Book Vs Movie Podcast

Book Vs. Movie:OctopussyThe Ian Fleming Short Story Vs. the 1983 Roger Moore BondThe Margos are feeling very Bond--James Bond that is with 1983’s Octopussy based on a short story by Ian Fleming in the posthumously released Octopussy and The Living Daylights. Fleming, a former British Agent and the creator of Bond, passed away in 1964; he had left several short stories and novels that helped to continue the brand, including comic strips printed in newspapers worldwide. (We can’t promise not to giggle about the title throughout the episode!)Major Dexter Smythe was a hero in the Second World War and was implicated in a murder scheme and a cache of Nazi gold. In the original story, Bond is a secondary character, and we learn about the tragic life of Smythe. He is a man of only 56 but acts like 96 with loss and alcoholism chasing him through life. Smythe killed a man and let him rot for 15 years under a glacier, so there is that. His pet is an octopus, and Bond allows him the opportunity to either turn himself in

Book Vs. Movie: Rear WindowThe 1942 Short Story Vs. the 1954 Classic FilmThe Margos are swooning throughout this episode for one of the greatest movies of all time, adapted from a short story by a very interesting (and prolific) author. Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is one of his finest works based on the short story; It Had to be Murder by Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich is considered one of his generation's best mystery/suspense writers, with dozens of titles making it to movie adaptations, including The Bride Wore Black, Night Had a Thousand Eyes, Mrs. Winterbourne, and Original Sun. He was so proficient as a writer of novels, screenplays, and short stories he had two noms de plumes--William Irish & George Hopley. A lonely man (he once dedicated a book to his hotel room), when he passed in 1968, he left his work to his alma mater Columbia University which eventually helped change the copyright laws. (See Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, 1998.)The story's bones are the same as the film: an injured m

Book Vs. Movie: Touch of Evil The 1956 novel Badge of Evil Vs. the 1958 Film Noir ClassicThe Margos dive right back into one of our favorite genres--film noir! The 1958 Orson Welles’s directed film Touch of Evil is based on a 1956 novel by Whit Masteron titled Badge of Evil. The book sold reasonably well at the time, but at the time, the movie was given mixed reviews due to Welles not staying until the final edit process. In 1998, a “re-cut” of the film was based on a 58-page memo Welles had sent to the studio 40 years previously is now considered a modern classic and one of the last true “film noirs” to be released. Whit Masterson was the nom de plume of two writers--Wade Miller and Will Daemer who wrote more than 30 books together (including Kitten With a Whip in 1964!) Their original story is about a man, Rudy Linneker, killed by a dynamite blast at this home. His daughter Tara stands to make $2 million and is engaged to someone her father disapproved of before her death. There are other suspects, includin

Book Vs. Movie: Kinky BootsThe True Story Behind the 2005 Movie & 2013 Broadway Musical (and the 2019 movie!)The “Month of Musicals” concludes with Kinky Boots, the true story of a footwear company in Earls Barton, North Hamptonshire, UK--WJ Brooks. The factory was in Steve Pateman’s family for decades when in the 1990s, they started losing money to the cheaper, faster competition. Pateman appeared on BBC’s Trouble at the Top documentary showing how his company switched to creating boots for transvestites who needed more security when they stood in high heels. The collection expanded to “kink wear,” dubbed “Kinky Boots” by the BBC producers, and the story took off. In 2005, director Julian Jarrold and writers Geoff Deane and Tim Firth brought the story to life (unfortunately, the factory had to close in 2000.) Joel Edgerton plays Charlie Price (the Steve Patemen substitute), and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Lola is an amalgam of several drag queens that were customers of WJ Brooks's “Divine, Provider, and Lady Prov

Book Vs. Movie: La Cage Aux Folles & The BirdcageThe Original Film and Broadway Musical Vs. the 1996 FilmThe “Month of Musicals” continues with the 1996 film The Birdcage, which took its influence from the play turned into Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles. The original 1973 french play takes place in Saint-Tropez, where a gay couple meets an ultra-conservative family member. It was a huge hit in Paris, playing for over a year in 1973, and was made into a film in 1978. Originally written by Jean Poiret, the original played in Paris for over 1800 performances with Poiret and Michell Serrault as the leads Georges and Albin, aka “Zaza.” The 1978 film had Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi as the lead playing Renato Baldi to Serrault’s Albin. It played to art houses across America. Poiret wanted to film the American version of the film, so he refused to sell the rights to the play but had no problem selling it as a musical. Grease producer Allan Carr helped bring the project to Broadway as a musical, with Harvey Fi

Book Vs. Movie: HairsprayThe 1988 John Waters Movie Vs. the 2007 Adaptation“Musicals in March”The Margos continue their look at “Musicals in March” with the John Waters classic Hairspray, which started with the 1988 movie starring Rikki Lake, Divine, and Debby Harry. Based on his experiences of being a fan of the 1957-1964 Baltimore teen dance TV program--The Buddy Deane Show, Waters was a huge fan of R&B music. On the Buddy Deane show, the dancers were integrated, unlike Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, which was based out of Philadelphia at the same time. Baltimore Magazine April 1985 by John Waters "Ladies & Gentleman: The Nicest Kids in Town!”Being a self-described “Super Fan” of the show, the director has a well-known career as an avant-garde-loving and bizarre artist who loves things that are in bad taste. His interest in something as wholesome as Buddy Deane made him think about writing a more accessible film about a group of teen dancers/local TV stars who fight racism and oppression with thei

Book Vs. Movie: Hedwig and the Angry InchThe 1999 Off-Broadway Musical Vs. the 2001 Movie“Musicals in March”The Margos kick off “Musicals in March 2023” with one of the best rock musicals based on a gender-bending lead c character--Hedwig and the Angry Inch created by multi-hyphenates John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask. Created in the late 1990s Off-Broadway, is the tale of misfit Hedwig Robinson who began life as Hansel Schmidt in Germany and became a famous-ish rocker in middle America. On her way to stardom, she interacts with the audience, talking about her life and how she wound up with an “Angry Inch.” The musical was a massive hit in 1998, starting with various music as its center and gradually becoming an original soundtrack--Hedwig was THE cool show to see on Jane Street in the late 90s. Mitchell wrote and directed the film adaptation in 2001, and Hedwig remains a popular show with none other than Neil Patrick Harris filling her shoes on Broadway. Between the original and the adaptation, which d

Book Vs. Movie:BlacKkKlansmanThe True Story Ron StallworthThe Margos visit the world of nonfiction with the too-nutty-to-not-be-true story of retired police officer Ron Stallworth who in the late 1970s infiltrated the Kuy Klux Klan in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On his journey, he met racists throughout the region who were not precisely clever but had designs of terrorizing nonwhites and Jewish people. After his assignment, he transferred to work at the Utah Department of Safety--never speaking about the job until after retirement. His 2014 book Black Klansman: A Memoir explains how and why he joined the Colorado “Organization” and how it felt to be the only person of color on the police force. We also learn how the KKK planned to bomb gay bars and cross-burnings throughout Colorado Springs. During his recruitment process, Stallworth spoke with the Grand Wizard, David Duke, and even took a photo with the noted racist creep. Director & screenwriter Spike Lee and producer Jordan Peele adapted the memoir int

Book Vs. Movie: Ma Rainey’s Black BottomThe August Wilson Play Vs. the 2021 Movie Pittsburgh native August Wilson (1945-2005) is one of the most successful playwrights of the 20th Century; with a collection of works that came to be known as The Pittsburgh Cycle, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice in his career and was inducted into American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006. His 1984 work Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the subject of today’s episode. Gertrude Pridgett (Ma Rainey’s birth name) was dubbed the “Mother of the Blues” for her outrageous stage presence and ability to hold audiences in her trance. The Blues being one of America’s native art forms, the combination of the gospel with jazz music enticed the world with the earliest recordings featuring African American culture and is revered to this day. Rainey learned the ropes of show business through her husband “Pa Rainey” and was a mentor to a young Bessie Smith. Wilson’s 1984 play is a fictional account of Rainey attending a recording of her work at

Book Vs. Movie: DuelThe Richard Matheson Short Story Vs. the Steven Spielberg TV Movie In 1971, a 24-year-old budding director named Steven Spielberg was given a story by his assistant. This fiction story appeared in a recent issue of Playboy magazine, written by one of his favorite Twilight Zone writers, Richard Matheson. The story Duel was about a man driving through the California desert being chased by an evil trucker with a big rig with murder on its mind. Matheson based it on an incident on November 22, 1963, when he was tailgated by a truck on his way home from a gold game. For years he tried to sell the story to TV but was turned down everywhere he pitched. To prepare for the short story, he drove from Los Angeles to Ventura, California, and recorded everything he saw. Our protagonist is never named in the story, and we have no idea why the driver is chasing him. Spielberg was looking to direct TV movies that were giant rating machines then and managed to get the gig with a $450,000 budget and only te

Book Vs. Movie: 12 Angry MenThe 1954 Teleplay Vs. the 1957 Classic FilmThe Margos close out a month of theatre vs. films with 12 Angry Men, which began as a teleplay in 1954 and was adapted to film by Sidney Lumet, with Henry Fonda serving as the lead actor and producer of the 1957 movie. The story centers on a young man who is accused of stabbing his father to death, and a group of 12 jurors must decide if he is guilty of premeditated murder, which carries a death sentence. Writer Reginald Rose came up with the idea while serving jury duty in New York City and found the process “solemn” and “impressive.” The first airing on Studio One was September 20, 1954, with stars Robert Cummings, Franchot Tone, George Veskovec, Joseph Sweeney, and Norman Fell. Rose won an Emmy Award for his screenplay. Henry Fonda produced the wok in 1957 with Sidney Lumet, and the low-budget affair failed to make a profit. Until he died in 1982, Fonda never received any money for his work or performance. But he rightly considered it o

Book Vs. Movie: CasablancaThe 1940 Play Vs. the 1942 Classic FilmThis January, we are saluting plays that were turned into films, and this episode covers one of the most beloved and celebrated films of all time--Casablanca. Yes, it was a play first by playwrights Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, who was offered $20,000 in 1940 (over $300,000 in today’s costs) for their story about a cafe in Africa helping refugees seek asylum in America during WW2. The timing between the movie’s release in 1942, as the war effort in Northern Africa, was gaining and America was no longer playing neutral in the international crisis with Germany and Japan, was not a coincidence. The film was rushed into production to promote America’s armed forces and the people fleeing Europe from the Nazis. Everybody Comes to Rick’s has the basics of the film’s plot, with two former lovers meeting again at Rick’s cafe. Rick and Lois met in Paris before the Germans invaded France and became illicit lovers. Two years later, Rick has a “gin joint

Book Vs. Movie: Biloxi BluesThe 1984 Neil Simon Play Vs. the 1988 Mike Nichols FilmThe Margos continue their month of plays in January (we have “Musicals in March”) with Neil Simon’s middle offer of the “Eugene Chronicles” with 1984’s Biloxi Blues. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Simon about Eugene Morris Jerome of Brooklyn, NY, and his time as an enlisted soldier in Biloxi, Mississippi. Starring Matthew Broderick (who played the role of Eugene in every chapter), the play was an instant hit earning Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Featured Player to Barry Miller (Arnold Epstein.) Broderick was awarded his first Tony Award as Eugene Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983. Miller also won the Theatre World Award and the Drama Desk Award in 1985 for Biloxi Blues, which may be why he was NOT invited to the movie. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert would later pan the film for not hiring Miller. The critics loved the comedy and performances, as well as Simon’s outward discussion of the treatment o

Book Vs. Movie: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf The Edward Albee 1962 Play Vs. the 1966 Mike Nichols FilmThe three-hour anger fest that is Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf is one of the most celebrated and controversial of the 1960s. Edward Albee’s 1961 play is about middle-aged couple George & Martha, who have been drinking and battling for years, and one unfortunate evening they have with new friends Nick & Honey. It caused a stir at the time for its “racy” language, the three-hour runtime, and its intense performances by Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, Ben Piazza, and Melinda Dillon. The play was a sensation and broke box office records. So much, so that afternoon performances were added to meet the demand. It won the Tony Award and the New York Drama Critics Circle in 1963. The same year, it was up for a Pultizer Prize for Drama but lost due to its “profanity and sexual themes.” (There was no prize given that year.)Mike Nichols directed the 1966 film with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who ate up each sc

Book Vs. Movie: "The Poseidon Adventure" (1971)The differences between the super gross book and the entertaining movie (We are not going to hide our bias here!)At Book Vs. Movie, whenever people say, "Duh--the book is always better than the movie!" the Margos would say, "yeah--have you ever read Jaws?" Well, now we have another book-to-movie adaptation that features a horrible, racist, sexist, homophobic, and misogynistic novel that became a fun hit film. Sportswriter Paul Gallico helped many stories become excellent films, including Pride of the Yankees, The Snow Goose, and the musical stage Carnival! He wrote over 40 books, numerous short stories, and dozens of T.V. and movie scripts. He began his career working for the New York Daily News sports desk and later became a prolific travel writer spending 10,000 miles on the road in the U.S. for Reader's Digest. In 1969, he published The Poseiden Adventure to little fanfare. The tale of a wayward ship sunk while traveling to Africa features some of the most loa

Book Vs Movie: “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story” (1971)The Basis of the Waltons TV Series Started as a TV Movie!The Margos decided to get into the Depression-era holiday spirit with a look at “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” which was written by author & creator of The Waltons TV series--Earl Hamner, Jr. Hamner has a fascinating career as a writer with several scripts of “The Twilight Zone” including the famous The Bewitchin’ Pool, (the very last episode of the original American series.) He also created the 80s TV nighttime soap Falcon Crest!) In between, he wrote the 1961 novel Spencer’s Mountain, which became a movie starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara as Clay and Olivia Spencer. They play a couple living in the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming, and their eldest son “Clay-Boy” is set to become the first in his family to go to college. Ten years later, he wrote “The Homecoming,” which told a similar story with a twist--the Walton family was based in the Blue Ridge mountains during the depress

Book Vs. Movie: The Little MermaidThe Hans Christian Anderson Story Vs. the 1989 Disney ClassicThe Margos continue “Disney in December” with the all-time classic 1989 animated feature The Little Mermaid, which began as a fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Anderson in 1837. The film was responsible for bringing Disney studios back into animation leaders after decades of so-so films and losing top artists to rival companies. The original story is about a mermaid who lives in an underwater kingdom with her sisters, her father (a Mer-King), and her grandmother, who instructs her that when she is 15 years old, she can swim to the surface to see the world above. Her sisters (who are all older than her) can visit the land for only one day per year. The mermaid (who is never given a name) longs to visit more often and is obsessed with a statue of a human man on the ocean floor. When she finally rises, the Mermaid can see a man (a prince!) on shore, and she falls in love. As luck would have it, his ship wreaks

Book Vs. Movie (2019 Replay) The Polar ExpressThe Margos take a wild ride into the classic 1985 children’s book and compare it to the 2004 Robert Zemeckis Film. It’s our last new episode of the year, and we had to celebrate with one of our most requested titles ever--The Polar Express from author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg. The book has sold millions of copies since its 1985 release (one million by 1989 alone!), and it's only 32 pages, so we only have a few beautiful things to say about it. But what about the 2004 film starring Mr. Tom Hanks? We have feelings about this movie, kids--and we want to know what YOU think in the comments below. So between the book & movie--which did we like better? Have a listen to find out! In this ep the Margos discuss:Chris Van Allsburg's amazing careerThe basic differences between the book & movieThe cast of the movie Tom Hanks ( Hero Boy, Father, Santa Claus, Conductor, and Hobo,) Leslie Zemeckis (Mother, Sister Sarah,) Eddie Deezan (Know-It-All,) Nona Gaye (Hero

Book Vs. Movie: The Bishop’s WifeThe 1928 novel by Robert Nathan Vs. the 1947 Classic Cary Grant FilmIt’s December at Book Vs. Movie, and we are excited about covering holiday-themed films, including this selection--The Bishop’s Wife. The original novella was written by Robert Nathan in 1928 and is the story of a preacher, Henry Boughman, who dreams of building a huge cathedral at the expense of his relationship with his wife, Julia. An angel, Michael, appears to help Henry and his family learn that family & love is more important than status. In the meantime, Michael Falls in love with Julia and is distraught to hear they can never have a “mortal love.” Julia decides to try for another baby to fulfill her needs. The book is an exploration of faith with vivid conversations between the preacher and a Jewish businessman and Professor Wutheridge, who both wish to find out the source of why he is so single-focused on religious expression. The movie features child actors from the recently released It’s a Wonde

Book Vs. Movie: Snow WhiteThe Grimms Fairy Tales Version Vs. the 1937 Disney ClassicIn December, we cover Disney and what better adaptation to discuss than one of the greatest feature-length animated films of all time? 1937’s Snow White is considered a masterpiece of storytelling by Walt Disney, who believed in the future of animation and created a studio empire with the popularity of the film’s release. The original story starts with Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a collection of 1800s and earlier stories that were passed down from generation to and were often violent and today might be labeled “too scary” for kids. The Brothers Grimm (Jacob & Willhelm) Their first collection was published in 1812, and the brothers fought for decades to teach and discuss German history and folklore and unified the German language. Their active years were from 1812-1858. For context, France invaded Germany at the time, and the brothers wanted to save their culture and traditions. Later, they were seen as a building block for German