Larry used to write his scripts in longhand on legal pads with black Sharpies. Rarely would he have cross-outs. It was like Mozart.
The next day Larry came in and gave me a Xerox copy of his handwritten original draft. From legal pad to air, the script remained virtually the same.
Wanna see what a Larry Gelbart script looks like? I was able to scan a page. This will give you some idea. If I scanned a page of my handwritten scripts, even I wouldn't be able to decipher it. There'd be arrows, lines in the margins, cross-outs throughout, sometimes arrows to other pages. But Larry's were clean, legible, and damn near perfect.
So here it is... literally from the PEN of the master -- Larry Gelbart. Enjoy.
Geniuses can be so annoying ....
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to think about how he could essentially do a final draft on the first shot. How many writers can do that?
This is so cool! Always loved Seasons 4 and 5 of M*A*S*H and this episode is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing, Ken. =)
ReplyDeleteMore ... MORE!
ReplyDelete...please?...
Thanks for sharing, Ken. Very, very cool. Even just reading it I can hear Alan Alda's voice in my head.
ReplyDeleteYou asked a few weeks ago about what kinds of things regular readers like to see.
ReplyDeleteStuff like this.
Thanks.
now this is cool...big thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is a treasure! As was said above, I can just hear Hawkeye saying those words. Thanks Ken for sharing such awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteHere's the broadcast version for anyone who wants to compare:
ReplyDeleteCARLYE'S TENT - DAY
Carleye is lying on her bed, lost in thought. A knock.
CARLYE
Come in.
Hawkeye enters.
CARLYE
Oh! Hi.
HAWKEYE
"Hi"? I just found out you put in for a transfer. "Hi"? You'd have to use a divining rod to find a "hi" in me.
CARLYE
Boy, Radar doesn't waste any time, does he?
HAWKEYE
Radar's my informer, my snitch, my friend, my helper. If he could fly, he'd be my falcon.
CARLYE
I was going to tell you. I wouldn't have just slipped away.
Wow.
An extremely rare ability. Phenomenal.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ken - like seeing Willie Shakespeare's first handwritten draft of As You Like It or something..and I am repeating everyone else, but....wow
ReplyDeleteOff-topic but - Elmore Leonard RIP. :-(
ReplyDeleteNow I know how Salieri felt when he looked at Mozart's sheet music.
ReplyDeleteThey could have shot the MASH episode from Larry's legal pad.
Not only one of my favorite episodes but my favorite Blythe Danner role (and performance). Did he write it with her in mind?
ReplyDeleteLOVED reading this - I admired Mr. Gelbart and his work so very much. His book Laughing Matters is wonderful. Thanks Ken - what a treat!
ReplyDeleteI used to do that on term papers all the time.
ReplyDeleteCarlye? What kind of name is that?
The episode of Mash I remember the most had Radar saying or hearing: "God answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is no". I wonder if he wrote that?
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ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favorite episodes
Ken - you know this just makes me grin. Seeing Larry's words on his own pad is so exciting to me! Thank you so much for sharing your treasure... it is also further evidence that you are one of the coolest people i know. BTW, have you heard the story about Larry and his wife walking through Beverly Hills and running into Mel Brooks? A gem from his brilliantly hilarious and instantaneous comic mind. i'll share if you do not know it...
ReplyDeleteInteresting anecdotes in this article/obit on Mr. Gelbart:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/6183950/Larry-Gelbart.html
Wow -- this is priceless, Ken. What a true talent. Thank you for sharing the script. That episode is one of my favorites. (I had and have a crush on Ms. Danner, too.) I'm going to watch it now!
ReplyDelete"If I taught him to fly, he'd be my falcon." Oh, man, that's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteCute bit of television history/trivia. Rebuts the notion that "all writing is re-writing." BTW, I've been in love with Blythe Danner for 30 years.
ReplyDeletekenju - that is "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?", the episode about the amnesiac pilot who comes into camp thinking he is Jesus Christ - Written by - no surprise - Larry Gelbart.
ReplyDeleteRadar asks Chandler/Christ, "Is it true God answers all prayers?"
That's some legible handwriting Mr. Gelbart had.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate to have been on set while that scene was filmed. Hearing and watching those elegant words find their way out of the amazing Alan Alda and Blythe Danner was chilling. I was a young, wacky guy then, and feeling the power of such creativity was life-changing for me; I grow'd up a little.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ken, it's a real treat to see the original.
This was actually one of my least favorite episodes; I'm sorry, but it just does nothing for me. :\
ReplyDelete"Radar's my informer, my snitch, my friend, my helper. If he could fly, he'd be my falcon."
ReplyDeleteNot only was this post just generally awesome, but I now have the perfect quote to describe my best friend, Baxter. Because that is SO him.
Cheers, thanks a lot,
Storm
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHere's a version:
ReplyDeletehttp://videobam.com/VXDWr
Make sure you click CLOSE TO PLAY to close the advert. You don't need to install anything to watch it.
Actually, LouOCNY, Sydney says the quote in "Quo Vadis Captain Chandler" when he was talking to Captain Chandler.
ReplyDeleteSydney: Is it true that God answers all prayers?
Captain Chandler: Yes, but sometimes the answer is no
That episode is my absolute favorite of M*A*S*H. Only a genius can write an episode that can capture the seriousness of psychiatry and the funny interactions of two polar opposite characters fighting over one man's life. Thanks Mr. Gelbart!
P.S. Ken,
Back to what you posted, I love it. Seeing the work of a master is amazing. This is the kind of stuff that I love to read; It always puts a a smile on my face. Thanks for posting it! :-)