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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.”
Category Archives: Film
Sinister Cinema: Some Action on the Hammett Front
Not all that long ago I dutifully reported that a TV series — or mini-series — was in the works, where Sam Spade has moved to France. Cue some crime. Roll cameras. You can punch up the trailer for Monsieur … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, News
Tagged Brad Pitt, Clive Owen, Dead Stockwell, Johnny Depp, Margo Robbie, Monsieur Spade, Thin Man, Vince Emery
Rediscovered: Cowboy America
“Wild cattle that refused to move with the herd and kept returning to the brush the cowboys might make docile by sewing their eyelids shut; after about two weeks, when the thread had decayed enough for the eyes to reopen, … Continue reading
Sinister Cinema: Contacts Made
If you were worried about the guy who worked on Wim Wenders’ Hammett getting in contact with the guy doing a documentary on that film, you can relax. They’ve been put in touch, and have spent an initial two hours … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, News
Tagged "The Diamond Wager", EQMM, Frederic Dannay, Joe Goodrich, Joe Gores, Wim Wenders
Sinister Cinema: A Big Tip for the Documentary on Wim Wenders’ Hammett
Got up today, holiday festivities looming in a few hours, and found some exciting news in the inbox. Remember the guy in France working on a documentary on the first shoot Wim Wenders did for the neo-noir movie Hammett? Guy’s … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, Frisco, News
Tagged 1982 Hammett, Damien Bertrand, Frederic Forrest, Joe Goodrich, Michael Hacker, Wim Wenders
Sinister Cinema: Greeks in Hollywood
Paging through Greeks in Hollywood: In the Silent Movie Era, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the clipping of Jack Pierce, legendary makeup artist, working on Boris Karloff. If you dig the original Universal Monsters, Pierce pretty … Continue reading
Mort: Frederic Forrest
I definitely should record the passing of actor Frederic Forrest on June 23 at the age of 86. For purposes of the Mean Streets, he claims the honor for portraying Dashiell Hammett in the 1982 film Hammett directed by Wim … Continue reading
Hammett: Yet Another Dashiell
You probably know about my little hobby, pretty casual, of recording how the name Dashiell pops up in the culture. From Gotham City to Night Court. I was watching a podcast with Michael Biehn and thought I heard him reference … Continue reading
Sinister Cinema: Wim Wenders’ Hammett
Heard from a guy over in France who plans to do a documentary on the 1982 Wim Wender’s film based on the Joe Gores novel Hammett. Cool aspect — I guess if it all works out — is that the … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, Frisco, News
Tagged 1982 Hammett, Francis Ford Coppola, Joe Gores, Marilu Henner, Roney Blakley, Wim Wenders
Mort: Raquel Welch
Upon news of her passing today at the age of 82, Autograph Hound Brian Leno pulled his signed Raquel Welch print from his stacks and stacks of autos. From One Million Years B. C., of course. I usually misquote a … Continue reading
Sinister Cinema: A Marlowesque Neeson
Brian Wallace slipped me the dope back in 2019 that Liam Neeson was lined up to portray Philip Marlowe in a flick. Now he sends along a review of the finished film by Stephanie Bunbury. You know people will argue … Continue reading
