# Books that became better known only after being turned into visual media (TV, movies, stage) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445 "2011-07-18T14:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445/41 "2011-07-29T21:39:46Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Then I guess you weren’t aware that it was made into a movie a decade and a half before it was adapted for the stage? > > And notable for being James Cagney’s first theatrical movie in the previous twenty years (as well as his last). > > Kids these days..mumble, mumble… Heh. No, at the time, I didn’t know. I figured that out after I found out about the musical. Did everyone else find out about the book from the movie? (My understanding was that Doctorow was not happy about the movie, and liked the musical much better, so I never did see the movie. Although I believe I read this in some sort of promotional material for the musical, so I should probably take that with huge heaping spoonfuls of salt.) ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445/42 "2011-07-30T00:02:44Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Nope. The Princess Bride - the book - was published in 1973, while the movie of the same name came out in 1987. > > As far as I know, you’re right about 2001, though. That doesn’t make it not true. It’s in Goldman’s first memoir _Adventures in the Screen Trade_. I might have some of the details wrong but I am fairly sure the basics are right. The screenplay that didn’t sell came first. The movie was released after the book showed that it was popular. I think it started originally as bedtime stories for his kids but I might be conflating a couple of stories there. On an unrelated note, _Adventures_ and the follow up _Which Lie Did I Tell_ are really interesting books. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445/43 "2011-07-30T04:11:16Z")
I don’t know anyone besides myself who read (or even heard of) The Last Detail before the movie came out. Also don’t know if book sales took off after the movie either but they had to improve at least a little. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445/44 "2011-07-30T04:34:31Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > That doesn’t make it not true. It’s in Goldman’s first memoir _Adventures in the Screen Trade_. I might have some of the details wrong but I am fairly sure the basics are right. The screenplay that didn’t sell came first. The movie was released after the book showed that it was popular. I think it started originally as bedtime stories for his kids but I might be conflating a couple of stories there. It’s been a while since I read _Adventures in the Screen Trade_, but IIRC the problem wasn’t that the screenplay didn’t sell. The problem was that it DID sell, but the studio that owned the rights to _The Princess Bride_ decided not to make the movie. I think the person who originally made the decision to purchase the screenplay left/died, and his successor didn’t see anything to gain by going forward with a project that had been someone else’s idea. Anyway, Goldman was eventually able to buy back the rights and sell the script to another studio. I don’t know at what point Goldman decided to write the novel. To the best of my memory he doesn’t say in _Adventures in the Screen Trade_. I don’t think he even specifies that he’s talking about _The Princess Bride_, although it seemed clear to me that this was what he was referring to. It’s my recollection that he says in _Adventures in the Screen Trade_ that he doesn’t think the script in question will ever be produced. Checking on Wikipedia I see that _Adventures in the Screen Trade_ was published in 1983 and the film version of _The Princess Bride_ was released in late 1987, so he couldn’t have said anything in that book about the production or release of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445/45 "2011-07-30T14:12:26Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > It’s been a while since I read _Adventures in the Screen Trade_, but IIRC the problem wasn’t that the screenplay didn’t sell. The problem was that it DID sell, but the studio that owned the rights to _The Princess Bride_ decided not to make the movie. I think the person who originally made the decision to purchase the screenplay left/died, and his successor didn’t see anything to gain by going forward with a project that had been someone else’s idea. Anyway, Goldman was eventually able to buy back the rights and sell the script to another studio. > > I don’t know at what point Goldman decided to write the novel. To the best of my memory he doesn’t say in _Adventures in the Screen Trade_. I don’t think he even specifies that he’s talking about _The Princess Bride_, although it seemed clear to me that this was what he was referring to. It’s my recollection that he says in _Adventures in the Screen Trade_ that he doesn’t think the script in question will ever be produced. Checking on Wikipedia I see that _Adventures in the Screen Trade_ was published in 1983 and the film version of _The Princess Bride_ was released in late 1987, so he couldn’t have said anything in that book about the production or release of the movie. It was it _Which Lie Did I Tell_ then (I read them back to back so that makes sense that I got it confused, I know it was in one of them), and I think you are right, he sold it but it wasn’t made. Anyway, it would have been a more interesting story if I had remembered it better.:smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-became-better-known-only-after-being-turned-into-visual-media-tv-movies-stage/589445.md?page=2)