Number 32 mailbag
It’s time to open The Pulpster mailbag and see what you, the reader, think about number 32.
Like PulpFest 2023, we celebrated the 100th anniversaries of Sport Story Magazine and Weird Tales, and the 90th anniversary of the pulp heroes of 1933. We continued our history of pulp and comic-book publisher Fiction House. But that wasn’t all that in the number.
Please tell us what you thought! Feel free to post comments, questions, discussions, etc., in the comments area below. We just ask that you keep it polite and civilized toward one another. We’d hate to have to delete your comments (or ban you).
The mailbag will be open until the next issue of The Pulpster comes out.
In “The Time Hitchcock Outdid Woolrich” of the #32 August issue, Kurt Brokaw wrote a plausible explanation for why Cornell Woolrich’s “Three O’Clock” became “Four O’Clock” when Alfred Hitchcock adapted it for his Suspicion TV series. His conjecture was that within the mixture of production people (Hitchcock, network, advertisers) there was concern that the religious connotation of the title might offend some of the public. Unfortunately, there is a fact that weakens this argument: the story had already been adapted for radio and TV with its original title repeatedly since 1949. Why would the original title be worrisome this time? However, this fact may also help explain the motive behind the title change. I can best offer a competing explanation with an imagined conversation between an NBC big wig and Alfred Hitchcock that went something like this:
“Alfred, we’re excited about your new series here on NBC. What have you got lined up for your show’s big premiere?”
“Three O’Clock.”
“What? The old Cornell Woolrich story?”
“It’s one of his best!”
“But that’s already been produced for radio twice, and for TV three times! Frankly, we were expecting something a little more original to kick off the series, not some retread. How’s that going to look in the program listings? Part of our possible audience won’t tune in thinking they already know the ending. And that’s what makes the story, you know. Is there anything you can do?”
“I’m afraid not much. We’ve filmed most of it. I directed it myself for the purpose of the premiere. And we don’t have anything else yet that we can substitute. If it’s the title that seems to be a problem, I have a solution. We can change the title to Four O’Clock. That way viewers who already know the Woolrich story might think we’re giving them at least a new wrinkle, if not an original story.”
“That’s an idea. Why not? Maybe while we’re at it, we should also change the series’ name from Suspicion to Deception.”
Unfortunately, without any actual evidence, my theory remains just as much a bit of storytelling as any alternative.