Favorite fictional early (before 1930) detective poll besides Sherlock Holmes

[Magpie]

I notice a distinct lack of Sexton Blake (1892) in the mix...

And if parodies are allowed, don't forget Herlock Sholmes (1915)

[Magpie]

Another favourite is Tommy and Tuppence (at least I liked the TV show--my experience of Agatha Christie is that adaptions of her work are generally better than the source material).

[Magpie]

Hi Robert, hi Magpie,

Thought that you might enjoy this website.

http://www.raffles-the-amateur-cracksman.com/

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

Awesome, thank you!


Speaking of radio shows, Vincent Price as The Saint is one of my favourites.

[sdreid]

Thanks Robert! I have some of those on tape and CD plus I also heard some first-run when I was a kid. Alan Ladd was my mom's favorite star as well, at least until after his death and Charlton Heston came along.

[Robert]

There are some old shows here:

http://www.otr.net/

Box 13 was Alan Ladd, my mum's favourite star, and I used to tell her that Box 13 was what he stood on to reach the microphone.

[sdreid]

Running far afield into the 1950s, my favorite is probably McGraw, the man with no first name.

[Rubyretro]

Carl Lightman

[sdreid]

I did consider the Shadow until I saw when he premiered. In some incarnations he's like a super hero but in some not. He is played pretty straight in the old Rod Laroque movies. The 30s and 40s are the golden age for fictional detectives, I think, starting with the likes of Dick Tracy through Mike Hammer and the sort.

[kensei]

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? THE SHADOW knows."

(Premiered 1930- does that count?)

[sdreid]

Yes, that has come up

[Scorpio]

I believe Dickens created a detective in one of his novels, perhaps it was Bleak House or little Dorritt, and i think his name was Bucket. I read somewhere he was the first fictional blood hound in English literature.

[Paul O'Henry]

Dashiell Hammett

I like to add Dashiell Hammetts Continental Op (several short stories between 1922-1934 and the novel Red Harvest) and Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon).
Both Red Harvest and The Maltese Falcon are among my favourite crime novels and John Hustons film The Maltese Falcon is one of two (the other is To Have and Have Not by Howard Hawks) favourite films with Humphrey Bogart).

kind regards
Paul O'Henry

[Zodiac]

Raffles.

Magpie, there was a Raffles TV series in the early 70s starring Anthony Valentine.

Hi Robert, hi Magpie,

Thought that you might enjoy this website.

http://www.raffles-the-amateur-cracksman.com/

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

[Robert]

Magpie, there was a Raffles TV series in the early 70s starring Anthony Valentine.

[Magpie]

I love The Saint, for sure.

Would adding "Raffles" to the list be stretching it a little? 'Cause I like Raffles too