Thorne Smith
This is a departure from the other Worth the Read series. Here, through lack of decision making discipline, I am recommending any of the nine humor titles by Thorne Smith.
The son of a Commodore and with a brother named Skyring, and a mother a Maxwell House coffee fortune descendant, (James) Thorne Smith seems to have had plenty of material to ignite his writing career. Turning eight years old at the dawn of the twentieth (correction courtesy John Holden) century, and from a family with means, he attended boarding schools, and attended but did not complete Dartmouth University.
His career was short but prolific. He wrote and published a book of poetry, a children’s book and a mystery. Dream’s End is considered his serious novel. He wrote two screenplays and if he is remembered at all, it is for his nine fantasy novels. The most famous of which is Topper.
His writing career spanned the era of prohibition and the beginning years of the Great Depression. Back smoke filled rooms, speakeasies, hotels where his haunts and settings.
The genealogy of many Hollywood entertainment’s can be traced directly back to the creative genius of Thorne Smith. The famous TV series Bewitched has roots in A Passionate Witch. The popular I Dream of Jeannie along with the movie Ghost were influenced by his work.
His characters are risqué and often inebriated. They are often undressed, in an age where the word naughty still had meaning. They are fashionable and carefree spirits.
“It’s Honor Knightly,” she told him, “but people call me Satin because of my skin.”, from Rain in the Doorway. His books are light hearted romps written in an age when light hearted romps were mostly out of reach.
Here are a list of his works:
Biltmore Oswald. The Diary of a Hapless Recruit 1918
Haunts and By-Paths 1919
Out o’ Luck. 1919
Topper An Improbable Adventure 1926
Dream’s End 1927
The Stray Lamb 1929
Turnabout 1931
The Bishop’s Jaegers 1932
Topper Takes A Trip 1932
Skin and Bones 1933
Rain in the Doorway 1933
The Glorious Pool 1934
The Night Life of the Gods 1934
A Passionate Witch with Norman Matson 1941
The Jovial Ghosts The Misadventures of Topper 1942.
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THE THORNE SMITH 3 DECKER
1945. Three collected humorous novels; The Stray Lamb, Turnabout, Rain in the Doorway
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THE THORNE SMITH 3-BAGGER 1945
Contains “Topper”, “The Glorious Pool” & “Skin and Bones”.
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Find something by Thorne Smith – he’s Worth the Read.