So I am wondering if and how we should put these into the SWDb. Maybe for those movies that have novelizations or tie-in novels (are the dollars movies the only ones?) a section or sub page should have info about them.
I have actually written a piece about the Dollars novels, to be published in the upcoming Paperback Fanatic in January.
The novelizations of FAFDM and GBU as well as A Dollar to Die For, were published first in 1967. They were followed four years later by A Coffin Full of Dollars in 1971. FFOD wasn’t published until 1972 due to the copyright conflicts with Akira Kurosawa and the Japanese rights holders; The Devil’s Dollar Sign was also released in the same year. The Million Dollar Bloodhunt and Blood for a Dirty Dollar were the last novels to debut, hitting shelves in 1973.
That’s just the english novelizations, several were translated into other languages.
As for other novelizations, I belive the following spags had novelizations:
Sabata and Return of Sabata
Fistful of Dynamite
The Mecenary
Deaf Smith and Johnny Ears (under the title “The Amigos”)
Hannie Caulder
The dollars spin off books are a category on their own I guess as they are not novelisations of actual films. Can’t think of another example where that happened.
The ‘Dollars’ books were a must-have when I was a kid. After watching ‘GBU’ on BBC TV in 1976, I was hooked on the ‘Man With No Name’ character. At this time, I’d not seen ‘Fistful’, or ‘FAFDM’ on the screen (that delight occurred in 1979), so the paperbacks were literally read over and over.
To finally see on TV what I’d only read about, was an absolute revelation.
I still have the books, and still cherish those memories as a kid.
It was also interesting to note the differences in the films and the books themselves. For example, in ‘Fistful’ (the book), the Stranger wore a sombrero, and used two six-shooters…
The ‘continuing adventures’ of the Man with no Name, as chronicled in ‘Million Dollar Bloodhunt’, ‘A Coffin Full of Dollars’ etc, were, IMHO, very well written.
As a sequel of sorts to ‘GBU’, ‘A Dollar to Die For’, re-united Blondy and Tuco…
At the time, when you had to wait 2-3 years, or more, for a film to appear on TV, these novelisations were an absolute blast…
Fistful & For a Few Dollars More, were shown on BBC before 1979, as I was still in primary school when, as a special treat my brother, sister and I were allowed to sit up late … for the Monday night movie 9.30 … just after the news - what excitement! Almost certain this was '77, as it was my last year in primary school, and after seeing the films, I started drawing the characters … especially the man with no name. I remember these books too, and still have a couple of them.
Aldo , the first two ‘Dollars’ films were definitely shown on BBC in 1977. Your memory serves you well, amigo.
Much to my eternal displeasure, my mother refused to let me stay up to watch them, as I had school the next day. What peed me off at the time, is that every other mate at school did nothing but talk about them the next day, and say how brilliant they were!
No…for me, it was a case of watching ‘Charlie’s Blimmin’ Angels’ from 9pm to 10pm, on ITV, and then “Off to bed, young man”.
In those days, you took your life in your hands if you answered your Mum or Dad back…
To say I was not happy, would be an understatement - especially after having seen ‘GBU’ the year before.
Hence: the novelisations were essential reading material…
Tell me about it! … I had two of those also - very strict, but also a bit mean spirited about letting you see what you wanted - all to protect our delicate sensibilities
Had all the Dollar books years ago, but lost them over time… Now thanks to ebay I got hold of all of them again, and the Fistful of Dynamite novelisation too
Have only read the Fistfull of Dollars novelization myself. It was fun, but I kept wishing I was watching the movie instead. A bit more interested in reading the non-film novels myself now.
