In the 1930s and 1940s, one of the most successful writers in Hollywood was Dashiell Hammett. A former detective for the Pinkerton agency, Hammett created such popular literary characters as Sam Spade and Nick Carter. Humphrey Bogart portrayed Spade in the Maltese Falcon and other movies and William Powell portrayed Carter in the Thin Man movies with Myrna Loy portraying his wife Nora.
Carrying such a strong resume of written works may lead one to believe Hammett died a rich, successful writer. He did not, he died penniless and virtually homeless, destroyed by a mob mentality in the nation and in New York and Hollywood. His story is a good word to the wise for today’s cancel and book-banning culture.
A veteran of two wars
Hammett was a United States Army veteran twice. During World War I, he drove an ambulance and contracted tuberculosis. He suffered from lung ailments for the rest of his life. Despite being 49, he re-enlisted in the army towards the end of World War II, where he served in intelligence service in Alaska.
His politics leaned to the left and he affiliated with the America Communist Party in the 1940s. This did not prevent him from entering the Army the second time, however.
