Monday, November 29 - Man with a Gun

Man with a Gun (1958)

A £20,000 insurance claim is lodged by nightclub owner Harry Drayson (John Le Mesurier) after one of his premises is destroyed by fire. Claims investigator Mike Davies (Lee Paterson) is sent to make sure everything is above board before his company will pay out.

However, Davies soon learns that Drayson is being targeted by a Southampton crime lord known as Furlono who wants to buy the Stardust Club from Drayton so that he can muscle in on London's crime scene.

Davies dates his niece, Stella Rogers (Rona Anderson), who confides in him that she has suspected this for a long time. Taking a liking to Stella and her uncle, Davies agrees to hunt the mysterious Furlono down - nobody, it seems has ever seen him and his identity is a closely guarded secret.

Sunday, November 28 - The Asphalt Jungle

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.

Saturday, November 27 - Night After Night After Night

Night After Night After Night (1969)

There's a sadist killer at large in London, targeting attractive blond women between the ages 20 and 30. When Jenny, the wife of detective in charge Bill Rowan, becomes one of the victims, the grieving husband becomes obsessed with finding the culprit. He has a suspect but no evidence, and the more murders are being committed, the more it seems like Detective Rowan has a personal grudge against his suspect. Then there's also the even more fascinating sub plot of an extremely puritan judge – sort of like a modern day version of Witchfinder General, as described by one of the characters – who condemns every prostitute to a maximum penalty and considers himself to be on a one-man crusade to rid society of the cancer called sex. Ironically enough, he has an assistant who's a sex- addict and reads pornographic magazines in court...

Friday, November 26 - Turn Back the Clock

Turn Back the Clock (1933)

Joe and Mary run a tobacco store and are just scraping by. When old friend Ted comes into the store, they renew their friendship, even though Ted is now wealthy and married to Elvira, whom Joe could have married himself, and become the rich one. After a domestic squabble Joe is hit by a car, and when he wakes up he is 20 years younger and can rectify his error and marry Elvina and her money. He does, relives his life as a wealthy man who still remembers his 'other' life, and what happened during those years. In the end he realizes that he isn't as happy as he was formerly, and things come to a head when his 'new' life catches up with his old one.

Thursday, November 25 - Ring of Spies

Shadow of Treason - Original title: Ring of Spies (1964)

Henry Houghton (Bernard Lee) is a navy clerk who loathes his work and feels that his life lacks luster. So when a secret agent (William Sylvester) asks him to steal military secrets in exchange for a hefty fee, Houghton agrees. Before long, the newly minted spy is seducing a high-ranking secretary (Margaret Tyzack) to solicit classified files. This thrill-seeking couple relish their ill-gotten gains until the British government begins to close in.

Wednesday, November 24 - A Covenant with Death

A Covenant with Death (1967)

A convicted murderer kills his hangman. Then it is discovered that he actually didn't commit the murder he was convicted for.

A handsome Latino judge in a USA border town in the 1920s navigates two different cultures, not quite fitting into either, while trying to woo two different women in unconventional ways for either culture, to oversee an execution and, later, to officiate a murder trial.

Tuesday, November 23 - Never Let Go

Never Let Go (1960)

John Cummings, an unsuccessful cosmetics salesman, has his unpaid-for car stolen by one of the hoods in the employ of Lionel Meadows, the sadistic organizer of a London car conversion racket. The car was not insured, and since the police appear indifferent to his plight, Cummings decides to find it himself – and gets himself involved in an underworld battle.

Monday, November 22 - The Puzzle of the Red Orchid

Secret of the Red Orchid - Original title: Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee (1962)

Several rich people are murdered in London, and the murders are somehow connected with a gang of blackmailers. Since the crimes seem like the work of Chicago mobsters, American FBI Captain Allermann (Christopher Lee) comes to London to help the investigating Scotland Yard Inspector Weston (Adrian Hoven).

Sunday, November 21 - Mirage (1965)

Mirage (1965)

After a blackout in his office building, accountant David Stillwell (Gregory Peck) finds he can't remember the past two years of his life. Discovering that a rich humanitarian died after falling from the same building, and that there are shady gunmen out to get him, Stillwell must piece together the missing memories of his life. Enlisting the help of a rookie private eye (Walter Matthau) and a reluctant old flame (Diane Baker), Stillwell uncovers the mystery detail by unexpected detail.

Saturday, November 20 - Crossroads

Crossroads (1942)

An amnesiac French diplomat is blackmailed for crimes that he may or may not have committed before he lost his memory.

Friday, November 19 - The Mind of Mr. Soames

The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)

A 30-year-old man, who has been in a coma since birth, is finally restored to consciousness by a breakthrough brain operation. Although physically an adult, the man is 'reborn' in the eye of an infant; and the doctors caring for him must teach him to walk, talk and prepare for life in the outside world. Tension builds as he escapes from the hospital, wanders among people who do not realize his identity, and is hunted by the police.

Thursday, November 18 - The Naked Edge

The Naked Edge (1961)

When the film begins, George Radcliffe (Gary Cooper) is in court testifying in a murder case. Another man is subsequently convicted of the murder and the story jumps ahead several years. Now Radcliffe is rich and successful...and his wife receives an anonymous blackmail letter from a mail pouch that had been lost during a robbery several years earlier. The note would seem to indicate that George was the real murderer!

But she just can't make things add up, wavering between an increasing suspicion of her husband's possibly having committed an heinous murder while at the same time refusing to believe it could be true.

Wednesday, November 17 - The Wind of Change & The Traitors

The Wind of Change (1961)

Frank (Briggs) is an unemployed, discontented and rebellious teenage Teddy Boy, living at home with his mild-mannered father (Pleasence), domineering mother (Hilda Fenemore) and sister Josie (Lynn). Frank harbours a deep-seated resentment and hatred towards the black people he sees as flooding Notting Hill and taking all the jobs. He spends his time hanging around with a gang of similar youths who all share his racist views.

After an evening spent wandering round the local coffee bars, the gang go looking for trouble and decide to beat up a black youth for kicks. They are inflamed to see a black boy accompanied by a white girl, and they chase them through the dark streets before cornering them and launching a vicious assault on the couple using fists, feet, knives and bicycle chains. The boy is so brutally beaten that he later dies from his injuries in hospital, and the girl is stabbed during the melee. Frank is horrified when he realises that the injured girl is his sister.

As a police investigation begins, Frank's family are shocked by his involvement and try to discover why he feels the way he does. Josie in particular challenges his racist views and involvement in a gang culture of mindless violence towards those who have done him no harm.

The Traitors (1962)

A British agent and an American from NATO co-operate in an attempt to smash a communist spy ring. Following the discovery of a top secret microfilm after a plane crash, the two become embroiled in a complex web of treachery and double agents, before finally bringing the enemy spies to justice.

Tuesday, November 16 - Johnny Staccato: Viva, Paco! & Evil

Johnny Staccato - Viva, Paco! (Season 1 Episode 6 aired Oct 22, 1959)

When a racketeer calls Johnny's friend a cowardly, womanizing Puerto Rican, Johnny goes to Spanish Harlem to prove Paco hasn't bailed on his community and biggest boxing match of his life.

Johnny Staccato - Evil (Season 1 Episode 7 aired Oct 29, 1959)

Johnny investigates the popular new preacher at the mission who's taken the life savings of at least one elderly local woman.

Monday, November 15 - Strongroom (1962)

Strongroom (1962)

A trio of criminals pull off a robbery and, on the way out, end up locking two bank employees in a big airtight safe. But when the criminals' plan to release the employees goes wrong, the miscreants need to decide if they figure out a way to get air into the vault or they let the innocent people suffocate to death.

Sunday, November 14 - Screaming Mimi

Screaming Mimi (1958)

In Southern California, while Virginia Wilson is taking an outside beach shower, an escaped madman from a sanitarium arrives. He stabs her dog, attacks her and is shot to death by her stepbrother, Charlie, with a rifle.

After the attack, Virginia is committed to a sanitarium. The psychiatrist falls in love with her. He fakes her death, and they go on the lam. Virginia ends up dancing at El Madhouse night club run by Gypsy Rose Lee. Lee performs "Put the Blame on Mame," the classic noir theme from the 1946 film Gilda.

The traumatized Virginia is suspected of a series of murders. Each victim had purchased a contorted sculpture of a woman called the Screaming Mimi, which was created by her step-brother Charlie who was also responsible for shooting her attacker. It's up to a handsome columnist Bill Sweeny to figure it all out.

Saturday, November 13 - Under My Skin (1950)

Under My Skin (1950)

After expatriate American jockey Danny Arnold double-crosses ruthless gambler Louis Bork, he flees Italy with his adoring son Joe, who isn't aware of his father's lies and corruption. While in France he begins a relationship with a beautiful French nightclub singer and buys a problematic racehorse that no one seems to be able to train. After Joe suggests that the horse has a future as a jumper, Danny converts him to the steeplechase and turns him into a consistent winner. When Bork shows up and tells him he must lose the big race or die, Danny must weigh his life against his son's faith that he has become a man of honor.

Friday, November 12 - Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966)

Eli Kotch is a manipulative conman who seduces his prison psychiatrist in order to gain parole. Utilizing his skill with various accents and disguises, he further seduces a variety of women in order to raise the money he will need to buy the security plans of L.A. Airport bank from a fellow inmate and finance its robbery. Under yet another identity, he also charms and marries beautiful Inger Knudson as she unknowingly helps him in the preparations for the heist. Kotch is able to co-ordinate the robbery with the high-profile arrival of the Russian Premier at the airport as he and his accomplices cleverly tries to utilize the resultant commotion as a diversion.

Thursday, November 11 - The Eddie Cantor Story

The Eddie Cantor Story (1953)

Raised by his grandmother on New York's East Side, 13-year-old Eddie sings while another neighborhood kid, Rocky Kramer, and his gang pick pockets. Eddie is sent by Grandma Esther to a boys' camp, where he entertains the others with his songs and routines.

Ida Tobias, daughter of a local merchant, elopes with Eddie a few years later. Rocky is now a local politician and gets Eddie a job in a nightclub. Eddie tells the family he's the star performer there, but he's actually a singing waiter. But piano player Jimmy Durante helps land him a job in a California show.

A headline performer envious of Eddie's popularity pulls a prank, telling him Flo Ziegfeld wants him for the Follies show in New York. It turns out Ziegfeld has never heard of Eddie when he arrives at the theater, but an audition by Eddie is so good, Ziegfeld does indeed hire him.

Ida gives birth to several children while Eddie becomes a big success. She's upset that his family doesn't seem to come first, and matters are complicated when Eddie's fortune is lost in the 1929 stock-market crash. A heart attack slows Eddie, as well, but he prospers on the radio as his health improves, and soon he is happy at work and at home.

Wednesday, November 10 - The Strange Woman

The Strange Woman (1946)

Isaiah (Gene Lockhart), a 19th-century businessman, has his eye on the beautiful and very young Jenny (Hedy Lamarr). Finally of age, she accepts his marriage proposal, but their love affair quickly turns sour. Ephraim (Louis Hayward), Isaiah's college-age son, comes for a visit, immediately striking up a chemistry with Jenny. She promises marriage -- if he murders his father first. But Jenny also swoons for John (George Sanders), the fiancé of her best friend, Meg (Hillary Brooke).

Tuesday, November 9 - Crack-Up

Crack-Up (1946)

Pat O'Brien is a war veteran and art expert who may just be on the verge of going nuts in "Crack-Up," also starring Claire Trevor, Herbert Marshall, Ray Collins and Wallace Ford. After breaking down the door at the museum where he works and smashing a statue, George Steele (O'Brien) is knocked out. When he comes to, he believes he was in a train wreck. A man on mysterious business at the museum (Marshall) convinces the police (Ford) to release Steele and watch him. Steele investigates matters and begins to undercover some dirty work at the museum...

Monday, November 8 - Naked Fury

The Pleasure Lovers - Original title: Naked Fury (1959)

A girl is held captive by a group of four criminals, who've carried out a large heist, but have no idea what to do with her. The twist being that her father, the Night watchman was coshed by one of the quartet of robbers.

Three of them go back to their usual lives until the boss has arranged safe passage abroad. However complications arise when the wife of one crook wants her husbands share or she will rat him to the police, another wants his share immediately when he learns his son is very ill, and the third is persuaded by a pal to grab all the loot for themselves. They then learn that the nightwatchman has died, and the ships' captain drives a hard bargain to smuggle the gang abroad. And all the time the derelict house is crumbling...

Sunday, November 7 - The Reckless Moment (1949)

The Reckless Moment (1949)

In the charming community of Balboa 50 miles from Los Angeles, middle-class housewife Lucia Harper travels to Los Angeles to meet scoundrel, Ted Darby. Her seventeen year-old daughter Beatrice is in love with Ted. He asks for money to leave Bea, but Lucia refuses to give any. Bea does not believe her mother when told and during the night she sneaks out to the boat garage to meet Ted who admits that Lucia told the truth. Bea pushes him and Ted falls to his on an anchor. The next morning, Lucia finds the body and assumes that Bea has killed her lover. She decides to get rid of the corpse and puts it in her boat and dumps it far from home. When the police find Ted, a stranger, Martin Donnelly, visits Lucia to blackmail her on behalf of his partner, Nagel who has several letters Bea had written to Ted. Donnelly wants $5000 for the letters. The desperate Lucia tries to raise the amount. Martin falls in love with Lucia and tries to help her too. The dangerous Nagel wants to receive the amount at any price.

Saturday, November 6 - Juke Girl

Juke Girl (1942)

Fruit picker Steve Talbot (Ronald Reagan) sides with Greek farmer Nick Garcos (George Tobias) in his feud with packing-plant owner Henry Madden (Gene Lockhart). That causes trouble for him in his small Florida farming town, which Madden rules with an iron fist. Even Steve's buddy Danny Frazier (Richard Whorf) joins with the all-powerful oligarch. Seemingly the only person with the guts to stand up for Talbot is a roadhouse juke girl named Lola Mears (Ann Sheridan).

Friday, November 5 - Slightly Dangerous

Slightly Dangerous (1943)

Peggy is fed up with the monotony of her small-town job. She has just been awarded a certificate for starting work on time for 1000 days. She decides that she needs a change so she leaves a note, which is taken to be suicidal, and heads for New York where she gets a make over. A new outfit, a new look and an freak accident gets her in the paper as a amnesia victim, just because she does not want to be Peggy Evans any more. The paper thinks she may be an heiress so she searches for a few clues from back issues of the paper and finds that Carol Burden was never found. Cornelius Burden, however, has sent dozens of frauds to jail already and she must trick him and Baba to keep out of jail. Next, she must stop her old manager, Bob Stuart, from spilling the beans about her.

Thursday, November 4 - High Tide

High Tide (1987)

Judy Davis stars as a backup singer to an Elvis Presley impersonator, who after being sacked by the imitation Man From Memphis rents a seaside trailer home by sheer chance practically next door to the teenage daughter she abandoned as a baby...

Wednesday, November 3 - Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher (1968)

Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher (1968)

Kicked out of Oxford, Paul Pennyfeather (Robin Phillips) lands a job at a loopy private school staffed by a bunch of oddballs. From there, he lucks into a job teaching the son of the glamorous Margot Beste-Chetwynde (Genevieve Page). Paul woos the mother, but as they are about to marry, she sends him to Tangiers, Morocco, to attend to her business there, which happens to be white slavery. This lands Paul in jail, where he bumps into his strange former associates from the school where he taught.

Tuesday, November 2 - Pin Up Girl (1944)

Pin Up Girl (1944)

Beautiful U.S.O. singer and compulsive liar Lorry Jones (Betty Grable) and her best friend leave Missouri for war jobs in Washington, D.C. Stopping in New York City along the way, Lorry spins a web of lies, turning herself into a Broadway star to gain the company of handsome war hero Tommy Dooley (John Harvey). Jealous club singer Molly McKay (Martha Raye) suspects Lorry's claims are false and hopes to expose her. The situation worsens when Tommy ends up in Washington at Lorry's new office.

Monday, November 1 - Saturday Night Out (1964)

Saturday Night Out (1964)

A trio of merchant seamen and several passengers disembark from their ship when it arrives at the Pool of London and go out for a Saturday night's entertainment in the city of London.

There are some memorable scenes in this film. These include the "boyfriend" who is in a meditative trance, the know-all sailor getting his comeuppance, when he gets ripped off in a clip joint, and Bernard Lee voluntarily writing a cheque for ten pounds after a failed blackmail attempt. All this, and The Searchers playing in a pub, too.

Sunday, October 31 - The Playgirls and the Vampire

The Playgirls and the Vampire - Original title: L'ultima preda del vampiro (1960)

Five show girls, their manager and his assistant end up at a secluded castle when they are forced to take a detour when the road is washed out. At the castle they are warned to stay in their rooms during the night, but one of the girls wanders out and falls to her death. Meanwhile one of the other other girls, who look is exactly like an ancestor, is wooed by the Count who owns the place. She is rightly confused when a more demonic twin of the Count shows up and tries to do her harm.