The Dain Curse is a novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett, published in 1929. Before its publication in book form, it was serialized in Black Mask magazine in 1928 and 1929.[1]
Part 2: "The Hollow Temple" (Black Mask, December 1928)
Part 3: "Black Honeymoon" (Black Mask, January 1929)
Part 4: "Black Riddle" (Black Mask, February 1929)
The novel of the same title based on the Black Mask serial is composed of three parts, each concerning different mysteries—Part One, "The Dains"; Part Two, "The Temple"; and Part Three, "Quesada".
Plot summary
The story is told in the first person, and the nameless detective known only as The Continental Op investigates a theft of diamonds from the Leggett family of San Francisco. The plot involves a supposed curse on the Dain family, said to inflict sudden and violent deaths upon those in their vicinity. Edgar Leggett's wife is a Dain, as is his daughter Gabrielle. The detective untangles a web of robberies, lies and murder. It is discovered that Gabrielle Leggett is under the influence of a mysterious religious cult and is also addicted to morphine.
Gabrielle escapes from the cult and marries her fiancé Eric Collinson, but bloodshed continues to follow her. The Continental Op, on behalf of four successive clients, investigates the reason behind all the mysterious, violent events surrounding Gabrielle Leggett, which he eventually uncovers. The concluding chapters of the novel contain a detailed description of how the Op weans her from her drug habit, and the novel ends on a hopeful note.
Characters in The Dain Curse
The Continental Op – private detective (called in the miniseries "Hamilton Nash")
Madison Andrews – Leggett's attorney
Claude Baker – witnessed Gabrielle driving away in Quesada
Mrs. Begg – the Leggetts' former servant
Eric Carter – Collinson's alias in Quesada
Ralph Coleman – member of Temple of the Holy Grail cult
Eric Collinson – Gabrielle's fiancé, employed at Spear, Camp and Duffy
Hubert Collinson – Eric's father
Laurence Collinson – Eric's older brother
Daisy Cotton – Dick Cotton's wife
Dick Cotton – Quesada marshal
Alice Dain – Mrs. Leggett's maiden name
Lily Dain – Alice's sister, Gabrielle's mother
Warren Daley – the Leggetts' neighbor
Debro – "Carters'" nearest neighbor in Quesada
Sheriff Feeney – in Quesada
Mrs. Fink – employee at Temple of the Holy Grail
Tom Fink – Special effects man at Temple of the Holy Grail
Owen Fitzstephan – a writer and friend of Nash's
Dick Foley – Continental detective
Big-foot Gerber – cigar store owner
Aaronia Haldorn – Joseph's wife
Joseph Haldorn – head of Temple of the Holy Grail cult
Manuel Haldorn – Joseph and Aaronia's son
Watt Halstead – of Halstead and Beauchamp, a jeweler
Mr. & Mrs. Harper – Gabrielle's mysterious friends
Minnie Hershey – the Leggett's servant
Jacques Labaud – Mayenne/Leggett's fellow convict/escapee
Gabrielle Leggett – daughter of Edgar Leggett
Edgar Leggett – Gabrielle's father, a scientist
Mrs. Leggett, née Alice Dain
Mickey Linehan – Continental operative
MacMan - Continental operative
Walter Martin – Mayenne/Leggett's alias
Al Mason – Continental operative
Maurice Pierre de Mayenne – Edgar Legett's real name
Mary Nunez – "Carters'" servant
O'Gar – homicide detail detective sergeant, San Francisco Police Department
The Old Man - the head of the Continental Detective Agency
Mrs. Priestly – neighbor of the Leggetts
Pat Reddy – O'Gar's partner, San Francisco Police Department
Dr. Riese – Doctor responding to finding of Leggett's body, Gabrielle's doctor
Mrs. Livingston Rodman – Member of Temple of the Holy Grail cult
Ben Rolly – Quesada deputy sheriff
Harry Ruppert – Upton's employee
Jack Santos - a San Francisco reporter
Rhino Tingley – Minnie's boyfriend
Louis Upton – private detective from New York
Vernon – Quesada district attorney
Harve Whidden – witness who saw Gabrielle and a man driving away in Quesada
It received three Emmy Award nominations (one for the director, one for Straight). The script, by Robert W. Lenski, won the 1978 Edgar Award for Best Television Feature or Miniseries.
An edited version of the series was released on VHS in the 1990s; a complete, full-length, two-disc DVD edition is available.
Coburn said "We went for a mood piece and a lot of it worked. For television, it was pretty good. Still, we had to fight the network (CBS) to make it the way we intended to do it. We didn’t want too many close-ups. They didn’t understand. They said this is television and that’s not the way to shoot it Well, I said, ‘fuck ‘em, let’s shoot it like a film’, and you know what?, we did for the most part.” [4]
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