Read books and let your imagination fly:

Read books and let your imagination fly.

P. D. James, on writing:

I don't think writers choose the genre, the genre chooses us.

I wrote out of the wish to create order out of disorder, the liking of a pattern.

- P. D. James.

Recommended reading - The Adventures of Sam Spade and Other Stories (1944)

 

The Adventures of Sam Spade and Other Stories

by Dashiell Hammett

 

Published by Must Have Books.

Paperback.

 

ISBN-10: 1773237772

ISBN-13: 978-1773237770

 

Description:

Sam Spade is the tall, tough, smart private detective made famous by Dashiell Hammett in his superb detective novel, The Maltese Falcon. His appearance in the three short stories which make up The Adventures of Sam Spade is good news for his admirers and even better news for those who have yet to meet him. As Sam says, “There ought to be a law making criminals give themselves up…” but since there isn’t one is better qualified than he to take the place of that law. He’s not a fictional detective, not given to elaborate analysis of the crime nor to elaborate restaging of it in front of all the suspects in the hope that one will break down; he’s an honest-to-God detective, astute and industrious enough to find out everything possible and then figure the angles from what he knows.

In addition to the three Adventures of Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett has included here four brilliant short stories, each one terse, masculine, and eminently readable, yet one different in theme and handling. The Assistant Murderer tells of a complicated case neatly solved by Alexander Rush, the detective who is so ugly that people just naturally think he is crooked. Night Shade is a vivid sketch with an O. Henry Ending. The Judge Laughed Last is a story so funny that you’ll be laughing even when the judge is through. And His Brother’s Keeper is a fine prize fight tale told by a tough, dumb, honest and likable fighter.

Contents: Too Many Have Lived; They Can Only Hang You Once; A Man Called Spade; The Assistant Murderer; Night Shade; The Judge Laughed Last; His Brother's Keeper.

Born on this day – Sally Benson:

Sally Benson

Writer

September 3, 1897 – July 19, 1972

Credits:

Short stories:

Emily (1938); Junior Miss (1941); Meet Me in St. Louis (1942); People Are Fascinating (1936); Stories of the Gods and Heroes (1940); Women and Children First (1943).

Movies and television:

Anna and the King of Siam (1946); Bus Stop (1961); Come to the Stable (1949); Conspirator (1949); Curtain Call (1952); General Electric Guest House (1951); Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (1958); Joy in the Morning (1965); Junior Miss (1945 / 1946); Little Women (1949); Lux Video Theatre (1955); Meet Me in St. Louis (1944 / 1959 / 1966); No Man of Her Own (1950); Occupation Housewife / Yrke: Hemmafru (1967); Shadow of a Doubt (1943 / 1991); Signpost to Murder (1964); Summer Magic (1963); The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953); The Singing Nun (1966); Viva Las Vegas (1964); Wonderful Town, U.S.A. (1951).

Born on this day – Christiane Delyne:

Christiane Delyne

Actress

September 3, 1902 – April 17, 1966

Born on this day – Lawrence Clark Powell:

Lawrence Clark Powell

Writer

Librarian

Bibliographer

September 3, 1906 – March 14, 2001

Credits:

Books:

A Passion for Books (1958); A Southwestern Century; Books in My Baggage (1960); California Classics: The Creative Literature of the Golden State (1971); Eucalyptus Fair (1992); Fortune & Friendship: An Autobiography (1968); Heart of the Southwest; Islands of Books; Land of Fiction; Life Goes On: Twenty More Years of Fortune and Friendship (1986); Philosopher Pickett; Photographs of the Southwest (1976) (with Ansel Adams); Robinson Jeffers, the Man and His Work; Southwestern Book Trails (1982); The Alchemy of Books (1954); The Blue Train (1977); The Little Package (1964); The Malibu (with W.W. Robinson); The Manuscripts of D.H. Lawrence; The River Between (1979); Winter Crossing 1952 - Travel Notes from a Bygone era (1986).

Born on this day – Kitty Carlisle:

Kitty Carlisle

Actress

Opera singer

September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007

Credits:
 
Advocate for the Arts.
 
Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) (1976 to 1996).
 
Stage:
 

Anniversary Waltz (1954); Champagne, Sec (1933); Design for Living (1943); Die Fledermaus (1967); French Without Tears (1936); Larceny with Music (1943); Night of January 16th (1938); On Your Toes (1983); The Man Who Came to Dinner (1949); The Merry Widow (1943); The Rape of Lucretia (1948); There's Always Juliet (1944); Three Waltzes (1937); Walk With Music (1940); White Horse Inn (1936); Wit & Wisdom (2003); You Never Know (1975).

 

Songs:
 

Alone; Down Your Tea; Finale Of Act I; Finale: I Love You So - Girls Girls, Girls; Finaletto Part 1; Finaletto-Part 2-Nordraak's Farewell And Reprise Of Three Loves; French Military Marching Song; French Military Song; Hill Of Dreams; Hymn Of Betrothal And Finale Act 1; I Love You So - The Merry Widow Waltz; I'll Get By; I'll Remember April; In Marsovia; Jalousie; Lovely to Look At; March Of The Trollgers; Midsummer's Eve; Now; Prelude And Legend; Romance; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; Straight from the Shoulder; Sweet Dreams Sweetheart & Finale; The Desert Song: One Alone; The Sabre Song; The Touch of Your Hand; These Foolish Things; Three Loves; Vilia.

 

Movies and television:
 

13 Stars for Channel 13 (1966); 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008); A Night at the Opera (1935); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000); All Star Musical Revue (1945); All-Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan (1985); American Masters (1987–1990); Beyond Vaudeville (1993); Bicentennial Minutes (1976); Biography (2000); Broadway Legends (2002); Broadway: The American Musical (2004); Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003); Call My Bluff (1965); Catch Me If You Can (2002); Cavalcade of Stars (1949); CBS Mornings (1988); Complicated Women (2003); Danny Kaye: Nobody's Fool (1994); Don Ameche's Musical Playhouse (1951); Game Show Moments Gone Bananas (2005); Get the Message (1964); Great Performances (1981–1998); Great Performances / Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (2021); Greta Garbo: A Lone Star (2001); Here Is My Heart (1934); Hollywood Canteen (1944); Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression (2009); Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure (2008); I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (2014); Inside the Marx Brothers (2003); Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood (2005); I've Got a Secret (1952–1966); Kojak: Flowers for Matty (1990); Larceny with Music (1943); Leave It to the Girls (1949); Lerner and Loewe: Broadway's Last Romantics (1988); Max Liebman Spectaculars (1956); McLean and Company (1971); Miss America Pageant (1958); Missing Links (1963–1964); Moving Image Salutes Elia Kazan (1987); Moving Image Salutes Sidney Lumet (1985); Moving Image Salutes Steven Spielberg (1994); Murder at the Vanities (1934); Nash Airflyte Theatre (1951); Nick & Hillary (1988); Night of 100 Stars III (1990); NY TV: By the People Who Made It - Part I & II (1998); Password (1961–1965); Person to Person (1959); Play Your Hunch (1963); Probe and Night Beat (1956); Quick as a Flash (1953–1954); Radio Days (1987); Remarks on Marx (2004); Remembering Bing (1989); Sally Jessy Raphael (1989); She Loves Me Not (1934); Ship's Reporter (1950); Showtime, U.S.A. (1951); Six Degrees of Separation (1993); Special Collector's Edition (2012); The 33rd Annual Academy Awards (1961); The 39th Annual Tony Awards (1985); The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008); The 9th Annual American Cinema Awards (1992); The Bob Braun Show (1980); The Ed Sullivan Show (1959); The Eyes Have It (1950–1951); The Faye Emerson Show (1950); The Film Society Of Lincoln Center Annual Gala Tribute to Billy Wilder (1982); The Film Society Of Lincoln Center Annual Gala Tribute to Claudette Colbert (1984); The Film Society of Lincoln Center Annual Gala Tribute to Gregory Peck (1992); The Howard Stern Show (1991); The Jim Backus Show (1960); The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (1998 / 1980); The Kennedys: The Curse of Power (2000); The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000); The Match Game (1963–1964); The Merv Griffin Show (1965–1969); The Mike Douglas Show (1966–1971); The Morning Exchange (1988); The Movie Masters (1989–1990); The Powder & the Glory (2007); The South Bank Show (1978); The Steve Allen Show (1951); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1959); Theater Talk (2007); This Is Show Business (1951–1954); To Tell the Truth (1957–2000); TV's Funniest Game Show Moments (1984); We, the People (1948); What's Going on? (1954); What's My Line? (1963–1966); Who Said That? (1948–1955); Who's There? (1952).

Born on this day – Lisette Lanvin:

Lisette Lanvin

Actress

September 3, 1913 – July 27, 2004

Born on this day – Alan Ladd:

Alan Ladd

Actor

Producer

September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964

Born on this day – Helen Wagner:

 

Helen Wagner

Actress

September 3, 1918 – May 1, 2010

Credits:

50 Years of Soaps: An All-Star Celebration (1994); A Closer Look (1991); As the World Turns (1956–2010); As the World Turns (2010); Donahue (1985); Guiding Light (1952–1953); Hallmark Hall of Fame (1952); Inner Sanctum (1954); Kraft Theatre / The Philco Television Playhouse (1951–1954); Lamp Unto My Feet (1951); Mister Peepers (1953); SoapTalk (2006); Starlight Theatre (1951); The 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2004); The 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2006); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (2004); The Kate Smith Hour (1954); The Web (1950–1951); The World of Mr. Sweeney (1954–1955); Valiant Lady (1953–1957).

Born on this day – Ruth Orkin:

Ruth Orkin

Photographer

Writer

Director

September 3, 1921 – January 16, 1985

Credits:

Books: 

A Photo Journal (1981); A World Through My Window (1978); More Pictures from My Window (1983); Outside-Morris Engel Ruth Orkin, From Street Photography to Filmmaking (2014); Ruth Orkin (2023); Ruth Orkin: A Photo Spirit (2021); Ruth Orkin: Above and Beyond (1999); Ruth Orkin: American Girl in Italy The Making of a Classic (2005); Ruth Orkin: Bike Trip (2023); Ruth Orkin: ICP Exhibition (1995); Ruth Orkin: Photo Posch (2023); Ruth Orkin: Women (2023).

Movies and television:

Little Fugitive (1953 / 2006); Lovers and Lollipops (1956); Lunch Money (2010); Morris Engel Home Movies (2021); Morris Engel: The Independent (2008); Ruth Orkin: Frames of Life (1996); Something's Gotta Give (2003); The Dog Lover (1962).

Born on this day – Anne Jackson:

 

Anne Jackson

Actress

September 3, 1925 – April 12, 2016

Born on this day – Irene Papas:

Irene Papas

Actress

Singer

September 3, 1926 – September 14, 2022

Born on this day – Eileen Brennan:

Eileen Brennan

Actress

September 3, 1932 – July 28, 2013

On this day in movie history: White Heat (1949)

White Heat

directed by Raoul Walsh,

written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts,

based on a story by Virginia Kellogg,

was released in the United States on September 3, 1949.

Music by Max Steiner.

Cast:

James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly, Steve Cochran, John Archer, Wally Cassell, Fred Clark, G. Pat Collins, Paul Guilfoyle, Ian MacDonald, Robert Osterloh, Ford Rainey, Aline Towne, Jim Thorpe.

On this day in movie history: Private Hell 36 (1953)

Private Hell 36

a.k.a. Baby Face Killers

directed by Don Siegel and written by Collier Young and Ida Lupino,

was released in the United States on September 3, 1953.

Music by Leith Stevens.

Cast:

Ida Lupino, Steve Cochran, Howard Duff, Dean Jagger, Dorothy Malone, James Anderson, William Boyett, Chester Conklin, Richard Deacon, George Dockstader, King Donovan, Bridget Duff, Dabbs Greer, Jerry Hausner, Jimmy Hawkins, Tom Monroe, Chris O'Brien, Kenneth Patterson, Sammy Shack.

On this day in movie history: Kalifornia (1993)

Kalifornia

directed by Dominic Sena,

written by Tim Metcalfe,

based on a story by Stephen Levy and Tim Metcalfe,

was released in the United States on September 3, 1993.

Music by Carter Burwell.

Cast:

Brad Pitt, Kathy Larson, David Milford, David Duchovny, John Zarchen, David Rose, Michelle Forbes, Tommy Chappelle, Juliette Lewis, Judson Vaughn, James Michael McDougal, Patricia Sill, Brett Rice, Marisa Raper, Bill Crabb, Mary Ann Hagan, Jerry G. White, Sarah Sullivan, Eric Stenson, Mars Callahan, Patricia Hunte, Loanne Bishop, Ron Kuhlman, Sierra Pecheur, John Dullaghan, David Feigenbaum, Tom Hand, Shelby Hofer, Patricia Tallman.

On this day in movie history: Down Three Dark Streets (1954)

Down Three Dark Streets

directed by Arnold Laven,

written by Gordon Gordon and Bernard C. Schonefeld,

based on the novel Case File: FBI by Mildred Gordon,

was released in the United States on September 3, 1954.

Music by Paul Sawtell.

 

Cast:

Broderick Crawford, Ruth Roman, Martha Hyer, Marisa Pavan, Max Showalter, Kenneth Tobey, Gene Reynolds, William Johnstone, Harlan Warde, Jay Adler, Claude Akins, Suzanne Alexander, Myra Marsh, Joe Basselt, William Schallert.

On this day in movie history - The Wharf Rat (1995)

The Wharf Rat

directed by Jimmy Huston,

written by Paul Kimatian and Jimmy Huston,

was released in the United States on September 3, 1995.

Music by Mervyn Warren.

Cast:

Lou Diamond Phillips, Rachel Ticotin, Judge Reinhold, Scott Cohen, Rita Moreno, William Dunlop, Alan Vint, Paul Willson, Peter Radon, Loren Farmer, Wilfred Bray, Steven Randazzo, Beau Starr, Thoywell Hemmings, Jude Coffey, Rusty Ryan, Stephen Jackson, Yank Azman, Desmond Campbell, Jean-Luc Côté, Scott Wickware, Nicole Farmer, Ray Paisley, Don De Fina, Richard Blackburn, Jeff Christensen, Shawn Lawrence, Chris Peterson, J.J. Murray, Danny White.

On this day in movie history - Pearl (2022)

Pearl

directed by Ti West,

written by Ti West and Mia Goth,

was released at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on September 3, 2022.

Music by Tyler Bates and Tim Williams.

Cast:

Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell, Amelia Reid, Gabe McDonnell, Lauren Stewart, Todd Rippon, Grace Acheson, Shaman Theron.