by David Wanczyk
Novels , picture show , animated cartoon , tattoos … everything is better on the 2d draft .
1. The Catch in Catch-22: The Edit That Became an Idiom
In 1961 , author Joseph Heller finally submit his manuscript forCatch-18to his editor , Robert Gottlieb . Although Heller had spend seven days perfecting the story , Gottlieb saw room for improvement . The editor taped the page to his business office wall and reconstitute the novel , giving more vehemence to the now celebrated Major Major case and instructing Heller to blue-pencil entire 60 - pageboy sections . But most significantly , Gottlieb wanted to change the title .
in the beginning that twelvemonth , writer Leon Uris had released a war novel calledMila 18 , and Gottlieb did n’t want any confusion between the two books . What followed was an exchange of frantic letter of the alphabet in which Heller and Gottlieb considered and rejected various number for the title . They decided 11 did n’t function because ofOcean ’s 11 ; 14 was “ an unfunny number ; ” and 26 just did n’t feel right . “ I ’ve pay back it ! ” Gottlieb blurted out one dark in a eureka bit . “ It ’s Catch-22 ! It ’s funnier than 18 . ” The edit cleave , and a major , major idiom was born .
2. Hall Marks: The Edit That Resulted in Two Masterpieces
Were the producer correct to worry aboutAnhedonia ’s crime - comedy plot ? Perhaps not . Sixteen age later , Allen recycle the story ( and even rehired many of the same worker , include Diane Keaton ) for his well - received 1993 filmManhattan Murder Mystery . Without the producer ’ uttermost edits toAnnie Hall , it ’s likely that only one of those classic would have been made .
3. Guess Who’s Going Off Script? The Greatest Ad-Lib Edit on Film
At the oddment of his legendary acting calling , Spencer Tracy decided it was time to start writing his own lines . In 1967 , the ailing , 67 - year - sometime Tracy was filmingGuess Who ’s Coming to Dinner , in which an older blanched couple ( played by Tracy and his longtime off - screen lover , Katharine Hepburn ) meets their daughter ’s black fiancé . During the final fit , Tracy argue on behalf of the brace ’s taboo family relationship and then ad - libs a goodbye to Hepburn . Originally , the script read , “ The only thing that matter is what they feel , and how much they feel for each other , ” to which Tracy added , “ If it ’s one-half of what we matte , that ’s everything . ” With his heartfelt edit , Tracy allowed his on-key emotions to pour out , and Hepburn teared up . After the scene was shoot , the crew gave Tracy a standing ovation . The scene terminate up being Tracy ’s last great performance ; just workweek later , the actor died of a heart attack .
4. Virgil’s Last Wish: The No-Edit Edit
Since the earliest days of lit , author have been disgruntled with their work , and the Roman poet Virgil was no exception . Virgil think his epic verse form , The Aeneid , was so blemished that he wanted it to suffer the ultimate edit : He demand that it be burn upon his death . ( In particular , he detest the passion conniption between Venus and Vulcan , because he suppose it was too racy . ) However , several of Virgil ’s friends , with financial backing from Emperor Augustus , convert the poet to alter his will and give up the piece of work . But legend has it that before Vigil died in 19 BCE , he change his will again , this time forbidding anyone from ever revising the poem . If he could n’t perfectThe Aeneid , he did n’t want anyone else to do it , either .
5. Coke Zero-ed: The Product Placement Edit
Ray Davies , lede vocalizer of The Kinks , study of the problem while he was on spell with the lot in America . To get the birdcall on the atmosphere , Davies rushed back to London and re - memorialise the line , changing the language to the now famous , “ you pledge Champagne , and it tastes just like cherry cola . ” Minor ? Perhaps . But the spry fix allow the song to be play on British radio , where it climbed to No . 2 on the U.K. charts .
6. Winona Forever: The Painful Breakup Edit
In 1989 , Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp spotted fellow Hollywood heartthrob Winona Ryder at a movie premiere in New York , and an angsty romance sparked . Their whirlwind love story continued through the filming of Tim Burton’sEdward Scissorhandsthe following yr , and Depp and Ryder were soon engaged . hop for something more lasting than a ring , Depp had “ Winona Forever ” tattooed on his right bicep . But three years later , their love had faded . The tattoo had not . In the most physically painful edit on this list , Depp had the ink on his bicep remedy to “ Wino Forever , ” reflecting another of his Passion .
7. Poisoning the Welles: The Edit That Ruined a Career
Welles materialize to be in Rio de Janeiro at the metre work on another project , so editor Robert Wise was handed the assignment . At the studio ’s pressure , Wise chop 50 second from the plaintive tale . When Welles heard about this , he was horrified . He sent Wise pressing directorial notes , follow by a wire that say , “ REALLY dire . ” The studio apartment ignored his hypnotism .
The film was released in 1942 , and it was a boxful - place fizzle . Schaefer was fired , and Welles lost his contract with RKO . “ They destroyedAmbersons , and it ruin me , ” Welles enunciate of the hasty edits . Yet , this sorrowful tale about a sorrowful tale has a amazingly happy ending . Even in its badly truncated form , The Magnificent Ambersonsis now view a classic .
8. Splitting Hares: The Edit That Created a Screen Legend
Ben Hardaway , whose sobriquet was Bugs , also place the next shortstop starring Happy Rabbit . As the animators drew up early images for the motion picture , one of them label a vignette of the rabbit “ Bugs ’ Bunny , ” to make it unclouded that the drawing was part of Hardaway ’s project . The label was misidentify for the name of the character , and soon enough , all of the animators were calling well-chosen Rabbit “ Bugs Bunny . ” The tiny erroneous belief produce an icon , and , as they say at Warner Bros. , that ’s all folk .
This clause originally seem in a 2011 issue of mental_floss magazine , which is available wherever brilliant / lots of magazine are sell . Get a loose issue here !
