Day 4 of The Daily Dish: What’s a Gal Like You Doing In a Noir Like This?

For the Daily Dish on Day 4 of Noirvember 2026, I’m taking a look at Favorite Uncommon Noir Performer. What does this mean, you may ask? It’s those actors and actresses who made a mark in noirs, but who you don’t normally think of when you think of film noir. You know, like Mickey Rooney or Marilyn Monroe or James Stewart. I’m going to go with Esther Williams, who turned her skills as a champion swimmer into a successful Hollywood career, becoming the queen of MGM’s lavish aquatic musicals in films like Neptune’s Daughter (1949), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), and Dangerous When Wet (1953). But in 1956, Williams climbed out of the pool and stepped into the shadows with The Unguarded Moment. Esther shows she can do more than swim. Here, Williams plays a high school music teacher who finds herself the target of a dangerous young predator and must fight to not only salvage her reputation, but to protect her life. The plot gets a bit melodramatic at times, and the film is certainly no Out…

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