Bestsellers: Beyond the Book

At the Movies

A reciprocal relationship between films and novels dates back to the beginning of the motion picture. Novels have spurred movies, and movies have brought audiences to the bookstores. The 1950s, especially, saw the transition of the successful novel to the silver screen. Among some of the familiar titles, moviegoers encountered James Jones' From Here to Eternity (published 1951, filmed 1953), Edna Ferber's Giant (1952, 1956), Nevil Shute's On the Beach (1957, 1959), and Patrick Dennis' Auntie Mame (1955, 1958). From the 1958 bestseller list alone, we see the inspiration for the well-known films Doctor Zhivago (filmed 1965), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Lolita (1962), From the Terrace (1960), and Ice Palace (1960).

The increased commercialization of popular fiction in the 1960s transformed the bestseller into an entertainment package, poised to move into other media. Today, successful novels appear in movie format within a few years of publication, and many spur a whole range of promotional products. That is not to say that movies do not benefit the sale of novels. For E.T. (1982) and The Return of the Jedi (1983), the popularity of the movies inspired book versions, and both titles reached the top of the bestseller list. Ultimately, movies create global audiences for popular fictional narratives.

Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna has appeared in many versions since its publication in 1913 and has never been out of print. In the book's initial years, Pollyanna's "glad game," an antidote to hardship, depressed spirits, and loneliness, inspired numerous glad-game clubs throughout the country. Today, children know the story of this resilient orphan primarily through Disney's 1960 production, starring Hayley Mills in an Academy-Award winning performance. Less well known, Pollyanna appeared as a silent film in 1920 with Mary Pickford in the lead role. Integrated into our cultural awareness, "Pollyanna" now has become synonymous with unbridled optimism.

Porter, Eleanor H. Pollyanna. Boston: Page, 1913.

From the Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature.

Marilyn Monroe immortalized Anita Loos' gold-digging flapper, Lorelei Lee, in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, directed by Howard Hawks. The movie's famous song, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," captured Monroe in one of her most glamorous and memorable moments.

Loos, Anita. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes:" The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1925.

From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers. Gift of Mrs. R. C. Taylor.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Dir. Howard Hawks. Perf. Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, and Charles Coburn. 1953. Videocassette. Twentieth Century Fox, 2001.

In the nineteenth century, the Sears and Roebuck catalog offered customers the choice of numerous British and American fictional works, including Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur. Following the novel's appearance as a silent film in 1926, Ben-Hur won new audiences in the famous 1959 movie version, starring Charlton Heston.

Wallace, Lew. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. New York: Harper, 1880.

From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers.
Gift of Mrs. R. C. Taylor.

A mother from the wrong side of the tracks, Grace Metalious surprised her New England neighbors with the publication of Peyton Place. Her novel's treatment of sex and scandal in small town America created an immediate bestseller in a society grappling with new attitudes towards sexuality.

The publisher Julian Messner printed an initial run of one million copies of Peyton Place, an unheard of number. Eventually the book reached overall sales figures of ten million copies sold in hardcover and paperback. Although tame by today's standards, the book explored the dilemmas of young women in the 1950s and made Metalious an instant celebrity. The book's popularity spurred a movie version, a sequel, and a television series.

Metalious, Grace. Peyton Place. New York: Julian Messner, 1956.

Purchased with the Robert and Virginia Tunstall Trust Fund.

Lloyd C. Douglas' religious novel, The Robe, remained at the top of the bestseller lists for four years after it was published in 1942. Eleven years later, the book reappeared as number one on the 1953 list, benefiting from the success of a new movie version, starring Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, and Victor Mature.

Douglas, Lloyd C. The Robe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942.

From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers. Gift of Mrs. R. C. Taylor.

One of the top bestsellers of all time, Jaws made the waters unsafe for countless readers. Steven Spielberg's movie version generated two sequels and helped set the young director on the path to stardom.

Benchley, Peter. Jaws. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers.

Purchased with the Robert Coleman Taylor Fund.

The excitement and anticipation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) prior to its publication helped to increase advance orders. Even before reaching bookstore shelves, the book was on the way to becoming one of the bestselling novels of all time. The 1962 film version won Gregory Peck an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Atticus Finch.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1960.

From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers.
Purchased with the Robert Taylor Fund and the Associates Endowment.

Jessamyn West's Friendly Persuasion chronicles a Quaker family's response to the Civil War in southern Indiana. Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire star in the 1956 movie version, directed by William Wyler.

West, Jessamyn. The Friendly Persuasion. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1945.

From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers.
Gift of Mrs. R. C. Taylor

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Editions for the Armed Services, [c1939].

Gift of M. Davis.

Buck, Pearl S. The Good Earth. New York: John Day, 1931.

From the Taylor Collection of American Bestsellers.
Gift of Mrs. R. C. Taylor.

Smith, Betty. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. New York: Editions for the Armed Services, [c1943].

Purchased with funds from the National Defense Education Act.

Dixon, Thomas, Jr. The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan. New York: Doubleday, Page, 1904.

Hobson, Laura Z. Gentleman's Agreement. New York: Editions for the Armed Services, [c1947].

Purchased with the funds from
the National Defense Education Act.