Continuing in my diary...My next journal entry is 6 days later, to mark the point where I was getting the first waves of notes on my new script pages. Going into the weekend, Kevin called, telling me he finished the pages and I did “OK.” But he felt I left out some things; Pee Wee’s decision to take the case seems rushed. Trench coat gags weren’t elaborate enough (think Harpo Marx). Pee Wee winds up taking a backseat to the elf character, Tweedle, in the end of the first 45 pages. We need to see Pee Wee playing detective; that was the hook, Pee Wee as a private eye.
Side note: this was one of the problems I had with the re-conceptualized concept; where it was originally a private eye taking on a silly-sounding case to be a Christmas movie, (I called it Noel Noir) it was now Pee Wee being mistaken for a private eye taking on a silly-sounding case making it a Pee Wee/mistaken identity/private eye parody/Christmas movie, which moves us a generation or two passed the original intent & feel of my script. It does, trust me. It was turning into a real genre-blendre now.
Overall, though, I was on track. Back to work.
Overall, though, I was on track. Back to work.
My memory book makes note of some family activities, including the increase in number of relatives giving me ideas for stories I should write. The family 4th of July picnic was an annual big deal. It involved softball, volleyball, horse gambling and some sort of family show where I was MC. It was here I announced the news, making a joke that I had been to “Tinsel Town and brought back some real tinsel!” producing some silver tinsel from my pocket. Actually, I don’t mention that joke at all in the journal, but I remember it vividly.
Then I get a call from Joel the producer. He was checking up on me. Likes the script but agrees with Kevin’s assessment. Jokes he’ll send his partner “Bill out to babysit if needed.” I note he “talks fast, like I’m one of several calls he has to make.” Encouraging, all in all, and he’s set to wait for the whole script. Also, Kevin had been singing my praises again. He had seen Bill or Joel with a tape of Abbott & Costello’s movie “Time of Their Lives.” They’re looking to remake it. Kevin says, “You know you have the perfect writer for that?”
“Who?”
“Dan.”
Their eyes light up.
Another vague promise of a job offer after this script is over.
Meanwhile, it’s July 1990 and the stock market hits 3,000 for the first time ever. For context, it’s now 2016 and the market is over 18,000. So at least they’ve done well since then.
I actually make an entry the next day. I spoke to Kevin again, to run an idea by him for a new set piece. I had the idea of Pee Wee investigating uncover in a lumber yard as a lumberjack or should I just have him show up in private eye mode. Kevin said “Lumberjack,” which was good, since I had already written it that way.
More pages typed and formatted, while trying to address various notes given me. Spoke to a writer friend, Bill S., about his musical based on the career of Lucille Ball and I told him my news (neither went anywhere). Work is work.
“Being at work is harder. Everyone in LA says there’s no rush but I have one.”
“Who?”
“Dan.”
Their eyes light up.
Another vague promise of a job offer after this script is over.
Meanwhile, it’s July 1990 and the stock market hits 3,000 for the first time ever. For context, it’s now 2016 and the market is over 18,000. So at least they’ve done well since then.
I actually make an entry the next day. I spoke to Kevin again, to run an idea by him for a new set piece. I had the idea of Pee Wee investigating uncover in a lumber yard as a lumberjack or should I just have him show up in private eye mode. Kevin said “Lumberjack,” which was good, since I had already written it that way.
More pages typed and formatted, while trying to address various notes given me. Spoke to a writer friend, Bill S., about his musical based on the career of Lucille Ball and I told him my news (neither went anywhere). Work is work.
“Being at work is harder. Everyone in LA says there’s no rush but I have one.”
