ASK EDDIE - October 2, 2025

FNF prez Eddie Muller responds to film noir fan questions fielded by the Foundation's Director of Communications Anne Hockens. In this edition, we discuss Barbara Stanwyck’s and Fred MacMurray’s
four film collaborations, which film noirs we would not recommend for newcomers, great cities in noir, “Sudden Danger”, “Night and the City”, and more. The lightning round returns, as well as the “Latest Viewing” and “Latest Reading” segments to wrap up the show . On the cat front, Emily needs some attention. Timestamps and questions below.

00:00 NOIR CITY: Detroit, audience shoutouts, tribute to Tizzy
03:00 Q1: Redford's stories on "Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here"
04:07 Q2: Stanwyck & MacMurray films; Pat Crowley in "Death Lends a Hand"
12:58 Q3: Film noirs NOT for newcomers
16:51 Q4: Best NYC noir - other great cities in noir
23:15 Q5: "Sudden Danger" at NOIR CITY
28:58 Q6: Can superhero movies be noir?
33:49 Q7: Films not shown on "Noir Alley" yet

Lightning Round
38:30 Can I hear Eddie's commentary track for "Sorry, Wrong Number"?
39:32 Were B movies shown first or second during double features?
41:30 Does the Film Noir Foundation have a ban on New York City venues?
45:08 Why do characters exit cars from the passenger side in classic films?
46:10 Could the "Lady in the Car with the Glasses and Gun" film be screened again?

47:42 Q8: Was the line "It's a fake" dubbed in "The Maltese Falcon"?
54:08 Q9: "Night and the City" vs "The Informer" compared
1:01:04 Q10: Describe each studio’s "noir identity" in a tagline

Latest Viewing / Latest Reading
1:08:43 Latest viewing: "Sleeping City," "Guilty Bystander," "The Murderers Are Among Us", "Karma," "Heavenly Ever After," "Last Socialist Artifact", "Midnight Diner"
1:15:10 Latest reading – Paul Naschy autobiography, "If Cats Disappeared from the World"

1:16:20 NOIR CITY Magazine jazz soundtrack articles, digital/print availability
1:18:05 Upcoming: TCM cruise, Morelia Film Festival, NOIR CITY: DC, NOIR CITY: Philadelphia

This week’s submitted questions:
1. Did Eddie come across any stories about Redford working on “Tell Them Willie Boy is Here” during the making of his Abraham Polonsky documentary?
—Joe, NYC
2. Eddie, please tell us more about the four Fred Mac Murray/Barbara Stanwyck collaborations. Anne, please tell us about Pat Crowley in “Death Lends a Hand”.
—Joe from Suffolk County, NY
3. Instead of recommending film noirs for those who haven't seen one before, is there one or more film noirs from the classic era that you would NOT recommend? 
—Ken from Oklahoma 
4. Do you think that one of these three, New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, owns pride of place in the noir genre, and are there other cities you feel are deserving of mention along with them?  
—Doug, NYC    
5. Have you seen ”Sudden Danger” and do you think it would be worthy of a showing at an upcoming Noir City?
-Michael, Post Falls, Idaho
6. The other day I was debating with a friend whether or not superhero films could ever be classified as film noir. Can add anything to this debate?
—Christopher
7. Is there any chance of seeing in the future some of the key or at least interesting noirs that I’ve never seen on “Noir Alley”.
—Matthew
8. I am struck by an awkward moment toward the end of “The Maltese Falcon”. It almost sounds like the line “It’s a fake” was added in post-production. Can you shed any light on this?
— John from D.C
9. Time for some of my tricky questions about Jules Dassin’s “Night and the City”.
—Janne, Stockholm, Sweden
10. Could you describe each studio’s identity as a true “Noir Studio” in a single tagline?
—Marc Melocchi, Studio City, CA

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