Cast and Crew:  Frank DeVol (Composer); Ernest Laszlo (Cinematography); Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Strother Martin, Jack Elam

What It’s About: When Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up a frantic hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), he gets drawn into a mystery that includes one of the most dangerous MacGuffins of all time…

Why Watch it Today?: Author Mickey Spillane was born today in 1918.  Spillane’s most famous creation, Mike Hammer, was featured in five films and three TV series.  Robert Aldrich’s adaptation takes the character in a completely different direction than most, dwelling on the seedy underbelly of the character and by extension, the private detective sub-genre, turning Hammer into a sleazy, short-sighted and stubborn beyond reason bully in this quirky film-noir classic.

Where to Get It: Netflix (Rental Only) or your local library.