Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

 

(pb; 1936: loosely linked prequel to Jealous Woman)

From the back cover

“Walter Huff is an insurance investigator like any other—until the day he meets the beautiful and dangerous Phyllis Nirdlinger and falls under her spell. Together they plot the perfect murder. . . Double Indemnity is the classic tale of an evil woman motivated by greed, who corrupts a weak man motivated by lust.”

 

Review

Double Indemnity is one of my all-time favorite pulp novels, with its quotable (often edgy and ripe-with-innuendo) dialogue, action and lead characters, barebones writing and sharp editing, fast pace, effective Master Class twists and haunting, hair-raising/eerie finish. Excellent, timeless novel for those readers willing to walk on the oh-so-dark and unsettling side. Only a few writers I’ve read match the stripped-down (yet effective and disturbing) tone, delivery and editing of Double.

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Double Indemnity has been filmed twice.

The first theatrical version (there’s the inevitable theatrical remake) with the same title was released stateside on July 6, 1944. Billy Wilder directed and co-scripted it. Raymond Chandler Jr. is listed as a co-screenwriter.

Fred MacMurray played Walter Neff. Barbara Stanwyck played Phyllis Dietrichson (cinematic counterpart to Phyllis Nirdlinger). Edward G. Robinson played Barton Keyes.

Tom Powers played Mr. Dietrichson (cinematic counterpart to Mr. Nirdlinger). Jean Heather played Lola Dietrichson (counterpart to Lola Nirdlinger). Byron Barr played Nino Zarchetti (Beniamino “Nino” Sachetti in the book). Richard Gaines played Mr. Norton.

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The second adaptation, a telepic, aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on October 13, 1973. Directed by Jack Smight from Steven Bochco’s based-on-the-1944-screenplay teleplay, it starred Richard Crenna as Walter Neff. Samantha Eggar played Phyllis Dietrichson. Arch Johnson played Mr. Dietrichson. Lee J. Cobb played Barton Keyes.

Catlow by Louis L'Amour

(pb; 1963)


From the back cover:

"Catlow heard the legend of the Mexican gold.  Catlow hijacked the mule train carrying it.  Catlow knew the U.S. Law and the entire Mexican Army was at his backside.  Catlow didn't give a damn.  He knew all the answers - except how to get through Seri Indian country rich and alive."



Review:

Lean, rough and exciting, Catlow is a burn-through read, with L'Amour's love of the action loaded Old West, briefly stated cowboy philosophy and worth-liking-or-loathing characters at the forefront.

L'Amour upped the pleasure ante by indirectly linking Catlow to some of his other works: his multibook series The Sacketts and another novel, The Daybreakers (one of Catlow's secondary characters, Rosita Calderon, is cousin to Daybreakers's Druscilla Alvarado).

Excellent, amiable genre novel, this, from one of my favorite Western authors - one worth owning.

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Released in stateside theaters on October 1, 1971, the film version was directed by Sam Wanaker, from a screenplay by Scott Finch and James Griffith (billed as J.J. Griffith).

Yul Brunner played Catlow.  Richard Crenna played Cowan.  Leonard Nimoy played Miller.  Daliah Lavi played Rosita.  Jo Ann Pflug played Christina.  Jeff Corey played Merridew. 

Michael Delano played Rio.  Julián Mateos played Recalde.  David Ladd played Caxton.  Robert Logan, billed as Bob Logan, played Oley.  John Clark played Keleher. 

 

First Blood by David Morrell

(pb; 1972)

From the back cover

“Nobody in the small Kentucky town knew his name was Rambo. All they knew was that he was a stranger. . . and that he looked like trouble. The army had trained him in the art of killing, and now he did not know how to stop.”

 

Review

First is a character-driven actioner about two war veterans─Will Teasle, from the Korean War, and John Rambo, from the Vietnam War─who are too stubborn for their own good. When Teasle, a small-town sheriff, tries to drive Rambo out of his county, he sets off a conflict that neither he nor Rambo expected, one that echoes the fights they abandoned in foreign countries.

Morrell’s writing is vivid and balanced, his characters relatable and sympathetic, and the pacing battle intensive. First’s body count and brutality never dominate the character-centric human elements of the novel, which are, of course, the heart of the work. This is a good, blaze-through read.

Morrell wrote a book sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, but don’t be fooled by that. Rambo is a movie tie-in novel, not a sequel to the source novel. (Read First Blood and you’ll understand.)

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First Blood was released stateside on October 22, 1982. Ted Kotcheff directed it, from a screenplay by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone.

Sylvester Stallone played John Rambo. Brian Dennehy played Sheriff Will Teasle. Richard Crenna played Col. Samuel Trautman.

Bill McKinney played State Police Capt. Dave Kern. Jack Starrett played Galt. Chris Mulkey played Ward. David Caruso played Deputy Mitch. John McLiam played Orval the Dog man. Bruce Greenwood played Guardsman #5.

Breakheart Pass, by Alistair MacLean

(hb; 1974)

From the inside flap:

"... a raging blizzard in the Rocky Mountains... Murder, danger, vengeful Indians, the lust for gold, and a Federal agent pitted against as villainous a set of thieves as ever came out of the Old West -- these are the elements Mr. MacLean has woven into [this] exciting and fast-moving [novel]..."

Review:

What can I write that the above blurb didn't already cover? Breakheart Pass has all the necessary elements of an excellent action novel: plenty of twists (rooted in the characters' personalities, ably mapped by MacLean), lots of clever action, and even a hint of romance -- not enough to slow down the violence and drama, of course, but there nevertheless.

Check it out: a great, fun read for action and Old West aficionados.

The resulting film was released stateside on May 5, 1976.

Charles Bronson played Deakin. Ben Johnson played Pearce. Richard Crenna played Governor Fairchild. Jill Ireland played Marica. Charles Durning played O'Brien. Ed Lauter played Major Claremont. Bill McKinney played Reverend Peabody. Robert Tessier played Levi Calhoun.

Tom Gries directed the film, from a screenplay by source-novel author Alistair MacLean.