InaninterviewwithBillyWilderandhisrighthandman,writerI.A.L.Diamond, WilderremarkedtotheAmericanFilmInstitute:I'maskedallthetime:Whenthere aretwonamesorthreenamesonascreenplay,doesonewriteonesceneandthe otheranotherscene,andthendoyoumeeteveryTuesdayandcompare?Ordoes onewritetheactionandtheotherwritethedialogue?I'malreadyverygratifiedif anybodyasksthatquestion,becausemostpeoplethinktheactorsmakeupthe words.Butinourcaseitsveryprosaic;itsoundsverydull.Myinitialreactionafter readingthiswasHARDLY!IfWilderswritingisprosaicanddull,Iimaginemineis aboutasexcitingtoreadasacouponforMetamucil.Nevertheless,itisprobablythis sortofhumilitythatonlyhighlightsevenmoreWilderandDiamondswittyand cleversyntax.Ifyouhaveeverseenafilmwrittenbythedynamicduo,youcan recognizewithoutdifficultythebrilliantlyconstructedconversationsbetween characters,aswellasundertonesofsarcasm,irony,andinnuendo.Together,these elementscreateoneentertainingcomedy,genuinelyfunnyanduniquelysmart.Case inpoint:SomeLikeItHot.

WecanallrememberthefamousquotesfromamovielikeSomeLikeItHot.Osgood FieldingsquipNobody'sperfect!wrapsupawhollygoofyfilm,andservesasa relevant(intermsofthehumoroustoneoftherestofthemovie)yetunexpected aspectofclosure.Butoutsideofsuchfamousquotesliesthebodyofthedialogue andthesubtextthatsubconsciouslypermeatesourmindsandcausesustoremain transfixedinthestory.Theconversationisnormalenoughthatwebelieveitandsee itasrealistic,butcleverenoughthatwearehookedinandengagedinasteady streamoflaughter.Whatwelearnfromfilmslikethisisthatscreenplaydialogue shouldhaveverisimilitude,butitshouldalsostandoutenoughtogetnoticedand pleaseorinterestanaudience.Forexample,hereareseverallinesofdialogue betweenTonyCurtis(Joe)andJackLemmon(Jerry): Jerry ByeSugar! (ToJoe) Wevebeenplayingwiththewrong bands. Joe Down,Daphne! Jerry Howabouttheshapeofthatliquor cabinet? Joespinshimaround,andunbuttoningthebackofhisdress,startstofixthe slippedbrassiere.

DyingforGoodDialogue

 Joe Forgetit.Onefalsemoveandtheyll tossusoffthetraintherellbethe police,andthepapers,andthemobin Chicago. Jerry (notlistening) Boy,wouldIliketoborrowacupofthat Sugar. Joe (whirlinghimaround, grabbingthefrontof hisdress) Looknobutter,nopastry,andno Sugar! Jerry (lookingdownathis chest,pathetically) Youtoreitagain!

NotonlyisthisinteractionhilariousduetoJerryschestissuesandobliviousness butitalsobelieveable.WebelievethatwhatJoesaysistrue.Blowncoverforthemis potentiallyadeathsentence.Inthisway,WilderandDiamondcreateda conversationthatservesapurpose(werealizethemagnitudeofthesituation)but approachesthispurposeinalightheartedway.Wegetthepoint,butwearefocused onJerrysintoxicationwithSugar. Screenplaydialgoueshouldnotonlybeentertainingandbelievable,butitshould alsohelpestablishthecharacters.Goodcharactersaremanifestedoutofgood dialogueandsubtext.Thinkofsomeofyourfavoritemoviecharactersofalltime. PerhapsyounamedVitoCorleone,HollyGolightly,orIndianaJones.Accordingly, youwillundoubtedlybeabletorambleoffsomeofyourfavoritelinesfromthese(or otherfavorite)characters.Imgonnamakehimanofferhecantrefuse,orThe meanredsarehorrible.Suddenlyyou'reafraidandyoudon'tknowwhatyou're afraidof,andSnakes.Whydidithavetobesnakes?InSomeLikeItHot,wegetto knowsomeofthemostmemorablecharactersever,JoeandJerry/Josephineand Daphnethroughtheirinteractionsanddialogue.Seehowtheirrespectivecharacters areestablishedthroughthefollowing: Jerry Yougoingtocallthepolice? Joe

 Thepolice?Wedneverlivetotestify. NotagainstSpatsColumbo. (intophone) Wabash1098. Jerry Wegottogetoutoftown.Maybewe oughttogrowbeards. Joe Wearegoingoutoftown.Butwere goingtoshave. Jerry Shave?Atatimelikethis?Thoseguys gotmachinegunstheyregoingtoblast ourheadsoffandyouwanttoshave? Joe Shaveourlegsstupid. Stupidisright.Jerrystilldoesntgetit. Joe (intophone;hisvoicea tremuloussoprano) Hello?Mr.Poliakoff?Iunderstandyoure lookingforacoupleofgirlmusicians. NowJerrygetsit.

WilderandDiamondcontinuetodevelopJoeandJerryintheirconversationhere. WeunderstandthatJoeissortoftheleader,thebrainsoftheoperation.Wealsosee thatJerrygoesalongwithJoesideas.(Earlier,JerrywentalongwithJoesgambling scheme,inwhichbothmenlosttheirovercoatsinabet,duringasnowyChicago winter.JerrysayshewontgoalongwithJoesplots,butasweseethroughoutthe entirefilmfromthissituationtoJerrysforceddatewithOsgoodJerrynever quitesaysno.)Joesleadershipandscheminggohandinhandwithhisalterego Josephine.Evenasagirl,hecanthelpbutcomewithplanstogetwhathewants (ironically,thisisSugar,whoisalsoagirl).HebecomesJuniorShellOilsyoungest andmosthandsomeexecutive.Wethinkthathisideasarealldoomedboth JosephineandJunior.Butintheend,thingscouldnothaveworkedoutbetterfor him.AndsogoesJerry/Daphne.ByfollowingalongwithJoesplans,Jerrygets involvedwithmillionaireOsgoodFielding.Eventually,hecomesupwithaplanof hisownmarryOsgoodthendivorcehimforthemoney.Thisschemeisevenmore outlandish.Butonceagain,WilderandDiamondsurpriseuswithalegendaryand

hystericallyfunnyending.JoesleadershipandJerryszaninessareembeddedinour subconsciousmoreandmoreasweeffortlesslylistentotheirdialogue. Sofarwehaveestablishedthatsolidscriptdialoguemustbebelievable,engaging, purposefulandshouldestablishthecharacters.Butonethingmustbemadeclearin regardstoscreenplaydialogue:dontspellitout.WilderandDiamonddonot,for example,includethefollowingdialogueintheirSomeLikeItHotscreenplay: Joe: Hereistheplan.Wewilldressup aswoman,playintheallgirlsband, makemoney,stayatanicehotel, escapefromChicagosowedontget killedbySpatsColumbosincewe witnessedhispreviousmurders,and maybemeetanicegirl.Whatdoyou thinkjerry? Jerry: SoundsgoodJoe.ExceptwhileIm pretendingtobeagirl,Ithink Imightmeetanicemillionaire,then divorcehimandmakealargealimony checkeverymonth.Ifhedoesntmind thatImamantoo,wecanstaymarried aslongashedoesnttryanyfunnybusiness. Joe: WhateveryousayJerry.Noletsget packed,stuffacouplebras,shaveour legs,putonmakeupandhighheels,and gotothetrainstationwherewewillmeet withthebandandheadtoFlorida. Jerry: Yesletsdothat. Ifthisiswhatwesawonscreen,wewouldfirstofallbebored,andsecondofallwe wouldbeoverinformed.Awriterneednotdivulgeeverydetailoftheplotwordfor wordtotheaudience.Thefunisinthesubtext.Subtextistheimpliedmeaningofthe dialogue.Forexample,ifsomeonesays,Imgoingtobuyasandwich,theydonot alsoneedtopointoutthat,a)theyarehungry,andb)thattheyhavethemoneyto buysaidsandwich.Wegatherthatfromtheiroriginalstatement.Itisthesameway

withdialogue.Intheabovescriptexcerpts,subtextrunsrampant.WhenJerry remarksthathewouldliketo,BorrowacupofthatSugar,weunderstandthathe reallymeanshewantstogetwithSugar.Whenhesays,Howabouttheshapeof thatliquorcabinet,weknowintuitivelythatheiscommentingonSugarslegs.In thenextexcerpt,weseemoreimpliedmeaning.WhenJoetellsJerrythattheyare goingtoshavetheirlegs,wereallydonotneedanyfurtherexplanation.Wecan assumethattheyaregoingtopretendtheyarewomentobeinthewomensband andescapeSpatsandhishenchmen. Gooddialogueisactuallysimplertowritethanyoudthink.Whenwritingit,one mustconsiderfirstofall,whatsoundsbelievable.Willthisinteractionconvincemy audiencethatthesituationisinfactreal?Nextconsider,isthisdialoguegoingto keepmyaudienceinterested,anddoesitserveasignificantpurpose?AmIjust ramblingofffacts,andincludingnonormallanguageorexcitingsyntax?Andfinally, considerimpliedmeaningandsubtext.Howlittlecanyoudivulgetotheaudience whilestillkeepingtheminvolvedanduptospeed?Theartisinmakingwhatissaid conveywhatisunsaid.InSomeLikeItHot,BillyWilderandI.A.L.Diamondpenneda freshandlivelyscriptthatmanagestoneverloseusnorlosesteam.JackLemmon andTonyCurtispersonifiedthebrilliantdialogueandsubtext,keywordbeing brilliant.WilderandDiamondthoughtofeverythingpuns,irony,clarification, sarcasm,humor,seriousness,innuendo,subtext.Theyestablishedcharacters throughdialoguethatranknearthetopofthelistintermsoffilmsgreatestand mostmemorablecharactersofalltime.Andifwecantakethesewritingelements andputthemintouse,thenoriginality,wit,smarts,andmasterfulconstructionwill inevitablybetheresult.Butifyoutryyourbestandstilldontbangoutascriptas savvyasSomeLikeItHot,keepinmind,Nobodysperfect.