Created by Douglas Stefen Borghi, Dean Hargrove & Joel Steiger William Conrad was no stranger to playing detectives and lawmen on radio and television by the time he starred as JASON LOCHINVAR "FATMAN" McCABE in Jakes & The Fatman (1987-92, CBS). He'd already played Nero Wolfe and Frank Cannon on television, and Sheriff Matt Dillion on … Continue reading Jake Styles & J.L McCabe (Jake and the Fatman)
Tag: It’s my prerogative…
Dr. Mark Sloan (Diagnosis Murder)
Created by Joyce Burditt WTF? No, DR. MARK SLOAN is NOT a private eye. Not even close. He's an elderly widower; a kindly, white-haired teaching physician and the Chief of Internal Medicine at a Denver's (and later, inexplicably, Los Angeles's) Community General Hospital, who keeps poking his nose into active police investigations, while working as … Continue reading Dr. Mark Sloan (Diagnosis Murder)
Connie & Steve Barton
Created by Kelley Roos Pseudonym of William Roos (1911–1987) and Audrey Roos (1912–1982) "She was the most luscious, blue-eyed, baby-faced blonde I had ever seen, and she was dancing with my husband. I was tempted to scratch her eyes out..." Kelley Roos, the pseudonym for the husband-and-wife writing team of William and Audrey Roos, were … Continue reading Connie & Steve Barton
Henry Dorsett Case (Neuromancer)
Created by William Gibson (1948--) "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." And with that straight-outta-Chandler opening, William Gibson's genre-bending science fiction classic Neuromancer (1984) began. Not that Raymond Chandler is the only inspiration for what many consider the one of the very first and finest examples … Continue reading Henry Dorsett Case (Neuromancer)
Jo & Steve (Chan is Missing)
Created by Wayne Wang & Terrel Seltzer "I'm no Charlie Chan." — Jo confesses NOT EXACTLY a P.I. film, but the spirit is certainly willing in the 1982 indie cult fave Chan is Missing. It's was about as low-budget as you could get, reportedly costing less than $20,000 to produce, and filmed in gritty, grainy … Continue reading Jo & Steve (Chan is Missing)
My Scrapbook: Boston Blackie by N.C. Wyeth
Boston Blackie by N.C. Wyeth July 1914, The American Magazine "Unhurried and without excitement, but quickly, Boston Blackie forced drawer after drawer" . THIS WAS the lead illustration for "The Price of Principle," the first-ever Boston Blackie story and thus the first-ever depiction of one of crime fiction's more enduring characters. It appeared in the … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Boston Blackie by N.C. Wyeth
Shannon (The D.A.’s Man)
Based on a book by by James B. Horan and Harold Danforth The D.A.'s Man was a pretty much forgotten Jack Webb television production from back in the late fifties, relating the adventures of SHANNON, a tough private eye (or possibly ex-private eye, according to some other sources, or even not a private eye at … Continue reading Shannon (The D.A.’s Man)
Bicarbonate Johnny
Created by Marcus Lyons Pseudonym of James Blish Other pseudonyms include Donald Laverty, John MacDougal and Arthur Merlyn (1921-1975) This one's a gas... Okay, compared to the challenges faced by some of the other "defective detectives," impatient private snoop BICARBONATE JOHNNY doesn't have it too bad. Still, the discomfort of chronic dyspepsia isn't much fun, … Continue reading Bicarbonate Johnny
Mercury “Merc” Carter
Created by Andrew Welsh-Huggins "I just deliver stuff." Okay, MERC CARTER isn't really a private eye. He's a freelance delivery guy, but he's no DoorDash doofus, bringing you cold pizza or somebody else's order. A former federal agent with the postal inspection service, he only makes special deliveries. Very special deliveries. Puppies. Papers. Jewelry. Collectible … Continue reading Mercury “Merc” Carter
Sam Dakkers
Created by Mike Brett(aka Michael Brett)(1921-2000) New York City's chrome-domed SAM DAKKERS was no private eye hero. As he matter-of-factly points out right off the bat, "I'm a bookie: horses, baseball, fights, anything. As long as there's action, I'm ready to take it." But all bets are off Sam, a schlub not exactly blessed with … Continue reading Sam Dakkers