I was thinking about Crossfire, a 1947 film noir with a dream cast (Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan and Gloria Grahame, thank you very much), when a synapse fired in my brain and I finally remembered something I’d always meant to post.
I took down Lee Server’s Robert Mitchum: “Baby, I Don’t Care” from my bookshelf, turned to the chapter about Crossfire, and there it was–a wonderful little “found poem” that Server stumbled across in the screenplay. It’s a list of the film’s settings, compiled for the use of the production department:
Int. Cheap Rooming House
Ext. Police Station
Int. Hotel Washroom
Ext. Park Bench
Int. Hamburger Joint
Int. Moviehouse Balcony
Int. Bar
Int. Ginny’s Bedroom
Int. Street of Cheap Rooming Houses
Has there ever been a pithier summary of what makes film noir noir?