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The private eye has a long and glorious history in Hollywood films. Here are ten unforgettable private detectives and the actors who portrayed them on the silver screen.
Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros., 1941)
Bogie plays Dashiel Hammett's immortal Sam Spade, who with partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) own the Spade and Archer Detective Agency in San Francisco. Fate casts its long shadow one day when a knockout dame calling herself Ruth Wonderly a.k.a. Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor) walks into the agency, seeking the private eyes' help in locating her missing sister. That leads to Archer's murder, violent run-ins with unsavory characters and the search for a priceless statuette known as the Maltese Falcon. Gladys George, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet ably complement Bogart's memorable performance. Bogie's voice, hat, mannerisms, etc. – Sam Spade never looked better.
One sheet movie poster: Bogie as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Jack Nicholson as J.J. "Jake" Gittes, Chinatown (Paramount, 1974)
Jack Nicholson stars as J.J. "Jake" Gittes, a Los Angeles private eye hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to look into the extramarital affairs of her husband Hollis (Darrell Zwerling). During his investigation, Gittes uncovers municipal corruption centering on water rights and a proposed dam. Set in the Depression year of 1937, Chinatown earned Jack Nicholson an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Nicholson is masterful in the lead role, playing the former L.A. Chinatown beat cop-turned-gumshoe who gets a knife shoved up his nose for his troubles. "Mrs. Mulwray, I goddamn near lost my nose. And I like it. I like breathing through it," Nicholson's Gittes later tells his client. Jack Nicholson reprised his J.J. Gittes role in The Two Jakes (1990).
Lobby card: Jack Nicholson as J.J. "Jake" Gittes in Chinatown (1974)
Paul Newman as Lew Harper, Harper (Warner Bros., 1966)
Paul Newman is Lew Harper, a Los Angeles private dick retained by Mrs. Sampson (Lauren Bacall) to find her kidnapped hubby. Newman's Harper is a tough, cynical lot, casting his net throughout greater L.A. where he encounters an array of wacky, unsavory characters living on the cusp of the psychedelic 1960s. Thanks to screenwriter William Goldman, Newman cops a number of great lines, including this one, directed at Albert Graves (Arthur Hill): "The bottom is loaded with nice people, Albert. Only cream and bastards rise." Newman later reprised his classic Lew Harper role in The Drowning Pool (1975) where he co-starred with wife Joanne Woodward.
Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, Shaft (1971)
Richard Roundtree has the title role of John Shaft, a black New York City private eye who operates out of a rented office in mid-town Manhattan. Harlem mobster Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn) hires Shaft to find his daughter Marcy (Sherri Brewer), who's been kidnapped by the Mafia. Roundtree's Shaft is the coolest of private eyes in this landmark blaxploitation action film, with Isaac Hayes' classic "Theme from Shaft" begging the question: "Who's the cat that won't cop out/When there's danger all about?" Yeah, it's Shaft, baby. Right on! Richard Roundtree returned as John Shaft – the self-described "spade detective" – in two sequels, Shaft's Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973), and also played the title character on the Shaft (1973-74) television series.
One sheet movie poster style F: Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in Shaft (1971)
Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe, The Big Sleep (Warner Bros., 1946)
Humphrey Bogart plays Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's famous private eye who is hired by General Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to deal with the slug who is blackmailing his daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers) over gambling debts. The trail leads to sleaze, deceit, corruption, murder and even romance for the L.A. gumshoe, who falls for Sternwood's eldest daughter Vivian (Lauren Bacall). The William Faulkner/Leigh Brackett/Jules Furthman screenplay crackles, with Bogie's Marlowe getting in some great lines, such as: "You know what he'll do when he comes back? Beat my teeth out, then kick me in the stomach for mumbling."
Burt Reynolds as Shamus McCoy, Shamus (Columbia, 1973)
Burt Reynolds has the title role of Shamus McCoy, a New York City private investigator with an eye for wine, women and song. Shamus is just scraping by when he is hired by precious gems dealer E.J. Hume (Roy Weyand) to locate some stolen diamonds for a $10,000 recovery fee. Several toughs violently warn Shamus to drop the case, but the private dick perseveres, with mayhem and murder ensuing. Dyan Cannon plays Alexis Montaigne, Shamus' blond squeeze, with New York City locations enhancing the production. "As the tough and artful shamus, Burt Reynolds has both a dramatic role to play and a public image to live up to; and I think he does better with the former than the latter," reported Roger Greenspun of The New York Times (2/1/73).
Insert movie poster: Burt Reynolds as Shamus McCoy in Shamus (1973)
James Stewart as John "Scottie" Ferguson, Vertigo (Paramount, 1958)
James Stewart plays John "Scottie" Ferguson, a retired San Francisco police detective who is hired by old college chum Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) to trail the latter's beautiful wife Madeleine (Kim Novak). Ferguson does just that, getting caught up in a web of Hitchcockian intrigue when Madeleine falls to her death and a woman later resurfaces bearing an uncanny resemblance to the deceased. Stewart plays the reluctant private detective with his usual wide-eyed efficiency, scoring one of his best scenes early in the picture when he hangs on for dear life while dangling from a broken rooftop gutter.
Denzel Washington as Ezekial "Easy" Rollins, Devil in a Blue Dress (TriStar, 1995)
Denzel Washington plays Walter Mosley's Easy Rollins, a black World War II vet and private eye who is scratching for gumshoe work. Through a friend, Easy is hired by DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore) to locate a woman (Jennifer Beals) who may be hiding out in L.A.'s black community. What looks like a fairly easy case quickly morphs into something more, with a cold-blooded killer (Don Cheadle), badge heavy cops, crooked politicians and tough hoods populating the urban landscape. Set in 1948, Devil in a Blue Dress is classic film noir, with Washington scoring big as the hard luck private eye.
One sheet movie poster: Denzel Washington as Easy Rollins in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe, Murder, My Sweet (RKO, 1944)
Dick Powell plays Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to locate his former squeeze. The trail is loaded with land mines, as Marlowe makes his way through shady L.A., eventually meeting up with the mysterious Helen Grayle a.k.a. Velma Valento (Claire Trevor). Song-and-dance man Powell carries the role well, scoring some good lines as Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled P.I., including this classic: "She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud. I gave her a drink. She was a gal who'd take a drink, if she had to knock you down to get the bottle."
Lobby card: Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet (1944)
James Garner as Philip Marlowe, Marlowe (MGM, 1969)
James Garner takes his crack as private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by quiet, mousy Orfamy Quest (Sharon Farrell) to locate her missing brother in the City of Angels. Marlowe pursues the matter, with two of his leads ending up on the wrong end of an ice pick, the brutal hallmark of L.A. mobster Sonny Steelgrave (H.M. Wynant). Garner, in his pre-The Rockford Files (1974-80) days in which he played private investigator Jim Rockford, excels as the updated Marlowe, with Carroll O'Connor, Gayle Hunnicutt, Rita Moreno, Jackie Coogan and Bruce Lee in solid support. Raymond Chandler fans will recognize Marlowe as the screen version of his 1949 novel The Little Sister.
Ten More Memorable Movie Private Detectives
Three sheet movie poster: Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
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Excellent discussion of this great archetype. My vote is for Philip Marlowe. You should do an article on femmes fatales next.
You did it always William, great compilation.
Excellent choices William. These are some of my all-time favorite private eye movies.