Welcome to a hard-boiled and not without noir blog with news and reviews, occasional outbursts of maniacal Autograph Hound activity, plus archival records from the forty-five year run of The Dashiell Hammett Tour. 
The Dashiell Hammett Tour
1977-2022
Arkham House Ephemera
The Classic Years 1937–1973
Death Lit
Essays and Reviews Selected from Fifty Years of Writing 1974–2024
Willeford
The Book
Tag Archives: Musso & Frank
Hollywood Beat: A Fante Salon
Just got word that a new literary salon has scheduled its first meeting for Monday January 23 in Musso & Frank — you know, I’m half-thinking about going, if not to this one, then to a later session. What a great place to stage … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit, News
Tagged Dan Fante, Hollywood Walk of Fame, John Fante, Musso & Frank, Noir City
Hollywood Beat: More on Jim Thompson
Just got an email from Steve Snow about the burst of Jim Thompson-related posts I did in October. Steve writes: I enjoyed your Hammett site, and wanted to pass on a few notes about Jim Thompson. He lived at 1922 North Whitley … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit
Tagged Farewell My Lovely, Jim Thompson, Musso & Frank, Robert Mitchum, Robert Redford, Sal Mineo, Steve Snow, The Getaway, Tony Bill
Hollywood Beat: 7741 Hollywood Blvd
Before the money from The Getaway allowed them to move closer to Musso & Frank, Jim Thompson and his family lived a little less than a mile away from the front doors, on the same street — far enough out to … Continue reading
Hollywood Beat: 1817 Hillcrest
The place Jim Thompson was living at the time of his death — check out a reputable source, but my understanding is that he died in this building — is roughly ten or twelve blocks from Musso & Frank. To … Continue reading
Hollywood Beat: 1922 Whitley
When I got back to Hollywood to stop in Musso & Frank for the third time, I was really curious to check into what Dennis McMillan had told me — that Jim Thompson was a regular there, drinking at the … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Film, Lit
Tagged Craig Graham, Jim Thompson, Musso & Frank, Peckinpah, Robert Mitchum, Robert Polito, Steve McQueen, The Getaway
Hollywood Beat: More Musso
Finally, I got a date set-up — Saturday August 20, 2011 — where I could hit Musso & Frank with Craig Graham, the guy who first told me about the place. Craig reserved a table with a view of the bar. … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Film, Lit
Tagged Charlie Chaplin, Craig Graham, Donald Sidney-Fryer, Jim Thompson, Jimmy Durante, Leo Grin, Lillian Hellman, Musso & Frank, Robert Polito, Steve McQueen, Vagabond Books
Hollywood Beat: Musso & Frank
Since I missed out on Musso & Frank for years, I’ve been trying to catch up, stopping in every time I make the drive down to LA — I figure I won’t burn out, given that I only drop south once or twice a … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, DMac, Film, Lit
Tagged Bukowski, Charles Bronson, Charlie Chaplin, Craig Graham, Doug Fairbanks, Ed Lauter, Harlan Ellison, Jim Thompson, Johnny Depp, Leo Grin, Musso & Frank, Raymond Chandler, Vagabond Books
Frisco Beat: The Return of Donald Sidney-Fryer
This coming Saturday, September 17, starting at 3p.m., you’ll find Donald Sidney-Fryer back in town for a signing in Borderlands. He did his stint as a San Francisco writer, starting sometime in the 1960s, tossing himself full tilt into the Hippie Scene … Continue reading
Tour: Guest Stars
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
Posted in News, Tour
Tagged Bela Lugosi, Bing Crosby, Black Dahlia tours, Bogie, Burritt alley, Burritt alley plaque, celebrity graves, Charlie Morfin, Dwight Frye, Jack Benny, John Ford, Lon Chaney Sr., Musso & Frank
