Dashiell Hammett

Despite only having published five novels, Dashiell Hammett is considered to be one of the most influential writers of all time.

He created an entire subgenre of fiction as well as some of the most compelling leading men in literature, and his hard-boiled detective stories have had a lasting effect on radio, film and television.

The Thin Man was Hammett’s last novel (1934) introducing Nick Charles, a former detective who had married a rich woman, Nora Charles. Her character was based on author and playwright Lillian Hellman who was Hammett’s long-term partner although they were never married.

The Glass Key written in 1930 was said to be Hammett's favorite of all his novels and gained commercial success inspiring a series of adaptations for film, radio, and TV.

One of these was The Campbells Playhouse version directed by and starring Orson Welles. The central character, Ned Beaumont, was partly a self-portrait of Dashiell Hammett: a tall, thin, tuberculosis-ridden gambler and heavy drinker.

The Maltese Falcon published in 1930 is probably the most famous of all Hammett’s novels best remembered by the 1941 film version directed by John Hutson and starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, followed in 1943 by Lux Radio Theater who produced a radio broadcast of The Maltese Falcon starring Edward G Robinson as Sam Spade.

Suspense produced an hour-long story based on Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade character entitled The Khandi Tooth Caper which is well worth a listen to - not only if you are a fan of Sam Spade - but simply because it is produced by William Speirs for Suspense.

Happy listening my friends,