Monthly Archives: May 2012

Hammett: “You’ve Never Read Hammett!”

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Don

A few years ago I was in the now gone “M” Is For Mystery Bookstore for a talk. Near the end of the remarks the speaker — kind of an absurd little guy — suddenly remembered that the collection Crime Stories … Continue reading →

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Hammett: “What About His Daughter?”

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Don

Birthday 75 for the Golden Gate Bridge. Birthday 118 for Dashiell Hammett. . . . What to do for the birthday this year? How about something Hammettesque I’ve never heard of before? I checked some sources, not a mention — as … Continue reading →

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Hammett: A General Disclaimer for Future Use

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Don

About two years ago now I finally got to Butte, Montana and environs, and knocked myself out roaming up and down those mean streets, checking for buildings that date from the Hammett era (and there are a lot of buildings standing from the … Continue reading →

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Rediscovered: Further Smackdown for Zane Grey!

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Don

Who knew that my brief account of visiting the Zane Grey Pueblo on Santa Catalina would rouse my occasional Guest Blogger Brian Leno to relive a dreaded literary memory, and follow me into the ring to beat up some on … Continue reading →

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Hammett: “Night Shots”

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Don

Terry Zobeck is back with another set of pure text corrections for a Continental Op story you thought you knew inside out — but if you’ve been relying on the reprint version used in books for the last sixty-six years … Continue reading →

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Hollywood Beat: Jackson in Musso & Frank

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Don

Didn’t spot any celebrities during the recent stop in Musso & Frank (not to say that they weren’t there, but I didn’t recognise them if they were), but I knew a specific ghost from the past to check for over my shoulder. … Continue reading →

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891 Post: Close One

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Don

If you’re local, you may well have heard the news reports about the 800 block of Post Street being closed off the other day. The shootout with the cops. The guy — on the run after killing his mother — … Continue reading →

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Hollywood Beat: Jim Tully

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Don

Recent mentions of hitting Hollywood again, plus references to my 1984 book The Dark Barbarian, on Texas writer Robert E. Howard, brought Jim Tully back to mind — a road kid and beggar and circus roustabout who became one of the … Continue reading →

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Frisco Beat: Adios, Alcatraz

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Don

Wednesday the hammer dropped on the Fox TV show Alcatraz — I can’t say it was a surprise here Up and Down These Mean Streets. Lots of potential, I guess, just sitting there, not going any place. The Could Have Been. … Continue reading →

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Two-Gun Bob: The Shadow of Zane Grey

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Don

In the section on Robert E. Howard’s Library in The Dark Barbarian from 1984, Steve Eng pointed out that “A look at the volumes of poetry may discover lines that are echoed in Howard’s verse.” True enough. And you also … Continue reading →

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