TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye Martin Kane was a fairly standard private eye appearing on radio and television 1949-1951. He was played by four actors on TV, William Gargan, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Tracy and Mark Stevens, each with their own characterization, from mellow cynicism to outright rudeness. The most notable thing about the program… Continue reading TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye
Tag: mystery
Book Review: Cat Breaking Free
Book Review: Cat Breaking Free by Shirley Rousseau Murphy Joe Grey is a talking cat with superfeline intellect and digestive abilities. Fortunately, he has chosen to use these powers in the service of justice as a civilian investigator for the small California city of Molena Point. Along with his fellow talking cats Dulcie and Kit,… Continue reading Book Review: Cat Breaking Free
TV Review: Michael Shayne
TV Review: Michael Shayne Michael Shayne is a private detective who works out of Miami. He was created in 1939 by Brett Halliday (pen name of David Dresser) for the novel Dividend On Death. He went on to star in a long-running book series (the later ones produced under the Halliday house name by other authors),… Continue reading TV Review: Michael Shayne
TV Review: Miami Undercover | Richard Diamond, Private Eye
TV Review: Miami Undercover | Richard Diamond, Private Eye Miami Undercover was a 1961 series shot in Miami Beach, with Lee Bowman as private investigator Jeff Thompson and Rocky Graziano as “Rocky.” Mr. Thompson was employed by the hotel owners to perform undercover investigations to avoid alarming guests with the presence of an overt hotel… Continue reading TV Review: Miami Undercover | Richard Diamond, Private Eye
TV Review: Public Defender
TV Review: Public Defender “If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.” The office of the Public Defender is a special government department that specializes in handling the cases of indigent defendants. The first such office was opened in Los Angeles in about 1914. This series, which aired in 1954-55, was… Continue reading TV Review: Public Defender
TV Review: Dick Tracy
TV Review: Dick Tracy Dick Tracy has had many incarnations over the years, but the actor most associated with the character is Ralph Byrd, who played him in serials, movies and eventually a television show in 1950. Unfortunately, Mr. Byrd was not in good health by this point, and the fast pace of TV production… Continue reading TV Review: Dick Tracy
TV Review: Man with a Camera
TV Review: Man with a Camera Mike Kovac (Charles Bronson) is a World War Two veteran who works as a freelance photographer. He’s a tough fellow who’s known for getting the shots other shutterbugs can’t make. As a result, he’s often called in to help investigate incidents for newspapers and private citizens. Mike is aided… Continue reading TV Review: Man with a Camera
TV Review: Front Page Detective
TV Review: Front Page Detective This series was broadcast on the DuMont Network from 1951-1952, starring Edmund Lowe as David Chase. Mr. Chase was a newspaper columnist in the style of Walter Winchell, seeking interesting tidbits of news and gossip, with many people sending him items. Often, his column or his investigative activities involved him… Continue reading TV Review: Front Page Detective
Book Review: The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator
Book Review: The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigatorby Tarquin Hall Disclosure: I received this book as a Firstreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This is the first of a series about Vish Puri, owner and operator of the Most Private Investigations office of… Continue reading Book Review: The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator
Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7
Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7 (Winter 2010) Back in the day, the low-cost entertainment option of choice was the pulp magazine. It contained fast, exciting stories on cruddy paper–a lowbrow art form that is still fondly remembered by some. “Out of the Gutter” tries to be somewhat in that tradition. This is the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7