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Altered Opening Scene
The following is a reproduction of pages 5-9 of the original script. They depict a scene from early in the film, that did not make it to the final cut. Each word, as well as the formatting of each page, is identical to the original ... typos and all!
5. 18. FADE IN on a long shot of a prairie road. To the theme song of Laurel and Hardy we see a travois, draws by a burro, which Stan is leading. Seated on the travois is Babe. 19. IN A CLOSER SHOT we see that Babe is asleep. We follow the travois to a stream, which Stan fords, leading the burro. 20. As they come out on the other side of the stream we see that the shafts have pulled loose from the travois, leaving Babe still seated on it, in the water. Stan continues out of scene, not noticing that he has left Babe behind. 21. CUT TO BABE. Feeling the water around his fanny he wakes up and has a takem when he realizes what has happened. He whistles to Stan. 22. CUT TO STAN hearing Babe's whistle. He comes to a stop, looks around, then returns to Babe. STAN: What happened? BABE: (Disgusted) Never mind! Come on! 23. Babe starts to wade ashore, but steps into a deep hole and dis- appears. Stan misses him and starts to brush through the water trying to find him. Babe's head comes out of the water. Stan assists him to the bank, and they exit out of the scene. 24. CUT TO a cross-roads where we see a sign post reading: "BRUSHWOOD GULCH - 2 MILES"
6. The sign is loose on the post, so that it swings with the wind. Babe and Stan enter with the burro. Babe looks at the sign; it is pointing to the left. He turns and looks off in that direction. 25. The wind shifts the sign. Stan looks up at it and it is now pointing to the right. They both start off in different directions, and a controversy arises as to the right road. BABE: This is the way! STAN: Uh,uh. It's this way. BABE: Can't you read? We have to go the way that sign points. 26. This argument culminates when they both look at the sign and see that it has now swung back in the direction from which they came. As they look at the sign it swings again. They realize what is wrong, but are left very much in doubt as to the right direction to Brushwood Gulch. BABE: Now we don't know which way to go. STAN: Let's go this way. BABE: Why should we go that way, when it might be this way? 27. This puzzles Stan for a moment. An Indian Brave enters the scene. Stan walks over to him. STAN: Pardon me, Mister, but which way is right? The indian grunts and points to the right, then exits out of scene. Stan turns to Babe, very satisfied.
7. STAN: You see, I was right. It's that way. BABE: That's all I wanted to know. They start out of scene. 28. CUT TO another section of the road. We pick up the sheriff riding toward the CAMERA. As he comes to foreground he reins his horse. SHERIFF: Whoa! He speaks to someone out of scene. SHERIFF: Where you headed for, Strangers? 29. CUT TO REVERSE SHOT of Stan and Babe. BABE: We're on our way to Brushwood Gulch. SHERIFF: Well, you'll never get there that way, because it's that way. He indicates the other road. BABE: Thank you very much. The sheriff continues on his way out of scene. Babe gives Stan a dirty look. BABE: You see how dumb you are? I don't believe you even know that Lincoln is dead. STAN: I certainly do. I knew it a week ago. BABE: Well, you didn't know it was that way. Babe points and Stan happens to turn his face into Babe's hand, causing him to get a poke in the nose.
8. Stan becomes a little sore at this and grabbing hold of Babe's nose pretends to pull it off and shows it to Babe between his fingers. Babe takes it big. BABE: Oh, give that back! 30 Stan holds it out of his reach and babe gets so angry that he picks up a rock. Stan quickly pulls out his gun. At the sight of the gun Babe drops the rock, turns his back and holds his hands over his ears as though he fully expected to get shot. BABE: Don't you dare shoot me. Stan deliberately shoots out of scene and at the same time kicks Babe in the fanny. 31 CUT TO the sheriff riding away from CAMERA and show that his hat is shot off. 32. CUT BACK to Babe. He straightens up, feels his fanny, convinced that he has been shot. Babe assumes a very dramatic position on the ground, groaning like a dying man. BABE: To think my best friend would shoot me - right behind my back. Suddenly the sheriff's voice interrupts sharply from out of scene. SHERIFF: Stick 'em up! Babe forgets all about dying, jumps to his feet and holds up his hands. Stan does like- wise. The sheriff steps into the scene with his gun drawn, and throws his punctured hat on the ground. SHERIFF: Take a look at that hat you big, bloated porcupine!
9. Babe stoops to pick up the hat and the sheriff kicks him in the fanny, which Babe takes. SHERIFF: (To Stan) And you pick it up! As Stan bends over he grabs a heavy frying pan off the mule pack, and quickly protects his fanny with it as the sheriff kicks, almost breaking his toe. The sheriff reacts to this, and as he hops around holding his injured foot, Prunella hauls off and gives him a terrific kick in the fanny. He flies out of scene. 33. CUT TO a cactus bed. The sheriff lands in it, sprawling on his hands and knees. As he gets up we see that his hands are covered with cactus needles. He reaches for his gun, but is unable to draw it because of the cactus on his hands. He looks off and sees Stan and Babe running down the road, with the burro following them. 34. WIPE TO the Main Street of Brushwood Gulch. Babe and Stan tie their mule to a hitching post in front of the honky-tonk. They start to enter, but but Stan, seeing a sleek-looking horse tied alongside eating some hay, reaches over the horse's back and touches it on the far side, causing the horse to turn away from the hay. He quickly takes some and gives it to Prunella. The horse turns back, sees Stan and makes a menacing face at him. (NOTE: This can be done by putting a rubber band over the horses upper lip.) This frightens Stan, he quickly returns the hay and tips his hat. During this Babe has been watching Stan with disgust. babe motions Stan to follow and they exit into the honky-tonk.
![[L&H with Dinah the Mule Photo]](wow4.gif)