Humphrey Bogart played Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon in 1941 — then played Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep in 1946.
But in between these two, we find Dick Powell playing Marlowe in Murder My Sweet (1944, director Edward Dmytryk) — an adaptation of Farewell My Lovely.
History has been kinder to Humphrey Bogart than it has to Dick Powell.
So while most would argue that Bogart may have been a definitive Sam Spade, Dick Powell does well to capture the charm and cynicism of Marlowe.
In fact, he’s probably proved better at it than anybody else.
But in between these two, we find Dick Powell playing Marlowe in Murder My Sweet (1944, director Edward Dmytryk) — an adaptation of Farewell My Lovely.
History has been kinder to Humphrey Bogart than it has to Dick Powell.
So while most would argue that Bogart may have been a definitive Sam Spade, Dick Powell does well to capture the charm and cynicism of Marlowe.
In fact, he’s probably proved better at it than anybody else.
