Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness film night is showing John Huston's 1950 noir The Asphalt Jungle tonight. The Asphalt Jungle, selected for the National Film Registry in 2008, drew live commentary praising Sterling Hayden's desperate turn and Louis Calhern's layered supporting performance. Viewers called the film's finale “devastating” and noted sympathetic but tragic portrayals, particularly the character Doll, while some first-time watchers described the plot as a doomed, badly executed heist. Participants also placed the screening alongside other jaundiced 1950 releases such as In a Lonely Place, Sunset Boulevard, and All About Eve when discussing Hollywood's mood that year. The broadcast has renewed attention to Huston's film among classic-film fans and generated fresh discussion of its performances and noir themes.
