Sunset at Blandings (18 page)

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Dec 30. 1974

Sequence

1. F & Gally. F. says Jeff is being kicked out.

2. Gally & Ld E. Ld E furious at this.

X. 2A. G. goes to Ems Arms. Meets husband.

3. Brenda arrives. B & F (F. tells abt Jeff and
Vicky. B goes to her room.

4. Note: Wd it be better to put G. meeting husband
after
B’s arrival. G. goes to Ems Arms because he has to be alone, to think,
which rules out Beach’s pantry.

See next page)

5. Brenda comes to F, says she left jewel case in
hall and jewel is gone.

(See next page

6. V tells G she stole jewel. G. takes it and says he
will hide it in Ld E’s study.

7. F wants J’s room searched. B suggests Claude.

8. Ld E goes to J’s room, catches Claude.

9. Ld E to F’s room. He curses F. Husband pops out
and dominates Ld E. Reconciliation.

10. Husband tells Gally. G. asks F. to give V money.
F refuses. G to hammock to think.

11
. Plus Piper, says he was
just going to propose, when M came up with rain coat. G. says Beach has told
him M loves maid and says he will keep M away while P proposes.

12.
Gally & Murchison. G.
back to hammock.

13.
Plus Piper. Says he’s
engaged. Gally gets him to give Jeff architect job. X painting Piper’s
portrait.

14.
Gally & Beach. With F
gone and Diana marrying Piper and Brenda going (Watch this. Why does B go?)
Blandings will soon be all-male again (except for Vicky. Jeff stays on to paint
pig.

Note: This is rough, but can easily be polished.

Revised
Sequence

1.
F & Gally. F says J
is being kicked out.

2.
Gally goes to Ld E who
is furious at F for kicking out his artist and says he is going to tick her
off. He does the ticking off off stage and comes back and tells Gally that Jeff
is staying on.

3.
Brenda arrives.

4. 5
and 6, 7 and 8 of former scenario can stand.

5.
Ld E comes to Brenda and F and curses Brenda
(who has told Claude to search J’s room)
.
B says she is leaving. F says
if B leaves, I leave. They both leave (next day?).

6.
Gally asks F to give V money. She refuses This
takes us to
10
of old scenario, with Gally in hammock

and plus Piper.

2A

P.2.
‘F’s stepdaughter
Victoria. F. married the American millionaire, J. B. Underwood. He died, and
she married a man called Ormsby, who writes plays.

‘I met him once. He was with young Duff. Ø Yes, I
believe they are friends. But I was telling you about Victoria. Florence most
unwisely etc.

Ø It might be better, if Moresby and Claude are
friends, to have Claude not Gally, suggest hiding in F’s suite, which leads up
to big scene and reconciliation of F and Moresby.

Brenda just says F and husband are separated. Keep
the vegetarian stuff for Gally’s scene with husband at Ems Arms.

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SCENARIO. Jan 19. 1975

Ch 1. Aziz, with possibly a mention of the bracelet.

Ch 2. Aziz.

Ch 3. Gally and Vicky unchanged.

In scene between Gally and Florence cut all that about Jeff’s
father.

F’s objection to Jeff is his lack of money. F’s husband is planted [    
]. She tells G he is weak.

Ch 4. Aziz, but can be improved.

Ch 5. Aziz, but Jeff’s name ought to be familiar to
Gally.

This is where it should be planted that J’s father, the actor, and
Gally were pals.

Ch 6. Aziz, but can be improved.

Ch 7. On page 33 Beach tells Gally Jeff is his
nephew. His brother took the name of Bennison for the stage. Beach is agitated,
Gally calm.

I shall have to think about the uncle-nephew situation.

Ch 8. Aziz.

Ch 9. Aziz.

Ch 10. Aziz.

Ch 11. Aziz.

Ch 12. Page 67. If Beach is scared of being found out
to be Jeff’s uncle, he would not be laughing. Jeff must hear the rumble of
Gally’s voice.

Ch 13. Aziz.

Ch 14. Aziz up to end of Page 82.

Ch 15. Aziz to end of Page 84, where Florence must be
left suspecting Gally but realizing that she has no proof.

ALL THE ABOVE SEEMS STRAIGHT

Ch 16. Brenda arrives. Florence tells her about suspecting
Jeff but having no proof. Brenda advises her to apply to Dame Daphne. She does
so and gets identification. She then goes to Gally and we play the scene p 86
to 88.

Ch 17. I haven’t quite decided on the order in which
events come, but I will put down a tentative sequence. I think that after
leaving Gaily Florence go to Brenda and tell her what has happened. Brenda is
distrait. She says about theft of her necklace, from jewel case left in hail.
‘You
can’t let this man leave house. He’s got my necklace.’

Ch 18. Vicky tells Gally she stole necklace to
prevent Jeff leaving house. Have them consulting Beach as to whether this in only
for murder. Gally says he will put necklace in Lord E’s study.

Ch 19. Φ
C. Lord consults Beach as to where
people in tec stories hide things.
On top of [?wardrobe?]

Continue the scene between Brenda and Florence.
Florence says Jeff must have stolen necklace. They decide that Jeff’s room must
be searched. By whom? Brenda suggests Claude. Claude sent for. Φ

Ch 20. Gally goes to Ld E. Tells him that Florence
has fired Jeff. Ld E furious. Ld E says he will go and see Jeff and assure him
that he won’t have to leave. Where is Jeff? he is probably in his room. ‘When
you have a job like painting the Empress, you have to do a lot of deep
thinking.’ They go to Jeff’s room. As they reach it, they hear a crash from
inside. Ld E thinks Jeff may have met with an accident. They go in and find
Claude. Gally is stern with Claude. He makes him confess why he is there. He
says Brenda told him to search the room for stolen necklace. Ld E furious at
this slur on Jeff, rushes off to tackle Brenda. Gally is left to talk to
Claude. Tells him he must expect this sort of thing at Blandings. Use the stuff
about meek men?

Ld E returns, says he has properly ticked Brenda off.
And, now, he says, to tick Florence off for firing Jeff. Claude left, stunned.

Ch 21. They go to F’s suite, Gally with Ld E to
render moral support. Brenda is there. (No, I don’t think she need be). F. says
Ld E has grossly insulted Brenda. (Yes, I think the scene wd play better
without Brenda) . F says Unless Ld E apologizes, Brenda will leave, and if B
leaves she, F, will leave. Ld E refuses to apologize and F says she will leave
tomorrow morning.

+ X from cupboard. He ticks Ld E off for wanting pig in gallery)

The meek men stuff might fit. They go out together, G
praising Ld E. The meek men stuff might fit in better here.

Ch 22. Gally goes to his hammock. Plus Piper, who
says he was just going to propose when Murchison came up with rain coat, saying
the sky looked threatening. G says Beach has told him that Murch loves maid,
and he will keep him away while Piper proposes.