Philip Marlowe, Private Eye

Last updated

Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
Philip Marlowe, Private Eye S1.jpg
Genre
Written by
Directed by
Starring Powers Boothe
Opening theme"Marlowe's Theme" by Moe Koffman
Composers
  • John Cameron
  • Samuel Matlovsky
Country of origin
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes11 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerGabriel Katzka
Producers
  • Jon Slan
  • David Wickes
Cinematography
  • Frank Beascoechea
  • Rene Ohashi
  • Michael Reed
Editors
Running time4548 minutes
Original release
Network
ReleaseApril 16, 1983 (1983-04-16) 
June 3, 1986 (1986-06-03)

Philip Marlowe, Private Eye is an American mystery series that aired on HBO in the United States from April 16, 1983, through June 3, 1986, and on ITV in the United Kingdom. The series features Powers Boothe as Raymond Chandler's title character, and was the first drama produced for HBO. [2] Unlike other modern incarnations of the Marlowe character, the HBO series kept the show set in the 1930s, true to the original Raymond Chandler stories.

Contents

Synopsis

The series chronicles the cases of private detective Philip Marlowe. Set in Los Angeles during the 1930s, storylines were adapted from Chandler's short stories. Philip Marlowe, Private Eye aired in two short runs beginning in April 1983 to June 1983 in the US and May 1984 in the UK. The second run began in April 1986 and ended in June 1986. [3]

Cast

Episodes

Season 1 (1983)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1–1"The Pencil" Peter R. Hunt Jo Eisinger 16 April 1983 (1983-04-16)
Marlowe is hired to protect a former mob accountant, Sal Vaccaro. The mob is gunning for him after he cooked the books and ran off with their money. Marlowe hides Vaccaro out in a hotel to evade the assassins, with the help of his Girl Friday, Annie Riordan, but it soon becomes clear that Marlowe is being played. Guest star: Kathryn Leigh Scott.
1–2"The King in Yellow" Bryan Forbes Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. 23 April 1983 (1983-04-23)
Brash musician King Leopardi is at the top of the charts, but somebody has made him Number 1 with a bullet. He winds up dead in a singer's bed, and Marlowe needs to figure out who killed the King. The suspects range from jilted lovers to angry managers, and a note that leads Marlowe to a motorcyclist who trades gunshots before the case is all wrapped up. Guest star: Lise Hilboldt.
1–3"Finger Man" Sidney Hayers Jo Eisinger30 April 1983 (1983-04-30)
Hiring Marlowe is proving to be hazardous to one's health. After two clients end up dead and when he is framed for doing in one of them, Marlowe must battle with the cops, the mob and a grand jury investigation to get out of a frame. And what a frame - they've got his gun as the murder weapon and $25,000 the victim had given to Marlowe for safe keeping. With trouble from all sides and a beautiful woman who may not be what she seems, Marlowe tries to finger the right man before he takes the fall. Guest star: Gayle Hunnicutt.
1–4"Nevada Gas"David WickesDavid Wickes7 May 1983 (1983-05-07)
A hotshot lawyer from Reno is killed, and the cops are quick to blame a beaten-down old rival of Marlowe's. But Marlowe isn't so sure, and sets out to clear him. The trail leads to Annie Riordan's new beau and a pair of killers with a very deadly car that doubles as a gas chamber. Marlowe has to nab the killers before he becomes the next victim of the deadly "Nevada gas." Guest star: John Terry.
1–5"Smart Aleck Kill"Peter R. HuntJesse L. Lasky, Jr.14 May 1983 (1983-05-14)
The job of acting as security for a young Hollywood star grows more complicated when Marlowe discovers the actor is dead, and his doctor and the movie studio are trying to cover it up. Now, Marlowe is up to his neck in scandal, drugs and blackmail. And to make matters worse, there's a guy with a tommy gun and an itchy trigger finger who's out to keep Marlowe quiet, for keeps.

Season 2 (1986)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
2–1"Blackmailers Don't Shoot" Allan King Jeremy Hole27 April 1986 (1986-04-27)
Marlowe is hired by a mobster to protect his actress girlfriend, who is inadvertently kidnapped. Guest stars: Melody Anderson, Allan Royal.
2–2"Spanish Blood" Robert Iscove Jeremy Hole, George Markstein4 May 1986 (1986-05-04)
Marlowe investigates the death of his friend Spanish, a lawyer who was running for DA against a corrupt incumbent. Guest stars: Helen Shaver, John Vernon.
2–3"Pickup on Noon Street"Robert IscoveJeremy Hole11 May 1986 (1986-05-11)
Marlowe's out to find the killer of a young girl, but he may have the chance to save another one. When he comes to the aid of Token Ware, a cigarette girl in a nightclub, Marlowe gets fingered by the law as the prime suspect in an extortion scheme. Now, he has to tangle with an actor who's got shady tastes in young women, his agent who only wants to keep it quiet, a club owner who's as slimy as they come and a musclebound thug who only wants Marlowe dead. Guest stars: Kate Trotter, Robin Givens.
2–4"Guns at Cyrano's"Robert IscoveJeremy Hole18 May 1986 (1986-05-18)
Benny Cyrano owns a nightclub, a gym, and Duke Targo, who could become the next champ. But somebody's pressuring Duke to take a dive in his next fight, so Cyrano hires Marlowe to make sure it doesn't happen. The shakedown seems to be linked to Duke's girl, Jean, and when Marlowe discovers a link to the new boxing commissioner, he has to act fast before somebody goes down for the count... for good. Guest stars: Roxanne Hart, Cec Linder.
2–5"Trouble Is My Business"Robert IscoveJeremy Hole25 May 1986 (1986-05-25)
A millionaire hires Marlowe to break up the budding romance between his naive nephew and a gold-digging social climber. Guest stars: Kate Reid, Jennifer Dale.
2–6"Red Wind" Martin Lavut Jaron Summers3 June 1986 (1986-06-03)
Anything can happen when the Santa Ana wind blows through town, as a murder in a bar sets Marlowe off on a new case. There's a woman with a secret, a missing pearl necklace, an affair that could destroy a career, and another corpse before the dust settles. Guest star: Maury Chaykin, Linda Griffiths.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryRecipient
1983 CableACE Awards NominatedActor in a Dramatic PresentationPowers Boothe
1987Actress in a Dramatic SeriesKate Reid
(For episode "Trouble Is My Business")
1987Canadian Society of Cinematographers AwardsBest Cinematography in TV DramaRene Ohashi
1986 Gemini Awards Best Writing in a Dramatic Program/Series (TV Adaptation)Jeremy Hole
Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or SeriesRene Ohashi
Best Pay TV DramaJon Slan
Best Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)Samuel Matlovsky

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Chandler</span> American novelist and screenwriter (1888–1959)

Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In addition to his short stories, Chandler published seven novels during his lifetime. All but Playback have been made into motion pictures, some more than once. In the year before his death, he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.

<i>The Big Sleep</i> 1939 novel by Raymond Chandler

The Big Sleep (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Marlowe</span> Fictional character created by Raymond Chandler

Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The genre originated in the 1920s, notably in Black Mask magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op and Sam Spade first appeared. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep, published in 1939. Chandler's early short stories, published in pulp magazines such as Black Mask and Dime Detective, featured similar characters with names like "Carmady" and "John Dalmas", starting in 1933.

Marlowe may refer to:

<i>Farewell, My Lovely</i> 1940 novel by Raymond Chandler

Farewell, My Lovely is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1940, the second novel he wrote featuring the Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe. It was adapted for the screen three times and was also adapted for the stage and radio.

<i>The Long Goodbye</i> (novel) 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler

The Long Good-bye is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1953, his sixth novel featuring the private investigator Philip Marlowe. Some critics consider it inferior to The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, but others rank it as the best of his work. Chandler, in a letter to a friend, called the novel "my best book".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powers Boothe</span> American actor (1948–2017)

Powers Allen Boothe was an American actor known for his commanding character actor roles on film and television. He received a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<i>Murder, My Sweet</i> 1944 film directed by Edward Dmytryk

Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley. The film is based on Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely. It was the first film to feature Chandler's primary character, the hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe.

Lew Archer is a fictional character created by American-Canadian writer Ross Macdonald. Archer is a private detective working in Southern California. Between the late 1940s and the early '70s, the character appeared in 18 novels and a handful of shorter works as well as several film and television adaptations. Macdonald's Archer novels have been praised for building on the foundations of hardboiled fiction by introducing more literary themes and psychological depth to the genre. Critic John Leonard declared that Macdonald had surpassed the limits of crime fiction to become "a major American novelist" while author Eudora Welty was a fan of the series and carried on a lengthy correspondence with Macdonald. The editors of Thrilling Detective wrote: "The greatest P.I. series ever written? Probably."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gayle Hunnicutt</span> American actress (1943–2023)

Gayle Jenkins, Lady Jenkins was an American film, television and stage actress. She made more than 30 film appearances.

<i>The Brasher Doubloon</i> 1947 American crime film noir by John Brahm

The Brasher Doubloon is a 1947 American crime film noir directed by John Brahm and starring George Montgomery and Nancy Guild. It is based on the 1942 novel The High Window by Raymond Chandler.

<i>The Long Goodbye</i> (film) 1973 film by Robert Altman

The Long Goodbye is a 1973 American satirical neo-noir film directed by Robert Altman and written by Leigh Brackett, based on Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel. The film stars Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe and features Sterling Hayden, Nina Van Pallandt, Jim Bouton, Mark Rydell, and an early, uncredited appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

<i>Poodle Springs</i> 1989 novel by Raymond Chandler

Poodle Springs is the eighth Philip Marlowe novel. It was started in 1958 by Raymond Chandler, who left it unfinished at his death in 1959. The four chapters he had completed, which bore the working title The Poodle Springs Story, were subsequently published in Raymond Chandler Speaking (1962), a collection of excerpts from letters and unpublished writings. In 1988, on the occasion of the centenary of Chandler's birth, the crime writer Robert B. Parker was asked by the estate of Raymond Chandler to complete the novel.

<i>Farewell, My Lovely</i> (1975 film) 1975 film by Dick Richards

Farewell, My Lovely is a 1975 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Dick Richards and featuring Robert Mitchum as private detective Philip Marlowe. The picture is based on Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely (1940), which had previously been adapted for film as Murder, My Sweet in 1944. The supporting cast features Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Jack O'Halloran, Sylvia Miles, Harry Dean Stanton and hardcore crime novelist Jim Thompson, in his only acting role, as Charlotte Rampling's character's elderly husband Judge Grayle. Mitchum returned to the role of Marlowe three years later in the 1978 film The Big Sleep, making him the only actor to portray the character more than once in a feature film.

<i>Radioactive Dreams</i> 1985 film by Albert Pyun

Radioactive Dreams is a 1985 post-apocalyptic science fiction-comedy film written and directed by Albert Pyun and starring George Kennedy, Michael Dudikoff, Don Murray, and Lisa Blount. The names of the two main characters are homages to noir detective fiction icons Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler and Mike Hammer. The film has achieved cult status and has been screened in several cult revival programs around the world.

Philip Marlowe is a half-hour ABC crime series, featuring Philip Carey as Marlowe, the fictional detective created by Raymond Chandler. It was broadcast from October 6, 1959, until March 29, 1960.

<i>The Adventures of Philip Marlowe</i>

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a radio series featuring Raymond Chandler's private eye, Philip Marlowe. Robert C. Reinehr and Jon D. Swartz, in their book, The A to Z of Old Time Radio, noted that the program differed from most others in its genre: "It was a more hard-boiled program than many of the other private detective shows of the time, containing few quips or quaint characters."

"Smart-Aleck Kill" is a short story by writer Raymond Chandler. It was first published in July 1934 in the magazine Black Mask.

"Nevada Gas" is a short story by writer Raymond Chandler. It was first published in June 1935 in the magazine Black Mask. The "Nevada gas" of the title refers to cyanide gas, used for executions in the state of Nevada at the time.

"The Big Sleep" is a 1950 American TV play based on the novel by Raymond Chandler. It was an episode of the anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents. Montgomery had played Philip Marlowe previously in Lady in the Lake. Many episodes of the series were adaptations of Hollywood films.

References

  1. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0674527/?ref_=ttep_ep2
  2. "Interview With David Wickes". personal.u-net.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  3. Widdicombe, Toby (2001). A Reader's Guide to Raymond Chandler. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 177. ISBN   0-313-30767-9.