Page 1 of 1
Origin of the OUTSIDE THE LAW movie story?
Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 7:23 pm
by Darren Nemeth
I have the 1926 novelization of Outside The Law (1920) starring Lon Chaney and found this info about a 1908 dime novel.
"....Label on plastic envelope indicates it is basis of the Tod Browning 1920 film of this name, which he authored, starring Lon Chaney..."
"Outside the Law" dime novel from The New York Detective / American Detective series published by the Arthur Westbrook Company, 1908.
Anyone know if this is factual or a book dealer mistake?
Re: Origin of the OUTSIDE THE LAW movie story?
Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 8:57 pm
by MaryGH
Probably the best way to tell is to see a copy of the original story. But here is some background information:
The New York Detective; or, Startling Phases of City Life:
Appeared in Old Sleuth Library — no. 15, September 28, 1885
Also appeared in Old Sleuth Weekly — no. 22, November 27, 1908
https://dimenovels.org/Item/3355/Show
...............................
Examples of the publication Old Sleuth Weekly, digitized:
https://digital.library.villanova.edu/I ... =AllFields
If Villanova had #22 it would be in there but is not. They don't have a copy of Old Sleuth Library #15 available either.
Re: Origin of the OUTSIDE THE LAW movie story?
Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:33 am
by Darren Nemeth
Thank you.
Re: Origin of the OUTSIDE THE LAW movie story?
Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 2:56 pm
by Rodney
There is a
good essay on this film from the 2017 San Francisco Silent Film Festival, but it doesn’t talk at all about the source, other than sort of implying that Tod Browning came up with the story.
Re: Origin of the OUTSIDE THE LAW movie story?
Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 6:27 pm
by Michael F. Blake
I never found anything stating there was any source material.