Noir Nook: Top 10 Favorite Bad Boys – Part 1

Noir Nook: Top 10 Most Popular Bad Boys – Part 1

The days are getting longer, the flowers are starting to bud… and it’s a great time for a list! (No, it does not exist real connection, but still – what a great time for a list am I right?)

This month’s Noir Nook takes a look at some of my favorite bad boys. The deadly femmes are no strangers to the spotlight, so I thought it was time to agree with the deadly hunks (if you will). Let me know if some of the guys you like to hate made the list!

Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark): kiss of death (1947)

When petty criminal Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) is caught after a botched heist, he refuses to throw a dime at his buddies and goes to jail, leaving his wife and two little girls behind. But he doesn’t hesitate to condemn his buddies after his wife commits suicide and his daughters end up in an orphanage. Bianco is later released on the condition that he continues to cooperate with the authorities as a “pointed dove” – ​​but after remarrying and settling down with his new family, he finds they are in danger when one of the guys Bianco is them targets fingered: Tommy Udo.

Udo is an undeniable psychopath; this is the guy who famously ties an invalid to her wheelchair and sends her hurtling down a flight of stairs while he prepares to end her life. There’s not a single scene with this character that doesn’t leave you more than a little uncomfortable – and grateful that you’re not the one sitting across from him.

favorite quote: “You know what I do with squeakers? I put it in their stomachs. So they can roll around and think about it for a long time.”

– Richard Widmark as Tommy Udo

Mr. Brown (Richard Conte): The big station wagon (1955)

Police detective Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) is obsessed with catching the local boss, Mr. Brown, whom he suspects of murder. In addition to being obsessed with bringing Brown to justice, Diamond also has eyes for Brown’s girlfriend, Susan Lowell (Wilde’s then-wife Jean Wallace). Brown seems untouchable, but as authorities close in, he proves that no one is expendable in his determination to stay free.

Brown is cooler than the other side of the pillow – and heartless as a rock. He treats his right hand man (Brian Donlevy) with contempt and his henchmen (Earl Holliman and Lee Van Cleef) as disposable tools. His only weakness seems to be Susan, but don’t let that fool you. To Mr. Brown, Susan is just a trophy – something he owns and is dying to keep.

favorite quote: “Joe, tell the man I’ll break him so fast he won’t have time to change his pants. Tell him the next time I see him, he’ll be in the hotel lobby crying like a baby and asking for a $10 loan. Tell him that. And tell him I won’t break my word.”

– Richard Conte as Mr. Brown

Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney): Born to Kill (1947)

Aptly named Sam Wild, Sam Wild commits a double homicide in Reno after finding his temporary girlfriend (Isabel Jewell) on a date with another guy, then heads to San Francisco (on the advice of his wise and loyal besties). girlfriend, played by Elisha Cook, Jr.). Along the way, he meets and falls in love with newly divorced Helen Trent (Claire Trevor). What he doesn’t know is that Helen discovered the bodies. And what he soon finds out is that Helen doesn’t care that he’s the killer. But she will.

This Sam Wild is a scary but fascinating guy. He’s the type who doesn’t shy away from murder, but he’s also an ambitious social climber who marries Helen’s wealthy foster sister (Audrey Long) and then insists on taking over the family’s newspaper business. This is a guy who wants to be someone.

favorite quote: “Not only will we be rolling in dough, but marrying into this crowd will set it up so I can… spit in everyone’s eyes.”

– Lawrence Tierney as Sam Wild

Lester Blaine (Jack Palance): sudden fear (1952)

After an unlikely sweet encounter (which really isn’t that sweet) and a whirlwind romance, playwright and heiress Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) marries actor Lester Blaine and settles down with her new husband to live a life of love and luxury . She wasn’t expecting a little wrench in the form of Lester’s former lover, Irene Neves (Gloria Grahame). And when Lester and Irene get their heads together, it means murder for a smitten Myra.

I find Blaine a particularly unlikable character who is as see-through as a pane of glass. His charm and apparent devotion to Myra cannot be denied, but I can’t say I was genuinely shocked to learn that his wife’s main attraction was her bank account. I wasn’t surprised either when he proved that he would do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) to get his hands on it.

favorite quote: “I have to think fast. Must think of a nice, foolproof little accident.”

– Jack Palance as Lester Blaine

Emmet MyersWilliam Talman The hitchhiker (1953)

Two buddies, Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen (Edmund O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy), who go on a weekend fishing trip, get more than they bargained for when they hitch a ride at the side of the road. It turns out that her passenger is Emmet Myers, who recently escaped from prison, is in the middle of a killing spree and has no qualms about adding Collins and Bowen to his list.

Myers is the kind of hitman who leaves you feeling utterly defeated; he’s endowed with a scary face and a demeanor that makes it clear he cares less about your life than a stray rock on the freeway. But worst of all, he has a special affliction that allows him to literally sleep with one eye open. what chance do you have

favorite quote: “Nobody has ever given me anything. So I don’t owe anyone anything. My people were tough. When I was born they took one look at my kitty and told me to fuck off. Well I didn’t need them. I didn’t need any of them. Got what I wanted my way.”

– William Talman as Emmet Myers

Next month, Noir Nook will feature the second half of my Top 10 Bad Boys. Hope you join me!

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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the author of the Shadows and Satin blog, which focuses on films and performers from the film noir and pre-Code eras, and is the editor-in-chief of The Dark Sides, a bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to film noir. Karen is also the author of two books on film noir – Femme Noir: The Bad Girls of Film And Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @TheDarkPages.
If you are interested in learning more about Karen’s books, you can read more about them on Amazon here: