RARA-AVIS: Booth, Spade, etc.

Frederick Zackel (fzackel@bgnet.bgsu.edu)
Fri, 22 May 1998 09:11:20 -0400 (EDT) Greetings--

Powers Booth's Marlowe series is truly wondeful. He made six, i believe,
and they were on HBO. I taped them. Unfortunately, all six were put on
the same tape, so the quality is lousy. But I watch them as often as I
can. Because they were short stories, one doesn't have that long arc
of character development one expects from a novel-based film.

Dick Powell's version is softer than Booth's.

As I see it, the end of the Falcon is Spade's "exorcism." He's breaking
the spell brought on by the femme fatale's "be-witching." Remember, if
not for Archer's insistence, Spade would have walked down the alley with
Miss O'Shaunesy; he was as be-witched as Archer. (Yes, i cannot spell
today.) His break needed to be formal, public, unambiguous, and complete.
He is face to face with her and rejecting both her and Death itself (which
is her true "spouse.")

Speaking of wondeful new hard-boiled writers, I truly like Richard Barre.
I've read all three of his books (The Innocents, Bearing Secrets and his
new one The Ghosts of Morning) and give him my highest recommendation. In
fact, the three finest writers to my mind today are Walter Moseley, Jim
Sallis and Richard Barre. (Sallis has a new book out from Walker,
but--ARRGHH!!--I don't remember its name this morning.) All three share a
love for language, and each one is a master at it. And I'll walk down any
mean street with any of their PIs.

Now to go out and locate the June GQ with Rafferty's article about
hard-boiled detectives. Thanks for the tip!

Frederick Zackel

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