ANOTHER GHOST IN THE LADY'S BOUDOIR!

Here's another few "sheets" from the digest cartoon book, THE GHOST IN THE LADY'S BOUDOIR! by Consolidated Book Publishers from 1945 with gags by various cartoonists and the amusing story, "Mr. Mergenthrirker's Lobblies" first published in SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE in 1937 by pulp author Nelson S. Bond.

THERE'S A GHOST IN THE LADY'S BOUDOIR!

 

Here are a few excerpts from a decidedly "quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore", a joke book about ghosts hanging around a lady's bedroom and other places. The digest-sized, 52-page book was published in 1945 by Consolidated Book Publishers and contains light-hearted stories and cartoons with a faintly sexy ghostly theme. The text story shown below is by humorist Robert Benchley, Peter "Jaws" Benchley's grandfather. The book appears to be of the vintage collectible kind and sells for upwards of $100 online. And check out that original cover price -- a spooky 13-cents!

THE INNOCENTS: A LOOK BACK

I place Jack Clayton's THE INNOCENTS high on the list along with THE HAUNTING and THE UNINVITED as one of the best ghost stories ever put on film. Based on Henry James' 1898 novella serialized in COLLIERS, "The Turn of the Screw" it is a marvelous screen adaptation of the story, which is a bit of a tough go as a result of its antiquated writing style, but still worth reading. James played down the supernatural aspect with the title, preferring to use the metaphor of the increasing psychological tension that unfolds during the tale. The film's title lends itself more accessible to modern audiences.

Behind Clayton's masterful direction, actors Deborah Kerr as Governess Miss Giddens, Martin Stevens as Miles, Pamela Franklin as Flora (as an adult, she would star in THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE) and the rest of the supporting cast all provide credibility to their characters, a critical element in stories such as this.

Deborah Kerr as Miss Gibbens.

Freddie Francis was the cinematographer behind the camera. He instills a disturbing, claustrophobic look to the film using modified lenses and creative depth of field shots which lend an overall air of Gothic Noir. Francis would sit in the director's chair  for a number of horror and science-fiction films including THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1963), THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964), DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965) and DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968).

I highly recommend this film!

Pamela Franklin as Flora.

This article from CINEFANTASTIQUE (June-July 1983) offers an insightful retrospective of the film.

EXTRA!

Lobby cards:

WRITERS OF THE WEIRD: H.R. WAKEFIELD

Called by August Derleth "the last major representative of a ghost story tradition that began with Sheridan Le Fanu and reached its peak with Montague Rhodes James", Herbert Russell Wakefield (May, 9 1888 – August 2, 1964) was one of the great masters of the classic ghost story.

As a young man, Wakefield received his education at Marlborough College and University College, Oxford. As a member of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, he fought in both France and the Balkans during the First World War.

Several years after the war he was the chief editor at William Collins, Sons and Co. where he used his experiences in the publishing milieu for the some of the weird fiction he became fascinated with.

Influenced primarily by M.R. James and Algernon Blackwood, Wakefield believed in ghosts and unexplained phenomena and used true events as the inspiration for a number of his stories. In his introduction below to the Bantam paperback, "Stories from the Clock Strikes 12", he wrote: "I am convinced that there are perfectly authenticated cases of the most versatile psychic phenomena, for the very good reason that I have experienced them myself."

Wakefield did not limit himself solely to writing ghost stories; he also had an interest in criminology and wrote two non-fiction books and three novels on the subject.

In 1946, August Derleth published a collection of Wakefield's ghost stories under the Arkham House imprint. It is reported that not long before his death, Wakefield's wife posted a letter to Derleth explaining that her husband had destroyed all his correspondence, manuscripts and photos of himself.

It is interesting to note that decades later, in 1978, John Murray published "The Best Ghost Stories of H. Russell Wakefield", edited by Richard Dalby, which included some previously uncollected tales. In addition, Ash Tree Press published a book in 2000 titled, "Reunion at Dawn and Other Uncollected Ghost Stories", also containing a number of Wakefield's previously unpublished stories.

H.R. Wakefield's short story collections:

• They Return at Evening (1928)
• Old Man's Beard: Fifteen Disturbing Tales (1929)
• Imagine a Man in a Box (1931)
• Ghost Stories (1932)
• A Ghostly Company (1935)
• The Clock Strikes Twelve: Tales of the Supernatural (1940)
• Strayers from Sheol (1961)

Selections from "The Clock Strikes 12 (Arkham House). Cover by Richard Powers.

"Why I Write Ghost Stories" (1946):

"Used Car", first published in "Ghost Stories" (1932):