Synopses & Reviews
Tuska, known for his work on the western film and film noir, is also an expert on the American detective film. . . . His approach is historical, focusing on popular detectives from Poe's Dupin and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to Chandler's Philip Marlowe in his various incarnations on the screen. Tuska does not neglect the authors who created the detectives, the actors who played them on the screen, the scriptwriters who adapted the stories and novels, or the directors who brought them to the screen. A detailed, fact-filled study, enriched with excerpts from interviews.
ChoiceThis unique volume traces the growth and development of the most popular detectives from the lives of their creators to their transformation into screen detectives. Included are Sherlock Holmes, Philo Vance, Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, Nero Wolfe, Perry Mason, Sam Spade, Nick and Nora Charles, and Philip Marlowe, as well as the female detectives and the more current avenger figures. Tuska discusses the reasons behind the persistent popularity of detectives in fiction and film, and the comprehensive historical perspective of this work helps the reader to understand why the image of the detective has changed from the embodiement of reason and the Enlightenment to the somewhat darker figure of executioner in a corrupt society.
Review
Tuska, known for his work on the Western film and film noir, is also an expert on the American detective film. This book is a major revision of his The Detective in Hollywood (CH, Jul '78). In the introduction he writes: The book has been rewritten and restructured to incorporate all the new faacts and details which have come to light and the correction of numerous errors which were kindly called to my attention by readers. His approach is historical, focusing on popular detectives from Poe's Dupin and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to Chandler's Philip Marlowe in his various incarnations on the screen. Tuska does not neglect the authors who created the detectives, the actors who played them on the screen, the scriptwriters who adapted the stories and novels, or the directors who brought them to the screen. A detailed, fact-filled study, enriched with excerpts from interviews.Choice
Review
John Tuska writes in the Introduction to this revised version of his earlier book that it has been `rewritten and restructured' to provide `its definitive form so that all that ever need be added to any future edition would be an update.' He certainly lives up to his promise. All that can be added to this review in awestruck response to his 462-page account is that Tuska goes far beyond just detective films and trends in the genre to provide all the information and gossip about everyone ever connected with him. This is certainly a comprehensive compilation that will require only supplements with possibly some glossy stills to match the text better than the 36 well-chosen but dully reproduced ones included here.American Studies
Review
Television writer and producer John Tuska, who wrote, The Detective in Hollywood and Dark Cinema, spent countless hours interviewing the major persons behind the crime movie genre when he wrote those two books. The material he had left over inspired this indepth look at how those detectives were changed by the needs of the box office and the creativity of those persons who adapted them and their stories for more general audiences. This very detailed work traces the history of the detectives in fiction and movies through chapters dealing specifically with Edgar Allan Poe and the birth of the detective story, Sherlock Holmes, S.S. Van Dien, master and oriental detectives. The Thin Man, assorted adventurers and thieves, Raymond Chandler, and finally the grim swing away from the traditional image of the detective as a person of clever deduction to the rebellious avenger of today. . .The Big Reel
Synopsis
"Tuska, known for his work on the western film and film noir, is also an expert on the American detective film. . . . His approach is historical, focusing on popular detectives from Poe's Dupin and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to Chandler's Philip Marlowe in his various incarnations on the screen. Tuska does not neglect the authors who created the detectives, the actors who played them on the screen, the scriptwriters who adapted the stories and novels, or the directors who brought them to the screen. A detailed, fact-filled study, enriched with excerpts from interviews." Choice
About the Author
JON TUSKA is a television film writer and producer, and the author of the award-winning book, The Detective in Hollywood.