The Case of Dashiell Hammett

The story

A one-hour public television (PBS) biography of Dashiell Hammett, creator of the "hardboiled" modern detective novel and author of "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Thin Man." It follows Hammett's life from Pinkerton detective in San Francisco to his career as fiction and screen writer, companion of playwright Lillian Hellman, and leftwing political activist. The biography investigates why Hammett stopped writing at the height of his fame.

Cast & crew

Paul FreesNarrator (voice)

Lyle TalbotDashiell Hammett

Dashiell HammettCast

Lillian HellmanCast