The Girl Hunters ** (1963, Mickey Spillane, Shirley Eaton, Lloyd Nolan, Scott Peters) – Classic Movie Review 11,398

Director Roy Rowland’s 1963 British-made crime drama film The Girl Hunters (Colorama Features) is adapted from the 1962 Mickey Spillane book of the same name and stars Mickey Spillane, Shirley Eaton and Lloyd Nolan.

Spillane plays his own private detective Mike Hammer. Surely this is a unique instance of an author of a popular literary hero starring in a film as his own character.

The main interest here is writer Spillane’s star acting turn as his own creation, the private detective Mike Hammer, in a story about the famed gumshoe on the multiple-murder case of his vanished former helper, lovely assistant Velda, and a murdered senator, whose seductive widow Laura Knapp (Shirley Eaton) enters the plot.

He is entirely acceptable, playing the role in a suitably brusque and quite watchable manner, but it is a pity the film isn’t better made, though it is quite watchable too. Syndicated newspaper columnist Hy Gardner plays himself.

Also in the cast are Scott Peters as Police Captain Pat Chambers, Guy Kingsley Poynter, Charles Farrell, Kim Tracy, Benny Lee, Clive Endersby, Murray Kash, Robert Gallico, Bill Nagy, Larry Taylor, Michael Brennan, Grant Holden, Hal Galili and Howard Greene.

The Girl Hunters is directed by Roy Rowland, runs 103 minutes or 98 minutes, is made by Present Day Productions and Fellane Productions, is released by Colorama Features and Zodiac International Pictures, is written by Mickey Spillane, Roy Rowland and Robert Fellows, is shot in black and white and Panavision WSc by Kenneth Talbot, is produced by Robert Fellows and Charles Reynolds, is scored by Philip Green, and designed by Tony Inglis.

The Los Angeles premiere took place on 12 June 1963.

Exteriors were shot on locations in New York City and studio scenes filmed at Elstree in London in 1962.

Spillane recalled meeting criminal Billy Hill in London and inviting him to the film set. Spillane said Hill provided firearms for the film. Spillane noted producers surrounded him with actors shorter than him.

A sequel of Spillane’s The Snake never materialised.

It follows I, the Jury (1953), Kiss Me Deadly (1955) and My Gun Is Quick (1957), and is followed by I, the Jury (1982).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,398

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com