The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

 

(pb; 1934)

From the back cover

“Nick and Nora Charles are Dashiell Hammett’s most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners.”

 

Review

Hammer’s final novel is a quip-clever, mile-a-minute-paced and chatter-filled murder mystery with charming (for the most part, Nick can be kind of dickish) lead characters, memorably over-the-top secondary characters, and lots of humor. This genteel, smart, and snappy novel is one of my all-time favorite books by Hammett, one worth owning.

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The film version was released stateside on May 25, 1934. W.S. Van Dyke, sometimes billed as Major W.S. Van Dyke II, directed it, from a screenplay by Albert Hackett and Francis Goodrich. Director Van Dyke would go on to direct three of the five film-only Thin Man sequels.

William Powell played Nick Charles. Myrna Loy played Nora Charles. Maureen O’Sullivan played Dorothy. Nat Pendleton played Guild. Cesar Romero played Chris.

The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett

 

(pb; 1931)

From the back cover

“Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better; the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. Did he want her badly enough to commit murder? And if Madvig was innocent, which of his dozens of enemies was doing an awfully good job of framing him?”

 

Review

Glass is an excellent, twisty, fast-moving, and character-interesting read─no shock, considering its author. This is one of Hammett’s easier-to-follow novels (some of the sharp plot turns in his Continental Detective Agency works and The Maltese Falcon can be hard to follow). Not only that, Glass is perhaps my work of his thus far, with characters who are corrupt but relatable, even the more cruel ones (e.g., Shad O’Rory─called Nick Varna in the superb 1942 film─and Jeff Gardner, an apish thug). Worth reading and owning, this.

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Two film versions have been made.

The first version was released stateside on June 15, 1935. Frank Tuttle directed the film from a screenplay by Kathryn Scola, Kubec Glasmon, with additional dialogue provided by Harry Ruskin.

George Raft played Ed Beaumont. Edward Arnold played Paul Madvig. Claire Dodd played Janet Henry. Rosalind Keith, billed as Rosalind Culli, played Opal Madvig. Emma Dunn played “Mom” Madvig.

Robert Gleckler played Shad O’Rory. Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, billed as Guinn Williams, played Jeff Gardner.

Charles Richman played Senator John T. Henry. Ray Milland played Taylor Henry. Tammany Young played Clarkie. Ann Sheridan played “Nurse.”

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The second version was released stateside on October 23, 1942. Stuart Heisler directed the film from Jonathan Latimer’s screenplay.

Alan Ladd played Ed Beaumont. Brian Donlevy played Paul Madvig. Veronica Lake played Janet Henry. Bonita Granville played Opal Madvig.

Richard Denning played Taylor Henry. William Bendix played Jeff Gardner. Francis Gifford played “Nurse.” Joseph Calleia played Nick Varna.

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

(hb; 1929)

From the inside flap

“Blackmail runs rampant in a town policed by badged bootleggers in blue who turn a blind eye to protect the Old Man who runs the town.”

Review

Harvest’s narrator/protagonist (an unnamed Continental Op, who also appears in other Hammett works) goes to Personville─nicknamed Poisonville, because of its shady denizens─to investigate a murder, but ends up getting hired to “clean up” the dangerous, lots-of-crime town. He then utilizes some questionable setups to pit some of the big players against each other to achieve said cleansing.

This is a masterful, complex, immediately gripping and fast-moving work, one of the best novels in the pulp genre. Lots of gunplay, clever twists, dead bodies, quotable dialogue and colorful characters─i.e., elements that Hammett excels at─make this one of my all-time favorite crime reads, one worth reading. This one really packs a punch.

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Several films have resulted from this novel, only one of them a Hammett-credited work.

The first, La ciudad maldita, was released in Italy on November 29, 1978. Juan Borsch directed the film, from a screenplay by him and Alberto de Stefanis.

Chet Bakon played OP. Diana Lorys played Dinah. Roberto Camardiel played Sheriff Noonan. Daniel Martin played Max Thaler.

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Other films, which do not credit Red as a source, include:

Yojimbo (1961; director/co-screenwriter: Akira Kurosawa)

 For a Few Dollars More (1965; director/co-screenwriter: Sergio Leone)

The Last Round (1976, director: Stelvio Massi)

When the Raven Flies (1984, a.k.a. Revenge of the Barbarians)

 Miller’s Crossing (1990; directors: Joel and an uncredited Ethan Coen)

Last Man Standing (1996; director: Walter Hill; stars: Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken)

The Big Knockover: Selected Stories and Short Novels by Dashiell Hammett

(pb; 1966, 1972: anthology ─ Edited and with an introduction by Lillian Hellman)

Overall review

Knockover is a mixed bag. Hellman, a close friend, writes a detailed and moving introduction about Hammett. It might well be the best piece of writing in this anthology.

Some stories and novellas worked (e.g., “The Gutting of Couffignal,” “Fly Paper” and “The Scorched Face”), others did not (“Tulip,” “$106,000 Blood Money”). Overall, I would recommend this anthology if it is bought at a discounted price or borrowed from the library.

Stories and novellas

“The Gutting of Couffignal”: An investigator for the Continental Detective Agency tries to prevent the escape of bold, explosives-using thieves after they rob the wedding of a wealthy family on a remote island. This is a fun, not-difficult-to-figure-out-who’s-who heist-adventure tale.

“Fly Paper”: A ransom payoff goes awry when the kidnappers turn out to be less than advertised, and related-to-the-case corpses are discovered─another fun, sharp-wit-dialogue and -characters tale that entertains in a major way.

“The Scorched Face”: When two sisters disappear, an investigator─hired by their father─looks for them, uncovering an unsavory blackmail racket in the process. Good, fast-moving tale, with an excellent, stunning end-line.

“This King Business”: The Continental Op[erative] from previous stories tries extricate a naïve young man and his three million dollars from a scam masquerading as a righteous revolution in a foreign country [“Stefania, capital of Muravia”]. This is a fun, twisty and less tightly edited work, with another pulp-memorable ending sentence.

“The Gatewood Caper”: Solid, if predictable and bland, tale about a young woman’s kidnapping.

“Dead Yellow Women”: This story with the un-P.C. title revolves around the mystery of a woman’s murdered house servants. These killings inspire an investigation in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where danger and shady characters lurk. This is an overlong, okay work, with an entertaining finish and great exit line.

“Corkscrew”: Light-hearted actioner about a Continental Operative cleaning up a wild Arizona town for his client. When two killings, enacted by an unknown person or persons, happen, it turns into an investigation. This is a fun, lively western mystery with lots of gunplay and brawling.

“Tulip”: Could not get into this rambling, where-the-heck-is-it-going, extended-conversation drama piece.

“The Big Knockover”: A bold multibank heist sends Continental Operatives scrambling around San Francisco to catch at least some of the robbers─the ones that aren’t being killed in large numbers. The operatives also seek to retrieve the stolen money.

This chatty, entertaining tale has a lot of colorful characters, running around and concise, slam-bang action.

“$106,000 Blood Money”: Tom-Tom Carey, brother of Paddy the Mex─killed in “The Big Knockover”─seeks his brother’s brother’s murderer, not for revenge but the titular reward. This killer (Papadopolous) is, of course, difficult to locate, resulting in another chatty, full-of-colorful-characters work. This time out, though, this just feels like a rambling, overly complex mess. It feels empty, Hammett-by-the-numbers at best.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

(pb; 1929, 1930)

From the back cover

“A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man named Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammet’s colly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted generations of readers.”

Review

This is one of my all-time favorite gumshoe novels. The dialogue is snappy, the pacing is swift, the twists ring true, and the characters─particularly their facial features and personalities─are sharply defined. This is a master work of the genre, one that lives up to its hype. Even if you have appreciated the movie, read the book─certain characters, e.g. Effie Perine, Spade’s jack-of-many-trades secretary, get more time in the story, adding to the knowing and dark delight of Maltese.

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Three films resulted from this book.

The first version, which retained the book's title, was released stateside on June 13, 1931. Roy Del Ruth directed it, from a screenplay by Maude Fulton and Brown Holmes.

Bebe Daniels played Ruth Wonderly. Richardo Cortez played Sam Spade. Dudley Digges played Casper Gutman. Una Merkel played Effie Perine. 

Robert Elliott played Detective Lt. Dundy. Thelma Todd played Iva Archer. Walter Long played Miles Archer. Dwight Frye played Wilmer Cook.

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The second version, Satan Met a Lady, was released stateside on July 22, 1936. It was directed by William Dieterle, based on Brown Holmes's screenplay.

Bette Davis played Valerie Purvis. Warren William played Ted Shane. Alison Skipworth played Madame Barabbas. Arthur Treacher played Anthony Travers. Marie Wilson played Miss Murgatroyd.

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The third film version was released stateside on October 18, 1941. It was directed and scripted by John Huston.

Humphrey Bogart played Sam Spade. Mary Astor played Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Gladys George played Iva Archer. Lee Patrick played Effie Perine. Jerome Cower played Miles Archer.

Peter Lorre played Joel Cairo. Sydney Greenstreet played Casper Gutman. Elisha Cook,Jr. played Wilmer Cook.

Ward Bond played Tom Polhaus. Barton MacLane played Lt. of Detectives Dundy. An uncredited Walter Huston─father of John─played Captain Jacoby.