Episode 12: The Mouse Knew What Was Coming

There’s not much room for jokes this week as I make a case for the literary gut punch that is Flowers for Algernon. I like to listen to Linda Ronstadt’s Goodbye My Friend after finishing this book.

I came dangerously close to crying during the reading at the end of today’s case.  Luckily, I’m numb thanks to the goings on of the world right now. That, and I had to remember how to do long division with my at-home son this morning.

As promised, here are some of the various adaptations.  Check out the book, but maybe check a few of these out too.  This is copied and pasted from Wikipedia.  Maybe throw a few dollars at Wikipedia and keep them going!

Flowers for Algernon has been adapted many times for different media including stage, screen, and radio. These adaptations include:

• A 1961 episode of the television drama The United States Steel Hour, “The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon”, starring Cliff Robertson.^[40][41]
• A 1968 film, Charly, also starring Cliff Robertson, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.^[40][42]
• A 1969 stage play, Flowers for Algernon by David Rogers.^[40][43]
• A 1978 stage musical, Charlie and Algernon by David Rogers and Charles Strouse.^[40][44][45]
• A 1979 rock opera, A Curious Feeling by Tony Banks.^[46]
• A 1991 radio play, Flowers for Algernon, for BBC Radio 4 starring Tom Courtenay^[47]
• A 2000 television movie, Flowers for Algernon, starring Matthew Modine.
• A 2001 episode of the television show The Invisible Man, “Flowers for Hobbes”.
• A 2002 Japanese drama, Algernon ni Hanataba wo for Fuji Television, starring Yūsuke Santamaria.
• A 2006 French television movie, Des fleurs pour Algernon.
• A 2013 episode of the television show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “Flowers for Charlie”.
• A 2015 Japanese drama, Algernon ni Hanataba wo for Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Yamashita Tomohisa and Chiaki Kuriyama.
• A 2020 episode of the television show Curb Your Enthusiasm, “Beep Panic”.