Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1984 TV series)

Premise

The series follows private detective Mike Hammer as he investigates cases, often involving murder. A recurring plot line centers on the murder of someone close to Hammer, prompting him to seek revenge. Stacy Keach, familiar with the tough and insensitive novelized version of the character, worked to make his portrayal more palatable for television audiences, telling The New York Times, "We've softened him up a little bit. To sustain a series on television, I think you need a certain humor, charm and vulnerability.

Toughness is probably the least important factor." Though set in the 1980s, the show incorporated elements of classic film noir detective films such as The Maltese Falcon, with each episode featuring the protagonist's narrative voice-over. Hammer was rarely seen without his wrinkled suit, fedora, and trench coat, and the producers viewed him as a throwback to the 1940s. Unlike the charming male leads of other contemporary detective shows, Mike Hammer was unapologetically masculine and showed little concern for political correctness.

Episodes frequently included female characters known in casting sessions as "Hammer-ettes," who exchanged double entendres with Hammer while wearing low tops and push-up bras emphasizing their cleavage. Hammer often ended up in bed with these highly sexualized characters. The writers used the clash of eras for comic relief, such as Hammer's love for cigarettes conflicting with growing social disdain for smoking and his inability to comprehend youth trends.

Keach's Hammer never shied away from violence, using his fists or his trusty gun, "Betsy," a Colt Model 1911A1 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol carried in a leather shoulder holster. Mickey Spillane insisted on the .45 caliber pistol because it was the weapon Hammer carried in all of Spillane's novels.

Broadcast history

Just before the TV movie Murder Me, Murder You aired, producer Lew Gallo asked his golf buddy Earle Hagen if they could use “Harlem Nocturne” as the theme. Some Columbia executives didn’t want a saxophone-led song, but the producers and star Stacy Keach liked it. A version arranged by J. J. Johnson with Bud Shank on alto sax won out. Keach later said the tune had a “nostalgic film-noir quality” that made him think of New York City, and that people would watch the show just to hear it.

In December 1984, production stopped when Keach got nine months in prison for smuggling 36 grams of cocaine. He and his secretary Deborah Steele were arrested on April 4 at London’s Heathrow Airport after flying in from France, where he’d been filming the miniseries Mistral’s Daughter. He was in London to record voiceover for Mike Hammer. On December 7, 1984, he pleaded guilty and started serving time at Reading Prison.

With three episodes already shot but unfinished, impersonator Rich Little was brought in to mimic Keach’s narration. The second season had eight episodes left unmade, and CBS and Columbia Pictures TV paid the rest of the cast for half of those. Keach got out after six months for good behavior and soon worked to revive the franchise.

A year later, he returned as Hammer in the TV movie The Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, which aired on April 18, 1986. Thanks to the movie’s good reception and producer Jay Bernstein’s persistence, the series continued as The New Mike Hammer. It first aired in its old Saturday 9:00–10:00 pm slot on September 22, 1986, but quickly moved to Wednesdays 8:00–9:00 pm after Better Days and Together We Stand failed. The theme music changed to a trumpet-led version of “Harlem Nocturne.”

Critical response

The series won top spot for its 10 pm Saturday time slot and was particularly popular among male audiences. John J. O'Connor of the New York Times called Keach's portrayal "one of the best in a long history of dramatizing this particular private eye, is nearly all manner and mannerism, steeped in the accents and rhythms of New York." Morgan Gendel of the Los Angeles Times described the ratings for the first two seasons as "so-so" overall, despite being a hit with men. The New Mike Hammer ranked 59th out of 79 shows with an average rating/share of 11.9/19.

Did You Know?

• Mickey Spillane sold the television rights to his close friend Jay Bernstein for one dollar.
• A 1997–1998 revival titled Mike Hammer, Private Eye produced 26 syndicated episodes but was cancelled after one season.