The Girl Hunters (film)

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The Girl Hunters
Girlhunterpos.jpg
Film poster
Directed byRoy Rowland
Written byMickey Spillane
Robert Fellows
Roy Rowland
Produced byRobert Fellows
Starring
CinematographyKenneth Talbot
Edited bySidney Stone
Music by
Production
companies
Fellane Productions
Present Day Productions, Inc.
Distributed byColorama Features
Zodiac International Pictures
Release date
12 June 1963 (Los Angeles premiere)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Girl Hunters (1963) is a British-made crime drama film directed by Roy Rowland, adapted from the 1962 Mickey Spillane [The Girl Hunters book of the same name]. Exteriors were shot on locations in NYC with studio scenes done in London in 1962.

Spillane himself stars as private detective Mike Hammer, one of the few occasions in film history in which an author of a popular literary hero has portrayed his own character. It also starred Bond girl Shirley Eaton (Goldfinger), veteran actor Lloyd Nolan, and syndicated newspaper columnist Hy Gardner as himself.

Producer Robert Fellows intended to follow the film with Spillane's The Snake but it was never made.[1]

Plot[]

Ever since his loved and lovely assistant Velda has gone missing, private detective Mike Hammer has been drinking steadily and becomes a bum living on the streets. For seven years he hasn't been on a case, but that changes when his former pal from the police, Capt. Pat Chambers, asks his assistance on a job. Capt. Chambers and Hammer were both in love with Velda leading to an end of their friendship. A senator has been murdered and Velda has disappeared.

Hammer is needed to talk with Richie Cole, a dying sailor who refuses to speak with anybody else. According to federal agent Art Rickerby, not only has Richie been shot by the same gun recently used to kill a politician, he is actually an undercover federal agent.

Hammer's investigation leads to Laura Knapp, the late senator's widow. She is beautiful and she is seductive, but Hammer does not trust her. He learns that they are all caught up in the fallout from a network of spies operating during WWII. Now a killer nicknamed the "dragon" is trying to silence people who had some information about the spying. At the end Hammer manages to find and kill the "dragon". He confronts Laura with the his suspicions about her involvement . Laura fires a shotgun that Hammer had rigged to backfire in order to test her loyalty and Hammer gets his answer. It is not clear if Velda is still alive.

Cast[]

Production[]

The film features examples of product placement when Spillane and Nolan share a couple of cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon.[citation needed] Also, during the first newsstand scene, Mad Magazine #77 (March 1963) is clearly visible.

Spillane recalled meeting crime figure Billy Hill in London and invited him to the film set. According to Spillane, Hill provided firearms that were used in the film.[2] Spillane also noted that the producers surrounded him with actors who were shorter than he was.

References[]

  1. ^ "Movies: I, the Actor". Time. 7 June 1963. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Interviewing Mickey Spillane - Crime Time". Crime Time. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 26 January 2018.

External links[]

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