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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 2, 2008 6:32:36 GMT
I don't know Caroline - it would mean breaking the habit of a lifetime and actually going to a pantomime Scary thought indeed, John. Perhaps you could wear a sinister cape, avoid the whole thing and spend the evening in the bar across the road. Then hover around the stage door after the show ... |
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Post by carolinec on Dec 2, 2008 10:49:46 GMT
I don't know Caroline - it would mean breaking the habit of a lifetime and actually going to a pantomime Scary thought indeed, John. Perhaps you could wear a sinister cape, avoid the whole thing and spend the evening in the bar across the road. Then hover around the stage door after the show ... That's what I do! Hover around the stage door after the show I mean, not wear a sinister cape and spend the evening in the bar! I can see I need to teach you a thing or two about collecting autographs!  |
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Post by David A. Riley on Dec 2, 2008 10:54:32 GMT
Tut tut. You don't know what you've been missing. I should know, having had to sit through so many as the now ex-chairman for 6 years of the St Mary's Pantomime Group in Accrington. Mind you, I've not been to another since standing down two years ago!  David
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michelp
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 11
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Post by michelp on Jun 5, 2011 10:07:08 GMT
This book will always be special to me because Michel Parry kindly gave me a copy! At the time I was trying to establish who exactly 'William Lauder' was and as Michel wrote the screenplay for The Uncanny (inspired by the stories in his first anthology, Beware Of The Cat) he seemed the most likely suspect, especially as he has plenty of previous when it comes to pseudonyms. Well, Michel assures me it wasn't him (I don't think he has a high opinion of the book) but another author, quite well known, whose identity he's forgotten. I still live in hope that someone can shed some light on just who this deceptive Mr. Lauder actually is/ was. I suddenly remembered: it was a guy who wrote lots of novelizations under the name William Hughes. Not sure if that's his real name. Someone like Nick Austin would probably know. |
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Post by justin on Jun 6, 2011 13:15:05 GMT
Chris Lowder aka Jack Adrian aka Jack Hamilton Teed?
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michelp
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 11
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Post by michelp on Jun 6, 2011 17:07:03 GMT
Chris Lowder aka Jack Adrian aka Jack Hamilton Teed? Intriguing suggestion, Justin, but I don't think it's him. Chris Lowder's bibliography is here: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Jack%20AdrianFunny, I always imagined 'Jack Adrian' as someone who'd been around since the 1920's! William Hughes also wrote novelizations of Lust For a Vampire and Performance. To add to the confusion there's a young US horror writer of the same name and a William Hughes who's professor of Gothic Studies at Bath Spa University and has written books about Dracula, vampires etc Will the real William Hughes please stand out.... |
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Post by justin on Jun 7, 2011 10:21:27 GMT
My suggestion is purely based on the "sound-a-like" surname, nothing more substantial than that.
The biblio you linked to starts in 1986. Lowder would have written some Sexton Blake (60s), Blood of Dracula (70s) and Gun Ships (early 80s), as well as loads of British comics including some early Judge Dredd. So I think it's flawed, like so many on-line references.
Johnny M was in contact with Lowder for a while, so he might be able to find out. I can drop Nick Austin a mail but I'm pretty sure he didn't work at Arrow so wouldn't think he would know.
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michelp
Crab On The Rampage
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Post by michelp on Jun 7, 2011 15:42:09 GMT
My suggestion is purely based on the "sound-a-like" surname, nothing more substantial than that. The biblio you linked to starts in 1986. Lowder would have written some Sexton Blake (60s), Blood of Dracula (70s) and Gun Ships (early 80s), as well as loads of British comics including some early Judge Dredd. So I think it's flawed, like so many on-line references. Johnny M was in contact with Lowder for a while, so he might be able to find out. I can drop Nick Austin a mail but I'm pretty sure he didn't work at Arrow so wouldn't think he would know. Yes, the names sound suspiciously similar, don't they? Meanwhile, I'm no longer so sure about William Hughes being the culprit. Apparently 'William Hughes' was the pen-name of...wait for it...Hugh Williams! I vaguely remember Anthony Cheetham at Sphere telling me that Hugh Williams had a day job with a major film distributor and knocked out novelizations to earn a bit of extra. Hopefully William Lauder's true identity may turn up in the mountain of old documents and contracts I keep meaning to sift through one of these deca--- days. I'd love to read an interview with Chris Lowder/Jack Adrian! |
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Post by noose on Jun 7, 2011 16:51:37 GMT
I'll write another letter off to Mr Lowder, but I don't fancy my chances of getting a reply.
Got an email to send you Michel,
johnny
x
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michelp
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 11
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Post by michelp on Jun 7, 2011 19:59:19 GMT
I'll write another letter off to Mr Lowder, but I don't fancy my chances of getting a reply. Whyever not, Johnny? You didn't give him the old Oscar Cook treatment, did you? |
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Post by dem on Jun 10, 2011 18:50:54 GMT
Yes, the names sound suspiciously similar, don't they? Meanwhile, I'm no longer so sure about William Hughes being the culprit. Apparently 'William Hughes' was the pen-name of...wait for it...Hugh Williams! I vaguely remember Anthony Cheetham at Sphere telling me that Hugh Williams had a day job with a major film distributor and knocked out novelizations to earn a bit of extra. Hopefully William Lauder's true identity may turn up in the mountain of old documents and contracts I keep meaning to sift through one of these deca--- days. Hi Michel, thanks for the info. 'william hughes' (whoever he is/ was) makes sense to me although, if anything, I'd say he makes a better fist of 'the uncanny' than 'lust for a vampire', one of the blandest novelisations ever to feature on vault and that is seriously saying something. He wrote the tie-in for Blind Terror, too. great to hear from you again!  |
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Post by Johnlprobert on Jun 10, 2011 20:12:45 GMT
'william hughes' (whoever he is/ was) makes sense to me although if anything, i'd say he makes a better fist of 'the uncanny' than 'lust for a vampire', one of the blandest novelisations ever to feature on vault and that is seriously saying something. He wrote the tie-in for Blind Terror, too. Oddly enough I quite liked Lust for a Vampire - better than the movie, anyway. Mind you I was about 11 when I read it and I seem to remember thinking Gary Brandner's The Howling was ok at that age too! On an almost totally unrelated note, it's been Inseminoid day here at Probert Towers (everyone should have one) and so after a viewing of the film (and the DVD extras) I've dug out my "Larry Miller" (any ideas who he might be anyone?) novelisation to read again. I've not read it since 1981 which would have made me 13, and I thought it was absolutely cracking back then. Will my feelings have changed? Notes in due course, I suspect. |
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michelp
Crab On The Rampage
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Post by michelp on Jun 11, 2011 22:05:07 GMT
hi michel, thanks for the info. 'william hughes' (whoever he is/ was) makes sense to me although if anything, i'd say he makes a better fist of 'the uncanny' than 'lust for a vampire', one of the blandest novelisations ever to feature on vault and that is seriously saying something. He wrote the tie-in for Blind Terror, too. great to hear from you again! Thanks, Kev! My old password stopped working ages ago - finally got round to re-registering now that the worst of my big move is over. I'll drop you a line with the new address. |
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Post by dem on Jul 30, 2012 11:33:48 GMT
At last, the mystery author of The Uncanny novelization revealed! Many thanks to our dear friend Michel Parry for his tenacity! ******************* Hi Kev, Hope this finds you well! If you're still interested in the identity of the guy who wrote the novelization of The Uncanny, today I came across an ancient letter from my agent who mentions the culprit by name. And the name is... Allen Harbinson, alias W.A. Harbinson, alias Shaun Clarke ... a busy boy in many fields it seems! Now that little mystery is cleared up, we can move on to more important questions like...what is Jack the Ripper's real name and why is he still living in Whitechapel after all these years??? All the best, Michel. ******************* |
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Post by ripper on Feb 14, 2013 17:20:34 GMT
I have read a fair few of the Shaun Clarke military adventure novels and I would never have guessed that the same guy wrote the novelisation of The Uncanny. I like the film and novelisation, though I think it could have done with a fourth story. I thought the first two tales dragged just a tad. Also, I don't mind too much that one of the stories, the last one, was darkly humorous, but would have preferred that it would have been next to last instead. As a personal taste, I like anthology films (and their novelisations) to end on a seriously frightening note :-).
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