1 Topic by Silhouette Man

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Topic: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

http://www.denniswheatley.info/graphics/tenpeople_1.jpg

After a search I've discovered that there is no specific thread dedicated to the novels, non-fiction and autobiography of the writer Dennis Wheatley so I thought it would be a good idea to create one for members here to give their views on this author of spy novels, war novels, occult fiction and much more.

So this is the place to discuss the late great Dennis Wheatley.  ajb007/smile  ajb007/martini

Who'd like to get the ball rolling or should I say the skull?  ajb007/biggrin

Last edited by Silhouette Man (19th May 2019 13:18)

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2 Reply by Silhouette Man

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Well to get things going then...

I've just ordered Dennis Wheatley's Saturdays with Bricks (1961) which I've been trying to track down for a while at a reasonable price. I got it for £23 from AbeBooks.

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3 Reply by CoolHandBond

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I always found him a bit heavy going to be honest. His books used to be a slow but steady seller during my bookselling days. Some of the covers were pretty good and Uncharted Seas was made into a 1968 movie The Lost Continent which is always worth a look.

Saturdays With Bricks is a new one on me I don't ever remember having that one in stock - you learn something new every day  ajb007/biggrin
I hope you enjoy your new purchase sounds a reasonable price for it's rarity.

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

4 Reply by Thunderpussy

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I'll be up front and say that I've never read any of his books, have seen the films of them though.
As a kid we used to have a book case in the front hallway, and I remember many of his books
on display. I loved the old covers of the paperbacks.
For years I thought they were my father's, only years later did I discover they were my Mother's
She was a big fan.  ajb007/biggrin

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5 Reply by Silhouette Man

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

CoolHandBond wrote:

I always found him a bit heavy going to be honest. His books used to be a slow but steady seller during my bookselling days. Some of the covers were pretty good and Uncharted Seas was made into a 1968 movie The Lost Continent which is always worth a look.

Saturdays With Bricks is a new one on me I don't ever remember having that one in stock - you learn something new every day  ajb007/biggrin
I hope you enjoy your new purchase sounds a reasonable price for it's rarity.

Yes, it's rare in that it was never published in a paperback edition and so the first edition or hardback editions are consequently worth a lot nowadays. I'd agree that it is a lesser-known Wheatley title. I've been collecting his books for a few years now and there was at least one Wheatley novel in my late father's bookcase too. Here's a picture of the dust jacket of Saturdays with Bricks:

http://www.denniswheatley.info/graphics/068-01.jpg

And here's a You Tube British Pathe short film on Wheatley presumably issued to promote Saturday with Bricks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxaV8m78HSI

Last edited by Silhouette Man (25th Mar 2016 12:49)

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6 Reply by CoolHandBond

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Thank you for the cover pic, SM. That definitely confirms that this never adorned my shelves in my 40 year career as a bookseller!

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

7 Reply by Charmed & Dangerous

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Thunderpussy wrote:

I'll be up front and say that I've never read any of his books, have seen the films of them though.

I've seen The Devil Rides Out (starring two of the greatest Bond alumni  ajb007/bond ) but haven't read any of the novels either.

SM, do you recommend them? I love Stephen King, Peter Straub and a couple of other horror novelists, which is the best Wheatley to start with?

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8 Reply by Sir Miles

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I read The Devil Rides Out many years ago - though it was superb, was very disappointed with the film though.

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9 Reply by Barbel

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I agree that the book is better than the film, but the film's still very good on its own terms.

In the book, the Duc de Richleau is an old man in his 70s or so (hence the presence of the younger sidekicks to get the girls, punch the bad guys etc) but Christopher Lee was only about 45 when the film was made. Years later, he often expressed that he would love to do a remake now that he was in the correct age bracket as well as taking advantage of more modern SFX (one of the film's weak points).

10 Reply by stag

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I must admit to never having heard of him. Although I can't remember I must have see the 'Devil Rides Out' film though as Hammer horror flicks were on regularly in the '70s (anyone remember 'Friday night is horror night?' Half ten after the news?)

11 Reply by Silhouette Man

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

stag wrote:

I must admit to never having heard of him. Although I can't remember I must have see the 'Devil Rides Out' film though as Hammer horror flicks were on regularly in the '70s (anyone remember 'Friday night is horror night?' Half ten after the news?)

Shock, horror! Surely not, stag!  ajb007/biggrin

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12 Reply by Barbel

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

stag wrote:

I must admit to never having heard of him. Although I can't remember I must have see the 'Devil Rides Out' film though as Hammer horror flicks were on regularly in the '70s (anyone remember 'Friday night is horror night?' Half ten after the news?)

Yes, I remember that with great affection!
I'm surprised you've never heard of him, though, stag. You never went into a book shop in the 70s and saw covers like

http://s28.postimg.cc/xu76gt8jd/AA_OLD_MAN.jpg

http://s27.postimg.cc/eqxh0wy73/AA_OLD_MAN_10.jpg

?

13 Reply by CoolHandBond

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

stag wrote:

I must admit to never having heard of him. Although I can't remember I must have see the 'Devil Rides Out' film though as Hammer horror flicks were on regularly in the '70s (anyone remember 'Friday night is horror night?' Half ten after the news?)

I remember the BBC Saturday night horror doubles - lots of great Universal horror films like Bride Of Frankenstein and House Of Dracula.

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

14 Reply by stag

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Barbel wrote:
stag wrote:

I must admit to never having heard of him. Although I can't remember I must have see the 'Devil Rides Out' film though as Hammer horror flicks were on regularly in the '70s (anyone remember 'Friday night is horror night?' Half ten after the news?)

Yes, I remember that with great affection!
I'm surprised you've never heard of him, though, stag. You never went into a book shop in the 70s and saw covers like

http://s28.postimg.cc/xu76gt8jd/AA_OLD_MAN.jpg

http://s27.postimg.cc/eqxh0wy73/AA_OLD_MAN_10.jpg

?

The first & only time time I ever went into a bookshop during the 1970s was to buy a copy of Moriarty's prior to joining the police.

15 Reply by stag

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

CoolHandBond wrote:
stag wrote:

I must admit to never having heard of him. Although I can't remember I must have see the 'Devil Rides Out' film though as Hammer horror flicks were on regularly in the '70s (anyone remember 'Friday night is horror night?' Half ten after the news?)

I remember the BBC Saturday night horror doubles - lots of great Universal horror films like Bride Of Frankenstein and House Of Dracula.

I used to love those old horror films. Boris Karloff, Bella Lugosi, Lon Chaney etc.

16 Reply by Barbel

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I still do- that's why my son signed up here years ago as Son Of Barbel, and my wife is Bride Of Barbel, and we live in the House Of Barbel...

17 Reply by Charmed & Dangerous

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Me too - I've rewatched all the Universal studios monsters films dozens of times (almost as many as Bond  ajb007/biggrin ).

It also introduced me to some other fantastic movies among those Saturday night horror double bills - particularly all the brilliant Val Lewton (and to some extent, Jacques Tourneur) horror films, like Cat People, Curse of the Cat People, the Seventh Victim etc... As well as Tourneur's all time classic Night of the Demon (1957).

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18 Reply by CoolHandBond

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Night Of The Demon - what a fabulous movie!

Dead Of Night (1945) and The Uninvited (1944) were two really superb movies too.

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

19 Reply by Charmed & Dangerous

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

CoolHandBond wrote:

Night Of The Demon - what a fabulous movie!

Dead Of Night (1945) and The Uninvited (1944) were two really superb movies too.

ajb007/cheers yes! I love both those too!

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20 Reply by 007Downunder

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I really enjoyed the Roger Brook series. A spy story set in Napoleonic France. My dad was a big fan.

Anthony

21 Reply by stag

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

I'm going to be on the lookout for his books from now on.

22 Reply by Silhouette Man

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

stag wrote:

I'm going to be on the lookout for his books from now on.

Yes, I buy them up when I see them.  ajb007/smile  ajb007/martini

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23 Reply by Danvers Nettlefold

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Any thread about Mr Wheatley in this forum would seem incomplete without some mention of his series of novels chronicling the adventures of wartime secret agent Gregory Sallust, surely one of 007's closest antecedents?

24 Reply by Barbel

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Hello, Danvers Nettlefold (great name, btw), and welcome to AJB. You'll find an interesting thread with much mention of Mr Wheatley and his creation Gregory Sallust at https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/35481/sa … n-fleming/

25 Reply by Danvers Nettlefold

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Re: The Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) Discussion Thread

Many thanks, sir.

It always seemed to me that the Richard Burton character in Where Eagles Dare owed a good deal to Mr Sallust, with his penchant for infiltrating the Nazi High Command.

Apparently, during the '60s at the height of Bondmania, there was talk of a Sallust TV series. A worthy addition to the ITC stable, perhaps, alongside The Saint, Danger Man, etc.