TV and Movies

[Oznell]

Do you have a book, even a long-lost childhood favorite, that you'd love to see as a TV series or movie?

Bear with me, but reaching back to my adored "kid-lit" days, I want to see teen sleuths "Trixie Belden" or "Ginny Gordon", both products of brilliant writer for juveniles, Julie Campbell.

It would have to be the "Trixie" of the first six books of the T.B. series-  after six, Julie Campbell bailed out and a succession of less-stellar writers under the pseudonym "Kathryn Kenny" took over.

Julie Campbell was a late-Forties literary agent, living in a beautiful old farmhouse in rural Westchester, New York outside of Ossining, when she started "Trixie" and "Ginny".  Rebellious, impulsive, loveable Trixie lived in an identical, fictional farmhouse, "Crabapple Farm",  and solved mysteries with her new best friend, poor-little-rich girl "Honey Wheeler" and their respective brothers. 

"Ginny Gordon" also lived in Westchester County, but in a slightly more urban setting, the "prosperous suburb of Harristown".   She and pals Lucy, John, and twins Whiz and Babs, also kept running into crooks that they had to foil using all their own resources.

The books were highly literate, vastly entertaining and funny, and the kids were flawed but with exemplary values-- they were always working on multiple projects, like starting a swap shop, or a lending library, finding a troubled runaway, or helping a classmate unmask a mysterious impostor uncle ....

Another thing I love about them is the close alliance the kids had with trusted adults.  "Regan" is the Wheeler's long-suffering stable master and groom, whom all the Belden and Wheeler kids respect and defer to.  In "Ginny Gordon",  it's "Carson",  a kindly chauffeur, Officer Bill, and Mike, the janitor of the "Canton Building", whom all the gang look up to.

 

But Ginny's most important ally and friend in most of her books is old "Mrs. Arnold",  a fun-loving dowager who is in the thick of most things that happen in Harristown.

Were I making this as a movie, I'd love to see Betty White as "Mrs. Arnold"!   Perfect casting.

Whew, anyway, these books long made an impression on me.  Of course they made the estimable book series "Nancy Drew" into films and TV shows, but I feel Julie Campbell's characters have their own unique charm to offer...

The only thing I'm not sure about is, if they should make these as a "period" project, set in their time of post-War, late Forties and Fifties.  Or should they update them.  I can see advantages to each....

That was long-winded, to say the least, but I'd still be so interested if anyone has a book they wish would be translated into film, and why? 

[DecorDiva]

Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger

From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine's Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river's treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily...and neither does their love. So when Mary's life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey.

Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting — a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.

The audio book is also good to listen to.  I bought this book so I could reread it every year, and I don't buy books.

Such a love story.  I could see a movie with a Bridges of Madison County vibe.

[deepwaterdotter]

Disloyal by Michael Cohen.  Would be interesting to see who was chosen to portray the characters.

[dylanfan]

I loved the Trixie Belden books.  I also remember one that took place on a dude ranch in Arizona, I think.  I never read Ginnie Gordon (maybe I aged out).

I would love to see Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebe Hill about the Lakota tribe made into a big movie.  There was a mini series in the 80's renamed the Mystic Warrior, but it was terrible.  The book is out of print.  I believe the Sioux people demonstrated against book & mini series, believing it portrayed them as super violent.  Not true-there are one or two very violent episodes, but the book was a celebration of the Lakota & their culture and was based on a pictoral record on animal skin that actually exists.  The book emphasizes the different social groups within the tribe, etc. such as sewing, peacekeeping and so on.  
Its a difficult book to read, but check out reviews on goodreads.com!

It could be a gorgeous movie done by soneone able (Kevin Costner?).

[Foxxee]

Yes, I'd like to see a Nancy Drew movie set in the late 1930's, 40's, cast as the character I think the books portrayed, not those in the 1938, 2007, or 2018 versions.  

[on the bay]

Wouldn't it be great to see the Louise Penney? is it books with INspector Ganache turned into a series?!

It would have to be British!!😁

[stevieb]

@Oznell  Movies aside, I've been rereading some of the TB series lately... Don't ask me, I just have... That said, I seem to have remembered them perhaps a bit more fondly than my more recent readings are proving them to be worthy of, but am still sort of enjoying the stroll down memory lane... I would also note, I've not read enough to form an opinion but my most recent read was one of the later installments and I have to admit, I found it a far better mystery than some of the recently read earlier books, which had other strengths, perhaps... I've never read Ginny, but maybe I'll give her a whirl, assuming the library has any of those books to read...  Now, were any of these to be made into movies, a clear 'no' to the updates... I'm a bit weary at this point of efforts to rewrite history... I do note that many of the Trixie books now carry a disclaimer that they haven't been updated to be in tune with current 'standards'... Personally, I find the disclaimer obnoxious...

[PA Mom-mom]

@Oznell  I would like to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder books made into one complete film. Not a TV show, but a complete movie of her life. I read her books when I was maybe 6 or 7. They took me worlds away. I learned so much about how we interacted with the land, even though I had a family who hunted and gardened.

[Oznell]

Whoa, I'm finding these answers so interesting.

@DecorDiva,  "Eternal on the Water" does indeed sound cinematic.  Maine, Indonesia, Yellowstone, etc, as the backdrop for an enduring love story, yes!

@deepwaterdotter,  could you elaborate a little on "Disloyal"?

@dylanfan,  "Hanta Yo" with all the Lakota lore sounds fascinating, and yes, the perfect material for a director like Kevin Costner to tackle.

@Foxxee,  good point about the actual Nancy Drew character, as opposed to how she was portrayed on film.  At the time I was reading teen mysteries,  I liked her too, but she may have been a little too sophisticated, with her independence, her little "roadster" and boyfriend ("Ned"?), for me to fully appreciate at about 11 or 12...  What did you think of Bonita Granville's portrayal.  I like her as an actress, but can't remember much about those early movies....

@on the bay,  please tell about "Inspector Ganache" (I love that name!)

Oh, boy, @stevieb ,  a fellow "Trixie" fan!   I like the books right up to "Mystery in Arizona",  the sixth, and the last one Julie Campbell wrote, with her inimitable, sparkling prose.  After she left, the many that followed fell somewhat flat for me, but then I discovered "Ginny", which also has J. Campbell's very distinctive voice.

Funny, you've been rereading "TB", and the last few days I've been storming through "GG"!   Are we escaping from Covid drear and all the other current discomforts?  Ha.

Disclaimers be gone!   If you get first editions, those should not be on there, thankfully.

I think you might like Ginny Gordon.  When a child, I liked impulsive Trixie best, but now I give the edge slightly to Ginny.  She's more mature, she has intellectual interests (math) and just seems a bit more reflective than T.  John Blaketon, one of her cohorts, is a sweetheart.  I like the Harristown setting too--  Ginny's Dad is the editor of the town's newspaper, so the gang's doings get lots of ink... 

I only have 3 of the GG books, but all 6 of the TB books.  They are available variously from Amazon, and early editions at second hand book sellers (that's how I got my GG books. I think they were between $10 to $15, for books that have a moderate amount of wear).   They also give a fun retro spin decor-wise,  I have mine displayed all together on a shelf with some vintage bookends...

That's a great idea, @PA Mom-mom ,  about Laura Ingalls Wilder!!  I totally agree.  I wonder who would be the best to play her....

[insomniac2]

I saw the first episode of the Louise Penny series: it was dreadful. All of the characters were about 20 years younger than I'd thought they were. Ridiculous.

I gave the tape to a friend and told her to watch it, then throw it away.

There were no more episodes made.