By: Jenny Castro
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 5/15/25
Take a deep dive into classic film noir and the alluring women who defined the genre with Eddie Muller, host of Turner Classic Movies’ Noir Alley and founder of the Film Noir Foundation. Originally published in 2001, “Dark City Dames,” new and expanded edition offers updated photos, stories, plus new profiles on 10 additional actresses who made their mark on the genre. Typically consisting of black and white stylish films with cynical and enticing criminal storylines, film noir has endured through the years and is notable for capturing and introducing the archetype “femme fatale” on screen. In “Dark City Dames,” Muller explores this classic era of film, and takes an intimate look into the personal and professional lives of Jane Greer, Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage. Amazingly, Muller spent a considerable amount of time with each actress before their passing over 20 years ago and incorporated their interviews and conversations into the book. In addition to this star-studded list, Muller includes profiles on actresses Claire Trevor, Joan Bennett, Jan Sterling plus Rhonda Fleming and more differentiating itself from the original.
Released in April and featuring a stunning Marie Windsor on the front cover, “Dark City Dames,” perfectly captures the era and aesthetic of classic film noir timelessly. A lover of the genre since a teenager, Muller reflects back on when his interest began, “In my early teens, I wasn’t a good student so I found ways to cut school a lot,” he said. Adding, “And I would watch “Dialing for Dollars” on television in the afternoons, and that’s where I saw a lot of these movies for the first time and they really connected with me. Especially if the movies were set in San Francisco where I grew up because I was fascinated by seeing this other world in black and white. It was like a discovery seeing these things, and I still use movies that way to kind of explore history, places, and environments that are captured in film that then vanish. Growing up in San Francisco in the late 60s with the summer of love and hippie movement it was very pop art and colorful and this was so different, and I loved it.”
Eventually becoming a journalist, host, and author, Muller says out of all his published work he is most proud of ‘Dark City Dames,” due to the personal connection he has to it. Further adding, “The book is a work of journalism and interacting with your subjects,” he explains. “And so, there were challenges to it, and I really enjoyed what I learned along the way and felt like I was a different person having written the book and work out as well as it did. I’m very proud of the fact that these women trusted me to tell their stories, and in the end, I had no friction and they were very happy,” he said. Due to trust built between Muller and the actresses, the women were unable to read the book until it was published. “I made a deal with all of them, and that’s tough as a lot of people would not agree to that. But they wanted the recognition and the appreciation, so they took the risk of “let’s just see how this goes,” and it’s very gratifying to me that in the end they were very pleased,” he said.
In 1999, Muller had the opportunity to personally meet with all of the actresses who then participated in his very first film noir festival in Los Angeles. All but Jane Greer was able to attend the festival, but the idea for the book grew from this experience, “One of the great creative experiences of my life,” Muller noted.
In his own admission, Muller recounted how Jane Greer, Marie Windsor, and Ann Savage had some of the toughest stories to tell. Reflecting further, he explains, “Jane didn’t want people to know that she had this massive scar on her body and that she was so damaged. She didn’t think the world needed to know that, but when we started talking, she just said “How can I tell you the story of my life without telling you this?” And she did. She was good with it as was her family.”
In the book, Muller also goes into detail about Greer’s complicated and tumultuous relationship with RKO studio head Howard Hughes and his control over the actress. Muller also speaks of her chemistry with co-star and leading man Robert Mitchum in 1947’s “Out of the Past,” considered one of the best film noirs ever made. Other films Muller discusses includes “The Narrow Margin,” from 1952 with Marie Windsor, “Johnny O’Clock” from 1947 with Dick Powell and Evelyn Keyes, “Born to Kill,” with Lawrence Tierney and Claire Trevor, and “The Long Wait,” from 1954 with Anthony Quinn and Peggie Castle amongst others.
As for the choice of Marie Windsor for the front cover, there was some intention with a bit of sentimental purpose for Muller, elaborating further he explains, “Marie got a little short changed in the whole experience because she passed away before the original book came out. She was the first one to pass away, and we did a book signing in Hollywood when the first edition came out and all the women participated except her (Marie passed a month earlier), so that was in my mind in a way that I’d like to pay tribute to Marie by putting her on the front of this edition.” A fascinating read for anyone who appreciates or loves classic Hollywood, “Dark City Dames,” is full of riveting stories and takes you back to an era of elegance and raw talent. Featuring beautiful photos and film posters, readers will absolutely enjoy the backstories and profiles on each actress.
Catch Eddie Muller at his next stop for the Noir City Film Festival with upcoming dates in Portland, Chicago, and Detroit. More information here.
Published by Running Press, find “Dark City Dames” here.
Available on Amazon.
Eddie Muller’s Official Website.
