The ill-fated lovers Frankie and Johnny were already legends by 1930, the year of this illustrated drama's publication. The unique interpretation is a collaboration between John Huston, the future director of The Maltese Falcon and other film classics, and Miguel Covarrubias, an influential painter and caricaturist. Huston, who reputedly interviewed a neighbor of the real-life Frankie and Johnny, was inspired to adapt the tale of love gone wrong for a puppet show for which George Gershwin supplied musical accompaniment. In addition to Huston's script and distinctive images by Covarrubias, this edition features the "e;Saint Louis Version"e; of the folktale, regarded as the most authentic version, as well as 20 variations on the story and song.
