Private detective Philip Marlowe solves many crimes in Los Angeles during the 1930s.
Top-Rated Episodes
S1.E2
King Leopardi was a big celebrity and an even bigger ladykiller, but when he winds up dead in a singer's boudoir all the evidence points to her. Marlowe is hired to find the real killers before his ...
S1.E1
Philip Marlow, a one time cop and with an unfortunate habit of being too honest and too broke for his own good, takes the job of protecting a former mob accountant on the run. When two hit men arrive...
S2.E6
Marlowe is investigating the possible theft of a pearl necklace, which leads him to the deadly discovery of a scandalous affair.
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Title: Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983–1986)
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Episodes
2 wins & 13 nominations.
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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. Written by nufs68
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fingerman | frame up | philip marlowe character | character name as series title | 1930s |Taglines:
He's the reason crime doesn't pay.Parents Guide:
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The first season was made in the UK and Los Angeles. The second season was made in Canada. See more »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.See more »
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.