Never one to pass up on a chance to hunt down movie memorabilia my journeys take me to countless thrift shops and second hand stores. I usually circle the VHS tapes and DVD’s they’ll have lying about and then I inevitably drift over to the book shelves. They always unveil some hidden treat from years past. So once again it’s time to shine the light on some of the novels that found themselves rereleased to score some new sales thanks to having a movie star splashed across the cover.
On that note look no further than a provocatively dressed Liz Taylor on the cover of this Tennessee Williams story. If I was a young man back in 1959 this cover might not have got me buying the book but it would have got me into the movie theater.
Now for just .35 cents I could have picked up this Susan Hayward-Stephen Boyd outdoor affair. Damned sight cheaper than the copy I picked up on the DVD release from Twilight Time previously featured here at Mike’s Take.
The name Robert Ludlum was a fixture at bookstores growing up and though I’ve never read one of his stories I did see this one on home video that had a great cast including the recently departed Rutger Hauer alongside John Hurt and Burt Lancaster among others from director Sam Peckinpah.
Not sure how this plays out on the written page but in the movie starring Roy Scheider there is one hell of a memorable car chase caught on camera and would you believe it was accomplished without the use of CGI? Unbelievable!
Surely each and every one of us know just how influential this character became in the history of cinema not to mention the iconic actor who played the role.
A little too violent? Why not go back to simpler times when the good guy wore a white hat. Roy Rogers anyone?
Why not read an old chestnut and maybe shake and shiver right along with Carol Lynley. If not then how about reading up on the filmed version that I featured a couple years ago.
While I do have this movie in my collection I’ve yet to see it. Any fans?
Peter Sellers anyone?
Here’s a fun 60’s entry with a perfectly cast Jack Lemmon in the title role.
Yeah I’m guilty, I’ve never read a Tennessee Williams story but I will admit to really enjoying this star studded affair from director John Huston and a very sexy Ava Gardner.
A frequent question I get is do I actually buy all these old movie novel tie-ins? No but on occasion if the film or the actor on the cover is a favorite then I do reach into my pocket for some small change to add them to the collection of memorabilia that resides here in the vault at Mike’s Take. So yes this pocket novel for The Stone Killer featuring Charles Bronson now rests here on my bookshelf.
….. as does this version of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. Hey! I’ve read this one which should prove to one and all that I do on occasion do more than just watch the movie versions. Yeah I had to grab this edition for the Heston factor.
I’ll leave you all with this pocket novel I came across that doesn’t represent a movie tie-in. But considering the condition of this copy and the author being a legend of cinema past and a personal favorite, I couldn’t pass up adding it to my collection.
Mike's Take On the Movies 
Most of these books are now seen as all time classics, though often times Hollywood rarely follows the books they adapt accurately, with a few exceptions.
fans of books rarely seem to approve of a movie version by my count or they get upset with a casting choice.
Some great covers, Love the Seven Ups one! Thanks!
Fun to hunt these down and Seven Ups a good film though lesser known than Roy’s other film of the 1970’s.
Adore these covers – please do more posts like this, I’m sure you came across a few old copies of Dallas in these shops, I remember seeing way to may of that particular book tie in in the 80s.
There are plenty of TV tie ins I come across that are numbered. Police Woman, Mod Squad, Space 1999 etc….
I’ve got the hardcover copy of ‘I Am Legend’, and I though I love watching the Heston theatrical version, I really liked the novel, and have read it a number of times. And I love how a lot of the books shown above (and elsewhere) proudly proclaim ‘complete and unabridged’…I’d hate to read ‘Jaws 2’ and discover they’d removed all the shark scenes!
Always loved that Heston flick from repeated viewings as a kid. So coming across that novel version was an easy purchase. On Jaws, maybe in the original novel they can remove the dull thud of a climax and insert the movie’s solution.
I love seeing all these old books. I used to pick up loads in my youth from charity shops. Just loved the covers. Read a few but just liked having them. They are boxed up in a cupboard. I should really annoy the Mrs and bring them down for a look. I can blame Mike’s Take for the mess. hehe
I would be interested in reading A Dandy In Aspic. The film starts really excellent but loses itself near the end. I wonder if the book differs.
In hindsight Anthony Mann had directed the main part before unfortunately having a heart attack. Star Laurence Harvey finished it up. Must of been very difficult picking it up from there.
Same here. I would buy them for the covers and on occasion still do as in the case of Heston and Bronson this time out. Yes I think it’s time to annoy the Mrs. and start digging. If there’s any backlash just throw me under the boss and say ‘Mike made me do it,” Never a big fan of Harvey and that’s cause my first memory was of him Th Alamo. Hated his character and to this day think he was badly miscast. Those first memories can last forever. Sometimes unfairly I guess.