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 Saint Louis Version of the folktale, regarded as the most authentic version, as well as 20 variations on the story and song.