Hollywood's Detectives: Crime Series in the 1930s and 1940s from the Whodunnit to Hard-boiled Noir (Crime Files)

The study of Hollywood detectives has often overlooked the B-Movie mystery series in favour of hard-boiled film. Hollywood's Detectives redresses this oversight by examining key detective series of the 1930s and 1940s to explore their contributions to the detective genre. The study of detectives in classical Hollywood has often overlooked the B-Movie mystery series in favour of hard-boiled film, despite the fact that many of these crime series have a cult status among film fans. Hollywood's Detectives redresses the balance by examining key detective series of the 1930s and 1940s (including Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, The Falcon and The Thin Man), as well as some that are less well-known (Michael Shayne and Torchy Blane) to explore the particular concerns and modes of representation within the detective film before the rise of hard-boiled and noir cinema. The book considers a range of concerns within the detective crime series, including the cinematic vaudeville of the B-Movie, the specific features of the detective film, the detective as an outsider and as a sign of disorder, ethnicity, national identity and class, while also examining the emergence and significance of hard-boiled and noir styles Front Matter....Pages i-viii Exploring Detective Films in the 1930s and 1940s: Genre, Society and Hollywood....Pages 1-27 ‘Such Lovely Friends’: Class and Crime in ‘The Thin Man’ Series....Pages 28-50 Between Law and Crime: The Chivalric ‘Criminal’ Detective....Pages 51-78 Englishness and America: Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes....Pages 79-105 Ordering the World: The Uncompromising Logic of Charlie Chan and Mr Moto....Pages 106-130 The Rise of the Hard-boiled Detective....Pages 131-156 Conclusion: Noir Detectives, Rogue Cops, Undercover Men and Police Procedurals....Pages 157-170 Back Matter....Pages 171-187