Mike Hammer
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane
in the 1947 book I, the Jury
(made into a movie in 1953 and 1982).
, who portrayed Hammer in a CBS
television series, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
, which ran from 1984–1987 and had a syndicated revival in 1997–1998. (An earlier syndicated version, originally aired in 1957–1958, starred Darren McGavin
as Hammer.) Spillane himself played Hammer in a 1963 motion picture adaptation of The Girl Hunters
. Spillane himself favoured ex-Marine and former Newburgh, New York police officer Jack Stang
, on whom he based the character, to play him. Stang appeared with Spillane in the 1954 film Ring of Fear
and in the film adaptation of I, the Jury
.
detectives such as Sam Spade
and Philip Marlowe
are hard-boiled and cynical, Hammer is in many ways the archetypal
"hard man": brutally violent, misogynistic
, and fuelled by a genuine rage that never afflicts Raymond Chandler
's or Dashiell Hammett
's heroes. In The Big Kill Hammer describes himself to a bargirl as a misanthrope
.
While other hardboiled heroes bend and manipulate the law, Hammer holds it in total contempt, seeing it as nothing more than an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Hammer nevertheless has a strong respect for the majority of police
, realising they have a difficult job and their hands are frequently tied by the law when trying to stop criminals.
Mike Hammer is a no-holds barred Battle of Guadalcanal
veteran private investigator
who carries a .45 Colt M1911, named "Betsy" in a shoulder harness under his left arm. His love for his secretary Velda is only outweighed by his willingness to kill a killer. Hammer's best friend is Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD.
Hammer is also patriotic
and anti-communist. The novels are peppered with remarks by Hammer supporting American troops in Korea
, and in Survival...Zero Vietnam
. In One Lonely Night
, where Hammer attends a communist meeting in a park, his reaction to the speaker's propaganda
is a sarcastic "Yeah."
So far as violence is concerned, the Hammer novels leave little to the imagination. Written in the first person
, Hammer describes his violent encounters with relish. In all but a few novels, Hammer's victims are often left vomiting after a blow to the stomach or groin.
The Washington Times obituary of Spillane said of Hammer, "In a manner similar to Clint Eastwood
's Dirty Harry, Hammer was a cynical loner contemptuous of the 'tedious process' of the legal system, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own terms."
radio series titled That Hammer Guy starred Larry Haines
then George Petrie and Ted DeCorsia as Mike Hammer and Jan Miner
as Hammer's secretary Velda and the voice of other female characters on the show. It was written by Ed Adamson and was directed by Richard Lewis.
Audiobooks - An array of Spillane's novels have been produced as audiobooks. Several of these are performed by Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
veteran Stacy Keach. Examples include Black Alley
(Penguin Audio, 1996), The Big Kill
(Simon & Schuster, 2010) and The Killing Man
(Simon & Schuster, 2010).
Blackstone Audio Productions - In 2008, Stacy Keach
reprised the role of Mike Hammer in the first of a series of radio-style dramas entitled The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. Keach refers to the production style, that is somewhere between an audiobook and and radio drama, as a "radio novel." The Audie
-nominated inaugural production features the episodes, Dangerous Days and Oil and Water. Both were written exclusively for audio by M. J. Elliott and produced with a full cast, music and sound effects in radio drama style by Carl Amari of Falcon Picture Group, who personally selected Elliott to script the Audie Award-nominated dramas. Volume 2 of the series was released in 2009, featuring a 2.5 hour story entitled The Little Death. The story was written exclusively for audio by Max Allan Collins
from a story by Mickey Spillane
and Max Allan Collins
. Volume 3, Encore for Murder, was released in March 2011. All three volumes have been released by Blackstone Audio and star Keach in the title role. Keach also arranges and performs the music featured in the productions and his wife, Malgosia Tomassi
, portrays yoga instructor Maya Ricci.
starring Mike Hammer was distributed by Phoenix Features Syndicate from 1953 to 1954. It was entitled From the Files of... Mike Hammer and written by Spillane, Ed Robbins and Joe Gill, with art by Ed Robbins. Collections of the strip were published in the 1980s.
Mickey Spillane
Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
in the 1947 book I, the Jury
I, the Jury
I, The Jury is Mickey Spillane's first novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:New York City, summer 1944. Although she runs a successful private psychiatric clinic on New York's Park Avenue, Dr. Charlotte Manning — young, beautiful, blonde, and well-to-do —...
(made into a movie in 1953 and 1982).
Description
Several movies and radio and television series have been based on the books in the Hammer series. The actor most closely identified with the character in recent years has been Stacy KeachStacy Keach
Stacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
, who portrayed Hammer in a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...
, which ran from 1984–1987 and had a syndicated revival in 1997–1998. (An earlier syndicated version, originally aired in 1957–1958, starred Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker and his portrayal in the film A Christmas Story of the grumpy father given to bursts of profanity that he never realizes his son overhears...
as Hammer.) Spillane himself played Hammer in a 1963 motion picture adaptation of The Girl Hunters
The Girl Hunters
The Girl Hunters is a British-made film, adapted from the 1962 Mickey Spillane pulp novel The Girl Hunters.Mickey Spillane played Mike Hammer, one of the few occasions in film history in which an author of a popular literary hero has portrayed his own character. It also starred Bond girl Shirley...
. Spillane himself favoured ex-Marine and former Newburgh, New York police officer Jack Stang
Jack Stang
Jack Stang born John A. Stang was a former U.S. Marine who served in the pacific theater-Samoa, Guadacanal and Bougainville campaign during World War Two, wounded in action, one of four men in his platoon to make it out and was later a Newburgh, New York policeman...
, on whom he based the character, to play him. Stang appeared with Spillane in the 1954 film Ring of Fear
Ring of Fear (film)
Ring of Fear is a 1954 film starring Clyde Beatty and Mickey Spillane as themselves. With a deranged killer on the loose in his circus, lion tamer Beatty calls in mystery writer Spillane to solve the case.-Cast:*Clyde Beatty as Himself...
and in the film adaptation of I, the Jury
I, the Jury (1953 film)
I, the Jury is a mystery-thriller film from 1953, based on the novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. It was directed by Harry Essex, produced by Victor Saville's company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists....
.
Character
While pulpPulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
detectives such as Sam Spade
Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories by Hammett....
and Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939...
are hard-boiled and cynical, Hammer is in many ways the archetypal
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
"hard man": brutally violent, misogynistic
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
, and fuelled by a genuine rage that never afflicts Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
's or Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
's heroes. In The Big Kill Hammer describes himself to a bargirl as a misanthrope
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
.
While other hardboiled heroes bend and manipulate the law, Hammer holds it in total contempt, seeing it as nothing more than an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Hammer nevertheless has a strong respect for the majority of police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, realising they have a difficult job and their hands are frequently tied by the law when trying to stop criminals.
Mike Hammer is a no-holds barred Battle of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
veteran private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
who carries a .45 Colt M1911, named "Betsy" in a shoulder harness under his left arm. His love for his secretary Velda is only outweighed by his willingness to kill a killer. Hammer's best friend is Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD.
Hammer is also patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
and anti-communist. The novels are peppered with remarks by Hammer supporting American troops in Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, and in Survival...Zero Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In One Lonely Night
One Lonely Night
One Lonely Night is Mickey Spillane's fourth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:After having been berated by a Judge, Mike Hammer goes for a walk and comes across a terrified woman and her pursuer. He kills the man but the woman, terrified, jumps to her death from a...
, where Hammer attends a communist meeting in a park, his reaction to the speaker's propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
is a sarcastic "Yeah."
So far as violence is concerned, the Hammer novels leave little to the imagination. Written in the first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
, Hammer describes his violent encounters with relish. In all but a few novels, Hammer's victims are often left vomiting after a blow to the stomach or groin.
The Washington Times obituary of Spillane said of Hammer, "In a manner similar to Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's Dirty Harry, Hammer was a cynical loner contemptuous of the 'tedious process' of the legal system, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own terms."
Novels
- I, The JuryI, the JuryI, The Jury is Mickey Spillane's first novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:New York City, summer 1944. Although she runs a successful private psychiatric clinic on New York's Park Avenue, Dr. Charlotte Manning — young, beautiful, blonde, and well-to-do —...
(1947) - My Gun is QuickMy Gun Is QuickMy Gun Is Quick is a 1957 mystery film based on the novel My Gun is Quick by Mickey Spillane. Written by Richard M. Powell and directed by Phil Victor and George White, the movie stars Robert Bray as private investigator Mike Hammer, Pamela Duncan as Velda, Hammer's secretary.The story begins when...
(1950) - Vengeance Is Mine!Vengeance Is Mine!Vengeance Is Mine! is Mickey Spillane's third novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:Mike Hammer wakes up being questioned by the police in the same hotel room as the body of an old friend from World War II. His friend, Chester Wheeler, has apparently committed suicide...
(1950) - One Lonely NightOne Lonely NightOne Lonely Night is Mickey Spillane's fourth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:After having been berated by a Judge, Mike Hammer goes for a walk and comes across a terrified woman and her pursuer. He kills the man but the woman, terrified, jumps to her death from a...
(1951) - The Big KillThe Big KillThe Big Kill is Mickey Spillane's fifth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot:Drinking at a seedy bar on a rainy night, Hammer notices a man come in with an infant. The man, named Decker, cries as he kisses the infant goodbye, then walks out in the rain to be shot to death. ...
(1951) - Kiss Me, DeadlyKiss Me, DeadlyKiss Me, Deadly is Mickey Spillane's sixth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer. The novel was later adapted into the film Kiss Me Deadly in 1955.- External links :*: The Mike Hammer Collection by Mickey Spillane...
(1952) - The Girl HuntersThe Girl HuntersThe Girl Hunters is a British-made film, adapted from the 1962 Mickey Spillane pulp novel The Girl Hunters.Mickey Spillane played Mike Hammer, one of the few occasions in film history in which an author of a popular literary hero has portrayed his own character. It also starred Bond girl Shirley...
(1962) - The SnakeThe Snake (Mike Hammer)The Snake is Mickey Spillane's eighth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-The plot:The novel picks up where exactly where The Girl Hunters left off. Hammer has discovered the location of his long lost love and secretary, Velda...
(1964) - The Twisted ThingThe Twisted ThingThe Twisted Thing is Mickey Spillane's ninth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer....
(1966) - The Body LoversThe Body LoversThe Body Lovers is Mickey Spillane's tenth book featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Synopsis:Mike Hammer finds himself investigating a sex-orgy cult with money and murder on the agenda....
(1967) - Survival... Zero!Survival... Zero!Survival... Zero! is Mickey Spillane's eleventh novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer....
(1970) - The Killing ManThe Killing Manthumb|1st edition The Killing Man is Mickey Spillane's twelfth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer....
(1989) - Black AlleyBlack AlleyBlack Alley is Mickey Spillane's thirteenth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer, and the last one completed before his death ....
(1997) - The Goliath BoneThe Goliath BoneThe Goliath Bone is the 14th entry in the Mike Hammer series by Mickey Spillane. It was completed by Max Allan Collins, and was first published on October 13, 2008...
(2008, Mickey SpillaneMickey SpillaneFrank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
with Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
) - The Big Bang (2010, Mickey SpillaneMickey SpillaneFrank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
and Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
) - Kiss Her Goodbye (2011, Mickey SpillaneMickey SpillaneFrank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
and Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
)
Audio
Radio Series - A December 1952 to October 1954 Mutual Broadcasting SystemMutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
radio series titled That Hammer Guy starred Larry Haines
Larry Haines
Larry Haines, born Larry Hecht was an American actor. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York.-Biography:He was born on August 3, 1918....
then George Petrie and Ted DeCorsia as Mike Hammer and Jan Miner
Jan Miner
Jan Miner was an American actress best known for her iconic role as the manicurist Madge in a 27-year series of television commercials for Palmolive dish-washing detergent....
as Hammer's secretary Velda and the voice of other female characters on the show. It was written by Ed Adamson and was directed by Richard Lewis.
Audiobooks - An array of Spillane's novels have been produced as audiobooks. Several of these are performed by Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...
veteran Stacy Keach. Examples include Black Alley
Black Alley
Black Alley is Mickey Spillane's thirteenth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer, and the last one completed before his death ....
(Penguin Audio, 1996), The Big Kill
The Big Kill
The Big Kill is Mickey Spillane's fifth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot:Drinking at a seedy bar on a rainy night, Hammer notices a man come in with an infant. The man, named Decker, cries as he kisses the infant goodbye, then walks out in the rain to be shot to death. ...
(Simon & Schuster, 2010) and The Killing Man
The Killing Man
thumb|1st edition The Killing Man is Mickey Spillane's twelfth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer....
(Simon & Schuster, 2010).
Blackstone Audio Productions - In 2008, Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
reprised the role of Mike Hammer in the first of a series of radio-style dramas entitled The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. Keach refers to the production style, that is somewhere between an audiobook and and radio drama, as a "radio novel." The Audie
Audie Awards
The Audie Awards are annually bestowed annually in the USA for outstanding audiobooks. The Audies have been granted by the Audio Publishers Association, a not-for-profit trade organization, since 1996. The nominees are announced each year in January, and the winners are announced at a gala banquet...
-nominated inaugural production features the episodes, Dangerous Days and Oil and Water. Both were written exclusively for audio by M. J. Elliott and produced with a full cast, music and sound effects in radio drama style by Carl Amari of Falcon Picture Group, who personally selected Elliott to script the Audie Award-nominated dramas. Volume 2 of the series was released in 2009, featuring a 2.5 hour story entitled The Little Death. The story was written exclusively for audio by Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
from a story by Mickey Spillane
Mickey Spillane
Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
and Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
. Volume 3, Encore for Murder, was released in March 2011. All three volumes have been released by Blackstone Audio and star Keach in the title role. Keach also arranges and performs the music featured in the productions and his wife, Malgosia Tomassi
Malgosia Tomassi
Malgosia Tomassi was born in Warsaw, Poland. 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...
, portrays yoga instructor Maya Ricci.
Television
There have been several television shows based on the exploits of Mike Hammer.- A 1954 television pilotTelevision pilotA "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
was developed starring Brian KeithBrian KeithBrian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
that was written and directed by Blake EdwardsBlake EdwardsBlake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
, it was not picked up. - Mickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...
(1958 - 1960 ; starring Darren McGavinDarren McGavinDarren McGavin was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker and his portrayal in the film A Christmas Story of the grumpy father given to bursts of profanity that he never realizes his son overhears...
) - Mickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...
(Jan. 1984 - Jan. 1985 ; starring Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
) - The New Mike HammerThe New Mike HammerThe New Mike Hammer is an American television series based on the exploits of the fictitious New York-based private detective Mike Hammer. The show starred Stacy Keach and was essentially a continuation of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, an earlier television program featuring an identical core cast...
(Sept. 1986 - May 1987 ; starring Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
) - Mike Hammer, Private EyeMike Hammer, Private EyeMike 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...
(Sept. 1997 - June 1998 ; starring Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
)
Movies
- I, the JuryI, the Jury (1953 film)I, the Jury is a mystery-thriller film from 1953, based on the novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. It was directed by Harry Essex, produced by Victor Saville's company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists....
(United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, 1953)
- Filmed in 3-D starring Biff ElliotBiff ElliotBiff Elliot is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as popular detective Mike Hammer in the 1953 version of I, the Jury, and as his guest appearance in the Star Trek episode "The Devil in the Dark".-Early life:...
as Mike Hammer.- Kiss Me DeadlyKiss Me DeadlyKiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film...
(United Artists, 1955)
- Kiss Me Deadly
- Robert AldrichRobert AldrichRobert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
was the director, Ralph MeekerRalph MeekerRalph Meeker was an American stage and film actor best-known for starring in the 1953 Broadway production of Picnic, and in the 1955 film noir cult classic Kiss Me Deadly.-Career:...
was cast as Hammer, while Maxine Cooper portrayed Hammer's sexy secretary/companion Velda.- My Gun Is Quick (United Artists, 1957)
- Robert BrayRobert BrayRobert E. Bray was an American film and television actor probably best remembered for his role as the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the long-running CBS series Lassie.-Life and career:...
was cast as Hammer, with more of the violence originated from the villain rather than the detective.
- The film grossed $308,000 with a total of $602 overseas.
- The Girl Hunters (Colorama Features, 1963)
- Mickey Spillane was given the rare opportunity to portray his own creation in this film. This is one of the few occasions in film history in which the creator of a literary character was later hired to portray that character in a film. Producer Robert FellowsRobert FellowsRobert Fellows or Robert M. Fellows was an American film producer who was once a production partner with John Wayne and later Mickey Spillane.-Biography:...
and Spillane planned to follow the film with The Snake but it never materialised.
- Margin For Murder (TV movie, 1981)
- Kevin DobsonKevin DobsonKevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor of Irish descent, who is primarily known for his roles on television. His most prominent roles were as Lt. Theo Kojak's trusted partner, Det. Bobby Crocker on the popular 1970s TV crime drama Kojak, and as Karen MacKenzie's second...
plays Hammer in this made for TV movie.
- I, the JuryI, the Jury (1982 film)I, the Jury is a 1982 film based on the 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 first hired to direct the film, but was replaced when the film's budget was already out of control after...
(20th Century Fox20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, 1982)
- Armand AssanteArmand Assante-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
plays Hammer in this version.
- Murder Me, Murder YouMurder Me, Murder YouMurder Me, Murder You is a made-for-TV movie starring Stacy Keach as Mickey Spillane's iconic hard-boiled private detective, Mike Hammer. The movie marks the first time the fictitious gumshoe would be portrayed on the small-screen since Darren McGavin played the part in the black-and-white version...
(1983 TV movie)
- Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
played Hammer in this TV pilot for the TV Series that ran in the 1980s. This update featured a traitor to the U.S. and a daughter Hammer does not know he has.
- Come Die With Me (Fox, 1994)
- Rob EstesRob EstesRobert Estes is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the Teen drama 90210, as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the Crime drama Silk Stalkings, and as Kyle McBride on the Primetime Soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:Estes first became interested in an acting career while training...
plays Hammer in this TV movie. Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
plays his secretary Velda.
- Mike Hammer: Song Bird (2003) (V) – a direct-to-videoDirect-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
compilation of Mike Hammer, Private EyeMike Hammer, Private EyeMike 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...
's 1998 episodes of "Songbird: Part 1" and "Songbird: Part 2", where Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
played Mike Hammer and Shannon WhirryShannon WhirryShannon Whirry is an American actress who was raised in Green Lake, Wisconsin.-Career:Shannon Whirry trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1980s, appearing onstage in Butterflies Are Free and Mrs Warren's Profession. However, she began to work primarily in erotic B movies in...
played his secretary Velda.
Comics
A short-lived comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
starring Mike Hammer was distributed by Phoenix Features Syndicate from 1953 to 1954. It was entitled From the Files of... Mike Hammer and written by Spillane, Ed Robbins and Joe Gill, with art by Ed Robbins. Collections of the strip were published in the 1980s.
In other media
- Novels featuring Hammer were referenced several times in Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
. Both Odo and Miles O'BrienMiles O'Brien (Star Trek)Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
were fans. - The film The Hebrew HammerThe Hebrew HammerThe Hebrew Hammer is a 2003 American film directed by Jonathan Kesselman. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote...
makes a reference to Mike Hammer as well. - Four direct to video films known as the "Maiku Hama" films were released in Japan:
- Waga jinsei saiaku no toki - 1994 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108509/
- Harukana jidai no kaidan o - 1995 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109991/
- Wana - 1996 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118116/
- Shiritsu tantei Hama Maiku: Namae no nai mori - 2002 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327828/
- The JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese TV series Detective Mike stars a young detective called 'Hama Mike' (Japanese pronunciation of 'Mike Hammer'). - The 1986 video game Killed Until Dead by Artech Digital Entertainment features spoofs of famous characters including a "Mike Stammer".
- John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
's SpillaneSpillane (album)Spillane is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, composed of three file-card pieces, as well as a work for voice, string quartet and turntables...
is a tribute to Mickey Spillane, which uses quotes of Mike Hammer voiced by John LurieJohn LurieJohn Lurie is an American actor, musician, painter and producer. He is co-founder of The Lounge Lizards, a jazz ensemble. Lurie has acted in 19 films including Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law, composed and performed music for 20 television and film works, and he produced and starred in...
. - The popular Canadian band Moist wrote a song titled "Mike Hammer" on their 4th studio album Mercedes 5 and DimeMercedes 5 and DimeMercedes 5 and Dime was the third and final album released by the Canadian alternative rock band Moist. Released in Canada in 1999 and in the United States a year later, it includes the hits "Breathe" and "Underground". The album was released with different album covers for the Canadian and United...
. - A police detective sarcastically identifies himself as 'Mike Hammer' in El secreto de sus ojos, the Academy Award-winning 2009 Argentine filmArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.