Budd Boetticher’s ‘When in Disgrace’

In a blog post dated December 19, 2005, I wrote:

    “Despite all of his films, [Budd] Boetticher’s most memorable work is an autobiography, When In Disgrace. A fragmentary attempt to penetrate the alcoholic haze clouding a delusional man’s perception, it traces a stunted career in the bullring and ‘problems’ with authority figures in Hollywood. Amazed by his own good fortune in marrying actress Debra Paget, Boetticher sets his more fascinating accounts south of the border, from getting gored in the ass by a testy toro, to days and nights in rat-infested drunk tanks. A textbook example of self-will run riot, it surely deserves a second printing. (Copies are scarce.)”

    The first and only time I read the book was a copy borrowed from the public library, and even they had to special order it from another library system clear across the country. Used copies have been for sale online, but at prices beyond my limited resources.

    Last week I received this email from Scott Montgomery of Fallbrook Publishing:

    “We are a small publishing house and are the publishing successors for the title When in Disgrace… Our owner and Budd Boetticher were close friends for many years.

    “In going through our archives recently, I found that we have a small supply of never distributed copies of When In Disgrace in two of the most collectible editions. (The trade edition was limited to 1000 copies.)

    “These Two ‘Special’ Editions consist of:

    “1. Seven Brand New Copies (in pictorial slipcase—pristine condition). These are from the ‘deluxe first printing,’ limited to 250 copies, bound in yellow silk and SIGNED by the author on the limitation page. Memoir by the noted film director and bullfighting aficionado, primarily devoted to his long struggle to produce a documentary film about legendary matador Carlos Arruza. The paste-on slipcase illustration (identical to the jacket on the trade edition) is by Barnaby Conrad, who also wrote the Introduction. (The reverse side of the slipcase bears a full-color photograph of Boetticher, mounted, in the bullring.) Foreword by Bill Krohn. Signed by Budd Boetticher.

    “2. Three Brand New, full brown leather stamped and lettered in gilt, pictorial slipcase. Illustrated. These are Three (3) of only Fifty copies published, signed by author, Conrad and Robert Stack. With foreword by Barnaby Conrad and preface by Robert Stack. These are copies numbered 23, 39 and 49 out of 50 printed.

    “These Editions are amongst the rarest of finds in connection with Budd Boetticher.. The [books] are still in their original packaging from the printer and are pristine.

    “Might you know of a collector, or perhaps a museum that would have an interest in obtaining these collectibles, Mr. Young?”

    To which I thought, “Wow!”

    In light of the current economic downturn, Fallbrook has lowered the prices of these rare, unused volumes by fifty percent. Interested parties should contact Mr. Montgomery by email at fbkpub@aol.com, or phone him at (760) 723-6637.


Flickhead/Ray Young received no compensation for posting this announcement, nor has any affiliation with Mr. Montgomery or Fallbrook Publishing.