Two Men in Manhattan (1959)

There’s something about the setting of Manhattan that lends itself to the big and small screens. All one needs to do is look at Child of Manhattan (1933), Ciao! Manhattan (1973), Manhattan Gigolo (1986), I’ll Take Manhattan (1987), Manhattan Chase (2000), Manhattan Midnight (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Adrift in Manhattan (2007), Manhattan Romance (2015), Manhattan Minutiae (2016), Manhattan Night (2016), and Manhattan Undying (2016) to know what we mean. Obviously, we’d be remiss not to include Two Men in Manhattan (1959) on this list. Thanks to Jean-Pierre Melville, the neo-noir movie features the French auteur’s acting, writing and direction — all of which provide a unique take on the New York borough. As a reporter named Moreau, he and his hard-partying photographer friend (Pierre Grasset) look into the disappearance of a French UN delegate. The trick is they only have one clue to follow: a picture of three women who may or may not have been the delegate’s mistress. Worth checking out are the diplomat’s secretary Françoise Bonnot (Colette Fleury); stage actress Judith Nelson (Ginger Hall), jazz singer Virginia Graham (Glenda Leigh), high-end call girl Gloria (Monique Hennessy) and, our favorite, burlesque dancer Bessie Reed (Michèle Bailly). The latter lady literally loses her top while being investi-bated. In fact, the exotic brunette pulls off her show girl costume mid-chat to reveal her fishnet stockings and naked rack! We’d applaud her act if our hands weren’t already occupied. Two Men in Manhattan? More like Two Mams in Manhattan if you asked us!