Harold Robbins became a teenage millionaire during the Great Depression by buying food directly from struggling farmers and selling it to wholesalers and food canning companies. He then squandered it all after speculating wildly on sugar futures. In his early twenties, he moved to California, got a job as a shipping clerk at Universal Pictures, and ultimately worked his way up to a job in the bookkeeping department. One day, after a Universal VP overheard Robbins make a disparaging remark about a novel that had been made into a film, the studio exec said, “If you can write a better novel, do it.” Robbins took the challenge by writing Never Love a Stranger, a sexually graphic tale about New York City’s underworld that was considered shocking at the time (ads for the novel proudly proclaimed, “Banned in Philadelphia”). Over the next twenty-five years, Robbins became wildly successful, writing more than twenty novels that sold more that 250 million copies. While The Carpetbaggers (1961) was his best-known book, Robbins often said that Never Love a Stranger was his favorite. The book was adapted into a 1958 film by the same title.
Never Trust a Sister over TwelveSTEPHEN ROOS, title of 1993 book aimed at fourth-graders
Never Throw Stones at Your Mother: Irish Insults and CursesDAVID ROSS, title of 2001 book
Never Be a Victim:
The Practice of Psychological Self-DefenseEDWARD N. ROSS, title of 1996 book
Never Throw Out a Banana Again:
And 364 Other Ways to Save Money at Home Without Knocking Yourself OutDARCIE SANDERS, title of 1995 book
Never Let ’em See You Sweat: A Tranquilizer for PresentersPHIL SLOTT, title of 2000 book
Sixteen years after Slott created “Never let ’em see you sweat” for Gillette’s Dry Idea advertising campaign (discussed in the classic neverisms chapter), he chose the legendary slogan for the title of a book on public speaking. He began every one of the book’s twenty chapters with the word never. Here are ten of them:Never Trust One Rehearsal Never Drown in a Sea of Faces Never Forget Your Crutches Never Believe They’re Out to Get You Never Let Their Agenda Be Your AgendaNever Be PointlessNever Be IgnorableNever Be Too SeriousNever Get Caught LyingNever Run at the Mouth
Never Let the Bastards Wear You DownDEE SNIDER, title of 2000 album
Snider achieved fame as the front man for the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. This was his only solo album, consisting entirely of songs written during his time with the group. The title comes from a mock-Latin saying, Illegitimi non carborundum, that emerged during WWII and was said to mean, “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” The saying is often associated with “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell, an American army general who adopted it as a motto. The saying got national publicity in 1946 when Alabama congressman Frank Boykin sent President Truman an elaborately lettered copy of the saying to be placed on his desk in the Oval Office.
“Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth”SPARKS, title of 1974 song (written by Ron Mael)
“Never Give Up on a Dream”ROD STEWART, title of 1981 song
Written by Stewart, guitarist Jim Cregan, and lyricist Bernie Taupin, the song was dedicated to Terry Fox, a young Canadian who had lost his right leg to bone cancer in 1977. In 1980, Fox became an international celebrity for his “Marathon of Hope,” an attempt to run from Newfoundland to British Columbia to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. After 143 days of running on one healthy and one prosthetic leg, Fox had logged more than 3,000 miles when the cancer metastasized to his lungs and forced him to end his quest. When he died in 1981, Fox was one of Canada’s most admired figures. His memory lives on in the annual “Terry Fox Run,” with people from more than fifty countries participating in the world’s largest single-day cancer fundraiser.
Never Read a Newspaper at Your DeskRICHARD F. STIEGELE, title of 1994 book
Never Give Up:
How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into SuccessDONALD TRUMP, title of 2008 memoir
While Never give up is one of history’s most famous sayings, it is also one of publishing history’s most popular book titles. I don’t have a precise count, but I’ve seen it show up as the title or subtitle of over a hundred books, including the memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies of Gloria Estefan, Richard Simmons, Allen Iverson, and Tedy Bruschi (see the sports chapter for more on Bruschi’s book).
Never Wake a Sleeping BabyKENDRA LYNN WHITING, title of 2007 book
Whiting chose a time-honored proverbial saying as the title for her self-published advice book for new parents. In the book, she also offered these time-tested tips: “Never discipline in anger” and “Never put a baby to bed with a bottle.”
fifteen
Never Judge a Book by Its Movie
Stage & Screen
In 1961, a little-known Scottish actor by the name of Sean Connery was chosen to play the role of Special Agent James Bond in a planned film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1958 novel Dr. No. Connery was selected after a number of established stars—including Cary Grant and James Mason—turned down the part or were rejected during auditions. Fleming, who initially preferred David Niven for the role, was strongly opposed to the selection of Connery, saying, “He’s not what I envisioned of James Bond.” In Fleming’s mind, his fictional special agent was a debonair and sophisticated Englishman, like Niven, and not at all like the rugged and unrefined Connery. At one point in the auditions, Fleming even disparaged Connery, saying, “I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man.” Director Terence Young, however, thought Connery might bring something special to the role. After much discussion, Connery did finally get the part. It was not because of Young’s urging, though. As the two men were debating what to do, Fleming’s girlfriend told the reluctant writer that she believed Connery would bring a strong sexual charisma to the role.
When filming began, Connery had trouble getting into the role, once confessing, “The character is not really me, after all.” But he worked hard with Terence Young, and even borrowed many of the English director’s speech patterns and mannerisms. Connery eventually won over Fleming as well. Indeed, the writer was so pleased with Connery’s portrayal of his precious character that, in all subsequent Bond novels, he gave Agent 007 a partially Scottish heritage.
Soon after its English release in 1962 and its American premiere in 1963, Dr. No established Connery as a major motion picture star. The film, which had been shot with a modest budget of one million dollars, grossed $16 million in the United States and $59 million worldwide. Over the next five years, Connery played Bond in four more films: From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), and You Only Live Twice (1967). The Bond films were becoming a bankable franchise and Connery was on his way to becoming a cinematic icon.