The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything: Difference between revisions
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==Adaptations== |
==Adaptations== |
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The plot of ''The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything'' was adapted without permission—and without credit to John D. MacDonald—by [[Rod Serling]] for an episode of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', "[[A Kind of a Stopwatch|A Kind of Stopwatch]]"<ref>"A Kind of Stopwatch" is the title on the original script, two versions of which were published in ''As Timeless as Infinity: The Complete Twilight Zone Scripts of Rod Serling, Volume 3'', edited by Tony Albarella (Gauntlet Press, 2007). The original scripts (both versions) are part of [http://www.ithaca.edu/library/archives/serling/tz5.php The Rod Serling Archives] at [[Ithaca College]].</ref> (Fifth Season, 1963–1964). The episode's credits state, "Written by Rod Serling (based on an unpublished story by Michael D. Rosenthal)"; Rosenthal is believed to have been Serling himself.<ref>Unpublished interview with Philip José Farmer, who claimed as well that ''The Twilight Zone'' episode "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" was based on one of his own short stories ("Uproar in Acheron").</ref> |
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The television episode was later adapted as an episode of ''The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas'' series featuring [[Lou Diamond Phillips]] in the lead role.<ref>[http://www.twilightzoneradio.com/template/store.cfm/ses_/details.cfm,list,x,0,0,5000-1,x,x,x/ ''The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas'': "A Kind of Stopwatch"]</ref> |
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The novel was later adapted into a [[TV movie]] starring [[Robert Hays]] and [[Pam Dawber]], ''The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything'' (1980). The title song was released as a 45-rpm record by [[Richie Havens]] on the [[Elektra]] label. |
The novel was later adapted into a [[TV movie]] starring [[Robert Hays]] and [[Pam Dawber]], ''The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything'' (1980). The title song was released as a 45-rpm record by [[Richie Havens]] on the [[Elektra]] label. |
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Revision as of 06:08, 14 September 2009
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (1962) is a science fiction novel written by John D. MacDonald. The story is a classic screwball mystery about a man, Kirby Winter, who inherits a gold pocket watch that stops time for everyone but the person holding it.
The book clearly was inspired by the work of Thorne Smith, whose classic humorous supernatural fantasy novels, such as Topper (1926), defined the genre. In fact, a back-cover blurb that describes the novel as similar to a collaboration between Thorne Smith and Mickey Spillane appeared on the book's first 13 printings (through October 1979).
It is possible that the given name of MacDonald's protagonist (Kirby Winter) was inspired by the surname of one of Smith's lead characters in Topper (George Kerby).
Publishing history
The first printing of this book was as a paperback original:
- The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything. Greenwich, Conn.: Gold Medal Books | Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1962. 172 pp. Wrappers. s1259 (35¢). Title page: "an original gold medal book"; copyright page: "First Printing, December 1962."
This book has appeared in at least 24 printings in the United States through June 1991 and, with MacDonald's two other science fiction novels, Wine of the Dreamers (1951) and Ballroom of the Skies (1952), was collected as part of an omnibus in Time and Tomorrow (1980).
A second comma was added to the title (after "Watch") with the 2nd printing, and dropped again with the 14th printing.
The only English-language printing that used "and" instead of an ampersand (&) was the Coronet Books printing published by Hodder Fawcett Ltd. in the United Kingdom (1968).
In addition, the book has appeared in at least one Canadian printing (1964) and four British printings (1964, ca. 1965, 1968, and 1974). The latter book was the first hardcover appearance of the novel.[1]
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything has been translated at least six languages and published in Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, and Russia.
Adaptations
The novel was later adapted into a TV movie starring Robert Hays and Pam Dawber, The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything (1980). The title song was released as a 45-rpm record by Richie Havens on the Elektra label.
The TV movie was successful enough to inspire a sequel based on the original characters, The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Dynamite (1981).
The significant plot element was adapted—again without permission (and again without credit to John D. MacDonald)—by Rob Hedden and Andy Hedden for the movie, Clockstoppers (2002), which also appeared as a paperback novelization.[2]
Parodies and pastiches
MacDonald's plot device, the watch that stops time, was incorporated into Lady Slings the Booze (1992) by Spider Robinson, who included John D. MacDonald in his acknowledgments.
The title was parodied (with permission by Gold Medal Books) in The Girls, the Massage, & Everything (1973) by Bernhardt J. Hurwood.
