Sat 17 Feb 2007
The title of the first Modesty Blaise novel was exactly that, Modesty Blaise, published by Souvenir Press in 1965. The author was Peter O’Donnell. Modesty, of course, had appeared even earlier, as her adventures in book form were preceded by those in the daily comic strips, debuting in the London Evening Standard in 1963. The first artist for the strip was Jim Holdaway, then Romero and a small number of others, with Romero returning before O’Donnell decided to end it in 2001.
The comic strip was not widely distributed in the US, in part because adventure strips find very little acceptance in this country in general, but also because of the nude scenes which had to be censored. A favorite tactic that Modesty used against her foes was called the “Nailer,” whereby she would strip above the waist and Willlie Garvin, her companion in crime-fighting, would take advantage of the distraction she caused. Not a technique that could be shown in the US!
There were movies, too, not always very successful, and perhaps I’ll discuss them someday. A pilot was made and aired for proposed TV series starring Ann Turkel, but nothing further developed.
Taken from wikipedia, here are portions of a couple of paragraphs that will help explain some of the background for Modesty Blaise, the character.
“During these years she met Willie Garvin. Despite the desperate life he was living, she saw his potential and offered him a job. Inspired by her belief in him, he pulled through as her right-hand man in The Network and became Modesty Blaise’s most trusted friend. Theirs is a strictly platonic relationship and is based on mutual respect and shared interests. They have never gone to bed with each other, fearing that would ruin their special bond.
“When she felt she’d made enough money, she retired and moved to England; Willie Garvin followed suit. Bored by their new lives among the idle rich, they accepted a request for assistance from Sir Gerald Tarrant, a high-ranking official of the British secret service — and this is where the story really begins.”
Now go, if you will, to the Crime Time website , and an interview with Mr. O’Donnell, where he explains for the first time who it was — the real person — upon whom Modesty Blaise was based.
Here I’ll quote only the last paragraph, in which Mr. O’Donnell says:
–Thanks to Peter Rozovsky of Detectives Without Borders for the tipoff to the interview.
February 21st, 2007 at 12:11 am
Thanks for the thanks. Modesty Blaise is an interesting character and an interesting phenomenon, and the “Nailer” has a history I did not know about until I read your comment.
I had my first encounter with Modesty Blaise a few months ago in the first Modesty Blaise novel. There, she contemplates using the Nailer but does not — a nice tease to male readers that also sidesteps the hazards of censorship. I did not consider at the time that she may actually have used the tactic in the comic strips that predated the novel. Would O’Donnell have wanted to be more circumspect in a novel than in a comic strip? I also don’t know if Modesty went on to use the Nailer in subsequent novels.
I received a number of interesting comments when I posted about Modesty Blaise at Detectives Beyond Borders a few months back: http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/2006/12/augustus-mandrell-vs-modesty-blaise.html It’s a small sampling, but I found more positive comments about the character from women than from men. One reader called her “a decidedly feminist figure.” It was reassuring that women could praise a female character who (a) uses her body as a distraction (in addition to as a killing machine) and (b) was created by a man. It made feel that there was a little more sanity in the world than I had suspected,
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
February 21st, 2007 at 12:49 am
Do you know, I don’t know all that much about the history and the past usage of the “Nailer.” Where and when she used the technique, and whether she used it more than once, I do not know.
Perhaps it’s one of those things that you hear about more than you see for yourself. But once established, no matter how, the anticipation of an action can provide more of an edge than the action itself — and maybe even more so for the reader!
As for Modesty being a feminist figure, I vote yes. But then again, so are Miss Marple, Miss Silver, Mrs. Jeffries and Mrs. Peel, each in their own way.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I don’t know how old this post is but I can say that the nailer was used a number of times in other novels, and from memory the strip cartoon at least in the UK didn’t hold back. Yes definitely a pro feminist character but so much more besides.
best wishes
August 15th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
thanks from sweden Im 57 and have MD on my left arm tatoo.
April 5th, 2022 at 5:36 am
Concerning the “Nailer”; it was not always her top that she used to strip. More often it was her (velcro-laced) skirt. The first story that I ever read: “The Red Gryphon” features a scene where she strips of her skirt to save some street urchins from two enforcers. The only thing that surprised me is that wasn’t the first time I’d seen a female character fighting in her knickers. The first time was in “From Russia with Love”.