Irving Wallace was born in Chicago, to Jewish parents,Bessie and Alexander Wallace Who had emigrated from Russia. He completed his studies in California and started out as a journalist at a tender age of 15. He studied creative writing at the Williams Institute in Berkley and from the mid-30s he worked as a free-lance correspondent. In 1941 he married Sylvia Kahn; they had two children. Irving Wallace served in the air force during world war two and later collaborated in several movies as a writer. His first book “sins of Peter Fleming did not attract much attention. But his second book influenced by the Kinsey report was abest seller. He has been a prolific churner of best sellers and his books have been adapted as major movies. He died on June 29, 1990.
The three sirens published in 1964 is a racy novel of sex and infidelities. It deals with the repressed sexuality in our modern times and civilizations and how the myth of sex implodes when it comes in contact with the free society. It also talks about sexual freedom, the gender issues and how cultures clash. It depicts the dangers for conversion of the natives by so called civilization and laments the loss of traditions and cultures lost in the name of uniformity and civilization.

Dr. Maude heads a group of anthropologists and their families who reach a remote Polynesian island to study the culture and traditions of the so called islanders. Here they reach a veritable paradise with beautiful scenery and amazing life. Here they comes across the islanders who are sexually liberated and unshackled. Sex is no longer taboo in this community of 200 odd people. Here you have husbands having frigid wives visiting sex huts, free necking and sex escapes on the beach.
So the anthropologists coming across such a free society question their own outlook on life and love. Soon many form their own agendas in their mind. Some join the natives, some try to convert them and some are just fascinated by a new study given to them. One of the daughters of the anthropologist fall in love with one of the island boys, another’s son succumb to temptation and some marriages are ruined. Many indulge in their own fantasies and show the bored natives the western way of life. But these contacts bring about the ruin of the island paradise similar to the serpent which wrought the destruction of Eden.
Irving Wallace can be said as the pioneer in analyzing the sexuality reports, like the Kinsey reports for the development of his plots. But I feel that his over the top narration of the sexual interludes almost borders on porn. The book about the rights of the natives gets mired in the sexual content and conquests. It looks like a teens fantasy novel and I would not like to recommend for a mature individual. It is a western fantasy about the life described by a commune living 60′s flower child. Not a shade on his other novels.

Irving Wallace was born in Chicago, to Jewish parents, Bessie and Alexander Wallace Who had Emigrated from Russia. He completed his studies in California and started out as a journalist at a tender age of 15. He studied creative writing at the Williams Institute in Berkley and from the mid-30s he worked as a free-lance correspondent. In 1941 he married Sylvia Kahn; they had two children. Irving Wallace served in the air force during world war two and later collaborated in several movies as a writer. His first book ‘Sins of Peter Fleming’ did not attract much attention. But his second book influenced by the Kinsey report was a best seller. He has been a prolific churner of best sellers and his books have been adapted as major movies.
The Prize published in 1962 presents the lives of six Nobel laureates who receive the most coveted prize in the history of man kind i.e the Nobel prize. All six of them receive the all important telegram and their past and intertwining lives changes their world all together, for ever. This book was adapted in to a book by Paul Newman which was not much of a success as the novel.

The six characters whose pioneering works get them the Nobel prize reach Stockholm with their loved ones and the demons from the past. Max Stratman, an venerable physicist has battled the Nazi camps and death of loved ones. He retains his humanity and is very concerned for his niece Emily who has secrets of her own. She battles terrifying memories about the concentration camps and have problems in trust and building relationships.
The Marceau’s are the husband and wife duo whose work gets them the prize in chemistry. They have been partners in life as well as in the lab. But the husband’s infidelity has developed cracks in their marriage and the wife gets her revenge by cozying up with a lab assistant. Will their seemingly perfect union survive?
Andrew Craig in the major character who wins it for literature. It is said that Andrew’s life was a fantasy of Wallace’s. But Andrew’s literary graph has plummeted with his wife’s accident. He feels guilty her death and drowns his sorrow in alcohol and women. His sister in law takes care of him and tries to have a relationship, but does she succeed in her manipulations? Andrew has various sexual conquests in Stockholm and his love for Emily redeems him.
Doctor John Garrett, the winner for medicine has to share it with Carlo Farelli, his arch rival who completely eclipses him in the press. John with his reclusive ways is overshadowed by Farelli and is seethes with jealousy. But his compassion and skills win him the last round and he combines forces with his arch rival to save a life.
It is said that Wallace took 15 years to pen this book and it is worth the effort. You get the golden nuggets of information about the Nobel Prize winners and the intrigue and processes by which the selection is done. Just go for the book, it worth time and money.

This movie is adapted from the classic by Paul Theroux. Directed by Peter Weir, it stars Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix in the title roles. Harrison Ford plays the role of Allie Fox, a genius inventor who gets tired of the the crass commercialism pervading the American Society. He dreams about an ideal world where men live in harmony with what they need and not what they want. Allie abhors the materialism and the schizophrenic pace of the society and says “We eat when we’re not hungry, drink when we’re not thirsty. We buy what we don’t need and throw away everything that’s useful. Why sell a man what he wants? Sell him what he doesn’t need. Pretend he’s got eight legs and two stomachs and money to burn. It’s wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.”
To escape from this material world Fox uproots himself and his family, of six from rural Massachusetts to a remote island La Moskitia in south America. Here his wife and 2 sons and twin daughters follow him and his ideals. Initially everything is hunky dory with fox finding the peace of mind to pursue his inventions and trying to better the natives lives. Soon with absolute dreams comes absolute and painful reality. The plan to civilize the natives is also a kind of intervention which is not a natural course of events.

The movie is narrated through the eyes of the eldest son, Charlie who completely admires his father’s genius. His love and admiration is mixed and what has the upper hand is evident only at the end of the movie. Mother Fox, Allie’s wife is a dutiful spouse following the marriage vows to the end. She moves herself from the comfort of their home to come to a remote clearing Jeronimo to play house and puts up with the ravings of her husbands flawed genius.
Allie on the high for bettering the plight of the natives plans to build a giant ice machine which uses fuel to make ice instantly. His need to awe makes him go to the interiors of the jungle to show off his machine. On his way he meets some dangerous ruffians who follow him back to Jeronimo and set fire to his inventions. As everything goes in to smoke Allie’s descent in to chaos happens. In his madness he destroys his family, relationships and a fragile system he tried to nurture. At the very tragic end the movie poses some important questions about his despotic nature and the effect of it on his relationships.
The movie also has amazing philosophical moments when Allie spars with the preacher Spellgood whose fanaticism puts him off. But in the end Allie’s contention that progress brings about civilization is as flawed as Spellgood’s theory of religion uplifting man. One man’s desire to shock, awe and better the natives to ultimately achieve glory and splendor falls flat on the ground. In the end Allie did bring in what he had fled in America, a search for material things and thats is his downfall.
Splendid performances by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren is the highlight of the movie. This movie failed miserably at the box office but I still recommend it as a must see. It is a thinking man’s movie and go with a philosophical frame of mind.

This movie directed by Jeremy Kagan starred Henry Wrinkler and Sally field. The other notable name was Harrison Ford who played a disturbed Vietnam veteran before his big box office draw days. This movie portrays the angst and depression faced by the veterans who are forgotten after the pageantry of war.
Jack Dunne played by Henry Wrinkler is a Vietnam veteran who is haunted by the depressive memories of the war. He is confined to a mental asylum from where he breaks out to go on a journey in search of his war time buddies. The film starts with a clownish Dunne pottering around in Times Square, where he tries to stop a sergeant in enlisting some kids. He is sent back to the asylum from which he breaks out to go on a road trip. He plans to establish a worm farm along with his veteran buddies.
Dunne the clown meets the Miss proper, Carol Bell who is also in the bus just to think about her engagement. She is unsure about her goals and about her relationship. Dunne initially gets on her nerves by his happy go lucky ways but soon Carol develops a soft corner for Dunne. She soon supports and encourages him in his ventures. And Dunne confides his plans and fears to her.

But the world around them has its horrors from which even they are not immune. Dunne reaches each buddy who has fallen prey to depression, sadness, suicides and disappearances and he just cannot take it any more. His dreams of a worm farm above all a shared world with his comrades in arms are in tatters. Only Carol who comes to the reality that she does not love her fiancée anymore is with him.
Harrison Ford plays a small part as his distant buddy Ken Boyd who is a stock car driver who is in his extreme mania keeps a stolen machine gun in his vehicle. A tender moment happens with friends when they share once again their friendship by building a small rabbit cage. But largely the film belongs to Wrinkler who had immortalized himself as “Fonzie” in the TV sitcom Happy Days. Both Sally Field and Henry Wrinkler with this movie move on to the serious actor roles.
The most memorable part of the movie is the song which plays at the ending – “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas. For many the movie is worth watching for this haunting rock melody and the recent DVD raised quite a storm for editing out this song. This movie is considered one of the war time classics and earned Henry Wrinkler a Golden Globe nomination.
All said and done this movie moves the viewer to the plight of men who have demons raging within them, men who fought the worst things in life, men who see others die, men who have to kill to survive and men who survived to be haunted by brutal memories. A movie for the real world even today.