That Hammer Guy

in 1953 the best-selling fictional detective character was Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. Mickey Spillane’s books were more lurid in practically every way than their contemporaries. Naturally, the Mutual Broadcasting Company wanted to get in on the Mike Hammer craze so it produced a short-lived radio program, That Hammer Guy. In its short run Mike Hammer was voiced by two different actors, Larry Haines and Ted de Corsia. Both actors did a lot of character work on radio and television in the 50s and 60s.

I just finished listening to all of the circulating programs. There aren’t many of them. They’re well-written and well-acted. They aren’t Mike Hammer but you couldn’t very well broadcast the real Mike Hammer stories over the public airwaves in 1953, could you? Most aficionados prefer Ted de Corsia’s voicing and he does have a certain gritty charm but I liked Larry Haines better. He sounds remarkably like William Conrad. I wish there were more programs still extant. I don’t think it’s quite as good as Pat Novak…For Hire or the best episodes of Johnny Diamond or Richard Diamond but it’s not bad.

I’m starting to run out of radio dramas that aren’t anthologies, kiddie programs, or too pulpy. I tried listening to the New Adventures of Nero Wolfe but found it unlistenable. Rogues Gallery, the radio program Dick Powell starred in before Richard Diamond, was almost as bad. On the plus side it’s the only radio program I know of that features the main character’s subconscious as a separate character. I’m not sure where I’ll turn next. I may be forced to start listening to Suspense or Escape.