Seeking names to one classic movie and a couple SF/F stories
January 27, 2014 5:21 PM Subscribe
My google-fu is not helping me on these, this is sort of a disjointed question, for whatever reason a few disjointed memories have come to mind recently from media I once consumed, I can usually figure out the sources if I can piece together this much memory but I haven't managed to with these ones. I read/watched these long ago. This is one classic romantic-comedy and various SF/F novels and short stories.
The movie:
It's a classic romantic comedy, 40s?, about a shop-girl who wins a cruise to Cuba. I have no idea what happens next, I'm pretty sure there is song and dance and romance. I recall that the "shop-girl" had a overly expensive wardrobe for someone with no money, but of course that is inevitable with escapist romantic-comedies of the era.
The SF/F books
1. Heroine lives someplace reminiscent of China (I think? I vaguely remember there being a great wall) rural, father is poor, she is sent to be concubine to the king or something, but inadvertently insults someone important, either the court painter or someone who controls the painter so the painting of her that is presented to the king?emperor? is made to be ugly, the king?emperor? sees this before ever meeting her takes it as insult and gives her to some group considered to be barbarians or something.
2. This might have been a short story. Heroine wants to fly spaceships, to become a pilot you have to have your heart removed, there is a scene where she wakes up after surgery and hears a heartbeat and is really upset before discovering that the doctors just play a recording of a heartbeat, wrongly assuming it will calm patients.
3. Short story, in it women are turned into stone statues, I think for being disobedient? Feminist fantasy. I think the authors name was something like Katherine Witt but I could be completely wrong since I haven't found it by that search, really do not remember more of the story.
4. In this book or series there is a badly deformed character, I think she was hunchbacked? who was freed from enslavement(or otherwise abusive situation? Or simply hired away from said abusive situation as a servant?), turns out she was simply another species in adolescent phase and wings burst from her back eventually. I keep thinking this one is Andre Norton but if so I haven't found it.
The movie:
It's a classic romantic comedy, 40s?, about a shop-girl who wins a cruise to Cuba. I have no idea what happens next, I'm pretty sure there is song and dance and romance. I recall that the "shop-girl" had a overly expensive wardrobe for someone with no money, but of course that is inevitable with escapist romantic-comedies of the era.
The SF/F books
1. Heroine lives someplace reminiscent of China (I think? I vaguely remember there being a great wall) rural, father is poor, she is sent to be concubine to the king or something, but inadvertently insults someone important, either the court painter or someone who controls the painter so the painting of her that is presented to the king?emperor? is made to be ugly, the king?emperor? sees this before ever meeting her takes it as insult and gives her to some group considered to be barbarians or something.
2. This might have been a short story. Heroine wants to fly spaceships, to become a pilot you have to have your heart removed, there is a scene where she wakes up after surgery and hears a heartbeat and is really upset before discovering that the doctors just play a recording of a heartbeat, wrongly assuming it will calm patients.
3. Short story, in it women are turned into stone statues, I think for being disobedient? Feminist fantasy. I think the authors name was something like Katherine Witt but I could be completely wrong since I haven't found it by that search, really do not remember more of the story.
4. In this book or series there is a badly deformed character, I think she was hunchbacked? who was freed from enslavement(or otherwise abusive situation? Or simply hired away from said abusive situation as a servant?), turns out she was simply another species in adolescent phase and wings burst from her back eventually. I keep thinking this one is Andre Norton but if so I haven't found it.
Is the movie Week-End in Havana (1941)?
posted by Monsieur Caution at 5:42 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Monsieur Caution at 5:42 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
I vaguely remember reading #4 too! Looks like it might be Flight in Yiktor?
posted by ohkay at 6:38 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ohkay at 6:38 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Wintersweet is correct - the first one is definitely Imperial Lady by Andre Norton.
Number 4 may be one of the BattleAxe trilogy by Sara Douglass - Azhure is an Icari child who grows up amongst regular humans and her back is scarred as her wing-buds are torn and/or cut out by her adoptive father. She never does grow wings, but the deformity and abusive situation are about right.
posted by ninazer0 at 8:12 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Number 4 may be one of the BattleAxe trilogy by Sara Douglass - Azhure is an Icari child who grows up amongst regular humans and her back is scarred as her wing-buds are torn and/or cut out by her adoptive father. She never does grow wings, but the deformity and abusive situation are about right.
posted by ninazer0 at 8:12 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is Number 2 Superluminal by Vonda McIntyre? I don't remember the exact scene, but the heroine has her heart removed so that she can fly spaceships, and I remember a lot of reflecting on the scar and what she's gained and lost.
posted by nonane at 5:13 AM on January 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by nonane at 5:13 AM on January 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You guys are great thank you!
Funny that the only books that aren't Andre Norton include the one that I thought was.
Not sure which of you is right about #4, I think Flight in Yiktor sounds more likely .. but (oh horrors) I'll just have to read both to find out.
posted by elista at 4:46 PM on February 11, 2014
Funny that the only books that aren't Andre Norton include the one that I thought was.
Not sure which of you is right about #4, I think Flight in Yiktor sounds more likely .. but (oh horrors) I'll just have to read both to find out.
posted by elista at 4:46 PM on February 11, 2014
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posted by wintersweet at 5:40 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]