Noirsville Bonus - Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Noir TV (Season Two)

See No Evil - Directed by Ray Nazarro. Written by Bill S. Ballinger (as B.X. Sanborn). DOP was William A. Sickner.

This episode stars Darren McGavin as Mike Hammer, Miriam Colon as Tarana, Steve Peck as Carl (as Steven Peck), Walter Burke as Van, Gene Saks as Gobo McCoy, Ted Markland as Betters, Ralph Brooks as Tom Dopple (uncredited) and Frank Mills as Orange (uncredited).

A gypsy woman Tarano hires Mike to get her boyfriend Carl who has been falsely accused of being the inside man in a robbery where one man gets killed. The two crooks are wearing nylon stockings to hide there identity. The only way for the thieves to get access was only if Carl pushed the button on the electric lock.

Mike goes to meet Tarano at the restaurant where she is a waitress. The restaurant has a trained Capuchin monkey who doles out fortunes to the customers.

Van (Walter Burke)

Tarano (Miriam Colon) and Mike

Mike agrees to take the case and goes down to the Tombs to speak with Carl in his holding cell

Mike and Carl (Steve Peck)

Carl tells Mike he should talk to Van, Tarana's brother. When Mike goes to the address that Carl gives him he finds out that Tarana's brother Van is the Capuchin monkey handler at the restaurant.

Nice Neighborhood

While Mike is talking to Van a crook Mike knows named Gobo (Gene Saks) knocks on Van's door. Gobo asks Vam if he wants to play pool. Mike decides to tail Gobo. When he goes back to Van's later that day Mike finds Van dead.

Mike takes the now orphan monkey back to the pool hall where he confronts Gobo and his pal Betters.

Nothing special here another just average episode 6/10.

Curtains for an Angel - Directed by William Witney. Written by B.X. Sandborn. DOP was William A. Sickner.

The episode stars Darren McGavin as Mike Hammer, Richard Crane (A Lady Without Passport (1950), ) as Duncan Fortune, Abby Dalton (Girls on the Loose (1958), Stakeout on Dope Street (1958), ) as Stacy Lee, Robert Ellenstein (Rogue Cop (1954), Illegal (1955), The Garment Jungle (1957)) as Professor Murphy, Virginia Gregg (Notorious (1946), The Amazing Mr. X (1948), I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955), Crime in the Streets (1956)) as Elsa Hurlbert, and Alexander Lockwood (Saboteur (1942), Jigsaw (1949), The Tattered Dress (1957)) as Claude Hurlbert.



A successful business man Claude Hurlbert, calls Mike and tells him to meet him at the New Tork Atheletic Club. Claude thinks his wife Elsa is being swindled down at a group play that she is putting on. He tell Mike she already has sunk $25,000 into it.

Claude (Alexander Lockwood) and Mike

When Mike arrives at the theater down in Greenwich Village he finds Elsa pretty much in charge and dominating the production. She looks like she is having a good time throwing her wait around. The director Professor Murphy, is not enjoying her domineering attitude.

Professor Murphy (Ellenstein) and Elsa (Gregg)

 Stacey Lee (Abby Dalton) and  Duncan Fortune (Richard Crane) 

Elsa throwing her weight makes her a lot of enemies and when she ends up dead Mike has to figure out who did it.

This episode had some nice Noir stylistics about a 6.5/10.

Dixie Is Dead - Directed by William Witney. Written by Bill S. Ballinger (as B.X. Sanborn). DOP was Bud Thackery.

This episode stars Darren McGavin as Mike Hammer, Sue Ane Langdon (The Rounders (1965), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)) as Dixie, Dick Wesson as Clef, Ray Daley as Barney, Walter Reed as Stratton, Ken Lynch (Anatomy of a Murder (1959)) as Nashua.

Dixie (Langdon)

To rival Greenwich Village Clubs are warring over a Dixieland Band with hammer-tommically correct Dixie (Langdon) as the star attraction. Langdon gets to belt out a rousing and very giggly When The Saints Go Marching In, in the opening sequence of the episode.  The extremely pneumatic Langdon obviously knew what she was doing.

Langdon's Opening

The Goon squad enters

Stratton (Walter Reed)

Goldilocks

and The three goons

Stratton calls Mike who drive down to Greenwich Village to meet him at the cafe. When Mike walks in he is mesmerized by Dixie doing a rehearsal with her band in the club.

What a rack....

Mike gets the scoop on the two cafe rivalry from Stratton, and heads over to The Blue Ox to confront Nasuha. When Mike tells him to lay off he pull a gun.

Nashua (Ken Lynch)

Nasuha gets belligerent pulling a gun on Mike, who takes it away from him after a brief struggel.

Meanwhile Dixie has been throwing her weight around. She tells the bands founder and trombone player that she wants him gone. He gets pissed off an is about to strangle her when Stratton walks in.

A few hours later the cafe cigarette girl sees Nashua walking out of Dixie's dressing room. When she walks in she finds Dixie strangled on the floor. Everybody suspects Nashua.

A slightly better than average episode mostly for Sue Ann Langdon's presence. It was only her second credited appearance, and you could see her potential even in this.

Sue Ann Langdon, with a 37-23-35 figure, was almost immediately typecast as a sexy blonde, either dumb, scheming, or wild. One of her more memorable wild roles was as the wacky fun loving cowgirl in The Rounders (1965), below.

Not much in the way of New York City locations nor does it have any Noir stylistics however it does have some healthy doses of cheesecake. 7/10