Saturday, January 29, 2011

Paperback 384: The Golden Sorrow / Theodore Pratt (Red Seal 16)

Paperback 384: Red Seal 16 (PBO, 1952)

Title: The Golden Sorrow
Author: Theodore Pratt
Cover artist: Uncredited

Yours for: $8

RedSeal16.Golden

Best things about this cover:
  • After the Golden Shower comes ... The Golden Sorrow—you can really feel her shame
  • His sidelong glance is awesome
  • "Uh, everything's cool, right honey? ... Look, I know you think pinky rings are tacky, but you don't have to be so histrionic about it."
  • Are those cufflinks or rotten Nilla Wafers?

RedSeal16bc.Golden

Best things about this back cover:
  • Is this paperback cover copy or a sad tenth-grader's unpublished poetry?
  • "Cocotte?"
  • "Handsome!?!?!"

Page 123~

"You're a heel, Danny, a stinking heel on the make. You're only for Danny Rattigan." Her eyes flashed. "You are not worthy of the theatre. Oh, yes, you'll probably be a big success in Hollywood—if you can stand looking at yourself in the mirror. Now get out of here—get out!" [end of chapter]

If you write a phrase like "stinking heel on the make," I submit that you have overestimated your facility with idiomatic expressions. On the other hand, "You are not worthy of the theatre!" is T-shirt worthy.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

8 comments:

DemetriosX said...

Yeah, I'd have to say things didn't go too well there. If the sexes were reversed, I would say he had experienced some performance problems. As it is, maybe he talked her into something kinky and she already regrets it.

I'll give them "stinking heel on the make" since it's 1952, but it is pushing the line. But why is theater spelled the British way? Also, the author's shirt is about 25 years ahead of its time.

pious agnostic said...

Dean Stockwell ties a Single Windsor.

Deb said...

Now she knew his "secret," Rock Hudson had to get out of there--fast. But not before he was sure his tie, pinky ring, and cufflinks were perfect.

Michael5000 said...

Not eleven. Not thirteen. The climb to stardom is on A DOZEN broken hearts.

You have to do these things right.

Karla B said...

The 123 is campy enough so it could be delivered like that line from Valley of the Dolls: "So they drummed you out of Hollywood, so you came crawling back to Broadway. Well, Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope. Now get out of my way because I got a man waitin' for me!"

Deb said...

Karla--that's exactly what I thought. I love the delivery of that line--and then Patty Duke flushes Susan Hayward's wig down the john!

borky said...

I'm with Deb on this one!

This guy's got prettier eyes than her, applies his mascara better, probably's spent more money at the hair salon on that perverted Roman emperor bouffant styling - no wonder he's crooking his little finger to confirm how 'elegant', 'urbane' and 'British' he is!

Why would he want to tear the rest of her clothes off, when he could be letting Liberace and George Takei tear off his!

Anonymous said...

Cocotte - French, chicken, prostitute, feminine diminutive of coq, cock, from Old French; see cock