Friday, November 27, 2020

"Murder on the Moose Jaw Express" script, Scene A

So when I ordered the PDF of "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express," it came with a bonus of Scene A from Part One.  As almost every Laverne & Shirley episode should, it begins in the girls' apartment, this time in the late afternoon.


The first page or so made it in basically as is, but we lost some moments of the girls appreciating each other after Shirley gives her speech welcoming Moose Jaw to the Shotz family:

LAVERNE APPLAUDS.  EDNA TAKES PICTURE.

LAVERNE
We wouldn't be going if it wasn't for Shirl.  She's so smart.

LAVERNE PROUDLY JOSTLES SHIRLEY

SHIRLEY
You helped me.

SHIRLEY MODESTLY JOSTLES HER BACK.

And after Laverne quotes the boys' second-place slogan, there was this:

SHIRLEY
I think they paid a professional to write that.

LAVERNE
Let's face it.  People will do anything for a trip to Moose Jaw.

We also lost this after Frank tells Edna to put her ears on.

EDNA
I'm not putting on these silly ears.

FRANK 
We're drivin' to the girls to the railroad station, right?

EDNA
Right.

FRANK
You know how I drive when I'm mad.

EDNA
I'm putting the ears on, Frank.

FRANK
Only if you want.

The lost lines are cute although admittedly not necessary.  For that matter, the whole scene isn't necessary to the plot, but it, one, gets Frank and Edna in there, and two, does give us a little exposition as well as amusement.  Since most of the rest of the two-parter is set on a train, it also gives us a little taste of "home" before the adventure begins.

4 comments:

  1. I'm glad they cut the Frank and Edna dialogue but yep, all of this could easily go.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's interesting that in this and the "Army" script I looked at, stuff where Frank makes Edna do something she doesn't want to do got cut. I wonder if BG objected.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see her doing that - it's very OOC for Edna.

      Delete
    2. I feel like Betty G would have strong opinions as a feminist and an actress about who Edna was and what was in character. And she'd be listened to, especially when it didn't really affect the main plot.

      Delete

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