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Jonathan Latimer's first book, 1935's Headed For a Hearse, was one of the first hardboiled screwball comedies, following closely on the heels of the previous year's The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, and far surpassed what Hammett had only hinted at. Like Hammett's Nick and Nora, Latimer's BILL CRANE was a booze-soaked, seemingly-inept detective who somehow always managed, despite always being either drunk or hungover, to crack the case, despite the ponderous and copious intake of a variety of intoxicating substances. In Red Harvest, Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op takes a break from breaking the backs of two rival gangs by swilling a concoction of gin and laudanum, no doubt intended to demonstrate the resolution of the hard-bitten, tough-minded Op's nature, but Crane drank for a much simpler reason: he enjoyed it. Hoo-boy, did he enjoy it! In the course of five highly recommended novels in the early thirties, Crane and his fellow ops from Colonel Black's New York-based detective agency, handsome Tom O'Malley, and dapper, dstinguished Doc Williams gulp down just about anything they can get their hands on - including (accidentally) at one point embalming fluid - and spend most of their time either high as a kite or suffering from hangovers. With The Thin Man, Hammett may have dipped his toe into the screwball pool, but Latimer jumped right in and splashed around to his heart's content. The plots zig and zag, and there are enough screws loose in the various characters to stock a hardware store. In the thirties, Universal produced three film adaptations, all starring Preston Foster as Crane, as part of their "Crime Club" series. There were reportedly pretty good, for B films, but not good enough to really set the world on fire. Latimer was responsible for the hardboiled classic Solomon's Vineyard, featuring private eye Karl Craven. Latimer evenually turned to screenwriting (including The Big Clock and The Glass Key). In the sixties, he wrote for the Perry Mason TV show. NOVELS
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Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks to Iris Wiederkehr, Latimer's German publisher, for the heads up. | Home | Detectives A-L M-Z | Film | Radio | Television | Web Comics | Comics | FAQs | Drop a dime. Your comments, suggestions, corrections and contributions are always welcome.
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