, Muller presents biographies of six actresses who played an important part in establishing the film noir style that dominated Hollywood films from the early 1940s until the late 1950s. These biographies focus on the actresses’ early years and their careers in movies during the heyday of film noir. In the second part of the book, Muller examines the lives of the same six actresses in the post noir era - the 1960s to the 1990s. These bios are based mainly on a series of interviews that Muller conducted with the six former stars during the 1990s while researching the original version of this book, published in 2001. In the third and “new” part of the book, Muller introduces shorter biographical profiles of ten actresses whose memorable on-screen performances have added to the enduring popularity of the film noir genre.
I especially liked the final third of the book in which Eddie reflects on some of these interviews and the personalities of the stars that he came to know. In passing, he also comments briefly on the post WWII demise of the studio system, the emergence of television, the politics of the McCarthy era and the obstacles that women have faced in the male dominated world of Hollywood film-making. As a fan of Noir Alley and of Eddie Muller, it was easy to enjoy reading this book.
3+ stars
I especially liked the final third of the book in which Eddie reflects on some of these interviews and the personalities of the stars that he came to know. In passing, he also comments briefly on the post WWII demise of the studio system, the emergence of television, the politics of the McCarthy era and the obstacles that women have faced in the male dominated world of Hollywood film-making. As a fan of Noir Alley and of Eddie Muller, it was easy to enjoy reading this book.
3+ stars
September 13, 2016
For fans of film noir, or simply old movies, this is a must-read as it spotlights six actresses behind some of the genre’s most memorable femmes fatales—Coleen Grey, Jane Greer, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Savage, Audrey Totter and Marie Windsor. Muller has a clever way of unveiling his colorful subjects, first through career profiles and then interviews fifty years later. The stories are told with enticing anecdotes and frankness giving a rare behind-the-scenes look into a vanished cinematic world. The author’s breezy style is perfect for making you feel you’re part of the conversation. These ladies, hardy survivors from a cannibalizing industry, are all entertaining, likable and, of course, nothing like the cold-blooded characters they often portrayed onscreen. I especially enjoyed reading about Savage whose electrifying performance in Detour (1945) with Tom Neal remains iconic in the annals of film noir and gives me chills every time I see it. Hollywood actresses can’t all be superstars, so it’s refreshing when someone delivers well-deserved praise for these lesser known workhorses. Kudos to Muller for providing it and all those wonderful photographs.
July 14, 2025
Very interesting updated rewrite about the famous ladies of noir, one of my favorite movie genres. Eddie Muller really got to know his subjects well. I enjoyed knowing more about the actresses I've seen in my favorite noirs.
July 10, 2025
If you're a fan of Film Noir, this is a must read. Eddie gives short bios on some of the noteworthy women of this unique genre. Most of the material is obtained from his interviews with the women. Eddie brings out the struggles the women had to endure to make it in this male dominated industry. He also follows up showing us the end game of their careers and lives.
May 4, 2025
Eddie Muller hits the nail on the head with his books. I adore Noir Bar with all the antidotes, pictures, and recipes. The revised version of Dark City Dames presents great stories and forces me to revisit Noir Alley films. Eddie presents fabulous tidbits to every Noir Alley movie, and I watch his TCM slot just to hear what he says. Dark City Dames has amazing pictures and a look 40-50 years later at these remarkable women of Noir film. Eddie shows that all does not glitter with gold and fame. These women fought countless battles in a career that labeled women as meat and not individuals equal to their male counterpoints. The only downside to the book remains the weight. Due to the photographs, a heavier weight of paper was utilized, which added weight to the book.
November 28, 2018
Eddie Muller pays a much overdue tribute to the Noir dames Marie Windsor, Audrey Totter, Ann Savage, Evelyn Keyes, Jane Greer and Coleen Gray, whom he all interviewed. Sadly, other Noir dames like Barbara Stanwyck and Claire Trevor did not live long enough to be interviewed by Eddie Muller; though Eddie did meet Trevor a couple of times but he never got to interview her in-depth, unfortunately. Of course Noir icon Lizabeth Scott was still alive then but did not accept an interview, as she still lived in total recluse at the time he was writing the book.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
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