Well, dear readers, it is after midnight and yet I am just beginning these here notes. That is because I got caught up in reading Mr. Ernest Lehman’s screenplay for The Man On Lincoln’s Nose, written in 1958 and later retitled North by Northwest. This screenplay is almost two hundred pages long, and yet there are not really many extraneous scenes. Eventually, Mr. Lehman would smooth it out, make quite a few dialogue cuts, and change several character names. But it’s amazing how much of the dialogue didn’t change and is word for word as written in this early draft. Getting to read something like this and knowing what it turned into is a lesson to see how a wonderful writer improves on his already-wonderful script.
It was obvious that Mr. Hitchcock was concerned that the audience would be confused about the mistaken identity at the beginning of the film, and so Mr. Lehman hammers it home relentlessly, even beginning the script with narration stating that it’s amazing that in a city like New York that MORE people aren’t mistaken for others. The Cary Grant character has quite a few lines that are too clever and smart-assy and Lehman wisely removed them and left just the gold. One particular small rewrite is a perfect example of taking a good idea and making it great. In the early draft, the James Mason character says, “Seems to me you chaps could use a little less coaching from J. Edgar Hoover and a little more from Lee Strassberg.” In the finished film, it’s much cleaner: “Seems to me you fellows could stand a little less training from the F.B.I. and a little more from the Actor’s Studio.”
All the scenes from the finished film are present and accounted for, including the crop dusting scene and Mount Rushmore, but, as noted, they are longer here, a little more blatant. One thing I love in the film itself is when Grant is abducted and taken to the house in Glen Cove and meets James Mason. Occasionally, someone says that the guests are due (presumably for a dinner party) – then that the guests have arrived. But we never see any trace of any guests anywhere. It’s unnerving. In the early draft, there is a short scene at the dinner table with the guests. Much better without. All the name changes are for the better. The non-existent George Rosen becomes the much better George Kaplan. The villain Mendoza becomes Vandamm, a much better name for him. And the owner of the Glen Cove house, originally called Lester Tomlinson, becomes Lester Townsend.
In the crop dusting sequence, the man Grant meets has a very long speech about crop dusters and then a long explanation of why it’s weird that the plane is dusting. In the finished film, it’s just one great line: “Funny, that plane’s dustin’ crops where there ain’t no crops.” Less is more. For me, North by Northwest is one of the great original screenplays, just a model of construction and great dialogue. I’d love to know why the name changes were made and whose idea it was to rename them, but I suppose there will be no knowing such things.
The day was a perfectly pleasant one. I only had about five hours of sleep, which was a little irritating. I printed out orders, I answered e-mails, the helper came by, and then I went and satisfied my craving for a bacon cheeseburger and fries at a little jernt I like called Tom’s. It was faboo (oobaf, spelled backwards). Then I went to the mail place and picked up no packages and an important envelope. Then I did some banking, after which I decided to sit on my couch like so much fish. I wish I’d checked my messages because the Junior High School Blu-rays arrived after I’d already been to the mail place. Oh, well.
Last night, I watched the last two of the Varg Veum films, both really good. I suppose they’ll release the other three at some point. I think I do have another Swedish series on its way to me, but I still have some Beck episodes to watch, and then I also have the complete Cracker series. After that, I wrote the first third of the contextual commentary. Then I read the script.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really need some beauty sleep.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s sleep. Then I shall maybe jog, then I shall do errands and whatnot, then I shall hopefully pick up some packages, although I know I’ll definitely be picking up two big boxes of Junior High School Blu and Rays. We’ll probably announce it next week – just waiting on the CD masters for the Junior High School soundtrack and the Baja Marimbas reissue. Then I’ll finish writing the commentary. Then I may or may not be having a lovely dinner out with friends – I’ll know about that in the morning.
Tomorrow, I’m hoping to get the Harvey Evans interview and get that up on the site when we actually ship – he’s so sweet – he said he’s writing VERY long answers and I encouraged him to do so. Next week is very busy with all manner of things, but mostly girding our loins for what is going to be a humungous shipping day, shipping out almost 1400 Follies CDs. Normally, I’ve been letting the helper do everything, but I told her to hire someone to help us that day, and I’ll help, too. In the end, it may have to get split over two days – we’ll do our best not to do that, but it may just be impossible. I’m also now actively planning our two-year anniversary show for September – it will be a little different and it’s going to be full of surprises.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, maybe do a jog, hopefully pick up some packages along with the Junior High School Blu-ray, finish writing the commentary and then hopefully having a lovely dinner out with friends. Today’s topic of discussion: Burgers. Where have you eaten your all-time favorite burger? What’s on it? Why is it great? And what is the worst burger you’ve ever eaten? For our vegetarians, what is your favorite veggie burger? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall write a title song for The Man on Lincoln’s Nose.