Hamilton Cleek (The Man of the Forty Faces)

Created by Thomas W. Hanshew
Pseudonyms include Charlotte May Kingsley
(1857 – 1914)

Is it a defect or a feature?

Caught somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and the rise of the hard-boiled dick in the 1920s is HAMILTON CLEEK, also known as “The Man of the Forty Faces,” a “consulting detective” who prefigures the weird menace and defective detective pulps of the thirties.

Not that’s Cleek’s blind or a hemophiliac or an amputee or anything, but he’s got one hell of a gimmick: he was born with the “nature-bestowed power” to twist and contort his face to resemble anyone he desires, sort of like Batman‘s Clayface, but without the clay. An sea captain! An “old Hebrew”! A woman! None of them are any problem for Cleek.

And just to goose up the eeeeewww! factor, Cleek’s face sort of writhes as it morphs, which must be real fun to watch.

The story goes that Cleek (not his real name, by the way, but what he occasionally calls himself) was something of a criminal prodigy (“the biggest and boldest criminal the police had ever had to cope with”). An orphan at an early age, he grew up in Paris with a rough band of street kids, run by Margot, the “Queen of the Apaches” (“Apaches” being a French slang term of the era for, well, street kids), with whom Cleek becomes involved. Together, the two head off to London to target the city’s fat cats, and thanks to his God-given gift for disguise and her “French” charms, they have a good run at it–until the fateful night that Cleek spots Ailsa Lorne, a comely young orphan. He instantly renounces his life of crime, in order to be worthy of her love.

Or something.

Cleek (alternately known as “Forty Faces,” the “Vanishing Cracksman,” and of course “The Man Who Calls Himself Hamilton Cleek”) and his superhuman disguise skills appeared in dozens of short stories, collections, and novels. After ditching Margot, he turns himself in to Superintendant Maverick Narkom of Scotland Yard, begging his forgiveness for a life of crime (which he almost immediately receives), and promising to make amends. Whereupon Cleek sets himself up in an office on Clarges Street in London, where he is frequently visited by Narkom, requesting his assistance in some puzzling matter or another.

It’s all delightfully over the top, and most modern readers will roll their eyes at Cleek’s Plasticman-like abilities, his peculiarities (he often disguises himself as an elderly Captain Burbage), the impossible crimes, his endless “secret identities,” the absurd characters, the groan-inducing dialects, the scenery-chomping adventures and Cleek’s frequent and inevitable run-ins with Margot. But the books were wildly successful in their day, even inspiring “The Chronicles of Cleek,” a series of popular one-reelers from the Edison Company.

With a few notable exceptions. Like Ailsa, for example. Initially, at least, despite all of Cleek’s good deeds, she would have nothing to do with the poor sap. And so he follows her at night–from a distance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas W. Hanshew was an American actor and writer, born in Brooklyn, appearing on stage in his teens, and moving on to larger parts, before becoming associated with a publishing house in London, where he resided at the close of his life. He wrote more than 150 novels, often under the pen name “Charlotte May Kingsley.” Many of his books were co-authored with his wife, Mary E. Hanshew, although some of them, which were credited to him and his wife, were actually written by their daughter, Hazel Phillips Hanshew, after dear old Dad kicked the bucket in 1914.Using her own name Hazel also wrote two final story collections featuring Hamilton Cleek ending a long saga that spanned over three decades.

UNDER OATH

“A lot of so-bad-they’re-supposedly-good things are turgid slogs. Not Cleek. Hanshew was a skilled workman. Cleek: The Man of the Forty Faces is snappy, reasonably fast-paced, compulsively readable… and goddamn strange.”
— Wesley Osam (June 2007, Recurring Bafflement)
“Hanshew exemplifies the writer whose bad style and ludicrous plotting becomes comic genius (albeit unconscious). The novels are very difficult to read, but the short stories are ingenious — and delightfully dotty.”
— Douglas Greene

UNDER OATH (THE FILMS)

“Thirteenth of the series in the “Chronicles of Cleek,” by Thomas W. Hanshew, featuring Benjamin F. Wilson, who is supported by an excellent cast. Both the interior and exterior scenes in this picture are more than ordinarily elaborate and the photography is splendid. There are some very thrilling scenes, especially where the Apaches abduct Cleek’s prospective bride (Gertrude McCoy). The acting is well done. A most interesting release.
— The Moving Picture World (November 28, 1914)

SHORT STORIES

“The Affair of the Man Who Called Himself Hamilton Cleek” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Caliph’s Daughter” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Divided House” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Lion’s Smile” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Mystery of the Steel Room” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Problem of the Red Crawl” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Riddle of Sacred Son” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Riddle of the 5:28” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Riddle of the Ninth Finger” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Riddle of the Rainbow Pearl” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Riddle of the Siva Stones” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Wizard’s Belt” (1910, The Man of the Forty Faces)
“The Riddle of the Wizard’s Belt” (February 20, 1916, Detective Story Magazine)
“Murder in an Empty House” (1916, Cleek’s Greatest Riddles)
“The Mystery of the ‘Rope of Fear'” (December 1919; with Mary E. Hanshew)
“The Riddle of the Silver Death” (March 1920, Short Stories; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“Countess Maravitz Entertains” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“A Divided Legacy” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Fire That Slays in the Dark” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“Flecks of White Powder” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“In the Den of the Apaches” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“An Interrupted Holiday” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“Murder at Manor Lodge” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Mysterious Death of Elton Carlyle” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Mystery of the ‘Rope of Fear'” (December 1919, Short Stories; also 1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Mystery of the ‘Rose of Fire'” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Passing of Cleek” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Priceless Statue That Vanished” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Ruse of the Sprained Wrist” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Safe with the Time-Lock” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Stolen Formulas” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)
“The Winged Messenger of Death” (1921, The Riddle of the Mysterious Light; by Mary E. & Thomas W. Hanshew)

COLLECTIONS

The Man of the Forty Faces (1910; aka Cleek, the Master Detective)
Cleek of Scotland Yard (1914)
An episodic novel incorporating seven untitled stories.
Cleek’s Greatest Riddles (1916; aka Cleek’s Government Cases)
An episodic novel incorporating eight untitled Cleek stories.
The Riddle of the Mysterious Light” (1921; with Mary E. Hanshew)
Detective Hamilton Cleek (2017) | KIndle it!
A done-on-the-cheap, crappy digital edition collecting everything in the public domain they could grab. Edited by monkeys and laid out by a blind man (Center alignment? Really?)

NOVELS

Cleek, the Man of the Forty Faces (1913)
An episodic novel constituting a revised edition of The Man of the Forty Faces.
The Riddle of the Night (1916)
Written by Mary E. Hanshew and Hazel Phillips Hanshew, based on notes by Thomas W. Hanshew.
The Riddle of the Purple Emperor (1918)
Written by Mary E. Hanshew and Hazel Phillips Hanshew.
The Frozen Flame (1920; with Mary E. Hanshew)
The House of Discord (1922; with Mary E. Hanshew)
The Amber Junk (1924; with Mary E. Hanshew)
The House of the Seven Keys (1925; with Mary E. Hanshew)

FILMS

THE VANISHING CRACKSMAN
(1913, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: November 25, 1913
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
And Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Charles Ransom, William R. Sadler, William West
THE MYSTERY OF THE DOVER EXPRESS
(1913, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: December 30, 1913
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Harry Beaumont, Bliss Milford, Richard Neill, Charles Ransom, William R. Sadler, Harry Squires, Jack Strong
THE MYSTERY OF THE TALKING WIRE
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: January 27, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Sally Crute, Edward Earle, Julian Reed, Mrs. William Bechtel, Charles Sutton
THE MYSTERY OF THE LADDER OF LIGHT
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: February 24, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
And Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring John Sturgeon, Margery Bonney Erskine, Edwin Clarke, Yale Boss, Joseph Manning, Charles Ransom, William R. Sadler
THE MYSTERY OF THE LAUGHING DEATH
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: March 31, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
And Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Cora Williams, Edward Earle, Yale Boss, Warren Cook, Edwin Clarke, Robert Harvey, Hughie Mack
THE MYSTERY OF THE SILVER SNARE
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: April 28, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Harry Beaumont, Charles Sutton, May Abbey, Edward Boulden, Gertrude Braun, Nellie Grant, Harry Linson
THE MYSTERY OF THE AMSTERDAM DIAMONDS
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: May 26, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring May Abbey, Clem Easton, Harry B. Eytinge, Floyd France, Charles Ransom, John Sturgeon, Frank Tanner
THE MYSTERY OF THE FADELESS TINTS
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: June 30, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Helen Bauer, Edward Boulden, Edward Earle. Bessie Learn, Jack Strong, Frank Tanner
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST STRADIVARIUS
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: July 28, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Sally Crute, Joseph W. Girard, John Sturgeon, Harry Gripp, William Bechtel, Richard Neill
THE MYSTERY OF THE OCTAGONAL ROOM
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: August 25, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
and Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Harry Beaumont, Duncan McRae, Sally Crute, Joseph Manning, T. Tamamoto
THE MYSTERY OF THE GLASS TUBES
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: September 29, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by Ben F. Wilson
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
And Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring May Abbey, Saul Harrison, Edward Lawrence, Richard Neill, Julian Reed, William R. Sadler, T. Tamamoto
THE MYSTERY OF THE SEALED ART GALLERY
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: October 27, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by George Lessey
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
And Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Edward Boulden, Harry von Meter
THE HERITAGE OF HAMILTON CLEEK
(1914, Edison Company)
Silent
Black & white
Premiere: November 10, 1914
Story by Thomas W. Hanshew
Directed by Ben F. Wilson
Starring Ben F. Wilson as HAMILTON CLEEK
Gertude McCoy as Ailea Lorne
And Robert Brower as Police Superintendent Nardhom
Also starring Martin Faust, Charles Sutton, May Abbey, Harry Bates, Harry Beaumont, William West
Supposedly the thirteenth and final episode in Edison’s ‘The Chronicles of Cleek’ series

Hamilton Cleek (The Man of the Forty Faces)