And Now The Return of Another New Slideshow (Sort of) [**Now featuring alternate versions of scenes - see replies #60,#82,#116,#138,#157,#180,#224,#240,#280,#372,#526**]

[Mysterious Benefactor]

You may have already noticed and have been asking yourself why the Movies Quotes Slideshow has returned to the BoardIndex page. Well, a bit like this past year's slideshow for the pilot for the '91 DS, it's not quite the slideshow for the movies because this year we're only going to be focusing on the entire script for NoDS because 2016 is the 45th anniversary of that film. And because there are actually two somewhat different versions of the script in circulation, not only will we be referencing DC's copy of the script, but also Grayson Hall's (from which we'll be sharing her own notes).

And considering the Internet as we know it was only but a dream in someone's head back in '71, we'll also be sharing press releases and articles detailing with the production and release of the film.

So, hopefully everyone will enjoy this because it's definitely going to be fun for us...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Setting up the first few scenes, none of which were actually shot:

FADE IN: 1      EXT - RIVER ROAD - NIGHT - WIDE ANGLE             1        A desolate, forbidding scene.  A heavy driving        rain.  Trees bending against a HOWLING WIND.  There        is no living thing abroad.  HOLD on this until        faintly above the SOUND of the STORM the DISTANT        SOUND OF A CAR can be heard.  FINALLY, headlights        appear at RIGHT FRAME and move slowly TOWARD CAMERA. 2      EXT - ROAD - MEDIUM ANGLE                         2        Standing at the side of the road, drenched by the        storm, stands a young man, dressed in hippy apparel.        As the approaching car gets closer, he steps out        into its lights and tries to flag a ride.  All        the car does is accelerate and ROAR by him. 3      HIPPY - CLOSE UP                                  3        as he tries to leap out of the way, only to be        engulfed in a wave of water as the car leaves him        in its wake.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 1/Scene 3 - Hippy: 'Hey, you dirty ... I'm lost, man! I'm lost!'

- comes up.

And since none of this was shot, there's obviously nothing to get into so far as possible differences in the dialogue, directions and descriptions go.

And so far there are no differences between DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And the next several scenes in the unshot sequence:

Hold on the Hippy as the SOUND OF THE TRUCK SLOWLY        FADES TO NOTHING and once again all that can be        heard is the RAGING STORM.  Suddenly, there is a        flash of lightning and for a moment the country-        side comes to life.  It is then that the Hippy        sees it. 4      OMITTED                               OMMITTED    4 5      EXT - COLLINWOOD MANSION - HIPPY'S P.O.V.         5        High above the river road, situated atop a hill        surrounded by towering trees, the weird-looking,        forbidding Collinwood dominates the scene.  Then        all is darkness again. 6      HIPPY - MEDIUM ANGLE                              6        As he makes his decision and starts up the hill        toward the house.  PAN WITH HIM AND HOLD HIM WIDE        as he starts his climb.        UP MAIN TITLES. 6      CONTD                                    CONTD    6        Credits will continue over the following: 7      EXT - COLLINWOOD GROUNDS - NIGHT - HIGH ANGLE     7        From one of the parapets the Hippy can be seen        approaching the house.  The storm is still raging.        HOLD ON HIM until he climbs on the veranda, EXITING        THE SHOT. 8      EXT - COLLINWOOD VERANDA - HIPPY                  8        as he comes toward CAMERA, going from window to        window trying to peer inside.        EXT - ANOTHER PART OF THE VERANDA - LOW ANGLE        Hippy comes toward CAMERA and stops to examine a        pair of French doors.  He jiggles the handles        and then tries to force them.  One of them opens        inward. 9      INT - COLLINWOOD DRAWING ROOM - NIGHT             9        as the hippy ENTERS.  The house is in total dark-        ness.  Most of the furniture is covered with dust        sheets.  The Hippy, obviously impressed, moves        around the Drawing Room, lifting a dust sheet        here, touching a piece of statuary there, and        then walking to the center of the room, he throws        back his head and starts laughing hysterically. 10     HIPPY - LONG SHOT                                 10        Shooting from the Dining Room at the far end of        the main corridor, the Hippy is a small figure        dancing with joy.  Suddenly, with a whoop, he runs        along the marble-floored corridor and, taking one        leap, slides along the slippery surface, smashing        to pieces an expensive vase as he falls into        CAMERA.  Giddy, he gets to his feet and starts        sauntering back down the hall, making believe he        is the lord of the manor.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 2/Scene 10 - Hippy (in affected manner of speech): 'Poole! We'll have brandy in the drawing room and do prepare bedrooms for the week end's guests.'

- comes up.

And, yes, weekend is spelled as two words in the script.

And so far there are still no differences between DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts...

[Gothick]

I remember reading somewhere once either a speculation or rumor about who was going to play the hippie, but I can't recall the name now.

Awesome idea MB!

G.

[Uncle Roger]

I don't remember where I read this but I thought that it was Michael Stroka who was rumored to be cast as the hippie. 

[Gothick]

Uncle Roger, I have read that Stroka was going to play the flamboyant boutique owner in the village.

Since nobody was maimed or killed in that scene, OF COURSE Curtis cut it.

G.

[Uncle Roger]

I would have preferred to see Louis Edmonds as the very mod Gregory.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And yet more scenes in the unshot sequence:

11     HIPPY - HIGH ANGLE                                11        CAMERA set on third floor shooting down stairwell.        Hippy is a small figure as his voice takes on the        CAVERNOUS ECHOES of the huge house.  HOLD until he        EXITS FRAME.        SUPER FINAL CREDIT                                              DISSOLVE TO: 12     OMITTED                               OMMITTED    12 13     EXT - FRONT OF COLLINWOOD - NIGHT - WIDE ANGLE    13        It is later now.  The storm has dissipated.  There        is only a LOW MOANING OF THE WIND.  HOLD ON THIS        for a moment as a faint glow appears in the windows        of the Tower Room.  Then disappearing, it reappears        in the windows below, as it descends toward the        main floor.                                              CUT TO: 14     INT - TOWER STAIRS - NIGHT - WIDE ANGLE           14        HAND-HELD TRUCKING CAMERA descends the stairs        as if it were the eerie light.        INT - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT        Continue TRUCKING to the stairs and start down. 15     INT - DRAWING ROOM - NIGHT - LOW ANGLE            15        Shooting through the doors down the corridor, a        faint glow of light begins to appear near the base        of the stairs.  Now the CAMERA SLOWLY PANS LEFT to        reveal the Hippy sound asleep on the sofa.  The        fire has burned low, an empty bottle of brandy        lies on the floor.  SLOWLY TRUCK IN TO HIS CLOSE-UP        as he suddenly opens his eyes.  Sensing a presence,        he sits up and looks toward the corridor.  Then        rising, he crosses to the doors.  TRUCK IN TO        EXTREME CLOSE-UP as he reacts. 16     INT - CORRIDOR - HIPPY'S P.O.V.                   16        There is a strange iridescent glow at the foot of        the stairs.  It has no particular form but has        that same pulsating quality that we saw in the tower. 16     CONTD                                    CONTD    16                              HIPPY (O.S.)                       (calling)                  Hey!  Who's there?  I got                  company?        HIPPY - REVERSE ANGLE - LONG LENS        Shooting from the Dining Room at the opposite end        of the hall through the pulsating glow.  The Hippy        starts drunkenly toward CAMERA.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 4/Scene 16 - Hippy (again calling): 'Hey, who's there? Where's that light coming from?'

- comes up.

And, yes, the second omitted is spelled as "OMMITTED" on both pages 1 and 3 of the script. I have no idea why.

And so far there are still no differences between the way DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts are written - however, in DC's script Scene 14 has a box drawn around it and a big X in the box, which, given similar notations in DC's copy of the hoDS script where he didn't shoot individual scenes within sequences that were shot, means that even if DC had shot this current NoDS sequence, Scene 14 still wouldn't have been shot...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I don't remember where I read this but I thought that it was Michael Stroka who was rumored to be cast as the hippie. 

The DS Movie Book is definitely one of the sources that says Micheal Stroka was "a candidate" to play the Hippy, which I suppose means there may have been others under consideration - but, unfortunately, if there were, it doesn't say who they were.

We had a discussion on the forum once where it was mentioned that Tom Happer (1840/41's Jeremy Grimes) or Ray Carlson (1970PT's Aldon Wicks) might have made good candidates. (And an interesting aside about Carlson is that both versions of the DS Almanac say he played a Blue Whale customer in a '67 ep. I've never tracked down which one and I don't think anyone on the forum has ever spotted him either.)

I would have preferred to see Louis Edmonds as the very mod Gregory.

That could have been a hoot and a half!    Though the DS Movie Book mentions Michael Stroka or Keith Prentice as likely to have played Gregory. And we can get more into that once Gregory's scene pops up in the script/slideshow...

[Uncle Roger]

Jeff Thompson played Gregory in a Collinsport Players extravaganza in 1989.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And continuing with yet more of the unshot sequence:

As he gets closer to the foot of the stairs, the        glow begins to diminish, disappearing completely        as he reaches the foot of the stairs. 17     HIPPY - HIGH ANGLE                                17        as he looks up toward CAMERA.                              HIPPY                       (calling)                  Where did you go?  Who's up                  there?        He starts up the stairs.  When he reaches the        landing, PAN WITH HIM, revealing the glow now at        the far end of the upstairs corridor silhouetting        the Hippy in its light.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 4/Scene 17 - Hippy (muttering to himself): 'There it is again! What the hell is going on?'

- comes up.

And so far there are still no differences between the way DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts are written...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And continuing with even more of the unshot sequence, picking up with the Hippy's next reaction to the glow:

He starts toward it. 18     INT - UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR - HIPPY - REVERSE ANGLE   18        Through the glow the Hippy comes toward CAMERA as        once again it begins to diminish. 19     INT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT                      19        Through the doorway of the Master Bedroom the glow        has disappeared as the Hippy ENTERS THE SHOT.        Then looking TOWARD CAMERA, he mounts the three        stairs that lead into the room.  TRUCK INTO AN 19     CONTD                                    CONTD    19        EXTREME CLOSE-UP as he suddenly reacts to some-        thing in back of CAMERA.  Whatever it is, it is        terrifying.  Ha starts to inch backward when in a        lightning-like movement, something blurs IN FRONT        OF THE CAMERA, striking him in the face.  His hands        go to his face as he SHRIEKS WITH PAIN.  Again and        again, whatever it is strikes as he staggers back-        ward, tripping and falling down the three stairs        to the main corridor. 20     INT - SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR - NIGHT               20        HIPPY - CLOSE-UP        as he stares back in terror, his face is a mass        of bloody claw marks.  Staggering to his feet, he        lurches crazily AWAY FROM CAMERA as suddenly the        silhouette of a man carrying a blinding flashlight        appears at the far end of the hall.  The figure        approaches CAMERA, flaring out at the LENS with        his light.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 5/Scene 20 - Hippy (screaming): 'Help me, man! Help me! Help me!'

- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:

HIPPY - TRUCKING SHOT        With the light shining directly into the LENS, the        figure looms over him.  In his raised arm is a        vicious-looking club, and in one violent movement        he brings it down directly into the Hippy's face,        crushing the life out of him.  HOLD FOR A MOMENT        and then SLOWLY PAN to the figure of a WOMAN who        stands near him.  As the man raises his flashlight,        we see the rain-soaked figure of the HOUSEKEEPER,        CARLOTTA DRAKE.  He is GERARD STILES.

End of sequence.

And so far there are still no differences between the way DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts are written...

And there has been much debate as to whether or not it was a good thing that this prologue was never shot. Some fans feel it was a good thing because it didn't give away right at the very outset of the film and in such graphic detail that Gerard and, especially Carlotta, are homicidal. Without the prologue, their psychotic ways become apparent over time. However, others, while not arguing against the fact that it would have given a lot away, have said that the prologue would have made for a great set piece - and it's hard to argue with that. But as interesting as the prologue might have been to see, I'm in the camp who thinks it would have given away too much too soon, which may indeed be why DC didn't shoot it. Plus I love how the film actually opens with what could easily be considered a tribute to the opening of Hitchcock's Rebecca. And we begin that opening of the film with today's installment of the slideshow. But more on that next time...

(And you might also note that the slideshow is using screen captures from the NoDS Blu-ray.)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Kicking off the next sequence:

21     EXT - RIVER ROAD - DAY - HIGH WIDE ANGLE          21        as a convertible with the top down ENTERS THE        SHOT.  Driving the car is QUENTIN COLLINS and        seated next to him is his pretty bride, TRACY.        This is the same section of road where we first        saw the Hippy.  CAMERA STARTS A LONG SLOW ZOOM IN        as the dialogue begins to play over the shot. 21     CONTD                                    CONTD    21                              QUENTIN                       (indicating the house)                  Look!                              TRACY                  Wow!  What a garret.                              QUENTIN                  I keep telling you, no one can                  afford to paint unless he is                  an heir.        TRACY - QUENTIN - HOOD-MOUNT SHOT

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 6/Scene 21 - Tracy (snuggling up to him): 'It's incredible to think you were around for all those years and I didn't even know you.'

- comes up, followed by today's quote -

Page 6/Scene 21 - Quentin: 'You wouldn't have liked me poor. I was mean and surly.'

- coming up, followed by the script continuing with:

She laughs, shaking her head.        EXT - TREE-SHROUDED ROAD        as the car ENTERS THE SHOT and comes TOWARD CAMERA.                              TRACY                       (clearly impressed)                  I still can't believe it's                  Collinwood.                              QUENTIN                  Well, if I got the directions                  right, it is.        TRACY - QUENTIN - HOOD-MOUNT SHOT        Tracy gets to her feet, holding onto the windshield,        and tries to look through the trees.                              TRACY                  You know, you can't even see it                  now.  How much land is there? 22     EXT - COLLINWOOD FRONT DRIVE - DAY - WIDE ANGLE   22        as the car APPROACHES CAMERA. 22     CONTD                                    CONTD    22                              QUENTIN                  Oh...only about 200 acres.  There...                  look at it now.        As the car passes by CAMERA, we PAN WITH IT,        revealing the impressive front view of the huge        mansion.                                 TRACY                  Oh...Quentin!

End of scene.

And so far there are still no differences between the way DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts are written. However, in DC's script he has added additional material to both hood-mount shots. The first says:

       TRACY - QUENTIN - HOOD-MOUNT SHOT - PROFILE - 2 SHOT

And the second says:

       TRACY - QUENTIN - HOOD-MOUNT SHOT - BACKSEAT

And so far as any differences in the dialogue go, there are many in the film. First off, the first lines of the film are actually taken from the end of Scene 21 and the beginning of Scene 22 and delivered off screen - as all we see is a high angled shot of the tree shrouded road that slowly begins to pan down to the road, Tracy asks "How much land is there" and Quentin responds "Oh, only about 200 acres" - and Quentin actually says "Hey, look up there" in Scene 21, but more on that below - and Tracy's dialogue about the garret and Quentin's about being an heir are dropped in the film, though Quentin's was featured in the Nods section of the Movies Slideshow because it's the first NoDS quote featured in the Fest's 1999 Movie Calendar, on which the Movies Slideshow is based - and what Tracy actually says is "You know, it's really incredible that you were around for all those years and I didn't even know you' - and what Quentin actually replies is "You wouldn't have liked me then. I was mean and surly", with no reference to him being poor - and after that Tracy delivers an unscripted "It's gonna rain" to cover the fact that it began to rain on the day that parts of this sequence were shot - and while Tracy actually says "I still can't believe it's really Collinwood", Quentin's line about getting the directions right is dropped - and Tracy's last line for Scene 21 is actually delivered simply as "You can't even see the house from here" with the rest, as already pointed out, delivered earlier - and as sort of a replacement for the moving of Quentin's reference to the estate being 200 acres, Quentin stops the car and delivers an unscripted "Here it comes. I'm gonna put the top up" when it actually does begin to rain - and Tracy's reaction "Oh...Quentin!" at first seeing the front of Collinwood is also dropped in the film.

And so far as the directions and descriptions go, as already indicated above, what we actually see at the start of the film is -

- a high angled shot of the tree shrouded road that slowly begins to pan down to the road - and from the outset we see Tracy and Quentin shot using a hood-mount shot - and in the film when Quentin points out something to Tracy, he's not actually indicating Collinwood in the distance but -

- a totally different building on the estate (and as an aside to that, there are some publicity shots of Lara Parker as Angelique that are taken with the urn in the above capture) - and even though DC added the notation that the first hood-mounted shot would be a 2 shot in profile, as can bee seen in yesterday's capture -

- (and even today's) it was not shot in profile - and as can also be seen in that capture, Tracy doesn't so much snuggle up to Quentin as slightly caress his arm - and Tracy delivers her unscripted line about the approaching rain as well as her line about not really believing it's Collinwood as the car enters the shot and comes toward camera, but also, as can be seen in this entry from the original NoDS section of the Movies Slideshow -

NoDS: Scene #21 - Tracy: 'I still can't believe it's really
Collinwood.

 -as the car moves away from camera - and Tracy does not get to her feet, holding onto the windshield, as she tries to look through the trees to see Collinwood because, as can be seen in this capture -

- she simply leans up a bit.

[Gothick]

Those are wonderful captures.  I still haven't seen the "new" home video releases of the films.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Believe it or not - and you probably will - even though I bought both original films on Blu-ray back in October of 2012, I haven't found the time to watch all of either one. But what I have seen looks spectacular!