Unknown
[identification of item], "Dashiell Hammett's 'The Whosis Kid'" Screenplay by Stanley Askin, SPEC.RARE.MMS.0348, Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.
Processed by: Beth Crowner, 2019 March; Finding Aid written by: Beth Crowner, 2019 March
Stanley Askin (1921-1993) was a veteran and civil rights activist who was the state director for the Young Progressives in Maryland. He served in the United States Army during World War II. In July 1948, he was one of the leaders of the civil rights protest at Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park, which later led to his blacklisting in 1951 by Senator McCarthy as a potential Communist sympathizer. Prior to his blacklisting, Askin had written radio scripts for Broadcast Music Inc., but turned to scriptwriting afterwards.
Like Askin, Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) was investigated for potential Communist leanings in the 1950s, and was eventually blacklisted for refusing to cooperate with the investigative committee. Hammett was an author known for popularizing the hard-boiled detective in fiction. He published the majority of his works between the 1920s-1930s. His "The Continental Op" character featured in his short story "The Whosis Kid," was a precursor to other detectives Hammett created, such as his most well-known character, Sam Spade. The "Whosis Kid" originally appeared in the March 1925 edition of
"Dashiell Hammett's 'The Whosis Kid'" Screenplay by Stanley Askin is a 111 page unpublished manuscript written by Stanley L. Askin circa circa 1950s-1960s. It was written as an adaptation of one of Dashiell Hammett’s early serialized works by the same name, a short story featuring the unnamed character known only as "The Continental Op." The screenplay was never produced.