Book Vs. Movie: The Bad Seed
The 1954 Novel Vs the1956 Film
The Margos finish out the month of October with our final scary book & movie for the season--The Bad Seed. Written by William March and published in 1954 shortly before his death by a heart attack at the age of 60. The first adaptation was a play in the same year the book was published and starred Nancy Kelly (who won the Tony in 1955 for Best Actress,) Patty McCormack, and Eileen Heckert who would all go on to play their same parts in the film version in 1956.
The story of Rhoda Penmark, an eight-year-old child who just happens to possess murderous impulses, and her mother who may or may not be the “reason” she is a sociopath was a HUGE publishing hit and nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction. Part of it was the psychology used to try and find out why Christine is so afraid of her daughter and why she feels responsible due to her own serial killer parent. (If it’s not one thing, it’s your mother!)
The film earned Kelly, Heckert, and McCormack Academy Award nominations for their performances and earned $4 million at the box office. The ending changed dramatically from the original version to the film due to the Hays Code but it still delivers scares after all of these years.
So, between the novel and the movie--which did we prefer?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The life of writer William March
- How psychology was used blatantly in movies in the 1950s.
- The main differences between the novel & film.
- Starring: Nancy Kelly (Christine Penmark,) Patty McCormack (Rhoda Penmark,) Henry Jones (Leroy Jessup,) Eileen Heckert (Hortense Daigle,) Evelyn Varden (Monica Breedlove,) Willam Hopper (Kenneth Penmark,) and Paul Fix as Richard Bravo.
Clips used:
- Leroy taunts Rhoda
- The Bad Seed trailer
- Rhoda burns Leroy
- Monica and crew talk about psychology and murder
- Christine talks about being adopted
- Music by Alex North
Book Vs. Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine
Book Vs. Movie: The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Oliver Wilde Novella Vs the 1945 Film Starring Angela Lansbury
The month of October is one of our favorites because we get to indulge our love for scary ghost stories! This episode focuses on one of writer Oscar Wilde’s biggest commercial and critical successes--The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde is one of those intimidating subjects to cover as he is one of the most controversial and celebrated writers & thinkers of the 19th Century. Fans worship his every bon mot and admire his bravery to live his life on his own terms. He died in 1900 at the age of 46 but his legacy looms large to this day.
Originally published in Lippincott’s Magazine in 1890, the story of The Picture of Dorian Gray was created out of a dinner conversation between Wilde and Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Dorian Gray is the subject of a painting by Basil Hallward who one can say has a bit of a crush on Gray. Being a libertine, Gray wants to stay beautiful forever and is granted his wish.
The portrait remains in his attic and ages as he cavorts around Victorian England which scandalized the world back when it was first published. The official Wilde-approved version is at the Morgan Library in New York City. It features his thoughts on sex, sexual desire, and “art for art’s sake.”
The story has been adapted dozens of times over the years, but the 1945 version directed by Albert Lewin is the most critically praised. Angela Lansbury earned an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress playing Sibyl Vane
So, between the novel and the movie--which did we prefer?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The incredible life of Oscar Wilde
- The life of homosexuals during Victorian England
- The main differences between the novel & film.
- Starring: George Sanders (Lord Henry Wotton,) Hurd Hatfield (DorianGray,) Donna Reed (Gladys Hallward,) Angela Lansbury (Sibyl Vane,) Peter Lawford (David Stone), and Lowell Gilmore as Basil Hallward.
Clips used:
- The artist what his creation has done to Dorian Gray
- The Picture of Dorian Gray trailer
- Dorian watches Sibyl Vane sing
- Dorian falls in love with Sibyl
- Lord Henry tells Dorian to live life to the fullest
- Good-Bye Little Yellow Bird by C.W. Murphy & William Hargreaves
Book Vs. Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
.
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine
Book Vs. Movie: Invasion of the Body
The 1955 Novel by Jack Finney Vs the 1956 Classic Film
Our “Spooky Movies in October” continues with Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a novel by Jack Finney, and the movie starring Kevin McCarthy (who also made a cameo in the 1978 remake!) The story of aliens invading earth and creating “pod people” to take over the human race was (probably) an allegory for the House Unamerican Activities that was looking for Communists in the U.S. during the 1930s-1950s. The author would go on to even greater success with his novel Time and Again in 1970 which dealt with time travel.
The 1956 movie was directed by Don Siegel (Escape from Alcatraz, Dirty Harry) and produced by Walter Wanger who was starting his career over after a 1951 scandal when he shot his wife’s (Joan Bennett) agent and lover. (Check out Karina Longworth’s podcast Love is a Crime to learn more!)
The film made a few changes to the source material and was made with mostly a group of unknown and character actors to become a huge hit. The story here takes place in fictional Santa Mira in the mid-1950s (unlike 1970s Mill Valley, CA in the novel.) Our lead, played by McCarthy, is a psychiatrist and not a physician and in the end--well, you need to listen to our show to find out!
In 1994, the film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. There have been several remakes and similar stories told over the years but the 1956 version remains a classic.
So, between the novel and the movie--which did we prefer?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The biography of Jack Finney
- The political atmosphere in the 1950s about space & science
- The main differences between the novel & film.
- Starring: Kevin McCarthy (Dr. Miles Bennell,) Dana Wynter (Becky Driscoll,) King Donovan (Jack Belicec,) Carolyn Jones (Teddy Belicec,) and Richard Deacon (Mel from The Dick Van Dyke Show!) as Dr. Bassett.
Clips used:
- Kevin McCarthy in the first scene of the film
- Invasions of the Body Snatchers trailer
- The last scene with Dana Wynter
- The group finds the first pod
- Music by Carmen Dragon
Book Vs. Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
.
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine
Book Vs. Movie: The Invisible Man
The 1897 Novel by H.G. Wells Vs the 2020 Elisabeth Moss Adaptation
The Margos love the spookiness of October and this episode is dedicated to the classic H.G. Wells The Invisible Man which was first published in 1897 as a serialized story. The tale of a mysterious man who shows up at an inn in an English village and becomes a monster that frightens everyone around him has been adapted several times over the last 100+ years.
For this episode, we have a more feminist slant with Universal Pictures (which cornered the market on monster movies in the 40s & 50s) initially wanting to create an Invisible Man/ Mummy as a shared “dark universe.” However, when the Tom Cruise movie flopped, it was given to Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions to revive and market.
Elisabeth Moss plays a woman (Cecilia Kass) trying to escape an abusive relationship when he seemingly late boyfriend attacks her wearing an invisible suit. Her character is gaslit everywhere she goes including at the police station where they decide she is mentally unstable and causing her own problems. The film takes many liberties from the source material and was a huge hit bringing in $143 million at the box office and on streaming (it was released just before COVID took over movie theater viewing.)
So, between the novel and the movie--which did we prefer?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The life story of H.G. Wells
- The basic outline of the story
- The different movie adaptations over the years
- Starring: Elisabeth Moss (Cecilia Kass,) Aldis Hodge (James Lanier,) Storm Reid (Sydney Lanier,) Harriet Dyer (Emily Kass,) Michael Dorman (Tom Griffin,) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Adrian Griffin)
Clips used:
- Cecilia thinks he is in her room
- The Invisible Man trailer
- Cecilia escapes
- Cecilia meets her sister for lunch
- Last scene of the film
- Music by Benjamin Wallfisch
Book Vs. Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
.
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine