Successful books that became successful movies and successful TV shows

The only one I can think of is MAS*H. The criteria are the book came first and wash successful, followed by a successful movie and TV show (or TV show and then a movie).

Peyton Place

Novel by Grace Metalious in 1956
Movie in 1957
TV Show from 1964 - 69

Really? I had no idea. When was it published? Amazon has a bunch of books by a Richard Hooker - is that the guy? What’s the book that started it all?

Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell’s book, of course. The success of each is relative, although the TV version has proven itself adn wouldn’t occurred had the book not been successful, I think.

Northwest Passage, by Kenneth Roberts, was made into a movie in 1940 (starring Spencer Tracy), and ended up as a one-season TV show 1958-59 (starring Buddy Ebsen).

How successful the book was is hard to say.

Oh, I’ve got another one.

Anne of Green Gables

Book (first book in the series) 1908 by L.M. Mongomery (wow, I knew how old this book is, but typing out the year makes me even more amazed it is so old and still so readable)
Movie in 1934 (I think there have been others, but this is the most successful IMHO)
TV miniseries, followed by regular series - there have been several, but the wildly successful one is the CBC Kevin Sullivan production in, um, the mid 80s.

The Doctor series by Richard Gordon, starting with Doctor in the House published in 1952. 17 books, 7 films produced between 1954 - 1970, a radio series and a number of TV series that ran on and off from 1969 - 1991.

Also, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

*Gone With the Wind *- Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for the novel, Best Picture Academy Award in 1940 for the movie.

The Paper Chase. First a novel, then a movie and then a series on CBS for only one season, but then revived by Showtime for three more seasons.

When was the TV show on?

D’oh.

Probably unfamiliar to Americans, but the best example I can think of, is the Keith Waterhouse novel Billy Liar. Published in 1959 it is the story of a teenager desperate to get his life in order, continually lying and indulging in fantasies trapped in a provincial town. It is both funny and touching.

Waterhouse turned it into a 3 act play in 1960. It played in London’s West End with Albert Finney starring. It is still popular with amateur theatre groups because of its simple staging.

John Schlesinger directed a movie version in 1963 featuring Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie.

Two series of a sitcom were made by London Weekend Television in 1973-74 and a US ripoff (called Billy) was attempted in 1979 starring Steve Guttenberg.

In 1974 it became a successful West End musical starring Michael Crawford.

I’ll assume you are not kidding…though I don’t know for sure.

It’s this one:

MASH by Richard Hooker

Batman - if you’re prepared to allow comic books :smiley:

Would comic books be cheating? Batman, Superman, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, the Crow, Spawn all were comic book series turned TV series & movie(s).

Another cheat: the Shining. Successful book, quite successful Kubrick film, and fairly successful TV miniseries.

Emmanuelle and Lady Chatterley’s Lover both were successful books turned successful softcore movies (the first essentially redefined the softcore genre). Both lent their names to late-night pay cable series in the early 2000s (successful? not sure how to define success for late-night TV): Emmanuelle in Space and Lady Chatterley’s Stories.

The Dirty Dozen started life as a novel by E.M. Nathanson, became a successful movie in 1967, and became a TV series that… well… okay, it wasn’t successful, but that may just be due to its being on the fledgling Fox network.

The long-popular Dirty Pair anime franchise started as Japanese-language novels, and among the adaptations (OVA, radio, and more) have been a TV series (1985) and movie (1987). Similar to this, one could make a case for multiple Disney properties which are often adapted from books: Winnie the Pooh, DuckTales (based on Carl Barks’ duck comics), Little Mermaid, Aladdin, the Jungle Book (which spawned Jungle Cubs, the TV series), 101 Dalmatians, Tarzan, Robin Hood.

Oh! Forgot Belvedere (novel) > Sitting Pretty/MR. Belvedere Goes to College/Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (movies) > Mr. Belvedere (TV series).

I’m looking at the Wikipedia list of television programs based on novels and found a few more. Mister Roberts, although there were only thirty episodes of the series. A big one; The Waltons was first a novel and then a 1963 movie before the very successful series. And there are more if you include miniseries among the list.

Here is one with a twist.

Good old Jack.

Black Beauty was a book first, then a film, then a TV and then a movie again

Ivanhoe went from book, then to two operas, two movies, a TV series and then three more movies

Fay Wheldon wrote The Life and Loves of a She Devil. The BBC made a great mini series and Hollywood really screwed the pooch.

The Three Musketeers if you count Dogtanian and the three Muskahounds

How successful were the book and movie of DOBIE GILLIS? I assume successful enough to launch the TV show.

Dracula - Famous book, a horde of movies made about him, and at least one TV show (one of the ongoing storylines in “Cliffhangers” - a late 70s / early 80s series).