Dick Lochte wrote:
> The "Fast One" graphic novel was published in 1991
by No Exit Press. Artwork
> is by Geoff Grandfield. It's very stylized black and
white with gray tone.
> Pretty crude and I assume purposely so. No comic
lettering. Chunks of
> typeface are routed into the art. It doesn't exactly
work for me, but the
> story, descriptive passages and dialogue are very
loyal to the book.
> Ruric's film work is described in a very interesting
trade paperback,
> "Hardboiled in Hollywood" by David Wilt (Popular
Press). Filmography
> includes: Gambling Ship (1933), The Black Cat
(1934), Affairs of a Gentleman
> (1934), Jericho (1937), Dark Sands (1938), Twelve
Crowded Hours (1939), The
> Night of January 16th (1941), Grand Central Murder
(1942), Mademoiselle Fifi
> (1944) and Alias a Gentleman (1948). The essay says
that Grand Central
> Murder, with Van Heflin as the detective, is his
best work.
> Wilt also discusses the film work of Horace McCoy,
Eric Taylor, Dwight V.
> Babcock and John K. Butler.
> Dear Dick Lochte,
>
> Excellent post re FAST ONE. No Exit Press has, as I
recall, also published
> Cain's Seven Slayers Black Mask story
collection--without my permission, by the
> way. I have been recommending FAST ONE for a film
all over Hollywood in my
> travels licensing Black Mask for film and television
series. A very modern
> novel ahead of its time. I consider Paul Cain the
greatest unheralded Black
> Mask contributor. I intend to bring out an expanded
Seven Slayers in the new
> Black Mask Book line. There are a number of
uncollected stores remaining from
> BM.
>
> By the way, I wrote a script of Pigeon Blood, but at
the time I had a Hollywood
> agent, she was more interested in promoting the TV
series, than my script..
>
> In re Grand Central Murder, although I have not seen
the film, I have also read
> that it is Ruric's best script and a fine movie.
Some old timer I
> interviewed--i can't remember which one--told me
that Ruric had a number of
> other names for various uses, was a loner, even to
his friends. Others have
> mentioned Grand Central in conversation as a great
script. Someone wrote,
> possible Hageman in his BM Index, that no one is
sure of Ruric's real name.
>
> You also mention the script writing of Babcock,
McCoy, and John K. Butler. I
> also control various rights to some of their short
stories. I'm very fond of
> Butler's characters. In addition to owning all
rights to Black Mask, I own the
> magazine, periodical, and serial rights to most of
Popular Publications'
> magazines, including Dime Detective, Strange
Detective (a genre I like), Terror
> Tales, Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Detective Fiction
Weekly, etc.
> Please let me know of any links you recommend I
should put on the Black Mask web
> site. Also I'm offering authors, and aficionados
guest spots in the Black Mask
> Crime Review on the site--and would really like you
to contribute a few
> paragraphs now and again.
>
> Otto Penzler, Kevin Burton Smith, Bill Cider, Gary
Niebuhr, Hugh B. Cave, Max
> Rosenberg (my Hollywood partner), Doug Greene, and
David Wickes (London
> producer of the successful Chandler TV series for
Granada in England) are on
> board and will be listed on the web site. So will
recent friends I've met
> since posting on RARA-AVIS a few days ago: Kevin
Burton Smith...Bill
> Crider...and Gary Niebuhr. I'm also asking my old
pal Bob Weinberg who has
> licensed quite a bit of material from me over the
years.
> I'm working with Doug Greene and Hugh B. Cave on a
90th birthday collection of
> Hugh's stories for Black Mask. A Black Mask book
line, and a magazine are in
> the works. So are negotiations for a major mass
media Black Mask project .
> The modest web page is a bit premature, but it is
useful to help close the big
> deal, and get the word out on the return of Black
Mask.
>
> Once the magazine is out, I'm offering you a regular
column to cover popular
> culture as widely focused as your own enthusiasm. I
am also looking for
> original or obscure work from living authors who
have produced great works in
> the Black Mask tradition. Please recommend and
spread the word.
>
> Best,
>
> Keith
>
keithdeutsch@earthlink.net
>
> PS Do you know where I can contact Ron Goulart?
Although I was an avid
> Hammett and Chandler fan as a kid, it was Ron's Hard
Boiled Dicks collection
> that introduced my to so much of the material I now
control. I haven't spoken
> to him in about 20 years and would love to have him
involved in Black Mask.
>
>
>
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