Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

Filmed in Hudson, NY, former cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) looks to hire two men to assist him in a bank heist. One of those men is Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte), a nightclub entertainer with a gambling addiction. The other is Earle Slater (Robert Ryan), a racist ex-convict. Both men are reluctant to participate, but Ingram’s creditors are pressuring him for payment, while Slater feels increasingly humiliated by his reliance on his girlfriend (Shelly Winters) for financial support. While they eventually agree to join Burke, tensions rapidly mount between the two men. Directed by Robert Wise (“The Haunting;” “The Day the Earth Stood Still”), “Odds Against Tomorrow” was the first film-noir to feature a black protagonist. Co-producing with Wise, Belafonte selected blacklisted writer Abraham Polonsky – who had written and directed the famous noir, “Force of Evil” (1948) – to pen the script using the name of Belafonte’s close friend, John O. Killens.

This is the second in a “Horrors of Noir” collaboration between ICFS and Union College Film Studies. It will be introduced by artist, educator and filmmaker, Michael Warren Wilson. Remaining titles in the series include “Nosferatu” and “Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari.” As with other ICFS events, expect prizes, surprises, a convenient bar and comfy couches. Not rated. 96 minutes.