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

[miss marple]

Hi Jeff,
I agree with you about Gaudy Night it is more a feminist novel about academic women and education the 1930s, and the developing romance between Wimsey and Harriet. The plot of Busman's Honeymoon is ridiculous, also Nine Taylors.Sayers was a very good writer who could have written novels unconnected with crime. Have his Carcass is one of the better ones.
She is similar to PD James another intelligent crime writer who is 'in love' with her creation. Adam Dalglish is perfect, like Wimsey he appears to have no flaws and is also a poet. Everything in PD James is perfect, everyone speaks perfect english, whatever their status or education level. She has a tin ear for dialogue. Everyone has good taste. and behaves well.but she is very good at plotting and designing her murders.
Ngiao Marsh and Marjory Allingham are both terrific. I like Marsh's Roderick Alleyne, a policeman without ego and Albert Campion is fun. Its a shame that they are not on the box instead of endless bloody Poiret and the clunky plots. And itv cant decide who Miss Marple is. She was Joan Hickson.
Cheers Miss Marple

[sdreid]

James and Sayers did some very good unsolved true-crime writing as well.

[Robert]

I believe that Joan Hickson was the "official" Marple, meaning Christie-endorsed. She did it very well.

For eccentricity and humour, Margaret Rutherford was good too.

[Robert]

BTW, anyone else spot something wrong with the first 3 minutes of this film?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avzLqzi_q6A

[Mayerling]

I do not think this is what you had in mind, but Ms Rutherford's build was shorter and stockier than the dummy's in that tailor shop. There must have been two different naval uniforms.

I see Miles Malleson had a small supporting role as a clergyman involved in the charity that Ms Marple was assisting. Odd, because in the film version of The Importance of Being Earnest, he was Rev. Chausable, who had a quiet romance with Letitia Prism (Rutherford).

Jeff

[Robert]

Hi Jeff

I wasn't thinking of what you said. What I had in mind was, Miss Marple goes into the shop, buys the uniform and comes out carrying her tiny handbag. The question is, what became of the clothes she was wearing when she entered the shop?

I like Miles Malleson. He specialized in absent-minded characters. I think he must have played several vicars in his career, but the only other one that springs to mind is the vicar in the Hammer version of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

[sdreid]

Maybe Jane just layered it on like Eddowes.

[sdreid]

I am in the process of again watching the half dozen Drummond movies from the 1930s I have. Different actors play the reoccurring roles, including Drummond, with two exceptions. Reginald Denny plays Algernon 'Algy' Longworth and E.E. Clive is Henry 'Tenny' Tennison in all 6 examples.

[sdreid]

Some claim that Drummond was the inspiration for James Bond.

[sdreid]

Drummond was out of WWI and Bond was out of WWII.

[Mayerling]

Bullshot

Hi Stan,

I never read the novels of Sapper regarding Hugh, "Bulldog" Drummond. I have only seen one of he old films - Ronald Colman's first talkie, BULLDOG DRUMMOND (his second talkie was RAFFLES). It is a little slow moving for today's audiences, but has some nice bits (Colman's acting and that voice among them). The villain is Lawrence Grant as an evil insane asylum doctor (Dr. Lakington?) who due to daring to touch the heroine in a less than clean manner is killed by a furious Colman. The two henchmen (one is a woman) of Lakington are allowed in the film to flee - Montague Love is the male henchman, and he uses his escape to teach Colman / Drummond a lesson on an underworld method of getting out of an apparently impossible situation.

Sapper is a trifle out of style today, due to the incredible racism (even worse than Ian Fleming's or John Buchan's in his Richard Hannay novels) towards Jews (seen as sinister, greedy, powerful, and finally all communists or pro-German). About 1994 a very funny send-up of the novels appeared called BULLSHOT wherein Drummond is supposed to be "the winner of the Amsterdam Olympics" and the leader of a gang of blue bloods confronting an old enemy (partly based on Baron von Richtofen) from Germany. The confrontations and resolutions of their fighting are in the Sapper tradition, until at one point an impossible to escape explosion never occurs and we are told that it was not successful due to some chest and nose action by Drummond. As the narrator tells us this the characters stop their activities and "the fourth wall" of the film breaks down as they look at the unseen narrator, digest this crazy solution, look at each other, and "Bullshot" Drummond smiles weakly and shrugs his shoulders. The the action resumes.

Jeff

[sdreid]

Thanks Jeff.

I believe Bullshot Crummond, as a WWI flying ace and racing driver, was, in addition to the Sapper character, inspired by Eddie Rickenbacker who was both, having competed in 4 Indianapolis 500s. Rickenbacker also wrote a related comic strip in the 1930s-40s about a fighter pilot called Ace Drummond.

When he had time, he started an automobile company, ran Eastern Airlines and owned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - pretty much the ultimate renaissance man.

[sdreid]

Thanks Jeff.

I believe Bullshot Crummond, as a WWI flying ace and racing driver, was, in addition to the Sapper character, inspired by Eddie Rickenbacker who was both, having competed in 4 Indianapolis 500s. Rickenbacker also wrote a related comic strip in the 1930s-40s about a fighter pilot called Ace Drummond.

Or, at least they appear to me to be related. If not intentional, it does close the circle nicely.

There was also an Ace Drummond movie serial.

[belinda]

Does Hannay by Buchan count? If so I vote for him too

[sdreid]

I believe Bullshot Crummond, as a WWI flying ace and racing driver, was, in addition to the Sapper character, inspired by Eddie Rickenbacker who was both, having competed in 4 Indianapolis 500s. Rickenbacker also wrote a related comic strip in the 1930s-40s about a fighter pilot called Ace Drummond.

If my belief is incorrect then its quite a set of coincidences.