Archive for the ‘Security’ Category
Private Investigators in Fiction
- Private Investigator New York
- Private Investigator NYC
- Private Investigator Long Island
- Private Investigator New Jersey
- Private Investigator Connecticut
- Matrimonial Investigations
- Surveillance Investigations
- Child Custody Investigations
- Criminal Investigations
- Locate Missing Persons
Since the mid-19th century, private investigators have held a romantic place in the hearts of citizens of the western world. Famous detective stories were published in book form, then moved to the movie screen, then evolved into television characters. Everybody can name at least one fictional private detective. The stories are usually formulaic, with the hero waiting until the very end to solve the case, but we enjoy the journey every time.
Perhaps the most famous fictional private investigator is Sherlock Holmes. In 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a Scottish author and physician, created the Sherlock Holmes character. Holmes was famous for his extreme mental abilities. He solved cases by finding clues that others could not see, advanced reasoning, and forensic science. His faithful companion, Dr. Watson, narrated most of the stories, explaining the genius and the quirkiness of the famous detective. The legend of Sherlock Holmes has been so enduring that a new movie about the character will hit theaters in 2009.
In the 1930’s, Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade character burst on to the scene to start the “Golden Age” of detective fiction. The character was popular in books, but was made even more famous when actor Humphrey Bogart played him in a film adaptation of “The Maltese Falcon.” Bogart’s portrayal of Spade created a film detective archetype that was the inspiration for many big-screen detectives for years to come.
In the 1970’s, Charlie’s Angels took America by storm and showed the world that women could be detectives as well. Every week three lovely ladies found action and adventure when trying to solve cases given to them by the never seen boss Charlie. The ladies were smart, tough, adventurous, and beautiful. This helped them go undercover to find evidence and helped them fight their way free when discovered. Every week the ladies had a new case that seemed impossible to solve, only to be wrapped up in the last few minutes of the episode. The show was so popular that it was turned into a movie adaptation in the mid-2000’s that spawned a sequel. If somebody says “hello, angels,” most people in America understand the reference.
In the 1980’s, several detective shows were popular. Magnum P.I., with Tom Selleck, had a casual, Ferrari-driving bachelor in Hawaii solving crimes weekly for his wealthy benefactor Higgins. Remington Steele put a twist on the standard detective story. A female private investigator felt that she was being ignored in a man’s world, so she hired a dashing actor, played by Pierce Brosnan (later of James Bond fame) to be the public face of the agency. He would be the public face of the business, dealing with customers and pretending to do the work, while she would actually solve the case. He would inevitably take the credit for solving the case, and she would end up frustrated.
Detective fiction is a popular genre. People are always in the mood for a good mystery. It is a given that on some night during the week, a detective show will be on television, and at some point during the year, a detective movie will hit the theaters.