Mike Hammer, Private Eye

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Mike Hammer, Private Eye
Mike hammer private eye dvd.jpg
DVD cover
GenreCrime
Drama
Mystery
Starring Stacy Keach
Shane Conrad
Shannon Whirry
Kent Williams
Peter Jason
Malgosia Tomassi
Theme music composer Eric Allaman
Opening theme Harlem Nocturne
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producers Jay Bernstein
Jeff Franklin
Steve Waterman
Doug McIntyre (co-executive produce)
Producers Larry B. Williams
John S. Curran (line producer)
Cary Glieberman (supervising producer)
Claude Lawrence Jr. (associate producer / producer)
Susan J. Spohr (staff associate producer)
Stacy Keach (executive co-producer)
Cinematography Nicholas Josef von Sternberg
Editors Greg A. Simone
Jonathan Seay
Michael Matlock
Richard E. Rabjohn
Shawn Paper
Chris A. Moore
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesFranklin/Waterman Worldwide
Jay Bernstein Enterprises
The Kushner-Locke Company
Release
Original network Syndication
Original releaseSeptember 27, 1997 (1997-09-27) 
June 14, 1998 (1998-06-14)
Related
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer

Mike Hammer, Private Eye is an American syndicated television program based on the adventures of the fictitious private detective Mike Hammer, created by novelist Mickey Spillane. Like the previous series, it was produced by Jay Bernstein but in a less hands-on capacity. The show failed to gain a wide audience and, as a result, it was canceled after only one season. Mike Hammer, Private Eye premiered on September 27, 1997. The final episode of the series aired on June 14, 1998.

Contents

Premise

The series starred Stacy Keach and was seen as an attempt to revive the character he had played in Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and The New Mike Hammer , two moderately successful CBS series from the 1980s. Kent Williams was the only other regular actor from the 1980s series to return, albeit in a different role. Shannon Whirry played Hammer's secretary Velda, who had been played by Lindsay Bloom in the previous series. Guest star, Tracy Scoggins, formerly seen in a different role in the 1984 episode of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, "24 Karat Dead," appears in episode 2, "Beat Street," of this series. [1] [2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byAirdate
1"Prodigal Son"Allen BertonFred A. WylerSeptember 28, 1997 (1997-09-28) [3]
Mike Hammer goes after the killer of his friend, Mike Farrell. He encounters the Russian mob in his search for the killer.
2"Beat Street" Rex Piano Chris BaenaOctober 5, 1997 (1997-10-05) [4]
An accused polluter hires Mike, but then the reporter who did an expose on him is found dead making him a murder suspect.
3"www.murder" James Lemmo Chris BaenaOctober 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)
4"Hoop Nightmares"Rex PianoGeorge MelrodOctober 18, 1997 (1997-10-18)
5"False Truths"Wayne EwingTanya HekimianOctober 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)
6"Halloween"Jonathan WinfreyJohn Henry ReedNovember 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)
7"Body Odor"Rex PianoJake KalleenNovember 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)
8"Sins of the Father"Greydon ClarkGeorge MelrodNovember 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)
9"A Penny Saved"Greydon ClarkDavid Reskin & Greydon ClarkNovember 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)
10"The Life You Save"Wayne EwingChris BaenaJanuary 17, 1998 (1998-01-17)
11"The Long Road to Nowhere"Jonathan WinfreyBrian OppenhemierJanuary 24, 1998 (1998-01-24)
12"The Art of Murder"Rex PianoGeorge MelrodJanuary 31, 1998 (1998-01-31)
13"Countdown to Murder"William LuckingPeter McGovern & Michael O'ConnellFebruary 7, 1998 (1998-02-07)
14"The Cutting Edge"Wayne EwingRichard JohnsonFebruary 14, 1998 (1998-02-14)
15"Big Brother's Secret"Rex PianoRaul PanaderoFebruary 21, 1998 (1998-02-21)
16"A Candidate for Murder"Jonathan WinfreyChris BaenaFebruary 28, 1998 (1998-02-28)
17"Dump the Creep"Dimitri LogothetisPeter McGovern & Michael O'ConnellApril 11, 1998 (1998-04-11)
18"Chop Shop"Rex PianoBrian OppenhemierApril 18, 1998 (1998-04-18)
19"The Maya Connection"Dimitri LogothetisJennifer BollerApril 25, 1998 (1998-04-25)
20"Lucky in Love"Rex PianoChris BaenaMay 2, 1998 (1998-05-02)
21"Songbird: Part 1"Jonathan WinfreyPeter McGovern & Michael O'ConnellMay 9, 1998 (1998-05-09)
22"Songbird: Part 2"Jonathan WinfreyPeter McGovern & Michael O'ConnellMay 16, 1998 (1998-05-16)
23"Gone Fishin"William LuckingPeter McGovern & Michael O'ConnellMay 23, 1998 (1998-05-23)
24"Dead Men Talk"Rex PianoChris BaenaMay 30, 1998 (1998-05-30)
25"A New Leaf: Part 1"Jonathan WinfreyJennifer BollerJune 6, 1998 (1998-06-06)
26"A New Leaf: Part 2"Jonathan WinfreyJennifer BollerJune 13, 1998 (1998-06-13)

Related Research Articles

Michael Hammer is a fictional character created by the American author Mickey Spillane. Hammer debuted in the 1947 book I, the Jury. Hammer is a no-holds-barred private investigator who carries a Colt .45 M1911A1 in a shoulder holster under his left arm. His love for his secretary Velda is outweighed only by his willingness to kill a killer. Hammer's best friend is Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD. Hammer was a World War II army veteran who spent two years fighting jungle warfare in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II against Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Spillane</span> American crime novelist

Frank Morrison Spillane, better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, whose stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself in the 1965 film The Girl Hunters.

Shannon Meta Whirry is an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacy Keach</span> American actor (b. 1941)

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The 1983–84 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 1983 through August 1984. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1982–83 season.

Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer may refer to:

<i>The Girl Hunters</i> (film) 1963 film by Roy Rowland

The Girl Hunters (1963) is a British crime drama film directed by Roy Rowland and adapted from the 1962 Mickey Spillane pulp novel of the same name. Exteriors were shot on location in New York with studio scenes in London.

<i>I, the Jury</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Richard T. Heffron

I, the Jury is a 1982 American neo-noir crime thriller film based on the 1947 best-selling detective novel of the same name by Mickey Spillane. The story was previously filmed in 3D in 1953. Larry Cohen wrote the screenplay and was hired to direct, but was replaced when the film's budget was already out of control after one week of shooting. He was replaced at short notice by veteran TV director Richard T. Heffron.

<i>My Gun Is Quick</i> (film) 1957 film by Victor Saville

My Gun Is Quick is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by George White and Victor Saville and starring Robert Bray.

Małgorzata Tomassi is a Polish former fashion model and actress. Tomassi presently works as an interior designer. She is the wife of actor Stacy Keach, whom she met on the set of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. She has performed alongside her husband in various Mike Hammer-related television shows, including Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, The New Mike Hammer and, most recently, Mike Hammer, Private Eye as the yoga instructor Maya Ricci.

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Murder Me, Murder You is a 1983 American made-for-television mystery film starring Stacy Keach as Mickey Spillane's iconic hardboiled private detective Mike Hammer. The film was a follow-up to another television film first aired in 1981, Margin for Murder, in which the fictitious gumshoe was portrayed by Kevin Dobson. The Dobson film, which did not lead to a series, marked the first time the character was depicted on the small-screen since Darren McGavin played the part in the black-and-white version of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, a syndicated television series (1958–1960). Murder Me, Murder You was the first of two pilots featuring Keach in the part - the other being More Than Murder (1984) - that blazed a path for the 1980s version of the CBS series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, which debuted on January 28, 1984.

<i>Kiss Me, Deadly</i> 1952 detective novel by American writer Mickey Spillane

Kiss Me, Deadly (1952) is Mickey Spillane's sixth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer. The novel was later loosely adapted into the film Kiss Me Deadly in 1955.

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The Body Lovers (1967) is Mickey Spillane's tenth book featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.

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Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the first syndicated television series based on Spillane's hard-boiled private detective Mike Hammer, played by Darren McGavin. The series was produced from 1957 to 1959, and had a run of 78 episodes over two seasons. Episodes were filmed in black and white and filled a half-hour time slot. As a syndicated television series, original air dates and the order of episodes vary by geographic location – for example, in New York City. The series debuted January 28, 1958, on WCBS-TV, and the first episode aired was "Letter Edged in Blackmail".

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Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, with Stacy Keach in the title role, is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 28, 1984, to May 13, 1987. The series consisted of 51 installments: 46 one-hour episodes, a two-part pilot episode, and three TV Movies.

More Than Murder is a 1984 American made-for-television mystery film starring Stacy Keach as Mickey Spillane's iconic hardboiled private detective Mike Hammer. It aired on January 26, 1984, at 9:00 p.m. and was the second of two pilots featuring Keach in the part - the other being Murder Me, Murder You (1983) - that blazed a path for the 1980s version of the CBS series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, which debuted on January 28, 1984.

References

  1. ""The New Mike Hammer" 24 Karat Dead (TV Episode 1984) - IMDb".
  2. ""Mike Hammer, Private Eye" Beat Street (TV Episode 1997) - IMDb".
  3. ""Mike Hammer, Private Eye" Prodigal Son (TV Episode 1997) - IMDb".
  4. ""Mike Hammer, Private Eye" Beat Street (TV Episode 1997) - IMDb".