Category Archives: Film

Hammett: From Ape-Wrangler to Town-Tamer

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Don

The other day Evan Lewis tracked down another “lost” movie version of Red Harvest, that would have followed the “lost” version starring Alan Ladd at Paramount — Ladd’s being juggled in 1941 and this next version getting a big blurb … Continue reading →

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Hammett: Two Sharp Knives on Early Television

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Don

Terry Zobeck has been investigating that 1949 TV show where Dashiell Hammett pulls a Hitchcock and delivers a couple of lines — to date, the only recording of Hammett’s voice to turn up. “I watched Two Sharp Knives this afternoon,” … Continue reading →

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Hammett: His Garbo Speaks! Moment

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Don

Holy cow — suddenly it is Audio Hound Super-Sunday! And longtime Mean Streets maven Terry Zobeck just heard some sound he’s been waiting to hear for many, many long years. Here’s Terry with the scoop: In 2001, at the Washington, … Continue reading →

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Hammett: Top Ten

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Don

ABEbooks just released a list of their top money-makers for 2021 and Hammett comes in at no. 10 — not with a first edition, but with a much later reprint of The Maltese Falcon inscribed to Bebe Daniels. Bebe played … Continue reading →

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Rediscovered: FrankenHammer

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Don

To keep Autograph Hound Super-Sunday going, Halloween-style, how about a glance at a formal display from Brian Leno’s extensive collection of John Hancocks? A couple of days ago Brian informed me: “Got up this morning and figured today would be … Continue reading →

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Rediscovered: Vampira for the Holiday

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Don

Autograph Hound Super-Sunday — and on Halloween! Does our resident Autograph Hound Brian Leno have anything to put on display? A rhetorical question, really, because he’s done Halloween before, and I’ll bet on him doing it again. Take it away, … Continue reading →

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Frisco Beat: The Bacall Hideout

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Don

Remember that time Bogie escaped from San Quentin and was on the lam? Made his way into San Francisco and had his face touched-up by a back-alley plastic surgeon? Holed up for awhile with Lauren Bacall in a swank apartment … Continue reading →

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Rediscovered: Bradbury Enters the Fray

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Don

Autograph Hound Super-Sunday returns, carried by a morbid wave of interest in the indecipherable! Tom Krabacher dropped a note to say, “Saw the Charles de Lint signature on your blog. Kevin’s explanation that de Lint’s autograph is actually just his … Continue reading →

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Rediscovered: The Long Goodbye

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Don

Obviously Brian Wallace wants me to pay more attention to Chandler, because he’s been bombarding me recently with links — heavy on The Long Goodbye. Of possible interest to some people would be a “graphic novel” (or fine arts) treatment … Continue reading →

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Sinister Cinema: Juggling The Glass Key and Red Harvest

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Don

Today Evan Lewis in his digging through digital archives pulls up some interesting news articles from 1941, covering the birth of a film version of Hammett’s Red Harvest. Hollywood had decided not to do a new version of The Glass … Continue reading →

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