Boothe powers through ‘Philip Marlowe, Private Eye’ (1983, 1986)
Sleuthing Sunday (TV review): The quality drops between the two seasons of HBO’s first original dramatic series.
Raymond Chandler
Boothe powers through ‘Philip Marlowe, Private Eye’ (1983, 1986)
‘Marlowe’ (1969) brings the detective into the Swinging Sixties
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): James Garner starts his private eye career in this adaptation of “The Little Sister.”
Marlowe finds love in ‘Brasher Doubloon’s’ (1947) lighter take on ‘High Window’
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): George Montgomery makes Chandler’s P.I. into more of an ole softie than we’re accustomed to.
‘Lady in the Lake’s’ (1947) direct-POV experiment is all wet
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Unfortunately, the mystery of Chandler’s strong fourth novel gets lost in a quest for a new style.
Marlowe properly comes to screen in ‘Murder, My Sweet’ (1944)
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): The screenplay reassembles elements of “Farewell, My Lovely” in an intriguing way, and Dick Powell is a pleasing Marlowe.
Mitchum ably fills Marlowe’s gumshoes in ‘Farewell, My Lovely’ (1975), ‘Big Sleep’ (1978)
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie reviews): The first is a stylish, purist classic. The second makes odd choices and never has a chance of competing with Bogart’s version.
‘Long Goodbye’ (1973) brings a skewed Marlowe into a scary L.A.
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Don’t look to Altman’s adaptation for faithfulness toward the 1953 novel. But it’s a prime illustration of the flexibility of Chandler’s sleuth.
Marlowe also operates in short form in ‘Trouble is My Business’ (1950, 1992)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): These four short stories were originally part of the “Simple Art of Murder” collection before being pulled out into their own book.
‘Simple Art of Murder’ (1950) has overly complex street-level mysteries
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Not as accessible as the Marlowe novels, this collection is worth reading for Chandler’s titular essay.
Parker takes the baton from Chandler in refreshing ‘Poodle Springs’ (1988)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): One of the most successful authors inspired by Chandler gets his own crack at Marlowe by finishing “The Poodle Springs Story.”