Two Different Stories from the Same Story Premise

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS COURSE:

I recently saw the movie entitled "The Big Clock" which was made back in 1946. It was a psychological thriller noir and noticed that it was the same story premise as another movie from 1987. The premise of the stories are the same and they are both based on the original book entitled "The Big Clock" by Author Kenneth Fearing.

I believe doing a deep dive on these two films has a lot to teach about story engineering and brainstorming new stories. One reason is that the underlying premise of the story is exactly the same, but the whole story is different in each movie. Not just slightly different. Very different.

I will break up this mini-course into a crime spine to demonstrate how the clues are dropped into the storylines and how the authors' choice for locations, and twists made for the completely different story.

The Big Clock was about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and No Way Out is about 1 hour and fifty minutes. But there is a lot packed into the movies.

THE BIG CLOCK WRITERS, PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS AND ACTORS:

The Big Clock – 1946 Movie was produced by Richard Maibaum and directed by John Farrow. As stated above, it is based on the novel entitled "The Big Clock written by Kenneth Fearing.

The movie has several stars from the 1940s in it, but the main parts are played by Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, and George Macredy.

Other Stars: Elsa Lanchester and Rita Johnson

THE BIG CLOCK LOCATION:

I want to take a moment to talk a little bit about the building that serves as the location for the drama. Janoth Publications Building in located in New York City. The building's clock plays a small part in the story but anyone under 40 probably won't know why. Research revealed that this movie was shot mostly in Los Angeles on sets, but the magazine company is set in New York.

At one time, digital clocks were the latest in technology. So this building that had a digital clock like above, that could be read from outside by anyone in the city, was a big deal. I believe that's why it was chosen as the location for the story. By today's standards, it's a riot, but in 1946, it was the state of the art!

I will put the clues as they drop in red text. This way, you can see how they are sprinkled into the storyline.

THE STORY HOOK - THE MOVIE OPENS WITH A FLASH FORWARD

George Stroud is running around the building, up in the clock area, and you can tell he's hiding from someone. He is frantic and sweating. He is thinking out loud and asking himself how he got himself into this mess. This gives the viewers a glimpse of what is to come.

NEXT SCENE: THE STORY PREMISE IS LAID DOWN:

The Premise: George Stroud is the Editor in Chief of Crimeways Magazine. He's rushing around at work with his staff trying to get his work done because he's going on a honeymoon with his wife -- and son.

He was called away from his original honeymoon due to a work emergency at Crimeways Magazine. This trip has been planned for him to make it up to his wife. He's a good guy, gets along at work, and is a great crime investigator -- which is why he is editor in chief of the magazine.

NEXT SCENE: Earl Janoth, the big boss at Janoth Publications, is a slave driver and he sends his right hand man, Steve Hagen, in to talk George into postponing his honeymoon again because they need to solve the Fleming case before the cops do. Hagen goes in and delivers the news, but George is adamant that he is not missing another honeymoon. He then tries to get Steve to understand how his wife feels about things.

NEXT SCENE: A smartly dressed, beautiful blonde is rummaging around in Janoth's office, the big boss, and she also has the intercom on. The intercom is a device that allows Janoth to listen in on his employees. The woman's name is Pauline York and we find out in short order that she is Janoth's mistress. Pauline hears George trying to reason with Steven Hagen as to why he can't cancel another honeymoon.

Earl Janoth walks into the office and catches his mistress in his office and he's not happy. He doesn't know how she got in and she brags about taking his private elevator up and flirting her way through security. Not liking to be out of control, Janoth walks her out of his office to the public elevators, but not before telling her he will see her later at 10:50 PM. There is tension between them. We also find out that Janoth is paying her bills, including her singing lessons.

NEXT SCENE: Back in George's office, Hagen is still putting pressure on George to postpone the honeymoon, but George refuses. He eventually storms out of the conversation and he leaves.

PAULINE'S SCHEME - WHAT SHE WANTS:

In the next scene, it's lunchtime and Mistress Pauling walks into a fancy restaurant where George is sitting at the bar with another man. George orders them two more stingers and the mistress saddles up to them and says, make it three. The man then excuses himself because of an appointment with a psychiatrist. Pauline slips into his seat.

She tells him she wants to tell his fortune and reads his palm. She then repeats everything he was complaining about regarding Janoth, the boss. He now knows she overheard him. She claims her and Earl are old friends. She suggests that maybe she and George should put their heads together to get even with Janoth. However, at the time this suggestion comes out of her mouth, George's wife, Georgette, comes in and walks up and is not happy about her husband sitting next to and talking with this beautiful blonde.

After a tense moment between the two women, Pauling leaves. George smooths down his wife's feathers by showing her he has reserved a table for them to have lunch, and he has ordered champagne, and they will toast their honeymoon.

The wife settles down and she confirms that she has the tickets for the train and they both toast to their honeymoon.

Back at the office, Hagan tells Janoth he was not successful in talking George into postponing his honeymoon. Janoth is not happy, but says that he has another idea, another approach.

NEXT SCENE - AFTER LUNCH - JANOTH'S SETUP

George is engaged with co-workers taking care of everything so he can leave on time. Janoth strolls out of his office at 4PM and joins George in front of his Crimeways Crime Board and he proceeds to compliment George about being able to solve the crimes even before the cops in most of their cases. Janoth is not the type to compliment anyone and George takes the bait.

Then George goes into a long explanation of how he uses the blackboard to add all the clues, and he focuses on an 'irrelevant clue' and that's always the one that helps him solve the crime.

During the conversation, Janoth slowly walks with George during their conversation into his office. He then tells George how happy he is that they are comrades at work, and they can always count on each other. George is enjoying having his ego stroked. Then Janoth tells him he wants him to work non-stop on this Fleming case and it will increase the circulation by at least ten percent.

George then wakes up and realizes that Janoth is trying to get him to postpone another honeymoon. But this time George refuses.

After the buttering up didn't work on George, Janoth resorts to threats and tells George if he doesn't stay, he will be fired. He also tells him he will blacklist him and he'll never work in this town again. George still refuses and he's mad because he knows Janoth was manipulating him. He says, fine, I'm going anyway. He walks out and goes back into his office.

PAULINE'S SETUP - WHAT SHE WANTS

His secretary calls in and tells him there's a woman on the line who wants to tell his fortune. George knows it's Pauline, so he picks up and blurts out that Janoth has just fired him. Pauline is shocked and she asks him what he's going to do. He says, right now, I need a drink. She wants to join him, but he says no. She then says that she knows a way to make Janoth give them both what they want. She tells him it will be worth his while to at least listen to him. He agrees.

PAULINE REVEALS HER PLAN:

George and Pauline meet in the bar and they have a drink. She begins to talk about confidential files and lets George know she has the goods on Janoth. She suggests that they put their heads together to get even with him.

George hears her but he doesn't really take the bait from her. He's still angry and he starts drinking pretty fast; one drink after another. During this time, George knocks one of the green drinks over and it spills on Pauline. He gives her his handkerchief and she dabs it up as best she can. It doesn't stop either of them. They continue partying and then decide to go to some other bars.

As they are walking the avenue, it dawns on George that the time has gotten away from him. He wakes up and runs to a phone booth and calls his wife, but is told she left without him. He knows he's in big trouble. He decides to take a plane there later, but in the meantime, he continues drinking and carousing around with Pauline.

They stop on the avenue and George sees a painting by an Artist by the name of Patterson in the window. He is a collector and he pulls Pauline into the antiques store. Another customer is ready to purchase the painting he wants, so George goes up and starts bidding with the store owner and he decides to pay $30 for it. The original customer is rebuffed and she leaves. George then goes out with the painting under his arm.

They go to Burt's Place, a sort of sleezy guy's bar down the avenue. Burt prides himself on always having whatever anyone asks for. Trying to stump Burt, Pauling and George ask for a green clock. Burt takes out an old sundial and ties a green scarf around it and passes it off as a green clock.

A drinking buddy of George's comes in and he introduces him to Pauling as Jefferson Randolph. Then he introduces him as President McKinley. The guy was an old radio star. They are all still drinking, laughing, and partying.

LATER IN THE EVENING - AFTER THE PARTYING ENDS:

In the next scene, we see George asleep on a couch. He's in Pauline's apartment. She looks out the window and sees Janoth has just arrived. She quickly wakes George up and tells him he has to go. George is hung over, but he gathers himself and leaves the apartment, but he waits over by the staircase in the shadows. He watches as Janoth comes out of the elevator and stands in the light.

Janoth sees a man at the end of the hallway, but he can't tell who it is -- but he knows it's a man. He is suspicious that this man came out of Pauline's apartment as she has a history of flirting with other men. Janoth goes into her apartment and she is acting nonchalant. He asks her who just left. She says, oh, no one just a friend. Janoth doesn't believe her and the two of them start arguing but it quickly descends into a nasty verbal fight. He just about accuses her of being a whore and she tells him he's a disgusting fat slob -- or words to that effect. During her tirade, she picks up a small clock from her table and throws it at Janoth. It misses but smashes against the wall and falls to the floor.

She continues her tirade telling Janoth that he's revolting and everyone hates him. In anger, he reaches over, picks up the sundial with the scarf and hits Pauline over the head with it. He kills her and leaves her laying on the floor next to the couch.

JANOTH TALKS TO STEVE HAGEN, HIS RIGHT-HAND MAN:

Janoth leaves and he goes to Steve Hagen's home where he casually tells him that he killed Pauline. He said he didn't mean to kill her, but something came over him. He tells Hagen he just wanted to talk to a friend before he calls a lawyer and turns himself in. He assumes he will be going to jail after that.

HAGAN OFFERS AN ALTERNATIVE:

Hagan tells him maybe he's acting too fast. Since only he and Janoth know about his affair with Pauline, maybe he doesn't have to admit to it. Janoth tells him there was a man in the shadows outside Pauline's apartment that saw him. He doesn't know who the man he saw was, but he knows the man saw him standing in the lighted hallway.

Hagan tells him all they have to do is find this man and 'take care of things' and he will be fine. Janoth suddenly thinks this can work. He tells Hagan that he left his hat over in Pauline's place. Hagan agrees to go over there, retrieve the hat, and then he will be in the clear.

HAGAN VISITS THE CRIME SCENE:

Hagan goes to Pauline's place and he retrieves Janoth's hat. He also sees the clock on the floor, and he turns the time back about 40 minutes. He looks around and finds the sundial. He turns the sundial over and on the bottom it says: "Stolen from Burt's Place" with the bar's address.

Hagan is getting ready to leave and he spots Pauline's purse on a table. He rummages through her purse and sees a handkerchief with a large green stain on it He puts the handkerchief in his pocket. He then leaves.