Suzuki Beane
Encyclopedia
Suzuki Beane is a humor book written in 1961 by Sandra Scoppettone
and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh
. The novel is a downtown satire on Kay Thompson's Eloise
series (1956-59). First published in hardcover by Doubleday & Company, Suzuki Beane reappeared as a McFadden Books paperback that same year.
The story, sometimes described as "the Eloise of Greenwich Village", is told from the viewpoint of a young child of Bleecker Street
beats. Little Suzuki encounters a different lifestyle when she becomes friends with Henry Martin, a rich kid from the Upper East Side. The two learn about life, love and how to deal with prejudice in the early 1960s. The pair finally decide to "run away from home and start a village where a Square can be a square and a swinging cat can swing in peace".
Desi Arnaz
and Lucille Ball
purchased the rights in 1962 for a possible adaptation of the characters for development and inclusion into a live-action television series starring comedian-musician Victor Borge
. The Victor Borge television pilot was not a success, but the Suzuki Beane book continued to sell. Original copies of the books are now considered collectibles and are frequently traded for very high prices on the Internet and at antique book stores. David Teague purchased the rights to Suzuki Beane from Sandra Scoppettone
and has written and illustrated sequels to the original book. Fitzhugh died in 1974.
Sandra Scoppettone
Sandra Scoppettone is an American author whose career spans the 1960s through the 2000s. She is known for her mystery and young adult books.She also wrote Suzuki Beane...
and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh
Louise Fitzhugh
Louise Fitzhugh was an American author and illustrator of young adult and children's literature.Her work includes Harriet the Spy, its sequels The Long Secret and Sport, and Nobody's Family is Going to Change.-Early life:Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she soon experienced her parents' divorce, from...
. The novel is a downtown satire on Kay Thompson's Eloise
Eloise (books)
Eloise is the name of the protagonist in a series of children's books written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight.Eloise is a six-year-old girl who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel in New York with her Nanny, her pug dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee. A...
series (1956-59). First published in hardcover by Doubleday & Company, Suzuki Beane reappeared as a McFadden Books paperback that same year.
The story, sometimes described as "the Eloise of Greenwich Village", is told from the viewpoint of a young child of Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is a street in New York City's Manhattan borough. It is perhaps most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street is a spine that connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which was once a major center for American bohemia.Bleecker...
beats. Little Suzuki encounters a different lifestyle when she becomes friends with Henry Martin, a rich kid from the Upper East Side. The two learn about life, love and how to deal with prejudice in the early 1960s. The pair finally decide to "run away from home and start a village where a Square can be a square and a swinging cat can swing in peace".
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
purchased the rights in 1962 for a possible adaptation of the characters for development and inclusion into a live-action television series starring comedian-musician Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
. The Victor Borge television pilot was not a success, but the Suzuki Beane book continued to sell. Original copies of the books are now considered collectibles and are frequently traded for very high prices on the Internet and at antique book stores. David Teague purchased the rights to Suzuki Beane from Sandra Scoppettone
Sandra Scoppettone
Sandra Scoppettone is an American author whose career spans the 1960s through the 2000s. She is known for her mystery and young adult books.She also wrote Suzuki Beane...
and has written and illustrated sequels to the original book. Fitzhugh died in 1974.