The Dark Shadow

There's something slightly unsettling about getting out of work early and then having lots of free time on your hands... The upside to this fortunate predicament I found myself in was that I watched The Dark Shadow from start to finish without interruption. My two favorite things about film noir from the 1930s-50s are the dialogue ("tough-guys, wise-guys, dolls and babes") and the set furnishings. Having lived in old, urban housing for the majority of my life, there's something intriguing about seeing apartments that look similar to ones I've lived in - complete with still remaining light fixtures, door moldings and sinks.

Lucille Ball is very good in her role of Kathleen and without her the film would be pretty average. She's a little bit girly (this is 1946 after all) but with a fair dose of sarcasm. She's not comedic - which is fine by me because I never liked I Love Lucy. One thing that I wonder though...did skyscrapers back then really have regular windows that opened up - and that you could push a person out of? I guess in the pre-air conditioning era you would want the circulation and simply hope that people would be smart enough to not get too close...