RARA-AVIS: Re: RARA-AVIS Digest V2 #298

Kevin Smith (kvnsmith@colba.net)
Sat, 23 May 1998 07:09:43 -0500 There were actually two series made with Boothe as Marlowe. The first
series Philip Marlowe; Private Eye, 5 episodes) was produced in England by
London Weekend Television
episodes) in 1986 in Canada by Paragon Motion Pictures (not sure if they
were subsidized by HBO or not, but both series were definitely produced
with an eye on the American market)
together, under various names in various places. I'm not sure about the
actual names of the two series-they seem rather flexible...The CBC ran them
last year, I think, as Marlowe, and before that as Raymond Chandler's
Philip Marlowe, Private Eye or something (as opposed, of course, to
Danielle Steele's Philip Marlowe, Fry Cook no doubt).

But there were 11 episodes in all. The first five, I believe, were The
Pencil (the only actual Marlowe short story written by Chandler), Nevada
Gas, Finger Man, The King in Yellow and Smart-Aleck Kill
series had Red Wind among the six.

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I always thought Boothe was too much
a bruiser for the role. I dunno, you get an image of someone in your mind,
or in this case, a sort of body type, and it sticks. Didn't Chandler say
Cary Grant would be his choice? I like the idea that someone rather slim is
Marlowe, going up against all these gorilla-size thugs, and I guess that's
why Powell is still my first choice. But the Boothe programs are pretty
good, and supposedly a definite cut above the previous series in 1959-60
with Phil Carey, which was evidently just so-so P.I. fare.

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Kevin Smith
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