Mike Hammer is a fictional American detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I, the Jury (made into a movie in 1953 and 1982). Several movies and radio and TV series have been based on the books about Mike Hammer. The actor most closely identfied with the character in recent years has been Stacy Keach, who portrayed Hammer in a CBS television series, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, which ran 1984-1987 and had a syndicated revival in 1997-1998. (An earlier syndicated version, originally aired 1957-1958, starred Darren McGavin as Hammer.) Spillane himself played Hammer in a 1963 motion picture adaptation of The Girl Hunters.

While pulp detectives such as Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe are hard-boiled and cynical, Hammer is in many ways the archetypal "hard man": he is brutally violent, arguably misogynistic and fueled by a genuine rage that never afflicts Chandler or Hammett's heroes. While other hardboiled heroes bend and manipulate the law, Hammer holds it in total contempt, seeing as nothing more than an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem.

Mike Hammer novels

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• I, the Jury (1947)
• My Gun is Quick (1950)
• Vengeance is Mine! (1950)
• One Lonely Night (1951)
• The Big Kill (1951)
• Kiss Me Deadly (1952)
• The Girl Hunters (1962)
• The Snake (1964)
• The Twisted Thing (1966)
• The Body Lovers (1967)
• Survival... Zero! (1970)
• The Killing Man (1989)
• Black Alley (1996)

Mike Hammer Comic Strip

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A short-lived comic strip starring Mike Hammer was distributed by Phoenix Features Syndicate from 1953 to 1954. It was entitled "From the Files of... Mike Hammer" and written by Spillane, Ed Robbins and Joe Gill, with art by Ed Robbins. Collections of the strip were published in the 1980s. ^*

Mike Hammer Films

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• I, the Jury (United Artists, 1953)

Filmed in 3-D starring Biff Elliot as Mike Hammer.

• Kiss Me Deadly (United Artists, 1955)

Robert Aldrich was the director, Ralph Meeker was cast as Hammer, Maxine Cooper portrayed Hammer's sexy secretary/companion Velda.

• My Gun Is Quick (United Artists, 1957)

Robert Bray was cast as Hammer, with more of the violence originated from the villain rather than the detective.

The film grossed $308,000 with a total of $602 overseas.

• The Girl Hunters (Colorama Features, 1963)

Mickey Spillane was given the rare opportunity to portray his own creation in this film. This is one of the few occasions in film history in which the creator of a literary character was later hired to portray that character in a film.

• I, the Jury (20th Century Fox, 1982)

Armand Assante plays Hammer in this version.

Mike Hammer in other media

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• Novels featuring Hammer were referenced several times in Deep Space Nine. Both Odo and Miles O'Brien were fans.
• The film The Hebrew Hammer makes a reference to Mike Hammer as well.
• The Japanese tv series, 'Detective Mike' stars a young Japanese detective called 'Hama Mike' (Japanese pronunciation of 'Mike Hammer').

External links

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• Unofficial Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer Site
• Thrilling Detective Mike Hammer Site
• Entry on Darren McGavin's website

Fictional detectives | Series of books | Pulp heroes and villains