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About DonHerron.com
In 1977 Don Herron began leading The Dashiell Hammett Tour, now the longest-running literary tour in the nation. On this site you’ll find information on current walks — dates, where to meet, arranging tours by appointment — plus a hard-boiled blog with news, reviews of books and film, and a dash of noir.
The latest and greatest edition to self-guide you up and down the mean streets.
Willeford: The Book
Includes the first “Mr. Hunt” story, “Knives in the Dark.”
Monthly Archives: June 2017
Hammett: It’s Almost Like Clockwork. . .
Yesterday Jeopardy! dropped Hammett back into their clew stew in the Jeopardy Round, in the “toughest” slot — $1000 — in the category Literary Hodgepodge: Dashiell Hammett dedicated “The Thin Man” to this fellow writer and longtime love The contestant … Continue reading
Two-Gun Bob: He Was a Contenda
Eighty-one years ago today the Texas pulpster Robert E. Howard killed himself at the age of thirty. To commemorate the date, let’s bring Brian Leno back into the ring to talk about one of Howard’s predictions on boxing, one of … Continue reading
Posted in Boxing, REH
Tagged Ace Hudkins, Ben Jeby, Brian Leno, Brownwood Bulletin, Chicago Coliseum, Dave Shade, Haakon Hanson, Jack Dempsey, Kid Dula, Maxie Rosenbloom, Mickey Walker, Rene De Vos, The Ring
Hollywood Beat: When Chandler Was Home
Brian Wallace popped me the news that Raymond Chandler’s home in La Jolla — given how often he moved around, kind of his main lair — is up for serious renovation and the addition of a second story. If that … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit, News
Tagged Gone with the Wind, Jimmy Stewart, La Jolla, literary homes, literary landmarks, Margaret Mitchell, Raymond Chandler, Vertigo
Rediscovered: Bruce Townley’s Oblong
To clarify the title, I’m not saying that Bruce Townley is oblong, I’m talking about Bruce’s zine Oblong. If interested, you can surf over to a file of PDF issues and amuse yourself with the content until you’ve had enough, … Continue reading
Posted in Frisco, News
Tagged Bill Breiding, Bruce Townley, eFanzines, Roxie Theatre, The Midget Bandit, Warren Harris
Sinister Cinema: Lon Chaney’s The Penalty
When I met the mysterious CitySleuth he mentioned that he was working on finding San Francisco location shooting for the Lon Chaney flick The Penalty from 1920 — one of my favorites, with Chaney in one of his greatest roles as the legless … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, Frisco, News
Tagged CitySleuth, Lon Chaney Sr., ReelSF, The Big Knockover, The Penalty
Rediscovered: The Bill Breiding Omnibus
Pretty much the last thing I might have expected to roll in would have been an omnibus — under the banner of Rose Motel — of Bill Breiding’s “Fanzine Pieces 1980-2014.” Years pass and I don’t hear from Bill, then Bingo. … Continue reading
Posted in Frisco, Lit, News, SFSC
Tagged Bill Breiding, Burning Man, Cacophony Society, Clan Breiding, Fritz Leiber, G. Sutton Breiding, Gary Warne
Tour: Sunday June 11
In the pic above, The Dashiell Hammett Tour of that moment stands on the northwest corner of O’Farrell and Larkin, taking in the perfect 1920s blocks rolling down O’Farrell to the east (until you get to The Hamilton, a large … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Frisco, Tour
Tagged Blanco's, Great American Music Hall, Larkin Street, O'Farrell Street
