Mickey Spillane on Screen: A Complete Study of the Television and Film Adaptations

✍ Scribed by Max Allan Collins, James L. Traylor

• Publisher: Mcfarland
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 223
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In the mid-20th century, Mickey Spillane was the sensation of not just mystery fiction but publishing itself. The level of sex and violence in his Mike Hammer thrillers (starting with I, The Jury in 1947) broke down long-held taboos and engendered a near hysterical critical backlash. Nonetheless, Spillane's influence has been felt--reflections of Hammer are visible in nearly every subsequent tough guy of fiction and film, including James Bond, Dirty Harry, Shaft, Billy Jack, and Jack Bauer. Spillane's fiction came to the screen in a series of films that include Kiss Me Deadly (1955) and The Girl Hunters (1963) with the author himself playing his private eye. These films, and television series starring Darren McGavin and Stacy Keach respectively, are examined in a lively, knowledgeable fashion by Spillane experts. Included are cast and crew listings, brief biographical entries on key persons, and a lengthy interview with Spillane.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction......Page 14
Prologue......Page 18
1. “I, the Jury” (1953)......Page 30
2. “The Long Wait” (1954)......Page 40
3. “Ring of Fear” (1954)......Page 49
4. “Kiss Me Deadly” (1955)......Page 56
5. “My Gun Is Quick” (1957)......Page 75
6. “The Girl Hunters” (1963)......Page 85
7. “The Delta Factor” (1970)......Page 96
8. “I, the Jury” (1982)......Page 101
9. Mike Hammer TV Pilot (1954)......Page 108
10. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (1958–59)......Page 113
11. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer In ‘Margin for Murder’” (1981)......Page 130
12. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: 'Murder Me, Murder You'" (1983)......Page 134
13. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: 'More Than Murder'" (1984)......Page 141
14. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (1984–85) CBS-TV......Page 144
15. “Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (1986)......Page 152
16. “The New Mike Hammer” (1986–87) CBS-TV......Page 156
17. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: 'Murder Takes All'" (1989)......Page 165
18. “'Come Die with Me’: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" Mystery (1994)......Page 168
19: “Tomorrow I Die” (“Fallen Angels,” 1995)......Page 175
20. “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Private Eye” (1997–98)......Page 179
A. The Hammer (Film) Code......Page 188
B. “‘The Girl Hunt’ Ballet” (“The Band Wagon,” 1953)......Page 189
C. Who’s Who of Spillane on Film......Page 192
D. Stars of the Hammer Film Universe......Page 199
E. Mickey Spillane in His Own Words......Page 200
Bibliography......Page 216
Index......Page 218