ASK EDDIE - April 16, 2026

FNF prez Eddie Muller responds to film noir fan questions fielded by the Foundation's Director of Communications Anne Hockens. In this edition, we discuss “Caged” (1950),”Who Killed Teddy Bear?” (1965), which noir actors had the broadest range, collectors of stolen film prints, and more. Eddie is also asked to explain what makes a great movie. The lightning round returns and we wrap up the show with “Latest Viewing”. On the cat front, Bruno wants in on the action. Timestamps and questions below: 0:05 Noir City Hollywood and the TCM Film Festival schedule 6:16 Q1: Does "Caged" fit the definition of film noir? 12:38 Q2: How was "Who Killed Teddy Bear" shown in 1965 theaters? 19:37 Q3: Why wasn't "I Want to Live!" programmed for the Face the Music theme? 21:32 Q4: Are there any actresses who would have made great femmes fatales? 30:30 Q5: Why didn't Ellen Drew have a better career? 33:50 Q6: Which noir actors excelled in a broad range of roles? 39:46 Time for the lightning round! 39:54 Q7a: Does the portrait of Gene Tierney from "Laura" still exist? 41:48 Q7b: Thoughts on the B&W extended version of "Nightmare Alley"? 44:57 Q7c: What is the deal with the slide-whistle sound in "D.O.A."? 48:12 Q7d: Which classic noir has the longest running time? 50:55 Q8: Discussing the underground circuit of stolen film prints 1:01:17 Q9: Should "Dear Murderer" be an honorary film noir? 1:04:16 Q10: Thoughts on the neo-noir "Red Rock West" 1:08:12 Q11: What elements make up a great movie? 1:12:59 Latest Viewing: Anne discusses the Italian giallo "The Final Scoop" 1:16:18 Latest Viewing: Anne discusses the French noir "Back Against the Wall" 1:19:34 Wrap-up and scheduling for the next episode before the TCM Festival This week’s questions: 1. Not sure that “Caged” fits your definition of noir based on your previous writings. Thoughts? —Terry 2. How was the sensationalistic “Who Killed Teddy Bear” ever shown in theaters in 1965? —Susan in Fresno 3. It seems like “I Want to Live!” would have been a great fit for this year’s NOIR CITY Face the Music! theme. Why didn’t your program it? —Bob, San Francisco 4. Are there any actresses who would have made great femme fatales? —Bonnie from Cave Creek, AZ 5. Why didn’t Ellen Drew didn't have a better career? —Bob, Plymouth, Michigan 6. Which noir actors excelled in a broad range of roles? —Joe from Suffolk County, NY 7. Time for the lightning round! a. Do you know if the portrait of Gene Tierney from “Laura” still exists? —Andrew from Clayton, North Carolina b. Have you seen the extended, black and white version of Del Torro’s “Nightmare Alley? —Diego c. What's with the crazy slide-whistle thing on the soundtrack of “D.O.A.” ? Will we ever get a restoration of the film? —Bob G d. Which noir has the longest run time? —Ted 8. Are you aware of the underground collector’s circuit of stolen film prints? —David, Carmel Valley 9. Should “Dear Murderer” become an honorary film noir, with a decent restoration to boot? —Mike, York, England 10. Any thoughts about “Red Rock West”? —Alan, San Anselmo 11. What makes up a great movie? —Terry A list of all the films discussed in this episode will be available on Anne’s Letterboxd account: https://letterboxd.com/audiedan/list/... Want your question answered in a future episode? We solicit questions from our email subscribers in our monthly newsletters. Sign up for free at bit.ly/4hu2qU0 Contribute here to support our restoration efforts: bit.ly/4ntPDCr Everyone who signs up on our email list and contributes $20 receives the digital version of NOIR CITY Magazine for a year.