"Excuse Me, May I Cut In," Scene 4

It's the "Pizza Bowl - evening":

THE PLACE IS CROWDED.  FRANK IS BEHIND THE COUNTER AT THE CASH REGISTER.  LAVERNE IS ARGUING WITH HIM.  

FRANK

Money where money... trees don't grow money... look at customers... they drink beers?  No, they're nursing beers...  It's like a hospital here...

LAVERNE

I just wanna borrow it.

FRANK

I love you, Muffin, but look...

In the filmed episode, Laverne asks her father for money for the television in a voiceover.  And then in both versions he shows Laverne a cash register drawer "full of air" she can borrow.

Onscreen she says that Mondays are always slow, and he says every day is slow.  Here's how it went in the script:

LAVERNE

Would Uncle Fungie lend me?

FRANK

He's sittin' in the corner nursing a beer.

FRANK WALKS AWAY MUMBLING TO THE COOK TO "MAKE THINNER PIZZA, SAVE THE CHEESE."

Some of the dialogue between Shirley and Carmine was kept, although we lost Carmine saying, "Yeah.  The school wanted a professional dancer on the judging staff.  Of course, the Lindy Hop isn't my specialty but I know a good hopper when I see one."

Since the filmed version doesn't have Madman Milton's exposition, Carmine and Shirley quickly explain about the dance contest to Laverne.  But in the script, after Carmine's "Lindy Hop" line, this is how it went:

SHIRLEY

Carmine, Laverne wants to enter the dance contest.  Is there any way she could do it?

CARMINE

Sure.  Get one of the high school kids to be your date.

LAVERNE

I don't know.  I'd feel funny datin' a younger guy.

CARMINE

Why?  Lucille dates me, and she's old enough to be my... aunt.

SHIRLEY

Who's the best dancer at Jefferson High?

CARMINE

Well... There's a guy, one of the seniors...  Potsie Weber.  He's been to a couple of my classes...

The thing about Potsie going to a couple of Carmine's dance classes carried over, as did Lucille entering, "looking sexily at Carmine," and saying the "motor running" line.  His exit line about "eight countries in six days" is also from the script.  But the girls greeting her was added.

In the script, Laverne says Potsie came into the Pizza Bowl once and "dropped his ball on her pizza," while onscreen he asked for extra cheese and cried until he got it.

In the script, Shirley says that Richie likes her and they had fun on their blind date.  She continues, "We'll get them to ask us to the dance.  Unless you're too chicken to enter the contest."

LAVERNE

Who's chicken?!  You get me to that dance and I'll win that TV.

SHIRLEY

That's the spirit, Vernie!  I'll invite Richie over one night this week and convince him to take us.

LAVERNE

How?

SHIRLEY

The old sex appeal, how else?

LAVERNE

Better put socks in your bra.

Onscreen, the closing was improved to Laverne asking what they'd have to do for a color TV, and Shirley replying that they don't do those things.

Thoughts:

• Well, Fred Fox has "semi-incoherent Frank" down.
• The spelling of "Fungie" continues to be in flux, but I love the idea of him sitting in his brother's (or brother-in-law's) pizzeria, nursing a beer.
• Yes, Lucille is older (in her thirties) than Carmine, but at least he's above the age of consent, unlike Potsie at this point.
• In the script, Shirley admits she had fun on her blind date with Richie, which she doesn't say onscreen.
• I like the smoother exposition onscreen, but we lose some interesting moments from this final draft.