Mike Hammer

This series ran from 1956 to 1949; which means I was age 9 through 12 at the time. Yet, despite this, I remember it as one of the most impressive Private Dectective series ever. A much younger Darrin Mcgavin took part in a great many " physical " encounters with the bad guys. Unlike the stereotype " good guy ", with Mike Hammer, anything goes. I mean chairs, tables anything. Those stunt guys had their work cut out for them. So it was truly a joy to see that this actors' career continued successfully. In fact, Jerry Lewis" first movie after his split with Dean Martin, " Delicate Delinquint " starred Mr. McGavin. When he showed that he could comedy as well ( " Christmas Story " ), it was great. Of course most people will remember him as " Kojak " - and I truly enjoyed that series. But for me, he will always be the very feisty Mike Hammer.

A lot of actors have played Mickey Spillane's bad boy. Anthony Quinn, Robert Bray, Biff Elliot, Stacey Keetch and Mickey himself. Nobody did it with the convincing style of Darren McGavin. His Mike Hammer was a laid back, class act. A friend of mine said it best. "This guy's the real thing," he said. "When he gets a bad guy down he doesn't hesitate to put feet on him 'til he knows he won't get up. That's real." They filmed 72 episodes of that show. I'd give big bucks to have them on a DVD. I remember watching the show in Texas. A beer company in San Antonio sponsored the show. Each episode opened with the camera moving onto Hammer's office where he sat behind his desk. He would say, "Come on in. I'm always ready for some company." And he would reach behind him to open a filing cabinet drawer and take out two bottles of Lone Star beer. The first time I saw that I said, This is going to work. I was right. McGavin did not like the character Mike Hammer. He thought the whole thing was a spoof and never took in seriously. That relaxed attitude is what made the show great.

I love the old private detective shows of the 1950's and 1960's with their jazzy musical themes and their tough heroes with a heart of gold. This early version of Mike Hammer wasn't the best, (that would be Peter Gunn), but it had the best lead actor, Darren McGavin, one of those performers who is usually the best thing in anything he's in. Another reviewer said that he 'nails' Mike Hammer and he really does. Apparently he didn't like the character, (actors are often very different from the characters they play). The theory that he played it as a spoof of private eyes is interesting. The shows and McGavin's performances are serious enough that I wonder about that. But he does seem at times to laugh his way through some scenes and give a comic touch to the show. He can handle the drama just as well. The production values are cheap but he's a whole reason to watch the show by himself.

There is one other reason: the musical theme, 'Riff Blues', (I hope dfam1, who posted a review 17 years ago asking about that finally found out that that's what they call it- there are several good versions on You-Tube). I love Harlem Noctrune, the theme used for the Stacey Keach series, but Riff Blues is equally good.

I'm currently watching an episode of this show and David Janssen's 'Richard Diamond' show each night. Both are half an hour, (meaning 25 minutes), long and contemporary to each other, (Diamond was 1957-60, Hammer 1958-60). Diamond was a network show used as a replacement show, Hammer a syndicated show, so Hammer actually has more episodes, 78 to 77. Hammer is based in New York and Diamond was as well the first two seasons, (although neither show was filmed there, except for a few scenes of Hammer). You wonder if Diamond, (which starred another one of my favorite actors in Janssen) and Hammer ever crossed paths. The actors may well have crossed paths as both series were filmed at the Republic Pictures studios in LA. Both actors later played private eyes in well-regarded series, (McGavin in 'The Outsider' and Janssen in 'Harry O'). I've checked their resumes on the IMDB and they don't seem to have acted in the same TV episode or movies, although Todd and Buzz encountered each of them along 'Route 66'.

Darren McGavin was the quintessential Mike Hammer. Others paled by comparison. He played him with toughness, irreverence and humor. Back in the 50's, when TV censorship was at its strictest, he went as far as you could go. He'd call women "Chickie" and had no qualms at roughing them up to get to the truth. I especially liked his scenes with Nita Talbot, who took everything he dished out. In another review, revtg001 claimed that Anthony Quinn played Mike Hammer. Although, Mr.Quinn appeared in a movie of a Mickey Spillane novel, "The Long Wait",the character he played was JOHNNY McBRIDE. In my opinion, the second best Mike Hammer was Ralph Meeker in "Kiss Me Deadly".

While I was a school girl, I never missed doll-faced Darren McGavin as Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, an unorthodox, relenetless private eye ridding New York City of creeps in much the same way as "The Sweeney" in 1970s London. I say "doll-faced" because I did meet Mr. McGavin on the street in front of the Met after he had just finished his evening performance of "The King and I," dancing and singing as a barefoot royal in love with a governess - nothing like Mike Hammer but just as adorable. I told him how much I enjoyed his TV shows including "Riverboat." Years later, I bought the Mike Hammer DVDs but found his methods too unorthodox for my adult mind. Still, Darren McGavin was and is one of my all-time favorite stars: RIP.