RARA-AVIS: Harry Lime, Hard-Boiled Hero?

From: Frederick Zackel ( fzackel@wcnet.org)
Date: 14 Sep 2000


That mention of the old radio serial "The Lives of Harry Lime" in yesterday's post triggered a thought. Harry Lime was the villain (played by Orson Wells) in the brilliant Graham Greene script "The Third Man." What a bad guy!! He sold watered-down medicine in Post-War Austria's black market.

At the time -- the 1950s -- that there were those radio sequels to the Lime saga points to the vitality of the character. But the 1950s couldn't let him develop and evolve into deeper villainy. The radio serials made Lime into a morally-murky almost omniscient character who goes after villains worse than he.

But what a wonderful creation for the 21st century Lime could be!! A despicable cad with a continuing series. (I suppose Hannibal Lector is the actual & natural equivalent.)

Any thought?

Best wishes

Frederick Zackel

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