I just heard this news on the radio, together with a recorded interview and retrospective. The upshot was that his books were indeed misogynist but his “class war” credentials were always “correct” (i.e., working-class heroes, upper-class villains).* Actually I’ve never read any of his novels nor seen any movies based on them, but he’s part of, you know, the collective cultural unconscious; you kinda (think you) know what he’s all about. Who hasn’t at least heard the name of Mike Hammer? So I thought it was worth a CS thread. Any Spillane fans/haters here?
*OTOH, I remember reading elsewhere, can’t quite remember where, that Communists also frequently featured as stock villains in his stories written in the '50s.
I’ll count myself as a huge Spillane fan, even if I came a little late to the game. It’s the archetype 40’s detective pulp I’ve seen tributed and parodied my entire life, but his writing is still as nice and gritty as you could ask for. Tarantino ain’t got shit on Mickey. Nothing against Raymond Chandler or Dashiel Hammett, but Spillane was the master of the genre to me. I’ll also admit surprise that he was still alive, I guess I figured him dead eons ago.
Guess I’ll have to spark up a Lucky, have a few shots, and go hassle some lowlifes and dames in his memory.
Spillane’s books are a lot of fun. I, the Jury and (if I recall) The Erection Set have two of the best closing lines in literature.
Stacy Keach was great as Hammer on tv, but I would’ve liked to see him in a movie, with free rein on cursing and violence.
My favorite Hammer movie is Kiss Me Deadly, with Ralph Meeker.