Craig Zablo

SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER by David Goodis

First sentences…

There were no street lamps, no lights at all.  It was a narrow street in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia.  From the nearby Delaware a cold wind came lancing in, telling all the alley cats they’d better find a heated cellar.  The late November gusts rattled against the midnight-darkened windows, and stabbed at the eyes of the fallen man in the street.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Eddie Lynn is a piano player in a small jazz club. Eddie comes in each night, plays the piano and keeps to himself. Eddie is an enigma. Always quiet.  Never talks about his past.  But boy, can he make the piano sing.

One night when Eddie is playing, a man rushes in. He’s Eddie’s estranged brother on the run from two thugs who aren’t far behind. Eddie wants no part of his brother’s problem, yet he can’t stand by and do nothing. The choice to get involved will expose Eddie’s past, drag him into a world of crime and result in several murders.

Will Eddie survive?

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DOWN THERE, David Goodis’ classic crime novel was written in 1956.  It was adapted into a 1960 French film by François Truffaut.  The film was titled Shoot the Piano Player. Some reprints of Goodis’ novel use the SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER title.

Although based on David Goodis’ classic noir novel, DOWN THERE, the screenplay makes significant changes to the protagonist.  In the movie his name is Charlie, in the novel it is Eddie. In the movie Charlie is small, shy and passive.  In the novel, Eddie is physically imposing and he projects confidence.  Eddie chooses to be private for an unknown reason.  Charlie is naturally introverted.

I like the film adaptation, but the novel is better.  Much better.

DOWN THERE is one of my all-time favorite novels.  It’s hardboiled noir at its best.

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