It’s Friday. How about some film noir?

This clip is from Double Indemnity (1944), written by director Billy Wilder and author Raymond Chandler. It stars Barbara Stanwyck as a woman who teams up with an insurance agent (played by Fred MacMurray) to murder her husband. The film, considered risky material for its time, set conventions for later noir films and brought Wilder his first Academy Award nomination for best direction.

Billy Wilder, who was born on this day in 1906, is featured on the Great Film Directors stamps, which were issued May 23, 2012, in Silver Spring, MD. For more information about the stamps, visit Beyond the Perf.

Wilder worked successfully in various genres, from the noir of Double Indemnity to the wild farce of Some Like It Hot (1959),and created several of Hollywood’s most unforgettable pictures. Want to see more of his work? You’re in luck because TCM is hosting a birthday tribute tonight! Films include the screwball comedy Ninotchka (1939), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Love in the Afternoon (1957), and The Spirit of St. Louis (1957). Throwing a Billy Wilder theme party? Send us some pictures to uspsstamps [a] gmail [dot] com (they must include the stamp!), and we may feature them here.

Some Like It Hot © 1959 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.