Max Allan Collins's Blog, page 65

Christmas Movies

For my family, the Christmas holiday is wrapped up in film, not ribbon. We have our favorites that we watch every year, and they are fairly predictable.

Our top pick is MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (the original, not the terrible remake) with the Alistair Sim SCROOGE a close second. A very close third is IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (James Stewart appeared in more great movies than any other actor). I’m one of the few who saw A CHRISTMAS STORY in the theater on its original release and it’s an annual event for us – but it’s more a Jean Shepherd film than a Christmas movie, showcasing his patented bittersweet nostalgia. CHRISTMAS VACATION has found its place on our seasonal special shelf, as well, and MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is always worth a look – was Judy Garland ever lovelier?

There are many other worthwhile Christmas movies out there. HOLIDAY INN is easily better than WHITE CHRISTMAS, although the latter has its charms – it’s helped keep Danny Kaye from being forgotten, for one, and my pal Miguel Ferrer’s mom is in it. The Riff Trax and MST2K versions of various horrible Christmas movies are always good for a festive laugh. BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE (1958) is an old favorite of ours, the movie Kim Novak and James Stewart made together after VERTIGO. With Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs stealing scenes left and right, it’s a precursor to BEWITCHED and might seem a better choice for Halloween, only it’s set at Christmas.

But we decided this year to try some movies that at least one of us (talking Barb and me now) hadn’t seen before. Having done so, we’d like to recommend the following relative obscurities:

THE FAMILY MAN (2000) with Nic Cage, a modern reworking of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Heartwarming and funny. Cage may be an over-the-top actor, but the man commits – he gives one thousand percent to every performance, and this time he has a wonderful movie to do it in. This is a favorite of Nate’s, whose goal in life is to own every Nic Cage movie.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (2004). Okay, so it’s a shameless reworking of GROUNDHOG’S DAY as a Christmas movie, but this admittedly minor TV movie is funny and rewarding – good-hearted but with a darkly comic sensibility. Steven Weber is excellent as the successful slick businessman (similar to Cage in THE FAMILY MAN) who has twelve tries to get Christmas Eve right. Molly Shannon gets her best post-SNL role.

THREE GODFATHERS (1948). This John Ford western stars John Wayne and is surprisingly gritty and even harrowing before a finale that you may find too sentimental. There’s some humor, too, and Ford’s first color film is visually beautiful. It’s dedicated to Harry Carey and “introduces” Harry Carey, Jr., who is very good, as is Pedro Armendariz (FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE).

PRANCER (1989). This features an amazing naturalistic performance from child actor Rebecca Herrell. It’s a sort of smalltown/rural variation on MIRACLE ON 34th STREET. Is the reindeer the little girl helps back to health really Santa’s Prancer? Sam Elliot is uncompromising as the father who doesn’t understand his daughter, whose mother has died.

We found it a fun way to get ourselves into the Christmas swing by introducing some of these lesser known films into the mix.

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THE WRONG QUARRY reviews have begun, like this great one from Ron Fortier.

Here’s another nice WRONG QUARRY review from Big Daddy.

Mike Dennis likes THE WRONG QUARRY, too.

That Woody Haut “Ten Favorite Crime Novels of 2013” piece, showcasing ASK NOT, has been picked up all over the place, notably at the Los Angeles Review of Books.

And the staff at Greenwich chooses COMPLEX 90 as best mystery, with the two runners-up ASK NOT and Bob Goldsborough’s ARCHIE MEETS NERO WOLFE. Some people have good taste!

M.A.C.

A Pee-Wee Herman Christmas

For me, Christmas begins when I receive my yearly Christmas card from Paul Reubens. Sometimes Paul writes a personal note. The cards are always charming and even hilarious, and we have easily two dozen of them. This year Barb made a wreath out of some our favorites.

I went crazy over Pee-Wee with his HBO Special, THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW in 1981. I was doing the DICK TRACY strip at the time, and I put Pee-Wee in the strip – he was on television saying, “My name’s Pee-Wee – what’s yours?” And a TV-obsessed villain of mine replied, “Splitscreen!”

Paul Reubens phoned me shortly after that, delighted by the TRACY appearance, and we chatted. Shortly after that, taking time out from a San Diego con, Terry Beatty and I visited Paul in LA – he was in a small one-story brick house filled with funky toys and oddball memorabilia. We watched a version of THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW that the cast had looped with blue improv material. The Pee-Wee Herman suit was on a coat tree. I asked Paul how many of those he had, and he said, “Just the one.” Then, noting my surprised reaction, he added, “Sometimes Pee-Wee doesn’t smell so good up close.”

Paul knew that I was a movie buff, and he was working on getting a Pee-Wee film going. Late at night, we would talk on the phone and (at his request) I would send him Betamax copies of offbeat films like Eddie Cantor’s ROMAN SCANDALS and Russ Meyer’s FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL KILL! He called once every month or two for a couple of years, sometimes when he was off shooting a movie. (One was a MEATBALLS sequel, and I asked him what it was about. He said, “A virgin sees her first dick.” I thought he was kidding till I saw the movie.) Barb and I (and sometimes Terry) would go to live shows of Paul’s, and we’d see him after – we did this in New York and Chicago.

When the Pee-Wee movies and TV show kicked in, Paul changed his phone number and I haven’t heard from him since…except at Christmas. Always a wonderful card, and sometimes a warm personal note. I still love Pee-Wee Herman, and it’s been a nice perk of my minor celebrity that I got to know Paul Reubens a little. It’s very thoughtful and generous of him to send me these fantastic cards every year.

* * *

That great writer and blogger extra ordinaire Bill Crider has posted a lovely review of THE WRONG QUARRY.

Here’s a nice write-up about THE CONSUMMATA, my Spillane collaboration about Morgan the Raider. If you read the Hammers by Mickey and me, you really need to pick this one up, too.

COMPLEX 90 didn’t make this best five books list, but got a very nice mention.

Last week I sent out 14 advance copies of THE WRONG QUARRY. I am cleaned out. I had promised 12 here, planning to keep a couple for myself, but wound up sending them all. I apologize to those I had to turn down. They went the first day.

I do thank those of you who are writing Amazon and other reviews. It’s very important for me and every writer whose work you enjoy.

M.A.C.

Write for the Wrong Quarry

The new Quarry novel – THE WRONG QUARRY – will be published January 7. I have a dozen advance copies available to those among you willing to write a review for Amazon and/or other outlets (Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, etc.).

Just write me at macphilms@hotmail.com, and the first twelve of you – a jury of sorts – will receive copies. This is restricted to the USA only. And keep in mind that you can’t post your Amazon review till the book is out (again, Jan. 7).

In response to many inquiries, we do not have word yet on whether the Cinemax QUARRY pilot will be picked up. News will appear here as soon as we know.

The new Quarry novel is getting some play on the net already, as in this articleat Crime Fiction Lover.

ASK NOT is making some best of the year lists, like this one from Woody Haut.

Jon Jordan, CRIMESPREE’s guru, selected ASK NOT as one of five novels on his suggested Christmas gift guide.

And Publisher’s Weekly gave a fine review to Otto Penzler’s Christmas anthology, and singled out my “A Wreath for Marley.” This means a lot to me, considering the distinguished company (Stout, Westlake, Christie, etc.).

M.A.C.

Holiday Edition

Santa delivered an early present to the M.A.C. household by way of an award for MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN (by Jim Traylor and me), courtesy of the great movie-fan publication CLASSSIC IMAGES, for “Best Film Noir Book of 2013.” Specifically, it was given by reviewer Laura Wagner in her year’s end Book Points column. Ms. Wagner also singled out MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN for one of the Best Covers of 2013 as well as honoring the book’s Photo Layout. These last two honors were shared with several other books, but the Best Film Noir Book is mine and Jim’s alone.

To help celebrate, why not pick up a copy? Yes, yes, it’s expensive, but it so happens McFarland is running a 20% off sale on not just MICKEY SPILLANE but all of their titles till December 31st. Here’s a link for those of you who didn’t blow everything on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

And speaking of the holidays, my personal favorite of my short stories – “A Wreath for Marley,” my CHIRSTMAS CAROL MEETS THE MALTESE FALCON yarn – is included in the terrific new fat-as-Santa anthology, THE BIG BOOK OF CHRISTMAS MYSTERIES, edited by my jolly old friend (well, maybe not jolly) Otto Penzler. What an honor to be included with such personal heroes of mine as Rex Stout, Agatha Christie and Donald E. Westlake. I have arrived, even if I had to sneak down the chimney to do it.

“A Wreath for Marley” features Richard Stone, a Heller-like detective in Chicago in the forties; it’s the basis for my as yet unproduced screenplay, BLUE CHRISTMAS. There is one other Stone story, “A Bird for Becky,” also with a holiday theme – Thanksgiving. It’s just come out as an e-book, available on Amazon, for a mere 99 cents. Yes, I should have promoted this in time for Thanksgiving, but since you’re full of holiday spirit (and maybe undigested turkey), maybe you’ll give it a try, anyway.

A couple of movie recommendations. FROZEN, which should be seen in 3-D, is a Disney CGI musical about princesses…hey, wait! Hold up! Come on! Listen for a second….It’s very good and often witty, incredibly well-animated, with music by the co-writer of THE BOOK OF MORMON score, and the lead – complete with excellent singing – is VERONICA MARS herself, Kristen Bell, who hasn’t been given a shot a vocalizing like this since the wonderful REEFER MADNESS TV movie. And for a completely inappropriate second feature, try HOMEFRONT, with Jason Stratham in redneck Louisiana up against that peckerwood James Franco, in a ‘70s Bronson-style melodrama from a screenplay by Sylvester Stallone (also a producer). If you trade your brains in for a bucket of popcorn before entering, you will have a fine violent time (I did).

* * *

ASK NOT reviews continue, like this very strong one (if a bit patronizing) from Woody Haut. Seems Woody thinks it’s unlikely that Nate Heller could be involved in so many famous crimes – really, Woody? Never occurred to me….

Here’s an ASK NOT interview with a bit of a forensics slant.

LADY, GO DIE! has received a nice write-up here.

And here’s a strong review about Stacy Keach’s reading of GOLIATH BONE on audio.

Finally, you’ll enjoy this reassessment of Mickey Spillane from a reviewer who followed my suggestion to read more than just I, THE JURY before giving his final verdict. (Get it? Jury? Verdict?)

M.A.C.

What Doesn’t Kill Her Kindle Daily Deal, Four More Kindle Deals Through Friday, and MUCH More

Looking around, it seems ALL of Al’s Perfect Crime books are currently on sale — either $2.99 or $3.99, AND everything Thomas and Mercer is between $1.99 and $3.99 as well. I’m not sure how long these deals will last, but you might want to pay attention to the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section for the others or just look through his Kindle books and go hog wild.

And one more thing — through Sunday, coupon code BOOKDEAL will give 30% off (up to $10 off) any single

Embarrassing Media Performance

I couldn’t stomach much of the media coverage last week, for the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. Am I supposed to care what Angelina Jolie thinks of Kennedy? Or where a tearful Jane Fonda was when she heard? Hand me the air sickness bag, please.

The shameful media emphasis on Oswald as lone gunman and conspiracy theorists as fools came to a surprising head Friday night when Bill Maher, of all people, shrugged the assassination off as “shit happens.”

That’s the standard take of the pro-lone nut crowd – people like me just can’t accept that a great man like JFK could be taken down by a little nobody. Hearing the ridiculous Warren Commission findings taken seriously while the later HSCA  finding for conspiracy are ignored shows just how all-pervasive this new whitewash is.

It doesn’t come from the government. It comes from my fellow liberals wanting to deify Kennedy, to make him a marble figure on a statue like Lincoln. Speaking of Lincoln, how many people out there think John Wilkes Booth was a lone nut “like Oswald”? That will come as a surprise to Booth’s co-conspirators, who swung from ropes.

I’m an admirer of JFK, but also a realist. I understand that a president who sanctions assassinations of other heads of state might just trip over a whole lot of karma. I understand that when you team the CIA up with the Mob (not a theory – an historical fact) to bump off Castro, some nasty ramifications might ensue.

On Maher’s REAL TIME panel, Paul Begala stated that his fellow George magazine founder John F. Kennedy Jr. made a point of saying their new magazine wouldn’t be looking into the assassination. JFK Jr. reportedly said he could spend his whole life doing that, and had decided to move on. The implication was, we should all do the same.

Maher accepted this strained logic – if a son doesn’t give a shit who killed his old man, why should we? But the Kennedy family has always kept a tight control over assassination documents – they knew the dirty laundry that would come out. RFK’s first reaction to hearing about the shooting was that Chicago had done it, and he used his own Rackets Committee veteran investigators to do a sub rosa inquiry (part of the basis for Heller’s activities in ASK NOT).

Let’s keep this very simple. The problem with dismissing as a fool or a crank anyone who thinks a conspiracy took down JFK is this: it only takes two to make a conspiracy, and in this case we have at least two – Oswald and Ruby.

Or let’s look at it this way – to believe Oswald was a lone nut who shot JFK, you also have to accept Ruby as a lone nut who shot Oswald. So the media/Maher theory isn’t the Lone Nut Theory – it’s the Two Lone Nuts theory…which is particularly ludicrous when you consider that Ruby was a mobbed-up guy from Chicago with ties all the way back to Capone and a history in Cuba with the Marcello crowd.

I’m generally a Maher fan. He’s a smug prick, but he’s funny and smart. But he can also be glib and shallow, and this is one of those times. Him and the rest of the media.

* * *

The ASK NOT signing went very well at Barnes & Noble in Davenport, Iowa, Saturday afternoon. Big bookstore chain signings often suck, but at this one – despite a Hawkeye game (even my collaborator Matt Clemens didn’t attend the signing) – we had a steady flow. A good stack of ASK NOT sold, quite a few TARGET LANCER paperbacks, plus a whole lot of ANTIQUES books, which Barb and I signed.

Speaking of ANTIQUES, three of the paperback reprints are going back to press – ANTIQUES ROADKILL, ANTIQUES DISPOSAL and ANTIQUES KNOCK-OFF – which reflects just how well this series continues to do. If you’re a hardboiled M.A.C. fan and haven’t tried one, now’s as good a time as any, and the current ANTIQUES CHOP is one of our best.

As for ASK NOT, we had some nice attention last week, although with so many JFK books out there, mine got a little lost in the shuffle. An appearance on Paula Sands Live on KWQC-TV Davenport no doubt boosted the Barnes & Noble appearance. Paula is so great – some of you will remember her from her acting stint (as herself!) in MOMMY’S DAY.

The reviews for ASK NOT at Amazon are generally raves, but we only have around a dozen at this point. If you’ve read and liked the book, could you please post a short review? If you didn’t like the book, keep in mind that I don’t come to where you work and criticize you.

My “WHY I WRITE” piece for Publisher’s Weekly was picked up by two of the best blogs in mystery fiction: Ed Gorman’s and Bill Crider’s.

The other non-Gorman Ed’s Blog posted a nice ASK NOT review here.

One of several radio interviews I did last week is available at this link.

My old pal David Burke at the Quad Cities Times did this short but sweet interview/write-up, promoting the Barnes & Noble signing.

Tony Isabella, great guy/terrific writer, gave his blog followers a nice heads up about the forthcoming WRONG QUARRY.

And here’s a fun review (read the comments, too) of THE GIRL HUNTERS. By the way, a blu-ray is coming and I will likely be involved.

M.A.C.

Ask Not Why I Write

The audio of ASK NOT, read by Dan John Miller (the great actor who read all of the preceding Heller novels and short story collections for Brilliance), is available now at Amazon. Recorded Books offers no CD retail edition, but the rather expensive library edition on CD ($102.75) is available, though not through Amazon.

For those of you used to downloading audios, Amazon appears to have it right now. The Recorded Books site lists the download as available December 1, and the CD version for libraries not until Feb. 22. I have contacted the publisher to see if those dates are correct.

I am as anxious as anyone to hear Dan’s reading, because he really is the definitive voice of Nate Heller. I will be leaving my buggy and butter churn behind very soon and getting an MP3 player, so I can download ASK NOT as well as the Audible downloads (first time on audio!) of QUARRY, QUARRY’S LIST, QUARRY’S DEAL, QUARRY’S CUT, QUARRY’S VOTE and (in January) THE WRONG QUARRY.

Publisher’s Weekly asked me to write a piece for their “Why I Write” series, and it’s in this week’s issue. I can’t provide a link because the PW site is for subscribers only. So I’ll share the piece with you here:

WHY I WRITE

by Max Allan Collins

Why do you write?

Many writers have a glib comeback for this question. Samuel Johnson famously said, “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.” Asked what inspired him, Mickey Spillane would reply, “The urgent need for money.” And I have often described my career as an ongoing effort to avoid a real job.

Certainly earning a living is a valid reason to write; but really, getting paid is what allows me to write – and has made me a full-time writer since 1977. I take pride in not having a day job, and when asked why I write so much, I usually say, “To keep the lights on.” Anyway, what else am I supposed to do with my time?

The ranks of successful authors include lawyers, doctors and in particular teachers – noble professions, but part-time scribes all. Early on I taught at a college myself, though never more than half-time, having sold my first two novels at the University of Iowa’s Writers Workshop. Teaching drains the creative juices that writing requires, and I got out of academia as soon as possible.

Stories have been my main interest longer than I can remember. My mother read me Tarzan books at bedtime and encouraged me to read Dick Tracy comic books (her favorite strip). Chester Gould’s famous dick led me into Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen and the Saint, and – by junior high – Sam Spade, Phillip Marlowe and Mike Hammer, an interest fostered by the wave of TV private eyes of the late ‘50s. My sixth-grade teacher told me I would never be successful because I insisted on writing “blood and thunder” (the title of my 1995 Nathan Heller novel, by the way).

Television and movies encouraged my interest in history, with “The Untouchables” a prime contributor. As a kid, I became fascinated in the real people (Wyatt Earp, Eliot Ness) who fed our popular culture. I was also taken with the people who created that popular culture. I didn’t want to be Dick Tracy when I grew up – I wanted to be Chester Gould. Didn’t take me long to figure out the only thing more fun than being told stories was telling them yourself.

I have an abiding interest in the history of crime fiction – for example, completing Mickey Spillane’s in-progress Hammer manuscripts – but also the way history has informed crime fiction. This has led to my best-known works, the graphic novel Road to Perdition and the Nathan Heller “memoirs” (Ask Not, the “JFK” thriller recently published by Forge).

My career began in Iowa City forty years ago with the sale of my first crime novels, and a love for language, thanks to Raymond Chandler and other noir poets. Now I find myself working harder than ever, risking my reputation by being too prolific, because I am all too aware that I’m in the third act of my career, and there are many more stories I want to tell.

For money, yes. But mostly for the sheer joy of it.

* * *

The same issue of PW has a nice overview of recent novels with JFK assassination themes, with ASK NOT prominently mentioned (and the cover shown). This, too, is for subscribers only. But the magazine is on the stands, should you want to take a look.

Finally, here’s a very interesting ASK NOT review.

M.A.C.

ASK NOT Appearances

I’m not doing a tour for ASK NOT, which I admit surprises me a little – I had figured the nature of the novel, its publication date exactly a month from the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, would attract a lot of attention, possibly from the publisher. But I didn’t count on the avalanche of other JFK books that ASK NOT would have to fight its way through. Round-ups in magazines and newspapers about JFK assassination books seem to focus largely on non-fiction works – understandably – although J. Kingston Pierce did right by the novel at his Kirkus blog column, and I was interviewed recently for Publisher’s Weekly about the book (nothing’s appeared yet – when it does, I’ll report).

And I admit Barb and I are weary of book signings. That’s not to imply at all that we don’t enjoy, in fact relish, contact with readers (and bookstore owners/employees). Getting to talk to fans of the books is incredibly gratifying. But the time and expense involved are considerable, and the last time my publisher and I collaborated on putting a tour together, several disastrous appearances marred an otherwise good experience. At the St. Louis stop, for example, exactly one person showed up, not counting my son and daughter-in-law. That one person did not buy a book, by the way.

I have come to feel that attending Bouchercon and San Diego Con puts me in touch with the greatest number of readers, in the most efficient way, and Barb and I are considering adding another con or two to the mix.

Ed Gorman, M.A.C., Barb Collins signing at Mystery Cat Bookstore, Cedar Rapids

For ASK NOT, we arranged only three signings, two of which have already taken place. Both events were a lot of fun and very successful. At Mystery Cat (a hidden treasure in Cedar Rapids), my friend Ed Gorman made a rare signing appearance, and Barb and Matt Clemens joined in as well. The only downside was the unexpectedly large crowd – 75 in a small bookstore, with seating available for maybe thirty. Having four authors, talking up their current books and then taking questions, made the presentation go a little long, and some of those attending fled for the door ASAP, without buying a book. It’s always tough to know how long to speak at these things – you don’t want to bore anybody, but you also don’t want to shortchange people who make the effort of attending.

Augie introduces Max & Barbara Collins to their fans at Centuries and Sleuths

Barb & Max Collins sharing a story with their fans

We’ve done many signings at Forest Park’s wonderful Centuries and Sleuths bookstore. A nice group met with us on this Sunday afternoon past as Barb spoke about ANTIQUES CHOP and I talked about ASK NOT. Mostly we took questions, and one great fan brought doughnuts for everybody. Everybody bought books, everybody had a question. Augie and Tracy, the owners, were as always gracious hosts. We’ll keep doing signings there as long as they want us.

The final of the three signings is coming up. Here’s the info:

Nov 23, 2013 1:00 PM

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

North Park Mall

320 W. Kimberly Road

Davenport, IA 52806 (map)

563-445-8760

Come see us if you’re in the area. These big chain bookstore signings are always the biggest risk.

* * *

The excellent ASK NOT reviews continue, I’m pleased to report. Check out this very nice one at Jerry’s House of Everything.

And here’s another strong one at Scene of the Crime.

The first review of THE WRONG QUARRY has appeared (at Dangerous Dan’s Bookblog). He likes it.

Here’s a decent review of WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER, not a rave but appreciated nonetheless.

A nice appreciation of Mickey Spillane is here.

Finally, here’s a review of the multiple author thriller, INHERIT THE DEAD.

M.A.C.

ASK NOT / ANTIQUES CHOP Chicago Signing This Weekend

Sorry for a little late of a notice on this one –

ASK NOT / ANTIQUES CHOP Signing w/ Q&A and Discussion

Max Allan Collins and Barbara Collins

This Sunday, November 10, 2 pm to 4

Centuries and Sleuths

7419 Madison Street

Forest Park, Illinois

(map)

Spillane, War of the Worlds & More

Before I share some news and links with you, I want to congratulate longtime M.A.C. fan Brad Schwartz, a recent college grad who has begun what I know will be an impressive career with a writing credit on the recent American Experience WAR OF THE WORLDS episode. This aired on various days and at various times on PBS stations, during Halloween week, and may be running again this month – check your local listings. It’s a terrific show, drawing on Brad’s research into the many letters sent by and to Orson Welles, surrounding the famous radio panic. When the DVD and Blu-ray come out, an interview with Brad will be featured.

Brad, George Hagenauer and I are in the early stages of what we hope will be a definitive work on the life of Eliot Ness. With two researchers like that, all I have to do is lean back and figure out where to put the commas.

For those of you in the eastern Iowa area, I will be signing ASK NOT at Mystery Cat Books in Cedar Rapids (112 32nd Street Drive) this Wednesday (November 6). It’s a rare joint appearance with my pal Ed Gorman – Ed rarely does signings, so even some out-of-staters may wish to drive to this very cool bookstore. Starts at 7 p.m. There’s a good chance Barb Collins and Matt Clemens will be on hand, as well.

In Mickey Spillane news, I am negotiating with Kensington (home of the ANTIQUES series) to develop a trio of novels from an unproduced western screenplay that Mickey wrote for John Wayne. The screenplay was called THE SAGA OF CALLI YORK, but that has been tweaked into THE LEGEND OF CALEB YORK, which will be the series name. There’s a possibility it may go beyond three books. More as I know more, but you have to admit it’s exciting – a western by Mickey Spillane written for the Duke!

Perhaps the most disappointing Spillane project has been the book that Jim Traylor and I did for McFarland, MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN. The book has generated scant sales, no award nominations, and a handful of reviews, although Jim and I are very proud of our work on it. It’s a beautiful book with great pictures, packed with Spillane lore, but its high price ($45 for a trade paperback) has discouraged readers.

So Jim and I were thrilled – since the book was published over a year ago – to see a rave review appear in CLASSIC IMAGES, the terrific vintage film publication. Though you can buy CLASSIC IMAGES at newsstands and bookstores worldwide, it is produced in Muscatine, Iowa, by editor Bob King, who is a friend. I was disappointed that for many, many months the publication seemed to ignore the Spillane film book. Just recently, Bob confided in me that he was worried his notoriously tough reviewer might give us a pan. His worries were misplaced, as were mine.

Normally I would just provide a link, but this great review is not available on line. With editor Bob King’s permission, here it is:

Book Points by Laura Wagner

(Originally published in the November, 2013 issue of Classic Images, www.classicimages.com)

Crime writer Mickey Spillane (1918-2006), best known for creating the popular detective Mike Hammer, has always been one of my favorite writers. He began writing professionally for comic books in the 1940s. In need of extra cash after the war, Spillane wrote his first novel, I, The Jury, in nineteen days in 1947. The book, which was a huge success, introduced the character of Mike Hammer.

I, The Jury was also the first movie adapted from a Spillane novel. The 1953 film starred Biff Elliot as the hard-boiled detective. Elliott, however, was no match for Ralph Meeker’s portrayal of Hammer in the classic Kiss Me, Deadly (1955). Other actors who played Mike Hammer include Robert Bray (My Gun Is Quick), Kevin Dobson (Margin For Murder), and Armand Assante (1982’s I, The Jury). Darren McGavin was the first actor to play Hammer on TV, in the 1950s. In recent years, Stacy Keach has become most identified in the role due to a series of television movies and the TV series The New Mike Hammer.

According to The Washington Times, Mickey Spillane “was a quintessential Cold War writer, an unconditional believer in good and evil and a rare political conservative in the book world. Communists were villains in his work and liberals took some hits as well. In a manner similar to Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, Hammer was a cynical loner contemptuous of the ‘tedious process’ of trials, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own terms.” (Hammer says in One Lonely Night, “I lived only to kill the scum and the lice that wanted to kill themselves. I lived to kill so that others could live. I lived to kill because my soul was a hardened thing that reveled in the thought of taking the blood of the bastards who made murder their business.”)

Spillane was a celebrity in his own right, often appearing on television as himself. As an actor, he appeared in Ring Of Fear (1954), which was co-produced by John Wayne; Spillane also co-wrote the film without credit. Save for the dreary Clyde Beatty circus footage, Ring Of Fear was a pretty good murder-mystery, boasting an excellent performance from Sean McClory as a silky-smooth psychotic and a fascinating Spillane as himself, a writer-detective investigating freak accidents at the circus. He would play his creation, Mike Hammer, in The Girl Hunters (1963), which was filmed in England. Spillane also appeared in Miller Lite beer commercials in the 1970s and ‘80s.

As a writer Spillane was often criticized for his heated prose, his “artless plots, his reliance on unlikely coincidence and a simplistic understanding of the law” (New York Times), while others had difficulty with the extreme violence and sexual content. Even Ogden Nash got into the act when he wrote, “The Marquis de Sade/Wasn’t always mad/What addled his brain/Was Mickey Spillane.” Spillane, himself, called his own writing “the chewing gum of American literature.” He dismissed his critics, remarking, “I’m not writing for the critics. I’m writing for the public.” He described himself as a “money writer,” in that “I write when I need money. I have no fans. You know what I got? Customers. And customers are your friends.” And there was no denying that he was a very popular, influential, and hard-hitting writer.

Spillane died at the age of 88. After his death, his friend and literary executor Max Allan Collins edited and completed several of Spillane’s unpublished typescripts.

“I snapped the side of the rod across his jaw and laid the flesh open to the bone,” Spillane wrote in The Big Kill. “I pounded his teeth back into his mouth with the end of the barrel … and I took my own damn time about kicking him in the face. He smashed into the door and lay there bubbling. So I kicked him again and he stopped bubbling.” How can you not love that? Whew.

The aforementioned Max Allan Collins and James L. Traylor have written a terrific new book called Mickey Spillane on Screen: A Complete Study of the Television and Film Adaptations (McFarland softcover, $45). We get chapters on:

Spillane At The Movies: I, the Jury (1953), The Long Wait (1954), Ring of Fear (1954), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), My Gun Is Quick (1957), The Girl Hunters (1963), The Delta Factor (1970), I, the Jury (1982).

Spillane On TV: Mike Hammer TV Pilot (1954), Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (1958-59), Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer in Margin for Murder (1981), Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: Murder Me, Murder You (1983), Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: More Than Murder (1984), Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (1984-85) CBS-TV, Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (1986), The New Mike Hammer (1986-87) CBS-TV, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989), Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer Mystery (1994), Tomorrow I Die (Fallen Angels, 1995), Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997-98).

Appendices: A. The Hammer (Film) Code, B. The Girl Hunt Ballet (The Band Wagon, 1953), C. Who’s Who of Spillane on Film, D. Stars of the Hammer Film Universe, E. Mickey Spillane in His Own Words.

Each movie gets a thorough analysis, a detailed plot summary (with pertinent dialogue and comments), historical background, trivia, and the authors’ opinion of how Spillane’s works are adapted, how the characters are handled, opinions on performances, etc. The commentary is fair and balanced, and in a few instances very funny. I was especially tickled by the chapter on Come Die with Me, a simply dreadful sounding “updating” of Mike Hammer starring Rob Estes and Pamela Anderson. The plot recapping is simply mind-boggling, just amazing sounding, and the author’s insertion of humor is welcome. This was a pilot made with absolutely no understanding of the Hammer character, especially when they had the tough private eye get on a skateboard. I laughed out loud when they wrote, “It has come to this: Mike Hammer on a skateboard.” The whole thing is just so surreal.

It has been acknowledged that the quintessential Mike Hammer has always been Ralph Meeker in the classic Kiss Me Deadly—and rightly so. But, the authors make strong cases for Biff Elliot, Armand Assante, and, of course, Spillane himself as portrayers of Mike Hammer.

I have a personal liking for the 1953 version of I, The Jury, a brutal, very underappreciated film noir. I always thought poor Biff Eliot has been given raw deal, by fans and critics alike. He’s been knocked for his short stature, for his suits with padded shoulders, and for his overall look and speaking voice, but I enjoyed his performance very much. Biff was hot-tempered, quick with his fists, and had an edge to him, which I thought perfect for the role—critics, be damned. I’m glad that Collins and Traylor feel as strongly as I do that Biff should be better remembered. The movie is not shown often, but it’s worth seeing. Another reassessment comes for the ’80s’ I, the Jury with Armand Assante. The authors make it sound like a must-see, and I must confess that before this I hadn’t wanted to see this, but I do now. I judged before seeing this, something you should never do with movies. Assante seems an odd choice for Hammer, but if the authors say he does a good job, then he should be given a chance. This is another film not in circulation.

The separate Mike Hammer television series starring Darren McGavin and Stacy Keach have neatly organized chapters. It isn’t feasible to talk about every episode, naturally, but by concentrating on select episodes and summing up others, and discussing recurring themes, etc., they give us an excellent flavor of the series’ runs. This is harder than it looks, but the authors make it seem effortless. Good writing, all around. Complete episode guides are included.

Their very persuasive write-ups pinpoint all of the films’ strengths and weaknesses with good analyses and some clever wording. I was very glad, since we are talking about some film noirs within, that the authors did not resort to phony “noir writing.” You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all read books about noirs where the authors think they have to write “tough,” in the so-called style of noir. It only comes across as irritating. Thankfully, that is missing here, and we instead get good, solid writing.

You love Spillane? This is the book to get. A better discussion of the films adapted from his work you will not find. Nor are there authors more knowledgeable than Collins and Traylor. Plus, there’s an interesting Q&A with Spillane conducted by co-author Collins at the book’s conclusion.

Photos are terrific, with some behind-the-scenes shots that were new to me.

* * *

Reviewer J. Kingston Pierce gives ASK NOT star treatment in this article about JFK-related fiction.

Here’s a rave review of ASK NOT from Bookreporter.

Randy Johnson at Not the Baseball Pitcher serves up this great ASK NOT review.

And the Historical Novel Society provides this short but sweet ASK NOT critique.

EARLY CRIMES has pleasantly surprised me by generating some really great reviews for a book that could easily have been dismissed as self-indulgence on my part. Check out this remarkable Bookgasm write-up.

And Ron Fortier, always a first-rate writer and reviewer, also has good things to say about EARLY CRIMES. Like a lot of people (I’m relieved to say), he’s really digging the early ‘70s, previously unpublished novel SHOOT THE MOON included in the collection.

Speaking of WAR OF THE WORLDS, my novel gets a nice mention in this article.

And TARGET LANCER, out in mass market paperback, continues to generate some new reviews, like this one.

I am among celebrated company in this article about “famous writers” who are also ghostwriters. The subject is Spillane, but the one book I could really be considered a “ghostwriter” on isn’t mentioned. And I won’t mention it, either….

Finally, here’s a write-up on the multiple-author novel INHERIT THE DEAD. I wrote a chapter for it (collaborating with Matt Clemens), but I haven’t mentioned it here, because (a) I haven’t read the book yet, and (b) they spell my middle name wrong on the back cover. But you can read about it here.

M.A.C.