Mark wrote:
"I don't even have an adequate response besides to say that
we didn't feel Dick Powell is as big a name today for the
general American public. I'll catch heat for saying that,
deservedly so, but 'market considerations' did play a part in
the decision."
[Before starting, I just want to say none of this is
targetted at Mark
(who has said several times that he voted for Marlowe, but
was overruled), but at the decision making process of the
corporation for which he works.]
Although I am often drawn to edgier, less overtly commercial
fare, I am not automatically averse to market considerations
(always find it amusing when old fans automatically dismiss a
cult fave's commercial breakthrough as a sell-out, even if
they loved it before it crossed over). And all of the authors
under current discussion certainly took the market into
consideration. But this rationale seems to go beyond market
consideration to pandering. In rejecting Dick Powell simply
because he is no longer an instantly recognized name, you
imply that the goal is nothing more than to give the public
exactly what it already knows and has embraced.
Now I'm a fan of "best of" lists, and I do like to have my
faves honored
(and my good taste confirmed). However, the other big appeal
of lists is discovering something new that I had previously
missed, but should know about: "If you like these, maybe you
should check out this, too." Powell could have been the "Hey,
here's one you should know" entry.
I understand the need to put a single face on each of the
characters for the show, but I agree with Jim (man, it feels
odd to be siding with Jim in a debate) that when a character
is depicted over and over again, whether by one or a series
of actors, it is due to the power and continuing popularity
of the character. If the show is supposed to be about the
characters and not the actors, I'll even go so far as to say
that if the choice comes down to one PI played by Bogart, it
should have been Marlowe, not Spade. For most, Spade's entire
existence is contained within one film (who would want to set
themselves up to be compared to Bogart's depiction?), whereas
Marlowe has continued to be viable for decades, ever open to
new interpretations. But both could have been used, and
Bogart could have been the perfect bridge between the Spade
and Marlowe segments: "Bogart also played Phillip Marlowe in
The Big Sleep. Some, however, say the definitive Marlowe was
actually Dick Powell in Murder My Sweet. . . ."
Mark
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