In celebration of Noirvember, MovieJawn is collaborating with Erik Kreffel of Noir Crazy! Each week we will walk down the dark alley for a different theme within the genre to peek between the blinds and showcase some of Erik’s work that he created specifically for MovieJawn. Read all our Noirvember articles here.

Copies of Erik’s publication Noir Crazy are available for purchase here as well as other noir themed items. Follow Erik on Instagram, Substack, Twitter, and contact him here for commissions.

by Rosalie Kicks, Editor in Chief and Old Sport

From grifters, cads, and murderers to thieves the nastiness of Dan Duryea comes in all types and styles.

Most recognizably known for playing the heel in a number of 1940s noir pictures, he would later become notable for his portrayals in westerns, television dramas, and stage productions. Like several actors of Duryea’s era, he somewhat fell into the Hollywood racket. Due to his parents lack of faith in his career as an actor, he first pursued the path of an advertising executive. After six years of working in the ad business, he suffered a heart attack and the doctor recommended that he pursue something where he could find joy. Thank the heavens Duryea listened to the doctor’s orders, as this encouraged to return to his true passion: acting.

Despite the laundry list of scoundrels he played, he was quite the demure gent who enjoyed staying out of the limelight and focusing on hobbies such as boat building. The silver screen would show a different version. He played the kinda guy that your parents warn you about, but you inevitably go out with anyway. Personally, I can’t resist a bad boy or a femme fatale for that matter. Where’s the fun in being good, especially in Noirvember. Here’s a trio of Duryea flicks that I recommend checking out showcasing him at his nastiness.

Artwork by Erik J. Kreffel of *Noir Crazy* zine, purchase here

Scarlet Street (1945)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Georges de La Fouchardièrem, André Mouëzy-Éon (novel) and Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Watch here

“Can’t you get those lazy legs off that couch, baby?”

The first motion picture that introduced me to Duryea was Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street. This was Lang’s remake of Jean Renoir’s 1931 film, La Chienne and would take a much bleaker tone than its predecessor. This heart-wrenching tale shares a story about a man, Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) who befriends a young lady, Kitty March (Joan Bennett). Christopher is experiencing a mid-life crisis, is in an unloving marriage, and feels completely hopeless in every aspect of his life. His friendship with Kitty initially starts out as a bright spot, but quickly spirals into a nightmare filled with deceit, murder, and sadness. There is no happy ending for any of the characters in this scenario, and viewers should be warned of its grim nature. Of course, behind the dark and dreary plot line is none other Dan Duryea as con artist Johnny Prince.

This was not Duryea’s first foray into the noir genre, as he had previously appeared in two other Lang productions Woman In The Window and Ministry of Fear, both released in 1944. It also needs to be mentioned that, coincidentally, Woman In The Window also starred his cast mates from Scarlet Street, Robinson and Bennett. When I initially met Duryea as the character Johnny Prince, I could not help but see him as a knock-off Richard Widmark. At the time I watched Scarlet Street I happened to be knee deep in Widmark’s filmography. Eventually, after taking a spin through much of Duryea’s catalog, I would come to understand that, despite the actors often taking on similar villain type roles within the noir genre, each of them brought their own charisma to the screen that made them unforgettable nasties.

What I love about Duryea’s performance as crumb bum Johnny Prince in Scarlet Street is that he may be a total sleaze, yet one can’t help but be charmed by him. This is understandable given his keen fashion sense. However, his fanciful exterior is only a casing for his vile interior. Draped in a seersucker suit complete with bowtie and suspenders, Prince is a walking, talking smoothie which affords him to have Kitty March (Joan Bennett) wrapped around his finger. Kitty falls so deep under his spell that she loses herself along with her dignity. When we first meet the dashing duo, Prince is seen from afar slapping Kitty to the ground and kicking her. Yet, Kitty can’t keep herself from falling for this conning slouch. For as cold as his line delivery is, he manages to melt her heart.

The most fascinating aspect in all this is that, for all the times Johnny refers to Kitty as “lazy legs,” she is the one putting in the legwork for the actual con on Christopher. Whereas Johnny is simply the puppet master behind the scenes with his feet up. No Noirvember is complete without taking a trip to Scarlet Street.

Ministry of Fear (1944)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Graham Greene and Seton I. Miller
Watch here

"When you've worn it once, you'll find the shoulders will settle."

Ministry of Fear is a 1944 Fritz Lang picture that spins the yarn of Stephen Neale (Ray Milland), a patient at a mental facility that was recently released after recovering from the war. Upon leaving the hospital, he stumbles into a county fair of sorts where he visits a fortune teller and wins a cake. Aboard a train, he ravenously consumes his winnings, only to discover a secret microfilm that involves a Nazi spy plot. From this point on, Stephen has a target on his back.

This Lang picture is truly bananas in the best way possible, and is one of my most favorite Criterion Collection blind buys. While watching for the first time, just when I thought it could not get any zanier, they go and add a seance. Nothing pleases me more than a movie with a surprise seance and an appearance by Dan Duryea.

Dan Duryea plays an eccentric tailor that goes by the name Cost and/or Travers; depending on who you are speaking to. I have Duryea’s character in Ministry of Fear to thank for learning that scissors are able to be utilized to dial a phone. What a fantastic method to handle the trials and tribulations of a pesky rotary blower. The role Duryea plays here is not large, but it sure is memorable. I don’t think I will ever get the image of him holding those large tailor shears out of my head. He looks absolutely menacing. In regards to Cost/Travers’s nastiness, there is no question about it, as he is on the side of one of the most vile regimes ever to rise to power… the Nazis.

Black Angel (1946)
Directed by Roy William Neill
Written by Roy Chnslor and Cornell Woolrich
Watch here

“I had to see you.”
“Why… because I had a wife who needed killing and you had a husband who took care of it?”

As much as I have a fondness for the previous two pictures, it was the motion picture Black Angel that officially made me a Duryea fan. With Duryea having a starring role in this film, it allows him to showcase his range as an actor. In fact, immediately after watching the flick I made a Dan Duryea Devotee button to pin to my vest… no joke.

My favorite aspect of Black Angel is that it toys with the viewer a bit before going in for the kill. Duryea plays an alcoholic nightclub pianist, Marty Blair, whose ex-wife, Mavis Marlowe, winds up dead. With a tight alibi secured, Marty is cleared of the crime while Kirk Bennett (John Phillips), a guy that was being blackmailed by Mavis to cover their affair, is convicted of the slaying. Kirk’s wife Catherine (June Vincent) believes him to be innocent and sets out as an amateur detective to prove his innocence. Her investigation starts with Marty, which quickly reaches a dead end, but inevitably leaves them smitten with one another. This partnership takes the viewer on an unexpectedly twisty road with a detour to a shifty nightclub owner, Marko, played by the famed, Peter Lorre. This story leaves the viewer guessing until the end, which is something I love about it. In the previous pictures I recommended, there is no question of the nefarious ways of Duryea’s characters, whereas Black Angel will have one doubt their initial feelings.

The way in which the story unravels makes for a thrilling dark ride. Duryea’s acting abilities are on full display and his portrayal of Marty is bound to make any viewer feel a gamut of emotions. Something in particular that I noticed with Duryea’s technique in this picture is the way in which he is able to play a sketchy character so smoothly. Even as a creep, Duryea managed to give these characters a sense of personality that made me want to grab a cup of joe with them. I am convinced that the experience and company would be quite titillating, even if it was at the expense of my wallet being pick pocketed.