Everyone smoking constantly, knocking back bourbon insouciantly whenever they happen to pass by a decanter (whomsoever it might belong to) - culminating in the protagonist ordering "a double bourbon and leave the bottle" at a bar, drinking till he passes out, before being roused from his stupor by the barman to stumble to his car and drive home - a scene that caused more horror amongst the modern crowd than any of the tame by modern standards violence. Not a single woman was able to resist kissing the leading man at any meeting (but it was a noir, so of course the femme fatale fixes the men good in the end). Massive bits of archaic technology built into walls like it wasn't going to be obsolete in 12 months (like a 3'x3' answering machine running off tape reels).
There were moving men with burden-belts lifting objects no single professional would be permitted to lift by health and safety regulations. There was uncomfortable looking furniture, and cars with no outside door handles because you reached in through the window. Men wore suits period. Best of all (at the risk of giving too much away), there was mysterious Nuclear Radiation - similar to Stephen Spielberg's imagining of the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders Of the Lost Ark - both in appearance and effect, elliciting giggles from the crowd. Even the actors seemed jarringly out of step with modern counterparts - crooked teeth, imperfections - natural!
Even though the movie industry was thriving then, and there's a wealth of recorded history from TV and radio too - the era is a bit strange and mysterious (at least to me) today - mostly because we don't get to see any of that lovely old material any more - either because the works are orphaned, or it's just not worth the cost of showing them for curiosity's sake. That's a pity, but the silver lining is it makes sitting in a damp courtyard watching a black and white reel movie feel that bit more special.
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