Get Shorty at 30: Dennis Lehane on Elmore Leonard's Hollywood satire

The late, great Elmore "Dutch" Leonard is one of my favorite writers and Get Shorty is one of his best crime novels.


The Guardian offers Dennis Lehane's fine introduction to the Folio Society Edition of Elmore Leonard’s Get Shorty on the novel’s 30^th anniversary. 

 
You can read the piece via the below link:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/26/pitch-perfect-get-shorty-at-30-elmore-leonard-dennis-lehane 

   You can also read my Crime Beat column on Elmore Leonard via the below link:

www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/05/return-to-elmoreland-elmore-leonards.html 

And you can read my friend and former editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer Frank Wilson's piece on Elmore Leonard via the below link:

 https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20121111_Crime_paid_this_writer__in_dollars_
and_honors.html

On This Day In History The Late, Great Crime Writer Elmore Leonard Was Born

On This day in 1925 Elmore Leonard, one of my favorite writers, was born.

The late, great crime writer was the author of Get Shorty, City Primeval, 52 Pick up and other crime classics. He died in 2013 at the age of 87.

You can read about Elmore Leonard’s life and work and watch a video clip via the below link:

 https://www.biography.com/people/elmore-leonard-575754 

You can also read my Crime Beat column on Elmore Leonard via the below link:    

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/05/return-to-elmoreland-elmore-leonards.html

On This Day In History Best-Selling Crime Writer Elmore Leonard Died

As History.com notes, on this day in 2013 Elmore Leonard, the author of  City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, 52 Pick Up, La Brava, Get Shorty, and other crime classics, died

On this day in 2013, the prolific, best-selling author Elmore Leonard, whose crime novels include “Get Shorty,” “Rum Punch” and “Out of Sight,” dies at age 87 in Bloomfield Village, Michigan. Known for his pitch-perfect dialogue, sparse prose and offbeat characters, Leonard penned dozens of novels and short stories, a number of which were adapted for film and TV.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/best-selling-crime-writer-elmore-leonard-dies?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2017-0820-08202017&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&om_mid=228940129&kx_EmailCampaignID=14258&kx_EmailCampaignName=email-hist-tdih-2017-0820-08202017&kx_EmailRecipientID=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa 

Elmore Leonard was one of my favorite writers. You can also read my Crime Beat column on him via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/05/return-to-elmoreland-elmore-leonards.html 

Happy Birthday To The late, Great Crime Writer Elmore Leonard

As History.com notes, on this day in 1925 Elmore Leonard was born.

You can read about the late, great crime writer via the below link:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/elmore-leonard-is-born?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2016-1011-10112016&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&om_mid=97490365&kx_EmailCampaignID=7512&kx_EmailCampaignName=email-hist-tdih-2016-1011-10112016&kx_EmailRecipientID=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa%20&os_ehash=44@experian:de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa

You can also read my Crime Beat column on Elmore Leonard via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/05/return-to-elmoreland-elmore-leonards.html 

On This Day In History: Crime Writer Elmore Leonard Was Born

As History.com notes, Elmore Leonard, author of Get Shorty, 52 Pick Up and other crime classics, was born on this day in 1925.

You can read about the late, great crime novelist via the below link:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/elmore-leonard-is-born?et_cid=82082182&et_rid=1227406676&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.history.com%2fthis-day-in-history%2felmore-leonard-is-born  

You can also read my Crime Beat column on Elmore Leonard via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/05/return-to-elmoreland-elmore-leonards.html 

Being Cool: Recalling Elmore Leonard, A Master Of Crime Fiction

John O'Rourke at Boston University's Bu Today offers an interview with Charles J. Rzepka, the author of Being Cool: The Work of Elmore Leonard.  

When novelist Elmore Leonard died in August at 87, he was hailed by the New York Times as “a modern master of American genre writing” and by the Washington Post as “a masterly crime novelist.” He left behind an unforgettable gallery of drug dealers, grifters, hookers, con artists, and crooks.

... Leonard was one of those rare crime novelists who enjoyed both mass-market popularity (his books have sold in the tens of millions) and critical plaudits. Many of his works were adapted into Hollywood films, including Get Shorty, with John Travolta, Hombre, starring Paul Newman, 3:10 to Yuma (two versions), and Jackie Brown, directed by Quentin Tarantino. His short story Fire in the Hole inspired the Emmy-winning television series Justified on FX. Leonard also received some of the literary world’s top honors, among them an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and a National Book Award, given last year for his “distinguished contribution” to American literature.

Few people are as versed in Elmore Leonard’s world as Charles Rzepka, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of English. In his new book, Being Cool: The Work of Elmore Leonard (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013), Rzepka writes about Leonard’s distinct writing style, “immediately recognizable for its voice and rhythm,” his keen ear for dialogue, and what made his characters so cool.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/recalling-a-master-of-crime-fiction/

Happy Birthday To Elmore Leonard

As Biography.com notes, today is the birthday of one of my favorite crime writers, the late Elmore Leonard.

Born in Louisiana in 1925, Elmore Leonard was inspired by Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.

Leonard's determination to be a writer stayed with him through a stint in the U.S. Navy and a job in advertising. His early credits include mostly Westerns, including 3:10 to Yuma.

When that genre became less popular, Leonard turned to crime novels set in Detroit, Michigan, including Get Shorty, Jackie Brown and Out of Sight.

The prolific writer died in Detroit on August 20, 2013, at age 87.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a short video of Elmore Leonard's life via the below link:

http://www.biography.com/people/elmore-leonard-575754

You can also read my Crime Beat column on Elmore Leonard via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/05/return-to-elmoreland-elmore-leonards.html

Below are the jacket covers of some of his crime novels:

 

Another Look Back At Elmore Leonard: Crime Paid This Writer, In Dollars And Honors

Elmore Leonard is one of my favorite writers and I was sorry to learn of his death week.

Frank Wilson, my friend and former editor, wrote a good piece on Elmore Leonard last year for the  Philadelphia Inquirer.

'If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."

That, says Elmore Leonard, is the rule that sums up his famous "Ten Rules of Writing," a sort of manifesto in miniature on behalf of the plain style (sample: "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip").

Leonard has written 45 novels, starting with The Bounty Hunters in 1953. About half of them have made it to the New York Times' best-seller list, including his latest, Raylan. Seventeen have been made into films, sometimes more than once, most notably 3:10 to Yuma (two versions), Hombre, 52 Pick-up (two versions), and Get Shorty. Quentin Tarantino's third film, Jackie Brown, was based on Leonard's Rum Punch. Then there's the TV series Justified.
 

So even people who don't read much are likely to be familiar with Leonard's work.

Commercial success as a writer only rarely translates into literary respect, and usually only too late for the writer to enjoy it. But Leonard has garnered some highfalutin fans over the years. Saul Bellow was one. And so is Martin Amis, who calls Leonard's prose "far more stylish" than Raymond Chandler's and says that Leonard is "incapable of writing an uninteresting sentence." In fact, Amis will be the presenter on Wednesday night when Leonard receives the National Book Foundation's 2012 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://articles.philly.com/2012-11-11/news/35050729_1_raylan-elmore-leonard-hombre 

The Great Crime Writer Elmore Leonard Dies

Foxnews.com reports that Elmore Leonard, one of my favorite writers, has died. He was 87.

Famed Hollywood writer Elmore Leonard died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke on July 29. He was 87.

Best known for “Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight” and most-recently the FX series “Justified,” Leonard was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, his researcher, Gregg Sutter, told FOX411. 
"The post I dreaded to write, and you dreaded to read. Elmore passed away at 7:15 this morning from complications from his stroke. He was at home surrounded by his loving family. More to follow," Sutter posted on Facebook. 

Leonard, winner of an honorary National Book Award in 2012, first rose to fame with the release of his Western-themed novels. His works The “Tall T” and “3:10 to Yuma” were adapted into films. Among Leonard's best-known books turned into movies are “Hombre” and "Rum Punch," which was filmed as "Jackie Brown." His short stories were also turned into several films.

His millions of fans, from bellhops to Saul Bellow, made all his books since "Glitz" (1985) best-sellers.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/08/20/elmore-leonard-dies-three-weeks-after-stroke/

Elmore Leonard Remembers Actor Dennis Farina, Crook In 'Get Shorty'

 

Kurt Anthony King at the Oakland Press offers a piece on crime novelist Elmore Leonard's thoughts on actor and former Chicago police officer Dennis Farina, who passed away at age 69.

Dennis Farina, a former policeman who had a long career playing tough guys in movies and on TV, was a natural for the casts of two films based on Elmore Leonard’s novels.

New York Times best-selling author Elmore “Dutch” Leonard, who lives in Bloomfield Hills, remembered Farina as “easygoing.”

Farina performed in 1995’s “Get Shorty,” starring John Travolta, and 1998’s “Out of Sight,” with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Both big-budget films were adapted from Leonard’s popular crime novels.

... “I thought he was great,” said the novelist. “He had this way about him that I recognized instantly from police, since he was a cop himself."

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/07/23/entertainment/doc51eed93e94d86864232802.txt

Actor And Former Police Officer Dennis Farina Dies at 69

Dennis Farina, the former Chicago police officer who became an actor, has died. He was 69.

Farina appeared as a detective in the TV series Law & Order and Crime Story and he portrayed crooks in the films Thief, Get Shorty and Midnight Run.

You can read more about Farino at Foxnews.com via the below below link:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/07/22/law-order-star-dennis-farina-dies-at-6-publicist-says/   

Elmore Leonard: Crime Paid This Writer, In Dollars And Honors

My friend and former editor Frank Wilson wrote an interesting piece on Elmore Leonard, one of my favorite writers, in today's Philadelphia Inquirer.

'If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."
 

That, says Elmore Leonard, is the rule that sums up his famous "Ten Rules of Writing," a sort of manifesto in miniature on behalf of the plain style (sample: "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip").

Leonard has written 45 novels, starting with The Bounty Hunters in 1953. About half of them have made it to the New York Times' best-seller list, including his latest, Raylan. Seventeen have been made into films, sometimes more than once, most notably 3:10 to Yuma (two versions), Hombre, 52 Pick-up (two versions), and Get Shorty. Quentin Tarantino's third film, Jackie Brown, was based on Leonard's Rum Punch. Then there's the TV series Justified.

So even people who don't read much are likely to be familiar with Leonard's work.

Commercial success as a writer only rarely translates into literary respect, and usually only too late for the writer to enjoy it. But Leonard has garnered some highfalutin fans over the years. Saul Bellow was one. And so is Martin Amis, who calls Leonard's prose "far more stylish" than Raymond Chandler's and says that Leonard is "incapable of writing an uninteresting sentence." In fact, Amis will be the presenter on Wednesday night when Leonard receives the National Book Foundation's 2012 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20121111_Crime_paid_this_writer__in_dollars_and_honors.html

Elmore Leonard's Crime Thrillers On Film

The New York Post offers a  piece on crime writer Elmore Leonard's film adaptations.

You can read the piece via the below link:

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/leonard_on_film_uoYRw9u7uODUxxLfRUs4MN

The piece does not mention 52 Pickup with Roy Scheider, which I believe is one of the best films based on Leonard's crime thrillers. 

The above photo shows Jennifer Lopez as the shotgun-wielding U.S. Marshal in Out of Sight.