[Quick Summary: A wrongfully accused man must track down the one-eyed, one-armed, and one-legged man to clear his name.]
Q: What do you think are the best films in the genre?
A: Airplane (1980) and Naked Gun (1988), which star one of the best spoof comedy actors ever, Leslie Nielsen. (He also stars in today's featured script.)
Q: Spoof comedies are hard to write. Why didn't you like this one?
A: Around this time, the genre seemed to be running out of new ideas.
Q: What do you like to see in a spoof comedy?
A: When the story goes off on unexpected tangents. Or showing something you think you know --> springing a surprise --> which makes you do a double take.
ex. Today's script does have a great double take sight gag:
- Our hero, Ryan Jack Harrison is at a bait shop, on the run.
- He sees a 'wanted' poster of his own face.
- He draws "big, Buddy Holly glasses, a long ZZ Top beard, and blacks out a few teeth" on the poster. We immediately ask ourselves, "How is this going to help?!
- The bait shop owner is Roman.
- I love this scene because it's a rare to have a double take WITHIN a sight gag.
INT. "ROMAN'S" - DAY
...[Ryan]starts to leave. Roman pulls a gun.
ROMAN: Don't move, Harrison!
Ryan is about to raise his hands when Roman pushes him aside. Roman's gun is trained on:
ANGLE - MAN
Big Buddy Holly glasses, long ZZ Top beard, and a few blacked out teeth. He looks exactly like Ryan's alterations on the poster.
ANGLE - RYAN
Quietly exits.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I liked that this sight gag was so simple. I expected Roman to go after Ryan, but instead, Roman went after "Ryan."
Wrongfully Accused (1998)(4/11/97 revised)
by Pat Proft
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