DASHIELL HAMMETT

Happy Birthday to writer Dashiell Hammett. Born on this day in 1894, Hammett is best remembered for his hard-boiled fiction and screenplays. Many enduring characters sprang from his fertile imagination, including Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), The Continental Op (Red Harvest), and Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man series). He also teamed with artist Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) to create the comic strip Secret Agent X9 in 1934. The author's life was loosely depicted in the films Julia (1977) and Hammett (1982).

Here are some groovy images from a Mexican edition of the Secret Agent X9 comic book, which collects strips by artist Bob Lubbers (who signed his work as Bob Lewis for King Features). The strip was created by Dashiell Hammett (Maltese Falcon) and Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) in 1934, and the character made appearances in the newspaper strips until 2001. Reminiscent of 1960s spy films, this 1963 strip is energized by modern architecture- including the Eero Saarinen TWA building, which opened the previous year in 1962 (see 5th image below/airport scene). From the Spy Vibe collection. Enjoy!

Recent Ian Fleming posts on Spy Vibe: new Fleming books, SE Asian 007, Cumberbatch as Ian Fleming, Fleming Jamaica Book, Bond Japanese Editions, Fleming Chinese Edition, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 50th, Ian Fleming: Mt. Demon Hell Japan, Collecting Fleming, Live and Let Die 60th, new poster announced, 007 Audio Books Update, Appropriating Bond Exhibit, Fleming Letters Mystery, The Goldfinger Variations, Double 007 Book Designs,  Double 007 designs II, rare Ian Fleming edition, Book Design Dopplegangers, Turkish Bond design, Ian Fleming Letters, Erno Goldfinger, Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, Jon Gilbert interview, Double 007 Designs, Bond audio book reissues, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, rare View to a Kill, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, Spy Vibe's Ian Fleming image archive.

Recent Spy Vibe posts: Bunny Yeager and Ursula Andress, Danger Mouse, Lost Avengers Episodes, Big Fun Toys, Danger Diabolik Soundtrack, Bruno Nicolai CD, Mother's Day (Avengers), Mod Fashion Dolls, Wild Wild West Blu-ray, Cold War Archie, New Avengers Comic, Ipcress File Blu-ray, Honor Blackman Tour, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The 10th Victim German Edition, UNCLE Gun, The Saint books return, Spy exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton, DC Fontana Prisoner Video, Edward Gorey's 1960s, Ipcress File cinematography, 007 SOLO cover designs, Gloria Steinem and Denny O'Neil on MOD Wonder Woman, Win Scott Eckert interview, Siegel and Shuster's SPY, David McCallum: Son of Batman, Wonderwall comes to Blu-ray, Kevin Dart talks Ringo & Powerpuff Girls, Fu Manchu history panel, Mod Tales Interview, Atomic Art, Shane Glines Batman.

AGENTE SECRETO X9

Spy Vibe has curated a Pinterest board celebrating diobolikal villains like Fantomas, Diabolik, Killing, Fantomex, Death Man, Kriminal, Satanik, Mabuse, Sadistik, Phibes, and many others. In the wake of collecting these groovy gangsters, one of my agents just returned from Mexico with a stash of vintage comics to share on Spy Vibe. We posted some panels from Fantomas last week. Here are some groovy images from a 1963 edition of the Secret Agent X9 comic book, which collects strips by artist Bob Lubbers (who signed his work as Bob Lewis for King Features). The strip was created by Dashiell Hammett (Maltese Falcon) and Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) in 1934, and the character made appearances in the newspaper strips until 2001. Reminiscent of 1960s spy films, this 1963 strip is energized by modern architecture- including the Eero Saarinen TWA building, which opened the previous year in 1962 (see 5th image below/airport scene). Enjoy!

Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, Japanese fashion model and spy! Jason Whiton, creator of Spy Vibe, has written a sixties thriller inspired by his love of Ian Fleming and based on newly declassified intel from the Cold War. More info at his website here. Recent Spy Vibe posts: Julie Newmar, Erno Goldfinger, Hitchcock tribute, Ian Fleming memorial, Emma Peel Megaset returns.

DASHIELL HAMMETT

Happy Birthday to writer Dashiell Hammet. Born on this day in 1894, Hammett is best remembered for his hard-boiled fiction and screenplays. Many enduring characters sprang from his fertile imagination, including Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), The Continental Op (Red Harvest), and Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man series). He also teamed with artist Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) to create the comic strip Secret Agent X9 in 1934. The author's life was loosely depicted in the films Julia (1977) and Hammett (1982). 

Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about our fiendish villains archive, Bettie Page, WWII spy Krystyna Skarbek, recycled James Bond covers, interview with Fu Manchu author William Maynard,  Man From UNCLE manga. new James Bond omnibus, Orson Welles the Shadow, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, James Bond audio book re-issues, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, my review of SKYFALL and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.

Ian Fleming on Spy Vibe: recent posts include Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, and our Ian Fleming image archive link here.

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SPY KIDS: BACK IN TRENCH COATS

SPY KIDS: BACK IN TRENCH COATS
Secret Squirrel found its fun Spy Vibe elements in conventions like lethal gadgets- a spy squirrel with a machine gun cane? Now that's 1960s surreal thinking! Episodes showed up on a recent DVD release of classic 60s cartoons and I enjoyed revisiting this dangerous little rodent. But as I started to look at other spy-related programming for kids during that era, I found that they all offered the same basic package: nitwit comedy cloaked in a throwback to hard boiled crime fiction- the trench coat. As we saw on Spy Vibe earlier this year, it was the peeling off of these drab macs that helped give 1960s spies a fashionable boost over their private eye counterparts. Bond's tux hidden under the tight wetsuit! Yet, the trench coat endured throughout spy fiction and remains a catch-all symbol for sneaky intentions (no connection to "dirty mac" stories here- we're PG13). 1960s London counter-culture centerpiece, Barry Miles, said that there was a major turning point in the early-mid 1960s when the cash-earning baby boomers started to come of age. To paraphrase, he said that before the shift, young people all dressed to look like middle-aged people. But after the shift, everyone started trying to dress like young people. So when Cold War spies became popular entertainment, we saw examples of productions embracing the youth-generated curve of that shift. Great examples were The Avengers with those kinky leathers and The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. with Mod outfits and miniskirts. In the comedy productions, especially those made for kids, there was a slightly middle-aged approach that downplayed the sexuality and expressiveness that otherwise was a great part of 1960s liberation. Instead of cartoon characters in wild new fashions, the form was watered down for mass consumption and took on the trappings of the older generation. Replace the stubble and Fedora of the private eye with sunglasses and a gadget and you've easily turned the symbol of the 1930s-1950s "gumshoe" (Philip Marlow, Sam Spade) into the symbol of a "spy-in-disguise." Luckily overcoats were more popular back then- maybe a trench coat spy might have had a chance of blending in with the commuters!



There are two claims to the invention of the trench coat, but Burberry certainly has a firm hold on the garment's history. They originally began producing long coats to protect officers from the elements during the Boer War in 1895. A few modifications and wars later, the jacket began to evolve closer to its modern image during WWI, when it was dubbed the "trench coat" as officers wore them in the first trench battles. I'm sure that there are scholars of pulp fiction, Black Mask magazine, etc who could trace when the jacket became indelibly linked with crime fiction. Early pulps pictured private eyes dressed in the look we all associate with Bogart's portrayals of heroes by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. 1965's Secret Squirrel even borrowed from the Bogart lexicon by giving him a sidekick based on Peter Lorre! The WWI aviator's version of the trench coat showed up in European intrigue films, like Fritz Lang's Spione (1928). The trench coat look swept into fashion, and was acculturated for rush hour workers; men and women throughout the decades standing on metrolpolitan train platforms. As Hugh Hefner's sexual revolution took hold in the 1950s and beyond, he was in many ways rebelling against that grey flannel suit/raincoat lifestyle. Bond and the spies that followed in his wake ran with the young crowd in sexy, thin gear. But for kids and spy comedy? It was keep on the baggy side of life.



Imagine we were producing the major spy comedies targeted for younger viewers during the spy boom. We are like Mr. Briggs or Mr. Phelps of the Impossible Missions Force, flipping through our portfolio of secret agents: Boris Badinov (Bullwinkle), Secret Squirrel, Max Smart and Agent 99 (Get Smart), Cool McCool, Fred Flintstone (Man Called Flintstone), Lancelot Link, MAD's Spy Vs. Spy. They all have the outfit. Even the bungling Inspector Clouseau (Pink Panther) had the right wardrobe to face international intrigue, as did other spoof-film characters played by Doris Day (Glass-Bottomed Boat), Fabian (Dr. Goldfoot), and others. The comedy-spy characters of the 1960s clearly had the same tailor. Just as Bond baddies dressed "Nehru," this batch came from Central Casting with one requirement- wear a trench coat. The costuming and storytelling did not alter much among this group. They didn't have great style. But the characters made us laugh and remain important to 1960s spy culture (and the contemporary spin-off market). In some cases, like the bikini-wow Dr. Goldfoot films, the trench coat reads as a kind of "straight man" symbology in the comedy. What most of these productions lacked in fashion, they made up for in fun gadgets- a theme taken up years later by another trench coat-wearing crime/comedy firgure, Inspector Gadget.

The one major spy character for adults in the 1960s to actually look right in a mac was Michael Caine's Harry Plamer (The Ipcress File). Somehow his working bloke's portrayal brought authenticity to the jacket. It read more as ubiquitous than iconic; character-driven rather than cartoony.

To step into the Swingin' 60s side things, check out Spy Vibe's PEELING OFF THE TRENCH COATS. And because I love getting The Beatles into any discussion if possible, check out The Dirty Macs, a one-off 1968 band that included John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell, and Eric Clapton!