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Home Archives Archives before June 13, 2001 RSS Feed Adaptive Path (my company!) About peterme Coordinates Most of the Time Oakland, CA Interests Current American history around the time of the Revolution, figuring out how to marry top-down task-based information architecture processes with bottom-up document-based ones, finding a good dentist in San Francisco Oakland Perennial Designing the user experience (interaction design, information architecture, user research, etc.), cognitive science, ice cream, films and film theory, girls, commuter bicycling, coffee, travel, theoretical physics for laypeople, single malt scotch, fresh salmon nigiri, hanging out, comics formalism, applied complexity theory, Krispy Kreme donuts. surf Click to see where I wander. Wish list Show me you love me by buying me things. Spyonme Track updates of this page with Spyonit. Clickee here. Essays [Editor's note: peterme.com began as a site of self-published essays, a la Stating The Obvious. This evolved (or devolved) towards link lists and shorter thoughtpieces. These essays are getting a tad old, but have some good ideas.] Reader Favorites Interface Design Recommended Reading List Whose "My" Is It Anyway? Frames: Information Vs. Application Subjects Interface Design Web Development Movie Reviews Travel		peterme bleats like the devil! Posted on 05/13/2002. I recently read Carter Beats the Devil, an historical novel about Charles Carter, aka "Carter The Great", a famed magician and contemporary of Houdini, who finds himself the subject of a Secret Service investigation when President Harding dies shortly after attending a performance. Carter is an archetypal page turner, fun, melodramatic, witty, and plot-driven. It's formulaic qualities are frustrating (every plot device is carefully set up) and yet utterly thematically appropriate. It's fun to play "guess the reference", the most extended of which involves Minnie and her cantankerous boys. The book is written with all the subtlety of a Hollywood screenplay. As such, it's no surprise that Tom Cruise has acquired the film rights, with the scuttlebutt being he'll star and produce, and Robert Towne will write and direct. I think Cruise is a perfectly appropriate choice for the lead role, but god I hope Towne stays away from this film. He might very well the most overrated writer in Hollywood, and when I saw him speak on stage earlier this year, the only word to describe his presence was "addled." The only casting suggestion I have: hire Ashley Judd to play Phoebe. Perhaps the most fun I had researching this blog entry was finding this treasure trove of delightful Carter poster images. Amazing designs. 11 comments so far. Add a comment. Previous entry: "Some things are better left unspoken." Next entry: "Build your own faceted classification!" Comments: COMMENT #1 There's a San Francisco angle to Carter the Great too, along with Turk Murphy and other characters... great story at the SF Trad Jazz site. -jd Posted by John Dowdell @ 05/14/2002 02:38 PM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #2 Sounds like he's based a bit on Robert Houdin, from whom Houdini took his name. Houdin's autobiography, now out of print, is an amazing tale. E.g., he was sent by the French government to an Arab colony to convince the locals that he had the greater magic. I've long thought it would make a fantastic movie. Posted by Evident Marketing, Inc. @ 05/15/2002 06:46 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #3 I finished the book a few weeks ago and loved it. Very plot-driven, yes, almost Dickensian in its coincidences and every loose thread is carefully knotted. Fizzy dialogue, esp when Carter is falling in love. The escape from the box was esp. harrowing. Great link to those posters! Don't forget to play cards with Carter, though: http://www.carterbeatsthedevil.com/enter.html Posted by Mike Brown @ 05/15/2002 10:00 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #4 Carter is not based on Houdin. Carter was a real person. This is an historical novel, utilizing some real events, and turning them into a story that didn't actually happen. Posted by peterme @ 05/15/2002 06:11 PM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #5 Considering the eccentricity of the character, I think Johnny Depp would be a far great choice to play the enigmatic Carter. Though Cruise isn't a complete disaster, he's certainly doesn't spring to mind when thinking of Carter the Great. Posted by Siouxfire @ 07/10/2002 10:43 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #6 Hey, could you find anything out about the real Carter in Oakland? There's an article on Cnn.com where the author says he found out that Carter was involved in building his old Oakland apt. bldg. It turns out you can visit what's left of Arbor Villa (Borax's place). Posted by allison in oakland @ 10/20/2002 01:04 PM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #7 I also didn't realise this was an historical novel. It seemed similar in some ways to the last two Angela Carter novels - I thought using the name 'Carter' must be a tribute. I'm still reading it - I think its fantastic. Posted by Matt Penny @ 11/13/2002 05:00 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #8 I have read the book and I believe that Johnny Depp would be the best choise for the the part of Carter. Depp has the ability to become whoever it is he is playing. Posted by Randy @ 01/26/2003 03:26 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #9 I have read the book and I believe that Johnny Depp would be the best choise for the the part of Carter. Depp has the ability to become whoever it is he is playing. Posted by Randy @ 01/26/2003 03:26 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #10 I have read the book and I believe that Johnny Depp would be the best choise for the the part of Carter. Depp has the ability to become whoever it is he is playing. Posted by Randy @ 01/26/2003 03:27 AM PST [link to this comment] COMMENT #11 This is an excellent book which I am currently reading - the reference to Leonard, Julius, Adolph and Milton did not escape me (now I have to reread 'Harpo Speaks' to see if Carter gets a mention. Those who enjoyed the magic element should read Robertson Davies - The Deptford Trilogy which covers similar ground though is much darker. Posted by Paul @ 01/30/2003 01:52 AM PST [link to this comment] Add A New Comment: Name E-Mail (optional) Homepage (optional) Comments Now with a bigger box for text entry! Whee! All contents of peterme.com are © 1998 - 2002 Peter Merholz.