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

Evidence on the Record - Directed by William Witney, written by Bill S. Ballinger (as B.X. Sanborn). DOP was Ray Rennahan. 

This episode starred Darren McGavin as Mike Hammer, Frank Maxwell as Wallets Mack, Gerald Milton as Johnny Sixty, Helene Stanley (All the King's Men (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950)) as Eileen and Vito Scotti as Geta.

Geta (Vitto Scotti) in his candy store

 

Johnny Sixty owns a jukebox company. Somebody is going to various candy stores,and soda fountains around the edge of his territory and wrecking his machines. At Geta's candy store his machine mechanic on a routine call is shot down in cold blood.

Wallets Mack (Frank Maxwell) 

Tail fins and Grand Central Station

Johnny Sixty (Gerald Milton)

The  hammer-tomically correct Eileen (Helene Stanley)

Mike likes what he sees

New York City location sequences

Geta

Geta reads comic books

Mike persuading Geta to talk (low Angle)

Noir-ish

When Mike figures out that the mechanic was trying to blackmail Johnny Sixty over his affair with Eileen the shit hits the fan.

showing quite a bit of leg there Helene

It's got a few noir-ish sequences with minimal NYC location shots. Helene Stanley is nice to look at. About on the scale of things a 6.5/10 episode.

Shoot Before You Look - Directed by Ray Nazarro, written by Frank Kane. This episode stars Darren McGavin as Mike Hammer, Bart Burns as Captain Pat Chambers, Charles Aidman as Marty Davis, Georgine Darcy as Laura Howell, Gail Kobe as Mrs. Marks, John Milford as Lenny Marks and Vito Scotti as Geta.

A well to do couple out on the town come back to their apartment. Two men lay in wait. Entering the man is hit on the back of the head by one of the crooks. It's a bit to hard. He's dead. The guy that hit him panics and kills the woman with a gun. He tells his shocked partner that she saw his face.

Mike Hammer: [narrating] Women splash themselves with diamonds for the same reason theater marquees drip neon - to call attention to itself. Sometimes the wrong people are attracted and that's when I deal myself in. I represent the insurance company. The next day, I was Michael-on-the-Spot.

WTF?

They go to work taking the $50,000 in jewels the woman is wearing and split. The insurance company that covered the jewels hires Mike to investigate. Mike questions the nearest relative niece Lara Howell (Georgine Darcy).

Lara Howell (Georgine Darcy) and Mike

 Mike Hammer: That puts the loss in the neighborhood of fifty thousand dollars. My company gets very nervous in that neighborhood.
Laura Howell: I'm sure your company has my complete sympathy.
Mike Hammer: I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, but you see, after all, no one can bring your aunt and uncle back, but the company is going to expect me to bring the jewels back.

A short time later Mike gets a tip over the phone about the jewels whereabouts.

Marty Davis (Charles Aidman)

Marty Davis: And, Hammer, be real careful. The guy's a killer and he's got a gun.
Mike Hammer: I didn't know you cared.
Marty Davis: I don't, but I can't collect from a shroud.

Marty next calls his partner Lenny accusing him of ratting him out to the police. He tells him he's coming up to kill him and hangs up. It's a set up. Marty figures Lenny will get killed and he'll avoid getting pinched for a double homicide.

 Lenny Marks (John Milford)

Of course Mike kills Lenny who was waiting to ambush Marty.

Mike isn't satisfied, he figures there is an angle and he tells Pat Chambers his suspicions

Captain Pat Chambers (Bart Burns) 

 Mike visits Lenny's widow and tells her he thinks Lenny was set up. Lenny on rap sheet never carried a gun. She spills to Mike the name of his partner

Mrs. Marks (Gail Kobe) 

Mike heads to Marty Davis's flop and finds Laura Howell the niece there.

Laura in profile is obviously hammer-tommically correct

When Marty returns Laura tells him that Hammer figured it all out. Of course Mike shows up smacks Marty around and the case is closed . Pretty much a straight crime episode. 6.5/10.

The Commodore - Director was Sidney Salkow (as Sid Salkow) written by Bill S. Ballinger (as B.X. Sanborn). DOP was William A. Sickner.

The episode stars Darren McGavin as Mike Hammer, Edgar Stehli as Commodore Stubbs, H.M. Wynant as Speckles Haynes, Jean Allison as Rhonda Haynes, and Ashley Cowan as Boots Black.

Boots and The Commodore

The Commodore is an elderly second hand store owner. He's being railroaded into the old folks home by his niece's husband Boots Black (Ashley Cowan). A neighborhood kid hires Mike to help The Commodore.

Boots and Specks, the Commodores brother, have been skimming store profits for years the current sum is $20,000. Specks suddenly decides to get married and wants his half. When he and Boots go to retrieve the loot from their hiding place they find it's gone. Each blames the other in a heated argument.

The Commodore

Boots and Stubs

A few hours later a police officer on patrol finds the shop door jimmied and a dead man on the floor with a shiv sticking out of his chest. Its Boots.



When Stubs is arrested Mike begins to investigate.

The Tombs

"I didn't do it Mike."

Mike and Stub's girlfriend  Rhonda Haynes (Jean Allison)  Notice wire lead coming out of light fixture, far right. 

An average episode 6/10.