It’s pre-historic monster time here at First Draft.
First Draft
Liberal Politics, Media Criticism & General Mayhem
Category Archives: Pulp Fiction Thursday
Pulp Fiction Thursday: House Of Storm
I went a googling and came up with this 1949 book by Mignon Eberhardt. I like that she had a French first name and a German surname. It makes her sound surprisingly fancy for a writer from Nebraska.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Savage Breed
The tagline says it all:
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Shabby Street
I don’t know about you but I don’t even want to stroll down Shabby Street let alone live there.
Remember my Kinks song theorem? It applies here. I believe Shabby Street is located in Sleazy Town. Welcome.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: William S. Burroughs
It’s linkage week here at First Draft. Yesterday, I posted an album cover by a band whose name was taken from a novel by William S. Burroughs, The Soft Machine. Today, we have three-count ’em three-pulpilicous covers of Burroughs books concluding with The Soft Machine.
Junkie was published under a rather dull pseudonym, William Lee. It was an extremely daring book for 1953. Its publication was not a howling success despite Allen Ginsberg’s role in publishing and publicizing the book.
Naked Lunch was published in 1959. It was Burroughs’ breakthrough book. The beats were bopping by that time. Naked Lunch famously inspired the name of one of my favorite bands, Steely Dan. It was the name of a dildo.
The Soft Machine was published in 1961 and has a classier cover than his earlier books.
It’s time to jump into my soft machine and eat junkie food for my naked lunch. I should apologize for that groaner but when did I ever issue a pun-pology?
Pulp Fiction Thursday: The Hangman’s Whip
It’s time for another fine cover from master pulp artist Rudolph Belarski:
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Werewolves On Wheels
I was watching Americans Pickers the other day and one of the pickees was a collector of movie ephemera. Mike Wolfe spotted a poster for a flick that I had no idea existed: Werewolves on Wheels. It was a biker movie made to exploit the success of Easy Rider.
This poster has me wondering if the folks behind True Blood were influenced and/or knew of this movie. You may recall that the biker gang in the teevee show were werewolves. I googled it and came up empty. Woe is me, bop.
It’s trashy trailer time:
Finally, I hate to be a cliché on legs, but there’s only one way to conclude this post:
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Death At Flood Tide
Great googly moogly, I found this cover on the google.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Graham Greene
Graham Greene blurred the lines between literary and genre fiction. He was fascinated with the criminal element and spies but had an elegant prose style. He was quite simply one of the best writers of the mid-20th Century.
Here’s a selection of some of Greene’s pulpier book covers:
Greene’s fertile brain also came up with the story and screenplay of The Third Man, which is one of the greatest films ever made.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: The Big Steal
Don Siegel week continues here at First Draft. The Big Steal was Siegel’s first opportunity to direct a first rate cast and he made the most of it.
It’s trailer time:
Pulp Fiction Thursday: The Devil Rides Out
The infernal New Orleans summer heat has me in a devilish mood. Hence this cover.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Dally With A Deadly Doll
It’s another entry chosen for its lurid title. They resisted the temptation to use Dolly instead of Doll. I’m not sure that I could have.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Donovan’s Brain
Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay for one of my favorite Universal horror movies, The Wolf Man. He also wrote novels. Donovan’s Brain was his biggest hit as a writer. I think the original cover had something to do with its success.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Dark Wanton
Peter Cheyney was a British crime fiction writer who was very successful between 1936 and 1951. One reason was his “Dark” espionage series. Dark Wanton was one of that series. Given the fact that two of the people on the cover appear to be Chinese, it’s also a helluva pun on the word wonton. Rumor has it that I like puns.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Journey Into Fear Comics No. 20
After doing the Blue Oyster Cult post, I googled grim reaper. This was my favorite image from that search.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Tropical Disturbance
I wasn’t planning to post another Robert McGinnis cover. I stumbled into this one because it’s the first day of hurricane season. So it goes.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Robert McGinnis Meets Perry Mason
I wrote about artist Robert McGinnis at the end of April in a Saturday post. Here are two covers he did for Perry Mason novels. The feline Della Street approves.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Made Up To Kill
This cover gives an entirely new meaning to the Britism green fingers. That’s green thumb to us Yanks. I have the opposite talent, a black thumb. I can kill a plant just by being within hailing distance. So it goes.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Coffin For A Cutie
It’s weirdo title time here at First Draft. A pin up girl on a coffin? Oy, just oy.
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Maquis
It’s time for a rule bending PFT. Maquis by George Millar is not fiction. The cover, however, is as pulpy as all get out. I wanted to post something about the French resistance this week in the wake of my Vichy On The Potomac post. This is it.
