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Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler

Raymond Thornton Chandler was an United States crime fiction, who had an immense stylistic influence upon the modern private eye story, especially in the style of the writing and the attitudes now characteristic of the genre....
 in a series of novels including The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep is a crime novel by Raymond Chandler, widely considered to be his magnum opus, and the first in his acclaimed series about hardboiled detective Philip Marlowe....
 and The Long Goodbye
The Long Goodbye (novel)

The Long Goodbye is a 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler, centered on his famous detective Philip Marlowe. While some consider it not on the level of The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, others rank it as the best of his work....
. Marlowe first appeared, under that name, in The Big Sleep, published in 1939. Chandler's early short stories
Short story

The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
, published in pulp
Pulp

Pulp may refer to:...
 magazines like Black Mask
Black Mask

Black Mask was a pulp magazine launched in 1920 by journalist H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan as one of a number of money-making publishing ventures to support the prestigious literary magazine The Smart Set, which Mencken edited, and which operated at a loss....
 and Dime Detective, featured essentially identical characters with names like "Carmady" and "John Dalmas." Some of those short stories were later combined and expanded into novels featuring Marlowe, a process Chandler called "cannibalizing." When the non-cannibalized stories were republished years later in the short story collection The Simple Art of Murder
The Simple Art of Murder

"The Simple Art of Murder" refers to both a critical essay and a collection of short story written by hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler....
, Chandler changed the names of the protagonists
Protagonist

A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
 to Philip Marlowe.

Philip Marlowe's character is foremost within the genre of hardboiled
Hardboiled

Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style distinguished by an unsentimental portrayal of crime, violence, and sex.Pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined by Raymond Chandler beginning in the late 1930s, hardboiled fiction is most commonly associated wit...
 crime fiction
Crime fiction

Crime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their Motive s. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred....
 that originated in the 1920s, most notably in Black Mask magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett

Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an United States author of hardboiled detective fiction novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op ....
's The Continental Op
The Continental Op

The Continental Op is a fictional character created by Dashiell Hammett. A private investigator employed as an operative of the Continental Detective Agency's San Francisco office, he never gives his name and so is known only by his job description....
 and Sam Spade
Sam Spade

Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories written by Hammett....
 first appeared.

Underneath the wisecracking, hard drinking, tough private eye, Marlowe is quietly contemplative and philosophical.






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Bbcmarlowe
Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler

Raymond Thornton Chandler was an United States crime fiction, who had an immense stylistic influence upon the modern private eye story, especially in the style of the writing and the attitudes now characteristic of the genre....
 in a series of novels including The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep is a crime novel by Raymond Chandler, widely considered to be his magnum opus, and the first in his acclaimed series about hardboiled detective Philip Marlowe....
 and The Long Goodbye
The Long Goodbye (novel)

The Long Goodbye is a 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler, centered on his famous detective Philip Marlowe. While some consider it not on the level of The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, others rank it as the best of his work....
. Marlowe first appeared, under that name, in The Big Sleep, published in 1939. Chandler's early short stories
Short story

The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
, published in pulp
Pulp

Pulp may refer to:...
 magazines like Black Mask
Black Mask

Black Mask was a pulp magazine launched in 1920 by journalist H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan as one of a number of money-making publishing ventures to support the prestigious literary magazine The Smart Set, which Mencken edited, and which operated at a loss....
 and Dime Detective, featured essentially identical characters with names like "Carmady" and "John Dalmas." Some of those short stories were later combined and expanded into novels featuring Marlowe, a process Chandler called "cannibalizing." When the non-cannibalized stories were republished years later in the short story collection The Simple Art of Murder
The Simple Art of Murder

"The Simple Art of Murder" refers to both a critical essay and a collection of short story written by hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler....
, Chandler changed the names of the protagonists
Protagonist

A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
 to Philip Marlowe.

Philip Marlowe's character is foremost within the genre of hardboiled
Hardboiled

Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style distinguished by an unsentimental portrayal of crime, violence, and sex.Pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined by Raymond Chandler beginning in the late 1930s, hardboiled fiction is most commonly associated wit...
 crime fiction
Crime fiction

Crime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their Motive s. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred....
 that originated in the 1920s, most notably in Black Mask magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett

Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an United States author of hardboiled detective fiction novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op ....
's The Continental Op
The Continental Op

The Continental Op is a fictional character created by Dashiell Hammett. A private investigator employed as an operative of the Continental Detective Agency's San Francisco office, he never gives his name and so is known only by his job description....
 and Sam Spade
Sam Spade

Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories written by Hammett....
 first appeared.

Underneath the wisecracking, hard drinking, tough private eye, Marlowe is quietly contemplative and philosophical. He enjoys chess
Chess

Chess is a recreational and competitive game played between two Player . Sometimes called Western chess or international chess to distinguish it from History of chess and other chess variants, the current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from similar, much older...
 and poetry
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
. While he is not afraid to risk physical harm, he does not dish out violence merely to settle scores. Morally upright, he is not bamboozled by the genre's usual femmes fatale
Femme fatale

A femme fatale is an alluring and Seduction woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations....
, like Carmen Sternwood in The Big Sleep. As Chandler wrote about his detective ideal in general, "I think he might seduce a duchess, and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin."

Chandler's treatment of the detective novel exhibits a continuing effort to develop the art form. His first full length book, The Big Sleep, was published when Chandler was 51; his last, Playback
Playback (novel)

Playback is the final complete novel by Raymond Chandler, which features his iconic creation Philip Marlowe. It was published in 1958, the year before his death....
, when he was 70. All eight novels were produced in the last two decades of his life.

Biographical notes

In a letter to D. J. Ibberson, written 19 April 1951, Chandler noted among other things that Marlowe is 38 years old and was born in Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. As of January 1, 2007, the population of Santa Rosa was approximately 157,985 residents....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. He had a couple of years at college and some experience as an investigator for an insurance company and the district attorney
Los Angeles County District Attorney

The Los Angeles County District Attorney prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within the jurisdiction of the County of Los Angeles....
's office of Los Angeles County; he was fired from the D.A.'s office for insubordination (or, as Marlowe put it, "talking back"). The D.A.'s chief investigator, Bernie Ohls, is a friend and former colleague, and a source of information for Marlowe within law enforcement.

Marlowe is slightly over six feet (about 185 centimetres) tall and weighs about 190 pounds (86 kilograms). His office is number 615 on the 6th floor of the Cahuenga Building, which is located on Hollywood Boulevard near Ivar. North Ivar Avenue is between North Cahuenga Boulevard to the west and Vine Street to the east. The office telephone number is GLenview 7537. Marlowe's office is modest and he doesn't have a secretary (unlike his contemporary, Sam Spade
Sam Spade

Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories written by Hammett....
). He generally refuses to take divorce
Divorce

Divorce or dissolution of marriage is a legal process in which a judge or other authority dissolves the bonds of matrimony existing between two persons, thus restoring them to the marital status of being single....
 cases.

He smokes and prefers Camels. At home, he sometimes smokes a pipe. He is also an adept chess
Chess

Chess is a recreational and competitive game played between two Player . Sometimes called Western chess or international chess to distinguish it from History of chess and other chess variants, the current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from similar, much older...
 player.

He drinks whiskey or brandy
Brandy

Brandy is a distilled_beverage produced by Distillation wine, the wine having first been produced by Fermentation grapes. Brandy contains 36%?60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink....
 frequently and in relatively large quantities. For example, in The High Window
The High Window

The High Window is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel to feature Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe....
, he gets out a bottle of Four Roses, and pours glasses of the blended American whiskey for himself, for Det. Lt. Breeze and for Spangler. At other times he is drinking Old Forester, a Kentucky bourbon
Bourbon whiskey

Bourbon is an United States whiskey, a type of distilled beverage, made primarily from maize and named for Bourbon County, Kentucky. It has been produced since the 18th century....
: "I hung up and fed myself a slug of Old Forester to brace my nerves for the interview. As I was inhaling it I heard her steps tripping along the corridor." (The Little Sister
The Little Sister

The Little Sister is a 1949 novel by Raymond Chandler, the fifth in his popular Philip Marlowe series. The story is set in late 1940s Los Angeles....
)

Marlowe is adept at using liquor to loosen the tongues of people from whom he needs to extract information. An example is in The High Window
The High Window

The High Window is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel to feature Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe....
, when Marlowe finally persuades the detective-lieutenant, whose "solid old face was lined and grey with fatigue", to take a drink and thereby loosen up and give out. "Breeze looked at me very steadily. Then he sighed. Then he picked the glass up and tasted it and sighed again and shook his head sideways with a half smile; the way a man does when you give him a drink and he needs it very badly and it is just right and the first swallow is like a peek into a cleaner, sunnier, brighter world." See also Marlowe's interrogation of Jessie Florian in Farewell My Lovely.

He makes good coffee, eschewing the use of filters (see Farewell My Lovely). He takes his coffee with cream in the mornings, but has it black at other times.

At the time of writing he was probably carrying a 9x19mm Parabellum Luger P08 pistol, but switched to a .32 ACP
.32 ACP

The .32 ACP pistol Cartridge is a Rim , straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol....
 Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless

The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless is .32 ACP caliber, self-loading, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and built by Colt's Manufacturing Company Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut....
, then to a .38 Special
.38 Special

The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rim , Centerfire ammunition Cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some Semi-automatic self-loading pistols and carbines also use this round....
 Smith & Wesson Model 10 . Phillip Marlowe also carried a Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol chambered in .38 Super in the book The High Window
The High Window

The High Window is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel to feature Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe....
.

See also Raymond Chandler, Novels and Other Writings (Library of America
Library of America

The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature....
, 1995, ISBN 1-883011-08-6) for other letters.

Influences and adaptations

  • Marlowe has been played in films and on television by Dick Powell
    Dick Powell

    Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an United States singer, actor, Film producer, Film director and studio boss....
    , Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart

    Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an United_States_of_America actor and cultural icon. In 1997, Entertainment Weekly magazine named him the number one movie legend of all time....
    , Robert Montgomery
    Robert Montgomery (actor)

    Robert Montgomery was an United States actor and director.Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed and Henry Montgomery, Sr....
    , George Montgomery
    George Montgomery

    George Montgomery was an United States Painting, sculpture, furniture, and stuntman who is best known as an actor in Western film style film and television....
    , Philip Carey
    Philip Carey

    Philip Carey was an United States actor.He was born as Eugene Joseph Carey in Hackensack, New Jersey, New Jersey, on on July 15, 1925. A former U.S....
    , James Garner
    James Garner

    James Garner is an United States film and television actor.He has starred in several television program spanning a career of more than five decades....
    , Elliot Gould, Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum

    Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an Academy Award-nominated United States film actor, author, composer and singer. Mitchum is largely remembered for his starring roles in several major works of the film noir style, and is considered a forerunner of the anti-heroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s....
    , Powers Boothe
    Powers Boothe

    Powers Allen Boothe is an United States television and film actor. He is best-known for his Emmy Award-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones....
    , Danny Glover
    Danny Glover

    Danny Lebern Glover is an United States actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is possibly best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film Media franchise....
    , and James Caan
    James Caan

    James Caan is an American actor. He is best-known for his Academy Award nominated role of Sonny Corleone in 1972's The Godfather, Paul Sheldon in Stephen King's Misery and for his role as Ed Deline on Las Vegas ....
    .
  • In radio, the character was portrayed in The Adventures of Philip Marlowe by Van Heflin
    Van Heflin

    Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an Academy Award-winning United States film and theater actor. By his own acknowledgment not a classically handsome actor, he played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man....
     on NBC (17 June – 9 September 1947), Gerald Mohr
    Gerald Mohr

    Gerald Mohr was a radio, film and television character actor who appeared in over 500 radio plays, 73 films and over 100 television shows.The New York City-born actor was educated in Dwight Preparatory School in New York, where he learned to speak fluent French language and German language, and also learned to ride horses and play the pian...
     on CBS
    CBS

    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
     (26 September 1948 – 15 September 1951) , and Ed Bishop portrayed Marlowe in BBC Radio
    BBC Radio

    BBC Radio is a service of the BBC which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company, Ltd....
    's The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.
  • Marlowe has appeared in short stories and novels by writers other than Chandler, such as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe: A Centennial Celebration (1988).
  • The central character in Dennis Potter
    Dennis Potter

    Dennis Christopher George Potter was an England dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social....
    's The Singing Detective is crime novelist Philip E. Marlow, portrayed in the original TV version
    The Singing Detective

    The Singing Detective is a critically acclaimed BBC television serial, written by Dennis Potter, starring Michael Gambon. Jon Amiel directed....
     by Michael Gambon
    Michael Gambon

    Michael John Gambon, Order of the British Empire is a British Academy Television Awards-winning Irish people-born United Kingdom actor who has worked in theatre, television and film....
     and in the later film version
    The Singing Detective (film)

    The Singing Detective is a 2003 in film based on the BBC miniseries The Singing Detective, a work by Dennis Potter. It stars Robert Downey Jr....
     by Robert Downey, Jr.
  • The female sleuths of the anthology Tart Noir (Berkeley, 2002) are described as "half Philip Marlowe, half femme fatale".
  • Marlowe is referenced in the lyrics to Burton Cummings
    Burton Cummings

    Burton Cummings Order of Manitoba is a Canada musician and songwriter.A gifted showman, he was the lead singer for the Canadian Rock music Musical ensemble The Guess Who....
    's 1979 song "Dream of a Child" and Mark Knopfler
    Mark Knopfler

    Mark Knopfler Order of the British Empire is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter and film score composer.Knopfler is best-known as the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977 with his brother David Knopfler....
    's homage to him in the song "Private Investigations" by the Dire Straits
    Dire Straits

    Dire Straits were a United Kingdom Rock music, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers , and managed by Ed Bicknell....
    .
  • In the Count Duckula
    Count Duckula

    Count Duckula is a British animated television series created by United Kingdom studio Cosgrove Hall, and a spin-off from DangerMouse, a show in which the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain....
     episode Private Beak, Duckula adopts the pseudonym of Philip Mallard, as a spoof of Marlowe.
  • Zoot Marlowe in the works of Mel Gilden (Surfing Smauraii Robots, Hawaiian UFO Aliens, and Tubular Android Superheroes) is an alien parody of Phillip Marlowe.
  • Frank Miller, author of the Sin City graphic novels, described the character of Dwight McCarthy as a 'modern iteration of Philip Marlowe' in the sense that he is a character attempting to do what is right to find his place in the world.


Marlowe bibliography


Works by Raymond Chandler

  • "Finger Man" (1934), (short story
    Short story

    The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
    ): This story originally featured an unnamed narrator, identified as "Carmady" in subsequent stories, and later renamed Marlowe for book publication.
  • "Goldfish" (1936), (short story): This story originally featured Carmady, later renamed Marlowe for book publication.
  • "Red Wind" (1938), (short story): This story originally featured John Dalmas, later renamed Marlowe for book publication.
  • "Trouble Is My Business" (1939) (short story): This story originally featured John Dalmas, later renamed Marlowe for book publication.
  • The Big Sleep
    The Big Sleep

    The Big Sleep is a crime novel by Raymond Chandler, widely considered to be his magnum opus, and the first in his acclaimed series about hardboiled detective Philip Marlowe....
     (1939)
  • Farewell, My Lovely
    Farewell, My Lovely

    Farewell, My Lovely is a 1940 in literature novel by Raymond Chandler, the second novel he wrote featuring Los Angeles, California private investigator Philip Marlowe....
     (1940)
  • The High Window
    The High Window

    The High Window is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel to feature Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe....
     (1942)
  • The Lady in the Lake
    The Lady in the Lake

    The Lady in the Lake is a 1943 detective fiction by Raymond Chandler featuring, as do all his major works, the Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe....
     (1943)
  • The Little Sister
    The Little Sister

    The Little Sister is a 1949 novel by Raymond Chandler, the fifth in his popular Philip Marlowe series. The story is set in late 1940s Los Angeles....
     (1949)
  • The Simple Art of Murder
    The Simple Art of Murder

    "The Simple Art of Murder" refers to both a critical essay and a collection of short story written by hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler....
     (1950) (short story collection)
  • The Long Goodbye
    The Long Goodbye (novel)

    The Long Goodbye is a 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler, centered on his famous detective Philip Marlowe. While some consider it not on the level of The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, others rank it as the best of his work....
     (1953)
  • Playback
    Playback (novel)

    Playback is the final complete novel by Raymond Chandler, which features his iconic creation Philip Marlowe. It was published in 1958, the year before his death....
     (1958)
  • Poodle Springs
    Poodle Springs

    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 , a collection of letter excerpts and miscell...
     (left unfinished at Chandler's death in 1959; completed by Robert B. Parker
    Robert B. Parker

    Robert B. Parker is an acclaimed United States crime writer. His most famous works are the Spenser series, which achieved a far wider audience due to being dramatized as a television series, Spenser: For Hire, on the American Broadcasting Company network during the late 1980s....
    , 1989)
  • "The Pencil" (AKA "Marlowe Takes On the Syndicate", "Wrong Pigeon", and "Philip Marlowe's Last Case") (1959), (short story): Chandler's last completed work about Marlowe, his first Marlowe short story in more than twenty years, and the first short story originally written about Marlowe.


Works by others

  • Triste, solitario y final (by Osvaldo Soriano
    Osvaldo Soriano

    Osvaldo Soriano, Journalist and writer. Born January 6, 1943 in Mar del Plata, Argentina - died on January 29, 1997 in Buenos Aires)....
    , 1974. Marlowe appears as a character of the novel)
  • Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe: a Centennial Celebration (collection of short stories by other writers, ed. Byron Preiss
    Byron Preiss

    Byron Preiss was an United States writer, editing and publisher. He founded and served as president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications, and later of iBooks....
    , 1988, ISBN 1-59687-847-9, and 1999, ISBN 0-671-03890-7, with two new stories)
  • Poodle Springs (by Robert B. Parker, 1990, Parker's completion of a manuscript Chandler left unfinished when he died)
  • Perchance to Dream (by Robert B. Parker, 1991, written as a sequel to Chandler's The Big Sleep)
  • Orange Curtain (by John Shannon; Marlowe appears in retirement as a real person used as the model for Chandler's novels)
  • Dealer's Choice (by Sara Paretsky; satire of hard-boiled detective using Marlowe as main character)
  • The Singing Detective (by Dennis Potter; Postmodern pastiche of Chandler in which the protagonist shares his name with Marlowe)
  • Zoot Marlowe in the works of Mel Gilden (Surfing Smauraii Robots, Hawaiian UFO Aliens, and Tubular Android Superheroes) is an alien homage to Phillip Marlowe.


Film adaptations

  • The Falcon Takes Over (1942) — (adaptation of Farewell My Lovely with detective "The Falcon
    The Falcon (literary character)

    The character of Gay Stanhope Falcon, also known simply as The Falcon, was created in 1940 by Michael Arlen in his short story, "Gay Falcon", which was first published in 1940 in Town & Country magazine....
    " substituting for Marlowe) George Sanders
    George Sanders (actor)

    George Henry Sanders was an Academy Award-winning British people film and television actor....
     as The Falcon.
  • Time to Kill (1942) — (adaptation of The High Window with detective Michael Shayne
    Michael Shayne

    Michael Shayne was a fictional private detective character created by writer Brett Halliday during the late 1930s.Shayne debuted in the novel Dividend on Death first published in 1939, written by David Dresser, a pseudonym of Halliday....
     substituting for Marlowe) Lloyd Nolan
    Lloyd Nolan

    Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor....
     as Shayne.
  • Murder, My Sweet (1944) — (adaptation of [and released in the UK as] Farewell My Lovely) Dick Powell
    Dick Powell

    Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an United States singer, actor, Film producer, Film director and studio boss....
     as Marlowe.
  • The Big Sleep
    The Big Sleep (1946 film)

    The Big Sleep is a film noir directed by Howard Hawks, the first film version of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. It stars Humphrey Bogart as detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as the femme fatale....
     (1946) — Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart

    Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an United_States_of_America actor and cultural icon. In 1997, Entertainment Weekly magazine named him the number one movie legend of all time....
     as Marlowe.
  • Lady in the Lake
    Lady in the Lake

    Lady in the Lake is a film noir drama film that marked the film director debut of actor Robert Montgomery who also starred in the film....
     (1947) — Robert Montgomery
    Robert Montgomery (actor)

    Robert Montgomery was an United States actor and director.Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed and Henry Montgomery, Sr....
     as Marlowe.
  • The Brasher Doubloon
    The Brasher Doubloon

    The Brasher Doubloon is a film noir based on the novel The High Window by Raymond Chandler.The Brasher Doubloon , the rare coin upon which the action turns, is a real coin....
     (1947) — (adaptation of [and released in the UK as] The High Window) George Montgomery
    George Montgomery

    George Montgomery was an United States Painting, sculpture, furniture, and stuntman who is best known as an actor in Western film style film and television....
     as Marlowe.
  • Marlowe
    Marlowe (1969 film)

    Marlowe is a neo-noir drama film directed by Paul Bogart. The mystery film was written by Stirling Silliphant based on Raymond Chandler's 1949 novel The Little Sister. It features James Garner as the author's fictional private detective Philip Marlowe....
     (1969) — (adaptation of The Little Sister) James Garner
    James Garner

    James Garner is an United States film and television actor.He has starred in several television program spanning a career of more than five decades....
     as Marlowe.
  • The Long Goodbye
    The Long Goodbye (film)

    The Long Goodbye , directed by Robert Altman, is a contemporary film noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler?s elegiac novel The Long Goodbye , the screenplay is by Leigh Brackett ? co-writer of the Humphrey Bogart-Philip Marlowe film The Big Sleep , based on the eponymous Chandler novel....
     (1973) — Elliott Gould
    Elliott Gould

    Elliott Gould is an Academy Award-nominated United States actor. He became known during the 1970s, having starred in many Hollywood films, and has since continued appearing in supporting roles....
     as Marlowe.
  • Farewell My Lovely
    Farewell, My Lovely (1975 film)

    Farewell, My Lovely is a neo-noir film directed by Dick Richards and featuring Robert Mitchum and Charlotte Rampling. The picture is based on the novel Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler....
     (1975) — Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum

    Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an Academy Award-nominated United States film actor, author, composer and singer. Mitchum is largely remembered for his starring roles in several major works of the film noir style, and is considered a forerunner of the anti-heroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s....
     as Marlowe.
  • The Big Sleep
    The Big Sleep (1978 film)

    The Big Sleep was the second film version of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. It was directed by Michael Winner and stars Robert Mitchum as the detective Philip Marlowe....
     (1978) — Robert Mitchum as Marlowe.


Radio and television adaptations

  • Lux Radio Theatre, Murder My Sweet, adapted from the 1944 film, CBS Radio, 11 June 1945 (Dick Powell as Marlowe)
  • The New Adventures Of Philip Marlowe, NBC Radio series, 17 June 1947 to 9 September 1947 (Van Heflin
    Van Heflin

    Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an Academy Award-winning United States film and theater actor. By his own acknowledgment not a classically handsome actor, he played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man....
     as Marlowe)
  • Suspense
    Suspense (radio program)

    Suspense was a radio drama series broadcast on CBS from 1942 through 1962.One of the premier drama programs of the Old-time radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills," and focussed on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era....
    , CBS radio, 10 January 1948 (cameo by series host Robert Montgomery
    Robert Montgomery (actor)

    Robert Montgomery was an United States actor and director.Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed and Henry Montgomery, Sr....
     in The Adventures of Sam Spade
    The Adventures of Sam Spade

    The Adventures of Sam Spade was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon....
     cross-over, "The Kandy Tooth")
  • Hollywood Star Time, Murder My Sweet, adapted from the 1944 film, CBS Radio, 8 June 1948 (Dick Powell as Marlowe)
  • The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe, CBS Radio series, 26 September 1948 to 15 September 1951 (Gerald Mohr
    Gerald Mohr

    Gerald Mohr was a radio, film and television character actor who appeared in over 500 radio plays, 73 films and over 100 television shows.The New York City-born actor was educated in Dwight Preparatory School in New York, where he learned to speak fluent French language and German language, and also learned to ride horses and play the pian...
     as Marlowe)
  • Climax!, The Long Goodbye, adapted from the novel, CBS Television, 7 October 1954 (Dick Powell as Marlowe)
  • Philip Marlowe, ABC Television series, 6 October 1959 to 29 March 1960 (Philip Carey
    Philip Carey

    Philip Carey was an United States actor.He was born as Eugene Joseph Carey in Hackensack, New Jersey, New Jersey, on on July 15, 1925. A former U.S....
     as Marlowe)
  • Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
    Philip Marlowe, Private Eye

    Philip Marlowe, Private Eye was a show that ran on HBO from 1984 through 1986 featuring Powers Boothe as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe....
    , London Weekend Television/HBO Television series, 16 April 1983 to 18 May 1983, 27 April 1986 to 3 June 1986) (Powers Boothe
    Powers Boothe

    Powers Allen Boothe is an United States television and film actor. He is best-known for his Emmy Award-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones....
     as Marlowe)
  • The BBC Presents: Philip Marlowe
    The BBC Presents: Philip Marlowe

    The BBC Presents: Philip Marlowe was a series of BBC radio drama adaptations of novels by Raymond Chandler that ran from 1977 to 1978, and again in 1988....
    , BBC Radio series, 26 September 1977 to 23 September 1988 (Ed Bishop
    Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop , was an United States film, television, stage and radio actor based in United Kingdom....
     as Marlowe)
  • Fallen Angels
    Fallen Angels (TV series)

    Fallen Angels is an United States neo-noir anthology television series that ran from 1993 to 1995 on the Showtime pay cable station and was produced by Propaganda Films....
    , "Red Wind
    List of Fallen Angels episodes

    Sorry, no overview for this topic
    ", adapted from the short story, Showtime Television, 26 November 1995 (Danny Glover
    Danny Glover

    Danny Lebern Glover is an United States actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is possibly best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film Media franchise....
     as Marlowe)
  • Poodle Springs, adapted from the novel
    Poodle Springs

    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 , a collection of letter excerpts and miscell...
     (a fragment completed by Robert B. Parker
    Robert B. Parker

    Robert B. Parker is an acclaimed United States crime writer. His most famous works are the Spenser series, which achieved a far wider audience due to being dramatized as a television series, Spenser: For Hire, on the American Broadcasting Company network during the late 1980s....
    ), HBO Television movie, 25 July 1998 (James Caan
    James Caan

    James Caan is an American actor. He is best-known for his Academy Award nominated role of Sonny Corleone in 1972's The Godfather, Paul Sheldon in Stephen King's Misery and for his role as Ed Deline on Las Vegas ....
     as Marlowe)


See also

  • Crime fiction
    Crime fiction

    Crime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their Motive s. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred....
     for an overview


External links


Audio