Greg Clark Noir Art

GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #45 JOHN J. MALONE   Malone is a ne'er-do-well, bibulous attorney.  As Chicago's noisiest and most noted criminal lawyer, he acts more like a private eye.  Hard drinking and frequently drunk, he's far more likely to be found at Joe the Angel's City Hall Bar than in court.  His boozing buddies, Jake Justus and Helene Brand, are amateur sleuths.  Jake is a handsome, fast-talking, but not too bright press agent, and Helene is an impulsive heiress who likes to drive drunk and who later marries Jake.  Whatever the case is though, its Malone who always cracks it.  Despite being a drunk and a blowhard, Malone inspires extreme loyalty in his friends, among whom are his secretary - the long-suffering, lovesick, frequently unpaid Maggie Cassidy, and Captain Flannagan of the Homicide Squad. Malone's marginal law practice reflects his greater interest - drinking.  His "Personal" file usually contains a bottle of rye....

  GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #44 I LOVE A MYSTERY Jack Packard, Doc Long, and Reggie York meet in an Oriental prison, where, as mercenary soldiers fighting the Japanese in China, they'd been captured.  Even though they were reported dead after a bombing in Shanghai, they survived to meet in San Francisco where they decide to form the A-1 Detective Agency.  Their motto: "No job too tough, no adventure too baffling."  The three friends get involved in a wide variety of exploits that include mystery, adventure, and supernatural horror, often taking them to exotic locales.  Tough, charismatic group leader Jack Packard is usually the first to figure solutions to the mysteries with his analytical brain.  He distrusts the attractive women who always seem to show up, and he professes to dislike women in general.  The series creator, Carlton Morse, explained that Jack's problem with women went back to his youth, when he got a girl pregnant and lef...

GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #43 MR. KEEN, TRACER OF LOST PERSONS   Westrel Keen was created by Robert W. Chambers (1865-1933) an author who wrote over 70 novels in many genres, most notably fantasy and horror.  His first successful book was a collection of weird tales titled "The King in Yellow" (1895), which was purportedly a huge influence on H. P. Lovecraft.  But Chamber's biggest contribution to pop culture was a series of short stories about a private eye - Westrel Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons.  Keen and Company, the agency he managed, was a going concern occupying prime office space in NYC and employed a large staff.  Keen was a tall, grey man, faultlessly dressed in a grey suit and wearing white spats.  He was the lean, well-groomed type of gentleman that suggested a retired colonel of cavalry who was unmistakably well-bred, from his grey mustache to his immaculate spats.  As Chambers described his character, "he was 33, agreeable t...

GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #42 CAPTAIN DUNCAN MACLAIN   Created by Baynard H. Kendrick.  Tall, dark, strikingly handsome, and immaculately dressed and groomed, Captain Maclain moves with astonishing ease and self assurance in spite of his total blindness.  Although injured while serving as an intelligence officer during WWI, Maclain has been able, through ceaseless effort, to master his handicap by developing his other senses.  He turned to the profession of private detective and has found that his resources are often challenged to their utmost.  Maclain lives in a penthouse apartment 26 stories above 72nd Street and Riverside Drive in New York City.  His hobbies are reading his braille books, listening to his Capehart phonograph, and putting together massive jigsaw puzzles.  He has taught himself to shoot guided only by sound.  He is assisted by his best friend and partner, Spud Savage; his secretary Rena (who is married to Spud); a...

GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #41 BIG TOWN   "Big Town" was a popular and critically acclaimed radio series created by Jerry McGill.  The show ran for 15 years, mostly on CBS.  "Freedom of the press is a flaming sword.  Use it justly, hold it high, guard it well."  This was the motto of Steve Wilson, the fiercely idealistic and hard-nosed editor of The Illustrated Press .  He ran a tight ship and aiding him in his never-ending quest for justice was society editor Lorelei Kilbourne and District Attorney Miller.  The show debuted on Oct 19, 1937 from Hollywood with Edward G. Robinson as Steve Wilson and Claire Trevor as Lorelei.  The show's theme song was "Tell the Story" and was sponsored by Rinso.  The last show produced in Hollywood was on May 14, 1942.  In 1943 it moved to New York City, still on CBS, but with a new cast.  The show ran on CBS until 1948, then moved to NBC until 1951, then back to CBS through June of 195...