The Dain Curse - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Literature help novels plot overview 339 the dain curse

The Dain Curse is a novel by Dashiell Hammett, published in 1929. Before its publication in book form, it was serialized in Black Mask magazine in 1928 and 1929.

Serial publication

The Dain Curse was originally serialized in four installments in the pulp magazine Black Mask:

Part 1: "Black Lives" (Black Mask, November 1928)

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)

Plot summary

The 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 Leggett. The detective untangles a web of robberies, lies and murder. It is discovered that Gabrielle Leggett is also involved in a mysterious religious cult and is addicted to drugs.

Gabrielle escapes from the cult and marries her fiancé, but bloodshed continues to follow them. The Continental Op protects Gabrielle and helps her recover from her morphine addiction. He finally discovers the reason behind all the mysterious, violent events surrounding Gabrielle and the Dains. The novel is structured in three parts, each concerning different mysteries—Part One, The Dains; Part Two, The Temple; and Part Three, Quesada.

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

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

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

Mrs. Priestly – neighbor of the Leggetts

Pat Reddy – O'Gar's partner, San Francisco Police Department

Dr. Riese – Ddoctor 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

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

TV mini-series adaptation

The novel was adapted into a CBS television miniseries in 1978, by director E.W. Swackhamer and producer Martin Poll, which starred James Coburn (as the Op, given the name "Hamilton Nash" for this film version), Hector Elizondo (as Ben Feeney), Jean Simmons (as Aaronia Haldorn), Jason Miller (as Owen Fitzstephan), Beatrice Straight (as Alice Leggett), Paul Stewart (as the old man), Nancy Addison (as Gabrielle Leggett), Tom Bower (as Sergeant O'Gar), David Canary (as Jack Santos), Beeson Carroll (as Marshall Cotton), Roland Winters (as Hubert Collinson) and a pre-Star Trek Brent Spiner (as Tom Fink). It received three Emmy Award nominations (one for the director). 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.

References

The Dain Curse Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA