And Now The Return of Another New Slideshow (Sort of), Part 2 [**Now featuring alternate versions of scenes - see replies #18,#21,#23,#49,#64,#69,#76,#88,#90,#100,#105,#107,#115**]

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Setting up the current scene. But actually, we need to backtrack to Scene 145 and deal with the opening few parts of the current scene differently that we normally do because there's an interesting change that DC made to his script:

_________________________________                /             DEPUTY                 \       ________|  Everything's fine.  He's sleeping. |      /          \_________________________________/ 146  | The Sheriff nods at him.  The deputy exits.  CAMERA 146      | MOVES INTO room, TIGHTENING on Sheriff and Stokes.      |  INT.  SH.  OFFICE      |                       SHERIFF      |           It's getting kind of late.  Do      |           you still think she'll show tonight?      |      |                       STOKES      |           Yes.      |                (indicating a small black      |                leather bag)      \           And when she does we'll be ready       \          for her.        \              (noticing frown on Sheriff's         \             face.)          \       What's wrong?           \----------->  DEPUTY  - APPEARS  and exits                              SHERIFF x  away                  I still feel we're taking a terrible                  chance with that boy's life.

And when it comes to the dialogue, the descriptions, the directions, and the notations, apparently at some point DC planned for the Deputy to show up in the middle of Scene 146 without us ever having seen Scene 145, but obviously things didn't play out that way - and neither today's first quote -

Page 66/Scene 146 - Sheriff: 'It's getting kind of late. Do you still think she'll show tonight?'

- nor any part of today's second quote -

Page 66/Scene 146 - Stokes: 'Yes. (indicating a small black leather bag) And when she does we'll be ready for her. (noticing frown on Sheriff's face) What's wrong?'

 -appears in the scene because Scene 146 actually opens with the sheriff already standing -

- and making his way to the doorway -

- and then, as can be seen in today's third capture, he turns back to Stokes to deliver today's third quote -

Page 66/Scene 146 - Sheriff: 'I still feel we're taking a terrible chance with that boy's life.'

- exactly as scripted.

And I never realized that Stokes smokes so often in the film. He smokes during the dinner after Carolyn's funeral, and now he's smoking in this scene. Is there more smoking on his part to come?

[Uncle Roger]

Especially since smoking was not as common on the show as it had been in earlier years.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I remember that in 1970 Congress banned advertising cigarettes on TV - but characters on TV shows still continued to smoke. I don't remember when seeing TV characters smoke pretty much came to a stop.

The funny thing is, I don't remember Stokes ever smoking on the daytime show. Did he?    But so far as this film goes, maybe in real life Thayer was an activist for smokers' rights and he was damn well going to smoke on the movie screen. Or maybe he wanted to introduce or play up one of Stokes' idiosyncrasies. Or perhaps it was as simple as smoking was a way for Thayer himself to calm the tension of making the film...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I wonder if they had any DS actor(s) in mind for the "ancient clerk" at the sheriff's office while that scene was still a part of the script? It seems like something Abe Vigoda might have played or Ronald Dawson, who played the record's clerk in 1995, but he hadn't been cast in that role before hoDS was shot...

After seeing this capture thanks to a new fill in to its set up that was posted today -

- I had a thought: Wouldn't it be interesting if Ronald Dawson was given the part of the Records Clerk in 1995 because he was cast as the "ancient clerk" in hoDS but the part was dropped right before shooting of the film was to begin...

Pure speculation, of course - but who knows?

[Uncle Roger]

I remember that in 1970 Congress banned advertising cigarettes on TV - but characters on TV shows still continued to smoke. I don't remember when seeing TV characters smoke pretty much came to a stop.

The funny thing is, I don't remember Stokes ever smoking on the daytime show. Did he?    But so far as this film goes, maybe in real life Thayer was an activist for smokers' rights and he was damn well going to smoke on the movie screen. Or maybe he wanted to introduce or play up one of Stokes' idiosyncrasies. Or perhaps it was as simple as smoking was a way for Thayer himself to calm the tension of making the film...

I seem to remember Timothy Stokes smoking in parallel time and I think that Eliot did in the haunting of Collinwood, where Quentin comes close to killing him. Julia, of course, was a chimney at times. And it was kind of a plot point with Cassandra. Don Briscoe said in an interview that he didn't want to smoke on camera but a certain someone insisted that he did.
The only character where it seemed to make perfect sense to be a smoker was 1967 Laura.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I think that Eliot did in the haunting of Collinwood, where Quentin comes close to killing him.

That's right! How quickly I forget.    And it made a lot of sense for Stokes to be smoking after the exorcism. But still, the hoDS Stokes may just be smoking more than his daytime TV counterpart...

Julia, of course, was a chimney at times.

And yet I only recall her smoking in one scene in hoDS -and interestingly enough the smoke actually contributes to the atmosphere of the scene. Though she may also be smoking when she's atop the tower. We haven't reached that scene yet and I don't honestly recall one way or the other.

Don Briscoe said in an interview that he didn't want to smoke on camera but a certain someone insisted that he did.

I didn't remember him smoking either. I guess other than Julia, smoking didn't make much of an impact on me.

The only character where it seemed to make perfect sense to be a smoker was 1967 Laura.

Yes! And the way she would stare at the flame of the match - awesome!

[Uncle Roger]

Julia smoked far more in the series, including at least one in someone's hospital room. Joe Haskell's room if I remember correctly. I've seen at least one picture on Don Briscoe with a cigarette about to light up. I believe it was in Scrapbook Memories, though I can't say if that was an actual production shot or simply a candid one.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Julia smoked far more in the series, including at least one in someone's hospital room.

Who can ever forget the scene in which Julia smokes in Willie's hospital room with Willie in an in use oxygen tent!! 

I've seen at least one picture on Don Briscoe with a cigarette about to light up. I believe it was in Scrapbook Memories

Yes, I think I recall that...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Continuing with Scene 146:

146    CONTD                                        CONTD 146

And that's when today's quote -

Page 67/Scene 146 - Stokes: 'George, you know there is no other way. He's the only one that can lead us to her. Now there won't be any mistakes, will there?'

- comes up.

And when it comes to the dialogue, the sheriff still stands near the doorway when Stokes says "George, you know there's no other way", and then the sheriiff starts to walk toward -

- the window as Stokes actually says "If he's here, she'll come for him" (and in DC's script "He's the only one that can lead us to her" is crossed out and replaced with that new line), and as can be seen in today's capture -

- Stokes is putting out his cigarette (although it's seen much better in -

- the VHS' aspect ratio) as he asks "Now, there won't be any mistakes, will there?"

And as a side note, notice that a deputy is seen out in the corridor sitting in a chair:

I wonder if that's the same deputy who was supposed to report to Sheriff Patterson and Stokes and who the extended portion in the novelization says goes back to his station in the corridor? If so, perhaps the deputy reporting really was shot and just ended up on the cutting room floor. But I suppose we'll never know...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up Scene 146 as it appears in DC's script, beginning and ending with today's quote -

Page 67/Scene 146 - Sheriff: 'Don't worry, Eliot -- the men know that the cross will give them all the protection they need.'

- coming up.

End of scene.

And when it comes to the dialogue, DC added the notation "x Back looking out window" before the sheriff starts his line, and as we can see in today's capture, the sheriff is closer to -

the window than he's been thus far - and the sheriff delivers his line almost exactly as scripted with the exception that he prefaces the first phrase with the word "No", as in "No, don't worry, Eliot" - and after the sheriff's answer, Stokes reaches over to pat the black bag -

- that has mysteriously been sitting on the table, though there's no indication of him doing so as an added notation, so presumably it's being done because Stokes didn't do it when his first lines in the scene were dropped and within them there was an indication in the script that read: "(indicating a small black leather bag)" and following that with the line "And when she does we'll be ready for her" - and while the audience can certainly suspect what's in the bag, there's nothing to confirm any suspicion, but it's definitely clear that whatever it is inside is important - and after Stokes pats the bag, the sheriff turns his gaze from Stokes to the bag -

- to further confirm the bag's content's importance.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Picking up where we left off in the novelization:

The sheriff glanced at Stokes. "It's getting kind of late."   "Yes."   "Do you still think she'll show tonight?"   Professor Stokes looked grim.  "Yes." He indicated a small black leather bag. "And when she does we'll be ready for her."   "I'm worried."   "Why?"   "About that Todd."   "What about him?" Professor Stokes asked sharply.   The sheriff lifted a hand in a tired gesture. "I still feel we're taking a terrible chance with that boy's life."   "I agree, George," Professor Stokes said, "but there is no other way."   "You're positive?"   "Yes. He's the only one who can lead us to her."   "I see," the sheriff said with a troubled face. He was still not quite able to grasp the full horror of the situa- tion, still hoping it might be settled in some simple way.   "Your men are all dependable?" Stokes asked.   "Hand picked."   "There won't be any mistakes, will there?"   The sheriff sighed. "Don't worry, Eliot. I've instructed them as you told me."   Professor Stokes frowned. "You've explained about the cross, the protection that holy symbol will give them?"   "Yes. I know they think I'm out of my head," the sheriff said ruefully, "but I drilled it into them. They've been told the cross will give them all the protection they need."   "Then we can only go on waiting," Professor Stokes said wearily.

And yet another longer version of a scene...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And while we're on the subject of different versions, there's another interesting situation for two entries on the Fest's 1999 Movie Calendar for March because it would appear that at one point the script contained a scene perhaps not involving the sheriff but involving Jeff that was to take place with Stokes. Whether or not it would have been a previous version of Scene 146 or perhaps even upcoming Scene 147 is unknown - but judging by the two quotes in question, the alternate scene dealt with material more closely aligned with Scene 146 in DC's script and the novelization. I bring up Scene 147 only because Jeff is in it, not necessarily because of its content.

So, without further ado:

For March 28th:

hoDS: Alternate Version of Scene #14? - Jeff (to Stokes):
'How do you know she'll make her move tonight?'

For March 29th:

hoDS: Alternate Version of Scene #14? - Stokes: 'I don't,
but my guess is that she will.'

And when it comes to how I handled things for the original hoDS slideshow, I substituted lines from DC's script's Scene 146 but also tried to convey that they weren't the lines on the calendar:

For March 28th:

hoDS: Scene #146 -Sheriff: 'Do you still think she'll show
tonight?'

For March 29th:

hoDS: Scene #146 - Stokes: 'Yes.'

And as we'll see before long, the March 30th and 31st entries on the Fest's calendar are also quotes of lines that don't appear in the film, or DC's script, or the novelization - and we'll deal with them once we reach the scenes they're likely to have come from...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A brief scene that we need to deal with before tomorrow's new scene comes up in the slideshow:

147    EXT:  COLLINWOOD - NIGHT                           147        CAMERA IS FRAMED on library window, where Jeff is        staring out into the darkness.  CAMERA SLOWLY BEGINS        TO TIGHTEN as Maggie ENTERS SHOT at window.

And when it comes to how things in this scene might have played, we'll never really be sure if it would have stuck to the script because it was never shot...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Setting up the new scene:

CARD Room 148    INT:  LIBRARY - COLLINWOOD - NIGHT                 148        Julia and Roger are seated.  Maggie is standing next        to Jeff at the window.  CAMERA TIGHTENS on Roger, who        rises and crosses to the fireplace.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 67/Scene 148 - Roger: 'If only we knew who did this to her!!'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

JULIA - CLOSE UP                    as        She reacts.    Julia Reacts

And when it comes to the dialogue, the description, the directions, and the notations, the way Scene 148 is shot, with so little of the room being seen, it's hard to tell if the location was changed from the Library to the Card Room or not (however, something I'll be sharing later on today, just might clinch the location for us) - but be that as it may, the scene does not begin with a shot that shows that Julia and Roger are seated and Maggie is standing next to Jeff at the window, nor does the camera tighten on Roger as he rises and crosses to the fireplace, and that's all because the opening shot simply shows Roger's hands as he reaches -

- for a decanter (presumably brandy because, as you may recall, in cut Scene 7 Roger is seen -

- reading in the Card Room with a decanter and a brandy glass on the table) and a brandy glass (Yea for brandy making it into the film!! ) - and as we can see in today's capture, as Roger begins to pour himself a brandy -

- as he delivers today's quote, which he does exactly as scripted, Julia comes into focus as she begins to look up from her tea (presumably, judging by the way she swirls the cup at the outset of the scene) and then really begins to react by -

- looking up at Roger, followed by looking away -

- possibly with a subtext of fear that the expression on her face may betray that she knows more on the subject than she's let on - and throughout all that Maggie, also with a cup of tea, is seen in the background by the window. (And the fact that Maggie already has a cup of tea in her hands might contradict what was originally planned for the scene because the novelization of Scene 147 reveals that Maggie isn't just somewhere else in the room when she appears at the window, she has actually just entered the room when she walks over to Jeff. (And the novelization also points out that Maggie seems "perfectly calm," so quite possibly she's over her argument with Jeff over Barnabas.))

[Gothick]

Love all those shots of Julia with that elegant teacup.  And the last one is truly exquisite.  GRAYSON... LEGEND

xoxo  G.