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Get Shorty
Get Shorty
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First edition (publ. Delacorte Press)

Get Shorty is a 1990 novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995, the novel was adapted into an eponymous film, and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name.

Plot summary

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The story is about Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, a small-time loan shark based in Miami. After learning that his operation has been turned over to an old enemy, Ray "Bones" Barboni, Chili flies to Las Vegas in pursuit of Leo Devoe, a dry cleaner who has scammed an airline out of $300,000 in life insurance by faking his death in a plane crash, and who owes a $10,000 gambling debt to Chili's employers.

After relieving Leo of the money in Vegas, Chili impulsively gambles it all away. To avoid returning home empty-handed, he goes to the casino's security director and is offered the chance to collect from Harry Zimm, a veteran horror film producer based in Los Angeles. Chili, interested in the movie business, heads for Los Angeles to make Zimm pay.

Chili sneaks into the house of "scream queen" actress Karen Flores, where Harry is staying, in the night. After he warns Harry to pay his Las Vegas markers, he explains that he has an idea for a movie. Harry is immediately taken in by Chili's charm and his movie premise. For the movie's plot, Chili recounts Leo's story to Harry in the third person, as if it were a work of fiction. Karen recognizes the premise as a true story and identifies Chili as the unnamed shylock.

The next morning, Harry asks for Chili's help in dealing with a movie script for Mr. Lovejoy he wants to buy from his writer's widow, Doris Saffron, who wants $500,000 for it and he guaranteed a $200,000 investment from Bo Catlett, a local limo driver and drug dealer, to make another movie, Freaks. (Harry gambled Bo's $200,000 away in the Vegas in hope of making the $500,000 he needed for Mr. Lovejoy). In a meeting with Bo, Harry and Chili tell them that their investment in Freaks is sound but they are making another movie first. Bo tells them to move the money into the new picture; Harry says he cannot since the new movie deal is "structured".

Bo is involved in a Mexican drug deal that falls through. He has left the payment in a locker at the Los Angeles airport but the Colombian sent to receive the money, Yayo, does not feel safe unlocking the locker with so many DEA agents nearby. Bo later meets Yayo at the limo garage and after Yayo threatens to tell the DEA who Bo is, Bo shoots him.

Bo soon offers the locker money to Harry as an investment and tells him to send Chili to get the money. Chili senses something wrong, signs out a nearby locker as a test and is taken for questioning by DEA agents. After the questioning, Chili seeks the interests of Michael Weir, a top-tier Hollywood actor to play the lead in "Mr. Lovejoy".

Ray Barboni, after learning about Leo's money from his wife, comes to Los Angeles looking for the money Chili collected from Leo, only to find the key to the locker from the failed drug deal in one of Chili's pockets. Thinking Chili has stashed his cash in a locker, he goes to the airport and is busted by drug officials.

In a final showdown with Bo, Chili is held at gunpoint by Catlett. One of Catlett's henchman, known as the Bear, arrives just in time to apprehend Catlett, and in the struggle for the gun, Catlett falls through the railing of his sun deck. As Chili recounts his story to Karen and Harry, it shares some comparisons with Mr. Lovejoy.

Adaptations

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The novel served as the basis for a Get Shorty franchise. This included: the 1995 film adaptation; a sequel titled Be Cool was released 2005, which was based on the novel of the same name; and the Get Shorty TV series was released through Epix from August 2017 – November 2019.[1] Ray Romano and Chris O'Dowd star in the series.[2] The first season premiered on August 13, 2017.[3]

Notes

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Get Shorty is a crime novel written by American author Elmore Leonard, first published in 1990 by Delacorte Press. The story follows Chili Palmer, a Miami-based loan shark who travels to Las Vegas and Los Angeles to collect on a debt, only to become immersed in the sleazy world of Hollywood filmmaking as he pitches movie ideas to struggling producer Harry Zimm. Leonard's narrative blends sharp dialogue, dark humor, and satirical takes on the entertainment industry, establishing it as a hallmark of his signature style in crime fiction. The novel was adapted into a 1995 film directed by , with a screenplay by . Starring as Chili Palmer, as Harry Zimm, René Russo as actress Karen Flores, and as fading movie star Martin Weir, the film captures Leonard's witty tone while emphasizing the absurdity of Hollywood deal-making. Released on October 20, 1995, by , it premiered at number one at the domestic box office, earning $12.7 million in its opening weekend and grossing $72.1 million domestically. The adaptation received critical acclaim for its and faithful yet cinematic rendering of the source material, earning multiple award nominations including Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and for Travolta. In 2017, Epix (now MGM+) premiered a television series loosely inspired by the novel, created by and starring as Miles Daly, a low-level enforcer from a crime syndicate who relocates to to launder money through independent film production. co-stars as washed-up producer Rick Moreweather, with supporting roles by , Lidia Porto, and Carolyn Dodd. The dark comedy series diverges from the book's plot by focusing on Miles's family motivations and escalating criminal entanglements in the movie business, spanning three seasons and 27 episodes from August 13, 2017, to November 17, 2019. It earned praise for its blend of humor and tension, renewing interest in Leonard's original work.

Background and publication

Development and writing

Elmore Leonard's interest in Hollywood as a setting grew from his decades-long involvement with the film industry, where he wrote screenplays to subsidize his writing, including frequent trips to during the 1980s to observe the industry's inner workings and eccentricities. These experiences, marked by frustrations from botched adaptations like his scripts for films, fueled a satirical lens on the entertainment world's superficiality and opportunism. Key inspirations for the novel derived from Leonard's encounters with real-life s and movie producers uncovered during research trips. In August 1988, Leonard's longtime researcher Gregg Sutter conducted a three-and-a-half-hour with Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, a Miami-based connected to , whose cool demeanor, style, and anecdotes directly shaped the protagonist's character and approach to hustling. Sutter's interactions with low-level mob figures in provided additional authenticity to the criminal elements, while Leonard's own dealings with B-movie producers informed the satirical portrayals of Hollywood deal-making. Leonard employed rigorous research methods, including Sutter's on-the-ground interviews with mob associates and guided visits to film studios, to blend factual details from both and circles into the . These efforts ensured the story's dual worlds felt interconnected and believable, highlighting parallels between loan-sharking tactics and pitching movie ideas. Following the completion of his 1989 novel Killshot, Leonard shifted focus to Get Shorty, outlining the story that year and finishing the first draft in early 1990 before its publication later that summer. A central creative decision was merging his signature with pointed Hollywood satire, using the loan shark's incursion into filmmaking to expose the industry's gaminess and self-delusion, drawing directly from Leonard's accumulated observations of its "second-level" operations.

Publication history

Get Shorty was first published in hardcover by Delacorte Press on July 1, 1990, bearing the ISBN 0-385-30141-9. The 292-page novel marked another entry in Elmore Leonard's oeuvre, following his established pattern of blending sharp dialogue with genre tropes. Delacorte Press marketed the book as a satirical crime novel, leveraging Leonard's growing reputation in the genre to target readers familiar with his prior bestsellers, such as the 1985 hit Glitz. Promotional efforts emphasized its Hollywood setting and wry take on the film industry, aligning with Leonard's appeal to fans of his fast-paced, dialogue-driven narratives. Early distribution focused on major U.S. markets, with bookstore appearances tied to the story's origins to generate local interest. A mass-market paperback edition followed in 1991 from Dell Publishing, expanding accessibility to a broader audience. International releases included a hardcover edition by Viking in October 1990 (ISBN 0-670-83500-5), which helped introduce the novel to European readers shortly after its American debut.

Content

Plot summary

The novel opens in , where Chili Palmer works as a for the local mob, collecting debts through intimidation and persistence. The plot kicks off with a tense confrontation stemming from a stolen and a involving a faked plane crash death, drawing Chili deeper into a web of criminal entanglements. Chili is sent to to collect a from Leo Devoe, a dry cleaner who faked his death in a plane crash to claim money. After retrieving the funds but losing them , Chili travels to to collect another from struggling Harry Zimm, who owes money to the mob due to losses. Quickly immersed in Hollywood's chaotic world, Chili leverages his street smarts to insert himself into Zimm's faltering , pitching ideas and navigating the industry's peculiarities. Central conflicts arise from mix-ups with hidden from a botched deal, Harry's script Mr. Lovejoy about a hitman, and pursuits by rival gangster Bo Catlett seeking the same cash. These threads intertwine as Chili balances mob pressures with Hollywood ambitions, leading to escalating tensions between the criminal underworld and the scene. Key events include Chili's bold takeover of Zimm's company to salvage a project, his pitch of a based on his own experiences, budding romantic interest with actress Karen Flores amid professional dealings, and high-stakes confrontations that build toward a event. The narrative resolves as Chili deftly maneuvers through both worlds, forging a deal that merges his loan-sharking expertise with film producing, allowing him to carve out a new path in .

Characters

The novel's , Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, is a Miami-based working for the mob, known for his calm demeanor and ability to intimidate without resorting to violence. Inspired by real-life mob enforcers Leonard encountered, Chili is resourceful and witty, often navigating conflicts with understated coolness rather than aggression; he evolves from debt collector to aspiring Hollywood producer after pursuing a delinquent borrower to and then . Harry Zimm serves as a key ally to Chili, depicted as a struggling Hollywood of low-budget B-movies, such as horror flicks featuring slime creatures and mutants, who is deeply indebted to dangerous investors due to his habits. Opportunistic and endlessly talkative, Zimm represents the desperation of the film industry, constantly pitching half-baked ideas in hopes of a comeback with his ambitious project Mr. Lovejoy. Karen Flores, an intelligent and skeptical former who starred as a "scream queen" in Zimm's earlier films, provides a romantic interest for Chili while offering an insider's perspective on Hollywood's underbelly. As Zimm's ex-girlfriend, she is wary of the industry's opportunists but drawn to Chili's authenticity, highlighting her grounded nature amid the chaos. The primary antagonist, Bo Catlett, is a sharp-dressing, ambitious drug dealer based in who has invested in Zimm's films and now pursues the same debt trail as Chili with violent intent. Sadistic and sleek, Catlett embodies ruthless criminal ambition, clashing with Chili over Zimm's misused funds and escalating the story's tensions. Among the secondary characters, Ray "Bones" Barboni is a vengeful rival mobster from , harboring a long-standing grudge against Chili for a past altercation involving a stolen jacket, which motivates his aggressive interference in the . Martin Weir, a famous method actor fascinated by real-life , becomes involved by agreeing to star in a based on Chili's experiences, underscoring the blurred lines between authenticity and performance in Hollywood. Ron Sinclair, a pragmatic scriptwriter and producer associate of Zimm, aids in developing movie pitches but remains more peripheral, illustrating the collaborative yet opportunistic side of .

Analysis

Themes

Get Shorty satirizes the Hollywood film industry by exposing its superficiality, greed, and the porous boundary between reality and fabricated narratives. The novel critiques how producers like Harry Zimm pursue low-budget schemes driven by financial desperation rather than artistic merit, turning personal misfortunes into exploitable movie pitches. This portrayal underscores the industry's obsession with commodifying life events, as every conflict or betrayal becomes potential cinematic material. The story draws parallels between the criminal underworld and Hollywood's power structures, equating mob hierarchies with studio politics and loan-sharking tactics with aggressive deal-making. Characters navigate both realms using similar strategies of intimidation and persuasion, revealing how the business mirrors in its cutthroat dynamics. For instance, the transition of figures from Miami's mob scene to ' production offices highlights these overlapping hierarchies. Central to the is the theme of ambition and personal reinvention, exemplified by Chili Palmer's adaptability as he shifts from a to a in a corrupt . This motif illustrates how individuals exploit new environments to redefine themselves, reflecting broader American ideals of self-made success amid moral ambiguity. Chili's seamless integration into Hollywood demonstrates the novel's exploration of reinvention as a survival mechanism in fluid, opportunistic worlds. Leonard employs violence and as intertwined motifs to examine power dynamics, favoring verbal resolution over physical confrontation to resolve conflicts. Characters like Chili prioritize and psychological leverage, such as in script negotiations, over gunfire, emphasizing talk as the ultimate tool of influence in both and spheres. This approach critiques how manifests subtly through rather than overt aggression. The also delves into cultural clashes between Miami's gritty and Los Angeles' glamorous facade, using the contrast to dismantle illusions of sophistication in the world. The pragmatic criminal mindset from exposes Hollywood's pretensions, as characters transplant street-level realism into a setting obsessed with image and artifice. This highlights how raw ambition from one locale unravels the performative norms of the other.

Writing style

Elmore Leonard's prose in Get Shorty is predominantly dialogue-driven, guided by his tenth rule of writing: "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip." This results in snappy, authentic conversations that closely mimic natural speech patterns, minimizing exposition and allowing characters' voices to reveal motivations and conflicts efficiently. Such dialogue not only advances the plot but also embodies Leonard's commitment to economical storytelling, where every exchange serves multiple purposes without unnecessary elaboration. The unfolds through a third-person limited perspective, alternating among principal characters like Chili Palmer and Harry Zimm to heighten tension and irony. This technique provides intimate access to each figure's thoughts and biases, creating layered misunderstandings that underscore the novel's interpersonal dynamics. By shifting perspectives chapter by chapter with seamless effortlessness, maintains momentum while avoiding omniscient detachment. Pacing in Get Shorty is brisk and cinematic, characterized by short chapters and scenes that blend thriller with comedic timing, especially amid Hollywood's chaotic dealings. This structure imitates filmic jump cuts, keeping the story in constant motion and preventing lulls through rapid character interactions. The fast tempo reflects Leonard's broader stylistic preference for action-oriented progression over reflective pauses. Humor emerges through dry wit and in the clashes between figures and insiders, steering clear of overt in favor of ironic observations. These moments arise organically from situational absurdities and verbal sparring, enhancing the novel's satirical edge without disrupting its taut rhythm. Consistent with Leonard's trademarks, the novel features vivid yet economical descriptions of settings—juxtaposing Miami's humid grit against Los Angeles's polished veneer—and a strict avoidance of adverbs to preserve clarity and . These choices, drawn from his rules against detailed environmental filler and adverbial modifiers, ensure descriptions filter through characters' eyes, prioritizing immersion over ornamentation.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Upon its 1990 publication, Get Shorty garnered widespread praise for its satirical take on Hollywood and Elmore Leonard's signature style. Nora Ephron, reviewing for The New York Times, described the novel as superior to Leonard's previous effort Killshot, commending its "punchy, pitch-perfect" dialogue and looping, twisting sentences that captured the psychological undercurrents of the film industry, though she noted it fell short of his Edgar Award-winning LaBrava. Publishers Weekly highlighted the book's humor and insider perspective on Hollywood's "sham culture," praising the authentic, concise dialogue—exemplified by protagonist Chili Palmer's mantra, "Don’t talk when you don’t have to"—and the seamless integration of revenge, murder, and romance in a plot that left readers "smiling." Similarly, Kirkus Reviews lauded it as a "multilayered, superbly entertaining crime thriller," emphasizing Leonard's acid-squirting satire of Tinseltown as a "whacked-out Wonderland" populated by schemers and dreamers, and declaring it "very smart and twisty and funny: a Leonard classic." Critics consistently applauded the novel's witty genre-blending, sharp characterizations, and incisive Hollywood critique, with Ephron underscoring its "breezy confidence" in navigating mobster tropes through a producer's lens. Minor criticisms surfaced regarding occasional reliance on predictable crime conventions and a finale perceived as somewhat rushed, as Ephron implied in comparing it unfavorably to Leonard's earlier peaks, though such points were overshadowed by the prevailing enthusiasm. In retrospective assessments, Get Shorty has been elevated as one of Leonard's finest achievements for its prescient dissection of Hollywood's status games, aging anxieties, and cinematic obsessions. Dennis Lehane, in a 2020 Guardian essay marking the book's 30th anniversary, hailed it as Leonard's "greatest work," crediting its meta-narrative playfulness and enduring relevance amid the author's 1980s-1990s creative zenith. The novel enjoys broad acclaim as a modern crime fiction classic, reflected in its 3.96 out of 5 average rating on Goodreads from over 24,000 user reviews since publication.

Commercial success and legacy

Get Shorty achieved significant commercial success upon its release, debuting on The New York Times fiction bestseller list in August 1990 and remaining there for multiple weeks thereafter. The novel was part of a string of bestsellers for Leonard starting from Glitz in 1985, contributing to his overall sales of tens of millions of copies across his career. By the time of Leonard's death in 2013, his works with publisher William Morrow alone had over 8 million copies in print since 1980, reflecting the sustained market demand for titles like Get Shorty. The book has maintained enduring popularity, remaining in print through various editions and reprints, including a 2011 paperback reissue and a limited Folio Society edition introduced in recent years. It is frequently included in curated collections of Leonard's works, such as the Elmore Leonard Classic 3-Book Collection alongside Tishomingo Blues and Killshot. This ongoing availability has fueled reader interest in Leonard's signature blend of crime and Hollywood satire, with the novel often cited in discussions of crossover genres. In literary terms, Get Shorty solidified Leonard's reputation as a master of genre-blending , emphasizing dialogue-driven narratives that merged mobster tales with intrigue. It marked a high point in his career, influencing subsequent satirical crime writers who adopted similar ironic tones in depicting American underbelly and cultural absurdities, as seen in comparisons to authors like . Leonard himself received no major literary prizes for the novel, though it aligned with his broader recognition, including an Edgar Award win for LaBrava in 1984 and nominations in related categories for other works. Culturally, Get Shorty popularized tropes of mobsters navigating Hollywood, echoing in later media portrayals of scheming producers and criminal crossovers that blurred real and fictional worlds. The novel enhanced Leonard's image as a "cool" author of gritty, cinematic stories, cementing his status as one of the most influential crime writers of the late .

Adaptations

1995 film

The 1995 film of Get Shorty is a directed by from a screenplay by , based on Elmore Leonard's 1990 novel of the same name. Produced by Jersey Films and distributed by (), it was released in theaters on October 20, 1995, with a of $30.25 million. The film features a strong led by as the cool-headed loan shark Chili Palmer, as the struggling film producer Harry Zimm, as actress Karen Flores, and as the self-absorbed movie star Martin Weir. Supporting roles include as the ambitious limo service owner Bo Catlett, as the aggressive mobster Ray "Bones" Barboni, and as the hitman Bear. While faithful to the novel's core plot and dialogue, the screenplay condenses certain subplots for pacing, such as elements of Bo Catlett's background, and emphasizes the satirical humor and action sequences to suit the cinematic medium, incorporating visual gags like exaggerated Hollywood tropes for broader appeal. This approach heightens the 's comedic tone compared to the book's more understated crime narrative. The was a commercial success, grossing $72.1 million in the United States and and $115.1 million worldwide against its budget. It received critical acclaim for its sharp of the industry, witty performances—particularly Travolta's charismatic turn—and blend of gangster tropes with Hollywood excess, earning an 88% approval rating on based on 57 reviews. The picture was nominated for for Best Motion Picture – Musical or and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or (Travolta) at the 53rd ceremony; it helped solidify Travolta's career resurgence following (1994).

2017 TV series

The 2017 television series Get Shorty is a comedy-drama created by for Epix, loosely inspired by Elmore Leonard's 1990 novel of the same name. It premiered on August 13, 2017, and ran for three seasons comprising 27 episodes total, concluding on November 17, 2019. The series relocates the core premise to contemporary and , following Miles Daly, an enforcer for a criminal who pivots to Hollywood producing after a botched job; each season features episodes running approximately 50-60 minutes with a serialized structure blending crime, , and industry intrigue. The main cast includes as the charismatic yet ruthless Miles Daly, as the sleazy studio executive Rick Moreweather, and Carolyn Dodd as Miles's pragmatic wife Emma. Supporting roles feature diverse performers such as Lidia Porto as the formidable crime boss Amara de Escalones, as Miles's volatile partner Louis Darnell, Goya Robles as the tech-savvy Yago, and Megan Stevenson as the ambitious producer Grace. This ensemble modernizes Leonard's archetypes with a broader representation of gender, ethnicity, and professional dynamics in today's entertainment industry. Unlike the novel and 1995 film, which focus on a self-contained story of a navigating Hollywood, the series borrows only the gangster-enters-film-world concept and expands it into an ongoing narrative with original plots. It incorporates modern elements like streaming service rivalries, digital piracy, and tech disruptors, shifting from episodic hijinks to serialized arcs involving escalating criminal threats and production mishaps. This approach allows for deeper exploration of Hollywood's evolving ecosystem but distances it from Leonard's original dialogue-driven . Critically, the series received mixed to positive reviews, with Season 1 earning a 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews, praised for its sharp humor, O'Dowd's nuanced antihero, and Romano's comedic timing, though some critics noted its loose fidelity to source material diluted the wit. Subsequent seasons improved, with Season 2 at 97% and Season 3 at 90%, lauded for tightening the blend of violence and farce while updating Leonard's critique of show business greed to encompass digital-era "streaming wars." It garnered four award nominations, including an Irish Film & Television Award nomination for Best Actor (O'Dowd) and a Leo Award nomination for Best Costume Design, recognizing its fresh take on industry satire. The show was not renewed after Season 3, attributed to modest viewership on the niche Epix network despite critical gains.

References

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