Secrets of the Original Scripts, Part Four!
Chris McFeely
Key to Vector Sigma," or the Matrix line from "Cosmic Rust," but
there's LOADS stuff to talk about.
KREMZEEK!
- Looks like the original printed script was missing it's first page -
the font style, size and layout on the first page of this PDF document
doesn't match the single style used on all the other pages and
scripts. I think Metrodome had to recreate it, using the dialogue
right out of the episode (tellingly, Teletraan is misspelled as
Teletran). So if anything was different between the start and
Not-Jazz's "Maybe this'll slow it down long enough so we can find
out!" it's lost to us...
- Nicely, the script actually contains the Japanese dialogue spoken by
a few random pedestrians, rather than just something like (SPEAKS
JAPANESE). Anyone care to translate?
Spoken by the woman who hits the conductor over the head: "Chotto kiyo
tsuketeyo."
By the guy who's Walkman Kremzeek jumps into: "Wokumon ga idaretazo!"
Movie patron: "Konno baka mitai na eiga mitakoto naiyo!"
That's assuming this IS actual Japanese, of course...
- You wouldn't think that Kremzeek himself would get lines cut, but he
did - after mucking about with that guy's car racing game in the
arcade, the script calls for a shout of "Pachinko!" before the
Autobots arrive.
- When Kremzeek multiplies, the rather distorted "Kremzeek" noises he
makes are supposed to sound like hiccups. Now that I KNOW that, I can
hear it in the episode, but I wouldn't have thought it otherwise.
- In another instance of switched lines, the script attributes
"Cute?!? Nuts! We've got to get rid of him!" to Blaster, but Inferno
delivers it in the finished episode.
SEA CHANGE
- Now, I know this one's been around the debate table a bit, and it's
nice to confirm that the spelling of name of the race in this episode
is "Tlalakans."
- Also, despite the theory that he's some form of Decepticon counter
to Teletraan 1, the name of the Decepticon computer in this episode is
spelled "Deceptitran," rather than "Deceptitraan."
- Deceptitran's voice is described as "A cross between Sidney
Greenstreet and Soundwave." A quick Google, and... Sidney Greenstreet
was an English actor, born 1879, died 1954, starred in "The Maltese
Falcon" and "Casablanca," among others.
- If'n you didn't catch it in the episode, the name of the unfortunate
soul who gets dragged off to be drained of energy is Chac.
- Seaspray's love-interest's name is spelled "Alana."
- The Tlalakan who incites rebellion and is the first to attack a
droid - you know, with the funky headdress - is named Mok.
- The Autobots' cries as they go over the waterfall are listed in the
script as coming at the start of act two, rather than at the end of
act one, as in the finished episode.
- The elder Tlalakan is named in the episode, but to specify, his name
is spelled "Tlaloc." That'd be after the Aztec rain god, Tlaloc, who
it appears the Tlalakan race was named for, which led to them being
commonly called "Tlalocons" by the fandom.
- The Tlalakan who gives Seaspray the bombs is named Rarto.
- LOL! When Megatron speaks the line "The secret city of the
Tlalakans!" the script specifies that it: "Rhymes with Chaka Kahn." :)
The word has been spoken before this, mind you, so I don't know why
this direction only comes in now...
TRIPLE TAKEOVER
- Another switched line - "Four hundred and seventy degrees below zero
in there!" is delivered by Astrotrain in the finished episode, but is
listed as Blitzwing's line in the script.
- Oddly, the cry of "help!" that comes from a motorist who goes off
the bridge Blitzwing long-bombs is listed as Hoist's line in the
script. That's a mistake, there.
PRIME TARGET
Way-hey, loadsa stuff!
- Neither Daina (the Oktober Guard pilot) nor Hector Ramirez (the
newscaster) are named in the script. They are just "pilot" and
"reporter."
- "Chumley" and "Chumleigh" have been two spelling tossed about in the
fandom for everyone's favourite big game hunter... and the script
proves that the correct one is "Chumley."
- Dropped lines! During Bumblebee and Tracks's chase of the Triple
Changer holograms. After saying "very dead!" Bumblebee adds, "We're
gonna get dusted!" After which, Tracks steps in with "Let me handle
this!" When he gets caught in the truck, Bumblebee cries out, "Let me
out of here!" And, ending the scene, Chumley describes the whole
affair as: "More fun than a snipe hunt at Lake Tanganyika!"
- The plot of "As The Kitchen Sinks" thickens! What's the significance
of the real will, which Jack doesn't know Sheryl hid? That it names
Katy as Bob's heir! Even the characters in the show can't keep it
straight, as the younger woman on the programme then asks: "Who's
Bob?"
- Grapple's lamenting the interruption, and Prime's arrival come
before the reporter speaks in the script, while in the finished
episode, they come after.
- After Optimus notes Tracks and Bumblebee haven't reported in,
Beachcomber has a dropped line, and says: "You think they're missing?"
- After Optimus tells the Autobots to transform, a scene is cut where
Jazz gives them their assignments. It goes...
Jazz: "All right, Autobots - lets get trackin'! Blaster, you check out
the main drag... Beachcomber - take the tollway out of town - see if
they got lost. Grapple, check out the local auto shops."
Grapple: "If Warpath finds Tracks goofing off, I'm afraid he'll need
one!"
Jazz: "I'll check the car washes!"
- When Jazz finds Chumley's car wash, before entering, he reads the
sign. "Free wax and polish? Tracks wouldn't pass this up!"
- When Grapple approaches the building site, he has an extra line,
which implies Chumley's crane was originally supposed to drive away
from him. "Come back here! And look at me when I'm talking to you!"
- Act one was originally intended to end after Chumley captures Jazz,
but in the finished episode, doesn't end until the billboard attacks
Blaster.
- Some expository dialogue from Warpath is dropped when Cosmos beams
in the images of the Autobots in traps - "One wrong move, and poor
Beachcomber's finished!"
- Rather than calling up the Triple Changers on screen, Megatron
instructs Starscream to summon them. Presumably, that means they were
actually there in the base.
- A short scene between Chumley and Dinsmore is dropped as Prime
approaches. After Chumley notes Prime's approach, Dinsmore suggests
watching it on a monitor (you can actually SEE the monitor, playing
Prime's image, in the finished episode, with Dinsmore seeming to
gesture at it, and Chumley preferring to watch out the window right
next to it with a telescope). Chumley's response? "Monitors, harrumph!
You lose the immediacy of the sport!"
- When Prime reports his arrival to the Autobots, a line from Warpath
is cut when he offers to help any time Prime needs him.
- Dinsmore does indeed remember that rhino, and has a line cut where
he reminisces. "Oh, right, sir! It was in sixty-seven. I'll never
forget it. Four tons of charging..." Then Prime interrupts with: "Skip
the color commentary, Chumley!"
- Blitzwing doesn't just want to "stomp" Prime in the script - he
wants to GUT-stomp him!
- While Prime wrestles with the scorpion, but before Astrotrain blasts
him, another short scene with Chumley and Dinsmore is cut, when the
excitement of it all becomes a little too much for the butler to
handle.
Dinsmore: "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to notify you of my resignation,
effective immediately. I can't take the excitement!"
Chumley: "Drat! It is so difficult to find loyal help these days! At
least stay until I find your replacement!"
Dinsmore: (reluctant) "Very well, sir. Least I can do."
- Y'know how, in the finished episode, Astrotrain says "Certainly!"
for no reason after introducing himself to Chumley? That's because a
line of Chumley's got dropped in between - "Help my machine to its
feet, old sport..."
- Some kinda scene with Bumblebee and Grapple is dropped between
Chumley deriding the Decepticons and his conversation with Grapple.
Haven't a clue what's going on, but it goes:
Bumblebee: (grunting) "If I can just..."
Grapple: "Good work, Bumblebee!"
Bumblebee: "Thanks!" (grunt) "But I'm still left holding the bag!"
Well, I think that's enough for now! Next up, "Auto-Bop," "The Search
for Alpha Trion," "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide," and "Hoist Goes
Hollywood."
Chris
Gyumaoh
>
>Spoken by the woman who hits the conductor over the head: "Chotto kiyo
>tsuketeyo."
"Watch where you're going." In the Japanese dub, that line was spoken by a
male actor!
>By the guy who's Walkman Kremzeek jumps into: "Wokumon ga idaretazo!"
Dunno exactly. Something to the effect of "My Walkman's gone crazy!"
>Movie patron: "Konno baka mitai na eiga mitakoto naiyo!"
"I've never before seen such a stupid movie."
Gyumaoh
Is Doctor Yoshikawa's name "Fuji", "Soji", or something else?
Douglas Dlin
First, thanks for continuing to post this stuff, Chris. Even the
minimal changes are interesting in their own way, and of course, the big
ones can be really intriguing.
> - Deceptitran's voice is described as "A cross between Sidney
> Greenstreet and Soundwave." A quick Google, and... Sidney Greenstreet
> was an English actor, born 1879, died 1954, starred in "The Maltese
> Falcon" and "Casablanca," among others.
Heh...Greenstreet was famous for playing a large villain with a raspy
voice. If you've ever seen BIONIC SIX, Dr. Scarab's voice and character
were pretty much taken from Greenstreet's.
Doug Dlin
apcog at hotmail.com
David Minter
>> - Deceptitran's voice is described as "A cross between Sidney
>> Greenstreet and Soundwave." A quick Google, and... Sidney Greenstreet
>> was an English actor, born 1879, died 1954, starred in "The Maltese
>> Falcon" and "Casablanca," among others.
>
>Heh...Greenstreet was famous for playing a large villain with a raspy
>voice. If you've ever seen BIONIC SIX, Dr. Scarab's voice and character
>were pretty much taken from Greenstreet's.
SMACK! THAT'S where I'd heard it before! :) For all these
years, I'd done searches for who played Scarab, what other work he
did, etc. because I was obsessed trying to find out where I'd heard it
before. It's just an imitation. How simple! :>
I can image Dr. Scarab's voice now coming out of Gutt's mouth in
Matrix Quest Part 1. "KILL HIM! Tear the bird from his unliving
fingers!" Both it and Scarab have relatively similar physiques, too.
LOL The Doctor was the only Bionic Six toy I ever bought. In fact,
didn't Bionic Six used to air before Transformers on Sci-Fi Channel's
Animation Station? I know it aired during their blocks with TF.
Now, I think that just leaves who played the Creeper in the
Scooby Doo episode as the big question left for me to answer in life!
<G>
Doug Dlin
> Douglas Dlin <ap...@texas.net> wrote:
>
>>>- Deceptitran's voice is described as "A cross between Sidney
>>>Greenstreet and Soundwave." A quick Google, and... Sidney Greenstreet
>>>was an English actor, born 1879, died 1954, starred in "The Maltese
>>>Falcon" and "Casablanca," among others.
>>
>>Heh...Greenstreet was famous for playing a large villain with a raspy
>>voice. If you've ever seen BIONIC SIX, Dr. Scarab's voice and character
>>were pretty much taken from Greenstreet's.
>
> SMACK! THAT'S where I'd heard it before! :) For all these
> years, I'd done searches for who played Scarab, what other work he
> did, etc. because I was obsessed trying to find out where I'd heard it
> before. It's just an imitation. How simple! :>
Ain't that the way? I was mentally kicking myself after reading Rik
Bakke's interview with Michael Chain for not realizing years ago that
Powerglide was basically an impersonation of Jackie Gleason. ("And
awaaay we go!" How could I not have noticed?)
> Now, I think that just leaves who played the Creeper in the
> Scooby Doo episode as the big question left for me to answer in life!
> <G>
Been ages since I saw that episode, but the voice I'm remembering is
John "Thundercracker/Alpha Trion/Mr. Slate" Stephenson. I could very
well be wrong, though.
Túrin
> Ain't that the way? I was mentally kicking myself after reading Rik
> Bakke's interview with Michael Chain for not realizing years ago that
> Powerglide was basically an impersonation of Jackie Gleason. ("And
> awaaay we go!" How could I not have noticed?)
All right, who will keep the list of which TF characters are
impersonatons?
Powerglide: Jackie Gleason
Cosmos: Peter Lorre, right?
Tracks: Jim Backus
Seaspray: Gary Cooper
Any others?
Túrin
Chris McFeely
Soji.
Chris
Steve-o Stonebraker
> Powerglide: Jackie Gleason
> Cosmos: Peter Lorre, right?
> Tracks: Jim Backus
> Seaspray: Gary Cooper
>
> Any others?
In the cheesy anime dubs, Scourge sounds like Edward G Robinson. I should
collect a few sound clips sometime... it's really funny.
--Steve-o
--
Steve Stonebraker | http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~sstoneb/
sst...@yahoo.com | Transformers, astrophysics, comics, games, cartoons.
Mr. I. R. Caughn
> All right, who will keep the list of which TF characters are
> impersonatons?
>
> Powerglide: Jackie Gleason
> Cosmos: Peter Lorre, right?
> Tracks: Jim Backus
> Seaspray: Gary Cooper
Red Alert: Richard Nixon
Optimus Prime: John Wayne
Outback: Paul Hogan
Mindwipe: Bela Lugosi
--
Iacon (okay, only the first one has actually been admitted, but who are we
kidding here?)
TF CODE: G+++ G1++ G2- BW++ MW BM++ FR FW+ M- #230 D+++ AD+ N+++ W+ OQ+
MUSH-- BC++ CN+ OM P269
"Null": Ultimate Edition now up at Lexicon!!
http://www.lexicon.tf/user.php?op=userinfo&uname=Iacon
Mark Brown
news:5e6cc61f.04051...@posting.google.com...
*SNIP*
> SEA CHANGE
*SNIP*
> - If'n you didn't catch it in the episode, the name of the unfortunate
> soul who gets dragged off to be drained of energy is Chac.
Chac was the Mayan rain/river/sea god; kinda fitting the "Central-American
water god" motif of this ep.
Mark
"Kinda makes me wonder who Mok is."
Chris McFeely
> voice. If you've ever seen BIONIC SIX, Dr. Scarab's voice and character
> were pretty much taken from Greenstreet's.
I haven't seen it, so without any frame of reference, I'd better ask -
did Deceptitran actually sound anything like Greenstreet?
Chris
Gyumaoh
>
>Soji.
>
Thanks! In that case, I wonder if he was named after this guy:
David Minter
>> Now, I think that just leaves who played the Creeper in the
>> Scooby Doo episode as the big question left for me to answer in life!
>> <G>
>
>Been ages since I saw that episode, but the voice I'm remembering is
>John "Thundercracker/Alpha Trion/Mr. Slate" Stephenson. I could very
>well be wrong, though.
I've debated whether it's him or Bob Holt, since Creeper has some
Cop-Tur in it. Stephenson did play my three top favorite monsters:
The Tar Monster, Voltner The 10,000 Volt Ghost, and The 5,000 Year
Future Insectoid Creature. At BC 2001, I briefly talked with him
about how most of the growling monsters were his. :) And also about
doing Frankenstone, of all things... go figure. <G>