Written in 1946, this is a noir classic that in someways surpasses the movie in its dark plot. There are aspects of the book which certainly could not have been brought to the screen in the 1940s and probrably still couldn't be done today. A much deeper and convoluted account of Stan Carlisle's torturous career in and out of the carny world. Definitely a "must read" for those who really love this old movie.
shareGresham was a good friend of the Amazing Randi. He dedicated his biography of Houdini to him.
shareHaving not read the book or seen the film. Should I read the book first?
shareI am glad you are interested in this "Alley" it is also one dark street I enjoy wandering down more than thrice. See film before reading book.
How shall the stars on the cheeks of this mandrill find a number?
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See the film first as it is a far better organized story than the book. The book, like the story has two main parts: Stanton's life as a Carney, and his later life as a "spiritualist". The first part of the book is brilliantly written. Gresham's description of the Carney life is so good that the characters and the scenery jump off the pages. After that it all falls apart and becomes repetitious and meandering. The screen writer Jules Furtham has done a great job of repairing that part of the story.
I gather that Gresham wrote the book in two stages, with a longish period between them. By the time he was writing the spiritualist stage reportedly he was deeply affected by his alcoholism and, if true, that would account for it's glaringly poor quality compared to the Carney part.
My only complaint with the film is that the ending is not the logical one.
The book is now in print again, and I would also recommend watching the film first and then reading the book - this goes into more detail about Stanton's career (and rise and fall) and the ending is different. It amazes me that it was considered suitable for filming when it came out, as it is so shocking in content. An interesting piece of trivia is that the author William Lindsay Gresham dedicated the book to his second wife Joy, who was featured in the film "Shadowlands" as the woman who ended up marrying C S Lewis.
The novel's ending is in the movie. Here it is:
McGraw - Final Carnival Owner: And we'll keep you in coffee and cake. Bottle every day, place to sleep it off in. What do you say? Anyway, it's only temporary, just until we can get a real geek.
The movie goes on from there and has what I think would have been a devastating ending when Stanton says I was made for it.
That's where the movie should have ended.
Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.
Agreed, Joe Parkson. It's like they tacked on the last bit to give a bit of hope (by no means certain, given what we saw at the start with the alcoholic, but still, a glimmer).