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Eddie Muller | |
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 Muller in 2006 | |
| Born | 1959 (age 64–65) [1] San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | San Francisco Art Institute |
| Spouse | Kathleen Maria Milne [2] |
Eddie Muller (born 1959) is an American author and the founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation. He is known for his books about the film noir genre, and is the host of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. [3] He is known by his moniker: the "Czar of Noir". [4]
Muller was born in San Francisco, California to Edward John Vojkovich [5] (renamed Edward Muller, 1907–1982), a boxing sports writer, and Rose Muller (1915–2017). [6] He has three siblings: Bruce, Dean and Deborah. The elder Muller began working for San Francisco Examiner in 1924, as a copy boy. In 1930, he became a sports writer covering West Coast boxing fights in his column "Shadow Boxing". He earned the moniker "Mr. Boxer". He retired from the Examiner in 1976, and died of a heart attack on December 3, 1982. [7] [8]
During the late 1970s, Muller studied at the San Francisco Art Institute. There, he took a "narrative filmmaking" class taught by filmmaker George Kuchar, and filmed a 16 mm student film titled Bay City Blues, homaging the work of Raymond Chandler. It became one of five finalists for the 1979 Student Academy Award. Muller also starred in Kuchar's film Symphony for a Sinner (1979). [2] [9] Meanwhile, he worked as a professional bartender in his hometown. [10]
In 1998, Muller wrote Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, published by St. Martin's Press. [11] It was nominated for the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work from the Mystery Writers of America. [1] In 2001, Muller published a follow-up book titled Dark City Dames, chronicling six Hollywood actresses—Marie Windsor, Audrey Totter, Jane Greer, Ann Savage, Evelyn Keyes and Coleen Gray—who notably portrayed femme fatales . [12] In 2005, Muller co-authored the memoir Tab Hunter Confidential with the actor, following a two-year collaboration. The project originated after Hunter had read Muller's profile of his friend Evelyn Keyes in Dark City Dames. Amazed at his precision, Hunter called him asking if he would be interested in co-writing his memoir, which Muller agreed. [13] The book inspired a 2015 documentary film of the same name.
In 2002, Muller published his debut fictional novel, The Distance. Inspired by his father's sports writing career, the novel tells of Billy Nichols, who writes a boxing column for the San Francisco Inquirer. One night, Hack Escalante, a rising boxing star, kills his manager in a fit of rage, to which Billy helps to shield Hack from justice. [14] [15] It won the 2003 Shamus Award for the Best First P. I. Novel, from the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA). [16] In 2003, Muller wrote a sequel titled Shadow Boxer, in which Billy is enlisted to help a woman to clear her husband of a murder charge. Meanwhile, Billy investigates the case of a friend who was hurt by a liquor truck. [1]
In 2023, Muller published a cocktail recipe book titled Noir Bar, pairing 50 different noir films with each unique cocktail. [10] That same year, he co-authored his first picture book, Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey, with Jessica Schmidt. The Running Press publishing company had approached Muller to write a children's noir book. He previously had written a children's story about a girl rescuing a stray cat, but it was turned down by publishers due to Muller's background in noir. [17]
In 1998, Muller was asked by the American Cinematheque to program their annual Festival of Film Noir, inspired by his book Dark City. [4] It was initially hosted at the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. In 2002, the festival, which was renamed "Noir City", migrated northward to San Francisco, finding a new location at the Castro Theater. It became financially successful, and launched satellite festivals in Chicago, Austin, Detroit, Boston, Washington D.C., and Seattle. [18] In 2020, Muller remembered, "We were ... well quite honestly, we were making so much money at the festival that I was like, 'I gotta do something with this.' I would ask for certain films [from studios] and be told [they] don't have a print. Films were missing, so that's why I elected to use the proceeds from this festival to start the foundation." [18]
In 2005, Muller founded the Film Noir Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to educate on the "cultural, historical, and artistic significance of film noir as an international cinematic movement." [19] [20] By 2020, the Noir Foundation has restored numerous films, including Too Late for Tears (1949), Woman on the Run (1950), and The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950). [21]
Muller had first met Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne at his annual Classic Film Festival in Athens, Georgia, which was intended to raise financing for the Arts Department at the University of Georgia. [22] Charlie Tabesh, vice president of network programming, had noticed the popularity of their noir programming during their live events, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival and the Classic Cruise. Shortly after, Tabesh offered Muller with a non-exclusive contract to present film noir programming on the network. [22] In January 2013, Muller co-hosted a four-film marathon block titled "Night in Noir City," with Osborne. The featured films included Cry Danger (1951), 99 River Street (1953), Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951), and The Breaking Point (1950). [23] In June of the same year, he hosted the network's "Friday Night Spotlight", highlighting 16 noir films with adapted stories from Dashiell Hammett, David Goodis, James M. Cain, Jonathan Latimer, Cornell Woolrich, and Raymond Chandler. [24]
In January 2014, Muller stated he had been hired as an on-air host during his annual "Noir City" festival. [25] A year later, from June 5 to July 24, 2015, he hosted a Summer of Darkness festival block, which aired 24 hours of noir films on Fridays. Most notably, it premiered newly-restored editions of Woman on the Run (1950) and Too Late for Tears (1949), with restoration work funded by the Film Noir Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. [26] In conjunction, he also taught a free online course of the same name (with Prof. Richard Edwards of Ball State University). [27]
In March 2017, Muller began hosting a film noir programming block titled Noir Alley, with The Maltese Falcon (1941) as its first broadcast. [28] [29] As of 2024, it broadcasts on Saturday nights and repeats on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Muller is married to Kathleen Marie Milne. [1] [2] He lives in Alameda, California. [30]
Stranger on the Third Floor is a 1940 American film noir directed by Boris Ingster and starring Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, and Charles Waldron, and featuring Elisha Cook Jr. It was written by Frank Partos. Modern research has shown that Nathanael West wrote the final version of the screenplay, but was uncredited.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atlanta, Georgia.
Dead Reckoning is a 1947 American film noir directed by John Cromwell and starring Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky, and William Prince. It was written by Steve Fisher and Oliver H.P. Garrett, based on a story by Gerald Drayson Adams and Sidney Biddell, adapted by Allen Rivkin. Its plot follows a war hero, Warren Murdock (Bogart) who begins investigating the death of his friend and fellow soldier, Johnny Drake (Prince). The investigation leads Murdock to his friend's mistress, a mysterious woman whose husband Drake was accused of murdering.
Repeat Performance is a 1947 American film noir starring Louis Hayward and Joan Leslie. The film was released by Eagle-Lion Films, directed by Alfred L. Werker, and produced by Aubrey Schenck.
The Sound of Fury is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Cy Endfield and starring Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, Richard Carlson. The film is based on the 1947 novel The Condemned by Jo Pagano, who also wrote the screenplay.
99 River Street is a 1953 film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes. It also features Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. The screenplay is by Robert Smith, based on a short story by George Zuckerman. The film was produced by Edward Small, with cinematography by Franz Planer.
Robert Jolin Osborne was an American film historian, television presenter, author, actor and the primary host for more than 20 years of the cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Prior to hosting at TCM, Osborne had been a host on The Movie Channel, and earlier, a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter. Osborne wrote the official history of the Academy Awards, published in 1988.
Benjamin Frederick Mankiewicz is an American television personality, progressive political commentator, and film critic. He is a host on Turner Classic Movies and has been a commentator on The Young Turks and What the Flick?!
Julie is a 1956 American thriller starring Doris Day, Louis Jourdan, Barry Sullivan, and Frank Lovejoy. Produced by Day's own Arwin Productions, it is one of the earliest recognized stalker films. Both written and directed by Andrew L. Stone, the picture received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Original Screenplay and Best Song.
Experiment in Terror is a 1962 American neo-noir thriller film released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Blake Edwards and written by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon based on their 1961 novel Operation Terror. The film stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin. The musical score was composed by Henry Mancini.
Blast of Silence is a 1961 American neo-noir film written, directed by, and starring Allen Baron, with Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, and Peter H. Clune in supporting roles. Set during Christmastime, it follows a hitman who returns to his native New York City to commit a murder for hire. It was produced by Merrill Brody, who was also the cinematographer.
The Clay Pigeon is a 1949 American film noir directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Carl Foreman, based on a true story. The drama features Bill Williams and Barbara Hale, a real-life husband and wife.
David Winters was an English-born American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, distributor, director and screenwriter. At a young age, he acted in film and television projects such as Lux Video Theatre,Naked City; Mister Peepers,Rock, Rock, Rock, and Roogie's Bump. He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). In the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961) he was one of the few to be re-cast. It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Two O'Clock Courage is a 1945 American film noir directed by Anthony Mann and written by Robert E. Kent, based on a novel by Gelett Burgess. The drama features Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. It is a remake of Two in the Dark (1936).
Scene of the Crime is a 1949 American film noir directed by Roy Rowland, starring Van Johnson, and featuring Gloria DeHaven, Arlene Dahl, and Tom Drake. The film's screenplay, by Charles Schnee, is based on a non-fiction article by John Bartlow Martin, "Smashing the Bookie Gang Marauders". It was the only property sold by Martin to be made into a film. Scene of the Crime was producer Harry Rapf's last film of his thirty-plus year career; he died of a heart attack a week after principal photography for the film began.
Walk a Crooked Mile is a 1948 America anti-communist, Cold War crime film, directed by Gordon Douglas, starring Dennis O'Keefe and Louis Hayward.
Matthew Kennedy is an American writer, film historian, and anthropologist.
The Argyle Secrets is a 1948 American film noir mystery thriller written and directed by Cy Endfield and starring William Gargan and Marjorie Lord. It was based on a half-hour radio play by Endfield, originally heard on CBS's Suspense. The film was made for the micro-budget of $100,000 and shot in eight days.
Hunt the Man Down is a 1951 American crime film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Gig Young.
Alan K. Rode is an American film scholar and preservationist, cinema host and producer. He is best known for his books, Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy and Blood on the Moon.
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