Wednesday, December 3, 2008

TVD's 70's | 1977

Have I ever mentioned to you that my cousin is Cornel Woolrich? "Who's he?" you're asking, right?

Via the Bible o' facts, Wiki: "Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich (December 4, 1903—September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich the fourth best crime writer of his day, behind only Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler. Some of his best known works were published under the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley.

He attended Columbia University, but left without graduating in 1926, upon the publication of his first novel, Cover Charge, a Jazz Age work inspired by the work of F Scott Fitzgerald. He soon turned to pulp and detective fiction, often published under the pseudonyms George Hopley and William Irish. For example, he published his 1942 story "It Had to be Murder", which became the basis of the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window, under the pseudonym William Irish. François Truffaut filmed Woolrich's The Bride Wore Black and Waltz Into Darkness in 1968 and 1969, respectively, the latter as Mississippi Mermaid. Ownership of the copyright in Woolrich's original story "It Had to Be Murder" and its use as the basis for the movie Rear Window (1954) was eventually litigated before the United States Supreme Court in Stewart v. Abend, 495 U.S. 207 (1990)."

What the hell does this have to do with TVD's new tradition of yearly '70's theme weeks you're asking?

Why, it's a tale of intrigue, ...a chance meeting of strangers, ...millions of dollars, ...and MURDER...


ELO - Telephone Line (Mp3)
Manfred Mann - Blinded By The Light (Mp3)
10cc - The Things We Do for Love (Mp3)
Hall & Oates - Rich Girl (Mp3)
Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night (Mp3)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Fun fact: Your uncle is buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in New York.

If you ever visit his grave, you can also visit Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan, Joan Crawford, Thelonious Monk, and Malcolm X while there.
http://www.ferncliffcemetery.com/celeb_2.htm