MAY 23rd & 24th 2026
AT THE HISTORIC
KAUFMAN’S DEPARTMENT STORE BUILDING
1040 Main St. Wheeling
FEATURING
Strangers on a Train (1951). Warner Bros. - United States
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Farley Granger
There are few cinematic psychopaths that rival Bruno Antony. His unsettling charm slinks through the film like a well tailored serpent, destroying the lives of those unlucky enough to fall under his spell. Robert Walker’s performance of Antony is so polished, it is hard to imagine him living a lifestyle that isn’t completely deranged. In true Hitchcock fashion where all things refined tend to unravel quickly, Antony maintains his chilled composure during the mayhem he creates, and his sadism magnifies as he dismantles an unwitting group of “good” people for his amusement.
The Lost Weekend (1945). Paramount Pictures - United States
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Howard da Silva
New York City scribe, Don Birnam (Ray Milland), has a thirst for rye whiskey that derails his weekend vacation and ultimately threatens his entire existence. As he grapples his demons with a stark city skyline as his backdrop, Birnam stumbles into an illusionary world chock-full of fear. Billy Wilder’s examination of an unrestrained alcoholic is one of the grittiest portrayals of addiction ever conjured. An intriguing detour from Wilder’s well established reputation as a comedic director, he drags us through the seedy pawn shops, taverns, and alleyways alongside a tormented soul, but manages to present us a glimmer of hope by the end.
Gun Crazy (1950). United Artists - United States
Directed by: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Peggy Cummins, John Dall, Berry Kroeger
When marksman Bart Tare (John Dall) meets sharpshooter Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) in a carnival tent, their combined lifelong obsession with guns spawns a cross country robbery spree when their money runs dry. Based on the original story Deadly is the Female by the prolific crime writer, MacKinlay Kantor, this postwar portrayal of boy meets girl devolves into a calvacade of crime.
Fury (1936). MGM - United States
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Sylvia Sidney, Edward Ellis
Wrongfully accused of kidnapping a child in a small town he is traveling through, Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) becomes public enemy number one to a rabid mob of townsfolk hellbent on revenge. At the mercy of an ornery sheriff, his lackey deputy, and provincial gossip, Wilson fights to clear his name from a jail cell with help from his loyal lady, Katherine Grant (Sylvia Sydney), who comes face to face with belligerent locals with torches in hand.
As Frtiz Lang’s first American film, the final version of Fury was not what the director had originally envisioned, but paved his career in the Hollywood studios for several decades. After emigrating to the United States from Germany in the 1930s, his distinctive expressionism influenced filmmaking heavily throughout the mid century.
Niagara (1953). 20th Century Fox - United States
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters
Marilyn Monroe’s depiction of a double-crossing temptress on vacation at Niagara Falls with her distraught and reclusive mate, George Loomis (Joseph Cotten), was a major departure from her typecast as a ditzy comedic blonde. Niagara displays the true range Monroe possessed. Her role as Rose Loomis allowed the actress to inhabit a deeply complex character navigating her life as a woman married to a veteran with PTSD. Her character longs for a life free from instability and constraint, and she takes dramatic steps to escape her confinement.
High and Low (1963). Toho - Japan
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Koyoko Kagawa
Kurosawa’s analysis of a kidnapping ransom in the heart of Midcentury Japan is a flawless portrayal of the intricate nature of a criminal investigation, from the dispatching of detectives to the tailing of the suspect. Prestigious executive Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune) is about to embark on a business deal meant to generate a fortune when he is dragged into a ransom scheme designed by an unrepentant enemy leaving few clues behind. As investigators weave through the city and piece together elements of the crime, an underlying tension is detected as the disparity within the class system becomes more pronounced. High and Low is lesser known example of Akira Kurosawa’s unparalleled filmmaking techniques. Few directors of Film Noir could come close to replicating a movie of this caliber.
Dead End (1937). United Artists - United States
Directed by: William Wyler
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea
In the slums of New York City a convergence of generational culture and class is observed through the eyes of the borough’s street kids. This wayward gang spends most of their time at the edge of the river committing petty crimes and antagonizing the new neighbors, a filthy rich family with a full staff running their waterfront palace. It isn’t until “Baby Face” Martin (Humphrey Bogart) revisits his old stomping grounds that long standing rivalries boil over and ghosts from the past emerge. An old gangster’s reminiscence about the streets he once controlled is bittersweet, and by the end we also hope the scenery never changes too much.
Blood Simple (1984). Circle Films - United States
Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring: Frances McDormand, John Getz, M. Emmet Walsh, Dan Hedaya
Blood Simple is the first feature produced by the Coen Brothers with an indie budget in central Texas. This pulp crime western noir perfectly encapsulates the laborious and foolhardy nature of violent crime. When hot-headed bar owner Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya) gets suspicious of his wife Abby’s (Frances McDormand) daily whereabouts, he enlists the help of seedy private detective (M. Emmet Walsh) to trail her. While Marty understands the strange man he has hired is thoroughly unscrupulous, he underestimates just how dastardly the detective with become to achieve his own ends.