While I was a school girl, I never missed doll-faced Darren McGavin as Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, an unorthodox, relenetless private eye ridding New York City of creeps in much the same way as "The Sweeney" in 1970s London. I say "doll-faced" because I did meet Mr. McGavin on the street in front of the Met after he had just finished his evening performance of "The King and I," dancing and singing as a barefoot royal in love with a governess - nothing like Mike Hammer but just as adorable. I told him how much I enjoyed his TV shows including "Riverboat." Years later, I bought the Mike Hammer DVDs but found his methods too unorthodox for my adult mind. Still, Darren McGavin was and is one of my all-time favorite stars: RIP.
Review of Mike Hammer
