tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post7898519653500819778..comments2024-02-22T17:59:50.213-05:00Comments on in so many words...: Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book: HOME SWEET HOMICIDE (1944) by Craig RiceYvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-16587476570131457902018-02-26T13:11:05.275-05:002018-02-26T13:11:05.275-05:00Will do, Mike. And oh by the way and on a totally ...Will do, Mike. And oh by the way and on a totally different note: have you read Frank Langella's memoir DROPPED NAMES. I'm not, normally, a movie memoir reader, but this one stood out and was very well written.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-43320175605150502832018-02-26T13:06:58.594-05:002018-02-26T13:06:58.594-05:00I don't have those in my small newly acquired ...I don't have those in my small newly acquired cache - so I'll be waiting to read your reviews at some point down the line, Tracy. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-8950524671293428132018-02-26T13:06:14.994-05:002018-02-26T13:06:14.994-05:00Dean Stockwell was SUCH a charming child actor (di...Dean Stockwell was SUCH a charming child actor (didn't do too badly as a grown-up either) that he always stole whatever scene he was in. Come to think of it, so did Peggy Ann Garner. Now I really REALLY want to see this movie, Pat.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-76292364895609905902018-02-25T19:42:33.039-05:002018-02-25T19:42:33.039-05:00Just back from YouTube:
No luck on Home Sweet Hom...Just back from YouTube:<br /><br />No luck on <i>Home Sweet Homicide</i>; I'm still hoping that 20th fox, which has an"archive" label, puts out a restored POD-DVD.<br />Warner Archives has almost everything else of Craig Rice's that was ever filmed, so there's that.<br /><br /><b>Meanwhile ...</b><br /><br />Next time you're over there, you might take a look at <i>THE HYPNOTIC EYE - Beatnik Scene</i>.<br />It's only two and a half minutes long, but you get to see Lawrence Lipton in all his glory(?).<br />James Lipton wrote in his memoir that he's spent his whole life searching for a father figure.<br />Now we know why ...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-60188195013166867072018-02-25T19:17:04.887-05:002018-02-25T19:17:04.887-05:00I have this book and if you can't use the word...I have this book and if you can't use the word "delight", then I don't know what you could use!<br /><br />The movie is a treat as well, but never seems to show up these days. TCM has an upcoming tribute day for Dean Stockwell, and this really deserves its place in the lineup. Phenobarbital!Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-71527854639815391782018-02-25T14:45:26.731-05:002018-02-25T14:45:26.731-05:00Yvette, I have EIGHT FACES AT THREE (Jake Justus a...Yvette, I have EIGHT FACES AT THREE (Jake Justus and Helene Brand series) and TRIAL BY FURY (a John J. Malone book). And a Crippen and Landru short story collection called MURDER, MYSTERY, AND MALONE. And I think I have had them all quite a while, so it is a shame I have not tried one of them.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-67397199218675645712018-02-25T14:21:50.569-05:002018-02-25T14:21:50.569-05:00Oh, AND THE DOCTOR DIED was part of my cache. Oh w...Oh, AND THE DOCTOR DIED was part of my cache. Oh well, it was just an extra. (HOME SWEET HOMICIDE was the one that attracted my initial attention.) I still consider it 4 bucks (plus shipping) well spent. MOTHER FINDS A BODY was also thrown in. I couldn't figure out why at first, but then I read that Rice had 'helped' Lee write the thing. But you're saying not? Oh well, I'm enjoying it. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-62468359927637715412018-02-25T14:17:54.945-05:002018-02-25T14:17:54.945-05:00That was nice of you, Mike, to pick up that copy f...That was nice of you, Mike, to pick up that copy for your friend. Maybe one of these days the movie will pop up on youtube. Currently there are nothing for a few minute shorts here and there. I am happy just to have read the book after all this time and finding that the wait was worth it. <br /><br />I doubt I'd be watching THE HYPNOTIC EYE, but you never know. Ha! Maybe if I stumble across it sometime. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-57971287542777538632018-02-25T14:11:46.255-05:002018-02-25T14:11:46.255-05:00P.S. Which Craig Rice books do you have?? Just cur...P.S. Which Craig Rice books do you have?? Just curious.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-14518760119669888192018-02-25T14:10:54.925-05:002018-02-25T14:10:54.925-05:00I love humor in mysteries, Tracy - IF it's don...I love humor in mysteries, Tracy - IF it's done naturally and not pushed or forecast. Very difficult to do well. I hope you'll give Rice a chance - let us know what you think.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-61125355005045297812018-02-25T14:09:24.100-05:002018-02-25T14:09:24.100-05:00Ha! You may be right, Mathew. Although I don't...Ha! You may be right, Mathew. Although I don't remember reading HOME SWEET HOMICIDE when I was a kid. Nancy Drew - ah, those were the days.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-37370191455852854242018-02-25T14:08:23.261-05:002018-02-25T14:08:23.261-05:00E-books are the new life's blood of 'forgo...E-books are the new life's blood of 'forgotten' authors. That's Kindle's saving grace for me. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-40352580018135285422018-02-25T00:57:07.741-05:002018-02-25T00:57:07.741-05:00True story:
Back hen I was working for a living, ...True story:<br /><br />Back hen I was working for a living, a superior of mine, who knew I was a movie buff, asked me about <i>Home Sweet Homicide</i>, the movie.<br />Annette, who was about my age (maybe a little younger), remembered HSH from having seen it years before on late-night TV; she wanted to show it to her own kids, who were about the ages of the Carstairs kids, and wanted to know if it was available on home video.<br />I had to tell her that it wasn't.<br />Not long afterwards, I was at a nostalgia show here in Chicago.<br />One of the dealers had a table full of "collector-to-collector" DVDs at $10 a pop.<br />Among the inventory was <i>Home Sweet Homicide</i>; I bought two copies.<br />The following Monday, when Annette came around, I mentioned the nostalgia show, and then presented her with a sort-of fresh bootleg DVD of <i>Home Sweet Homicide</i>.<br />Annette gave me a great big hug, and insisted on paying me the sawbuck; in turn, I let her know where she could a copy of the book (Annette was grateful for that as well).<br />This would be about ten years ago; I'm long since retired, and I haven't seen Annette to talk to in the years since; I'd like to think she remembers, though ...<br /><br />Sidebar:<br />Should you happen to see a 1960 scare flick called <i>The Hypnotic Eye</i>, watch out for a scene that takes place in a "beatnik coffee house", about midway through the picture.<br />Lawrence Lipton, mentioned above, has the whole scene practically to himself, reciting a goofy "poem" about moviegoing (or something).<br />Just in case you're curious - this was two years after Craig Rice died, but he is part of her story, however tangential ...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-26999466750457261132018-02-24T16:06:06.961-05:002018-02-24T16:06:06.961-05:00Some of the Malone novels, at least, have been rel...Some of the Malone novels, at least, have been released as e-books, so there's hope that she won't be entirely forgotten.Barry Erganghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04305184548497082776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-51556616768722353692018-02-24T16:03:31.742-05:002018-02-24T16:03:31.742-05:00Check out Jeffrey Marks's biography of Rice, W...Check out Jeffrey Marks's biography of Rice, WHO WAS THAT LADY?, which debunks the popular notion that Rice ghosted Gypsy Rose Lee's two mysteries. She did, however, ghost George Sanders' CRIME ON MY HANDS. <br /><br />Speaking of ghosted novels, avoid AND THE DOCTOR DIED, a "Malone" novel which is attributed to Rice but which was written by someone else. Many short stories with the Rice byline published in the early 1950s were also written by others. Barry Erganghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04305184548497082776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-82771358115126298252018-02-24T15:49:35.183-05:002018-02-24T15:49:35.183-05:00I have two books by Craig Rice but have not read a...I have two books by Craig Rice but have not read any of her books. I also have some of her short stories. This one does sound good, I will have to look for it also. I may have put off reading her books because I had a thing against humor in mysteries, but lately I am finding myself more tolerant in that area, and am reading a lot of different kinds of mysteries. So time to pull out the Craig Rice books.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-65108723983040019992018-02-24T13:08:17.744-05:002018-02-24T13:08:17.744-05:00Thanks so much for the interesting background info...Thanks so much for the interesting background info, Mike. I have to tell you I'd NEVER heard of the movie until I began doing a bit of Craig Rice research. Maybe someday I'll stumble across it. I can see Dean Stockwell as Archie and Peggy Ann Garner is always a wonder. Rice dedicates the book to her three kids without whom, she claims, the book would never have been written. Hard to believe that a writer who was onvr on the cover of Time is now pretty much forgotten.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-17805971683824702452018-02-24T13:03:31.142-05:002018-02-24T13:03:31.142-05:00It's wonderful, Mystica. A perfect antidote to...It's wonderful, Mystica. A perfect antidote to the world we live in now.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-16008190320903364692018-02-24T13:03:06.221-05:002018-02-24T13:03:06.221-05:00Try this one, if you haven't already, Gram. It...Try this one, if you haven't already, Gram. It's a delight. THERE, I said it again. Ha.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-81067586412166892352018-02-24T13:02:34.820-05:002018-02-24T13:02:34.820-05:00Oh, it was SO much fun. That's why we're a...Oh, it was SO much fun. That's why we're all wondering why she never wrote a sequel. That little guy Archie won my heart. :) Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-6131044580827153122018-02-24T13:01:38.301-05:002018-02-24T13:01:38.301-05:00Yes, I noticed that, Barry. I thought at first thi...Yes, I noticed that, Barry. I thought at first this was the first of a series. But then I realized it was not to be. I wonder why she stopped at one? I have THE CORPSE STEPS OUT with a great pocket book cover sitting here waiting patiently while I finish MOTHER FINDS A BODY by Gypsy Rose Lee who I understand was very likely Craig Rice writing.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-59333547716258845922018-02-24T13:00:20.362-05:002018-02-24T13:00:20.362-05:00An absolutely delightful review! The book strikes ...An absolutely <i>delightful</i> review! The book strikes me as a sort of Nancy and Betty Drew and Jeff Hardy meet Jessica Fletcher. Now I must check to see if there's a Kindle version...Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-732754659502339142018-02-24T12:59:22.157-05:002018-02-24T12:59:22.157-05:00I hope you'll be able to get a few, Mudpuddle....I hope you'll be able to get a few, Mudpuddle. And of course, I hope you'll enjoy them. She is a very engaging writer.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-53621881190198553262018-02-24T12:57:50.649-05:002018-02-24T12:57:50.649-05:00It's hard to understand why her books have mor...It's hard to understand why her books have more or less disappeared from the radar. But then, the same can be said of so many worthy Golden Age writers. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-69597194401491773602018-02-24T11:38:26.211-05:002018-02-24T11:38:26.211-05:00I don't know how much you might know about the...I don't know how much you might know about the real life of Craig Rice.<br /><br />Many who write about the book (and subsequent movie, which is better known (but not by much)) take note of the fact that Craig Rice, like her herione Marian Carstairs, was the single mother of three - and there the resemblance ends.<br />The three kids were all from different fathers; coupled with Rice's highly disordered marital history, it made for a lot of Hollywood speculation.<br />At the time <i>Home Sweet Homicide</i> was written, Rice was in the process of ending a turbulent marriage with Lawrence Lipton, "The King Of The Beat Poets" (that's how he sold himself later in life; I think he was just <i>avant garde</i> in the '40s).<br />None of the Rice children are Lipton's; he'd already had one son by <i>his</i> previous marriage (who grew up to be James Lipton of <i>Inside The Actor's Studio</i> - but that's <i>another</i> story ...).<br /><br />Anyway, Craig Rice wrote the novel, using her own family as a template but idealizing the daylights out of things. The sale to 20th Century Fox came next; we note in passing that Lynn Bari bore a reasonably close resemblance to (a younger) Craig Rice herself.<br />I've always suspected that Fox had a series of movies in mind, but Rice never wrote a follow-up novel, and so there <i>that</i> went.<br /><br />About the movie:<br />I've got a crappy bootleg DVD of <i>Home Sweet Homicide</i> The Movie, and it's not at all bad.<br />From the accompanying poster, you can figure out who was who in the cast.<br />The really interesting thing here is that Craig Rice gets a shout-out <i>in the opening titles</i>; this was during the period that she made the cover of <i>Time</i> magazine.<br /><br />You can find much of this (in far greater detail) in a book called <i><b>Who Was That Lady?</b> Craig Rice, The Queen Of The Screwball Mystery</i>, a brief biography by Jeffrey Marks. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.com