A few months ago I rewatched one of my favorite Steve McQueen movies, Nevada Smith. I saw on the movie titles that it was based on a character appearing in Harold Robbins' The Carpetbaggers. I read several of Robbins novels back in the 70s and I remember them being some of my guilty pleasures from that time -- I especially enjoyed The Adventurers -- but I had never read probably his most famous novel, The Carpetbaggers. Of course, this novel was also made into a movie, along with Nevada Smith, which I saw many years ago.
The Carpetbaggers was one of Robbins' potboilers filled with sex and violence which at the time of its publication in 1961 was probably as raunchy as novels came. But by today's standards, it seemed pretty tame. The main protagonist of the novel is Jonas Cord, the son of a rich man who is trying to get out of his father's shadow. He becomes an industrialist and makes his money in plastics, motion pictures, and planes which he also flies. The character is obviously fashioned after Howard Hughes with much of what Hughes did in life reflected in the novel. Then there is Rina Marlowe who marries Cord's father but who Jonas could not get out of his mind. She eventually makes it big as a movie star and again this character is fashioned after Jean Harlow who Hughes also made into a star. Then there is Nevada Smith who was a wanted outlaw before he is taken in as a ranch hand by the elder Cord and later also makes it in the movies. And Jennie Denton, a former prostitute who also ends up as a movie star under Cord's direction.
The novel spans the time period from 1925 to 1945 and is told in separate sections telling the stories of the main characters. This included a section on Nevada Smith which was pretty close to the movie version of his story. The novel pretty much reflected the popular fiction of the 60s and was one of Robbins' huge bestsellers. Overall though, I did enjoy this even though it was a product of its time and very sensationalized.
The Carpetbaggers was one of Robbins' potboilers filled with sex and violence which at the time of its publication in 1961 was probably as raunchy as novels came. But by today's standards, it seemed pretty tame. The main protagonist of the novel is Jonas Cord, the son of a rich man who is trying to get out of his father's shadow. He becomes an industrialist and makes his money in plastics, motion pictures, and planes which he also flies. The character is obviously fashioned after Howard Hughes with much of what Hughes did in life reflected in the novel. Then there is Rina Marlowe who marries Cord's father but who Jonas could not get out of his mind. She eventually makes it big as a movie star and again this character is fashioned after Jean Harlow who Hughes also made into a star. Then there is Nevada Smith who was a wanted outlaw before he is taken in as a ranch hand by the elder Cord and later also makes it in the movies. And Jennie Denton, a former prostitute who also ends up as a movie star under Cord's direction.
The novel spans the time period from 1925 to 1945 and is told in separate sections telling the stories of the main characters. This included a section on Nevada Smith which was pretty close to the movie version of his story. The novel pretty much reflected the popular fiction of the 60s and was one of Robbins' huge bestsellers. Overall though, I did enjoy this even though it was a product of its time and very sensationalized.
