SOURCE: Wilt, David. “Dwight V. Babcock.” In Hardboiled in Hollywood, pp. 121-47. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1991.

In the following excerpt, Wilt recounts the varied career of hard-boiled writer Dwight V. Babcock, evaluating his achievements in the fields of the novel, pulp fiction, screenwriting, and television work.

Dwight V. Babcock's writing career spanned more than 25 years, and included numerous short stories, several novels, and many motion picture and television scripts. From 1934 to 1939 he was one of the more popular and prolific writers for Black Mask, considered the apex of detective/mystery fiction pulp magazines. After authoring several well-received mystery novels, Babcock turned his back on public acclaim and entered the ranks of screenwriters, a largely unsung lot.

Currently, many of the works of Dwight Babcock are hard to locate for reexamination. Babcock was not a prolific writer, especially when compared to wordsmiths like Erle...