Nov. 17, 1962 - The customers at the Blue Ribbon Restaurant on New York’s West 44th Street, who only expect a good German dish such as sauerbraten, were also treated last Tuesday to the sight of a movie troupe, headed by none other than crime novelist Mickey Spillane (pictured with Shirley Eaton), filming scenes for “The Girl Hunters.” Mr. Spillane was serving as both the star and screenwriter of his ninth novel, which is slated to be published in March. “It’s the first Mike Hammer book in nine years,” Mr. Spillane said, “and in the film, I play Hammer. It’s being done independently on various locations here in New York and in Dublin.” Mike Hammer, the fictional private investigator who carries a Colt .45 in a shoulder holster under his left arm, made his debut in Mr. Spillane’s 1947 book “I, the Jury.” Asked why he was making his acting debut in his own work, Mr. Spillane chuckled and said, “It’s actually very simple. I’ve done a lot of lecturing, and people constantly say, ‘you look like Mike Hammer, why don’t you play him?’ I’ve been intrigued for a long time, and now I’m trying to prove to myself and others that I can do it.”
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