Spenser (film series)
| Spenser | |
|---|---|
|
Joe Mantegna as Spenser and Marcia Gay Harden as Susan | |
| Created by | Robert B. Parker |
| Starring |
Joe Mantegna Marcia Gay Harden |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 3 TV movies |
Joe Mantegna portrayed Robert B. Parker's detective "Spenser" in three TV movies on the A&E cable network between 1999 and 2001.
Production
Robert B. Parker had a significant role in the development of these TV movies (all three movies were adapted by Parker, with his wife co-authoring Walking Shadow) as opposed to the earlier Spenser: For Hire. Nonetheless, he felt that the movies didn't get it right, not because of the performances but because of the limited budget.[1] Parker had a small role in the first movie, and cameos in the later two movies. His son, Daniel, and wife, Joan, appear in Thin Air. All three movies were critically panned, more than anything for the miss-casting of Mantegna in the Spenser role. While an articulate speaker, he did not have the physique of the former boxer and police officer that the Spenser character had been.
All three movies were filmed in Canada.
List of movies
- Spenser: Small Vices (1999): based on a novel of the same name released in 1997
- Thin Air (2000): based on a novel of the same name released in 1995
- Walking Shadow (2001): based on a novel of the same name released in 1994
Cast
- Joe Mantegna as Spenser
- Marcia Gay Harden as Susan Silverman
- Joanna Miles as Evans (Small Vices and Thin Air)
- R.D. Reid as Quirk (Small Vices and Thin Air)
- Scott Wickware as Captain Healy (Small Vices and Waking Shadow)
Small Vices (1999)
- Shiek Mahmud-Bey as Hawk
- Robert B. Parker as Ives
Thin Air (2000)
- Jon Seda as Luis DeLeon
- David Ferry as Frank Belson
Walking Shadow (2001)
- Ernie Hudson as Hawk
- Eric Roberts as Police Chief DeSpain
- Christopher Lawford as Jimmy Christopholous
- Tamlyn Tomita as Rikki Wu
Audiobooks
Joe Mantegna has also narrated a number of Spenser novels;[2]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Lullaby |
| 2011 | Sixkill |
| 2010 | Painted Ladies |
| 2009 | The Professional |
| 2008 | Rough Weather |
| 2007 | Now and Then |
| 2006 | Hundred Dollar Baby |
| 2005 | School Days |
| Cold Service | |
| 2004 | Bad Business |
| Widow's Walk | |
| 2003 | Back Story |
| 2001 | Potshot |
| 2000 | Hugger Mugger |
References
External links
- Spenser on Screen from The Robert B. Parker website, at the Internet Archive
- Spenser: Small Vices (1999) at the Internet Movie Database
- Thin Air (2000) at the Internet Movie Database
- Walking Shadow (2001) at the Internet Movie Database
- Small Vices at the Internet Archive