Death on the Cheap

Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir!
by Arthur Lyons [791.432 Lyo]

The cover of this one grabbed my attention, but the content kept me reading. I've always been a fan of film noir -- those black and white films of the 1940s and 1950s, featuring dark characters and plots, femmes fatale and down-on-their-luck gumshoes, that were cranked out factory-style, but occasionally turned out quite artistically. This book celebrates the second-rate films of this mystery/suspense genre. The first 66 pages of this book give background on the origins and history of Film Noir B movies, and the rest of the book is an encyclopedia of surprisingly detailed film descriptions, covering a ton of worthwhile Noirish films that you've probably never heard of. I think that the best compliment I can pay this book is that it makes me want to hang out on TCM or AMC watching late-night b&w film noir marathons. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ One of many obits of Arthur Lyons (who died in 2008) ] | [ Arthur Lyons bibliography on FantasticFiction.co.uk ]

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