Wed 21 May 2008
Death Noted: ZEKIAL MARKO, aka JOHN TRINIAN.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Crime Fiction IV , Obituaries / Deaths Noted1 Comment
It was Juri Nummelin who on his blog was one of the first to post the news of Zekial Marko’s passing. A brief obituary can be found in its entirety on the Writers Guild of America website.
Here’s a shortened version:
“Born in 1933 and a WGAW member since 1964, Marko maintained a lengthy career writing for both small and silver screens. His television credits include episodes of The Rockford Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Toma, while his screen credits include the 1964 film Once a Thief, based on his novel.
“Marko is survived by his wife, Sue, his two daughters, Belle and Zefra, his son, Zoyan, and his brother, Kenn Davis.”
Marko’s list of TV credits would in itself qualify his death be mentioned on this blog. What the obituary does not say, however, but what has been known to fans of his work for some time, is that he was also “John Trinian,” author of a small eclectic set of mystery and crime paperbacks written back in the 1960s.
It turns out that Al Hubin already knew this – the name behind the names is included in Crime Fiction IV, as you can easily check. What’s not there, but will appear in the next installment of the online Addenda — and right here, right now, of course — is any biographical information about Markos, including the year he was born (1933) and the fact that his name at birth was Marvin Leroy Schmoker. The latter Juri learned from a relative of Marko’s who contacted him after he died, perhaps because Juri had written about John Trinian on his blog and elsewhere.
Based on and expanded from his entry in CFIV, here’s the list of all of Trinian’s paperback mystery fiction:
A Game of Flesh. Bedside Book BB106, 1959; Lancer/Domino 72-678, 1963; Macfadden 75-360, 1970. “An explosive novel of a wanton gigolo and the love-starved women he shamed!”
The Big Grab. Pyramid G548, 1960; Manor 95230, 1973. Reprinted earlier as Any Number Can Win. Pyramid F-925, 1963. “Their take would be a cool quarter of a million-or a hot slug in the gut.” Film: Cipra, 1963, as Melodie en Sous-Sol (Basement Melody). Released in Britain as The Big Grab; released in the U.S. as Any Number Can Win. Stars: Jean Gabin, Alain Delon.
North Beach Girl. Gold Medal s1000, 1960. Reprinted as Strange Lovers. Macfadden 60-301, 1967. [A novel set in the San Francisco beat world of the Fifties.]
The Savage Breast. Gold Medal s1104, 1961; Macfadden 60-330, 1968. “Born beautiful, spoiled rotten..was she a goddess to be loved or a tigress to be tamed?”
Scratch a Thief. Ace Double F-107, 1961. Also published as: Once a Thief. Gold Medal k1569, 1965, as by Zekial Marko; and under the latter title as by John Trinian: Manor 95272, 1973. “A blood and guts book about a cop with a grudge and an ex-con who wanted to go straight…” Film: MGM, 1965, as Once a Thief; in French: Les Tueuers de San Francisco. (scw: Zekial Marko; dir: Ralph Nelson). Stars: Alain Delon, Ann-Margret. [Go here for a short clip from the film.]
House of Evil. Pyramid F-712, 1962. [?? Macfadden-Bartell, 1970] “The story of a Hollywood sex cult.”
Scandal on the Sand. Gold Medal k1449, 1964. Macfadden-Bartell 75-338, 1970.
Reviews or commentary on Trinian’s work are few and hard to come by, but on Ed Gorman’s blog he had this to say, not too long ago:
What better things could one writer say about another? A fitting way to end this short tribute, I hope you’ll agree.
[UPDATE.] Later the same day. Keen eyes on your part may have noticed the same thing I did. It is true, it is he, and this small bit of information is what a followup post, coming up soon, will be all about.
July 28th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
I was 17, maybe 16, when I ran headlong into Marko at a party on a Sausalito houseboat. The last time I saw him both he and I were in New York City headed in different directions. But for awhile there, he was my best friend, my mentor, my guide, my exasperation… and I’ve never, not for moment, forgotten him. I was with him throughout the filming of Once a Thief, had a small part in it he wrote for me. I was Anne Woodbridge in House of Evil and he was Paul Berko. He said he wrote trash. I never told him I wanted to write. He would have taken out his two upper teeth (false of course) and laughed at me. Very effective, removing those teeth. I’ve become a writer. Marko was a powerful friend, a powerful influence, a powerful memory. I expect we’ll be meeting up sooner or later one day or night. Ki (or as he knew me back when, Pamela – we both hated that first name; took me ages to throw it away.)