Ed Gorman's Blog, page 72

Pitfall reviewed by the great Jake Hinkson

Ed here: I just watched this last night and admire it as much as Jake does. It is certainly one of the psychologically richest noirs of all and both the writing and acting are remarkable for the echoes you take away from the film. Jake's take on it is equally remarkable.

Jake Hinkson:
While I can say unequivocally that Andre de Toth’s Pitfall is one of the great film noirs, I cannot say with any certainty whether its final brilliance is by design. Is there such a thing as an accidental masterpiece? I’m not sure, but there is an ambiguity at the center of this film which is either a stroke of genius or a grievous oversight on behalf of the filmmakers.

Pitfall tells the story of John Forbes (Dick Powell) a married insurance agent who is bored at home and tired of being an “average American.” One day Forbes meets Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott) the sexy girlfriend of a convict only days away from being released. Forbes and Mona have a few drinks, share some pointed conversation, and then spend a night together. Unfortunately for both of them, Mona is being stalked by a creepy private eye named MacDonald. He’s a bug-eyed nutjob, obsessed with Mona and none too happy about her new, married boyfriend. As MacDonald grows more violent, what might have been a brief adulterous affair turns into a walking nightmare for Forbes and Mona. This set-up is a perfect illustration of one of my favorite definitions of film noir (from Roger Ebert): an ordinary guy indulges the weaker side of his character, and hell opens up beneath his feet.

I’ve always loved that quote, and it certainly applies here, but what makes Pitfall so interesting is the way it sets up that basic situation but then, underneath, tells another story.

That story belongs to the “other woman” Mona Stevens. The plot prepares us to accept her as a femme fatale, but then an interesting thing happens on the way to the gallows. Mona turns out to be a nice person. Okay, she’s got bad taste in men. Her boyfriend is in jail for embezzling funds to buy her clothes and a boat. She attracts a psychopath like MacDonald on first meeting. Five minutes after meeting Forbes, she has him agreeing to stiff drinks in a darkened bar at three in the afternoon. Clearly, she’s got issues with men.

But she isn’t a femme fatale. Once she learns Forbes is married, she breaks it off with him. She rebuffs MacDonald, and she tries to shield Forbes from his wrath. While she makes some bad decisions, Mona never seems motivated by the greed and selfishness that are motivating just about everyone else. She is, without a doubt, the most interesting, sympathetic person in the movie. It doesn’t hurt that she’s played by Lizabeth Scott, one of the great women of noir, whose specialty was being world-weary and fragile at the same time. While she was breathtakingly beautiful, there was an undeniable sadness to Liz Scott. Her eyes, sensuous as they may be, always look as if they’ve been crying, and while she sometimes played the blond ice goddess in film noirs, more often than not what shone through in her performances was a bruised and battered quality, a sense that she was a smart woman forced to make due in a dumb man’s world.

That was never truer than in this movie. Forbes lies to her to get her in bed, MacDonald stalks her, and her convict boyfriend is a whiskey-swilling imbecile. Pitfall may have the set-up of a femme fatale story, but by the end it seems to be more about Mona Stevens and three L’Homme fatales. The thing is, though, I’m not sure if the movie knows this. On the surface, it is still telling the story of Forbes, the ordinary man indulging the weaker side of his character.

And that’s a story the movie tells well. Dick Powell is excellent as Forbes. As a dramatic actor, Powell’s specialty was inferiority masked as smugness. Even when he played Philip Marlowe inMurder My Sweet, you got the sense that the smugness was just a way to cover up the fact the character was in over his head. Powell’s character is in way over his head here. His chief adversary, the psycho private eye MacDonald, is played byRaymond Burr at his villainous best. You do not want to find yourself staring down Raymond Burr in a film noir, especially if you are Dick Powell. The movie generates a lot of suspense as it tightens the vise on this weak, normal, believable man.

And yet…

Notice what happens at the end. What happens to Mona? Is she being punished by the Production Code for sleeping with a married man? Does the District Attorney’s angry words to Forbes (“I think we have the wrong person upstairs”) reflect the feelings of the filmmakers? Look at the last shot of her. Notice that we see her from Forbes’ perspective. Is this robbing Mona of her final moment? Or is it a commentary on the real tragedy of the story? I don’t know the answer to these questions, but ask yourself: when hell opened up beneath Forbes’ feet, whom did it swallow?
***
Director Andre De Toth also directed the wonderful Crime Wave. For an interesting interview with this underrated artist, click here.


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Labels: Dick Powell, film noir, Lizabeth Scott, Raymond Burr

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Headlines that shouldn't be true but are

Jon Stewart: Talking to GOP about climate change is like ‘pushing a
million pounds of idiot up a mountain’

OK trooper tells local news: Best way not to get raped by cops is to
‘follow the law’

California man shot to death by police while outside smoking, checking
Facebook

Alabama toddler drowned in church’s baptismal water, coroner says

NY lawmaker schools Neil Cavuto for trying to minimize climate change
protests

Texas soldier accused of beating toddler daughter to death over soiled
diaper

‘Felony stupid’: CA Republicans clash after candidate’s homeless stunt

NYPD arrests dozens of 'Flood Wall Street' climate change demonstrators

Animal-rights group seeks vegan diet for jailed suspect in Indiana
cannibalism murder

Man confesses to ’97 crime, fearing Walmart was messaging him about
woman he killed

Marriott fires Florida Dem after learning she's running against
company-backed GOPer

Kevin Sorbo: NFL won’t fire anyone over domestic abuse scandal because
of Benghazi

California gay wedding heckled by anonymous bigot hiding in
million-dollar condo

Montana Catholic church bans aging gay couple after they marry to
protect assets

Chilling 911 call released in Florida family massacre: 'They're all
dead'

Ebola could infect 1.4 million by 2015, US warns

New Hampshire grandma shot by cops after reaching for infant during DEA
raid

Boxing champ Mike Tyson helps motorcyclist after Las Vegas crash

‘F*ck it’ reporter’s pot coverage raises ethical concerns, dramatic
exit could draw FCC fine

headlines that shouldn't be true hut are

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Elections a ‘more meaningful measure’ if voters must pass a test(u think most tea baggers could past a test? she sure as hell couldn't. 61% of mericans could not name the three branches of govt))
Witnesses: Officer stepped back, gunned down California man outside liquor storeRush Limbaugh’s black sidekick, Snerdley: Segregation was the ‘good old days’
‘It belongs to God!’: Pat Robertson rebukes viewer who wants churches to pay taxes(he above all should be taxed -- hi show is political not religious)
Free weed to military veterans: Colorado event draws 700, and some grumbling
Fox News explains why contraception is bad and tobacco is good: Because men, that’s why.(only Fucker Tarlson could come up with this)Swedish man acquitted of rape charges after court accepts 'sexsomnia' defense(this is like the allfluenza defense)i' 


Florida Man Allegedly Threatened To Shoot Drive-Thru Employee Over Burger Comments (19) | FloridaMan Pretended To Be Police Officer For More Than 20 Years, Authorities Say CommentsFrench Woman Spends $50,000 To Become Real-life Sex Doll Comments (205) | Anatomical WondersMysterious 'Fireball' Was Actually Russian Spy Satellite, Experts Say Comments (12) | SatellitesThe Dream Comes True: Pot-infused Pizza Sauce Comes To Marijuana Dispensaries Comments | MarijuanaDem Candidate Responds To Strip Club Incident Comments (63) | KansasNSFW: This Is What Sex Looks Like Inside An MRI Scanner Comments (60) | VideoMaybe Proposing In A Paddle Boat Wasn't The Best Idea Comments | FailsThis Man's Record-Setting Turban Weighs More Than A Child Comments | SikhismPit Bull Puppy Branded With F-Word Gets Cosmetic Surgery Comments (95) | Pit Bulls'Luke, I Am Your Father, Motherf**ker' ‘It belongs to God!’: Pat Robertson rebukes viewer who wants churches to pay taxes  (his show is political not religious  tax the fuck out of him)

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Elections a ‘more meaningful measure’ if voters must pass a test

4chan to Emma Watson: You speak out on gender equality, we release nude photos

Rick Perry: Joan Rivers might still be alive if NYC had strict Texas abortion law

Witnesses: Officer stepped back, gunned down California man outside liquor store

Shady Wisconsin militia ‘targets’ Dem voters for arrest on open warrants in black districts

GOP nominee hires then fires new aide within hours after seeing 'n*gger,' 'F*cking Jews' tweets

Wesleyan, accused of harboring 'Rape Factory,' orders frats to admit women

Scientists 'hack' tobacco plants to produce much higher yield -- still working on food

Gun lovers parade with firearms to protest arrest of black open-carry activist  
  

Thrift Shop Book Covers: "Unknown Man No. 89"

Gravetapping by Ben BouldenPosted: 21 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDTUnknown Man No. 89 is Elmore Leonard’s 13th published novel. It was originally published in the U. S. in 1977 by Delacorte Press, and in the U. K. by Martin Secker & Warburg. The edition that caught my eye is the recent U. K. edition published by Phoenix. It is a collage of sorts, with a muted water color-like wash, and, even better, it features a 1970s Mercury Cougar. The cover image is by Tim Marrs.































The opening lines:
“A friend of Ryan’s said to him one time, ‘Yeah, but at least you don’t take any shit from anybody.’
“Ryan said to his friend, ‘I don’t know, the way things’ve been going, maybe it’s about time I started taking some’”
Unknown Man No. 89 is a follow up to Elmore Leonard’s 1969 novel The Big Bounce. According to the Wikipedia entry forUnknown, it was optioned for film by Alfred Hitchcock—it would have been his 54thfilm—but was never made.   

Robert Forster on Sci-fi, Lucky Breaks, and Better Call Saul

New York Magazine          Robert Forster on Sci-fi, Lucky Breaks, and Better Call Saul         By Bruce Fretts
Robert Forster knows a thing or two about reincarnation. The 73-year-old character actor has reinvented himself more than once, most notably with his Oscar-nominated 1997 role as bail bondsman Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. Now he’s occupying a new body, as the shadowy hit man Frank Shepherd on the life-after-death sci-fi mystery Intruders, which BBC America is showcasing tomorrow from 4 to 8 p.m. with a marathon of the show’s first four episodes, leading up to the new episode featuring Forster at 10 p.m. “When I was 9 or 10 years old, I was sure reincarnation was how life progressed,” Forster says. “Why waste a whole life on one person if you don’t get another one? I haven’t been at all sure about the subject matter since.” Forster is sure about a few other things, however, like the fact that his legendary Breaking Bad character, the Disappearer, will return in the AMC spinoff Better Call Saul, as he exclusively revealed to Vulture in this wide-ranging chat.Do you understand what Intrudersis about? And is Frank Shepherd a good guy or a bad guy?
Truthfully, I asked an awful lot of questions, and Rose Lam and Glen Morgan and several other producers spent good time with me before I uttered my first words, because as an actor, you’ve got to know what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. You’ve got to know what your backstory is. They gave me a lot of answers, some of which are not for publication. But the point is, I seem to have a fairly good knowledge of what the show is about and the function I serve on it. It’s a good gig.You’ve done many sci-fi projects over the years, including playing Milo Ventimiglia’s dad on Heroes. Are you a fan of the genre?
Yes! One of the earliest in my career was The Black Hole . I was thrilled when I got to be in the space version of the Jules Verne story 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which is what that was. I did Alligator, and, oh, boy, there’s a list of them. I’ve done a lot of genre pictures in my career. They’ve been a staple of my career, and I’ve always liked them. This is what movies were really about when I was a kid. I was watching Flash Gordon with the terrible effects. I grew up on those.Any chance you’ll be returning for the reboot Heroes Reborn?
I didn’t know they were doing a reboot of the show, so obviously, it hasn’t come to me. They are doing a reboot of Breaking Bad, and though I have not been told a date, I have been told that the character I played will be seen on Better Call Saul.  Related Stories Bryan Cranston Was in a Real-Life Hollywood Poker Ring With the DisappearerExciting! What kind of reaction did you get from that episode?
Oh, you know, there are a few things that actually buoy your career, give you some lift you didn’t expect. Of course, Jackie Brown did. And that episode of Breaking Bad was probably seen by more people than have ever seen Jackie Brown, even this many years later. It gave me a huge lift. Suddenly people start pointing and saying, “Hey, how ya doin’?” What a thrill at this point in my career!You played characters created by Elmore Leonard so well in Jackie Brown and on the too-short-lived ABC drama Karen Sisco. Is there a reason why his words sound so good coming out of your mouth?
I started with [the 1972–73 NBC series] Banyon, which was about a 1930s private detective with old cars, old clothes, old jokes, and fast women — the same kinds of things that Elmore Leonard usually deals with. If I have a genre that I really relate to, it is the detective. I’ve done them since the beginning of my career and enjoyed them. So I have a background in those hard-boiled words.You also played a detective — briefly — in David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr., which started out as a TV pilot. If it had gone to series, would your character have come back?
It would have continued. After the first take, David said, “Do it slower.” So I did it slower. He came to me after that and said, “Do it slower.” This goes on two or three more times, and it doesn’t sound believable to me. So I go to him, and he says, “Do it slower.” Months later, I discovered I was in a dream. So David Lynch is one of those guys who, when he says, “Do it slower,” even if you don’t believe it, you do it slower.You’ve done several films with Fred Williamson and Pam Grier, including the upcoming Old School Gangstas, which bills you as one of the “legends of Blaxploitation cinema.” How did that happen?
I worked with [director] William Lustig on a number of exploitation films during the depressed period of my career, starting with Vigilante and going on to Maniac Cop and Maniac Cop 2 or 3 — I can’t remember how many we did.  Then Fred Williamson started putting me in his movies, and I did three or four of those.for the rest go here:
http://www.vulture.com/2014/09/robert...

"Lee Marvin: Point Blank" - Dwayne Epstein's New Biography of The Merchant of Menace

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 18, 2013"Lee Marvin: Point Blank" - Dwayne Epstein's New Biography of The Merchant of Menace fromm Classic Film n TV Cafe
In Lee Marvin: Point Blank, author Dwayne Epstein puts together a convincing portrait of the enigmatic actor that New York Times film critic Vincent Canby once called "The Master of Menace." Epstein augments Marvin's insightful letters and colorful quotes with anecdotes from family, friends, and especially former wife Betty Ebeling Marvin. The result is a lively biography of a dedicated, hard-drinking actor whose detached, violent "heroes" came alive vividly in films such as The Dirty Dozen, The Killers (1964), and Point Blank.

Born in New York in 1924, Lee Marvin--like his brother Robert--was named after Robert E. Lee. Their mother, Courtenay, was an ancestor of the famous Confederate general. Author Epstein speculates that Lee Marvin suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder as a youth as well as dyslexia. The young Marvin displayed a rebellious nature at home--he and his mother never got along--and in school. Later in life, he boasted of being expelled from fifteen schools.

He eventually played authority figures
in war films like The Dirty Dozen.For a young man who often defied authority, it's ironic that Marvin not only enlisted in the armed services in 1942, but chose the Marines. However, as Epstein points out, "it was a time of extreme patriotism" following Pearl Harbor; Marvin's brother and father, a World War I veteran,  also enlisted. Undoubtedly, his years as a Marine shaped the rest of Marvin's life. Excerpts from his early letters show a young man at conflict. He proudly discusses his test scores and marksmanship, but also writes "sometimes I wonder what I joined up for." Marvin participated in many bloody battles following his deployment to the Pacific in 1944. When a wound ended his military career in 1945, Marvin "could not shake off the intense feeling he was experiencing: anger, frustration and worst of all, survivor guilt as the war stubbornly wore on."

Following the end of the war, Marvin contemplated working as a forest ranger and car salesman before becoming a plumber's apprentice. However, Marvin's career took a different path when he became involved in a Red Cross benefit called "Ten Nights in a Barroom" in Woodstock, New York, in 1946. That eventually led to a summer stock gig with the Maverick Theater in 1947. Epstein notes that acting provided an "outlet to express his inner demons that had been frustrating him since the war." Marvin used his G.I. bill money to attend the American Theater Wing, which led to small parts. However, he later said that Broadway "was a damn bore...the New York stage is a hustle." When colleague James Doohan (Star Trek's Scotty) recommended Marvin move to the West Coast, Marvin took the advice.

for the rest go here:
http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013...

yes it's time for anthony mann again-oir on the range

Noir on the Range – The Top Ten Anthony Mann Westerns
Director Anthony Mann defined the cowboys of the ’50s, creating what critics dubbed the psychological Western. Taking a note from film noir, Mann’s heroes were beset by past tragedies, frustrated ambitions, and desperate to come to terms with their own torment — often by battling villains who were all too similar to themselves.  A capable director in multiple genres, Mann didn’t need the Western — but the Western needed him.10. The Last Frontier (1955) 
Victor Mature plays a Davy Crockett-like frontiersman who signs up to fight off warring Indians. Typically, Mann adds an element of moral complication: Mature serves under a hawkish colonel whose main interest isn’t in ending the conflict — but prolonging it! While a minor work that just scratches onto this list, The Last Frontier shows that even when he’s painting with light strokes, Mann deals in more sophisticated themes than his contemporaries.9. Devil’s Doorway (1950)
Mann’s first Western is even more ambitious in describing the toxic relationships between Native Americans and white-folk. Robert Taylor plays a Shoshone Indian chief who fights courageously in Gettysburg, even winning the Medal of Honor. But when the Civil War hero returns home, he find truculent whites squatting on his land. The audience is meant to root for the Indians — Mann’s boldness earns this one the ninth slot.8. The Tin Star (1957)

Here, Henry Fonda plays a typical Mann outsider. A former sheriff turned bounty hunter, he likes living on the periphery with no one to answer to but himself. But soon he gets stuck helping an effete Anthony Perkins learn some pistol skills so he can clean up a town. This one’s made of more conventional material than some of Mann’s Westerns, but it’s done so well you’ll hardly notice the shift.7. The Far Country (1954) 
You know the type: Solitary, introverted, doesn’t play well with others. They usually have delusions of grandeur. In The Far Country, Jimmy Stewart plays a prospector in the Klondike who doesn’t care about anyone but himself and his precious gold flakes. But will the death of a friend finally make him care about someone but himself? Part of the genius of this movie is the sheer level of unscrupulousness it allows Stewart before he changes his ways.6. The Man from Laramie (1955)
Poor Jimmy Stewart suffers numerous indignities in this movie as he infiltrate a frontier town in an effort to shed light on his… shadowy past. (His efforts earn this one sixth place.) But all his sufferings only amp up the audience’s bloodlust for revenge! You don’t mess with a man’s mules (they get shot) or his shooting hand (which gets plugged at point-blank range). It’s easy to imagine fans of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington chomping at the bit for dear old Stewart to blast away the bad guys.5. The Furies (1950)
This was a switch-up pitch from Mann — a lesser known work that’s also one of his most interesting. Taking its cues from Greek tragedy, The Furies focuses on the subtly unseemly relationship between widowed cattle-baron Walter Huston and his daughter Vance Jeffords (a typically wonderful Barbara Stanwyck). The movie’s bold Freudian symbolism and fraught familial conflicts were ahead of its time — and make this one a lock for the top five.4. Man of the West (1958)
Gary Cooper puts in a great, latter-day performance in this dark, unsung Western. Like a lot of Mann’s heroes, he’s a man who’s wounded by the past. And when the past returns — in the form of his former outlaw buddy Dock Tobin (a malicious Lee J. Cobb) — he must find a way to maintain his new identity. The movie didn’t generate much enthusiasm when it was first released, but later reappraisals (Jean Luc-Godard was a huge fan) have asserted it as one of the great psychological Westerns.3. Bend of the River (1952)Stewart plays an ex-Missouri raider who’s found a new career: escorting wagon trains out West. But along the way he discovers an uncomfortable fragment of his own past: an old chum (Arthur Kennedy) who hasn’t given up his outlaw ways. Stewart saves Kennedy and invites him to join the journey, but Kennedy decides he’d rather steal the settlers’ goods for his own profit. Will Stewart go along with it? For the suspense hanging over that question, this one bends its way right into third place.2. Winchester ’73 (1950)
This moody, noirish Western follows the gun of the title as it passes through many, many hands. What could have been a gimmicky frame device (see the short-lived Robert Altman TV series,Gun) becomes a powerful symbol of the history of violence that interconnects its characters and finally leads to a showdown between heavies Waco (Dan Duryea) and Lin McAdam (Stewart). For its formal daring and and crackling suspense, it’s one of Mann’s best.1. The Naked Spur (1953)
Our number-one flick features Jimmy Stewart as you’ve rarely seen him — completely and utterly immoral. This is the pinnacle of Mann and Stewart’s long run together, and one of the best Westerns ever made. From start to finish it’s engaging and provocative, and Stewart’s quest, to catch an old friend for reward money, increasingly becomes not a noble mission but a crazed pursuit for money no matter what the cost.

Headlines that shouldn't be true but are

Convicted rapist used Skype to urge teen victim to kill herself while
he watched

Archbishop of Canterbury admits doubts about existence of God

SHOCK POLL: 1 in 4 Americans open to seceding from USA...

REPORT: GOOGLE 2.0 will 'build airports and cities'...

CBS Thursday Football Ratings Plummet in Week 2...

UGLY: Opposition Research Dominates This Year's Campaigns...
.
ROVE WARNS: REPUBLICAN SENATE IN DOUBT...

Town tags homeless with GPS trackers...

Russian warplanes intentionally violate Swedish airspace...

WALMART Investigated Over Cockfight in Store...

Jesus In Toast Study Among 2014 Ig Nobel Awards Winners

Ridiculous Drum Solo Makes Church Song Epically Awkward

Man Called 911 Repeatedly Because He Was Lonely: Cops

WATCH: Suspect Robs Store With Banana (VIDEO)

Caught On Tape
Threesome With Homeless Man Turns Violent After Beef Taste-Test: Cops

Big Honors For UFO Congress

Model With Large, Fake Breasts Wants 'To Look Silly'

Ready For Mortal Kombat In An Elevator? These People Weren't.

Car Crash Caused By Burned Armpit Hair

Missing Driver Says He Woke Up In A Field Of Donkeys

Man Washing Hair With Mayo In Public Fountain

WATCH: Man Races Subway

Man Impales Neighbor's Cat With Blow Darts

Teacher Cut Off Woman's Hair During Hug: Cops

Cops Find Man Asleep In Car With Homemade Bombs, Kids

Headlines that shouldn't be true but are

Convicted rapist used Skype to urge teen victim to kill herself while
he watched

Archbishop of Canterbury admits doubts about existence of God

SHOCK POLL: 1 in 4 Americans open to seceding from USA...

REPORT: GOOGLE 2.0 will 'build airports and cities'...

CBS Thursday Football Ratings Plummet in Week 2...

UGLY: Opposition Research Dominates This Year's Campaigns...
.
ROVE WARNS: REPUBLICAN SENATE IN DOUBT...

Town tags homeless with GPS trackers...

Russian warplanes intentionally violate Swedish airspace...

WALMART Investigated Over Cockfight in Store...

Jesus In Toast Study Among 2014 Ig Nobel Awards Winners

Ridiculous Drum Solo Makes Church Song Epically Awkward

Man Called 911 Repeatedly Because He Was Lonely: Cops

WATCH: Suspect Robs Store With Banana (VIDEO)

Caught On Tape
Threesome With Homeless Man Turns Violent After Beef Taste-Test: Cops

Big Honors For UFO Congress

Model With Large, Fake Breasts Wants 'To Look Silly'

Ready For Mortal Kombat In An Elevator? These People Weren't.

Car Crash Caused By Burned Armpit Hair

Missing Driver Says He Woke Up In A Field Of Donkeys

Man Washing Hair With Mayo In Public Fountain

WATCH: Man Races Subway

Man Impales Neighbor's Cat With Blow Darts

Teacher Cut Off Woman's Hair During Hug: Cops

Cops Find Man Asleep In Car With Homemade Bombs, Kids

The latest issue of Clues

The latest issue of _Clues: A Journal of Detection_ (vol 32, no 2) is a theme issue coedited by Stewart King (Monash University) and Stephen Knight (University of Melbourne) that seeks to reach beyond the Anglo-American context of crime fiction. Swedish author Arne Dahl is on the cover, and his late countryman Stieg Larsson is also featured. King provides an essay on "crime fiction as world literature." Other writers discussed are Argentine author Claudia Piniero, Australian author Cory E. Player, French author Leo Malet, Spanish author Maria-Antonia Oliver, Italian authors Giorgio Scerbanenco and Massimo Carlotto, and Japanese author Seishi Yokomizo. Anticipating an upcoming issue on "reappropriating Agatha Christie," this _Clues_ issue also includes articles on Christie's _Cards on the Table_ and "The Mousetrap." Completing the issue are reviews of Bill Alder's Edgar-nominated _Maigret, Simenon and France_; Drewey Wayne Gunn's _The Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film_; _Crime and Detective Fiction_ ed. Rebecca Martin; and _Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives_ ed. Sarah Weinman.!