John,
Re your message below:
> and James Coburn played the Op, named in the
tv
> version "Hamilton Nash".
That's "Dashiell Hammett" spelled sideways. Sort of.
Clearly Coburn was chosen for the role less for his physical
resemblance to the Op than to the Op's creator. The producers
emphasized this, dressing him in suits and hats that made
Coburn look like Hammett did on the dust jacket photos.
Incidentally, it was in three parts, not two, and it was
originally broadcast on CBS, not in syndication. I'm rather
surprised Todd found it unengaging. I really enjoyed it.
Aside from changing the setting
(Baltimore instead of San Francisco), naming the Op, and
changing the name of the agency (from the Continental to the
Dickinson, which may have been an inside joke referring to
former Pinkerton op Charlie Siringo), it was quite faithful
to the novel, and I thought the mini-series format served the
episodic plot well.
For those who are awards buffs (like me), it got the Edgar
for best mystery teleplay special.
JIM DOHERTY
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