Philip Marlowe, Private Eye 

Private detective Philip Marlowe solves many crimes in Los Angeles during the 1930s.

Stars:

Powers Boothe, Billy Kearns, Kathryn Leigh Scott

2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Powers Boothe	...	Philip Marlowe 11 episodes, 1983-1986

Storyline

Relying on his wits, instinct, gun and whiskey private detective Philip Marlowe solves many of Los Angeles' worst crime cases during the 1930s. His style is sarcastic, his methods are unorthodox, his charm is adored by the ladies, his meddling is hated by the local cops, his wallet is often times empty and his skull is hardened by the many unexpected blows received in the dark. Despite his low social status, his constant drinking and the lowly company he keeps Philip Marlowe has very high moral standards and a very developed sense of justice. Often times he lends a helping hand to those in need who are at the bottom of society and also to tear-eyed attractive ladies in distress who can gift him a kiss and a drink. The crime mystery series are adapted from Raymond Chandler's short stories.

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Plot Keywords:

fingerman | frame up | philip marlowe character | character name as series title | 1930s | 

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Taglines:

He's the reason crime doesn't pay.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The first season was made in the UK and Los Angeles. The second season was made in Canada.

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Quotes

Philip Marlowe: Hollywood's the kind of town where they stick a knife in your back and then have you arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.

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Connections

Referenced in Goodnight Sweetheart: In the Mood (1993)

User Reviews

John Dalmas, PI, in fact

This rather curious series is a hybrid in more ways than one.

A US-UK co-production, with the UK input coming from LWT, as far as I remember, it looks like a period Dempsey & Makepiece. It seems to have been shot on video stock which has degraded over the years or been damaged in storage. But, thankfully, that doesn't affect the viewing experience very much.

Chandler's stories feature a number of different Private Detectives, of whom Marlowe is the most famous. But many of the original stories, from which these episodes are adapted, actually featured John Dalmas as the shamus, rather than Marlowe. As a reader of Chandler I was always mystified as to why Marlowe eclipsed Dalmas - the latter character seemed witter, surer, with more tragedy about him and less of the throwaway line. What we have in this series is many of the Dalmas stories given over to Marlowe. And, to be frank, it doesn't feel right - Marlowe doesn't have the intellectual equipment of Dalmas, and I think the scriptwriters recognised this and took some severe liberties with the plotting when making their adaptations. One compromise leads to another...

Having said all that, the series is very enjoyable as it stands. Powers Boothe is good as Marlowe, more of the laconic thick-ear than the closet fist. The supporting actors are all fine and there are some very effective action set-pieces scattered throughout.

Recommended. I feel sorry for Dalmas, though I know he'd shrug it off.

Details

Country:

UK Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Marlowe

Filming Locations:

USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

David Wickes TV, Home Box Office (HBO), London Weekend Television (LWT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (11 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1