there are a few 'crime' authors i love, but mickey spillane is just too rough for me. the film of his 1952 book, 'kiss me deadly' is blessedly dated, otherwise i couldn't handle it.
i'm not sure what the proper slang was in his heyday, but actor ralph meeker, star of 'kiss me deadly' is what is now known as 'a total babe.'
he plays detective mike hammer and has to deal with thugs galore in this noir classic. his girlfriend/girlfriday is named 'velda' (where have all the cool names gone?) and she practices ballet, has the patience of a saint, and goes way beyond the call of duty. like i say, the man is a doll. sample dialogue:
velda: remember me?
mike: yeah, i remember you from somewhere.
even though the story is quite rough going, some of the touches are delightful, especially the answering machine attached to a wall. the ending of the book was just too awful for hollywood so they shot an alternative and you will be relieved.
photo below: see what i mean?
1 comment:
I'll take a good william powell and myrna loy "thin man" films over Mickey.... :)
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