It's an Andy Williams Christmas... ARRGGHH

Attention: This is a rant.

I can't get away from Andy Williams. Every time I turn on the radio, satellite radio at that, I hear Andy Williams. And it's driving me crazy.

I tried to see if he holds the world record for Christmas recordings, but I'm not sure anyone--even Guinness--keeps such statistics. But in any case, it's really weird to be constantly bombarded with Andy Williams' cover of almost every popular and traditional Christmas songs ever written.

I remember watching him as a child. As a very young child. His variety show ran from 1962 to 1971 and his Christmas shows were always family oriented with his then-wife, Claudine Longet (who invented the infamous self-defense of "The gun accidently fired...five times..."), his kids, his brothers, etc.

Now, he's a fixture in Branson Missouri, a.k.a. America's Gray-haired Funland. But his music is everywhere. (In the graphic to the left, his co-hort in crime is Glen Campbell, another blast from the past...)

But this Christmas? I can't take it anymore. Give me Nat King Cole. Rosemary Clooney. Bing Crosby...I like the classics, but please, please...NO MORE ANDY WILLIAMS!

Odd Coincidences...

Yesterday, I was ruminating over possible blog topics and the one I settled to tackle today was "Where Are They Now?" concerning young actors and actresses who were popular child performers when I was also a child. And lo and behold, before I could compose the blog, one of those former child stars hit the news.

I remember Pamelyn Ferdin first as one of the children in the Star Trek TOS episode, "And The Children Shall Leave," also starring famed California attorney, Melvin Belli.

She was the go-to-girl for lots of episodic TV during her day. Bewitched, Lassie, Family Affair--you name it, and she guest-starred in it. She was the voice of Lucy (the best IMHO) in many of the Charlie Brown animation specials. One of her most interesting roles was as Mary Constable in the 1969 made-for-TV movie, "Daughter of the Mind." What fascinated me about this movie was that shortly before I saw it, I'd read the original book, The Hand of Mary Constable by Paul Gallico. It was the first time I'd ever realized that popular fiction could be turned into movies.

Sure, I'd seen classic and children's books rendered on the big and small screen. And of course, James Bond started as a character in the book as opposed to a character on the screen. But I'd never read a book and then seen its movie version only weeks later.

It happened again, a year later. I'd read Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels and was astounded when I watched "The House That Would Not Die" and realized it was based on the book I'd just finished. (Which reminds me...where in the world is Michael Anderson Jr? He was a staple of episodic TV, too. Anyone know?)

This one-two punch probably started my fascination of the relationship between books and movies. I can remember my mother fretting over the cast of "Airport." She'd read Arthur Hailey's book and she was as dismayed over the casting of Dean Martin as she was thrilled over the casting of Helen Hayes. ("That's exactly who I was thinking of when I read the book...") In looking now at the full cast list for the movie, it's absolutely astonishing how many now-recognizable names appear as "uncredited cast members." It was as if someone hit the backlot at Universal and gathered every second banana they could find to be background talent--Marion Ross (from Happy Days), William Boyett (Sgt. MacDonald from Dragnet, Sandra Gould (Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched), Celia Lovsky (the original T'Pau) and more.

To get back on topic, I would have expected Pamelyn Ferdin to have played the role of Burt Lancaster's daughter, but that honor went to Lisa Gerritsen, later better known as Cloris Leachman's daughter, Bess Lindstom in Phyllis. And speaking of Pamelyn, her fifteen second of fame flared briefly today when she was found guilty of violating an injunction, issued on behalf of UCLA. Evidently, while protesting against the use of animals in scientific experiments, Pamelyn distributed fliers that included the home addresses and phone numbers for the scientists involved.

And now we know.

My question: So who do you remember fondly as being a contemporary on the screen and are they missing in action or did they make the jump to an adult career?

Where do Fictional Characters go when the author dies? Part 2

An astute comment from K.S. has caused me take an expanded look at the "Where do characters go when their creator dies?" concept.

Although V.C. Andrews died in 1986, her publishing "legacy" was continued by Andrew Neiderman, a writer who already with a viable writing career. Of the 60+ books credited to V.C. Andrews, she only wrote 8 of them and Neiderman wrote and continues to write under her name as well as his own. In this case, the substitute author has been far more prolific and successful than the original. This seems to be the rare exception in the "replacement writer" business.

R.L. Stine has used other writers to write Goosebump books that were published under his name with no other on-cover credit but they reportedly worked from detailed synopses and I suspect Bob reviewed and most likely edited all material that came out with his name on it. I believe they might have been acknowledge inside.
In the screenwriting industry, the story concept and its execution are two separate elements and each has its own payment. A writer can sell a treatment (or synopsis) of a movie and someone completely different might hired to write the script. Not so in the book industry. But that fact escapes most people, many of whom sidle up to me and say, "I have this great idea for a book. You write it and we'll split the money!"

Uh...no thanks.

Segueing to ghost writers:

Elliott Roosevelt "wrote" 23 novels, 13 of which after he died. William Harrington was credited as a co-author of the last novel Roosevelt "wrote" in 2001. Coincidentally, Harrington passed away in 2000. From this someone might draw the conclusion that at the death of the ghost writer, the series ceased to continue.

I've been told from a reliable industry source that Margaret Truman who passed away earlier this year, had "help" in writing her mysteries, but it's unsubstantiated that Donald Bain was that "help." On his webpage, Bain states, "Contractual obligations prohibit Donald Bain from publicly taking credit for an additional 24 novels ghosted by him, as well as four non-fiction books written for business leaders." Coincidentally, Margaret Truman "wrote" 24 books.

Ghost-writing is an interesting business. Just remember--if the person is famous and has no writing credentials at all, chances are they didn't write that new mystery, fantasy, science fiction novel.

So in the spirit of Halloween, let's all celebrate...

Where do Fictional Characters go when their author dies?

Sorry, I know it sounds morose, but the passing of Tony Hillerman made me think--where do fictional characters go when their author dies? What happens to Leaphorn and Chee now?

In some cases, the characters fade away, living only in the author's backlist or the dusty shelves of a used bookstore. In some cases, other authors pick up the mantle and soldier on. For instance, when Lawrence Sanders died, Vincent Lardo continued writing the Archy McNally series. Of course, Sanders' publisher failed to note this on several of the releases and only began crediting Lardo when an astute reader sued them for false advertisement. The graphic above shows the minor difference in the cover art between the hardcover and the paperback versions of McNally's Dilemma when the publisher added Lardo's name...in tiny, tiny print. In my case, I benefited directly from this lawsuit; my collaboration with Susan Ford initially started as a ghostwriting gig. But between her insistence and the fallout from the McNally situation, my name was included on all covers of the First Daughter mystery series. And luckily, my print was slightly larger than Lardo's. (You'll note we both had to share the cover with Susan's father, but I don't mind moving over a bit to accomodate the POTUS.)

Back to the point--other characters have survived the death of their creators. James Bond is still alive and kicking in print even though Ian Fleming died in 1964. But I can't help but believe the movies--most of which have only shared a title with the original book, not a plot-- have spurred the need for Bond books.

Nero Wolfe was kept alive long after Rex Stout's death in 1975 by Robert Goldsborough. In researching this, I found an interesting nugget about that "substitution." Goldsborough's last Nero Wolfe novel was The Missing Chapter and was about the murder of an author who was continuing a popular detective series after the original author's death. Evidently, Goldsborough had suffered his share of harsh reviews and in his last outing, decided to put an end to it all. Literally.

So let me ask... Could anybody do Stephanie Plum justice other than Janet Evanovich? Would anyone dare to try to replace Nora Roberts when it comes to Eve and Roarke?

What fictional characters would you miss most?

More Characters on the Road: I saw Barbie today...

I'm a happy Tar-jhe shopper and today's expedition included an attempt to find bubble bath.

So I'm browsing through the Health and Beauty section and as I turn the corner, I see...Her. Barbie by Mattel, personified. Flowing blonde hair, Jackie O sunglasses perched on the top of her head, jeans with perfectly rolled up cuffs, a pink shirt with sewn-on seed pearls, and a shiny tan jacket. The piece de resistance? The shoes. Six inch heels at the minimum--definitely F-Me heels and strawberry red toenails.

But best or worst of all, was her position. She was perusing one of the low shelves and stood, impossibly high, heels together, bent at the waist in a sort of Vargas Girl pose. Her smile was...plastic at best.

I backed away quietly, not wanting to disturb shopping Barbi in her natural habitat.

Never did find any damn bubble bath except Mr. Bubble and you have to draw the line somewhere...

Characters on the Road of Life...

So I've returned to the South, now, after living in the Not-South for many years. I grew up in the suburbs of Birmingham which is very different from the outskirts of Montgomery where I now live--in a neighborhood that's on that border between the suburban and rural South.

That means when I go to the local WalMart, I'm apt to see...characters--from the pale-haired, pale-eyed Children of the When-Cousins-Marry Corn, to roly-poly, squinty-eyed Pugsleys to my favorite--beautiful majestic Black women in their Ladies Church Suits--their Sunday finest--royal purple dress, royal purple shoes, royal purple hat, royal purple pocketbook and probably a royal purple hankie tucked inside. They are stunning and powerful and I'm pretty sure they don't need a lever to move the world.

But this time, the character-du-jour wasn't at the WalMart, but the local Home Depot. I'd just completed my purchases and had stepped out to the parking lot when I saw...him.

He was lumbering away from a pickup truck that was using rust as a major binding ingredient and I swear, the bumper had been tied on with baling wire. As he approached, I did the classic glance and bounce--you take one look at the person, then turn your gaze immediately away so that he doesn't think you're staring at him.

He had a row of evenly spaced scabbed marks across his forehead. The imagination went wild.

Sure, he probably did something as mundane as run into a barbed wire fence, but considering the severity and evenness of the wounds, and the fact that he was wearing some worn Liberty overalls and had the facial expression of Junior Samples, dontcha just think that one of his buddies tricked him into looking really close at that bear trap?

Then CLANG!

"Hey bubba....that ain't funny. Git this thang off-a my head!"

On the Fringe

I'm really liking Fringe. When Tuesday's episode opened, I was struck with how much it reminded me of X-Files. No wonder. I saw Darin Morgan's names in the opening credits as a "Consulting Producer." Morgan was responsible for some of my favorite X-Flies (yeah, we call it that) episodes, including the utterly weird "Humbugs," and the two greatest episodes, "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" and "Clyde Bruckman's Repose." (Morgan also played Eddie Van Blundht in the X-episode, "Small Potatoes."

It's a relief to think that someone who has a proven track record of juxtaposing fear and fun will be contributing to Fringe. John Noble's "Dr. Walter Bishop" is proving to be a magnificent comic foil with his childlike non-sequitors and the foibles of his brilliance. And Joshua Jackson has proven that he can ably handle comedic lines with flawless timing. I can't help but think that Morgan will help hone those qualities and keep the show fresh and interesting. Even Anna Torv is growing on me.

One big difference between the two shows is the human quality. Shippers hungered for a relationship between Mulder and Scully perhaps because the show lacked any real one-on-one relationships. But with Fringe, we're witnessing human drama among the leads, not just the guest star of the week. For instance, consider the strained father-son relationship between Peter and Walter and the effect it appears to have had on Peter--who is obvious extraordinarily brilliant. What about Olivia's attempts to find closure with her doomed relationship with fellow agent, John Scott? It's become complicated because he seems to be living in her brain. And maybe, just maybe, Peter can help exorcise John's lingering memory by building on the faint sparks we've seen between him and Olivia.

All in all, the personal relationships between the three leads are what is helping make this show rise above the Weird-Ass Plot of the Week cycle that X-Files fell into. I have more of a sense of a story arc that appeals to me much more so than the black oil/Smoking Man continuing-X-arcs. Babylon 5 spoiled me on season long, if not show long, arcs. No one did it better than Joe Straczynski...

Here's hoping that the show can continue with the solid plots and interesting inter-personal relationships with Morgan's talented help.