Noirsville Bonus - Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Noir TV (Part Five)

Mike Hammer (Darrin McGavin)

Continuing the re watch of the Mike Hammer Series to identify those episodes worthy of citing for their degree of Noir-ness, and those that contain interesting sequences of archival footage of New York City circa 1958-1959.

Disc Five

1. Its an Art - An art student goes missing. Her parents hire Mike to find out what happened. Some nice footage of Greenwich Village and Washington Square. 
   
   

   

   Washington Square

   
   

   

   Art Show

   

   Washington Square

   
   

   

   Tail Fins

   This episode has a hammer-tomically correct artists model, and sequence with a leotard dancer at a Village beatnik coffee shop.

   

   Hammer-tomically correct

   
   
   
   
   

   

   Barrie Chase

   The cast has noir vets Konstantin Shayne (Escape in the Fog (1945), The Stranger (1946), Cry of the City (1948), Vertigo (1958)) and William Phipps  (Crossfire (1947), They Live by Night (1948), Scene of the Crime (1949), No Questions Asked (1951) and others) There is also a sequence with Barrie Chase (Cape Fear (1962)). Directed by Boris Sagal, written by Frank Kane, DOP by Jack Mackenzie . Pretty much a Straight Crime episode 6/10
2. Four Blind Mice - Story about an ex-con who is worried that his wife is two timing him with an ex-bookie now turned gossip rag publisher.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Tail Fins

   
   

   

   FDR Drive

   
   

   

   Jigger/Getta's Candy Shop

   
   

   

   Jigger/Getta (Vito Scotti) rt.

   
   

   

   FDR Drive

   This episode introduces Jigger Getta (Vito Scotti) an ex-con who runs a candy store in one of the most unbelievable sets used in the series. Most NYC candy stores are small and narrow, shotgun style with counter and displays running along one wall. The set looks more like a drug store. Contains some West Side Drive footage, and some Subway shots of a D train and an AA, and of Grand Central 42nd Street Station.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Los Angeles Downtown

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Add caption

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Death by AA train

   There is also a shot of downtown LA filling in for a Manhattan office building. Directed by Boris Sagal, written by Steven Thornley, DOP Jack Mackenzie. Straight Crime 7/10
3. Scar and Garter - A young woman (Yvette Vickers, The Sound of Fury (1950), Short Cut to Hell (1957), Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958), I Mobster (1959)) marries a man who she knew for two weeks.
   
   
   

   

   Yvette Vickers

   He disappears after telling his wife that he's going to visit his mother (Margaret Lindsay Scarlet Street (1945)). She goes to Mike Hammer. A missing persons case. Mike takes her up to the Berkshires (probably Hollywood juding from the mountains an a neat private funicular) to visit the missing husband's mother. Barney Phillips plays a handy man.

   

   The Funicula

   
   
   
   
   

   

   Barney Phillips

   Dircted by Lawrence Dobkin, written by Steven Thornley, DOP Jack Mackenzie. Straight Crime 6/10
4. No Pockets in a Shroud - A night club camera girl takes a photo that has captured accidentally a mobster who was declared dead.
   

   

   Darkroom

   
   

   

   Hammer distracted

   

   King Calder rt , A live dead mobster
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   
   The hammer-tomically correct camera girl gets roughed up. Mike does some investigating. King Calder (Time Table (1956)). Director Boris Sagal, written by Frank Kane, DOP Jack Mackenzie, Straight Crime 6/10
5. The Living Dead - Mike is looking for a missing wife Susan Barlow (Patricia Huston Experiment in Terror (1962)), who wanted to hire him on a confidential matter.
   
   
   

   

   Flying Tackle

   
   

   

   Robert Vaughn

   
   

   

   Mike's office snooze

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   John Hoyt

   
   

   

   Jealous husband

   Her husband is played by Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), a stockbroker by John Hoyt (Brute Force (1947), Trapped (1949), Loan Shark (1952), The Big Combo (1955), The Glass Cage (1964)). Director Sherman Marks, written by Steven Thornley, DOP Jack Mackenzie. Straight Crime 6/10.
6. Old Folks at Home Blues - A woman (Ruta Lee) from Wyoming, is looking for her missing husband a pianist who came to New Yourk City looking for work.

   

   Rutta Lee

   
   
   
   He was last seen down on the Bowery working in a penny arcade. Directed by Richard Irving, written by Lawrence Kimble, DOP Jack Mackenzie. All Hollywood sets and backlot. A few establishing NYC shots, slightly Noir-ish. 6.5/10