Saturday, July 18: Mississippi Mud
PLAYING FAVORITES
by John M. Floyd
I was looking through the past few months’ columns and remembered that I thoroughly enjoyed Rob’s April Criminal Brief piece on “favorite” short stories. As he said, the stories he chose to list wouldn’t necessarily be called the best (although I thought many of them would have fit that bill as well) – they were just the ones he found the most entertaining. I also liked the way he broke the stories down into categories and subgenres.
Most of all, his list reminded me of stories I’d like to read again and showed me others that I’ve not yet read. What more could I ask?
Anyhow, since this is a column of opinion, and since faithful readers probably already know I’m fond of making lists, I’m going to give in to self-indulgence. The following are some of my favorites in many (probably too many) categories:
- Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
- Short story: ‘Man From the South,’ Roald Dahl
- Short-short story: ‘Voodoo,’ Fredrick Brown
- Movie: ‘The Godfather’ (1972)
- Play: ‘Proof,’ David Auburn
- Documentary: ‘Man on Wire’ (2008)
- Creative nonfiction: The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
- Biography: Papa Hemingway, A. E. Hotchner
- Autobiography: Born Standing Up, Steve Martin
- Novel series: James Bond (Ian Fleming)
- Movie series: The first three Indiana Joneses
- Director (tie): Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford
- Novel author: Nelson DeMille
- Short-story author: Jack Ritchie
- Screenwriter: William Goldman
- Hero: Jim McKay, ‘The Big Country’ (1958)
- Hero (novel): Augustus McCrae, Lonesome Dove
- Heroine: Marge Gunderson, ‘Fargo’ (1996)
- Heroine (novel): Clarice Starling, The Silence of the Lambs
- Villain: Anton Chigurh, ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
- Villain (novel): Visili Nikitin, Child 44
- Adventure: ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
- Adventure novel: Deliverance, James Dickey
- Western: ‘High Noon’ (1952)
- Western novel: Shane, Jack Schaefer
- Western short story: ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,’ Dorothy Johnson
- Western comedy (tie): ‘Blazing Saddles’ (1974) and ‘Rustler’s Rhapsody’ (1985)
- Western series: The Virgil Cole novels (Robert B. Parker)
- Mystery: ‘L.A. Confidential’ (1997)
- Mystery novel: The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
- Mystery short story: ‘The Green Heart,’ Jack Ritchie
- Mystery novel series character: Lucas Davenport (John Sandford)
- Mystery comedy series character: Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich)
- Spy movie: ‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002)
- Spy novel: The Eye of the Needle, Ken Follett
- Young-adult movie: ‘Holes’ (2003)
- Young-adult novel: Banner in the Sky, James Ramsey Ullman
- Young-adult mystery: Edenville Owls, Robert B. Parker
- Young-adult novel series: Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)
- Prison movie: ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994)
- Prison novel: The Green Mile, Stephen King
- Sports movie: ‘Rocky’ (1976)
- Sports novel: The Natural, Bernard Malamud
- Serial-killer movie: ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
- Serial-killer novel: Red Dragon, Thomas Harris
- Medieval movie: ‘The Lion in Winter’ (1968)
- Medieval novel: Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
- Southern movie: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ (1962)
- Southern novel: Beach Music, Pat Conroy
- Southern mystery novel: The Bottoms, Joe R. Lansdale
- Southern short story: ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find,’ Flannery O’Connor
- Christmas story: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)
- TV series (tie): ‘Hill Street Blues’ and ‘ER’
- TV miniseries: ‘Lonesome Dove’ (1989)
- Cable series: ‘The Sopranos’
- Movie sequel: ‘The Godfather: Part II’ (1974)
- Novel sequel: The Lion’s Game, Nelson DeMille
- Love story: ‘Casablanca’ (1942)
- Lover’s triangle: ‘Body Heat’ (1981)
- Sci-fi movie: ‘Aliens’ (1986)
- Sci-fi novel: The Time Machine, H.G. Wells
- Sci-fi short story: ‘A Sound of Thunder,’ Ray Bradbury
- Horror movie: ‘Psycho’ (1960)
- Horror novel: The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty
- Horror short story: ‘The Wendigo,’ Algernon Blackwood
- Werewolf movie: ‘Silver Bullet’ (1985)
- Comedy: ‘Raising Arizona’ (1987)
- Comedy novel: No Way to Treat a First Lady, Christopher Buckley
- Comedy short story: ‘The Kugelmaas Episode,’ Woody Allen
- Musical comedy: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ (1966)
- Romantic comedy: ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ (1993)
- Time-travel movie: ‘Somewhere in Time (1980)
- Time-travel novel: Time and Again, Jack Finney
- Heist movie: ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ (1968)
- Heist novel: The Two Minute Rule, Robert Crais
- Sherlock Holmes novel: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
- Stephen King novel: The Dead Zone
- Stephen King short story: ‘The Last Rung on the Ladder’
- O. Henry short story: ‘A Retrieved Reformation’
- Hitchcock movie: ‘Rear Window’ (1954)
- James Bond movie: ‘Goldfinger’ (1964)
- Animated feature: ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
- Fantasy series (novels and movies): Lord of the Rings trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien)
- Disaster movie: ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ (1972)
- Disaster novel: Pompeii, Robert Harris
- Opening scene: ‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984)
- Opening paragraph (novel): Skinny Dip, Carl Hiaasen
- Opening paragraph (short story): ‘Red Wind,’ Raymond Chandler
- Ending: ‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)
- Ending (novel): Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow
- Ending (short story): ‘The Lottery,’ Shirley Jackson
- Ending (spy movie): ‘No Way Out’ (1987)
- Ending (supernatural movie): ‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)
- Ending (love story): ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ (1982)
- Ending (sci-fi movie): ‘Signs’ (2002)
- Comic-book adaptation: ‘Superman: The Movie’ (1978)
- Lawyer movie: ‘The Verdict’ (1982)
- Lawyer novel: Missing Witness, Gordon Campbell
- Italian Western: ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968)
- Post-apocalypse novel: The Stand, Stephen King
- Western you might never have heard of: ‘From Noon to Three’ (1976)
- Mystery you might never have heard of: ‘Blood Simple’ (1984)
- Notes
- The categories were as much fun to think up as the favorites were.
- If the titles have dates after them (or, I suppose, if you had dates when you went to see them), they’re movies.
That’s my list. I’m sure no one would agree with all of these choices, and some would agree with none of them, but that’s the fun of something like this. Different tastes, different preferences. I sometimes disagree with myself: I changed my favorite movie from “The Godfather” to “Casablanca” and back again at least five different times. (I thought that one was important enough not to wimp out and declare a tie.)
In closing, I’d be interested to know some of your favorite works of fiction. And if you have so many that you can’t really single any out… well, I know that feeling too.
It’s a good problem to have.
So if you were to be trapped on a desert isle with one hundred of your favorite works…
Without doubt this is the Favorites List to end all Favorites Lists. I’m overwhelmed. For a while it looked like I was going to read the entire list without having a story come to mind, a criminal offense at my age. I ended up with two, both repeated so often I probably have told them here.
Hitchcock paid Cornell Woolrich $500 for his story “Rear Window” and then didn’t even send him a complimentary ticket when the movie opened in New York.
“The Eye of the Needle” was at the top of both the book and movie charts when I was talking with Eleanor Sullivan, editor of both AHMM and EQMM. She had bought a few of my stories at the time. Ken Follett walked up and said, “Eleanor, why is it you won’t ever buy any of the stories I send you?” She replied, “Keep trying, Ken, keep trying.” I would have felt pretty good had it not been for the difference in our earnings.
Dick, I sort of got carried away, once I got started remembering favorites, and couldn’t seem to find a stopping point. The funny thing is, and maybe the good thing is, that a list like this changes with time. I hope to read books and stories and see movies soon that I’ll like even more than the ones I listed here. (Especially since our kids talked me into signing up for Netflix awhile back. I love it.)
By the way, DID Follett ever get into EQMM?
In no particular order–favorite novels: PERSUASION (classic), KATHERINE (historical), THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD (children’s), A SMALL DEATH IN LISBON (mystery), THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY (suspense), THE NEVERENDING STORY (fantasy), THE THREE MUSKETEERS (adventure), THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO & THE STARS MY DESTINATION (revenge); CYTEEN & FOUNDATION (sf trilogies).
For the oddball stuff–favorite poets: Ogden Nash (humorous), Virgil and Camoes (epic), Robert Browning (lyric); favorite mystery short storie:s “Aunt Allie’s Flypapers” and “Death Wears a Mask” & novella “A Scandal in Bohemia”; best opening paragraph & sentence: I, CLAUDIUS; favorite villain: Iago; and favorite movie: CAPTAIN NEWMAN, MD.
That should be WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND
Whoa, KG, I think if I’d seen your list in time I might have made changes to my own. I certainly agree with you on LISBON and MR. RIPLEY and MONTE CRISTO, and others as well. As for Ogden Nash, he’s not only a favorite, he’s one of my heroes.
As so often happens with the comments we receive, I now have more items for my to-read list.
I agree, she has impressive entries– Virgil, Browning, and Nash. I’d be tempted to add Voltaire, likely something other than Candide.
The Moonstone would be on my list. I like many of Dorothy Sayers’ short stories and I love Lindsey Davis.
I’d add Harry Potter audiobooks, but only if read by Jim Dale. He’s better than the movies.
On British radio, BBC Radio 4, I think, you could find a programme that would make American eyes roll, but it was a lot of fun and has broadcast since forever, nonwithstanding a couple of dust-ups and a ditzy presenter.
Desert Island Discs asked guests to name a half dozen music recordings, a book, and one luxury item to be cast-away with.
Most guests are well-known in their fields or even famous or occasionally controversial. There’s a hint of Groucho’s You Bet Your Life or Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, but what makes the show interesting aren’t the selections, but what they say about the guest.
I am delighted to know there are others out there who think Ogden Nash hung the moon.
Nash helped me get back at my 10th grade English teacher. She was a pest in some ways, and one of the most plaguy things she made us do was memorize poetry. Of course, she meant “Great Poetry”. If I wanted an A, I had to recite more than 50 lines. I recited three Ogden Nash poem, plus some other piece of drivel. I succeeded in both getting an A and my revenge, but, brother, did she get steamed. My classmates got a huge kick out of it though, which is why she was so steamed.
Wow! I was just reading Dorothy Johnson the other night!