THE LATE, GREAT JOHN D.MacD. [1916-1986].

Available in quantity at SKIP MABEE’s A.B.C. BOOK & COMIC EMPORIUM. 1234 Granville Street - Vancouver BC Tel: 604 682 3019

14 years ago next month one of America’s most prolific { 500 short stories in less than 50 years } and reliable talented pulpmeisters John D.MacDonald died at age 70. The much- and deservedly- lauded creator of the 21 hyper-macho TRAVIS McGEE hard-boiled thrillers, the ‘shabby knight-errant’ whose houseboat The Busted Flush moored at Slip F-18 .

Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1916 John Dann MacD. Had become a Lieu-tenant-Colonel in the US Armed Forces by age 29. John was in actuality a prodigious tough-guy who had earned an MBA from Harvard and had served his country in Burma (Myanmar today) China and India during World War Two. MacDonald was also a pioneer in populist ecology determined to preserve the wetlands – Everglades- of his adopted state Florida from the equally determined depredations of developers eager to transform primeval swamp into primeval hunting-grounds for psycho-killers and mad-dog drug merchants.

40 years ago the author in his FLASH OF GREEN filmed with Ed Harris protested in favour of retaining the pristine nature of the wetlands from encroaching progress. The Miami newsman and parodist Carl Hiaasen has taken up this eco-torch from Big John Mac Dee in such witty satires as SICK PUPPY and SKIN TIGHT,

The very first ‘Travis McGee’ was published in 1964 – THE DEEP BLUE GOODBYE - the last was THE LONELY SILVER RAIN.
His legacy lives on. Lousiana writer James Lee Burke has very ably fashioned in his ‘Dave Robicheaux" series created a handful of very hyper-macho hard-as-nails novels in the ‘90s ones that Big John MacD. would have respected BURNING ANGEL.

© Alex Grant November 2002

CHA CHA CHA
THREE DEAD WHITE MALES OF PULP FICTION & LAWRENCE BLOCK
• Alex Grant at ABC Books
LESLIE CHARTERIS
JAMES HADLEY CHASE
PETER CHEYNEY

More Reviews

< Back to Index
< Reply to this Article

© Hackwriters 2002