Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir
by Arthur Lyons
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Book Summary Information
Author: Arthur LyonsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2000-10-25
ISBN: 0306809966
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Book Reviews of Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir
Book Review: Cheap Thrills from the "B" Production Units
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an exceedingly brief, but nonetheless entertaining book about the film noir genre. Art Lyons opted to concentrate on the "B" films produced at Hollywood's Poverty Row Studios, so many of the major films in the genre are mentioned only in passing in the text and not at all in the summaries. Neglected film offerings from Allied Artists, Columbia, Eagle-Lion, Monogram, Producers Releasing Corporation, Republic Pictures and other lesser outfits are on full display here. A handful of films from the middle tier studios like RKO and Universal are also covered.
The book contains lists of film noir pictures produced by all of the studios during the classic period and amusing and succinct summaries of a variety of lesser known films. Lyons eschews the graduate school approach to film noir that is the bane of many fans who choose to watch these films for simple pleasure rather than to prepare for the defense of a Ph.D. dissertation.
I have only two minor complaints. First, I wish that this enjoyable book was a little longer. Secondly, where do I obtain a copies of "The Night Editor" and the other obscure low rent flicks that Art Lyons has so eloquently praised? I really like these small gems that deliver some suspenseful thrills in slightly more than an hour.
What a shame it is that the "B" film industry ground to a halt. The independent film movement has not been able to completely fill the void created by the demise of double features.
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