{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (1940) \u2013 Episode 142 \u2013 Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era","description":"\u201cThe only person who ever was kind to me was a woman. She\u2019s dead now.\u201d Wait. What? Join this episode\u2019s Grue-Crew \u2013 Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Jeff Mohr, and guest host Dirk Rogers \u2013 as they witness the brilliance of Peter Lorre highlighted by the dark stylings of cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca in Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 142 \u2013 Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https:\/\/youtube.com\/gruesomemagazine ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https:\/\/classicscifichannel.com\/; https:\/\/classichorrorchannel.com\/; https:\/\/wickedhorrortv.com\/ An aspiring reporter is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a caf\u00e9 owner\u2019s throat and is soon accused of a similar crime himself.   Director: Boris Ingster Writers: Frank Partos (story & screenplay by); Nathanael West (uncredited) Music by: Roy Webb Cinematography by: Nicholas Musuraca Art Direction by: Van Nest Polglase Wardrobe: Reni\u00e9 Special Effects by: Vernon L. Walker (special effects) Selected Cast: Peter Lorre as The Stranger John McGuire as Mike Ward Margaret Tallichet as Jane Charles Waldron as District Attorney Elisha Cook Jr. as Joe Briggs Charles Halton as Albert Meng Ethel Griffies as Mrs. Kane, Michael\u2019s landlady Cliff Clark as Martin Oscar O\u2019Shea as The Judge Alec Craig as Briggs\u2019 Defense Attorney Otto Hoffman as Police Surgeon Emory Parnell as Grilling Detective in Dream Sequence (uncredited) Herb Vigran as Reporter Who Wins Cardgame (uncredited) Bobby Barber as Giuseppe (uncredited) Stranger on the Third Floor inhabits the creepier side of, shall we say horror-adjacent, film noir. In fact, some experts argue that it is the first example of that dark genre, later to be labeled film noir. It\u2019s a nightmare-influenced murder mystery featuring Peter Lorre chewing on all the scenery he can. Boris Ingster directs Stranger on the Third Floor with all the style that feels as if it could have been an early Val Lewton production. Yup, it\u2019s Hollywood expressionism, RKO-style. This film is worth the watch, even if only for two 7-minute scenes: the nightmare sequence and the interaction between The Stranger (Lorre) and Jane (Margaret Tallichet). If you have the urge to view this early example of noir filmmaking (or is it \u201cproto-noir?\u201d), and decide for yourself if it is truly horror-adjacent, Stranger on the Third Floor is, at the time of this writing, available to stream from archive.org or PPV from iTunes. There is also a Warner Brothers DVD available if physical media is your preference. For more Peter Lorre goodness, check out these episodes of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era: M (1931) \u2013 Episode 113 MAD LOVE (1935) \u2013 Episode 81 TALES OF TERROR (1962) \u2013 Episode 92 THE COMEDY OF TERRORS (1963) \u2013 Episode 75 Gruesome Magazine\u2019s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Daphne, will be Diabolique (1940, Les Diaboliques), the French classic directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, based on a novel by Boileau-Narcejac. Please let them know how they\u2019re doing! They want to hear from you \u2013 the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com To each of you from each of them, \u201cThank you so much for listening!\u201d ","author_name":"Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio","author_url":"http:\/\/docrotten.libsyn.com","html":"