# To Kill A Mockingbird. Dill. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2001, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510 "2001-10-10T04:30:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/61 "2001-10-13T04:57:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by d12 \* > \*\*I’ve created a monster :\ \*\* You hit what you head for, you get what you ask. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/62 "2001-10-13T05:18:31Z")
> [@](#): > > _ **plnnr** said:_ > I recall reading the sequel and being shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when I learned that Boo Radley was head of the local NAMBLA chapter and Dill was his houseboy. I didn’t even know that Robert Duvall was gay. > > The book was entitled “Boo and Dill: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name,” IIRC That definitely wasn’t either of the sequels I read. Didn’t NAMBLA appear during the late eighties? That would have been after my time at university. But our prof didn’t present the sequels in order of internal story-arc or even order of writing; rather he used some bizarre personal stylistic classification that I _never_ understood. We could choose from five of the sequels, and I’m convinced that I’ve never heard of three of them anywhere else. Anyone else read _The Mockingbird Arisen_? Didn’t think so. I’m convinced that the series ended up with a ‘group author’ writing under a penname, like the _Hardy Boys_ series? I suspect that this diluted the creative impulse of the original work, and laid the later sequels open to strong influences from contemporary culture. IMHO, the author of _The Mockingbird Arisen_ had read a little too much Ian Fleming, for instance. ‘Corporate’ group authors sharing a penname, disputed sequels and prequels, non-canon works, rogue foreign editions, inexplicable ‘translations’, movies with ‘creatively-inspired’ screenplays, animation of dubious parentage, fanfic from here to Tuktoyaktuk… I think we’ve got an Oz-books situation here, people. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/63 "2001-10-13T05:25:07Z")
> [@](#): > > _ **plnnr** said:_ > I recall reading the sequel and being shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when I learned that Boo Radley was head of the local NAMBLA chapter and Dill was his houseboy. I didn’t even know that Robert Duvall was gay. > > The book was entitled “Boo and Dill: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name,” IIRC That definitely wasn’t either of the sequels I read. Didn’t NAMBLA appear during the late eighties? That would have been after my time at university. But our prof didn’t present the sequels in order of internal story-arc or even order of writing; rather he used some bizarre personal stylistic classification that I _never_ understood. We could choose from five of the sequels, and I’m convinced that I’ve never heard of three of them anywhere else. Anyone else read _The Mockingbird Arisen_? Didn’t think so. I’m convinced that the series ended up with a ‘group author’ writing under a penname, like the _Hardy Boys_ series? I suspect that this diluted the creative impulse of the original work, and laid the later sequels open to strong influences from contemporary culture. IMHO, the author of _The Mockingbird Arisen_ had read a little too much Ian Fleming, for instance. ‘Corporate’ group authors sharing a penname, disputed sequels and prequels, non-canon works, rogue foreign editions, inexplicable ‘translations’, movies with ‘creatively-inspired’ screenplays, animation of dubious parentage, fanfic from here to Tuktoyaktuk… I think we’ve got an Oz-books situation here, people. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/64 "2001-10-13T05:35:11Z")
Sorry about the double-post: the first time I posted, the boards came back withnsome kind of PHP database error. Mods, could you remove one of the double posts? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/65 "2001-10-13T05:53:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > \*\*Agreed with most of you about the sequels. I often think it would have been better if Harper Lee had only ever written one book. \*\* I love **Fiver**. You are all forgetting the Cunningham Connection. Come ON, people. What are the ‘piznd p’cans’ a metaphor for? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/66 "2001-10-13T14:37:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WordMan \* > \*\* > To Kill A Mockingbird - yeah, he used the same title, but Tim Burton’s insightful re-interpretation was money! Who’da expected the shocker at the end when Scout looks behind the door and instead of Boo Radley, sees Papa Ewell, who then kills her…I am still in shock! \*\* Let’s not forget Johnny Depp’s fantastic appearance as Boo “Scissorhands” Radley. Gave a whole new dimension to the story about Boo stabbing his mother. ---
**Author:** ![PinkyDVM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@PinkyDVM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkyDVM)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/67 "2001-10-13T21:27:47Z")
\*\*Didn’t Berkeley Breathed film a sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird” ? Can’t exactly remember the title. I think it was “Mo’ Better Mockingbird.” \*\* [/QUOTE] Yup, the immortal “Mo’ Better Mockingbird.” Actually-this bit is true…Berke Breathed is a huge fan of “Mockingbird.” He had Opus mention Gregory Peck in a strip, and Peck’s publicist sent it to him. He sent her a note, which she forwarded to Berke: “What is this Bloom County? What’s the matter with me that I don’t understand it?” ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/68 "2001-10-14T08:17:24Z")
reprise wrote: …unless you believe that we can channel Harper Lee… I hadn’t realized that Ms Lee was no longer with us. All the bios i’ve checked do not show year of death. When did she pass? DPWhite wrote: The character was probably changed or left out of the movie. Actually Dill figured prominantly in the movie (as well as the book) and more or less goaded Jem and Scout into trying to get a look at Boo Radley. I agree that this is one of Peck’s better movies and remember first seeing it when i was laid up with a broken leg at the impressionable age of 9. The book remains one of my favorites and Ms Lee was kind enough to autograph a copy for me about 4 years ago. * * * Dislike him? I wouldn’t piss down his throat if his heart were on fire! # ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/69 "2001-10-14T17:12:07Z")
**PinkyDVM, Some Guy** - yep, that’s the one. Vapid and visceral. Good old Opus. ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/70 "2001-10-14T17:44:10Z")
> [@](#): > > …only problem is it’s hard to find information on Dill because he isn’t exactly a “main” character. Well, I didn’t remember Dill at all, but ten minutes of paging through the book revealed his size and build, his eye-color, his hair color, his degree of attractiveness, what he liked to brag about, how he dressed, how he laughed, what he did to amuse himself and others, how he felt about animal cruelty, how he felt about courtroom cross-examination, and his reactions to assorted mysteries and dangers. Dang it, **d12** , you wouldn’t even have to read the book. Now get a piece of paper and a pencil (not a pen, because it could accidentally mark the book), and start leafing through the novel, stopping everywhere you see the name “Dill”. Pay particular attention to his first arrival. The clues are right there, thick as hairs on a 'possum’s back. And sit up straight and turn down that music. How many times do I have to tell you? ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/71 "2001-10-15T16:13:20Z")
**Sunspace** , where were you when I needed you? Next, you’ll likely tell me that Lee’s book on modern environmental problems, _To Tar a Mockingbird_, isn’t even a real book, even though one of the environmental professors has us read it. I’ve long suspected my professors were really in the book business. That day that one walked into our classroom asked us how much we paid for his book, chuckled, then walked out, should have been a bigger clue. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/72 "2001-10-16T17:28:57Z")
Peck? No no no no! Ted Nugent killing the mockingbird on Broadway provided a much more representative adaptation of the original work. I thought the black & white camo he wore nailed the feel of '57 and the return of Dill every summer break helped exemplify Harper’s assertion that mockingbirds were indeed migratory. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/73 "2001-10-16T17:42:16Z")
What most of you don’t realize is that **RealityChuck** has been avidly reading this thread. And taking notes. He has, if my information is correct, a contract with Doubleday for a major satire of American literature. And you’ve provided him with the entire plot and characterization. It will, of course, be published under the _nom de plume_ of Cordwainer Bird… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/74 "2001-10-17T03:14:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by d12 \* > \*\*I need to do a character sketch on Mr. Charles Baker Harris, only problem is it’s hard to find information on Dill because he isn’t exactly a “main” character. Would you Dopers be kind enough to provide me with physical, personality, and emotional traits that he has (with examples from the book). > Thanks in Advance. > Justin K. \*\* d12, how’d that assignment turn out? Did you discuss this thread with your professor and can you give us any insights from that? thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2001, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/75 "2001-10-17T03:38:26Z")
Pft! I handed it in on Monday, still awaiting my 100%. Although she did laugh when I asked if Dill really did join NAMBLA 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lather\_rinse\_repeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@lather\_rinse\_repeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lather_rinse_repeat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/76 "2001-10-18T21:27:40Z")
I thought Monty Hall hosted a sequel called _Let’s Make a Dill._ ---
**Author:** ![Nixon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@Nixon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nixon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/77 "2001-10-18T22:58:44Z")
The simple truth is that Harper Lee never wrote another novel. As a matter of fact, she didn’t really write this one either. To Kill a Mockingbird was first submitted by Lee in 1957 and politely rejected by the publisher J.B. Lippincott. Lippincott suggested a re-write. At this point Lee’s childhood friend Truman Capote stepped in and wrote the novel. When it was resubmitted in late 1958, Lippincott editor Tay Hohoff made further, substantial changes. Thus, it would be wise in your report to note that To Kill a Mockingbird has at least three authors. Miss Lee later acted as Capote’s lead researcher in Capote’s fact/fiction work “In Cold Blood”. btw, this wasn’t the only time that Capote acted as a ghost writer. The late Katharine Graham’s Pulitzer winning autobiography was written almost in its entirety by Capote. Don’t be shocked at how common this is in the publishing business. It goes back a long way. Mary Shelly, for example is credited with writing the gothic horror story “Frankenstein”. She did start it but husband Percy and friend Lord Byron finished it. Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” was essentially written by editor Max Perkins and friend F. Scott Fitzgerald during one of Hemingway’s colossal benders. John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage”, was written in its entirety by speechwriter Ted Sorenson - after JFK & RFK picked out the stories. So there is your theme: lies and deceit in American Literature. Go for the gusto. tres centavos ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/78 "2001-10-18T23:44:42Z")
No, no, no. _Harper Lee_ used _Capote_ as a pen-name. I know I’m a bit late, but I thought one of you old-timers would have know that. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/79 "2001-11-03T15:44:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nixon \* > **btw, this wasn’t the only time that Capote acted as a ghost writer. The late Katharine Graham’s Pulitzer winning autobiography was written almost in its entirety by Capote.** [Capote](http://www.levity.com/corduroy/capote.htm) died in 1984. [Personal History](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/february97/graham_2-7.html) came out in 1997. Man - now that’s a **real** ghostwriter! ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510/80 "2001-11-04T01:24:19Z")
**Nixon** , while no one disputes that Kennedy didn’t write Profiles In Courage, I’m going to have to ask you for cites for all the other examples you name. I’ve read that Harper Lee was always very hurt by suggestions she didn’t write To Kill a Mockingbird herself. And I see no strong reason to doubt it. Some people only have one book in them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird-dill/86510.md?page=5)