David Goodis: Master of Noir Fiction

In 1947, Humphrey Bogartand wife Lauren Bacall starred in the film adaptation of David Goodis‘s noir novel DARK PASSAGE (1946). The book also served as inspiration for the television series THE FUGITIVE (1963-1967) starring David Janssen.

David Goodis — who never achieved the status of fellow noir writers Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett — has been called “The Poet Laureate of the Bleak.” He died in 1967 at age 49.

With his work often out of print, the prestigious Library of America decided to solidify Goodis’s place as a top noir stylist by in 2012 issuing GOODIS: Five Noir Novels of the 1940s and 50s. The Library of America states as its mission “to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping in print, authoritative editions of America’s best and most significant writing.”

Here’s an example of Goodis‘s prose — the opening passage to his 1947 novel NIGHTFALL:

It was one of those hot, sticky nights that makes Manhattan show its age. There was something dreary and stagnant in the way all this syrupy heat refused to budge. It was anything but a night for labor, and Vanning stood up and walked away from the tilted drawing board. He brushed past a large metal box of water colors, heard the crash as the box hit the floor. That seemed to do it. That ended any inclination he might have had for finishing the job tonight.

Heat came into the room and settled itself on Vanning. He lit a cigarette. He told himself it was time for another drink. Walking to the window, he told himself to get away from the idea of liquor. The heat was stronger than the liquor.”

Humphrey Bogart Gets Caught Reading David Goodis

In 1947, Humphrey Bogart and wife Lauren Bacall starred in the film adaptation of David Goodis‘s noir novel DARK PASSAGE (1946). The book also served as inspiration for the television series THE FUGITIVE (1963-1967) starring David Janssen.

David Goodis — who never achieved the status of fellow noir writers Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett — has been called “The Poet Laureate of the Bleak.” He died in 1967 at age 49.

With his work often out of print, the prestigious Library of America decided to solidify Goodis’s place as a top noir stylist by in 2012 issuing GOODIS: Five Noir Novels of the 1940s and 50s. The Library of America states as its mission “to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping in print, authoritative editions of America’s best and most significant writing.”

Here’s an example of Goodis‘s prose — the opening passage to his 1947 novel NIGHTFALL:

It was one of those hot, sticky nights that makes Manhattan show its age. There was something dreary and stagnant in the way all this syrupy heat refused to budge. It was anything but a night for labor, and Vanning stood up and walked away from the tilted drawing board. He brushed past a large metal box of water colors, heard the crash as the box hit the floor. That seemed to do it. That ended any inclination he might have had for finishing the job tonight.

Heat came into the room and settled itself on Vanning. He lit a cigarette. He told himself it was time for another drink. Walking to the window, he told himself to get away from the idea of liquor. The heat was stronger than the liquor.”

(Untitled), 2009 Film Starring Adam Goldberg

(Untitled), 2009 film

directed by Jonathan Parker

One of the boons from my recent visit to the Glendale Library was borrowing a DVD of (Untitled), a 2009 film about the New York City art world directed by Jonathan Parker and starring Adam Goldberg.

I used to work part-time at an art gallery in Chicago’s trendy Wicker Park neighborhood, so I have greater than average experience with art patrons, art buyers, and artists. (I could tell you some stories! My favorites involve fights that broke out while mounting group shows – artists arguing because they didn’t want their artwork next to another artist’s work, either because it was too bad or too good. But I digress…)

(Untitled) had me laughing out loud – a lot – and I don’t think you need art gallery experience to appreciate the humor in this send-up of the avant garde. Adam Goldberg – whose performances I always enjoy for his weight-of-the-world-on-my-shoulders charm – plays an “atonal/experimental” composer (think John Cage meets Nicholas Cage) whose bucket-kicking, piano-pounding act attracts the attention of an art gallery owner (well played by Marley Shelton) who hires Goldberg to perform at her gallery during art openings. Romance blossoms when Goldberg asks Shelton if he can borrow her crackly plastic skirt to “sample” (not to wear, just to record for his act).

Along the way, the movie manages to skewer rich (but clueless) art collectors, pretentious  art critics, phony art aficionados, and arrogant (even deranged) artists. In short, a good time was had by all – at least by this viewer. (Untitled) is more than a hatchet job of the art scene, it’s a hatched job with heart.

And (Untitled) does have some interesting things to say about art and artists.

When a collector asks the gallery owner the difference between art and entertainment. She replies (in effect): “Entertainment asks questions and answers them. Art just asks questions.” Here, here.

How to Write Groundhog Day, ebook by Danny Rubin

When writing an earlier post about the 1993 movie GROUNDHOG DAY, I learned of a book I’ve always wanted to read — the inside story of this remarkable screenplay — and now I can. In How to Write Groundhog Day (released in 2012) screenwriter Danny Rubin pulls back the curtain on his inspiration for the script, his writing process, and how the screenplay navigated its way through Hollywood to GET MADE. The book includes the original screenplay, notes, scene sketches, and Rubin’s personal tour of the revision process. Find the ebook at Amazon.com.

Halloween in Connecticut

(Photo: Chuck Sanislow, Branford, Connecticut via New York Times)

East Coasters are not only greeting Hurricane Sandy — AKA “Frankenstorm” — with defiance (as mentioned in my previous post), but with humor, as evidenced by the photo that Chuck Sanislow shot in Branford, Connecticut.

This photo called to mind the 1945 movie Christmas in Connecticut, starring Barbara Stanwyk and Dennis Morgan (and remade in 1992 with Dyan Cannon and Kris Kristofferson). The basic plot is about a food writer who fakes her cooking skills, but has to learn fast because she’s selected to create a meal for a local hero.

Considering the speed with which Hollywood turns real-life happenings into movies for the big or small screen, is a Halloween in Connecticut film far behind?