It was Raymond Chandler’s birthday a few weeks ago and Twitter was abuzz with one-liner quotes from the hardboiled crime novels he wrote in the 1930s and 40s. Even today, over 50 years since his death, the author is making an impact on our culture. His writing was adapted for film, and Chandler also worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Now, a campaign is underway to give the author the recognition he deserves with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Screenwriters Bill Boyle and Aaron Lerner are both huge Chandler fans and have launched the campaign – the aim is to raise over $50,000 in order to purchase the star. After all, without works like The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, and The Long Goodbye – all of which were made into films – an entire genre of Hollywood movies might never have been made. And ask yourself, why should the Rug Rats, Big Bird, Lassie, Bob Hope’s wife and the Victoria’s Secret models have stars, and not our man Raymond?
If he receives his star, Chandler will be the first screenwriter to do so who was not also a producer, director or animator. He received Oscar nominations for Double Indemnity (1943) and The Blue Dahlia (1946) and worked with some of the greats of his era -Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, and Billy Wilder. Most recently his film adaptations have starred Robert Mitchum, Elliott Gould, and Powers Boothe.
Bill Boyle said: “The Chandler estate has given us its blessing, and we have obtained the necessary approvals from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.”
Boyle plans to raise over $53,000, which includes the required fees for Hollywood Historic Trust as well as the creation of the Walk of Fame star. Excess funds, in addition to those being raised for star-related activities, will be used to create a film-writing scholarship in Chandler’s name.
You can make a donation here, and if you put in $25 you’ll get a star certificate while $50 will get you a Raymond Chandler Mystery Map. Go further up the scale and you can have an exclusive tour for two around Los Angeles, visiting Chandler hotspots.
