"A Nun's Story," Scene 9

It's back to the apartment, "later that night."  Onscreen, we get a conversation between Laverne and Shirley, while AM is dropping Lenny off at the church.  The "Eleanor Roosevelt"/"bimbo" dialogue goes here.  Then AM comes in.  In the script, "Anne Marie is closing her suitcase and having some difficulty.  Laverne and Shirley are still wearing the clothes they wore to the party."

Shirley wishing AM would stay and apologizing to her made it in, as did AM saying she's not leaving because of the reunion.  But in the script, she says, "I'm leaving because I have to catch a bus to Detroit."  In both versions, Laverne asks why AM became a nun, and here's how that goes in the script.

ANNE MARIE

After I graduated from high school I went to live with my grandmother in Chicago.  She had a very strong faith in God.

THERE IS A BEAT OF SILENCE, THEN:

SHIRLEY

Was she a nun, too?

LAVERNE AND ANNE MARIE GIVE HER A LOOK.

SHIRLEY (CONT'D)

(REALIZING) Oh... I guess not.

LAVERNE

Did she want you to become a nun?

ANNE MARIE

No... but being around her, I began to have the kind of faith she did.  Then the time came when I decided to take my faith and put it into action.

Onscreen, there's no mention of her grandmother and she just says she got the calling.

The part from Shirley exclaiming that they're nurses to AM getting ready to leave is mostly the same, although the part with laughing at Hector's undershorts was added, as was AM saying she'll be back in town for Thanksgiving.  (I really hope she was, although we'd never see it.)  But in the script, Shirley says, "We enjoyed your visit," and AM teases, "Never lie to a nun."  Her "bet your buns" line and the hug were added.

They also added AM saying everyone should be nice to each other, so for the filmed tag Laverne apologizes to Shirley but finds being a good person tough when Shirley starts planning the next reunion.  The last page and a bit got left out:

SHIRLEY

You know, Laverne... we could change.  We could make something of our lives.  We could quit the brewery and get jobs that have a future.  We could be dental technicians.

LAVERNE

I wonder if you have to buy your own uniforms.

SHIRLEY

We can start changing tomorrow.  Tomorrow is Sunday... that's a good day for changing.

THEY CONTEMPLATE THEIR FUTURE A BEAT, THEN:

LAVERNE

Tomorrow, huh?

SHIRLEY

Yeah... first thing.

LAVERNE GETS HER COAT.

LAVERNE

Good... that gives us the rest of tonight.  C'mon.

SHIRLEY IS GETITNG HER COAT.

SHIRLEY

Where are we going?

LAVERNE 

Back to the pizza bowl.  There were two good-looking guys in lane five who winked at us.  If we hurry, they might still be there.

LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY EXIT AND WE...

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO

Thoughts:

• There is no tag in the script, so that's it, although I guess they could've split off the post-AM-exit part for a tag.
• Why is AM going to Detroit?  Is that a mistake left over from an earlier version where she moved to Detroit instead of Chicago?
• On the one hand, I like the idea of AM having a strong bond with her grandmother, and on the other I don't feel she needs that to justify her life choices. 
• I hope Cindy or someone objected to Shirley's stupidity about the grandmother being a nun.
• The way the three girls say goodbye is sweeter and more playful onscreen.  We genuinely believe that they were once a close-knit trio.
• I don't get what the script is saying.  Just because Laverne wants to go out and flirt, she doesn't have ambition?  I mean, it's not like they could've applied for dental technician training on a Sunday anyway.
• I do like that Shirley gets her coat before she even knows where they're going, like she's up for a little adventure.
• Once again, I prefer the filmed version.

As with "Razzberries," the script is a good starting point, but it needed pruning and polishing to be ready to air.  Next time, we will see how "Dog Day Blind Dates" evolved, what was lost and what was gained....