In this revised and expanded edition of his essential volume Dark City Dames , Eddie Muller--Turner Classic Movies host and author of Dark City and Noir Bar --offers a uniquely intimate look at the women who defined film noir, now featuring updated text, photos, and 10 new star profiles. Film noir was the dark side of the movies' happily-ever-after mythology. Sinister and sexy, it forged a new icon: the tough, independent dame. Determined, desirable, dangerous when cornered, she could handle trouble--or deal out some of her own. If you thought these women were something special onscreen, wait until you meet the genuine articles. In Dark City Dames , acclaimed film historian Eddie Muller takes readers into the world of six women who made a lasting impression in this cinematic terrain--from veteran "bad girls" Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, and Jane Greer to unexpected genre fixtures Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage. The book provides in-depth surveys of the lives of these formidable women during the height of their careers circa 1950, as they balanced love and career, struggled against typecasting, and sought fulfillment in a ruthless business. Their personal stories--teeming with larger-than-life characters like Howard Hughes, Louis B.

Mayer, Robert Mitchum, Otto Preminger, and John Huston--offer a fascinating counterpoint to their movies. Then Dark City Dames revisits each one of these women fifty years later, to witness their hard-won--and triumphant--survival. On every page their own voices ring through, reflecting on their lives with as much passion, pain, intelligence, energy, and humor as any movie script. Dark City Dames re-creates the excitement and glamour of these gifted performers who lived out their youthful fantasies--and, along the way, remade the image of the American woman. Muller conducted far-ranging interviews with the original six women profiled in Dark City Dames and in the process became a dear friend and confidante to each. In this revised and expanded edition, he updates the women's stories and shares illuminating, never-before-told memories of his time with them. Additionally, this edition includes ten absorbing new mini-chapters on more women who made an indelible mark on film noir, including Joan Bennett, Gail Russell, Rhonda Fleming, and Claire Trevor. All of this is packaged in a stunning redesign featuring newly restored photography to create the ultimate look at stars who defined a still-resonant and inspiring arena of Hollywood history.