Filing off the corners

[Phil Brown]

I just watched The Prisoner Of Zenda-the good one from the 30s-and realized from where Heinlein got the impersonation idea for Double Star.

[a425couple]

"Phil Brown" <philc...@gmail.com> wrote in message...

>I just watched The Prisoner Of Zenda-the good one from the 30s-and

- realized from where Heinlein got the impersonation idea for Double Star.

Yes, that certainly seems a reasonable thought.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Star

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner_of_Zenda
"Homages
Many subsequent fictional works that feature a political decoy can be
linked to The Prisoner of Zenda;[opinion] indeed, this novel spawned
the genre known as Ruritanian romance. What follows is a short list of
those homages with a clear debt to Anthony Hope's book. ----
Robert A. Heinlein adapted the Zenda plot line to his science fiction
novel Double Star (1956) with great success
The 1965 comedy film The Great Race included an extended subplot
that parodies Zenda----
Moon over Parador (1988), adapted by Leon Capetanos and directed
by Paul Mazursky. More directly a remake of The Magnificent Fraud,
the story is set in Latin America with Richard Dreyfus as the President
and as the actor Jack Noah, Raúl Juliá as Roberto Strausmann (the "Black
Michael" character), and Sonia Braga as Madonna Mendez (the Flavia
character).
It is a romantic comedy.
Dave, a 1993 film version adapted by Gary Ross and directed by Ivan
Reitman that places the story in contemporary Washington, D.C., with
Kevin Kline as the President and as his double, Frank Langella in the
"Black Michael" role, and Sigourney Weaver as the modern American
Flavia. Like Moon Over Parador, it is a romantic comedy.---"

I certainly felt that it was a pleasant and interesting read.
IMHO, only moderately thought provoking -- but then it is
very possible my current memory no longer retains any of
the "anti-Martian prejudice prevalent -- & prominent advocate
for Martian enfranchisement". Hmm, reread, or let it go?

But, one notable seems to agree with my first memory,
'Admitting "a certain reservation, even disappointment," Anthony Boucher
nevertheless concluded that Heinlein was "simply creating an agreeably
entertaining light novel, and in that task he succeeds admirably." '

[Chris Zakes]

On Thu, 6 Mar 2014 21:21:02 -0800 (PST), an orbital mind-control
laser caused Phil Brown <philc...@gmail.com> to write:

>I just watched The Prisoner Of Zenda-the good one from the 30s-and realized from where Heinlein got the impersonation idea for Double Star.

Based on a book of the same name, published in 1894. FWIW, Edgar Rice
Burroughs published a similar story--"The Mad King"--in 1914.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mad_King

( It's available via Project Gutenberg, if anyone is interested.)
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Burroughs+the+mad+king

-Chris Zakes
Texas
--

Any excuse is a good excuse to wear a sword.

-Zeb Carter in "The Number of the Beast" by Robert Heinlein

[reilloc]

On 3/6/2014 11:21 PM, Phil Brown wrote:
> I just watched The Prisoner Of Zenda-the good one from the 30s-and realized from where Heinlein got the impersonation idea for Double Star.
>

The Stewart Granger version is the one I know. That's a great movie and,
by the way, it's the "serial numbers" not the "corners" filed.

LNC

[Michael Black]

Some are more complete copies.

Don't forget, "Get Smart" did an episode (and then later a second two part
episode) where Max looks identical to a king of some imaginary European
country, except for a mustache.

The Great Race definitely plays it up.

Some of those others less so. When I first saw "Dave", I got there a few
minutes in, and had really wanted to see the opening credits, because from
what the paper wrote about it, I expected it to be based on "Double Star".

Michael