"The Beatnik Show," Scene B

We get a new setting, "the 'Buttered Cocoon Coffeehouse' - night."  The description is pretty faithful, both of the coffeehouse and of the patrons in " 'beat' dress."

They left out the poet saying "pickle" among his P-words, as well as Laverne yelling, "Pepsi!"

They skipped Shirley asking, "What do you think?" about the espresso, after the girls drink it and make faces.  Then Laverne would've said, "Now I know why they don't give you big cups."

This is a good time to mention that the cast list has an actor named Doug Cox as Krasnow, better known to viewers as "The Mighty Oak."  Now, Doug Cox actually is credited as "The Birthday Boy" for this episode, a lineless character who is in Scene D of the script.  How Art Garfunkel got involved, other than dating Penny and having a sense of humor about himself, I don't know.

They omitted Laverne's line about Krasnow cramping up, "Maybe it's from the coffee.  And may I remind you, we also drank some."  After Shirley says she thinks Krasnow is himself the Mighty Oak, there was this:

LAVERNE

Why?

SHIRLEY

I don't know, it's intellectual.

PATRONS

Ssshh!

LAVERNE

I'll bet that's the way they boo!

Laverne "playing a tune on her lips with her finger" is in the script, as is also Laverne playing with the candle and Shirley giving her "an Indian burn."

In the script, the Shirley Feeney scarf dance had additionally been booed "the time we got stuck in the elevator at Meckler's."  Also, in the script Shirley asks Laverne, "C'mon, where's your sense of derring do?"

When the crowd all stands up after the dance, Laverne in the script says, "Told you, Shirl.  Just like the elevator at Meckler's."

A couple thoughts:

• The bad, overpriced espresso is a bigger deal in the script.
• I like the Meckler's references.
• We're already done with Act One and the changes aren't particularly shocking so far.