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About DonHerron.com
In 1977 Don Herron began leading The Dashiell Hammett Tour, now the longest-running literary tour in the nation. On this site you’ll find information on current walks — dates, where to meet, arranging tours by appointment — plus a hard-boiled blog with news, reviews of books and film, and a dash of noir.
The latest and greatest edition to self-guide you up and down the mean streets.
Willeford: The Book
Includes the first “Mr. Hunt” story, “Knives in the Dark.”
Tag Archives: Jim Thompson
Sinister Cinema: Night Moves
Matthew Asprey Gear’s previous film tome piled up over 300 pages covering the career of Orson Welles, but this year he’s taking it easy with a monograph half that length. Got to appreciate the guys sitting around knocking out monographs. … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged Alan Sharp, Arthur Penn, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Gene Hackman, Jim Thompson, Matthew Asprey, Night Moves, Robert Mitchum, Warren Oates
Death Lit: The Torch is Passed, Kakonis to Levison
You have to poke around some on this site to find it, but if you do there’s an enthusiastic endorsement for the crime novels of Tom Kakonis. And I guess some people may surf right in to that page, because Kakonis’s … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News, REH, Willeford
Tagged Bukowski, Chester Himes, Criss Cross, Elmore Leonard, Floyd Salas, Gerald Kersh, How to Rob an Armored Car, Iain Levison, Jim Thompson, John Fante, Joseph Hirsch, Tom Kakonis, Truman Capote
Hollywood Beat: More on Jim Thompson
Just got an email from Steve Snow about the burst of Jim Thompson-related posts I did in October. Steve writes: I enjoyed your Hammett site, and wanted to pass on a few notes about Jim Thompson. He lived at 1922 North Whitley … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit
Tagged Farewell My Lovely, Jim Thompson, Musso & Frank, Robert Mitchum, Robert Redford, Sal Mineo, Steve Snow, The Getaway, Tony Bill
Hollywood Beat: 7741 Hollywood Blvd
Before the money from The Getaway allowed them to move closer to Musso & Frank, Jim Thompson and his family lived a little less than a mile away from the front doors, on the same street — far enough out to … Continue reading
Hollywood Beat: 1817 Hillcrest
The place Jim Thompson was living at the time of his death — check out a reputable source, but my understanding is that he died in this building — is roughly ten or twelve blocks from Musso & Frank. To … Continue reading
Hollywood Beat: 1922 Whitley
When I got back to Hollywood to stop in Musso & Frank for the third time, I was really curious to check into what Dennis McMillan had told me — that Jim Thompson was a regular there, drinking at the … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Film, Lit
Tagged Craig Graham, Jim Thompson, Musso & Frank, Peckinpah, Robert Mitchum, Robert Polito, Steve McQueen, The Getaway
Hollywood Beat: More Musso
Finally, I got a date set-up — Saturday August 20, 2011 — where I could hit Musso & Frank with Craig Graham, the guy who first told me about the place. Craig reserved a table with a view of the bar. … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Film, Lit
Tagged Charlie Chaplin, Craig Graham, Donald Sidney-Fryer, Jim Thompson, Jimmy Durante, Leo Grin, Lillian Hellman, Musso & Frank, Robert Polito, Steve McQueen, Vagabond Books
Hollywood Beat: Musso & Frank
Since I missed out on Musso & Frank for years, I’ve been trying to catch up, stopping in every time I make the drive down to LA — I figure I won’t burn out, given that I only drop south once or twice a … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, DMac, Film, Lit
Tagged Bukowski, Charles Bronson, Charlie Chaplin, Craig Graham, Doug Fairbanks, Ed Lauter, Harlan Ellison, Jim Thompson, Johnny Depp, Leo Grin, Musso & Frank, Raymond Chandler, Vagabond Books
Tour: Try Again in September
I’m not penciling in any extra tours this month, where you can just show up, drop a tenspot, and walk the walk — but in September the Hammett Tour rolls each and every Sunday, so if you’ve just heard about it … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News, Tour, Willeford
Tagged Chester Himes, Chris Ewan, Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald
