For a brief period in the 1940s and 1950s, a particularly stylish and dark genre of crime movies captured the American imagination. Film noir, as it came to be known, seemed to reflect the cynical mood of postwar America, depicting morally ambiguous characters navigating a dark and often dangerous world. Why did film noir become popular at this point in history? And what do its enduring aesthetic and philosophical legacies have to tell us about our present moment? This course will examine the history of film noir's rise and fall, putting major films, actors, and directors (including Orson Welles, Kirk Douglas, Double Indemnity, The Lady from Shanghai, and many more) in the context of Cold War America as we explore how fiction and reality intersected on the silver screen. David Parsons, Ph.D., received his doctorate in History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). He is a professor and writer whose work focuses on the political, social, and cultural history of 20th century America. He has taught courses in U.S. history at CUNY and New York University, and hosts a long running weekly podcast on history and politics called The Nostalgia Trap. His book “Dangerous Grounds: Antiwar Coffeehouses and Military Dissent in the Vietnam Era” explores links between the civilian peace movement and the American military. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.