Latest update 24 August 2006

The Arts & Entertainment network made three two hour movies based on the books.  Stylistically, they were made for a very different audience than fans like myself who are deeply into the novels, or even some who came from the other Spenser TV offerings.  They have their good and bad points (mostly bad) but in doing this page I looked at all of them again and came around a bit.

Parker himself insists that Joe Montegna best brought out the spirit of Spenser.  I thought that casting a dwarfish Italian to play an oversized Irish detective seemed ludicrous, but after many viewing I have to agree that he is a very talented actor and really does have the chops to nail down the character. It's not his fault that he looks like someone my kid sister could kick around and steal his lunch money.  Marcia Gay Harden plays a very adequate Susan, and I have no complaints there.  Shiek Mahmud-Bey and Ernie Hudson, on the other hand, never convinced me for one nanosecond that they were anything but someone that Hawk could run over on his daily jog and barely notice a speed bump while Spenser did the same to Montegna.

In the style of Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Parker appeared in every episode, while his wife Joan was in the second and son Dan played two significant characters.

The episodes were available on videotape from the network for a short time after they were broadcast, but have been off the market for years.

Update: Mark Collins wrote in to say that Thin Air is available on DVD at http://play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/110311/Thin_Air/Product.html.  Please note that this is a Region 2 disk, so don't pay £5.99 unless you are sure it will work in your part of the world or on your machine. 

Small Vices - 1999

An A&E Original Movie Presentation
A Michael Brandman Production
in association with Jaffe/Braunstein Films Ltd.

Written by Robert B. Parker
Based on his book
Directed by Robert Markowitz

Joe Montegna as Spenser
Shiek Mahmud-Bey as Hawk
Marcia Gay Harden as Susan
Eugene Lipinski as Rugar
Daniel T. Parker as Lee Farrell
Robert B. Parker as Ives

Shot on location in Toronto and Chippawa, Ontario

Spenser's "best" list he goes over while jogging:

Songwriter: Matt Dennis
Player: Willie Mays"
Man: Jackie Robinson
Novel: The Great Gatsby
Woman: Susan Silverman
Short story: The Bear
Novelist: Faulkner
Sex: Susan Silverman
Fighter: Ray Robinson
Play by play: Vin Scully
Color man: Joe Morgan
Comic strip: Tank McNamara
Private eye: Me

While I understand the economic advantages of shooting in Canada, the substitution of a bridge in east rural nowhere for the Weeks Footbridge across the Charles River as the location for Spenser to be shot just freaks me out. 

Thin Air - 2000

An A&E Network Movie Presentation
A Michael Brandman Production
In association with Jaffe/Braunstein Films Ltd.

Screenplay by Robert B. Parker
Based on his book
Directed by Robert Mandel

Joe Montegna as Spenser
Marcia Gay Harden as Susan
Luis Guzman as Chollo
Daniel T. Parker as Father Ahearn
Joan H. Parker as Belson's Doctor
Robert B. Parker as a sleeping policeman