Side-Pod - The Birds: Oh My Giddy Aunt *THWACK*

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Sidepod!

Join Paul and his special guest, Herbert West of the Doctor Who Podcast “Trial Of A Timelord”, as they discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film “The Birds”.

In the late fifties and early sixties, Hitchcock and Evan Hunter crossed paths a few times in the course of the making of the TV series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents…” and this led to Hitch inviting Hunter to adapt the 1952 short story by Daphne Du Maurier into the screenplay for his next horror/thriller movie. The journey was not necessarily an easy one and we take a deep dive (from up in the sky – beak sharpened and pointed at your eyes) into what made this film a success, a failure or simply a cinematic curiosity, depending on your point of view (if you’ve got any eyes left after the dive-bombing).

Along the way we hear an interesting theory about how horror and police procedurals work, learn about the magical German device known as the Trautonium and find out what magpies get up to on the winter holidays.

If you want to know more about Hitch and Hunter’s relationship, Evan’s book “Me and Hitch” is a fascinating read, but we’ll put more on the blog about it for you to follow up!

Find “Trial Of A Timelord” on Twitter and Podbean – and why not start with the Paradise Towers episode, eh?

Fare thee well!

Ed McBain's Lady, Lady, I Did It! - Episode 14: Relatively Politely Spoken Flautist

Hark! It's the 87th Precinct Podcast!

The year is 1961. 87th Precinct fans have had to wait an entire year since their last fix and they're desperate for another story - McBain finally provides them with the 14th novel in the series, the brutal and heartbreaking Lady, Lady, I Did It!

Join us for our usual mix of book-review and contextual-chatter (sorry, there's quite a bit of preamble this time!), as we discover all about what was going on around the world in music, TV and politics. Listen whilst Paul relates some communication from Hunter's literary agent Jane Gelfman (thanks, Jane!) and try not to get fed up with us as we mention the Carry On... films yet again.

Thanks for listening and please, as always, share on social media, rate and review in your podcast apps and feel free to send us messages on FB, Twitter, Insta or email (hark87podcast@gmail.com). Join us soon for a bonus episode and then get reading the collection of novellas, The Empty Hours (1962). Fare thee well!

Ed McBain's The Heckler - Episode 12, Bonus: What About the Tuba Murders?

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast Bonus Episode

A very silly podcast.

Join us for our post-main-podcast descent into madness as we start out proper (the artwork of Tony Palladino, Hitchcock and the nature of The Deaf Man, Teddy Carella and good vs evil), before speculating on what the cover of Stevo's 1979 Penguin edition actually shows. From thereon in, we hear about the Three 'Crimey' Things Paul got up to that day and consider P J Hammond's adventure series Sapphire and Steel in a whole new (Cornish) light.

Get your book-eyes pointed at McBain's "See Them Die" in time for the next main podcast, or Kurosawa's High and Low in the meantime. As always, a rating or review anywhere (everywhere?) is appreciated - especially if you're listening on Apple Podcasts.