Murder Is My Business (Private Detectives in films & TV)
"When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. And it happens we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's-it's bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere."
Humphrey Bogart as Samuel Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941).
Humphrey Bogart as Samuel Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941).
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- 192 titles
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
- DirectorJack SmightStarsPaul NewmanLauren BacallJulie HarrisCool private investigator Lew Harper is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsBebe DanielsRicardo CortezDudley DiggesA lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsJane FondaDonald SutherlandCharles CioffiA small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsDick PowellClaire TrevorAnne ShirleyAfter being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraRaquel WelchRichard ConteDuring an ocean dive, Miami gumshoe Tony Rome (Frank Sinatra) finds a woman's body with her feet encased in a concrete block and sets out to solve the murder case.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallJohn RidgelyPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail--and what might be love.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsRobert MitchumJane GreerKirk DouglasA private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRalph MeekerAlbert DekkerPaul StewartA doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".
- StarsDarren McGavinBart BurnsVito ScottiThe adventures of Mickey Spillane's tough-talking, brawling, skirt-chasing private detective Mike Hammer, who's always ready to use his fists on a "mug" or his charm on a "skirt" to get the case solved.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanJoanne WoodwardAnthony FranciosaHarper's a big-city PI, who travels to Louisiana to help an old girlfriend who's worried her husband will find out she's been cheating on him.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraJill St. JohnRichard ConteTough Miami P.I. Tony Rome's hired by a millionaire to find jewelry stolen from his daughter. In the search, he has several encounters with local hoods as well as the Miami police.
- CreatorLarry BrodyStarsStacy KeachLindsay BloomDon StroudThe cases of Mickey Spillane's classic private eye character.
- DirectorRichard T. HeffronStarsArmand AssanteBarbara CarreraLaurene LandonA PI investigates the murder of his one-armed friend, a PI working on a case. Clues lead to a sex clinic. Bodies pile up.
- DirectorVictor SavilleGeorge WhiteStarsRobert BrayWhitney BlakeDonald RandolphPrivate eye Mike Hammer passes over beautiful women and corpses to find stolen jewels.
- DirectorHarry EssexStarsBiff ElliotPreston FosterPeggie CastleDectective Mike Hammer is determined to catch and kill the person who shot his close friend dead, so he follows clues that lead to a beautiful, seductive woman.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsMickey SpillaneShirley EatonScott PetersLegendary detective Mike Hammer has spent seven years in an alcoholic funk after the supposed death of his secretary, Velda. He is brought back to the land of the living by his old friendly enemy, police lieutenant Pat Chambers.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsElliott GouldNina van PallandtSterling HaydenPrivate eye Philip Marlowe helps friend Terry Lennox out of a jam and is implicated in his wife Sylvia's murder. He also is hired by Eileen Wade to locate her dipsomaniac husband Roger, who frequently disappears when he wants to dry out.
- CreatorJohn HawkesworthStarsJeremy BrettDavid BurkeRosalie WilliamsSherlock Holmes and Dr Watson solve the mysteries of copper beeches, a Greek interpreter, the Norwood builder, a resident patient, the red-headed league, and one final problem.
- DirectorBuzz KulikStarsBurt ReynoldsDyan CannonJohn P. RyanMillions in diamonds are stolen from a safe in NYC and later the burglar is killed. Shamus is paid $10,000 by the owner to find the diamonds or killer.
- CreatorJohn HawkesworthStarsJeremy BrettEdward HardwickeRosalie WilliamsSherlock Holmes and Dr Watson solve the mysteries of the devil's foot, Silver Blaze, Wisteria Lodge and the Bruce-Partington Plans.
- DirectorJake KasdanStarsBill PullmanBen StillerRyan O'NealThe world's greatest detective Daryl Zero aided by his associate Steve investigates a complex and mysterious case of blackmail and missing keys for shady tycoon Gregory Stark who is less than forthcoming about what is really happening.
- CreatorEdward HumeStarsBuddy EbsenLee MeriwetherMark SheraPrivate eye Barnaby Jones works with his widowed daughter-in-law to solve cases.
- DirectorRay DantonStarsStacy KeachDon StroudLindsay BloomA young girl is kidnapped and there is an attempt on the daughter of an well-known actress. The kidnapper then turns up dead. Hammer is hired to protect the girl and travels to Los Angeles, where she is then kidnapped.
- DirectorRobert CulpStarsBill CosbyRobert CulpTa-Ronce AllenBill Cosby and Robert Culp ("I Spy") are united again as private eyes in this Walter Hill-scripted "film noir." Searching for a missing girl, they find themselves involved with vicious criminals and precipitating a string of deaths.
