Created by Peter Cheyney
(1896-1951)
Arguably his most popular creation, Australian writer Peter Cheyney’s LEMMY CAUTION started out in This Man is Dangerous (1936), as a machine gun-toting FBI agent who always got his man, and wasn’t always very nice about how he “got” him.
Fortunately for the “reputation” of the Bureau, in subsequent stories the lunkhead became a private investigator, although for the most part, he remained as nasty and menacing as ever.
In fact, it was the success of This Man Is Dangerous, Cheyney’s first novel, that allowed the writer to chuck his job as a police officer, and turn to writing full time–a gamble that certainly paid off. Besides nine more novels and numerous short stories, there were a hugely successful string of French films, starring American singer Eddie Constantine as a particularly Bogart-like Lemmy, a popular radio show in Australia and New Zealand, and more.
Although crazy popular in France and Europe back in the day, the Constantine films today are almost forgotten, except for the 1965 Jean-Luc Godard film Alphaville, which placed Caution in a dystopian future setting; a slice of sci-fi noir that wandered back and forth between parody and homage.
I’m still trying to figure it out…
NOVELS
- This Man Is Dangerous (1936)
- Dames Don’t Care (1937)
- Poison Ivy (1937)
- Can Ladies Kill? (1938)
- Don’t Get Me Wrong (1939)
- You’d Be Surprised (1940)
- Your Deal, My Lovely (1941)
- Never a Dull Moment (1942)
- You Can Always Duck (1943)
- I’ll Say She Does! (1945)
FILMS
- BRELAN D’AS
(1952; English Title: “Full House”)
Directed by Henri Verneuil
Produced by Bernard Borderie
Starring John van Dreelen as LEMMY CAUTION
Essentially a grab bag featuring several popular detectives of the time, all clamoring to solve a mystery. The character of Lemmy intrigued the French public, and so… - LA MOME VERT DES GRIS
(aka “The Gun Moll” and “Poison Ivy”)
(1953, Pathe Consortium)
Based on the Lemmy Caution novel Poison Ivy by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Jacques Berland & Bernard Borderie
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
American ex-pat singer and actor Eddie Constantine made a strong impression as Lemmy, and went on to play him in a long string of French films, as well as making numerous cameos in several German films. - CET HOMME EST DANGEROUS
(aka “This Manis Dangerous”)
(1953, Sonofilm)
Based on the Lemy Caution novel This Man Is Dangerous by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Jacques Berland
Directed by Jean Sacha
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION - LES FEMMES S’EN BALANCENT
(aka “Dames Get Along”)
(1954, CICO-Pathe)
Based on the Lemmy Caution novel Dames Don’t Care by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Bernard Borderie & Jacques Vilfrid
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION - VOUS PIGEZ?
(aka “Diamond Machine”)(1955, France)
Based on the Lemmy Caution novel Don’t Get Me Wrong by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Victor Trivas & Jacques Doniol-Valcroze
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION - COMMENT QU’ELLE EST!
(aka “What a Girl!”)
(1960, Prodis)
Black & white
Based on the Lemmy Caution novel I’ll Say She Does! by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon & Bernard Borderie
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Produced by Charles Borderie, Raymond Borderie
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Françoise Brion, André Luguet, Françoise Prévost - ÇA VA ÊTRE TA FÊTE
(1960)
Based on characters created by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Norman Krasna, Pierre Montazel, Clarence Weff
Directed by Pierre Montazel
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Barbara Laage, Stefan Schnabel, Claude Cerval, Saro Urzì, Norma Burgo, Clarence Weff - COMMENT QU’ELLE EST?
(aka “Women Are like That)
(1960)
Based on a novel by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Bernard Borderie and Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Françoise Brion, Alfred Adam, Renaud Mary, Robert Berri, Nicolas Vogel, Françoise Prévost, André Luguet, Fabienne Dali, Jacques Seiler - LEMMY POUR LES DAMES
(aka “Ladies’ Man)
(1962)
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Françoise Brion, Claudine Coster, Éliane d’Almeida, Yvonne Monlaur, Jacques Berthier, Robert Berri, Guy Delorme, Lionel Roc, Paul Mercey, Jacques Hilling, Carita - À TOI DE FAIRE, MIGNONNE
(aka ““L’agente federale Lemmy Caution,” “Your Turn, Darling”)
(1963, Prodis)
A French/Italian Production
93 minutes
Black & white, mono
Based on Your Deal, My Lovely by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon & Bernard Borderie
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Elga Andersen, Guy Delorme, Gaia Germani, Philippe Lemaire, Christiane Minazzoli, Enrico Pranzetti, Noël Roquevert - ALPHAVILLE | Buy this video | Buy this DVD
(aka “Une etrange Aventure de Lemmy Caution,” “Alphaville: A Strange Case of Lemmy Caution” and “Tarzan Vs. IBM”)
(1965, French)
100 minutes
Based on characters created by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Jean-Luc Godard
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Howard Vernon, László Szabó, Jean-Louis Comolli, Michel Delahaye, Jean-André Fieschi, Christa Lang, Jean-Pierre Léaud - ALLEMAGNE ANNÉE 90 NEUF ZÉRO
(1991; aka “Germany Year 90 Nine Zero”)
Based on characters created by Peter Cheyney
Screenplay by Jean-Luc Godard
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
Also starring Hanns Zischler, Claudia Michelsen, Nathalie Kadem, André S. Labarthe, Robert Wittmers, Kim Kashkashian, Anton Mossine
The second collaboration between Godard and Constantine, although not officially a sequel to Alphaville. Also the final time that Constantine would play Lemmy.
CAMEO APPEARANCES IN FILM & TELEVISION BY EDDIE CONSTANTINE AS LEMMY CAUTION
- PANISCHE ZEITEN
(aka “Panic Time”)
(1980; German)
Film - KOTTAN ERMITTELT
(1976-83; Austrian)
TV series
A long-running TV series, Eddie showed up in two episodes in 1983. - TIGER – FRÜHLING IN WIEN
(aka “Springtime in Vienna)
(1984; German)
Film - MAKARONI BLUES
(1986; Norweigian)
Film
TELEVISION
- LE RETOUR DE LEMMY CAUTION
(1989)
(TV mini-series)
Starring Eddie Constantine as LEMMY CAUTION
RADIO
- LEMMY CAUTION
(1940s)
Broadcast in Australia and New Zealand
RELATED LINKS
- Peter Cheyney
An extensive bibliography.
