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Let 'er Rip!
Some of the Great Spoofs, Parodies, Essays and Articles
 "Somewhere a Roscoe" "
October15, 1938, The New Yorker
By S.J. Perelman
The humourist's affectionate tribute to pulp writer Robert Leslie Bellem and his greatest creation, Hollywood orb, Dan Turner.
- "The White Rabbit Caper"
November 19, 1941, The New Yorker
By James Thurber
A parody of the tough guy P.I. in which all the characters are animals. It's a wandering rabbit job, with hard-boiled Fred Fox called in by old Mrs. Rabbit to find Daphne, one of her descendants.
- "Farewell My Lovely Appetizer"
December 16, 1944, The New Yorker
By S.J. Perelman
One of the all-time great spoofs of the entire private eye genre, which zeroing in on the excesses of everyone from Sam Spade to Dan Turner, and particularly Marlowe and his band of world-weary descendants. Mike Noonan is the shamus who leads the charge...
- "Kiss Me, Dudley"
January 1955, Manhunt
By Hunt Collins
An absolutely hilarious parody of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer by Collins (actually Ed McBain).
- "Green Gravy for the Blush"
March 1971, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
By Jon Breen
A Travis McGee parody.
- "The Big Recall"
February 1972, National Lampoon
By Henry Beard
Ralph Nader. Consumer advocate, political activist, presidential candidate and... hard-boiled private eye. Fasten your seat belt.
- Guy Noir: Radio Private Eye
Possibly the longest-running (intentional) parody of the genre, and a regular feature on NPR's A Praire Home Companion which has been on, as Guy himself might say, since "Jesus was in the third grade." PHC head honcho Garrison Keillor i writes and stars as Guy Noir.
- NPR's "The Fury at Colonus"
2010
By Alexander Jablokov
The classic Greek tragedies, collectively known as The Oresteia, retold as a hard-boiled police procedural, told from the point of view of a Fury. As the author says, "Either you really want to read it... or you really don't." If you like this site, you will...
- "Donald Trump, Private Eye"
October 18, 2016, The New Yorker
By River Clegg
Not just a spoof of the genre, but also a delicious send-up of soon-to-be POTUS #45, caught just as the pre-election Access Hollywood incident hit the fan. Or it's fake news. Take your pick.
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