Monthly Archives: May 2011

Tombstone: Willeford

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Don

The week before I watched The Pope of Greenwich Village on the anniversary of Charles Willeford’s death, my pal Leo Grin happened to be on a trip to Washington, D.C. Leo is known for the great Robert E. Howard magazine The Cimmerian, … Continue reading →

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Sinister Cinema: A Couple of Popes

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Don

Breaking the pattern of recent years, this season I didn’t offer the usual Palm Sunday Tour in honor of Charles Willeford’s death, which fell on a Palm Sunday, March 27, 1988 — Willeford, who would be crowned posthumously by the … Continue reading →

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Hammett: The Real “Business”

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Don

I just hosted my first Guest Blogger, Brian Leno — how about another one? Up this time is Terry Zobeck, whose name may ring a bell because he turned up the source for the quote where Hammett had called the … Continue reading →

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Hammett: The Ripper

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Don

On the tour I sometimes use the 1929 story “Fly Paper” for a quick introduction to the Continental Op stories, always getting into the Op’s showdown with the gangster Babe McCloor. I always mention the fact of arsenic poisoning being a key … Continue reading →

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Sinister Cinema: Jackie Cooper

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Don

I noticed that on May 3 Jackie Cooper passed on — thanks to the Hammett tour and dumb luck, I got to meet him one time. The year was 1982. I was back on the Jim Eason program on KGO radio — … Continue reading →

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Tour: Guest Stars

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Don

And on that tour by appointment for April 19 I was talking about, Charlie Morfin and Carrie-Anne of the Black Dahlia walks in Hollywood were up to check out the Frisco scene, get some tips about leading tours for film … Continue reading →

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Frisco Beat: Dashiel Hammet Stret

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Don

On Tuesday April 19 I did a tour by appointment for the folk who run the Black Dahlia walks in Hollywood — and more on that in the next post. The usual fun ensued, always happens when you have people … Continue reading →

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