Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Kitten on the Cover: The Ann-Margret Paperback Tie-ins


Ann-Margret. In the 60s, she possessed a magic that was unparalleled on stage and screen. As a fan, I stumbled onto a niche area of vintage paperback collecting - tie-ins from her films on which she is featured on the cover.

This came about when I was searching for a copy of Wade Miller's Kitten With A Whip several years ago. I bypassed the Gold Medal first edition in lieu of a later GM movie tie-in. From that point forward, I've been on a quest to track down every other example I could find (specifically from the 60s—if there are tie-ins to C.C and Company or Grumpy Old Men, I can live without them). The following five books represent everything that I am aware of from her golden age - 1962-1966.


Bye Bye Birdie by Ruth IvesMacfadden 50-178, 1963

The front cover reproduces the Bye Bye Birdie poster art, and doesn't technically match my specifications, however when I picked this novelization up and saw the photo on the back, I knew it had to be part of the collection.

Kitten With A Whip by Wade Miller
Gold Medal k1490, 1964

The cover photo on this original novel is not from the film itself, but from a photo shoot around the time of the film (if not specifically for it). Ann-Margret is wearing a black full body stocking while posing with a tiger cub. Additional images from this shoot are above and below. A nice cover, and not a bad read, to boot.

Bus Riley's Back in Town by Al Hine
Popular Library PC1050, 1965

A novelization of Walter Gage's screenplay. Michael Parks coincidentally plays second fiddle to the more prominent image of Ann-Margret on the cover.

Once A Thief by Zekial Marko
Gold Medal k1569, 1965

Another original novel (originally titles Scratch a Thief). While not the greatest cover (the focus appears to be more on Alain Delon without his shirt on), but a necessary inclusion nonetheless.


The Swinger by William Johnston
Dell 8434, 1966

A novelization of the Lawrence Roman screenplay. The cover is a colorized version of a black and white photo which is reproduced on the back. Unlike Michael Parks above, Tony Franciosa was completely dropped from the front!

If you know of any others, don't hesitate to post a comment!

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