Mike Hammer DVD Surprise

[trekgeezer]

I was in Big Lots the other day and they had a boxset of Stacy Keach as Mike Hammer for $7.99. It boasted 26 episodes and I was very fond of the series when it ran back in the mid 80's. My wife used to tell me the only reason I watched was because every "broad" wore a push-up bra and threw themselves at Mike. I just liked the cheesiness.

When I got it home I looked closer and discovered it was actually a syndicated series done in 97-98. I looked it up on IMDB and didn't like what I read. Although made by the same producers, it evidently was cheaply made and only lasted 26 eps.

I watched the first ep and I concur that it is cheaply made, but Keach seem amazing unchanged in the 10 or so years since he did the original. But, alas there is no Don Stroud, a new Velda (his secretary), a couple of young co-stars.

Well, I guess it might be some good watching on a rainy day when there's nothing else to do. Glad it was only $8.

[LH-C]

IMHO, the 3rd series was pretty good for a syndicated show where the producers had very little money. I refer to it as the 3rd series, because if you remember the series in the '80s was actually 2 different shows produced before and after Keach ran into some legal troubles.

[Neville]

Don't forget there are also at least two movie adaptations, "I the jury", a 80s thriller starring Armand Assante as Hammer, that starts well but ends up being way too campy, and a n even campier, but fun to watch TV-movie starring Rob estes (sic) as Hammer, and Pamela Anderson (!) as his secretary. The later is pretty lousy and clearly betrays the original novels by Mickey Spillane, but it is still fun to watch.