Muller, Eddie 1959–

PERSONAL: Born 1959, in San Francisco, CA; son of Eddie Muller (a sportswriter); married Kathleen Maria Milne. Education: Attended San Francisco Art Institute.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Denise Marcil, 156 5th Ave., Ste. 625, New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Journalist; author of fiction and nonfiction.

AWARDS, HONORS: Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination for best critical/biographical work, Mystery Writers of America, 1999, for Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, and 2003, for The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era of Film Noir; Shamus Award for Best P.I. First Novel, for The Distance, 2003.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

(With Daniel Faris) Grindhouse: The Forbidden World of "Adult Only" Cinema, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1996.

Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1998.

Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir, Regan Books/HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era of Film Noir, Overlook Press (Woodstock, NY), 2002.

(With Tab Hunter) Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC), 2005.

NOVELS

The Distance, Scribner (New York, NY), 2002.

Shadow Boxer, Scribner (New York, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Eddie Muller became fascinated with film noir while growing up in San Francisco, and his interest eventually led to three books on the subject: Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir, and The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era of Film Noir. Muller watched two hundred noir films while researching his 1998 book Dark City. In it he details the history of film noir, beginning with 1940's Stranger on the Third Floor, and ending with Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1960 film Psycho. Also included are illustrations and background information on film noir actors. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted: "Muller writes with a real flair." Bill Ott stated in Booklist that "film noir fans will have plenty to enjoy here."

While researching Dark City Dames, Muller interviewed six film noir actresses: Coleen Gray, Jane Greer, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Savage, Audrey Totter, and Marie Windsor. He records the career of each actress, includes insider stories from the women, and discusses the turns their lives took over six decades. Library Journal contributor Stephen Rees described the book as "briskly written and well researched."

The Distance is Muller's first novel. Set in San Francisco in 1948, it tells the story of Billy Nichols, boxing columnist for the Inquirer newspaper. Boxer Hack Escalante phones Nichols and asks for his help after he realizes that he has accidentally killed his manager. Billy finds himself helping Hack bury the body, which he later realizes was a huge mistake. Billy tries to protect Hack from the police and cover up the murder but soon finds his job and his own life in danger. A Kirkus Reviews critic described the book as "pungent, poignant, wonderfully atmospheric—an absolute knockout of a first novel."

Muller continued the story of Billy Nichols in Shadow Boxer, published in 2003. In this story, the sports columnist is enlisted by a woman seeking to clear her husband of a murder charge. Billy also becomes involved with a friend who is struck and hurt by a truck owned by a liquor company. A witness says that the injured party was at fault, and Billy must try to unravel the case. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found Billy "a compelling personality" whose second adventure proves to be an "exciting romp." Numerous reviewers noted the connections between Muller's book and the film-noir movies he had written about previously; a Kirkus Reviews writer called Shadow Boxer "steamy, noirish, and lovingly pitch-perfect in its treatment of the world of boxing."

Muller's knowledge of Hollywood made him a logical choice to work with former matinee idol Tab Hunter on the actor's autobiography: Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star. Hunter began life as Art Gelien, a shy boy who loved horses. His outstanding good looks caught the attention of agent Henry Willson who, along with Dick Clayton, proceeded to transform Art Gelien into Tab Hunter, a Hollywood star designed especially to appeal to teenage girls. Hunter's acting skills were limited; nevertheless, he was soon living a glamorous life as one of the movie industry's hottest properties. The underside of Hunter's story is his homosexuality: if the truth about his sexual orientation had been widely known, it would have destroyed his career. Hunter relates his own search for self-identity, his hidden affairs, and his eventual decision to publicly proclaim his sexuality. His book proceeds in "sharp, succinct anecdotes," stated Chris Freeman in Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide. Rosellen Brewer, writing in the Library Journal, called Hunter's story an "engrossing tale" with a "surprisingly happy ending," as the actor comes to terms with his true self.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 1996, Mike Tribby, review of Grindhouse: The Forbidden World of "Adult Only" Cinema, p. 472; February 15, 1998, Bill Ott, review of Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, p. 964; December 1, 2001, Connie Fletcher, review of The Distance, p. 633.

Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, January-February, 2006, Chris Freeman, review of Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, p. 39.

Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2001, review of The Distance, p. 1584; November 1, 2002, review of Shadow Boxer, p. 1574.

Library Journal, May 1, 2001, Stephen Rees, review of Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir, p. 88; January, 2003, Bob Lunn, review of Shadow Boxer, p. 157; September 1, 2005, Rosellen Brewer, review of Tab Hunter Confidential, p. 143.

New York Times Book Review, December 25, 2005, Jacob Heilbrunn, review of Tab Hunter Confidential, p. 18.

Premiere, May, 2001, Aimee Agresti, "Dark Angels," p. 23.

Publishers Weekly, December 22, 1997, review of Dark City, p. 47; April 23, 2001, review of Dark City Dames, p. 62; November 5, 2001, review of The Distance, p. 43; December 9, 2002, review of Shadow Boxer, p. 65.

Sight and Sound, August, 1998, review of Dark City, p. 27.

Village Voice, winter, 1996, Guy Trebay, review of Grindhouse, p. 22.

ONLINE

Bright Lights Film Journal, http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/ (December 5, 2006), Gary Morris, review of Grindhouse.

Eddie Muller's Home Page, http://www.eddiemuller.com (April 19, 2006).