A while back, we did a piece isolating some of the best, most biting dialogue from the world of film noir, that dark, often hidden underbelly of society portrayed in movies from the forties and fifties where no one can be trusted and everyone talks wise.
You all seemed to like the piece so much we thought we’d give you another installment.
So load your gat, don your trench coat, and join us once more in the drizzly, treacherous world of noir.
Movie: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Tough talker: Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart)
Tough talk: “We didn’t exactly believe your story, Miss O’Shaughnessy. We believed your two hundred dollars. I mean, you paid us more than if you’d been telling us the truth, and enough more to make it all right.”
Movie: Detour (1945)
Tough Talker: Al Roberts (Tom Neal)
Tough Talk: “That’s life. Whichever way you turn, fate sticks out a foot to trip you.”
Movie: Kiss Of Death (1947)
Tough Talker: Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark)
Tough Talk: “I wouldn’t give you the skin off a grape.”
Movie: Out Of The Past (1947)
Tough Talker: Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum)
Tough Talk: “I sell gasoline. I make a small profit. With that I buy groceries. The grocer makes a profit. We call it earning a living. You may have heard of it.”
Movie: Raw Deal (1948)
Tough Talker: Joe Sullivan (Dennis O’Keefe)
Tough Talk: “What do you know about anything? You probably had your bread buttered on both sides since the day you were born.”
Movie: The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Tough Talker: Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern)
Tough Talk: “After all, crime is only…a left-handed form of human endeavor.”
Movie: DOA (1950)
Tough Talker: Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton)
Tough Talk: “You’re just like other men, only more so.”
Movie: Kansas City Confidential (1952)
Tough Talker: Joe Rolfe (John Payne)
Tough Talk: "Look, you’re a nice girl, but in case you’re thinking of mothering me, forget it! I’m no stray dog you can pick up, and I like my neck without a collar!”
Movie: The Narrow Margin (1952)
Tough Talker: Detective Sergeant Walter Brown (Charles McGraw)
Tough Talk: “Sister, I’ve known some pretty hard cases in my time; you make ‘em all look like putty.”
Movie: The Big Heat (1953)
Tough Talker: Debby Marsh (Gloria Grahame)
Tough Talk: “Well, you’re about as romantic as a pair of handcuffs.”
Movie: The Big Combo (1955)
Tough Talker: A bitter, unlucky lady named Rita (Helene Stanton)
Tough Talk: “A woman doesn’t care how a guy makes a living, just how he makes love.”
Movie: Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Tough Talker: Lily Carver (Gaby Rodgers)
Tough Talk: “Kiss me, Mike. I want you to kiss me. The liar’s kiss that says I love you and means something else.”
