BRITISH ACTOR ANTHONY HOPKINS SIGNED UP TO DO THE LEAD ROLE IN THE GIRL FROM PETROVKA. THE PLAY WAS BASED ON THE BOOK BY GEORGE FEIFER.
HE TRAVELED TO LONDON TO PICK UP A COPY OF THE BOOK FOR RESEARCH. ALTHOUGH HE VISITED MANY BOOKSTORES, HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND A COPY ANYWHERE. WAITING FOR A TRAIN AT AN UNDERGROUND STATION, HOPKINS NOTICED A BOOK SITTING ON A BENCH NEAR HIM, APPARENTLY DISCARDED. WHEN HE WENT OVER TO SEE WHAT THE BOOK WAS, HE WAS AMAZED TO FIND IT WAS THE GIRL FROM PETROVKA, THE VERY BOOK HE'D BEEN SEARCHING FOR.
AS IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH - YEARS LATER HOPKINS WAS INTRODUCED TO THE BOOK'S AUTHOR, GEORGE FEIFER. DISCUSSING THE FILM AND THE BOOK IT WAS BASED ON, FEIFER MENTIONED OFFHAND THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE A COPY OF THE BOOK HIMSELF ANYMORE. HE'D LOANED IT TO A FRIEND YEARS AGO, WHO'D LOST IT SOMEWHERE IN LONDON.
HOPKINS, INCREDULOUS, PRODUCED THE COPY OF THE BOOK HE'D FOUND. AS THEY BOTH LOOKED INSIDE THE BOOK, THEY SAW THAT IT WAS COVERED WITH THE ORIGINAL OWNER'S NOTES MADE IN FEIFER'S OWN HAND.
