Long before the film version of Gorgo reached the cinema screens of either Britain or America, Monarch Books in the USA had published a paperback novelisation. The book is credited to Carson Bingham, which was a pen-name of Bruce Cassiday (1920-2005).
Monarch Books were based in Derby, Connecticut, and published a wide range of titles, including film and television tie-ins. For a while, the film books were grouped together in a short-lived series called Monarch Movie Books.
The Gripping Story Of A City Threatened With Annihilation
By A Raging Prehistoric Monster - Gorgo - This classic thriller is now on the screen as a spectacular King Brothers' Technicolor Production.
Based on an original story by Eugene Lourie, screenplay by John Loring and David Hyatt. Novelisation by Carson Bingham.
A King Brothers Technicolor Motion Picture. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Release. MGM being the US distributor for the film.
MM603, Gorgo, carries a publication date of July 1960 (well before the film came out in March 1961), and sold for 35 cents. It contained 141 pages. There were tinted black and white photographs from the film on both the front and back covers.
Oddly, despite this being a British-made film, there does not appear to have been a British edition of the book. I do not know if the Monarch Books edition was available in Britain at the time.
In 2014 Bear Manor Media released a book on Gorgo, in both paperback and hardback editions. This included the original tie-in novel; the original shooting script for the film; and a production history.
The Amazon listing for the book includes a preview of a few pages, and some photographs.
Four photographs from Worthpoint.
Paul Adams from New Zealand
There will be much more on Monarch Books from Paul later in the week!
Fab write up Paul and thanks for sharing on MC. Its interesting that the credits say that the original story was by Eugene Lourie. I assume this means a sort of screenplay for the film? I've read that he was the art director of many movies including three big monster films, Gorgo being the last. Interestingly he was also the art director for the Kung Fu series, which I adored back in the early 70's. Grasshopper!
ReplyDeleteThe credits on Wikipedia says Story by Eugene Lourie and Daniel Hyatt. Screenplay by John Loring and Daniel Hyatt. Directed by Eurgene Lourie.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching Kung Fu on TV. Certainly an unusual Western.
This is an interesting site too Paul re. Gorgo. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/19756
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, which I have not seen before. It seems MGM were plugging the film in the US as a family picture, and were upset that the BBFC gave it an X certificate in Britain, which meant no one under 16 could see it at all. Hence the comics and toys related to the film were all from the US, and not from Britain.
ReplyDelete