Joe Stemme HOT CARS (1956). TCM recently unearthed this rare crime drama (not sure if ever got a legit home video release until very recently) produced by Howard Koch and directed by Don McDougall (mainly a TV director). It could be termed 'lite Noir' as it certainly has all the basic elements: A man forced into a criminal enterprise (John Broomfield). A dangerous femme fatale (the luscious Joi Lansing). A crime boss (Ralph Clanton). The Detective on the case (Dabbs Greer). A murder. Etc.. It certainly qualifies, but, it lacks much style as it's mostly done in a flat TV episodic style. That is, until the pretty exciting and cinematic finale in an amusement park. Nothing great, but, 50s crime completists will want to take a look should TCM run it again.

boblipton John Bromfield is an honest young man with a pretty wife and a new baby. He's also a used car salesman, who gets fired for not pushing junk to a customer. That customer turns out to be the owner of a chain of used car lots, looking for someone like Bromfield to sell stolen cars.HOT CARS, like many a Schenck-Koch production in this period, has an interesting story, people who look good on the screen and fine visuals. Not only is it shot in the "Southwest Noir" style, but there's a fine noir ending on a roller coaster. What it lacks is good performances. The line readings all seem a bit droning, like a bad episode of DRAGNET. It even results in calling attention to the actors. Joi Lansing, in particular, seems to hit her mark and pose before reciting her lines.Still, the careful visuals and bravura ending add to the story to keep things interesting all the way through.

carbuff Are you somewhere around 50 years old or older? If so, then you might enjoy this short, simple, black-and-white production as a nostalgic blast from the past as much as I did. As a bonus, if you are into cars like I am, there are some nice classic cars in supporting roles. A definite disappointment though is that the cover art has absolutely, totally, nothing to do with the film itself. Nobody like those women on the movie's thumbnail illustration is actually in the movie--the picture was obviously just selected to pique prurient interest, which was exactly why I put it in my queue. Really deceptive marketing, but it worked like a charm on me.

MartinHafer "Hot Cars" will never be seen as a classic, but it is well worth seeing--especially by young film makers who need a lesson on how to make a good film with practically no budget. So, despite its shortcomings, the film is actually better than you'd expect--much better."Hot Cars" stars John Bromfield--a guy you probably never heard of and had few chances to star in films. Yet, surprisingly, he did a nice job playing an honest man who is, through circumstances, pulled into a world of crime. You see, his son is very sick (the exact illness is never mentioned) and he's just lost one job as a used car salesman because he was just too honest. When he's offered what seems like a wonderful job with a wonderful boss, he's excited. But the excitement is short-lived. It seems the company makes money by buying and selling stolen cars and then altering them to avoid detection. At first Bromfield is angry and appalled, so he quits. But, when he learns from his wife that they need money to get the kid treatment needed to survive, he reluctantly agrees to go back to this job. The money is excellent and he's able to live with his conscience, but things are closing in on him...and fast! Can he somehow make it through this sleazy business and come out unscathed? Watch this well-crafted and interesting film to find out for yourself.If you like film noir, you'll probably like this, but I would consider it 'noir-lite'--not as dark and without the style you'd really expect from film noir but still having some of the elements of this gritty genre. If you don't, you still can't help but respect what these folks did with so little at their disposal. Nice.