The New Adventures of Mickey's Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer,

Vol. 2: The Little Death

by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins

performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach

Ⓟ 2009, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

2.25 hours

Mike Hammer is the old school private investigator living in 21st century New York City, still willing and able to deliver black-and-white justice in a technicolor world. In "The Little Death," Helen Venn, the girlfriend and bookkeeper of the late Marty Wellman, gambling kingpin, seeks protection from Marty's rival, Carmen Rich. At stake is the ten million dollars everyone believes Helen has, not to mention Helen's life. Helen needs protection and Mike Hammer's chivalry is aroused as well as his libido.

For those who fondly remember the Mike Hammer franchise from the 1940s and 1950 and/or the TV shows starring Stacy Keach in the 1980s, The New Adventures provide a touchstone to a character of a known quantity: a man of unwavering loyalty, ideals and, a gun named Betsy to back it all up. For those unfamiliar with Mike Hammer, The New Adventures offers an action hero who metes out lethal justice straight-forwardly and without equivocation. Mike Hammer is an unapologetic throwback to wrong versus right conflict, which some may love for simplicity's sake; but others may decry for lack of traction in the gray areas of life.

The title, "The Little Death" is a double entendre, referring not only to a homicide of little importance, but to an orgasm. This is spelled out in the narrative right away, but in case you miss it, listeners should be forewarned that this is not family fare. There is nothing subtle in any of the sexual innuendoes and in fact the references are often crude and artless. There are even sound effects at one point, of a couple having sex, including the squeaky bedsprings.

Mickey Spillane purportedly said:

See, heroes never die. John Wayne isn't dead, Elvis isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older.

This may be true in an abstract way; but the reality is that both John Wayne and Elvis aged and died and, some listeners may not be able to help themselves from doing the math where Mike Hammer is concerned too. In the Mike Hammer canon, he was a WWII vet. In the best case scenario, having him fight in the Battle of Guadacanal at the age of twenty, that would make Mike Hammer a nonogenarian. There is nothing in "The Little Death" that adjusts the time line forward, so what we have is a really old man running around acting like a twenty-something-year old! Plus, Velda, who has been his secretary and unrequited love interest all these years, is running around in pink lace lingerie. The mind boggles!

Stacy Keach, who played Mike Hammer in the 1980 television series, reprises his role as the had-boiled detective in The New Adventures. He has become the quintessential Mike Hammer, with his gruff tones and Mid-Century sensibilities. Any other actor in the role has become virtually impossible to imagine. Interestingly, Stacy Keach seems to be very involved in The New Adventures: He wrote and played the saxophone musical score and his wife, Malgosia Tomassi plays a recurring role in all three volumes of the audio dramas.

The production team applies a voice enhancement, reverb to Stacy Keach's voice when he speaks from the narrative point of view, which is the audio equivalent of warping the picture with wavy lines in a T.V. show to indicate a segue into a flashback or dream sequence. Not very artful; but it does the trick in delineating narrative from scenes with dialogue.

Convo Starter:

The writing overall is better than the first volume of The New Adventures; but one wonders if, despite the updates into the twenty-first century; Mike Hammer might be better left consigned to the place in history where he and his ideals best fit in, Post-War America. What do you think? Do you think that the hard-boiled noir detectives of the fifties have a place in 21st century culture, other than as a throwback or nostalgia trip? Can you think of any other candidates for an updated appearance?

See Also:

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (audiobook review of the first volume)

Other Stuff: The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach) qualifies for:

• The 2012 Audio Book Challenge hosted by @teresasreading at Teresa's Reading Corner:

I received a MP3-CD copy of The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. under reviewer auspices.I had no involvement in the production of this title. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and.or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

I, Claudius

I, Claudius

based on the novel by Robert Graves

A BBC Radio 4 full cast production starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and, Derek Jacobi as Augustus

Ⓟ 2011, AudioGo, Ltd

5.8 hours (12 episodes @ ≈30 minutes each)

Every culture has its Golden Age and Ancient Rome was no different. The monarchy was overthrown by the Republic (see Julius Caesar) and eventually the empire was manifestly consolidated under the reign of Augustus (31 B.C. - 14 A.D.) Augustus' reign as caesar inaugurated the Pax Romana, and ironically, his death would signal an epic struggle for power amongst his family. The political landscape for which successive caesars fought was divided into two allegiances: those who held to Republican ideals (Senate, check and balances, plebeian representation) versus the the imperial dictates of leaders who then often became gods post-mortem. By the time of Augustus' death, the ideals of the Republic were part of a Golden Age, fondly remembered and nominally respected but with no political traction against the immense power the caesars came to wield.

I, Claudius chronicles the history of Rome's caesars from the waning days of Augustus to the last moments of Claudius' reign - all told principally through Claudius' point of view à la the meta literary device of having Claudius narrate his own autobiography. The time frame covered, roughly 10 B.C. to 54 A.D, covers the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and, Claudius himself, with Nero waiting in the wings. The rise and fall of each of the caesars is the product of massive and insidious court intrigue, manipulation and assassinations.

The BBC 4 Radio production has very high production values and talent with the result that the listener feels as if s/he is actually bearing witness to history. The foley effects are expertly applied and mental visualization of the action is made easy. Each of the actors performs their role with distinction so that there is never any question as to who is speaking or what is going on. Claudius, famous for his stutter, is played by Tom Goodman Hill who plays the speech impediment strongly at the beginning and then tempers it somewhat as the narrative continues, reflecting Claudius' own progress against the stammer. In moments of high anxiety, the stammer returns and, countered by the strong assertive voices of the other actors, reminds the listener that Claudius was never the fearsome, intimidating god-in-the-making; but rather an intelligent scholar and statesman who survived the machinations of Livia, his ambitious stepmother, by flying under the radar. BBC 4 attached Derek Jacobi's name to this production in the promotions, capitalizing on his reputation in the title role in the BBC television series nearly forty years ago. But Jacobi does not reprise his role in I, Claudius. This time he plays the role of the older, esteemed Augustus. It is a sleight of hand that cheats Tom Goodman Hill of due notice; but the production is none the worse for it. I, Claudius is a well produced, well performed audio drama that brings Robert Graves' esteemed novel to life.

In the U.S., people often refer to the 1950s as a Golden Age: High standard of living and low crime rate. And yet, racism, sexism and homophobia, not to mention McCarthyism and fears of atomic war were prevalent. Do you think Mid-Century America was a Golden Age?

See Also:

Armchair Audies (Inaugural Post)

The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review)

The Graduate (Audiobook Review)

Other Stuff: I, Claudius (based in the novel by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill) qualifies for:

• The 2012 Audio Book Challenge hosted by @teresasreading at Teresa's Reading Corner and;
• The Armchair Audies hosted by @lithousewife at Literate House Wife

I purchased a digital dnload copy of I, Claudius (based in the novel by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill) from iTunes. I had no involvement in the production of I, Claudius (based in the novel by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

The Graduate

The Graduate

based on the novel by Charles Webb and;

the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry

dramatized by Terry Johnson

live stage reading performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys

Ⓟ 2011, L.A. Theater Works

1.65 hours

Having graduated from from college and on track to live The American Dream, Benjamin Braddock is not so sure that that is what he really wants or even what that really means. It's 1967, societal paradigms are being deconstructed and Ben's self-assuredness, intelligence, angst and inexperience combine to mire him in months of indecision and a retreat into his parents' home and the arms of Mrs. Robinson. Why, exactly Ben chooses to sleep with the much older, alcoholic, intellectually stunted woman is not clear; but she serves as a foil to Ben's potential. Having lived according to the dictates of mid-century life, she has ended up as damaged goods and has the capacity to keep Ben bogged down. And why Mrs. Robinson chooses to seduce Ben remains equally unclear. She does not seem to gain anything other than immediate gratification from their relationship, though amelioration from the disappointments of her own life are implied. The situation becomes further complicated when Ben is set up on a date with Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

The Graduate is a comedy that finds its humor in finding the absurdity of the quotidian. Underneath the ideals of American life is the messy, complicated and bizarre constructs of human emotions and reactions. If you didn't laugh, you might cry; but there are great lines and ripostes written into the script and, the performances of the full cast ensemble show remarkable timing and chemistry. Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys reprised their roles as Mrs. Robinson and Ben respectively from the original run ten years ago in the West End.

The L.A. Theater Works production is a live stage reading and the audience's reaction to the exchanges provide the auditory cues for the listener. There are no foley effects, so the audience serves as the relay between the immediate action of the performers and the listener. The audience is always one step ahead, laughing, responding perhaps to the body language or facial expressions of the actors, while the listener waits for the explanatory line. While somewhat disconcerting, the overall performance comes across as fun and funny. You'll wish you had been there!

After graduating, Ben was at a crossroads in his life: He could either follow the path that his past had circumscribed for him or; he could try and forge ahead, creating his own path. We encounter similar choices almost continually in our lives: to go to college or not; to take on pre-med or theater courses; to live in a garrett starving for our art or selling out to take a computer programming job that pays... For decades, people were lifers in corporate jobs, pursued a single career or vocation. Now re-inventing one's self and having multiple careers in a single lifetime are very common. Do you think that the social revolutions of the 1960s played a role in forming the now-quotidian search for self (as manifested by what we do?) Extra points if you manage to incorporate "post-modernism" in your comment(s)!

See Also:

Kathleen Turner on Mrs. Robinson and Molly Ivins (L.A. Stage Times article by Steve Julian; 12/10/2010)

The Armchair Audies: The Bad Employee/Bad Wife Edition (Inaugural Post)

The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review of the Audio Drama based on the novel by Johnsotn McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky and, performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer)

Other Stuff: The Graduate (based in the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry; dramatized by Terry Johnson; performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys) qualifies for:

• The 2012 Audio Book Challenge hosted by @teresasreading at Teresa's Reading Corner and;
• The Armchair Audies hosted by @lithousewife at Literate House Wife

I purchased a digital dnload copy of The Graduate (based in the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry; dramatized by Terry Johnson; performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys) from iTunes. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.