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The first Peoria Film Noir Festival was held at the downtown Peoria Public Library and the Peoria Women’s Club in 2003. It got its start when the library's former PR director, Maggie Nelson; Wanda Phillips, head of the art and music department; and Steve Tarter of the Peoria Journal Star got together to plan a special week-long celebration.
Nelson had met Eddie Muller, founder of the Film Noir Foundation and author of numerous film noir books who holds his own star-studded film noir festival every spring in California, and arranged for him to speak at the fest alongside Chicago author Jim Doherty.
“I'll always remember our programs at the historic Women's Club,” recalls Tarter. “The second-floor auditorium had been virtually unused since it was closed off in 1970. A great winding stairway leads up to the old room, with its raked stage, peeling paint and chipped plaster—what a spot for noir!” Subsequent festivals have been held at the Apollo Theatre, but with a little refurbishing, the club auditorium remains a great spot for future shows.
This year’s festival has a San Francisco theme, the setting for all five films (although D.O.A. reverts to Los Angeles later in the film). San Francisco is the third great “noir city” in the United States, behind New York and L.A. (Chicago is probably fourth).
Save the Dates!
The Peoria Public Library will kick off the Film Noir Festival at 6:30pm on October 14th at the Lakeview Branch, with a free showing of Hitchcock’s classic Vertigo (1958), featuring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. The remainder of the festival will unfold at the Apollo Theatre, 311 Main St. in Peoria. All shows start at 7pm, with a suggested donation of $5/adults and $4/seniors and students.
FRIDAY October 15th
The Sniper (1952) Arthur Franz, Adolphe Menjou, Marie Windsor
SATURDAY October 16th
The Lineup (1958) Eli Wallach, Robert Keith
FRIDAY October 22nd
Dark Passage (1947) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
SATURDAY October 23rd
D.O.A. (1950) Edmund O’Brien
Bullitt (1968) Steve McQueen
Visit apolloinpeoria.com or call (309) 673-4343 for more information. a&s
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