Michael "Mike" Shayne is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

character created during the late 1930s by

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

Brett Halliday Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 – February 4, 1977) is the primary pen name of Davis Dresser, an American mystery and western writer. Halliday is best known for the long-lived series of Michael Shayne mysteries he wrote, and later commissioned ...

, a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of Davis Dresser. The character appeared in a series of seven films starring

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originating the role of private investigator Michael Shayne in a series of 1940s B movies. Bi ...

for Twentieth Century Fox, five films from the low-budget

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

with

Hugh Beaumont Eugene Hugh Beaumont (February 16, 1909 – May 14, 1982) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver on the television series '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963; and as private detec ...

, a radio series under a variety of titles between 1944 and 1953, and later in 1960–1961 in a 32-episode

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

starring

Richard Denning Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), '' Target Earth'' (1954), ''Day the ...

in the title role.

Character biography

Shayne debuted in the

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

''Dividend on Death'' first published in 1939, written by Dresser as Halliday. Fifty Shayne novels were published in hardcover written by Dresser (until 1958) and a variety of ghost-writers. Twenty-seven more were published as paperback originals for a total of seventy-seven. There are also 300

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

(although many of these are condensed from, or were expanded into, published novels), a dozen

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

programs and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

shows, and a few

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

appearances that included the character. Shayne was initially married in the novels, his wife being Phyllis (Brighton) Shayne, who was a somewhat limited character, and was often out of town. Dresser "killed her off" when he sold the

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

rights to the series. In the book ''Blood on the Black Market'', the comedy aspect of the earlier novels disappears and Shayne is forced to deal with his wife's death. Other recurring characters in the stories are reporter Tim Rourke, Police Lt. Will Gentry, and Shayne's secretary Lucy Hamilton.

Magazine

Dresser later created ''Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine'', first introduced in 1956 by

Renown Publications Renown may refer to: * Celebrity, fame and broad public recognition Companies * Renown (company), a Japanese clothing brand * Renown Health, a healthcare network in Nevada, US * Renown Pictures, a British film company Transport Ships * ''Renown ...

under the title ''Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine''. The magazine continued for nearly three decades, always including at least one Shayne novella in each edition. By this time, "Brett Halliday" was simply a house name. For several years the magazine was edited by

Frank Belknap Long Frank Belknap Long (April 27, 1901 – January 3, 1994) was an American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known ...

Films

The 1940 film ''

Michael Shayne, Private Detective ''Michael Shayne, Private Detective'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver and Joan Valerie.Backer p.106 It is based on Brett Halliday's novel ''The Private Practice of Michael Shay ...

'' is the first in a series of twelve movies.

starred as Shayne through 1942, until the series was dropped by

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

and picked up by

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. At that point,

took over the role in five films released in 1946. Then, over a half-century later, in 2005,

Shane Black Shane Black (born December 16, 1961) is an American filmmaker and actor who has written such films as ''Lethal Weapon'', ''The Monster Squad'', ''The Last Boy Scout'', ''Last Action Hero'', and ''The Long Kiss Goodnight''. As an actor, Black is ...

directed ''

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy mystery thriller film written and directed by Shane Black (in his directorial debut), and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen. The scrip ...

'', starring

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

and

Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...

. It was based, in part, on the Shayne novel ''Bodies Are Where You Find Them'', but does not feature Shayne as a character.

Twentieth Century Fox films with Lloyd Nolan

* ''

'' (1940; based on Halliday's novel ''

The Private Practice of Michael Shayne ''The Private Practice of Michael Shayne'' is a 1940 detective novel by the American writer Brett Halliday. It was the second book in Halliday's Michael Shayne series of novels, after ''Dividend on Death'' (1939). Film adaptation In the same year ...

'') * ''

Sleepers West ''Sleepers West'' is a 1941 American mystery drama film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Lloyd Nolan, Lynn Bari and Mary Beth Hughes. This second entry in 20th Century-Fox's ''Michael Shayne'' series was a remake of the 1934 Fox romantic dr ...

'' (1941; based on the novel ''Sleepers East'' by

Frederick Nebel Frederick Lewis Nebel (November 3, 1903 - May 3, 1967), was an American writer. He wrote over 300 works that were published. He is best known for his hardboiled detective fiction. Nebel was a prolific writer, penning up to five thousand words a d ...

) * '' Dressed to Kill'' (1941; based on the novel ''The Dead Take No Bows'' by Richard Burke) * ''

Blue, White and Perfect ''Blue, White and Perfect'' is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Lloyd Nolan, Mary Beth Hughes, and Helene Reynolds. It is part of Twentieth Century Fox's Michael Shayne film series. The basis of the plot came ...

'' (1942; plot from the serial story ''Blue, White, and Perfect'' by

Borden Chase Borden Chase (January 11, 1900 – March 8, 1971) was an American writer. Career Early jobs Born Frank Fowler, he left school at fourteen went through an assortment of jobs, including driving for gangster Frankie Yale and working as a sandhog ...

) * '' The Man Who Wouldn't Die'' (1942; based on the novel ''

No Coffin for the Corpse ''No Coffin for the Corpse'' (1942) is a whodunnit mystery novel written by Clayton Rawson. It is the last of four mysteries featuring The Great Merlini, a stage magician and Rawson's favorite protagonist. Merlini would however, continue to appea ...

'' by

Clayton Rawson Clayton Rawson (August 15, 1906 – March 1, 1971) was an American mystery writer, editor, and amateur magician. His four novels frequently invoke his great knowledge of stage magic and feature as their fictional detective The Great Merlini, a pr ...

) * ''

Just Off Broadway ''Just Off Broadway'' is a 1942 Drama (genre), Drama directed by Herbert I. Leeds, starring Lloyd Nolan and Marjorie Weaver. This is the sixth of a series of seven that Lloyd Nolan played Michael Shayne for Twentieth Century Fox films. Hugh Bea ...

'' (1942; original screenplay) * '' Time to Kill'' (1942; based on the novel ''

The High Window ''The High Window'' is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel featuring the Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe. Plot Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy widow Elizabeth Bright Murdock to rec ...

'' by

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

)

PRC films with Hugh Beaumont

* ''Murder Is My Business'' (1946) * ''Larceny in Her Heart'' (1946) * ''Blonde for a Day'' (1946) * ''Three on a Ticket'' (1947) * ''

Too Many Winners ''Too Many Winners'' is a 1947 American crime film directed by William Beaudine and starring Hugh Beaumont, Trudy Marshall and Ralph Dunn.Marshall p.333 Plot Private detective Michael Shayne and his girlfriend/secretary Phyllis are in the offic ...

'' (1947)

Radio

Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; yi, יראַ גראָססעל; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nom ...

and

Wally Maher Wally Maher (August 4, 1908 – December 26, 1951) was an American actor, primarily on old-time radio; he was also known as the original voice of Tex Avery's cartoon character Screwy Squirrel. Early years Maher was born in Cincinnati on August 4, ...

were among the actors who starred as Shayne in three weekly radio series.Review of Radio show in May 1949
at Variety

Television

In 1958, a failed 30-minute pilot titled "Three Men on a Raft" with Mark Stevens playing Michael Shayne and Merry Anders as Lucy Hamilton was aired on the NBC anthology series "Decision". Then, in 1960, the 32-episode ''Michael Shayne''

began on

, with

, formerly of the series ''

Mr. and Mrs. North ''Mr. and Mrs. North'' are fictional American amateur detectives. Created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, the couple was featured in a series of 26 Mr. and Mrs. North novels, a Broadway play, a motion picture and several radio and television ...

'', in the title role. Patricia Donahue originated the role of Lucy Hamilton, Shayne's secretary, but was later replaced by Margie Regan as Lucy Carr after more than half of the episodes had been filmed.

Herbert Rudley Herbert Rudley (March 22, 1910 – September 9, 2006) was an American character actor who appeared on stage, films and on television. Early life Rudley was born in 1910 in Philadelphia and attended Temple University. He left Temple after winnin ...

played Lieutenant Will Gentry of the

Miami Police Department The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. MPD officers are distingu ...

, and

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

played reporter Tim Rourke of the fictitious ''Miami Tribune''.

Gary Clarke Gary Clarke (born Clarke Frederick L'Amoreaux; August 16, 1933) is an American actor best known for his role as Steve Hill in the NBC western television series '' The Virginian'' with James Drury and Doug McClure. Early life Clarke was born in ...

, later of '' The Virginian'', played Dick Hamilton, Lucy's younger brother, a character who does not appear in Halliday's books.

William Link William Theodore Link (December 15, 1933 – December 27, 2020) was an American film and television screenwriter and producer who often worked in collaboration with Richard Levinson. Biography Early life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

and

Richard Levinson Richard Leighton Levinson (August 7, 1934 – March 12, 1987) was an American screenwriter and Television producer, producer who often worked in collaboration with William Link. Life and career Levinson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. H ...

wrote a number of episodes of the series, including "This Is It, Michael Shayne", which was based on Halliday's novel of that name.

Julie Adams Julie Adams (born Betty May Adams; October 17, 1926 – February 3, 2019) was an American actress, billed as Julia Adams toward the beginning of her career, primarily known for her numerous television guest roles. She starred in a number of ...

, who had previously worked with Richard Denning in ''

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

'', guest starred in this episode.

Richard Arlen Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television. Biography Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Arlen attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served in Canada as a ...

guest starred as Vincent Rinker in the 1961 episode, "Murder Is a Fine Art."

Beverly Garland Beverly Lucy Garland (née Fessenden; October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action or science-fiction movie ...

appeared in "Murder and the Wanton Bride." She and Denning had previously starred in the 1957

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

feature film, ''

Naked Paradise ''Naked Paradise'' (sometimes credited as ''Thunder Over Hawaii'') is a 1957 drama film directed by Roger Corman. It stars Richard Denning and Beverly Garland. Corman later asked Charles Griffith, who worked on the script, to reuse his screenplay ...

''. Garland and Denning later costarred with

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

in "The House of the Seven Gables" segment of the film ''

Twice-Told Tales ''Twice-Told Tales'' is a short story collection in two volumes by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first volume was published in the spring of 1837 and the second in 1842. The stories had all been previously published in magazines and annuals, hence th ...

'' (1963).

Warren Oates Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah, including ''The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974). A ...

Joan Marshall Joan Marshall (born Joan Schrepfermann; June 6, 1931 – June 28, 1992) was an American film and television actress. She is best known for her appearances in ''The Twilight Zone's'' " Dead Man's Shoes", and '' Star Trek's'' "Court Martial". ...

, and David White guest starred in the episode "Murder Round My Wrist." Margie Regan played a nurse in this episode, while Patricia Donahue was still playing Lucy Hamilton. On December 2, 1960, Robert Knapp portrayed Arthur Hudson in the episode "Blood on Biscayne Bay". The hour-long series ran at 10 p.m. Fridays, opposite

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

's ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'' with

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's '' The Detectives'' with Robert Taylor and ''

The Law and Mr. Jones ''The Law and Mr. Jones'' is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and ...

'', starring

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Aca ...

Conlan Carter Chester Conlan Carter (born October 3, 1934) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the medic "Doc" in the American Drama (film and television), drama television series ''Combat!'', for which he was ...

, and

Janet De Gore Janet De Gore (November 19, 1930 – June 11, 2022) was an American television and theatre actress. Born in Larchmont, New York, De Gore began her career in 1950 starring as Janice in the Broadway play ''The Member of the Wedding''. De Gore a ...

Episodes

* Unknown

Comics

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

picked up the character for a comic book series (three issues), ''Mike Shayne – Private Eye''.

References

External links

*
Michael Shayne
at ThrillingDetective.com
DVD starring Lloyd Nolan

Brett Halliday explains the creation of Mike Shayne {{DEFAULTSORT:Shayne, Michael Episode lists with row deviations Fictional private investigators Fictional detectives Characters in detective novel series

Michael Shayne Michael "Mike" Shayne is a fictional private detective character created during the late 1930s by writer Brett Halliday, a pseudonym of Davis Dresser. The character appeared in a series of seven films starring Lloyd Nolan for Twentieth Century Fo ...

Literary characters introduced in 1939