Based on "The Brotherhood of the Rose" by David Morrell, and impeccably cast with Peter Strauss, David Morse, Connie Sellecca and Robert Mitchum, the NBC miniseries "Brotherhood of the Rose" aired on Jan. 22, 1989, following Super Bowl XXIII.
It was the highest rated miniseries of the season.
I had already read the novel and was eagerly awaiting the premiere.
It was one of the most influential books of my childhood, combining the strongest elements of U.S. and U.K. spy fiction to create a novel that moved the genre forward.
I cut out the advertisement from the newspaper and tacked it to the wall of my bedroom.
On Betamax, I taped the two-part miniseries. I believe that tape is still in a box in my mom’s attic.
Though I have now added a signed first edition to my collection, the original paperback I read in the '80s is one of my prized possessions.
I was, and remain, a huge fan of David Morrell — who created the character Rambo in his debut novel, "First Blood," in 1972.
With a single sentence in "The Brotherhood of the Rose," Morrell cemented me on my path into the SEAL Teams.
Who remembers watching this miniseries?
(Follow Jack Carr on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jackcarrusa.)
More on David Morrell
Novelist David Morrell writes on his website that he's "been working on several projects that keep getting longer."
JACK CARR'S TAKE ON NOVELIST DAVID MORRELL, BORN APRIL 24: ‘PERSONAL HERO AND LITERARY ICON’
During the COVID lockdowns, he said, "I became accustomed to not traveling to conferences, but this year, I’ll return to ThrillerFest (May 29-June 1) in New York City and Bouchercon (August 28-31) in Nashville."
Morrell, born in 1943, is the award-winning author of "First Blood," the novel in which Rambo was created.
He was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, according to his website.
In 1960, at age 17, he became a fan of the classic TV series, "Route 66," about "two young men in a Corvette convertible traveling the United States in search of America and themselves," as Morrell's website notes.
From 1970 to 1986, Morrell taught American literature at the University of Iowa.
"The scripts by Stirling Silliphant combined action with ideas and so impressed Morrell that he decided to become a writer," says his website.
Morrell moved to the U.S. in 1966.
He studied at Penn State, his website indicates, and earned his master's degree and PhD in American literature.
While there, he met science-fiction author William Tenn (real name Philip Klass) — who taught him "the basics of fiction writing."
The result, says Morrell's website, was "First Blood" — "a groundbreaking novel about a returned Vietnam veteran suffering from post-trauma stress disorder who comes into conflict with a small-town police chief and fights his own version of the Vietnam War."
That "father" of modern action novels, as the same site notes, was published in 1972 while Morrell was a professor of English at the University of Iowa.
From 1970 to 1986, Morrell taught American literature there, at the same time writing additional novels.
Many of them became international bestsellers, including "the classic spy trilogy, ‘The Brotherhood of the Rose’ (the basis for the only television miniseries to premier after a Super Bowl), ‘The Fraternity of the Stone,’ and ‘The League of Night and Fog.’"
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Morrell is the author of over 30 books, including "The Naked Edge," "Creepers," and "The Spy Who Came for Christmas" (set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives today, his website indicates).
The winner of many awards for his writing, Morrell is a co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization.
He is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School for wilderness survival as well as the G. Gordon Liddy Academy of Corporate Security, says his site.
He is also an honorary lifetime member of the Special Operations Association and the Association of Intelligence Officers. He has been trained in firearms, hostage negotiation, assuming identities, executive protection and defensive/offensive driving — "among numerous other action skills that he describes in his novels."
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There are some 18 million copies of his books in print and his work has been translated into 30 languages.
Fox News Digital staff contributed reporting.
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