Tag Archives: Book vs. Movie

Book Vs Movie “Valley of the Dolls”

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Book Vs Movie 

Valley of the Dolls 

The 1968 Jacqueline Susann Novel Vs the 1967 Camp Classic Film

“Sparkle, Neely Sparkle!”

The Margos are still enjoying the swinging 60s and what better way to celebrate than talking about the amazing Jacqueline Susann  who is the first author to have three consecutive #1 books on the New York Times bestseller list. Though her work was critically panned at the time and she was considered a self-promoting hack by the literary elite (how dare they!) Susann is now an icon for fun-living women who dare to take up space. 

Valley of the Dolls caused a scandal at the time with its frank discussions about sex, sexism in show business, drug use, and cancer. But Susann had a flair for publicity, had a super-sharp wit and a husband (Irving Mansfield) who promoted her work with incredible enthusiasm. This woman practically invented the book tour and became just as famous as Truman Capote and Phillip Roth but for the fun, camp set. 

The movie directed by Mark Robson was rushed into production in 1967 and was seen as a bit trashy and embarrassing at the time. Today it is known as a camp classic. 

In this episode, we talk about the many differences between the original book & the movie to decide which we like better. (P.S. We adore Jacqueline Susann!)

In this ep the Margos discuss:

    • The incredible life story of Jacqueline Susann
    • The world of the 1960s and why her work caused a scandal.

Clips Featured:

    • Valley of the Dolls  trailer
    • BBC Interview with Jacqueline Susann (1973)
    • Neely O’Hara & Helen Lawson fight
    • Neely & Tony Polar “sing” 
    • Outro music “Theme from the Valley of the Dolls” composed by Dionne Warwick

Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie 

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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/ 


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Book vs Movie “The Color Purple”

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Book Vs Movie (Replay)

“The Color Purple”

The Alice Walker Pulitzer-Prize Winning Novel Vs the Steven Spielberg Multi-Academy Award Nominated Film

The Margos finally take on the Alice Walker classic The Color Purple which won both the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award in 1983. It went on to be adapted into a film by none of than Steven Spielberg who has appeared on this show several times so we may just have to change our name to the “Steven Spielberg Presents” show soon! (Kidding!)

Celie Harris is our lead character who is African American, poor, uneducated and being raised in America’s south in the early part of the 20th century. Her entire life she is abused by men including her stepfather (from whom she has two children) and then eventually her husband who is only referred to as “Mr” in the book and leaves his three wild children for her to raise.

Celie’s sister Nettie is sent away with a religious couple to a mission in Africa after almost being raped by Mr and the letters they exchange to make up the telling of the rest of the novel.

Spielberg’s movie is sort of the PG-version of what happens in the book with major subplots about lesbianism and the colonialism in Africa barely being hinted or discussed. However, the performances are next-level amazing which counts for its multiple Academy Award nominations.

So what are those changes? Which version did the Margos like better? Check out the link below to hear for yourself!  

In this ep the Margos discuss:

    • The interesting history of the author Alice Walker including years of feminist activism and her controversial political views these days.
    • How the novel is told in an epistolary form and how it makes it challenging to read at times
    • The road to the adaptation by Steven Spielberg and his rather restrained choices about racism, sexism, child molestation, and adult sexuality  
    • The controversy over how the African American male characters are depicted

Clips Featured:

    • The Color Purple (original trailer)
    • Whoopi Goldberg wins the 1986 Best Actress Golden Globe Award
    • Alice Walker gives her opinion on the film adaptation BBC Desert Island Discs May 19, 2013
    • Sofia confronts Celie
    • Celie meets her children for the first time as adults
    • Outro music Miss Celie’s Blues vocals by Tata Vega

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Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/


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Book Vs Movie: Steve Harvey’s “Think Like a Man”

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Book Vs Movie (Replay)

Act Like a Lady. Think Like a Man

The 2009 Self-Help Book from Comedian Steve Harvey Vs the 2012 Movie

With Special Guest Kristen Meinzer of the By the Book podcast

Hey BVMers! The Margos are trying their first self-help book, Steve Harvey’s Think Like a Lady. Act Like a Man (2009) along with our special guest this week–Kristen Meinzer of the By the Book podcast. Let’s just say this, for self-identifying feminists –this book was a challenge to get through. 

Harvey is a man with a dozen different jobs including the Steve Harvey Morning Radio Show and as host of the Family Feud. His premise is that dozens of women over the years called into his show to ask for advice on their heterosexual relationships (he is very “traditional”) and he wanted to offer them the best tips for how women can manage their men. 

It involves not giving up “the cookie” for 90s days and basically be happy taking on most of the emotional labor in any relationship you have with a “good man.” (And if be misbehave–maybe YOU did something wrong?)

The movie (Think Like a Man directed by Tim Story) follows the story of several beautiful women who need Steve’s help to figure out their relationships. It’s filled with beautiful people. 

So between the book and the movie–which did we like better? Click the link at the bottom to find out. 

In this ep the Margos and Kristen discuss:

    • Steve Harvey’s life as a comic and thrice-married person and pondering why anyone would ask him for dating tips? 
    • The different types of relationship books released in the last twenty years that caught the American imagination 
    • The biggest differences between the book and movie 
    • Our favorite scenes from the movie

Clips Featured:

    • Think Like a Man trailer
    • Different types of men featured in the movie (as described by Kevin Hart)

Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie 

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/ 


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Book Vs Movie: “A Christmas Carol” Plus, Top 5 Favorite “Scrooge” Adaptations

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Book Vs. Movie Podcast

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

the 2009 Jim Carey Animated Movie

Plus, the Margos Pick Their “Top 5 Scrooge Performances”

The Margos continue their holiday celebrations with the all-time classic “A Christmas Carol”  by Charles Dickens. There have been hundreds of adaptations on the theme of Scrooge and is ultimate salvation but only one features stop-motion animation and Jim Carey so we pair the discussion with Disney’s A Christmas Carol directed by Book Vs Movie favorite Robert Zemeckis.

We had SO much fun recording this episode!

Topics we cover here:

    • The Margos each pick our favorite “Scrooge” adaptation
    • The incredible life story of Charles Dickens and the reasons he wrote A Christmas Carol
    • How England changed how they celebrate Christmas after the publication
    • Our favorite adaptations of the work
    • Jim Carey’s frenetic performance

Clips used:

Sir Patrick Stewart reading

Jim Carey as the Ghost of Christmas past & Scrooge

Vanessa Williams “Sleigh Ride”

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Find us in Apple Podcasts

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R

Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/


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Book Vs Movie: “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

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The Raven

The Classic Edgar Allan Poe Poem vs the Roger Corman/Vincent Price 1963 Film

The Margos both hear a rapping, rapping at our podcast door but we are not afraid. Because this episode is dedicated to all things “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe and the 1963 Roger Corman movie that stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and a young Jack Nicholson. 

We first dive into the fascinating and mysterious Poe (who went by Eddie Poe most is his life) who became famous after writing the classic poem in January 1845 but never seemed to make any money to live on. He died under mysterious circumstances on October 7, 1849, at the age of 40 in Baltimore and has since been celebrated as the inventor of the “detective story” with the publication of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” in 1841. To this day, there are references to Poe and The Raven every year during Halloween (including a very famous 1990 episode of The Simpsons.)

Roger Corman is the “Pope of Pop Cinema” who after a decades-long career as a director, producer, and actor–is still with us and giving hope to independent filmmakers around the world. 

And Vincent Price along with Boris Karloff in a comedy horror film? What is better than that? So, between the poem and the 1963 movie–which did the Margos like better?  

Click the link at the bottom to find out. 

In this ep the Margos discuss:

    • The intense and short  life of Edgar Allen Poe 
    • The legacy of his work that still resonates to this day
    • Roger Corman’s influence on independent films
    • The biggest differences between the poem and movie 
    • Our favorite scenes from the movie

Clips Featured:

    • The Raven  trailer
    • Vincent Price reading “The Raven”
    • Dr. Erasmus (Vincent Price) meets Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre) as a raven

Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie 

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R

 

Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/ 


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Book Vs Movie: Stephen King’s “Carrie” (1976) Replay Ep

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Book Vs Movie (Replay)

“Carrie”

The Margos Take On the Stephen King Classic in this Redo Ep

It’s October and the Margos are SO excited to revisit a classic Stephen King tale–Carrie which we originally covered in 2014 (using the old, old way we recorded back in the early days.)  This is not only King’s first movie adaptation but it is also based on his first published novel. There are so many changes between book & movie that we wanted to give it a modern treatment (meaning better sound and lots of clips!)

Just how different is the original novel versus the Brian DePalma masterpiece of horror?  Whoo boy—there were some major changes made (and for very good reason in many instances.)

So which did the Margos like better? Book or Movie? Check out the link below to find out!

Once again, we are SO lucky to have Penguin Books sponsor this episode! The Margos are thrilled to be asked to talk about author Ransom Riggs‘ newest “Miss Peregrine’s story”–A Map of Days which is on sale right now.

This is the fourth novel in the series and lead character Jacob Portman’s life in the United States is the setting for this newest adventure. Get your copy today! (It makes for a great gift, by the way.)

In this ep the Margos discuss :

Clips Featured:

    • Stephen King interviewed by MPR’s “Talking Volumes” in 2009
    • Carrie  1976 trailer
    • Carrie White being told she is a sinner by her mother
    • Miss Collins (Betty Buckley) talks with Tommy Ross and Sue Snell
    • Carrie unleashes her power at the prom
    • Outro Music: Carrie closing credits (Music by Pino Donaggio)

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/


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Book Vs Movie “The Birds”

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The Birds

The Daphne du Maurier 1951 Short Story Vs the Alfred Hitchcock 1963 Classic Film

The Margos both have stories about the first time we saw the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds and knew they also wanted to return to the fascinating life of Daphne du Maurier so it made sense to include her short story in our season of “scary” books and movies. 

The author was famously NOT a fan of the Hitchcock adaptation as she felt her story taking place in post War England and not in Northern California was important to the actual meaning behind her message. Which version do we better? 

Click the link at the bottom to find out. 

In this ep the Margos discuss:

    • The interesting life of Daphne du Maurier 
    • The movie The Girl which starred Sienna Miller as Tippi and describes her real life torture working on the film. (Fun fact: Hitch threw REAL BIRDS to attack her for over a week!) 
    • The biggest differences between the book and movie 
    • Our favorite scenes from the movie

Clips Featured:

    • The Birds  trailer
    • The scene at the schoolyard
    • The “hysterical mother in the diner” (Doreen Lang)
    • Tippi Hedren interviewed for Huff Post in 2011
    • The last scene of the movie

Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie 

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R

Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/ 


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Book Vs Movie “The Shawshank Redemption” 25th Anniversary Special

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Book Vs Movie

“The Shawshank Redemption” (Replay)

The Margos Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of this

Classic Film

If there is one thing we can say about Book Vs Movie fans–they LOVE the Stephen King eps and cannot get enough of them. In particular, we have been getting requests for The Shawshank Redemption since we launched the show and finally had the time to get it together.

The story of the bromance between Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red Redding (Morgan Freeman) is considered one of the best movies of all time and has continually been on syndicated TV since its debut on the TNT network in June 1997.  (Seriously, this movie is always playing on some channel somewhere!)

Unjustly convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover Andy spends decades of his life fighting to clear his name while learning to adapt to life as a prisoner. It’s a story about friendship, survival, revenge, deception, agony, and redemption.

Originally published as a novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption in 1982’s Different Seasons the differences between the original story and the movie are plentiful. So which did the Margos like better? Book or Movie? Check out the link below to find out!

In this ep the Margos discuss :

    • The 1982 novella from Different Seasons and how it differs from the movie
    • How director Frank Darabont originally paid one dollar (!) to adapt King’s short story The Woman in the Room in 1983 and how after he wrote the screenplay for Nightmare On Elm Street 3–it gave him the confidence to take on this story.
    • The incredible cast including Robbins, Freeman, Bob Gunton (Warden Norton,) William Sadler (Heywood,) Clancy Brown (Captain Hadley) Gil Bellows (Tommy,) and James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlen.
    • The history behind the casting and setting of the movie
    • A plethora of trivia and behind-the-scenes gossip about the much-lauded film
    • Why King never cashed his $1000 check for the rights to the film!

Clips Featured:

    • The Shawshank Redemption  trailer
    • Andy meets Red for the first time
    • The “rooftop scene” between Andy and Captain Hadley
    • Brooks finds out he is leaving Shawshank
    • The “opera scene”
    • Outro Music:  Duettino–Sull’aria “Le Nozze di Figaro” By Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/


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Book Vs Movie “The Wizard of Oz” (Replay) 80th Anniversary Celebration

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Book Vs Movie (Replay) 

“The Wizard of Oz“

The Margos follow the yellow brick road and my, have their been some changes between the book and movie!

“Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.” The Wizard of Oz is filled with some of the most quoted lines in cinema history along with a truly scary villain and one of the most covered songs ever–Somewhere Over the Rainbow. So how does it compare to the 1900 book written by the enigmatic L. Frank Baum?

The Margos covered this very topic a few years ago and the results were–let’s just say a bit messy. (We had NO idea how to record properly back then!) However, we loved learning all about Baum and the trivia behind the Judy Garland classic film–that we decided to revisit Oz.

This episode is chock full of information, trivia, and tidbits that you can feel free to drop on unsuspecting friends and family at dinner parties in the future.  Such as, how heavy was the Lion costume? What did Margaret Hamilton’s agent tell her when she was offered the part of the Wicked Witch of the West? The original color of Dorothy’s shoes from the book? What scenes and songs were deleted from the final version?

So after doing all of this research, which version did we Margos like better? Check out the link below to find out!

In this ep the Margos discuss :

    • The interesting life story of L. Frank Baum which includes a rather horrible op-ed piece which he wrote before his career as a beloved writer of children’s books.
    • The unbelievable trials the cast went through filming this movie
    • Not all critics were impressed by this film in 1939. Just check out this scathing review.
    • The excellent cast including Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan (Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz, etc.) Ray Bolger (“Hunk”/The Scarecrow,) Bert Lahr (“Zeke”/The Cowardly Lion,) Jack Haley (“Hickory”/The Tim Man,) Billie Burke (Glinda,) and the various Munchkins.

Clips used:

    • The Wizard of Oz original 1939  trailer
    • The Munchkins perform for Dorothy
    • “Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain” (Frank Morgan)
    • The Wicked Witch of the West “melts”
    • Outro Music: Somewhere Over the Rainbow  by Judy Garland

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R

Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama

https://coloniabook.weebly.com/ 


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Book Vs Movie “Blade Runner” Replay (RIP Rutger Hauer)

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Book Vs. Movie (Replay)

“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” vs “Blade Runner“

RIP Rutger Hauer (January 23, 1944-July 19, 2019)

The Margos take on the Sci-Fi classic “Blade Runner” directed by Ridley Scott based on the Phillip K. Dick novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” because the nerds demanded it of us!

This episode was originally recorded in 2016 so please forgive any sound issues. We wanted to honor the excellent performance by the late actor Rutger Hauer who basically steals the film from star Harrison Ford.

In this episode they discuss:

    • The backstory to Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel and how it defers greatly from the 1982 film.
    • What role “empathy” plays in Dick’s work
    • The notoriously difficult film shoot and the use of badly wigged stunt doubles
    • The incredible special effects and art direction that changed the look of movies for a generation
    • The sheer awfulness of the 1983 version with narration
    • The three different versions available to view

Clips Featured:

    • Blade Runner original 1983 trailer
    • Rutger Hauer’s last scene as Roy Batty.
    • Outro music by Vangelis

Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie 

Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/

Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com

Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com

Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R

Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com

Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/



Check out this NEW episode of Book Vs. Movie!