Line #32 Literature/PhilipMarlowe


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6	[[quoteright:287:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/philipmarlowe.jpg]]
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8	->''I'm a licensed private investigator and have been for quite a while. I'm a lone wolf, unmarried, getting middle-aged, and not rich. I've been in jail more than once and I don't do divorce business. I like liquor and women and chess and a few other things. The cops don't like me too well, but I know a couple I get along with. I'm a native son, born in Santa Rosa, both parents dead, no brothers or sisters, and when I get knocked off in a dark alley sometime, if it happens, as it could to anyone in my business, and to plenty of people in any business or no business at all these days, nobody will feel that the bottom has dropped out of his or her life.''
9	-->-- ''Literature/TheLongGoodbye''
10
11	The Philip Marlowe series is the creation of Creator/RaymondChandler, and an original TropeCodifier of the [[HardboiledDetective Hardboiled]] PrivateDetective archetype. While Marlowe's first official appearance was in the 1939 novel ''Literature/TheBigSleep,'' Chandler later adapted some of his short stories about similar detectives into longer novels.
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13	InAWorld of [[DirtyCop dirty cops]], [[FemmeFatale femme fatales]], and a whole lot of murder, he faces the seamy underbelly of UsefulNotes/LosAngeles with nothing but a gun and his wits -- and they're both pretty quick.
14
15	When he's not [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]] or [[SmokingIsCool smoking]], he enjoys a good game of [[SmartPeoplePlayChess chess]] or even some nice poetry.
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17	Marlowe features in the novels ''The Big Sleep'' (1939), ''Farewell, My Lovely'' (1940), ''The High Window'' (1942), ''The Lady in the Lake'' (1943), ''The Little Sister'' (1949), ''The Long Goodbye'' (1953), and ''Playback'' (1958).
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19	Several of Chandler's earlier short stories featuring proto-Marlowe characters were subsequently [[DolledUpInstallment reprinted as Marlowe cases]]. Chandler wrote one original Marlowe short story, which was published under various titles but is most often reprinted as "The Pencil".[[note]]Other titles include "Marlowe Takes On the Syndicate", "Philip Marlowe's Last Case", and "Wrong Pidgeon".[[/note]]
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21	Besides Chandler's works, Marlowe appeared in [[{{Continuation}} seven novels]] - ''El Diez Por Ciento de Vida'' by Uruguayan writer Hiber Conteris, (translated as ''Ten Percent of Life''), ''Poodle Springs'' (unfinished, [[PosthumousCollaboration completed]] by Creator/RobertBParker), ''Perchance To Dream'' (an original sequel to ''The Big Sleep'', also by Parker), ''The Black-Eyed Blonde'', by John Banville (under his crime-writer alias of "Benjamin Black"), ''Only To Sleep'', by Lawrence Osborne, ''The Goodbye Coast'' by Joe Ide, and ''The Second Murderer'' by Denise Mina. There was also a 1988 short story collection to celebrate the centenary of Chandler's birth, by a variety of well-known crime and hardboiled writers.
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23	Marlowe has appeared in no less than 10 film adaptions, even more television and radio programs (including ''Philip Marlowe, Private Eye'', a limited series that aired on Creator/{{HBO}} from 1983-86 with Creator/PowersBoothe in the title role), and at least one video game.
24	----
25	!!Works about Philip Marlowe with their own pages:
26
27	[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
28	[[index]]
29	* 1939: ''Literature/TheBigSleep''
30	* 1940: ''Literature/FarewellMyLovely''
31	* 1942: ''Literature/TheHighWindow''
32	* 1943: ''Literature/TheLadyInTheLake''
33	* 1949: ''Literature/TheLittleSister''
34	* 1953: ''Literature/TheLongGoodbye''
35	* 1958: ''Literature/{{Playback}}''
36
37	!!Works by other authors
38
39	* 1989: ''Literature/PoodleSprings'' by Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker
40	* 1991: ''Literature/PerchanceToDream'' by Robert B. Parker
41	* 2014: ''Literature/TheBlackEyedBlonde'' by "Benjamin Black" (John Banville)
42	* 2018: ''Literature/OnlyToSleep'' by Lawrence Osborne
43	* 2022: ''Literature/TheGoodbyeCoast'' by Joe Ide (a re-imagining in present day Los Angeles)
44	* 2023: ''Literature/TheSecondMurderer'' by Denise Mina
45	[[/index]]
46
47	[[AC:{{Film}}]]
48	* 1944: [[index]]''Film/MurderMySweet''.[[/index]] Based on the novel ''Farewell, My Lovely''. Marlowe is played by Creator/DickPowell.
49	* 1946: [[index]]''Film/TheBigSleep''.[[/index]] This is perhaps the most famous film adaption. Marlowe is played by Creator/HumphreyBogart.
50	* 1947: [[index]]''Film/LadyInTheLake''.[[/index]] Adaptation of the novel, Robert Montgomery as Marlowe. Famous for using a POVCam for almost the entire film.
51	* 1969: [[index]]''Film/{{Marlowe}}''.[[/index]] Starring Creator/JamesGarner in an adaptation of novel ''The Little Sister''. Not a PeriodPiece, but a SettingUpdate to the then-present day.
52	* 1973: [[index]]''Film/TheLongGoodbye''.[[/index]] Marlowe is played by Creator/ElliottGould. Like ''Marlowe'', takes place at the time it was made.
53	* 1975: [[index]]''Film/FarewellMyLovely''.[[/index]] Marlowe is played by Creator/RobertMitchum. Mitchum would later [[RoleReprise reprise the role]] for a 1978 version of ''The Big Sleep'', making him the only actor ever to play Marlowe in two different movies. ''Farewell, My Lovely'' is set in 1941 LA, whilst ''The Big Sleep'' takes place in contemporary London.
54	* 1998: ''Film/PoodleSprings'' which is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker.
55	* 2022: [[index]]''[[Film/Marlowe2022 Marlowe]]''.[[/index]] Adapted from the 2014 novel ''The Black-Eyed Blonde'' by "Benjamin Black", and set in [[GenteelInterbellumSetting 1939]]. Creator/LiamNeeson plays Marlowe.
56	----
57	!!Philip Marlowe provides examples of the following tropes:
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59	* TheAlcoholic: Numerous characters in the books would qualify as alcoholics by today's standards. Marlowe himself drinks far too much, not without self-awareness on his part. In ''Farewell, My Lovely'', he shows every sign of withdrawal even before he ends up going through involuntary detox at a shady sanatorium that also pumps him full of heroin. An example of Chandler [[WriteWhatYouKnow writing what he knew]], as is the far more out-of-control blackout drunk primadonna author Roger Wade in ''The Long Goodbye'' -- also a harsh self-caricature of Chandler.
60	* CallBack: "The Pencil" guest stars Anne Riordan, who had last appeared years earlier in ''Literature/FarewellMyLovely''.
61	* CatApult: In "Finger Man", when the villainous corrupt politician has Marlowe taken to his turf in order to threaten him, Marlowe tosses the villain's pet cat into his face and uses the distraction to grab his revolver and hold him at gunpoint.
62	* CelibateHero: Phillip Marlowe, unlike Sam Spade or Mike Hammer, was someone who usually avoided the attentions of the female characters in the books until Linda Loring. Anne Riordan notably spends the entirety of ''Farewell, My Lovely'' chasing him only to come up empty.
63	* ChandlersLaw: Used several times, as the TropeCodifier, but usually with some kind of twist.
64	* ComicBookTime: While Marlowe did get older as the decades rolled by, he didn't age quite as much as the intervening years between installments should have allowed for.
65	* ConsummateProfessional: ''The'' defining quality of Philip Marlowe alongside being a KnightInSourArmor and DeadpanSnarker. Philip Marlowe refuses to accept multiple contracts on the same job, more money than what he was offered, or violate his client's confidentiality. He cannot be bought, bribed, or intimidated into betraying his client or going off a case. Even when his clients are lying to him (and they always are), he's determined to show a great deal of loyalty to them.
66	* DeadpanSnarker: And ''how.'' Practically every other sentence, whether spoken or part of Marlowe's PrivateEyeMonologue, is a barbed witticism or cutting observation.
67	* DetectivePatsy: In "The Pencil", Marlowe spends some time trying to figure out why his client came to him for help, and eventually puts together that [[spoiler:he's being set up to take the fall for the murder he was supposedly hired to prevent, by some mobsters as payback for helping get one of their colleagues convicted and executed]].
68	* DirtyCop: Many cops are on the payroll of local gangsters -- or even if they're not, their bosses are.
69	* {{Expy}}: Philip Marlowe, protagonist of Chandler's novels, is pretty much John Dalmas, protagonist of Chandler's stories for ''Dime Detective'' magazine, who is pretty much Carmady, protagonist of Chandler's stories for ''Black Mask'' magazine. To the extent that the Dalmas and Carmady stories were subsequently collected and reprinted [[DolledUpInstallment with Marlowe's name substituted for theirs]].
70	* FakingTheDead: At least two of the novels have one of the murders ([[NeverOneMurder there's always more than one]]) turn out to be this.
71	* FriendOnTheForce: Marlowe was formerly with the DA himself, still has contacts at headquarters, and occasionally befriends some of the more honest cops he meets. The only one to appear in more than one of the books, however, is Bernie Ohls, longtime investigator for the DA. Red and Lt. Randall, both of whom appear in ''Literature/FarewellMyLovely'', are mentioned in later books but do not reappear in person. "Red" Norgaard had quit the highly corrupt Bay City police force at the time of his introduction, but is later revealed to have been rehired before being drafted. UnseenCharacter Violets M'Gee is also namedropped several times, but only when Marlowe needs to give a reference to a big client.
72	** Detective Lieutenant Ybarra in the radio series ''The Adventures of Philip Marlowe'' is a straightforward example. The character first appeared in the Chandler short story ''Red Wind'', starring John Dalmas--which was later reprinted as a Philip Marlowe short.
73	* GeniusBruiser: Marlowe is tall and about as tough as they come. He's also incredibly street smart, an intelligent detective, and has a classical education. He occasionally references some pretty academic subjects that usually confuse whomever he's talking to. His only real hobby seems to be playing chess.
74	* GroinAttack: In "The Pencil", Marlowe is menaced by a low-ranking mobster who makes the mistake of getting too close, and Marlowe knees him in the groin in the course of taking his gun away from him.
75	* HardboiledDetective: One of the {{Trope Codifier}}s (along with Creator/DashiellHammett's Literature/SamSpade).
76	* InVinoVeritas: While Marlowe can certainly hold his liquor, not everyone else can. A frequent tactic of his is to get people to talk to him when they're drunk.
77	* IWasNeverHere: In "The Pencil", Marlowe is paid a politely threatening visit by Grimes, a mob boss from Las Vegas. During the meeting, he tells Marlowe that in case Marlowe has any idea about going to the cops (or, for that matter, if it should become necessary that Marlowe doesn't survive the meeting), Grimes will be able to prove that he never left Vegas.
78	* KnightInSourArmor: He gets positively acidic by the time of ''The Little Sister'' and ''The Long Goodbye''.
79	* LemonyNarrator: Marlowe both unconventionally describes people and isn't above LeaningOnTheFourthWall.
80	* LetOffByTheDetective: Several times.
81	** In ''The Big Sleep'', he [[spoiler: proceeds to let Carmine Sternwood off for the murder of Rusty Regan because she's insane. This is a DownplayedTrope because she is still to be committed to an institution by her family.]]
82	** In ''The High Window'', Phillip Marlowe once more demonstrates this quality by refusing to turn over any information about [[spoiler: the Murdocks despite the fact that Leslie and his mother are both murderers.]]
83	* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: Quite a lot of Marlowe's cases follow this pattern -- he's hired to do something relatively straightforward (negotiate with a blackmailer, mind a missing woman) and as soon as he begins asking questions, everybody in the neighborhood with a dirty secret assumes he's after them and starts threatening him. Then, of course, he ''has'' to investigate them, just in case they're connected to his case.
84	* MurderByMistake: In "The Pencil", Marlowe is hired to help a man called Rosenstein evade a mob hit. While helping his client sneak out of the apartment building where he's been staying, Marlowe notices that one of the other inhabitants resembles his client, and later that man is killed by the hitman, who believes him to be Rosenstein. [[spoiler:Subverted. The hitman's victim is the real Rosenstein, and the man who hired Marlowe falsely claimed to be Rosenstein in service of his own agenda.]]
85	* NeverBareheaded: Set in a time when men were this. Can't go wrong with a classic fedora.
86	* NonIndicativeName: On its first publication in the US, "The Pencil" appeared under the title "Philip Marlowe's Last Case". This referred to the real-world fact that Chandler had died and no more Marlowe stories would be forthcoming; in the story itself, there's no hint of Marlowe hanging up his career.
87	* OfficialCouple: With Linda Loring, once he meets her in ''The Long Goodbye''. Chandler specifically created the character to be the perfect match for a man like Marlowe (a sort of "Princess In Sour Dress" to his KnightInSourArmor). Appropriately enough, she's the first woman we ever "see" Marlowe in bed with. She appears again in the final scene of ''Playback'' (the next novel and Chandler's last finished one), and the unfinished ''The Poodle Springs Story'' ([[PosthumousCollaboration which Robert B. Parker finished,]] to dubious response).
88	* PatchworkStory: The first four Marlowe novels are patched together out of Dalmas and Carmady short stories, with bits rearranged, merged, split and/or renamed.
89	* PoliceAreUseless: [[DownplayedTrope Not as often as you'd think, though.]] The cops are often allowed to give as good as they get, noting that a large part of what's making their job so hard is people like Marlowe and his clients withholding information and trying to solve cases on their own terms in their own favor. Marlowe fires back with the fact that the police, even when they're not actually on the take, still have their hands tied by public opinion and political maneuvering. In later books he's philosophical about it -- provided the other party isn't too self-righteous.
90	* PosthumousCollaboration: Chandler's unfinished eighth Marlowe novel, ''Poodle Springs'', was finished by Creator/RobertBParker (of ''Literature/{{Spenser}}'' fame) and published in 1989. Generally [[FanonDisContinuity dismissed]] by Chandler fans.
91	* PrivateDetective: Marlowe, repeatedly called a cheap gumshoe. He's actually a skilled detective, but too principled and proud for his own good, meaning that he ends up losing out on both money and prestige for a lot of the easy but shady work that comes his way.
92	* PrivateEyeMonologue: The TropeCodifier. Marlowe is a snarker par excellence, and also litters his descriptions of sun-bleached, grimy south California circa ChandlerAmericanTime with [[TalksLikeASimile elaborate metaphor]] and borderline PurpleProse punctuated with hard-boiled slang.
93	* RecurringCharacter:
94	** Lt. Bernie Ohls, Marlowe's FriendOnTheForce in "Finger Man", ''The Big Sleep'' and ''The Long Goodbye''.
95	** Anne Riordan in ''Farewell, my Lovely'' and "The Pencil".
96	** Linda Loring, Marlowe's romantic interest in ''The Long Goodbye'', ''Playback'' and ''Poodle Springs''.
97	* RevolversAreJustBetter: Subverted with Marlowe's trusty .38, which he only sometimes carries, rarely fires, and frequently has taken away from him, one way or another. In the post-War novels, he switches to using a Luger semi-automatic.
98	* SkeletonKeyCard: It's mentioned in some of the stories that Marlowe carries a strip of celluloid in his wallet precisely for this purpose (this was in the days before credit cards).
99	* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Several of the books show Marlowe studying chess problems during his down time. (Although he's never seen playing an actual game, because that would presuppose that he had friends to play with.)
100	* SmokingIsCool: Marlowe starts out as a cigarette smoker, before switching to a pipe as he grows older and more thoughtful.
101	* TheStoic: Though Marlowe does have his more human moments, these mainly occur when he's been truly pushed over the edge. The rest of the time, though, he manages to remain completely deadpan even as he's being beaten up by crooked cops or having guns waved in his face.
102	* TalksLikeASimile: A feature of Marlowe's narration, originally because Chandler was being paid by the word but ultimately because Chandler started off writing historical romance and poetry, which ended up finding its way into his shop-soiled modern-day questing knight.
103	* TapOnTheHead: Happens quite often, almost OnceAnEpisode, sometimes accompanied by a lengthy and poetic description of darkness washing over him as he loses consciousness. Did we mention Chandler was being paid by the word?
104	* ThirdPersonPerson: Marlowe as narrator occasionally refers to himself as "Marlowe" rather than "I," usually when he's being cheeky.
105	* ViceCity: Bay City is the location for a lot of Marlowe's adventures and it is a gangster ridden WretchedHive full of prostitution, gambling, and PoliceAreUseless. It's also a CaptainErsatz for Santa Monica in the 1930s.
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Context Literature / PhilipMarlowe