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Philip Marlowe is a fictional Private Eye created by Raymond Chandler in a series of detective novels including '' The Big Sleep '' and '' The Long Goodbye ''. Marlowe first appeared in the short story "Finger Man," published in 1934 . In this early appearance, Marlowe is hard to distinguish from Chandler's other short fiction characters, such as Johnny Dalmas; Chandler had not yet developed the elaborate, even sumptuous, similes that were to become the trademark of Marlowe's narrative voice in the later novels. Moreover, "Finger Man" is set in a fictional city called San Angelo, while in the novels Marlowe inhabits Los Angeles . Other transparently disguised locations, such as "Bay City" for Santa Monica or "Esmeralda" for La Jolla , San Diego ., continued to be employed throughout the novels. Philip Marlowe's character is foremost within the genre of Hardboiled Crime Fiction that originated in the 1920s , most notably in '' Black Mask '' magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett 's The Continental Op and Sam Spade first appeared. The private eye is a pessimistic and cynical observer of a corrupt society, yet the enduring appeal of Marlowe and other hardboiled dicks lies in their tarnished idealism. Underneath the wisecracking, hard drinking, tough private eye, Marlowe is quietly contemplative and philosophical. He enjoys Chess and Poetry . While he is not afraid to risk physical harm, he does not dish out violence merely to settle scores. Morally upright, he is not bamboozled by the genre's usual Femme Fatale s, like Carmen Sternwood in '' The Big Sleep ''. As Chandler wrote about his detective ideal in general, "I think he might seduce a duchess, and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin." Chandler's treatment of the detective novel exhibits a continuing effort to develop the art form. His first full length book, ''The Big Sleep'', was published when Chandler was 51; his last, '' Playback '', when he was 70. All seven novels were produced in the last two decades of his life. All maintain the integrity of Philip Marlowe's character, but each novel has unique qualities of narrative tone, depth, and focus that set it apart from the others. Biographical Notes for Philip Marlowe In a letter to D. J. Ibberson, written April 19 , 1951 , Chandler noted among other things that Marlowe is 38 years old, and was born in Santa Rosa , California . He had a couple of years at college and some experience as an investigator for an insurance company and the district attorney of Los Angeles county. He's slightly over six feet tall and weighs about thirteen stone eight (190 pounds). He smokes and prefers Camels . He drinks whiskey, or brandy very infrequently ('' The Little Sister ''), and makes good coffee. At the time of writing he was probably carrying a Smith And Wesson .38 special with a four inch barrel. A six inch barrel would be better but awkward to carry. See also Raymond Chandler, "Novels and Other Writings" (Library of America, 1995, ISBN 1-883011-08-6) for other letters INFLUENCES AND ADAPTATIONS Marlowe's name probably derives from either the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe or from the narrator of Joseph Conrad 's novel '' Heart Of Darkness '', who uses a different spelling of the surname. Marlowe has been played on the screen by Humphrey Bogart , Robert Montgomery , George Montgomery , Robert Mitchum , Dick Powell , Elliot Gould , Danny Glover , James Garner , and James Caan . In radio, in ''The Adventures of Philip Marlowe'', the character was portrayed by Van Heflin on NBC ( June 17 - September 9 , 1947 ) and by Gerald Mohr on CBS ( September 26 , 1948 - September 15 , 1951 ). Powers Boothe had the title role in the HBO series, ''Philip Marlowe, Private Eye'', which ran from 1984 to 1986 . Ed Bishop portrayed Marlowe in BBC Radio 's ''The Adventures of Philip Marlowe''. Marlowe has proved such a complex and attractive character that he has appeared in short stories and novels by writers other than Chandler, such as ''Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe: A Centennial Celebration'' ( 1988 ). The central character in Dennis Potter 's '' The Singing Detective '' is crime novelist Philip E. Marlow ( Michael Gambon , Robert Downey Jr. in the 2004 remake.) The female sleuths of the anthology ''Tart Noir'' (Berkeley, 2002 ) are described as "half Philip Marlowe, half femme fatale." LISTEN TO MARLOWE BIBLIOGRAPHY Works by Raymond Chandler
Works by others
SEE ALSO
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