The Elmore Leonard Podcast

Here is Part Two of our deep dive into Elmore Leonard's BANDITS.

As the heist kicks into gear, Alex and Judd enjoy a $500 chicken dinner, Judd revels in one of Elmore's moves, and Alex shares what he wishes was different about a book that was (partially) dedicated to him.

Links:

http://www.marvin3m.com

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

BANDITS, Elmore's second best seller ever, is a tale of nuns and guns in The Big Easy.

In Part One of the deep dive, Alex and Judd dig into Elmore's return home, how this book may have inspired not just Princess Diana but Oliver North, the (hidden?) connection to other Elmore classic novels, and more. Please enjoy.

Links:

http://www.marvin3m.com

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

In Dennis Lehane's return to the podcast, we discuss the book Elmore considers the best crime novel ever written, George V. Higgins masterpiece The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Not only that, we talk about Robert Mitchum, The McGlaughlin Wars, having lunch with Alex Rocco, arguing with Elmore about what the best Elmore adaptation was, and more.

Dennis is the best-selling and Edgar award-winning author of over a dozen books, and the Showrunner and Executive Producer of the hit Apple TV streaming series Smoke and Black Bird. He was also a writer on HBO's The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, and Netflix's Bloodline. Movies based on his books include Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood, and Gone Baby Gone, directed by Ben Affleck.

Please enjoy.

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Links:

Geroge V. Higgins interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air

Rolling Stone article about Robert Mitchum filming The Friends of Eddie Coyle

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Credits:

Guest: Dennis Lehane

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Matthew Weiner is the creator and showrunner of AMC's Mad Men, which is considered one of the best television shows of all time. It won 15 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama series four years in a row, as well as Emmys for Outstanding Writing, Acting, Casting, Cinematography, and more.

Before Mad Men, Matthew wrote for two seasons on The Sopranos, also considered one of the greatest television shows of all time. In 2013, he wrote and directed the feature film Are Your Here, starring Amy Poehler, Zach Galfianakis, and Owen Wilson, and in 2018 he wrote and directed every epiosde of The Romanoffs, the incredibly ambitious anthology series which streams on Amazon Prime.

In 2017, he published his first novel, the Upper East Side noir thriller, Heather, the Totality, a Barnes & Noble Book of the Year.

In addition to talking about Elmore, we discuss Cornell Woolrich, procrasticantion, evil characters, going from writing some of the greatest TV ever to a novel, and what really happened to Pete's mom.

Please enjoy.

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Links:

The Lottery, a classic long story.

Elmore's thoughts on Mad Men.

Cornell Woolrich biography First You Dream, Then You Die.

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Credits:

Guest: Matthew Weiner

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

GET SHORTY is one of Elmore Leonard's best known and best regarded novels. But after re-reading it, both Alex and Judd believe it is still under appreciated.

In Part Two, they track Elmore's breadcrumbs, express appreciation for getting to see more of Ray Bones in the movie than what's in the book, admire Bo Catlett, and more. Also, Judd shares how his grandfather may have assisted James Gandolfini during production of the adaptation.

Links:

Dennis Lehane on Get Shorty at 30

What Scarred Alex

The Making of Aerosmith's PUMP

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

GET SHORTY is one of Elmore Leonard's best known and best regarded novels. But after re-reading it, both Alex and Judd believe it is still under appreciated.

In Part One, they dig into how only Elmore could write this book, what inspired it, some of the differences between the book and Barry Sonnenfeld's great movie, the connection between Chili Palmer and Sir Laurence Olivier, and more.

Links:

Dennis Lehane on Get Shorty at 30

What Scarred Alex

The Making of Aerosmith's PUMP

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Eli Cranor is the Edgar Award-winning author of Don't Know Tough, as well as Ozark Dogs, Broiler, and most recently Mississippi Blue 42. He is the Arkansas Tech University Writer in Residence, not to mention a Swedish Football Champion.

Eli joins us to talk Elmore, fiction, great mentors, and so much more.

https://www.elicranor.com

https://www.lemuriabooks.com

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Michael Connelly is one of our great working novelists. His Harry Bosch novels have been published into dozens of languages, and have spawned three television series, BOSCH, BOSCH: LEGACY, and BALLARD (all on Amazon Prime). His novel THE LINCOLN LAWYER has been adapted into a feature film as well as a television series (Netflix). His accolades include the Edgar Award For Best First Novel, the CWA Diamond Dagger award, the Outstanding Contribution To Crime Writing Award from the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England, and in 2023 he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

His latest novel, IRONWOOD, will be released on May 19, 2026.

We discuss Elmore, jazz, James Ellroy, getting lucky, writing at night, Twin Peaks, and more. Please enjoy.

Links:

www.michaelconnelly.com

www.killerinthecode.com

Credits:

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

CARL HIAASEN is a best-selling and award-winning author and journalist. His novels include Tourist Season, Strip Tease, Skin Tight and the recently released Fever Beach. Adaptations of his work include Strip Tease (starring Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, and Ving Rhames), Hoot (starring Brie Larson, Logan Lerman, and Luke Wilson) and Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn and now streaming on Apple.

He joins the podcast to share what it was like collaborating with Elmore (as well as Jimmy Buffet and Warren Zevon), explain what makes Florida so magnetic, and tell us about that time he set up Elmore on national television.

www.carlhiaasen.com

The new Jim Harrison biography Carl mentions can be found HERE.

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Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]

Alex and Judd dive deep into PRONTO - the first book of Elmore Leonard's to feature Raylan Givens, the central character of FX's Justified.

They discuss how Elmore auditioned one of his greatest characters, what Raylan cares about most, and also touch on the moral decay and lack of respect among the youth.

Also, Judd spoils the ending to the 1993 Tom Cruise movie, The Firm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJaABnINadM

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

Let's talk:

www.elmoreleonardofficial.com

X: @elmorepodcast

IG: @ElmoreLeonardInc

[email protected]