I've been looking back on my adventure in Hollywood, culling pages from my journal...
Mid-June I spoke with Kevin. He really loves the script (“so what else is new?”). It’s funny, but still “too simple.” They really have a problem with a clean through line on a comedy. Caught some typos, wanted line changes. He was editing speeches that had been there from the beginning drafts. These things are never finished. Then he brings up “Brain Donors” again.
This was a movie originally called “Lame Ducks” at the time. Think of “A Night at the Opera” only with a ballet. There was a time in the nineties where studios were attempting to bring back a certain type of comedy, an old-style comedy. There was a Laurel & Hardy movie ("The All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy in 'For Love or Mummy'"). There were countless announcements of a new Three Stooges projects ("003 Stooges," for instance). "The Little Rascals." "Lame Ducks" was essentially doing a Marx Brothers movie, just without the Marx Brothers. But Kevin was watching this; depending on how “Lame Ducks” did, he wanted “Like Magic” ready (since that was essentially an Abbott & Costello movie without Abbott & Costello). So, finishing up a draft of that was necessary.
So, I stayed up late to finish the corrections on “Pee-Wee’s Christmas Caper.” I attempted to print it late, but had problems. Plus, the printer was an old, daisy-wheel style that was very noisy and was in my bedroom at the time, so I had to stop to let my wife sleep. I was so anxious to finish it I started it again in the morning, making myself late for work. Sure enough, Kevin called to check the status. I mailed it out.
So, I stayed up late to finish the corrections on “Pee-Wee’s Christmas Caper.” I attempted to print it late, but had problems. Plus, the printer was an old, daisy-wheel style that was very noisy and was in my bedroom at the time, so I had to stop to let my wife sleep. I was so anxious to finish it I started it again in the morning, making myself late for work. Sure enough, Kevin called to check the status. I mailed it out.
Now Kevin wants to start on “Like Magic.” I hadn’t done much on this (or “Space Rocks”). Needed to get moving there (ed. note: did I? Did I really?) And I learned that Kimberly at Warner was leaving in the middle of June (just a short ways off). The option on my screenplay would expire shortly thereafter. The think tank was considering, should Warner pass on it, maybe they’ll take it straight to Paul Ruebens. Or give it to William Morris to package (here Kevin’s back to the Nick Flebber version). Kevin’s basically riffing at this point. But first they are all awaiting the script. Fingers crossed.
