Darren McGavin: Mike Hammer

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Mike Hammer : [narrating]  I'm not the kind of a guy who blows his stack without a reason, but I had a one, a good one, one of the best reasons in the world and one of the oldest - a dame.

• Mike Hammer : Give me the key to her room, Charlie.

  Charlie : Say, do you think this is something for the police?

  Mike Hammer : Charlie, give me the key to her room.

  Charlie : Well, okay. You know the last dame who turned up missing took a brody off the Queensborough Bridge. They found her in the East River - dead.

  Mike Hammer : Yeah, well, that'll do it every time, Charlie... that'll do it.

• [a man hurls a brick at Mike but misses, breaking a large mirror] 

  Mike Hammer : That's seven years bad luck, mister, beginning now!

  [Mike slugs the intruder, then beats him almost senseless] 

  Mike Hammer : This game is fun! What do you call it? All right, let's just sit this one out. Now suppose you tell me what all this knuckle-crackin' is all about?

• Mike Hammer : I'm trying to locate Susan Barlow.

  Shelton Dean : May I ask why?

  Mike Hammer : Do you know where I can find her?

  Shelton Dean : I'm not going to answer any questions unless I know the reason for them. Now why do want to know Mrs. Barlow's whereabouts?

  Mike Hammer : Because I don't think she has any whereabouts - at least as far as I know or her husband knows.

• Shelton Dean : I thought I'd seen the last of you!

  Mike Hammer : You give up too easily, Mr. Dean.

• Shelton Dean : I've had just about enough of you, Mr. Hammer, and I'm not going to fall into your clumsy trap!

  Mike Hammer : Um, trap, Mr. Dean?

  Shelton Dean : You're trying to make it seem that if I don't arrange for you and Haskell to meet that it will look as if I'm trying to hide something.

  Mike Hammer : Yes, well, that's true. That's how it will look to the bunco squad.