Ladies and gentlemen...welcome to violence. This masterpiece of campy exploitation was published in 1964 and bills itself (and gets billed over and over again) as a biography of Anne Bonny, who is depicted as essentially a Russ Meyer Supervixen. Carlova introduces Anne as a glamorous figure and writes that "with her voluptuous charms and cheerfully… Continue reading Mistress of the Seas by John Carlova
Tag: Femme Fatale Anne
The Buccaneers
This British TV show aired for one series from September 1956 through June 1957, and Anne Bonny (Hazel Court) and John Rackam (Brian Worth) show up as secondary characters in a couple of episodes. The show's main narrative follows the conventional heroics of a pardoned pirate, Dan Tempest (Robert Shaw), though he does not appear… Continue reading The Buccaneers
Captain in Calico by George MacDonald Fraser
This book was written in 1959, but published in 2015. George MacDonald Fraser died in 2008, and his family discovered this early manuscript (his first published novel was in 1969) and had it published as an object of archaeological curiosity. Captain in Calico doesn't have a whole lot to do with Fraser's later output, namely… Continue reading Captain in Calico by George MacDonald Fraser
Strike the Black Flag by Jay Scotland
This pulpy paperback was published in 1961. Jay Scotland was a pseudonym of John Jakes. The protagonist and narrator is Charles Vane's quartermaster, Gideon Clark. James Bonny is a member of the crew, and before the story begins, James had stolen off a prize before shares, and Gideon punished him with a flogging. As the… Continue reading Strike the Black Flag by Jay Scotland
Lusty Wind for Carolina by Inglis Fletcher
This book follows Men of Albemarle in Inglis Fletcher's series of North-Carolina-set historical fiction. It begins in 1718. The main characters leave England for Carolina and sail with the fleet of Woodes Rogers, on his way to his governorship in the Bahamas. Anne Bonney is back, older and a full-fledged villain. Yeah baby. Stupid Roger… Continue reading Lusty Wind for Carolina by Inglis Fletcher
Anne of the Indies by Herbert Ravenel Sass
This article appeared in the November 1, 1947 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Herbert Ravenel Sass was a journalist who was obsessed with his home state of South Carolina so it's no surprise he should eventually tackle Anne Bonny. Obviously, this was the property acquired for the eventual Jacques Tourneur movie of the same… Continue reading Anne of the Indies by Herbert Ravenel Sass
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Charles Lamont directed this movie for Bud Abbott's Woodley Productions in 1952. The script is by John Grant and Howard Dimsdale. Grant, in addition to writing several Abbott and Costello movies, also worked on the previous year's Double Crossbones. Besides Abbott and Costello, this movie stars Charles Laughton doing a comical reprise of his 1945… Continue reading Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Mary Read, Buccaneer by Philip Rush
This nightmare of misogynist anxiety was first published in 1945. Rush includes an author's note in which he says that although he used his imagination to fill in the details, "no liberties have been taken with the truth so far as it is known." Uh-huh, we'll see about that. He shouts out Charles Johnson, whom… Continue reading Mary Read, Buccaneer by Philip Rush
Depictions of John Rackam, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read 