A brand new libarary has opened nearby; I went there today and facing me as I entered were "Books You Might Like". They were all brand new.
Newly printed, that is. Not newly written.
Well, some of them may have been but not the one I chose: "The Four Just Men" by Edgar Wallace.
I have for many years wanted to read it but could not find a copy anywhere..... Or maybe I didn't really want to find a copy. Why? Because I didn't want to discover that a love of my father's, Edgar Wallace, proved to be poor stuff.
So I'm reading it and, so far, enjoying it.
Here's a few things I know about Edgar Wallace. He once dictated a whole novel to his editor from a telephone kiosk. He wrote some real thrillers that were turned into quite frightening films. He wrote the script, or maybe just supplied the idea, for the film "King Kong". He had a play running in London that had Charles Laughton and Emlyn Williams in it and, according to Emlyn Williams (in his autobiography "Emlyn") he was responsible for firing a cast member because it was discovered he was gay - though, as Emlyn said, most of the cast were too.
My father rarely went to the cinema but he did take my brother and I once or twice; once I recall well: the film was called "Educated Evans"; it starred Max Miller and was based on a novel, about racing, by Edgar Wallace.
2 comments:
In which page of the book is that? I have it but I don't recall reading that bit... Charles and Emlyn/George must have either very amused or very scared about their work.
What I remember of teh book is Emlyn telling of a few occasions he and Charles went to eat something during the run of the play and poor Charles being to shy and self-conscious to be himself.
Gloria: see my 29th May blog after "Beryl Cook" for a reply to this.
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