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David
answers questions submitted by fans from all over the world. He's
answered questions like, "What made you decide to become
a writer?" Or, "Of the books you've written, what's
your favorite?"
This section
of the David Morrell Network takes you up-close-and-personal with
David as he answers fans' most Frequently Asked Questions. Simply
click on each of the questions to learn more.
CLICK ON EACH NUMBER TO READ MORE ANSWERS
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| Where did you come up with the name Rambo? |
In the early stages of composition, I struggled to find a strong name for the character. One afternoon while I was writing, my wife came home from a grocery store and said that she'd found a new kind of apple that she thought was delicious. Apples were the farthest thing from my mind while I struggled to find that character's name, but politely I took a bite of the apple and discovered that it was in fact delicious. "What's it called?" I asked. "Rambo," she replied. This was in Pennsylvania, where the Rambo type of apple is grown and appreciated. Instantly, I recognized the sound of force. It also reminded me of the way some people pronounce the name of a French poet I'd been studying, Rimbaud, whose most famous work is A SEASON IN HELL, which I felt was an apt metaphor for the prisoner-of-war experiences that I imagined Rambo suffering.
In my novel, the character had only the last name. Later, the scriptwriters for the movie gave him a first name "John," as in the Civil War song about a returning veteran, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." |
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| Why are you so indebted to the television series, ROUTE 66? |
The story-telling event that made me want to become a writer was the premier of the classic TV show, ROUTE 66. I was 17, doing so-so in high school, lacking plans and ambition, going nowhere. But all that changed at 8:30 p.m. on the first Friday of October in 1960 when a drama about motion gave me a destination.
The series was about two young men (brilliantly portrayed by Martin Milner and George Maharis, the latter eventually replaced by Glenn Corbett) who drove a Corvette convertible across the United States in search of America and themselves. Providing a time capsule of 1960-64, every episode was filmed entirely on location–from Poland Springs, Maine, to Huntington Beach, California; from Seattle to St Louis to Tampa and a hundred communities between.
Two-thirds of the episodes were written by Stirling Silliphant, who eventually received an Oscar for IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT and whose scripts for ROUTE 66 were an intriguing blend of intense action and philosophic/poetic speeches that sometimes lasted five minutes, with a flavor of Tennessee Williams combined with William Inge and Arthur Miller.
As a bonus, the great arranger-composer Nelson Riddle contributed a new musical score every week, often with a jazz flavor.
The series so knocked me over that I wrote to Silliphant, explaining my sudden ambition to follow his path. The long letter he sent in return gave me all the advice any writer needs. “Write, write, keep writing, and then write more.” That letter is framed next to my desk.
Eventually, he and I became friends and colleagues. In 1989, I was thrilled to see Stirling listed as the executive producer of my NBC miniseries, BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE. Twenty-nine years after ROUTE 66 debuted, a circle was completed, even as the road continued.
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