Mickey Spillane

American writer (1918-2006)

Frank Morrison Spillane ( March 9, 1918 – July 17, 2006), better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, called the “king of pulp fiction”. His stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer.

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About the Mickey Spillane

Frank Morrison Spillane ( March 9, 1918 – July 17, 2006), better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, called the “king of pulp fiction”. His stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself in the 1965 film The Girl Hunters.

25 Quotes by Mickey Spillane

  1. 1.

    Hemingway hated me. I sold 200 million books, and he didn’t. Of course most of mine sold for 25 cents, but still… you look at all this stuff with a grain of salt.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  2. 2.

    I played in a movie called Ring of Fear with Clyde Beatty and Pat O’Brien.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  3. 3.

    Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  4. 4.

    See, heroes never die. John Wayne isn’t dead, Elvis isn’t dead. Otherwise you don’t have a hero. You can’t kill a hero. That’s why I never let him get older.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  5. 5.

    Now I’m not an author, I’m a writer, that’s all I am.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  6. 6.

    Victor Saville was bad news because he wanted money just to do one big picture.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  7. 7.

    I read all the time… I read a lot of history books.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  8. 8.

    Where I am they can smell out a hurricane. My house survived Hurricane Hazel, but it didn’t get past Hugo.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  9. 9.

    Stephen King. Now I’m not crazy about him, but he’s a great a writer.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  10. 10.

    I know an awful lot of Hollywood people, who are so self-important, I can’t understand it.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  11. 11.

    I’m 82 years old, wherever I go everybody knows me, but here’s why… I’m a merchandiser, I’m not just a writer, I stay in every avenue you can think of.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  12. 12.

    If I need something, I’ll invent it.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  13. 13.

    If the public likes you, you’re good.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  14. 14.

    If you’re a singer you lose your voice. A baseball player loses his arm. A writer gets more knowledge, and if he’s good, the older he gets, the better he writes.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  15. 15.

    Oh yeah, I was one of the first guys writing comic books, I wrote Captain America, with guys like Stan Lee, who became famous later on with Marvel Comics.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  16. 16.

    Critics themselves, they used to tear me up.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  17. 17.

    I wrote the original Mike Hammer as a comic, Mike Danger.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  18. 18.

    I started off at the high level, in the slick magazines, but they didn’t use my name, they used house names. Anyway, then I went downhill to the pulps, then downhill further to the comics.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  19. 19.

    I dont like any of them, because they don’t read the books. In Kiss Me Deadly my story is better than his story. Anthony Quinn played in The Lond Wait and he didn’t read the book either.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  20. 20.

    I’m a country boy. I hate New York. But that’s where things happen, so I use it as a base for stories, I know enough about it. But I have to keep going back there.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  21. 21.

    My father was Catholic, my mother was Protestant, and because of that I got Christened in both churches, so I’ve got all these names… but my Dad always called me Mick.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  22. 22.

    Imagine this guy hits Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coathanger and knocks him out. You hit Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coathanger, he’ll beat the crap out of you.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  23. 23.

    Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  24. 24.

    I’m a commercial writer, not an author. Margaret Mitchell was an author. She wrote one book.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)

  25. 25.

    I try to stay in good physical shape, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink.

    Mickey Spillane

    American writer (1918-2006)