"He Had a Big Heart."
First appearance: Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF), March 1955.
Reprinted in An ABC of Science Fiction, 1966 (ISFDb HERE).
Short story (11 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE).
"He stole a heart that didn’t belong to him."
MOST technological innovations are beneficial to humanity; those that aren't are what we call "weapons." Any machine that extends life should be a benefit, and the one devised by Dr. Hendler and his colleagues definitely is. However, with this particular innovation there's a catch . . .
Main characters:
~ Dave Bailey ("DOA"), Babe ("She was cryin’ and runnin’ — she just had on a neg-lee-gee, you know"), Peetie, the newsboy ("That brother of yours has sure got a big heart"), Rick Jameson ("chose League night to put a .38 slug straight through my brother Dave’s heart"), Paul Wilson ("They’re going to want you at the morgue"), Henry Bailey ("this was becoming quite a story and such things usually don’t happen to people like me — or Dave either"), Dr. Hendler ("Your brother isn’t quite dead"), Pat O’Neal, the reporter for the Daily News ("The doc wants his heart back"), John Ritt ("You tell him I got a little deal working which I will contact him about"), Donald Pickett ("the sponsor of the mechanical heart has heart trouble"), Murphy ("Murder?"), and Frank Stolle ("one of the pin boys").
References and resources:
- "He's at Georgia Street right now"
- "After all, maybe there was a chance to make the bowling League’s third game. It would be a whole lot better than them taking two-thirds of my average":
"A bowling league is a competitive event in which teams bowl against each other over the course of a season." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "For several years now my colleagues and I have been working on a very very complex machine . . .":
"In 1949, a precursor to the modern artificial heart pump was built by doctors William Sewell and William Glenn of the Yale School of Medicine using an Erector Set, assorted odds and ends, and dime-store toys. The external pump successfully bypassed the heart of a dog for more than an hour." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "a shmoo-shaped flying saucer":
"The shmoo (plural: shmoos, also shmoon) is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip Li'l Abner on August 31, 1948. The character created a fad that lasted into the 1950s, including merchandise, songs, fan clubs, and appearances on magazine covers." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the story of Marilyn Monroe’s calendar":
"Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1926–1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic 'blonde bombshell' characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2023) by the time of her death in 1962." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "anti-vivisection pitch":
"Anti-vivisectionists have played roles in the emergence of the animal welfare and animal rights movements, arguing that animals and humans have the same natural rights as living creatures, and that it is inherently immoral to inflict pain or injury on another living creature, regardless of the purpose or potential benefit to mankind." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "sandwich cards":
"A sandwich board is a type of advertisement tool composed of two boards with a message or graphic on it and being either carried by a person, with one board in front and one behind in a triangle shape, hinged along the top, creating a 'sandwich' effect; or set up next to a store advertising its goods. In this way, the advertising message can be read on both sides interchangeably." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "handbills":
"A flyer is also called a 'palm card,' 'circular,' 'handbill,' 'pamphlet,' 'poster,' 'lit' (literature), 'weekly ad,' 'catalogue' or 'leaflet'." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "straight from a Pershing Square park bench debate":
"Pershing Square is a small public park in Downtown Los Angeles, California, one square block in size, bounded by 5th Street to the north, 6th Street to the south, Hill Street to the east, and Olive Street to the west. Originally dedicated in 1866 by Mayor Cristóbal Aguilar as La Plaza Abaja, the square has had numerous names over the years until it was finally dedicated in honor of General John J. Pershing in 1918." (Wikipedia HERE.)
Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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