"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS"

REVISED DRAFT
FEBRUARY 14, 1985
1
2
FADE IN:
A GREY VOID - SWIRLS OF THREATENING, EVER-CHANGING
STORM-SKY COLOR
1.
A chil.1in9 "Phantom of the Opera" ORGAN CHORD', A voice
not unlike God's (or Orson Welles') intones follow-
in9 "prol09ue." SIMULTANEOUSLY, the WORDS SCROLL SLOW-
LY ACROSS THE SCREEN.
VOICE
(mock-serious,
CHURCH-LIKE .
MUSIC UNDER)
On the twenty-third day of the
month of September, in an early
year of a decade not too long
before our own, the human race
suddenly encountered a deadly
threat to its very existence.
(beat)
And this terrifying enemy surfaced
-- as such enemies often do -- in
the seemingly most innocent and
unlikely of places
The CHURCH-LIKE MUSIC CLIMAXES IN A DRUM ROLL as we see
light droplets of water hitting and causing RIPPLES IN
THE IMAGE. IMMEDIATELY, BUBBLEGUM-ROCK MUSIC KICKS IN
AS CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal that the above-mentiOned
grey void is really a puddle of muck in a foul Skid Row
gutter and that a wino is passed out beside
long black hair soaking in the goo. We see now that a
light rain is falling as CAMERA MOVES UP to reveal:
EXT. MUSHNIK'S SKID ROW FLORIST'S SHOP - DAY - DARK,
CLOUDY SKY
A run-down storefront flower shop, just beyond the gut-
ter. The building is so old, so forlorn, so dilapi-
da ted, it seems to lean to one s i.de. As the shc,p' s _
sign comes INTO there is an EAR-SPLITTING BURST OF
THUNDER followed by a bigger-than-life lightnin9 flash.
Suddenly the harmless facade is transformed into some-
thing ominous and foreboding. And just as suddenly the
MAIN TITLE, -LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" FADES UP. The
word -HORRORS" is colored red and a few drops, of what
we suppose to be blood, slowly ooze down and fall from
its letters as, SUNG in VOICE-OVER, we hear:
(CONTINUED)
1
2
2
3
CONTINUED:
SONG (V .0.)
Little Shop
Little Shoppa Horrors
Little Shop
Little Shoppa
Call a cop!
Little Shoppa Horrors
No Oh Op Oh No-oh!
2.
The TITLE FADES OUT and on another lightning flash we
CUT TO A DIFFERENT ANGLE OF the shop as three girls,
CRYSTAL, RONETTE and CHIFFON ENTER THE SHOT. They are
the ones we heard singing in voice-over. As CAMERA
TRUCKS WITH them, while KEEPING the shop in the back-
ground, they continue the number singing and dancing a"
la any girl group of the
GIRLS
Little Shop
Little Shoppa Horrors
Bop sh' bop!
Little Shoppa Terror
What 'em drop!
Little Shoppa Horrors
No Oh Oh Oh No-oh!
In the background of the PREVIOUS SHOTS we've seen not
only the shop but also: a malnourished dog poking
through an overturned garbage can, a pre-1960's car or
two passing by, newspapers being blown by the wind, and
a bum begging from people who quickly pass by grasping
umbrellas.
The Girls now turn and enter through the doors of the
shop.
INT. SHOP - DAY
The place is a mess." The flowers are on their last
legs or are altogether dead. The corsages are decay-
ing. The cash register is rusted and covered with
dust. The lightbulbs are bare. The FTD posters are
from twenty years earlier. Clearly the place hasn't
had a customer in years.
GIRLS
(during the above)
Shing-a-ling
What a creepy thing to be happenin'
(Lookout Lookout Lookout Lookout)
Shang-a-lang
Feel the Sturm-and-Drang
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
2
3
3 CONTINUED:
GIRLS (cont.)
!n air
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Sha la la
Stop right where you are
Don'tcha move a thing!
3.
The Girls have danced past a storage room and over to a
man who is sitting at the shop's counter reading a
newspaper which hides his face. The paper, "The Skid
Row Herald Examiner." The headline: UNEXPECTED TOTAL
ECLIPSE! END OF THE WORLD? The man lowers the paper
to turn the page and we see that it is MUSHNIK, the
shop's owner. Be glances at the door , ,then at the
clock, sighs, and returns to his newspaper. Be does
not notice the Girls who are inches away singing the
following right to him:
GIRLS (cont.)
You'd better
Tellin' you, you'd better
Tell yo' mama
Somethin's gonna get her
She'd better
Everybody'd better
Beware!
ON the word "beware" CAMERA FOLLOWS the Girls as they
dance over to a closed door. They open it and CUT
TO A REVERSE SHOT OF the door as it is being opened and
the CAMERA LEADS the Girls down a dingy flight of
stairs as they sing:
GIRLS (cont.)
(Come-a, come-a, come-a)
Little Shop
Little Shoppa Borrors
Bob sh' bop
You'll never stop the terror
As the Girls reach the bottom they sing and PAST
CAMERA TOWARDS
SEYMOUR
who is standing wi th his BACK TO CAMERA on tC)P of a
tall and dangerous -ladder" of crates, boxes and books.
Be is putting something away on a high shelf
with clothes, comic books and assorted junk. Be" too,
does not notice the Girls as they Sing to him:
(CONTINUED)
3
4
4
CONTINUED: (2 )
GIRLS (cont.,
Little Shop
Little Shoppa Horrors
No oh oh oh no
Dh oh oh oh
Dh oh oh no-oh-oh-ohl
4.
ON the last extended note of the song the Girls back
AWAY FROM CAMERA and we are LEFT ALONE WITH Seymour.
As he continues struggling we see an old beat-up RADIO
on the lower shelf next to him from which we hear:
RADIO (V.O.)
At his press conference today,
President Kennedy fielded
questions concerning last
Thursday's total eclipse of the
sun, an unpredicted and
unprecedented astrological
phenomenon which has baffled the
nation
DURING the broadcast we see Seymour teetering until
finally, losing his balance, he grabs for the shelf and
with a pathetic whimper he falls taking it, some potted
plants, comic books, clothing, junk, and radio down
wi th him. .
SFX: CRASH!
Seymour has dropped OUT OF SHOT. We BOLD ON what's
left of the wall as we hear
MOSHNIK (O.S.)
Seymour, what is going on down
there?!
Seymour pops BACK UP INTO FRAME IN A FULL-FACE CLOSEUP
and shouts:
SEYMOUR
Very little, Mr. Mushnik!
CUT TO:
4
INT. SHOP - DAY 4
MOSHNIK
(to himself)
Aren, g'vern, g'vQxen, akebebble,
mitzbeleh.
CUT TO:
5
6
5.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
We have CUT TO ANOTHER ANGLE or Seymour to see that the
Girls are no longer there and to see that we are in:
The basement. These dark surroundings have been trans-
formed into Seymour's pathetic living quarters with
clothing, a hotplate, jun
l
containers, a sleeping
cot, and crud everywhere. However, blooming amid the
decay and the debris are hundreds of strange and exotic
plants. They're growing lavishly in coffee cans, shav-
ing mugs, the most unlikely containers, nourished by
makeshift gro-lights.
Seymour starts picking up the mess he's made. Be
starts with the RADIO which is turned over on the floor
and which is now EMITTING STATIC. Be hits it and MUSIC
COMES ON: Phil Spector and the Crystals' 1963 arrange-
ment of "Uptown"
RADIO (V.O.)
He gets up each morning and he
goes downtown.
Where everyone's his boss and
he's lost in an angry land.
He's a little man.
But then he comes
Uptown each evening to my

As he's picking through the mess Seymour notices a par-
ticular plant amongst the others that has fallen on the
floor. He worriedly picks it up, puts back the dirt in
its Maxwell Bouse coffee can and places it under a
special gro-light, giving the feeling that the plant
has its own theatrical spotlight. The plant is clearly
on its last legs. Its avocado-like pod is withered and
dry, its leaves are brown and its little tendrils
resemble a polio victim. Be tends to it with great
care.
SFX: (O.S.) HIGH HEELS ON CONCRETE.
Seymour hears the sound of high heels clicking quickly
in the distance. His expression changes to one of
longing as he turns and goes to the basement window and
looks out.
5
EXT. SKID ROW STREET - RAIN HAS STOPPED - DAY 6
CAMERA IS NOW ACROSS THE STREET AT AN EXTREME LOW
ANGLE. We see seymour's hopeful face through the base-
ment window in the background as a car passes. In the
extreme foreground a bum is sprawled out on the

(CONTINUED)
6
7
8
6.
CONTINUED:
.The SOUND OF THE CLICKING HEELS IS UPON US NOW as a
pair of black pumps ENTERS FRAME stepping over the bum.
CAMERA MOVES WITH the feet UNTIL they are now walking
TOWARDS CAMERA. We TILT UP PAST the fishnet stockings,
black dress, leopard-skin print jacket, and up to a
FULL-FACE CLOSEUP OF
AUDREY
She is rushing TOWARDS CAMERA. We see she has a black
eye.
INT. SHOP - DAY
DOOR CHIME. Mushnik looks up to see Audrey enter hur-
riedly. She immediately begins to take off her
leopard-print jacket, struggling as she does to conceal
the black eye.
MUSHNIK
So, she finally decides to come to
work?
AUDREY
Good morning, Mr. Mushnik.
MUSHNIK
What morning? It's almost closing
time. Not that we had a customer.
A LOUD CRASH from the basement.
MUSHNIK (cont.)
What in the name of God is going
on down there? Audrey, you'd
better go see what he's
(beat)
Audrey where did you get that
shiner?
AUDREY
( innocently)
Shiner?
INT. STORAGE ROOM
Auarey starts to hang up her coat ana put on her uni-
form, a frilly pink smock. Mushnik follows her in.

6
7
8
8 CONTINUED:
MUSHNIK
Audrey, that greasy boyfriend of
yours, he's beating up on you
again? Look, I know it's none of
my business, but I'm beginning to
think he's maybe not such a nice
boy.
AUDREY
You don't meet nice boys when you
live on Skid Row, Mr. Mushnik.
7.
Seymour comes up from downstairs carrying a precarious-
ly balanced pile of clay pots.'
SEYMOUR
I got these pots unloaded for you,
Mr. Mushnik
But even before the sentence is finished, he has lost
his footing. Seymour and the pots fall to the floor
with an EAR-SPLITTING CRASH, identical to the ones we
have heard before.
MUSHNIK
Seymour! Look what you've done to
the" inventory!
AUDREY
Don't yell at Seymour, Mr. Mushnik.
SEYMOUR
(still on
the floor)
Hi, Audrey. You look radiant
today. Is that new eye makeup?
AUDREY
I'll help him clean it up before
any customers get here.
MUSHNIK
Well, that oughta give you plenty
of time.
Mushnik moves through the shop toward the front door.
MUSHNIK (cont.)
Look, God, what an existence I got.
8
9 EXT. STREET - DAY
MtJSHNIK
Misfit employees, bums on the
sidewalk, business is lousy . my
life is a living hell.
He notices Crystal, ~ ~ ~ e t t e and Chiffon lounging idly
on the stoop next dool to the shop.
MUSHNIK (cont.)
You! urchins! Off the stoop! It
ain't bad enough I got the winos
permanently decorating the
storefront? I need three
worthless ragamuffins to complete
the picture?
The Girls start walking away as they speak.
RONETTE
Oh, we ain't botherin' nobody.
Are we, Crystal?
CRYSTAL
No we're not, Ronette.
MUSBNIK
(following them)
You oughta be in school.
CRYSTAL
We on the split-shift.
RONETTE
Right. We went to school 'til the
fifth grade. Then we split.
Mushnik has stopped following them.
MUSBNIK
(shouting at them)
So how do you intend to e t ~ e r
yourself?
CRYSTAL
Better ourselves? You heard what
he said, Chiffon? Better
ourselves? Mister, when you from
Skid Row, ain't no such thing.
8.
The Girls turn the corner into a darkened, narrow
street where we see trash cans and fire escapes, and a
WINO lying amidst the filth. About twenty yards in the
distance we see a WOMAN. She is in her fifties, wear-
ing a working uniform. She could ~ a waitress or a
maid. An old, worn coat hangs from her shoulders.
(CONTINUED)
9
9 CONTINUED:
She seems very titeo ano walks very slowly TOWARD
CAMERA.
M O ~ I C Intro to "Downtown/Skid Row."
WOMAN
(singing)
Alarm goes off at seven
Ana you start uptown
You put! in your eight hours for the
powers
That have always been.
RONETTE
(spoken)
Sing it, child.
WOMAN
Till it's five P.M.
WINO
(sits up)
Then you 90
He falls back down.
The Girls join the Woman as they walk up the narrow
street to the main Skid Row Street.
WOMAN AND GIRLS
Downtown, where the folks are broke
Downtown, where your life's a joke
Downtown, when you buy your token you
go
Borne to Skid Row
Home to Skid Row
WINO 2
(ENTERS SHOT)
Yes, you go
He falls OUT OF SHOT.
9.
From around a corner, from an alleyway, from a fire
escape, from a tenement building MORE PEOPLE (maids,
janitors, bus boys, bag ladies, waitresses, bums,
messengers, etc.) join the Woman and the Girls. The
group builds in strength and passion and takes over the
street in a number whose choreography is not dance but
rather, impassioned, rhythmic movement.
NEW PERSON 1
(on the street)
Downtown, where the cabs don't stop.
(CONTINUED)
9
9
10
10.
CONTINUED: (2 )
NEW PERSON 2
(in a tenement window)
nowntown, where the food is slop.
PERSON 2 joins the others on the street.
NEW PERSONS 3 & 4
(from an alleyway)
Downtown, where the hop-heads flop
In the Snow!
ALL
Down on Skid Row!
Down on Skid Row!
ALL (cont.)
(plus more from around
a corner)
Uptown you cater to a million jerks
Uptown, you're messenger and mailroom
clerks
Eatin9 all your lunches at the hot d09
carts
The bosses take your money and they
break your hearts.
A 1950's bus stops and discharges a few more people who
join the thron9.
ALL (cont.)
And uptown you cater to a million
whores
You disinfect terrazzo on their
bathroom floors
Your jobs are really menial, you make
no bread
And then at five o'clock you head
WINO
(from behind garbage can)
By subway
ALL
Downtown.
EXT. SHOP - DAY
Audrey is on the sidewalk emptyin9 broken clay pots
into a trash can. We see the chorus reflected in the
shop's window.
AUDREY
Where the 9uys are drips.
ALL (0.5.)
Downtown!
(CONTINUED)
9
10
10
11
12
ll.
CONTINUED:
AUDREY
Where they rip your slips.
ALL (0. S. )
Downtown!
AUDREY
Where are no-go!
Audrey walks into:the street where everyone is posed
hyper-dramatically (a la "West Side Story") singing in
powerful chorus. She, also singing, moves amongst
them.
ALL PLUS AUDREY
Down on Skid Row
Down on Skid Row
Down on Skid Row
Down on Skid Row
Down on Skid Row
Down on Skid Row
Down on Skid Row!
INT. SHOP - DAY
Seymour is sweeping his mess.
SEYMOUR
Poor!
All my life I've always been poor
I keep asking God what I'm for
And He tells me,
Gee, I'm not sure
(mimicking Mushnik)
Sweep that floor kid!
(himself again)
Oh!
I started life as an orphan, child
of the street
Here on Skid Row!
EXT. SHOP - DAY
During the previous lyrics, CAMERA has turned a full
360 degrees to show the chorus in the background and it
now FOLLOWS Seymour out of the shop onto the sidewalk
as he sings:
SEYMOUR
He took me in, gave me shelter
A bed, crust of bread and a job
Treats me like dirt, calls me a slob
Which I am
So I live
(CONTINUED)
10
11
12
12.
CONTINUED:
Everyone on the street is now moving, very slowly, not
unli ke zombies. (Audrey is no longer wi th them.)
seymour joins them in the street and walks amongst
them.
ALL
Downtown
SEYMOUR
That's ~ u r home address, you live
ALL
Downtown
SEYMOUR
When your life'S a mess, you live
ALL
Downtown
SEYMOUR
Where depressions's jest status quo!
ALL
Down on Skid Row!
HIGH, WIDE SHOT of chorus in. background on Main Street
as Seymour turns and walks into a narrow alley. He is
alone and singing to himself.
SEYMOUR
Someone show me a way to get outa here
'Cause I constantly pray I'll get outa
here
Please won't somebody say I'll get outa
here
Someone gimme my shot or I'll rot here.
CAMERA CRANES DOWN WITH Seymour as he stops in front of
an old rusty cyclone fence which creates a cul de sac.
CAMERA is now BEHIND the fence as we see Seymour
through the steel mesh. Suddenly a filthy hand comes
up grabbing the wire, followed by its body, and another
body, and another, and another. We see that the bodies
are those of BUMS slowly crawling up the cyclone fence
almost on top of each other as they menacingly Sing to
Seymour who is backing away and also singing.
SEYMOUR
Show me how and I will
I'll get outa here
I'll start climbin'
Uphill
(MORE)
ALL
Downtown
There's no rules
For us!
Downtown
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
12
12
13
13.
CONTINUEn: (2)
SEYMOUR (CONT'n)
Ano get outa here
Someone tel.l. me
I still
Cou16 get outa h ~ r
ALL (CONT'D)
'Cause it's dangerous
Downtown, where
The rainbow'S just
A no-show!
Seymour, feeling trapped, runs out of the a: .y.
SEYMOUR
Someone tell Lady Luck
That I'm stuck here
BUMS (V .0.)
When you
live
During the following we INTERCUT between Audrey and
Seymour, eacb of whom are at different parts of the
street. They wander about melodramatically trying to
get away from the filth and degradation of Skid Row.
SEYMOUR AND
AUDREY
Downtown
ALL
12
Gee it sure would be
Swell to. get outa here
Bid the gutter
Where the sun don't shine
Downtown
Farewell and get outa here
I'd move heaven and
Hell to get .outa Skid
I'd do I dunno what
To get outa Skid
But a helluvalot
To get outa Skid
Past the bottom line
Downtown'
Go ask any wino he'll
know
. Downtown
Downtown
Unable to escape from the shackles of Skid Row, and
feeling desperately trapped, they stop at either side
of a corner building. They do not see each other as,
in an overly' dramatic, yet heartfelt plea, they sing to
the heavens. The sky becomes lyrical and pink and the
entire chorus moves in slow, deliberate, quasi-Jerome
Robbins choreography as everyone s ~ n g s with starry-eyed
intensity.
SEYMOUR AND
AUDREY ( con t. )
People tell me
There's not a way
Outa Skic1
But believe me
I gotta get
Outa Skid Row
INT. SHOP - EARLY MORNING
ALL (Cont.)
Downtown
Skid Row!
Mushnik, Seymour and Audrey are in the shop. Mushnik,
depressed, glances up at the clock.
(CONTINUED)
13
13 CONTINUED:
MUSHNIK
Look at that! Six o'clock and we
haven't. sol.d so much as a fern.
All right. That's it. Don't
bother coming in tomorrow.
AUDREY
You don't mean
SEYMOUR
You can't mean
MUSHNIK
What? What? What don't I mean?
I mean I I m closed, it, .
kaput.
AUDREY
You can't!
MUSHNIK
Kaput! Extinct. I'm closing this
God and customer forsaken place.
SEYMOUR
Mr. Mushnik,forgive me for saying
so, but has it ever occurred to
you that maybe what the firm needs
is to move in a new direction?
AUDREY
Seymour, why don't you run
downstairs and bring up that
strange and interestiI'lig new pla.nt
you've been working on?
Seymour helpfully exits.
AUDREY ( con t. )
You see, Mr. Mushnik, some of
those exotic plants that Seymour's
been tinkering around with are
really unusual and we were
both thinking that some of
those strange and interesting
plants, prominently displayed and
advertised, would att:cact
business.
Seymour is now standing behind them holding the same
withered plant we saw earlier in the basement. It
lOOKS even worse than it did before.
14.
13
(CONTINUED)
13 CONTINUED: (2 )
SEYMOUR
I'm afraic it isn't feeling very
well today.
AUDREY
There, now isn't that bizarre?
MUSHNIK
At least. What kind of a weirdo
plant is that, Seymour?
SEYMOUR
I dunno. It looks like some kinda
fly trap, but I haven't been able
to identify it in any of my books.
So I gave it my own name. I call
it an Audrey Two.
AUDREY
After me?
SEYMOUR
I hope you don't mind.
(beat)
You see, sir, if you put a strange
and interesting plant like this,
here in the window, maybe .
MUSHNIK
Maybe what? DO you have any idea
how ridiculous you sound? Just
because you put a strange and
interesting plant in the window,
people don't suddenly
A CUSTOMER opens the door to the shop.
CUSTOMER
Excuse me. I couldn't help
noticing that strange and
interesting plant.
Mushnik and employees look up in amazement.
CUSTOMER ( con t. )
What is it?
SEYMOUR
It's an Audrey Two!
CUSTOMER
I've never seen anything like it
before.
15.
13
(CONTINUED)
13 CONTINUED: (3 )
SEYMOUR
No one has.
CUSTOMER
Where did you get it?
16.
13
MUSIC: A harp? Bells? The kind of thJ. .. that
signalled a flashback in musicals of the forties and
fifties. Seymour :looks off into the distance,
conjuring for the vision of his first encounter
with the plant.
SEYMOUR
Well -- you remember that total
eclipse of the sun a couple of
weeks ago?
FLASHBACK ("Da 000"):
Through this entire sequence, we hear Seymour in v.o.
and see him in the situations he describes. Crystal,
Ronette, and Chfffon are always in the recalled scenes
with him, just sort of there, hanging out on a stoop or
lurking in a corner, singing backup with appropriately
choreographed girl-group gestures.
14 EXT. A STYLIZED, ALMOST CALIGARIAN RENDITION OF SIXTH 14
AVENUE IN THE THIRTIES - THE. PLANT DISTRICT.
(sung)
Da 000.
GIRLS
Seymour is walking along, fascinated by the foliage for
sale.
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
(spo,ken)
I was walking in the wholesale flower
district that day
GIRLS
Shoop Da Do
He a strange-looking florist's shop, its sign
printed in Chinese characters.
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
And I passed by this place where this
old Chinese man
CLOSEUP: An'elderly Mandarin with a crazed and evil
leer.
(CONTINUED)
14 CONTINUED:
Chang!
Da 000
GIRLS
Seymour and the Mandarin shake hands.
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
He sometimes sells me weird and exotic
cuttings
Mandarin chops a leaf off a plant with a dangerous-
looking Oriental saber.
Mandarin
Seymour
Snip!
Da Doo
extends
'Cause
plants
examines
GIRLS
the leaf to Seymour.
SEYMOUR (V.O. )
he knows, ya see, that
are my hobby.
it.
GIRLS
Da da da da da
Da Doo!
strange
And decides not to buy it.
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
Be didn't have anything unusual there
that day.
Nope!
Da Doo.
GIRLS
Seymour starts to walk away.
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
So I was just about to, you know, walk
on by_
GIRLS
Good for you!
But suddenly, Seymour stops dead in his tracks. Be
notices something in the sky!
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
When suddenly and without warning
There was this
17.
14
(CONTINUED)
14
18.
CONTINUED: (2 )
THE SKY. A total eclipse occurs before our eyes.
SEYMOUR & GIRLS (V.O.)
Total eclipse of the sun!
SEYMOUR (V. o. )
It got very dark.
Just as suddenly,: the eclipse is over. We 1 re back on
the street and Seymour looks at the Mandarin in
puzzlement. The Mandarin glances down at a row of
flower buckets containing cut flowers.
GIRLS
Da Doo!
Among the flower buckets, now, sits one strange and
interesting plant -- a baby version of
CLOSEUP - THE AUDREY TWO
SEYMOUR (V. o. )
And when the light came back, this
weird plant was just sitting there.
GIRLS
Oops-ee-do!
SEYMOUR (V. O. )
Just stuck in, you know, among the
zinneas.
Seymour picks up the plant and examines it.
GIRLS
Aud-ree Two!
SEYMOOR (V. o. )
I coulda sworn it hadn't been there
before, but the old Chinese man sold it
to me anyway
Seymour fishes in his pocket for one dollar and some
change which he gives to the inscrutable MANDARIN.
SEYMOOR (V. 0 .) ( con t. )
For a dollar ninety-five.
Seymour walks up the street, away from us, carrying his
new plant.
GIRLS & MANDARIN (V.O.)
Sha la"la la la la
000 doo doo doo!
(CONTINUED)
14
14
15
19.
CONTINUED: (3 )
EXTREME CLOSEUP of.Mandarin turning TO CAMERA and
flashing a knowing grin.
EXTREME CLOSEUP of the Girls, also smiling knowingly TO
CAMERA.
EXTREME CLOSEUP of two filthy BUMS, tneir faces
distorted and smiling. CAMERA PULLS BACK and we see we
are in .
INT. SHOP - EARLY EVENING
The two Bums are now in the background outside the
shop. Their faces are mushed against the display
window as they look, with great curiosity, at the
others in the shop.
CUSTOMER
Yessir, that's an unusual story
and a fascinating plant.
Be turns to leave. Mushnik, Seymour and Audrey
exchange a look of mutual disappointment. And the
Customer turns around.
COSTOMER ( con t. )
Oh . I, might as well take fifty
dollars' worth of roses while I'm
here.
MUSHNIK
(stunned)
Fifty dollars? Yessirl Right
away, sir!
CUSTOMER
Can you break a hundred?
MUSHNIK
(he knew it was too
good to be true)
A hundred. Er, no
CUSTOMER
Well, then I'll just have to take
twice as many, won't I?
Be hands Mushnik a hundred dollar bill.
CLOSEUP of Seymour.
SEYMOUR
Twice as many?
(CONTINUED)
14
15
15
20.
CONTINUED:
CLOSEUP of Audrey.
AUDREY
Twice as many?
CLO: ... ~ of the two Bums we see outside the window.
_ BUMS
(mouthing it in
--mime)
nTwice as many?n
The two Bums quickly glance to the front door.
CLOSEUP of CUSTOMER 2 opening front door.
CUSTOMER 2
That plant in the window, it's
simply amazing!
CLOSEUP of CUSTOMER 3 opening front door.
CUSTOMER 3
That plant in the window,
wherever'd you get it?
CLOSEUP of CUSTOMERS 4 and 5 opening front door.
CUSTOMER 4
Look, there it is, Marge.
CUSTOMER 5 (MARGE)
Oh my gosh, it's peculiar!
CLOSEUP of the two Bums_ as they open the front door.
They are about to speak when a look of fear crosses
their faces and they turn and run as all the Customers
come piling out of the front door. They are laden with
bunches and bunches of flowers and are excitedly
babbling about that amazing plant.
MUSHNIK
(in the doorway,
waving good-bye)
Thank you! Come again! You know
where to find us! Come and look
at the weirdo plant some more.
It's just gonna get bigger and
more interesting!
He comes inside. There are no more flowers in the
shop. Sold out.
(CONTINUED)
15
15
16
17
21.
CONTINUED:
(2 )
MUSHNIK
Well, don't just stand there!
Quick, quick, quick. Put that
plant what do you call it?
SEYMOUR
Audrey Two.
MUSHNIK
Put that Audrey Two back in the
window where the passersby can see
it! I don't mind admitting I'm
wrong when I'm wrong and I'm
wrong. My God, I'd never have
believed it. My children, I'm
taking us all out to dinner!
Seymour, excited, looks at Audrey. Audrey looks up,
intensely disappointed.
AUDREY
Oh, I'd like-to, Mr. Mushnik, but
I have a date.
She heads for the storage room. Mushnik follows her
in.
MUSHNIK
With the same nogoodnick?
INT. COAT ROOM
Audrey removes her work smock and starts to put on her
jacket.
MUSHNIK
I'm telling you, Audrey, you don't
need a date with him. You need
major medical.
She closes her jacket, looks up meekly, forces a sad,
embarrassed smile.
U D ~ Y
Enjoy dinner.
INT. SHOP
As Audrey hurriedly passes through, Seymour gazes at
her longingly.
(CONTINUED)
15
16
17
17 CONTINOED:
AUDREY
(without looking
at him)
Goodnight, Seymour.
SEYMOUR
Goodnight
And she's gone. Seymour looks sadly off in her
direction. Mushnik emerges from the storeroom.
MUSHNIK
Poor girl.
SEYMOUR
(forlorn. Trying to
cheer himself up)
Are we still going to dinner?
22.
17
Mushnik is about to answe:1:' kindly when his eye notices:
THE PLANT
It has wilted since we la:st saw it. It droops over the
side of its pot at a forty-five degree angle. Three
very serious descending ~ J S I C L CHORDS underscore the
SHOT.
Mushnik approaches the plant, picks it up, and takes it
to Seymour.
MOSHNIK
You're not going anywhere,
Krelborn! You're staying right
here and taking care of this sick
plant!
SEYMOUR
I told you it's been giving me
trouble. It just wilts like
this. The Audrey Two is not a
healthy girll
MUSHNIK
Strictly between us, neither is
the Audrey One.
SEYMOUR
If only I knew what breed it was,
what genus. But it's nowhere in
the books.
(CONTINUED)
17
1-
18
19
23.
CONTINUED: ( 2 )
MUSHNIK
well, Krelborn, my advice to you
is you e ~ ~ e r figure i ~ out and
fast. Look what this exotic
little beauty did for business.
SEYMOOR
I know.
MUSHNIK
So work, Seymour! Nurse this
plant back to health! I'm
counting on you!
I know.
You do?
I do.
SEYMOUR
MUSHNIK
(donning his coat,
hat and scarf)
SEYMOUR
MUSHNIK
So fix! Goodnight!
EXT. SKID ROW - A GLOWING, DEEP PINK SUNSET
MUSIC IN: The intro to "Grow for Me.wAs we watch
Mushnik disappear, sunset gives way to evening. One by
one, lights pop on in windows up and down the street.
Winos light fires and huddle beside them with brown-
bagged bottles. A light pops on in Seymour's basement
. room.
INT. THE BASEMENT
Seymour is looking through the basement window at
AtJDREY
standing in the window of her own tenement flat, across
the street. She has changed outfits and is now looking
into a mirror on her wall, stru9gling to conceal her
black eye with Cover Girl liquid eye makeup.
S!ymour gazes up at her with painful longing, then
returns his attention to his pathetic botanical
charge.
(CONTINUED)
17
18
19
19
24.
CONTINUED:
He sings as he works with misting can, spade and
It is an intimate moment with a boy and
his
SEYMOUR
I've given you sunshine
I've given you dirt
You've given me nothin'
But and hurt.
I'm you sweetly,
I'm down on my knees.
Oh please, grow for me.
I've give you plantfood
And water to sip.
I've given you potash.
You've given me zip!
Oh God, how I mist you.
Oh pod, how you tease.
Now. please, grow for me.
Seymour grabs a gardeningbook from the shelf and leafs
through it.
SEYMOUR (cont.)
I've given you southern exposure
To get you to thrive
I've pinched you back hard, like I'm
S'posed ta
You're barely alive
I've tried you at levels of moisture
From desert to mud
He gives up for a while and starts putting his room in
semi-order.
SEYMOUR (cont.)
I've given you grow-lights and
mineral supplements.
What do you want from me?
Blood?
Seymour picks up some dead roses, the thorns of which
have pricked his finger. It bleeds just a little
but brightly.
SEYMOUR (cont.)
Damned roses! Damned thorns!
Seymour rummages around through a box to find some
band-aids. His finger keeps bleeding. Near him, a
light from behind casts the plant's shadow on the
wall. Suddenly ,
(CONTINUED)
19
19
25.
CONTINUED: (2)
The shadow moves. In silhouette, the pod has opened
up. Seymour notices this and turns around to see --
Audrey Two, open wide, as if asking for something.
Seymour moves toward it. It upens wider. He is
puzzled by this behavior, then shrugs it off and
returns to his previous activities. He puts a band-aid
on his finger, hiding the blood.
The plant closes.
Seymour notices this and begins to get the idea. He
removes the band-aid and raises his finger in front of
the pod. Sure enough, it opens again.
Seymour slowly hides his finger behind his back. And
just as slowly, the pod closes. He reveals the blood
again. The plant opens.
Now he tries to trick it. He moves his hand down-up
very fast. With amazing reflexes, the plant shuts and
opens. Seymour gulps and sings:
SEYMOUR (cont.)
I've g i v ~ you sunshine.
Itve given you rain.
Looks like you're not happy,
'less I open a vein!
I'll give you a few drips
If that'll appease
Now please
Oh please
He squeezes a few drops of blood from his finger into
the gaping pod. It snatches for the red stuff like a
puppy for a biscuit. Seymour, a little sickened by his
own action "and even more so by his plant's response,
turns away from the pod and starts upstairs.
SEYMOUR (cont.)
I guess a few drops couldn't
hurt long as you don't make a
habit out of it or anything.
Audrey Two is alone now, lit by a shaft of moonlight
pouring in through the basement window. As MOSIC
BUILDS under, the dirt in which the plant is potted
begins to stir. The dry surface erupts like a small
earthquake. Roots be9in to push through.
The Maxwell House coffee can starts to shake, then
bulge. At last, the plant itself begins to grow.
(CONTINUED)
19
19
20
21
26.
CONTINUED:
The pod sort of bubbles, then swells. New leaves
appear, first as buds, and then unfurl before our
eyes. The stem extends three inches, then four.
By the time the MUSIC REACHES ITS CLIMAX, the plant is
a sturdy foot-and-a-half tall. It then bends its stem
gracefully and rises back up. If we didn't know
better, we'd think it had just taken a curtain call.
INT. RADIO STATION
An ANNOUNCER sits at a desk in a small radio station.
He speaks into a microphone.
ANNOUNCER
This is radio station WSKID
He plays five NOTES on a small CHIME.
ANNOUNCER ( con t. )
Where in just a few minutes we'll
be bringing you -Wink Wilkensen's
Weird World!- The show that talks
to wonderful people who bring in
their weird things. But first,
the news
(he changes his voice
to make it very deep)
The President today
announced
INT. CONTROL ROOM
It is separated from the studio by glass. We faintly
hear the news broadcast as we see, sitting in a chair,
a man holding a fish which is stuffed and mounted. The
fish has a human nose and mustache. Next to the man
and fish is seated a little boy holding a Rube
Goldberg-type machine. Next to him, and also seated,
is a six-foot tall wooden ventriloquist's dummy_
Sitting on the dummy's lap is a live midget who is
casually smoking a cigarette. And next to him is
Seymour with Audrey Two on his lap. They are all
patiently waiting their turn.
The plant is now a good twelve inches taller than when
we saw it last. Seymour wears ten band-aids one on
each of his fingers. Unseen by the others, including
Seymour, Audrey Two starts leaning towards the engineer
who is adjusting some dials. The plant inches closer
to the ~ n g ineer.
(CONTINUED)
19
20
21
21
22
CONTINUED:
Only when the plant'has its pod open and is about to
bite the engineer, does Seymour notice. He grabs the
,poa ana pulls it back.
INT. THE STUDIO
The Announcer is finishing the news.
ANNOUNCER
(still with a low voice)
Partly cloudy on Saturday with
highs in the mid-seventies.
He bangs on the CHIME again, five times.
ANNOUNCER (cont.)
(back to Voice No.1)
And now, Wink Wilkensen's Weird
World!" with your host, Wink
Wilkensen!
Through the glass, in the background, we see an
assistant get Seymour and the plant.
MUSIC: Theme of Wink Wilkensen's Weird Worldl"
ANNOUNCER (cont.)
(same announcer, but
now with still another
voice)
Thanks, Ted. Hi, everybody.
We1ve got a great show for you
today. Some wonderful people with
some really weird stuff.
(waving at his
assistant to
bring in Seymour)
Our first guest is someone you've
probably read about in the papers
by now Mr. Seymour Krelborn who
has discovered a new breed of
plant life hitherto unknown on
this p l a ~ e t Hello, Mr. Krelborn.
SEYMOUR
Uh, hello Wink.
ANNOUNCER
Say, I sure wish the folks at home
could see this. Where did you ~
such a weird plant?
27.
21
(CONTINUED)
22
23
&
24
25
26
27
CONTINUED:
28.
22
OMITTED
SEYMOUR
Well you remember that total
eclipse of the sun a couple of .
weeks ago?
INT. CONTROL ROOM
Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon pop up from behind the
engineer.
GIRLS
(sung)
Da Doo!
INT. STUDIO
SEYMOUR
(spoken)
I was walkin' in the wholesale
flower district that day
INT. THE SHOP - EARLY EVENING
The CASH REGISTER RINGS. Its arawer opens as, from it,
Mushnik grabs and counts wads of money. In the back-
ground we see a sign in the window. It reads:
Welcome to Mushnik's -- Home of the Audrey Two." A
Closed" sign is on the door.
ANNOUNCER (V. 0 )
(on radio)
And thus we conclude our interview
with Seymour Krelborn, the young
botanical er, do you mind if I
call you a genius?
SEYMOUR (V.O.)
Gosh, no!
Mushnik shakes his head in disbelief.
ANNOUNCER (V .0.)
The genius who has discovered
America's largest and most amazing
unidentified plant.
(CONTINUED)
23
&
24
25
26
27
27
28
29.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOOR (V. o. )
I'd like to remind our listeners
that the Audrey Two is on display
exclusively at Mushnik's Skid Row
Florist's... .
During the above. From inside we see that Audrey is
outside banging on the front door. Mushnik rushes over
and opens it. ~ r black eye is a little better, but
she now wears hei arm in a chic leopard-print sling.
AUDREY
Am I late? Did I miss it?
They move to the RADIO, on which we hear Seymour strug-
gling to get his last words in as the ANNOUNCER con-
cludes the broadcast.
27
SEYMOUR (V. 0 )
That's Mushnik's M
U S B N I
K Open six days a week,
ten to six!
ANNOUN CER (V. 0 )
And so until next
Wednesday, this is Wink
Wilkensen saying so
long and watch out for
what's weird.
Mushnik switches OFF THE RADIO.
MUSHNIK
That's what I call advertising.
Be grabs his coat and starts out the front door with
Audrey following.
AUDREY
Seymour's first radio broadcast.
I wanted to hear so bad. I. tried
to be on time, but
EXT. SBOP - EARLY EVENING
Mushnik and Audrey on sidewalk. Mushnik locks the
door.
MUSHNIK
Don't tell me. You got tied up.
AUDREY
No, just handcuffed a little.
We see a large picture of Seymour and the plant hung
near the sign in the display wipdow as Mushnik walks
Audrey across the street.
(CONTINUED)
28
28
29
30.
CONTINUED:
MUSHNIK
Handcuffed. Audrey, I don't know
who this noodnick is you're
hanging out with, but he is
hazardous to your health.
AUDREY
That's-for sure. But I can't
leave him.
MUSHNIK
Why not?
AUDREY
He'd get angry. And if he does
this to me when he likes me,
imagine what he'd do if he ever
got mad.
They arrive at her tenement door. Mushnik Sighs in
exasperation and leaves. Audrey turns and enters her
building.
MUSIC: Lead-in to Somewhere That'S Green.ft
INT. AUDREY'S APARTMENT - EARLY EVENING
It is a typical, small Skid Row apartment, however,
Audrey has tried to cover the poverty in which she
lives by decorating it in a style we would call -Frilly
Woolworth's.-
She enters and looks out her window at the picture of
Seymour across the street as she sings:
AUDREY
I think Seymour's the greatest
But I'm dating a semi-sadist.
So I got a black eye
And my arm's in a cast.
Still that Seymour's a cutie.
She looks at his picture again, then decides to be
honest.
AUDREY (cont.)
Well, if not
He's got inner beauty
And I dream of a place
Where we could be together
At last
(CONTINUED)
28
29
29
31.
CONTINUED:
She pulls out her treasured collection of magazines:
"Bouse and Gardens," "Better Bomes," "Woman's Day."
MUSIC SWELLS lyrically as she flips them open to
favorite pictures: model kitchens with avocado-
colored, refrigerators, playrooms with
knotty pine panelling, pristine Early American bedrooms
with white chenille spreads and doily-covered night
tables. An exterior shot of a "contemporary" split-
level house, circa 1961.
She sighs and continues singing:
AUDREY (con t. )
A matchbox of our own.
A fence of real chain link
A grill out on the patio
Disposal in the sink
A washer and a dryer and
An ironing machine
In a tract house that we share,
Somewhere that's green.
CAMERA PUSHES into the picture.
AUDREY'S DAYDREAM
She's in the magazine pictures now, dressed for all the
world like Barbara Billingsley from pumps to pearls, a
ruffled apron protecting her shirtwaist.
She moves from room to room of a perfect (and perfectly
awful) suburban cheesebox -- dusting the plastic-
covered sofa, adjusting the pole-lamps, straightening
the hand-tinted, plastic-framed photos -- singing all
the while.
AUDREY (cont.)
Be rakes and trims the grass
Be loves to mow and weed
I cook like Betty Crocker
And I look like Donna Reed
There'S plastic on the furniture
To keep it neat and clean
In the Pine-Sol scented air
Somewhere That's Green.
ORCHESTRAL INTERLUDE - a brief dream ballet.
The mood now is pure Leslie Caron as the rest of
Audrey's dream is danced out.
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
EXT. THE FRONT LAWN - DA Y
32.
30
We see a merrily pot-bellied Seymour mowing the lawn in
a brightly colored Ban-Lon shirt, as a COCKER SPANIEL
YAPS at his heels.
INT. THE PLAYROOM - DAY
The children watch Saturday Morning TV as Audrey
appears with a smiling pitcher of Kool-Aid. The
daughter is platinum blonde like her Mom and wears a
little leopard-print pinafore. The son is prematurely
balding at seven years old and wears glasses and cap
identical to his father's.
INT. THE DINING ROOM - DAY
Audrey ushers neighbor ladies in pedal-pushers and
curlers to a table set for Mah Jongg. In a flash,
she's back with bridge-mix and crustless tuna fish
sandwiches.
INT. THE LIVING ROOM - DAY
Audrey and neighbor at a Tupperware party.
INT. THE KITCHEN - DAY
Audrey dances to the oven to put in four Swanson TV
dinners.
31
34
EXT. LONG SHOT - DUSK 35
Outside, the sun begins to setover a development where
all the houses look just like this one.
INT. PLAYROOM AT NI GHT
Audrey and Seymour snuggle on .the couch. The kids are
on the floor, watching Lucy with her hand stuck in a
bowling ball. Even the dog and cat are snuggled and
enjoying the p.rogram. Audrey continues to sing in V.O.
AUDREY (V.O.)
Between our frozen dinner
And our bedtime, nine-fifteen
We snuggle watching Lucy
On our big
Enormous
Twelve-inch screen
36
37
38
33.
INT. UPSTAIRS
Audrey and Seymour tuck the kids into bunk beds and
chuckle at the pets asleep with them.
AUDREY (V.O.)
I'm his December Bride
Be's Father, He Knows Best
The kids' room, next to our room
And a third room for a guest
A out of
Better Bomes and Gardens Magazine
Audrey and Seymour reach the threshold of their Early
Amer ican bedroom. Be lifts her up and we .tactfully
DISSOLVE BACK TO:
EXT. SKID ROW - NIGHT
CLOSEUP of Audrey at her window singing. CAMERA SLOWLY
PULLS BACK as she looks out and sees a bleak Skid Row
cityscape of brick walls, garbage, fire escapes, and
passed-out winos.
AUDREY
Far from Skid Row
I dream we' 11 go
Somewhere That's
Green.
CAMERA has pulled back across the street so we see an
EXTREME WIDE SBOT of Audrey's eenement. Hers is the
only bright light we see in this dark, decayed street.
MUSIC:- A pulsing, high energy, bass line. The
beginning of wSome Fun Now.
w
This MUSIC DISSOLVES the reflective mood as CAMERA
TILTS up to see the Skid Row skyline. On a distant
-rooftop are three figures, silhouetted against the
sky. We START MOVING them with gathering speed
as the pulsating bass-line builds in volume and excite-
ment. Soon, we're CLOSE enough to see that it's
Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, in a girl-group
formation, bathed in the glow of a rooftop neon sign.
They begin to sing, Crystal taking the lead, in an
exaggerated wDonna meets Irene Cara
ft
style.
Ya YaYaYa
Ya Ya Ya
Ya YaYaYa
Ya Ya Ya
GIRLS
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
37
38
38
34.
CONTINUED:
GIRLS (CONT'D)
Seymour, the shnook,
His life was the worst
Oh what a bore dirt poor is
Now take a look
HiE" ' lck has reversed
Joy to the boy! It sure is
Some fun now!
INSERT - SPINNING NEWSPAPER - "Skid Row Gazette."
HEADLINE -- "Mystery Plant at Mushnik's!"
INSERT - SPINNING NEWSPAPER - "Garden Club News."
HEADLINE -- "Audrey Two! The New Plant for the
Sixties?!" Photo of a larger Audrey Two being held by
a weaker-looking Seymour.
INSERT - SPINNING PERIODICAL - "The Second Annual
Horticultural Awards Luncheon." Several photos of
Seymour holding the, plant and accepting an award'.
GIRLS (cont.)
He was bringin' up the rear-o
(Some fun now)
He was ringin' ~ a zero
(Some fun now)
Now he's swingin' into gear-o
Some fun now
Now
TELEVISION APPEARANCE: Seymour, holding an ever-larger
Audrey Two talks with Groueho Marx on "You Bet Your
Life." The duck flies down. The secret word is
"chlorophyl."
GIRLS (cont.)
Some fun now
Most folks used to sock it to him
(Some fun now)
Told jokes, used to try to screw him
(Some fun now)
Now they're proud to say they knew him
(Some fun now)
Some fun now
INSERT - SPINNING "TV GUIDE." "TV Guide" stops
spinning, opens and CAMERA pushes in to see listing for
"Mr. Wizard."
TELEVISION APPEARANCE - Seymour, holding an even larger
Audrey Two, talks to Mr. Wizard and a couple of
thirteen-year-old kids who look too smart for their own
good.
(CONTINUED)
38
38
39
35.
CONT INtJED : ( 2 )
GIRLS (cont.)
Some fun now
That's the way the Whoopie 90es
And
(Some fun now)
That's the way the garden grows
And
(Some f.un now)
Some fun heaven only knows
It's
STILL PHOTOS - Various stills of Seymour being more
successful.
GIRLS (cont. )
Some fun now!
Some fun now!
Some fun now!
Some fun now!
INT. SHOP - DAY
The'shop is bulging with customers all chattering
about, and viewing, the Audrey Two and buying flowers
as if they were going out of style. It is Obvious that
Mushnik has ploughed some of his profi ts back into the
shop. It has been re-decorated with real formica on
the counters, new refrigerated display cases with
twinkling lights, kitschy pseudo-antique trimmings, the
works. The Girls are also in the mass of customers and
continue sinoing Some Now, Of which
fade into and mingle with the cacophony of the people
in the store.
GIRLS
(fading out)
Some fun now!
Some fun now!
Some fun now.
Some fun now.
As the throng moves about the shop they clear the plant
enough for us to see that it is now Sitting in an
enormous pot on the floor and standing a full four-feet
tall with a spotlight on it. Mushnik is on the phone
and can barely make himself beard over all the babble.
MOSRNIK
Yes, Mrs. Shiva. No, Mrs.
Shiva. Right away, Mrs. Shiva.
(hangs up and shouts
to Seymour)
Seymour! Did you send out the
order for Mrs. Shiva?
(CONTINUED)
38
39
39
40
CONTINUED:
36.
39
SEYMOUR
(looking very anemic)
Mrs. Shival I forgot!
MUSHNIK
You forgot! You forgot! Do yc '
hear this, God? Are you
listening, customers? He forgot!
Seymour heads for the storeroom.
INT. STOREROOM - DAY
The shop's little storage room has been converted into
a flower arranging area. Audrey is hard at work on a
"Get Well Soon" arrangement which includes not only
flowers but handy packs of Kleenex and bottles
of aspirin. Behind her a sign advertises "Arrangements
by Audrey." From the other we hear the bustling
SOUNDS of successful shop. 'Seymour rushes in just
as Audrey puts the final touch into her arrangement
a thermometer.
SEYMOUR
(entering)
Audrey, quick we gotta do an
emergency arrangement.
AUDREY
(springing into

Birthday? Wedding? Baby?
SEYMOUR
Funeral.,
AUDREY
Hand me the lilies.
They clear a space on
assemble a very large
funeral arrangement.
Seymour aS9ists, like
the table and Audrey begins to
and scrupulously tasteless
Huge lilies. Black satin bows.
a nurse at surgery.
SEYMOUR
Mr. Mushnik's really mad. I keep
forgetting things. I guess it's
'cause I feel a little weak and
liqhtheaded all the time .
Scissor's.
your mind.
AUDREY
You've got a lot on
(CONTINUED)
40
40
37.
CONTINUED:
Mushnik passes through on the way to the basement.
MUSHNIK
Mind? What mind? The Shivas are
our most important funereal
Who could forget such an
order?
Be leaves.
AUDREY
Sometimes I think Mr. Mushnik's
too hard on you. Glue.
Seymour hands Audrey a can of spray glue with which she
begins to spray the fresh lilies, carnations and mums
in her arrangement. Neither she nor Seymour considers
this anything out of the ordinary.
SEYMOUR
I don't mind. After all, I owe
him everything. Be took me out of
the Skid Row Bome for Boys when I
was just a little tyke gave me
a warm place to sleep under the
counter good things to eat like
meatloaf and water Floors to
sweep and toilets to clean and
AUDREY
Glitter.
Sbe is out her hand like a surgeon does for a
scalpel. Seymour hands her a plastic bag of multi-
colored glitter. Audrey tosses fistsful of glitter on
the glue-covered flowers as she addresses Seymour,
meaning every word from the bottom of her enormous
heart.
AUDREY
You know, I think you should raise
your expectations, Seymour. Now
that you're getting successful I
mean.
She pauses for a moment and looks straight at him.
AUDREY ( con t. )
It's clear you suffer from a low
self-image. And it's high time
you should get it fixed. Go out
and do something nice for
yourself, like buy some nice
clothes.
(CONT INtJEP )
40
40
CONTINUED: (2)
SEYMOUr<
Aw, I'm a very bad shopper,
Audrey. I don't have good
taste
38.
40
Ee looks admiringly down at the glittering arrangement,
then adoringly up into her eyes. .
SEYMOUR (con t. )
. . . like you.
Oh
Well
AUDREY
(sh@ melts).
(she returns his
loving gaze)
(there's magic in
the air)
.. I could help you pick things
out.
He can't believe what he's just heard. He leans
closer.
SEYMOUR
You could?
So does she.
AUDREY
Sure!
And closer
SEYMOUR
You'd go shopping with me?
AUDREY
Sure!
And closer
SEYMOUR
You'd be seen with me in a public
place like a department store?
AUDREY
Sure!
SEYMOUR
Tonight?
(CONTINUED)
40
41
CONTINUED: (3 )
39.
40
Reality intrudes. She pulls back, embarrassed and
upset. She smiles shyly to cover it. Mushnik now re-
enters, having come from the basement.
AUDREY
Oh, I can't tonight.
(beat)
I've got a date.
Seymour is crestfallen.
arrangement and exits.
dejectedly walks away.
out with him.
Seeing Mushnik, he grabs the
Audrey watches Seymour as he
She truly wishes she could go
MUSHNIK
Again this date? Some date. A
date gives you a corsage, not a
multiple fracture, I'm telling
you, Audrey, he ain't a good,
clean kinda boy.
AUDREY
(she returns to
work)
Be's a professional.
MUSHNIK
What kinda professional drives a
motorcycle and wears a black
leather jacket?
MUSIC: A ,nasty, tambourine and chain-flavored -Leader
of the Pack- musical vamp begins as we --
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
-EXTREME CLOSEUP of a black-leathered glove REVVING the
accelerator of a moving motorcycle. CAMERA TILTS up to
see a face covered by a black motorcycle helmet. Dark
goggles cover the eyes. All we can see is the lower
face of a toothy-grinning greaser with a Robert Goulet
smile. We don't know it yet, but this is ORIN
SCRlVELLO.
ORIN
When I was younger, just a bad l i t ~ l
kid
My mama noticed funny things I did
Like shootin' puppies with a B.B. gun
I'd poison guppies, and when I was
done --
I'd find a pussycat and bash in his
head.
That's when my Mama said
41
42
43
44
40.
EXT. CITY STREET SCENE - DAY
Pedestrians busily moving along the sidewalk. Crystal,
Ronette and Chiffon .are sitting on a parked car as Orin
pulls up.
GIRLS
What did she say?
Orin gets off the bike, which miraculously stays up by
itself. He walks into an office building and down a
corridor.
ORIN
She said, my boy I think someday
You'll find a way
To make your natural tendencies pay.
He stops in the corridor and opens a door.
ORIN (cont.)
You'll be a ...
INT. DENTIST'S OFFICE
Orin steps inside and unzips his black leather jacket
underneath which he is wearing a white dentist's
uniform. The Girls are now in the background wearing
Dental Assistant's uniforms and singing back-up.
ORIN
Dentist!
You have a talent for causing things
pain.
Orin takes off his helmet and flings it aside, hitting
his nurse, Miss Mack, and knocking her out.
Son be a
Dentist!
ORIN (cont.)
People will pay you to be inhumane.
42
43
ROOM ONE
44
Orin enters. A terrified patient, wearing God-awful
looking braces, is in the chair. Orin, still wearing
his motorcycle gloves, grabs an absolutely filthy,
crud-caked towel and cleans his gloves.
ORIN
Your temperment's wrong for the
priesthood
And teaching would suit you still less.
(CONTINUED)
44
45
46
41.
CONTINUED:
Or-in grabs a large pliers from a cabinet full of
horrific-looking_dental instruments. He wrenches the
patient's head back and maniacally "tightens" the
patient's braces. Orin twists the braces with the same
subtlety he would use to jack up a car. The "patient
almost passes out.
Son, be ~
Dentist --
ORIN (cont.)
You'll be a success!
Orin exits. MUSIC VAMPS.
ROOM TWO
Grinning dementedly, he enters the room as a star would
enter a stage. A twelve-year-old boy sits in the
chair. His mother stands next to him, holding his
hand.
"GIRLS
(in room)
Here he is, folks
The leader of the plaque
Orin yanks the gas mask off the terrified boy and he
breathes in some gas.
GIRLS (cont.)
Watch him suck up that gas!
Oh my Godl
The mother faints. High on nitrous oxide, Orin giggles
maniacally and exits.
44
45
ROOM THREE
46
Orin enters giggling.
GIRLS (V.O.)
Be's a dentist and he'll never-ever be
Any good.
Another horrified PATIENT trembles in the chair as Orin
goes into the Patient's o u t ~ with a rusty pliers.
Orin emerges with a large rotted tooth, roots and all.
He flings the tooth aside and exits giggling.
(CONTINUED)
46
47
42.
CONTINUED:
GIRLS
(poking their heads
in the doorway)
Who wants their teeth done
By the Marquis De Sadel
MUSIC VAMPS.
ROOM FOUR
Orin is leaning over another PATIENT to whom he's just
given an injection. Orin retracts the huge needle from
the Patient's mouth.
PATIENT
(shrieking)
Oh, that hurts!
Orin grabs his trusty pliers and heads o ~ the
Patient's teeth.
PATIENT (cont.)
(terrified)
Wait! I'm not numb!
Ah, shut up!
Open wide!
Here I comel
ORIN
REVERSE SHOT from inside the Patient's mouth. We see
the back of his teeth, tongue, and lips and through the
opening of the lips we see Orin and the Girls singing.
I am your
Dentistl
ORIN
PATIENT
(the large lips
form the words)
Goodness gracious!
ORIN
And I enjoy the career that I picked.
GIRLS
You love itl
ORIN
(EXITING SHOT)
I am your
Dentist
(CONTINUED)
46
47
47
48
50
CONTINUED:
43.
47
CUT TO Orin at the door. It is closed.
GIRLS (O.S.)
Fitting braces!
Orin stands with his ear to the door, listening.
ORIN
And I get off on the pain I inflict!
On the wordninflict
n
Orin violently swings open the
door.
CUT TO:
THE HALLWAY
We see Orin has caught his nurse, MISS MACK, in mid-
stride and has flattened her against the wall. Loving
it, he crosses to Room Five.
ROOM FIVE
GIRLS (O.S.)
Be really loves it!
Orin is hand cranking a WWlI field DRILL which emits a
horrible SCREECHING NOISE. The Patient is absolutely
catatonic with fear as, ever grinning, Orin gets down
to it.
ORIN
(over the SCREECHING
SOUND OF THE DRILL)
I thrill when I drill
A bicuspid
It's swell, though they tell me
I'm maladjusted
GIRLS
Dentist!
WAITING ROOM
Orin pokes his smiling head in.
ORIN
And though it may cause my
patients distress.
All the Patients in the waiting room cower back.
PATIENTS
Distress!
48
49
50
51
I
44.
ROOM rIVE
A PATIENT who is manaclea hana ana foot ana whose mouth
is filled with cotton bits, fights to remove herself
from the chair.- The Girls hold her down. Orin
relishes making her wait for the torment to come. He
opens a cupboard and inside we see an altar with
candles burning and a large, gilt-framed photo of an
elderly Italian lady. Be sings to it adoringly.
ORIN
Somewhere,
Somewhere in heaven above me
I know --
I know that my mama's proud of me
'Cause I'm a Dentist!
And a success!
Be slowly, menacingly starts to approach the Patient
brandishing a WHINING DRILL in one hand and with the
other hand he holds a water sprayer. Be viciously
sprays a thick, steady stream of water into the
Patient's mouth.
Say ah.
Ahhh
Say ah!
ORIN (cont.)
PATIENT
(in terror, with
her mouth filling
with water)
ORIN
PATIENT
(about to pass out)
Aggggghhhh!
Orin is leering, menacing, and wild-eyed as he's drown-
ing the Patient.
ORIN
_ Say ah!
PATIENT
(gargling a scream)
Ahhhrrgggrri
ORIN
(smugly, straight
to CAMERA)
Now spi t.
(CONTINUED)
51
51
SlA
45.
CONTINUED:
Orin violently slaps the Patient on the back. The
Patient heaves forward spewing out a huge mouthful of
water and cotton bits as we --
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET
A CLOSEUP of about a gallon of water and pieces of
gravel landing in the gutter. CAMERA TILTS UP to see a
large vase of water being emptied by Seymour. He puts
the first vase down, picks up a second one and as he
empties the second one a motorcycle ROARS to a halt by
the curb and splashes Seymour. It is Orin, in full
black leather gear. Be removes his helmet and de-bikes
(again, the motorcycle miraculously stays up by
itself). Be approaches the shop, unscrewing the cap of
a little metal inhaler as he walks.
SEYMOUR
I'm sorry, sir. You can't go in
there now.
ORIN
(smiling)
Oh yes, I can.
SEYMOUR
No, really, sir. We're closed!
ORIN
(lifting the inhaler
to his nose)
Relax. You want some nitrous
oxide?
SEYMOUR
No, no, thank you.
ORIN
(continuing
toward shop)
Suit yourself.
SEYMOUR
Uh sir You really can't
Audrey comes out of the shop, dressed for her Icate.
AUDREY
It's okay, Seymour. This is my
date
(CONTINUED)
51
SlA
SlA
46.
CONTINUED:
Orin nods, grins, and giggles inanely, feeling the gas.
AUDREY (cont.)
My boyfrienp. Seymour. Orin
Scrivello
Orin abruptly stops laughing and shoots her a murderous
glare.
D.D.S.
Sir?
AUDREY (cont.)
(quickly, to
pacify him)
ORIN
(suddenly, loud)
SEYMOUR
(involuntarily)
ORIN
(extremely affable)
I know you. Sure, I saw you on
the news Gimme a minute, now.
I know your name it's Cedric,
Steven, Simon
AUDREY
Seymour
ORIN
(suddenly vicious)
Somebody talkin' to you?
AUDREY
Oh no Excuse me.
ORIN
Excuse me what?
AUDREY
Excuse me Doctor.
ORIN
That's better.
(turns to
a pussycat again)
I know, you're the Plant Guy,
right? Bey, wait! It must be in
there, huh?
(CONTINUED)
SlA
SlA
52
CONTINUED:
( 2)
47.
51A
He inhales some more nitrous and stumbles to the
window. There it is, big as life.
ORIN (cont.)
Ow wow, is that incredible!
AUDREY
Er shouldn't we be leaving now?
Orin shoots her another threatening look.
AUDREY ( con t. )
I'm sorry!
ORIN
Sorry what?
AUDREY
Doctor! Doctor! Sorry, Doctor!
ORIN
(to Seymour)
Ya gotta train 'em, eh, stud?
Listen, here's my card. You ever
need a root canal or anything just
give me a buzz, you hear? I'm
serlous. It's on the house.
Okay, Aud-ree!
Orin tosses his head summoning Audrey to follow. She
sneaks one miserable, trapped glance at Seymour, then
forces herself to join Orin on the motorcyole. As Orin
REVS it up we see, on the cycle, a decal insignia of a
tooth stuck with a dagger and the letters. wA.D.A.
ft
Orin calls back to Audrey over the ROAR OF THE ENGINE.
ORIN (cont.)
You got the handcuffs?
AUDREY
(as they pull away)
They're right in my bag.
Seymour's blood is boiling. He leaps on his bicycle
and pedals off to follow them.
EXT. DRIVE-IN - NIGHT
Orin, astride his bike gleefully watches the start of
ftCreature from the Haunted Sea.
ft
Audrey, behind him on
the bike (where she couldn't see the screen if she
wanted to), ~ forced to sit holding the littlp drive-
in SPEAKER.
52
53
54
55
56
48.
EXT. THE DRIVE-IN I S SNACK BAR
with a tacky neon sign in the background and a woman in
robe and curlers carrying food in the foreground,
Seymour, depressed to the point of desperation, sits at
a picnic table watching them.
THUNDER. A sudden cloudblJrst.
EXT. DRIVE-IN
On the motorcycle, Orin snaps his fingers. Audrey
pulls out an umbrella and holds it in one hand, the
speaker still in the other, covering Orin while she
herself gets soaked.
53
54
EXT. SNACK BAR 55
Seymour, dejected and getting wet, bicycles away.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE SHOP - NIGHT (AN HOUR LATER)
Seymour, miserable and wet from his ride, sits on the
floor next to AUDREY TWO. He.pats the pot as he talks
to it. Be needs a friend.
SEYMOUR
You oughta see the way he treats
her Twoey. She deserves a
prince, not a sadistic creep like
him. The man's a total disgrace
to the dental profession. I don't
know what's goin' oln sometimes.
Seems like the whole world's goin'
crazy. Least we got each other,
right? I'm gonna turn in, Twoey.
See ya in the
Seymour starts for the basement when he hears a CRUNCH-
ING SOUND. Be turns around and sees that --
Audrey Two has wilted dramatically.
SEYMOUR (con t. )
Oh boy, here we go again.
Be looks down at his fingers. There's still a bandage
on each one.
(CONTINUED)
56
56
49.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOUR (eon t. )
e'mon, I haven't got much left.
I'm all anemic, I've got dizzy
spells Lookit, gimme a few days
to heal, okay? Then when the
headache passes, we'll start again
on the left hand and
The PLANT SPEAKS. - A deep, funky basso.
AUDREY TWO
Feed me.
SEYMOUR
I beg your pardon?
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
Twoey you talked you opened
your tr ap , your ___ thi ng and you
said
AUDRE-Y TWO
(loud)
Feed me, Krelborn! Feea me ..E.2!!!
Seymour frantically starts removing a band-aid and
starting toward the Plant.
- SEYMOUR
Look, maybe I can squeeze a little
more out of this one, but
Seymour stands over the gaping pod, trying to squeeze a
drop or two from his bone-dry finger.-
AUDREY TWO
More! Morel
_ SEYMOUR
There isn't any more! Whatdya
want me to do? Slit my wrists?
Silently the Plant opens its pod as if to say "You got
i tI"
Oh boy.
SEYMOUR ( con t. )
(scared now)
(trying to
stay calm)
Look I got an idea
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
56
S6 CONTINUED: (2)
SEYMOUR (CONT'D)
I'm-a-go down to Shmendrik's and
pick you up some nice chopped
sirloin.
AUDREY TWO
Must be blood.
. SEYMOUR
Twoey, :that's disgusting.
AUDREY TWO
Must be fresh.
SEYMOUR
I don't want to hear this.
50.
56
MUSIC IN. "Git It." The Plant starts to sing.
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
(spoken)
Does it have to be human?
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
Does it have to be mine?
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
Where am I s'posed to get it?
The Plant goes into a "Rock Me, Baby style blUes riff,
swaying its leaves and moving its pod with slick in-
sinuation.
AUDREY TWO
Feed me, Seymour.
Feed me all night long
(spoken)
That's right, boy, you can do itl
(sung)
Feed me, Seymour
Feed me, all night long.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
56 CONTINUED: (3 )
AUDREY TWO (CONT' D)
(laughing)
Henh, henh, henh, henh!
(sung)
'Cause if ya feed me, Seymour,
I can grov rp, big and strong!
Seymour starts for the storeroom. He's seen enough.
SEYMOUR
(spoken)
You eat blood, Audrey Two, let's
face it. Bow'm I to keep
on feeding you, kill people?
AUDREY TWO
(likewise)
I'll make it worth your while.
Seymour stops dead in his tracks.
SEYMOUR
What?
AUDREY TWO
You think this is all
baby? The sudden success around
here? The press coverage?
SEYMOUR
Look, you're a plantl An
inanimate object!
51.
56
Seymour heads out again. The Plant sends a vine flying
out across the room and wraps it around Seymour's
waist.
AUDREY TWO
Does this look inanimate to you,
punk?
(beat)
If I can talk and I can move?
Who's to say I can't do anything I
want?
SEYMOUR
Like what?
AUDREY TWO
Like deliver, pal. Like see you
get everything your secret, greasy
heart desires!
The SONG resumes as the Plant sensually rubs its vine
up and down Seymour's side.
(CONTINUED)
56 CONTINUED: (4)
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
Would you like a Cadillac car?
Or a guest shot on Jack Paar?
How about a date with Bedy Lamarr?
You gonna git it?
52.
56
The Plant's vine spins Seymour around abruptly so he's
now facing the singing pod. It begins to rock in time
to its own music.:
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
Mm hm.
How'd ya like to be a big wheel
Dinin' out for every meal
I'm the plant who can make it real!
You gonna git itl
The Plant starts moving its vines and tendrils like an
octopus at a modern dance recital as the MUSIC turns
funky, slow, and hot.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
I'm your genie
I'm your friend
I'm your willing slave
Take a chance,
Just feed me and
Ya know the kinda eats
The kinda red hot treats
The kinda sticky, licky sweets I
CRAAAAAAAVE 1
On that word Crave, the Plant opens its pod wide for
the first time, giving us a glimpse of ferocious teeth
inside.
One vine pulls up a chair while two other vines push
Seymour down onto the ~ h a i r
The pod rises up a bit now, so it's towering over the
seated Seymour like the genie from the lamp. The stem
on which it rests rocks out as the song starts going
for broke.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
C'mon, Seymour
Don't be a putz
Trust me and your life'll surely rival
King Tut's
Show a little Initiative
Work up the guts
And you'll Git It!
(CONTINUED)
56
53.
CONTINUED: (5)
Seymour stands and, during the following lyrics which
Seymour sings to himself in VOICE OVER, he looks in a
mirror and sees instead of his own face the faces
of Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon grinning l i ~ e Cheshire
Cats and WAILING a shrill Gospel counter-melody.
Seymour turns away only to see a Bum grinning r ~ ~ l y at
him through the window.
I don't know!
I don't know!
SEYMOUR' (V.O.)
I have so many strong
Reservations!
Should I go
And perform
Seymour turns away from the grinning Bum and sees a
pair of scissors on the counter next to some shiny red
ribbon.
SEYMOUR ( con t. )
Mutilations?
Seymour, still lost in thought. The Plant over his
shoulder, leaning closer.
AUDREY TWO
(spoken)
You didn't have nothin' till you
met me. C'mon, kid. What'll it
be? Money? Girls? One
particular girl? Bow 'bout that
Audrey? Think it over. There
must be someone you could eight-
six, real quiet like and git me
some LUNCH 1
The Plant rocks out again, moving its stem like Mick
Jagger moves his hips, leaning its pod over one of its
vines, almost as if the leaf held a microphone.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
(sung)
Think about that room at the Ritz!
wrapped in velvet, covered in glitz!
A little nookie gonna clean up those
zits!
And you'll Git It!
Seymour turns away from the doorway and sings to him-
self.
SEYMOUR
Gee, I'd like a Harley machine
(CONTINUED)
56
56 CONTINUED: (6)
AUDREY TWO
Now you're cookin'l
SEYMOUR
Toolin' around like I was James Dean
AUDREY TWO
Yeah!
SEYMOUR
Makin' all the guys on the corner
Turn green!
AUDREY TWO
So Go Gi tIt!
Ooooh-oooh-oooh-oooh
54.
56
Seymour gets into it, now, as the Plant moves every-
thing it's got -- pod, vines, stem, leaves. It's actu-
ally dancing with Seymour -- who bugaloos right back at
it.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
If you wanna be profound
And you really gotta justify
Take a break and look around
A lotta folks deserve to die!
The fun stops. Seymour can't believe what he just
heard.
SEYMOUR
(spoken)
Wait a minute, wait a minute!
That's not a very nice thing to
say.
AUDREY TWO
(spoken, nudging
him smugly)
But it's true, isn't it?
SEYMOUR
No! I don't know anyone who
deserves to get chopped up and fed
to a hungry plant!
AUDREY TWO
Mmmm, sure you do.
And with that, the Plant sends a vine sailing across
the room to a light switch, which it flicks off with
the greatest of ease.
(CONTINUED)
56
57
CONTINUED: (7)
55.
56
From the darkened shop's front window, the street out-
side is now plainly visible.
The Plant's vines take Seymour firmly by the shoulders
and point him toward the window.
EXT. THE STREET OUTSIDE - SEYMOUR'S POV
It's still raining lightly.
Orin's MOTORCYCLE R O ~ to a halt outside Audrey's
tenement building_ They "disembark."
ORIN
Stupid woman! Christ, what a
friggin' scatterbrain!
AUDREY
I'm sorry, Doctor! I'm sorry,
Doctor!
ORIN
Drops the damned umbrella, gets me
soaked!
AUDREY
I'm clumsy, Doctor! I'm clumsy,
Doctor!
They disappear into Audrey's buildin9, but their
muffled VOICES are still audible.
ORIN (O.S.)
Get the door open, ya little slut.
AUDREY (O.S.)
I'm tryin9, Doctor! I'm tryin9,
Doctor!
They appear now as silhouettes on the closed shade of
Audrey's apartment window.
ORIN (O.S.)
Look at my jacket! Look at my
hair! Get the Vitalisl Quick,
the Vitalist
AUDREY (O.S.)
I'm out of it, Doctorl
ORIN (O.S.)
What'?!'?!'?l?
Still in silhouette on the shade, he slaps her.
(CONTINUED)
57
57
58
CONTINUED:
56.
57
AUDREY (O.S.)
Orin! That hurt!
ORIN (O.S.)
Can it!
INT. THE SHOP
MUSIC BUILDS to a climax as Seymour slowly turns, red-
faced and trembling, toward the Plant. He's a man
possessed now -- ready to do anything to save Audrey
from the clutches of that beast across the street.
SEYMOUR & AUDREY TWO
(singing tight,
angry harmony)
If you want a rationale
It isn't very hard to see
Stop and think it over, pal,
The guy sure looks like plantfood to
me!
The guy sure looks like plantfood to
me!
The guy sure looks like to
me!
The Plant, jumping up and down -- its pot hammering the
floorboards -- is singing and "dancing" wildly now,
shaking everything it's got working Seymour up to a
frenzy.
SEYMOUR
Be's so nasty, treating her rough!
AUDREY TWO
Smackin' her around and always
talkin' so toughl
SEYMOUR
You need blood, and he's got more
than enough!
AUDREY TWO
I need blood, and he's got more
than enough!
SEYMOUR & AUDREY TWO
You (I) need blood and he's 90t
more than enough!
The Plant's pod looks Seymour straight in the eye
AUDREY TWO .
So 90 Git Itl
(CONTINUED)
58
58
59
57.
CONTINUED:
Seymour turns away from the Plant and into a CLOSEUP
his face a knot of utter resolve.
INT. DENTIST'S OFFICE RECEPTION ROOM - 6 P.M. (THE
NE XT AFTE RN f'\f')'i )
Miss Mack, a receptionist and refugee from the Women's
Army Corps, sits ~ e d i n g "Combat Magazine.- She has a
large band-aid on" her face from when the helmet hi t
her. Across from her waits a patient, MR. DENTON.
ORIN'S GIGGLES waft in from a -nearby "examining room.
They are followed by a SCREAM OF PAIN. Miss Mack
shakes her head and mutters.
MISS MACK
Weakling.
DENTON
(cheerfully)
Does that mean they're finished?
Is it almost my turn?
MISS MACK
Keep your pants on.
A TEENAGED GIRL emerges from the examining room. Her
mouth is encumbered by a grotesquely exaggerated ver-
sion of a night-retainer so large, heavy, and rusted,
the Girl can barely hold her head up. Ber MOTHER,
deeply shaken by the dentistry she has just witnessed,
mumbles to herself in shock.
MOTHER
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall
not want
Denton approaches the Teenager.
DENTON
What did he do? Tell me
everything!
TEENAGER
(unable to make her-
self understood through
the metal in her mouth)
Argfluuggggshjenkrenh!
The Mother and Daughter exit. Denton sits down. Miss
Mack glances at the clock and starts to pack it in for
the evening.
(CONTINUED)
58
59
59
60
58.
CONTINUED:
Orin enters wearing a leather apron. He smiles
his eyes are
ORIN
Next!
Denton springs to his feet.
DENTON
Arthur Dentonl I'm
next!
ORIN
(askance at the
enthusiasm)
Does that have an appointment?
MISS MACK
Ask it. I'm off duty.
She leaves. Denton chatters away excitedly as he and
Orin head for the office.
DENTON
You know, I've been saving up all
month for this. I'm sure I need a
root canal. I'm sure I need 'a
very long, slow, root canal.
ORIN
We'll see.
DENTON
I have a history of dental
illness.
ORIN
up!
DENTON
Yes,
INT. ORIN'S OFFICE
Orin, taking a hit from his small nitrous oxide vial,
comes toward Denton brandishing a drill.
DENTON
Yes! Yes! That's itl Show it to
me first! Show it to me firstl
Orin starts into his mouth.
59
60
61
62
INT. RECEPTION ROOM
59.
61
Seymour opens the door and looks around. Nobody there.
He enters and sits. He is extremely nervous as he puts
his hand in his pocket and pulls out a He looks
at it and puts it back quickly as, from inner of-
fice, he hears Denton's of pleasure surfacing
over the SOUND OF DRILLING.
DENTON (O.S.)
That was terrific! More!
LOUDER DRILLING 0.5.
DENTON (0.5.) (cont.)
Don't stop! Oh, God, don't stop
now!
Seymour winces.
INT. OFFICE
Denton is in a frenzy. Orin, having paused in his work
for a moment, stares at him in disbelief.
DENTON
More! Yes! Yes! Yesl I want
it! Now! Now! Now! Yes!
(then quietly)
What's wrong?
ORIN
(under his breath)
Get out.
DENTON
Aw, come on, Doc.
ORIN
I said, get out!
Denton comes running out of the office, Orin following
close behind, carrying his drill.
ORIN I (cont. )
Goddarnn sickol Move it!
Denton is out the door in a flash. Orin, frenzied,
whirls on Seymour, catching him off guard.
ORIN (cont.)
Lemme ask you something.
(brandishing drill)
Does this scare you?
(CONT INtlED )
62
62
63
60.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOUR
Yeah.
ORIN
Would you like it if I took this
thing and made straight for your
goddarnn incisors?!
SEYMOUR
No!
ORIN
It'd hurt, right?
SEYMOUR
Right!
ORIN
You'd scream, right?
SEYMOUR
Right!
ORIN
Then get your ass in here!
SEYMOUR
What?!
Before Seymour can do anything, Orin has started haul-
ing him into the office.
INT. OFFICE
Seymour struggles, but Orin easily straps hiln into the
chair and shines the light right in Seymour's eyes.
ORIN
(as he straps him in)
Don't I know you?
SEYMOUR
Seymour Krelborn, we met yester
Orin forces Seymour's mouth wide open and looks in
gleefully.
ORIN
00, your mouth's a mess, kid.
Let's start with that wisdom
toothl
Orin gets his pliers.
(CONTINUED)
62
63
63
61.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOUR
No!
ORIN
We'll just rip the little bugger
right outa there, whatdya say?
SEYMOUR
Let me -:go!
Orin turns to Seymour, suddenly smiling.
ORIN
There's always time for dental
hygiene, Seymour. You ever seen
the results of a neglected mouth?
Look, Seymour!
With a flick of his finger, Orin turns on a light box,
similar to those used to read X-rays. This one, how-
ever, displays an enormous color slide of a disgusting,
rotted, decaying, salivating dog's mouth
. ORIN (cont .. )
This could happen to youl
Seymour is about to be ill.
ORIN (cont.)
Unless I take immediate action.
Orin grabs his ~ field DRILL and starts to pump the
drill's pedal. It makes a high-pitched, HORRIBLE
SOUND.
SEYMOUR
What's that?
ORIN
That's the drill, Seymour.
SEYMOUR
It's rusty!
ORIN
It's an antique!
(fondly)
They don't make instruments like
this any more. Sturdy, heavy,
dull. This is gonna be a
pleasure.
Be is about to drill Seymour when he gets an idea and
stops abruptly.
(CONTINUED)
63
63
62.
CONT INUED: ( 2)
ORIN (cont.)
I'm gonna want some gas for this
one.
SEYMOUR
Gas?
ORIN
Nitrous oxide.
SEYMOUR
Oh, thank God. I thought you
weren't going to use any.
ORIN
Oh, the gas isn't for you,
Seymour. It's for me. I wanna
really enjoy this. In fact, I'm
gonna use my special gas mask.
As Orin speaks, he opens the cabinet and pulls out an
elaborate mask. He straps it on around his neck. he
is preoccupied enough not to notice
Seymour loosening his wrist restraints.
ORIN (cont.)
I find that a little giggle gas
before we begin increases my
pleasure enormously.
The mask in place now, Orin ~ u r s the knob on the wall
all the way up to Full.
ORIN (cont.)
Here we go!
HISSING SOUNDS. Orin immediately begins to get high
and giggle.
Be is laughing so hard now, he has to hold onto a
counter top for support. This turns his back toward
Seymour.
ORIN (cont.)
Oh boy, Seymour, I am flyin' now.
Oh, the things we are gonna do to
your mouth! Heeeeyaaaahahahahahal
Orin tries to regain composure and straighten up.
ORIN (cont.)
Okay, okay, okay, okay. Work to
do.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
63
63
63.
CONTINUED: (3)
ORIN (CONT )
(more laughter)
Time to work.
(more laughter)
Okay, okay, straighten up and
Be bomehow manages to pull himself to an upright posi-
tion and turns a r ~ u n d Suddenly, his expression is one
of shock as he sees
Seymour, standing in the doorway, pointing a gun at
him.
ORIN (cont.)
What the hell is that?
Seymour closes his eyes and clenches his teeth, trying
to make himself shoot.
A gun.
ORIN (cont.)
(exploding with
laughter, then talking
through it with
difficulty)
The"kid's got a goddamn revolver!
(more laughter)
Jesus, I'm in trouble, huh?
Be giggles hysterically as he turns the gas knob.
It comes off in his hand. The HISSING SOUND continues.
This strikes him funny.
ORIN (cont.)
Oh oh
Laughs. Seymour keeps the gun pointed, trying to force
himself to actually pull the trigger.
Orin makes an attempt to get the mask off, but he can
barely get his arms up to his head. He's too weak from
the gas and the laughter.
ORIN (cont.)
Oh boy uh Oh Seymour,
give me a hand, would ya? Er
no, I guess you wouldn't.
He laughs. Be tries to pull the hose out of the wall.
The entire gas apparatus comes with it, sending Orin
crashing to the floor. The HISSING CONTINUES.
(CONTINUED)
63
63
~
64
CONTINtTED: (4 )
64.
63
Orin finds this hilarious. He's on the floor laughing
like an imbecile, wheezing, and desperately trying to
catch his breath. He tries to get to his' feet. He
can't. He struggles to speak:
ORIN (cont.)
The point is, Seymour, I could
asphyx; asphyx asphyx
. : (a real scream)
Help me! 1 1.
Seymour just stands there watching, gun still pointed.
ORIN (cont.)
(a beat, then
weakly)
What'd I ever do to you?
SEYMOUR
Nothin'
(beat: then quietly)
It's what you did to her.
Orin stares Seymour in the face.
ORIN
Her who?
Beat. Be gets it. We see it in his eyes. He knows
why Seymour has come .
ORIN (cont.)
Oh.
(beat)
Her.
Orin loses consciousness. His head, still encased in
the mask, hits the floor WITH A THUD.
He's dead.
Seymour slowly lowers the unused gun to his side.
MUSIC: Sturm and Drang. A full orchestral WLittle
Shop" in a minor key.
EXT. A DARK ALLEY - NIGHT
Seymour is slowly and laboriously dragging a very large
and heavy white bag.
64
65
66
67
68
69
EXT. A STREET CORNER - NIGHT
65.
65
Seymour, emerging from an alley, checks to see that no
one is around and then crosses the street, straining to
drag the large white bag with him.
INT. THE SHOP - NI GBT
Seymour stands. betore Audrey Two, the white bag at his
feet. The plant,: back-lit, seems bigger than ever.
Seymour suddenly seems very small and insignificant.
Seymour turns to leave.
AUDREY TWO
Chop it up.
Seymour stops in his tracks, appalled.
SEYMOUR
What!l!
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
(defeated)
Okay, okay. Okay.
EXT. A DIMLY LIT COURTYARD - BEHIND THE SHOP
Sturm and Drang MUSIC CONTINUES.
Seymour looks around nervously, then drags the white
bag out of the shop, into courtyard.
INT. THE BASEMENT
Seymour rummages around in the tool cabinet until he
finds what he's looking for:
AN AXE
The very sight of it makes him wince. But what must be
done, must be done
EXT. COURTYARD
Seymour enters with the axe, a bucket, ana a pile of
old newspapers. Be starts spreading the papers out on
the concrete.
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
66.
EXT. THE FRONT OF THE SHOP
Mushnik appears at the front door. The night gate is
Qown and locked, of course. He fumbles to find the
correct key. He can't. He's frustrated. He starts
around through the alley to try the back door.
EXT. COURTYARD
Seymour grits his teeth, closes his eyes, and raises
the axe. -
ANGLE - THE COURTYARD WALL
Seymour's shadow. He brings the axe down. There's an
awful SOUND as it hits bottom.
EXT. SHOP BACK DOOR
Mushnik, fumbling with another key, hears the SOUND.
He turns.
ANGLE - THE COURTYARD WALL
The shadow lowers the axe again. That
CLOSEUP - MUSHNIK
His jaw drops. If this were 1925, his hair would stand
on end.
The shadow continues its task.
EXT. THE SHOP BACK DOOR
Mushnik, stunned and sickened, forgets his business in
the shop and turns.
INT. THE SHOP
as MOSIC builds to a THUNDEROUS CLIMAX, Seymour is
seen, gingerly and with great distaste, lifting bits of
Orin (an arm with a studded leather a head
frozen in a stupid grin) and dumping them into the
plant's cavernous pod. EATING SOUNDS and then --
THE PLANT LAUGHS -- a deep, echoing, frightening laugh-
ter that REVERBERATES as we:
DISSOLVE TO:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
67.
THE BASEMENT - FOLLOWING MORNING
Sunlight streams through the basement window.
Seymour is asleep, but restless. The PLANT'S LAUGHTER
still echoes in his dreams. Be wakes up as he becomes
aware of a SIREN IN THE DISTANCE, drawing closer.
He gets up and looks through his window.
EXT. SKID ROW - SEYMOUR'S POV
A police car has pulled up in front of Audrey's house.
Two officers, Frank and Joe, are talking to her. She
looks shocked by something they've said.
Seymour starts to dress, frantically.
EXT. AUDREY'S FRONT STOOP - MORNING
The officers climb into their car and pull away.
Audrey sits on the stoop, very upset.
Seymour waits until the police have pulled away, then
approaches from across the street.
Audrey is -about to cry and doesn't want him to see.
She starts away from him, moving down the street. Be
follows.
SEYMOUR
Audrey
you?
what did they say to
AUDREY
Who?
SEYMOUR
The police.
AUDREY
Oh, nothing.
SEYMOUR
Audrey, talk to me. What'd they
say?
She gives in and stops.
AUDREY
It's Orin They say he's
disappeared!
SEYMOUR
The police told you that?
(CONTINUED)
is
76
77
77
78
68.
CONTINUED:
AUDREY
They suspect foul play.
SEYMOUR
They do?
AUDREY
Be was 'heavily in debt to certain
rubber firms. His
receptionist this morning she
found the place a shambles gas
masks everywhere things ripped
out of walls They think I
can't even think about what they
think.
She starts to cry and moves away from him. She turns a
corner and happens into --
EXT. A PICTURESQUE ALLEYWAY
A jumble of fire escapes fills the background. The
very walls seem to be tinted lavender and blue a
watercolor of urban architecture -- something out of
West Side Story.'
Audrey, still crying, finds a trash can and perches on
it to sob.
SEYMOUR
Audrey Audrey, please don't
cry Would it be so
terrible if something
happened to him?
AUDREY
Seymour, what a thing to sayl
SEYMOUR
Well, would it?
AUDREY
(after a beat and
a sniffle: a confession)
It wouldn't be terrible at all.
It would be -- A miracle. Not to
mention all the money I'd save on
Epsom salts and ace bandages.
SEYMOUR
See?
(CONTINUED)
77
78
78 CONTINUED:
AUDREY
But I!d still feel guilty. I
mean, if he met with foul play or
some terrible accident of some
kind, it'd partly be my fault, you
see. 'Cause secretly I wished
it.
She fights back tears. Seymour works up the nerve to
sit beside her. After a beat, he speaks very gently.
SEYMOUR
Audrey, you shouldn't waste one
more minute worrying about that
creep. There's a lot of guys
would give anything to go out with
you. Nice guys.
AUDREY
I don't deserve a nice guy,
Seymour.
SEYMOUR
That's not true.
69.
7B
She rises and moves away. She could never say this to
his face.
AUDREY
I deserved a creep like Orin
Scrivello, D.D.S. You know where
I met him? In the gutter.
SEYMOUR
The gutter?
AUDREY
The gutter. It's a nightspot. I
used to work there. I'd put on
cheap and t s t e l e s ~ outfits not
nice ones like this. Low and
nasty apparel, and I'd
She breaks. She sits on a pile of crates, weeping
softly.
MUSIC UNDER: the intro to "Suddenly Seymour." Seymour
comes close and kneels beside her.
SEYMOUR
Audrey, that's all behind you
now. You've got nothing to be
ashamed of.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
76 CON'I'INt.TED: (2)
SEYMOUR (CONT.)
You're a very nice person and I
always knew you were. Underneath
the bruises and the handcuffs, you
know what I saw? A girl I
respected. I still do.
(sung)
Lift up your head
Wash off your mascara
Here take my Kleenex,
Wipe that lipstick away
Show me your face
Clean as the mornin'
I know things were bad
But now they're okay.
70.
78
Be rises and is suddenly framed against a yellow morn-
ing sky, glimpsed at the end of the alley. For a
momen.t he's Gary Cooper, John Glenn, Gordon MacCrea.
Audrey looks up at him in awe.
SE'YMOUR ( con t. )
Suddenly, Seymour
Is standing beside you
You don't need no m ~ k e u p
Don't have to pretend
Suddenly, Seymour .
Is here to provide you
Sweet Understanding
Seymour's your friend.
Audrey does not sing back to him. She sings, instead,
to God, her eyes brimming with tears.
AUDREY
Nobody ever
Treated me kindly
Daddy left early
Mama was poor.
I'd meet a man and
I'd follow him blindly
Be's snap his fingers
Me, I'd say
Sure"
As a look of quasi-religious redemption spreads across
her masacara-stained face:
AUDREY (cont.)
Suddenly, Seymour
Is standing beside me
Be don't give me orders
He don't condescend
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
78 CONTINUED: (3)
AUDREY (CONT.)
Suddenly, Seymour
Is here to provide me
Sweet Understanding
Seymour's my friend.
Be moves toward her.
SEYMOUR
Tell me this feelin' lasts 'til forever
Tell me the bad times
Are clean washed away
She moves away from him, up onto a fire escape __ lito
think."
AUDREY
Please understand that
It's still strange and frightenin'
For losers like I've been
It's so hard to say
71.
78
And ~ h turns, all passionate commitment. Now he's on
the ground and she's on a fire escape. It's the bal-
cony scene. They reach for each other through the iron
bars.
AUDREY (cont.)
Suddenly, Seymourl
We POLL BACK to see that Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon
are lurking on another fire escape, across the alley,
prepared to sing backup.
SEntOUR & GIRLS
Suddenly, Seymour!
AUDREY
Be purified me!
SEYMOUR & GIRLS
He purified you!
AUDREY
Suddenly, Seymour!
SEYMOUR & GIRLS
Suddenly, Seymour!
AUDREY
Showed me I can --
With one grand Errol Flynn gesture, Seymour pulls him-
self up and floats ten feet high, up onto the fire
escape beside her.
(CONTINUED)
78
79
80
72.
CONTINUED: (4)
SEYMOUR
Yes, you can
AUDREY
Learn how to
ALL
Be more
The girl that's inside me (you)!
SEYMOUR
With Sweet Understanding
AUDREY
Sweet Understanding --
SEYMOUR
With Sweet Understanding
AUDREY
Sweet Understanding
ALL"
Sweet Understanding!
Seymour's My (Your) Man!
And at the number's close, they're locked in the quin-
tessential love-duet pose: his arms around her from
behind, faces close together, eyes glistening, and
mouths open to hold the last note as long as the ar-
rangement demands.
INT. SHOP - MORNING
MUSIC: Suddenly Seymour- playoff.
Seymour enters the shop. Be is on cloud nine. Be
passes the plant as if in a trance. Audrey Two has
practically doubled in bulk. The plant is glowing with
green good health and its vines are allover the shop.
It's even started to bud. It turns to see Seymour go
down to the basement.
INT. BASEMENT
Seymour jumps on his cot. From under his pillow he
takes out a photo of Audrey. Be looks at it dreamily
and is just about to kiss it when he is startled by
MOSHNIK
You love her madly, don't you,
Shmuck?
(CONTINUED)
78
79
80
80
1-
CONTINUED:
Seymour turns around to see Mushnik standing in the
shaaows.
SEYMOUR
Mr. Mushnik -- you scared me.
MUSHNIK
I scared him. After what I've
seen, I scared him. Bmph. You
think I didn't know? I knew. I
knew you lay down here on your
pathetic cot and dreamed about
her. But I didn't know the
lengths to which you'd go, the
depths to which you'd sink
SEYMOUR
What depths? What sink? What are
you talking about?
MUSIC IN: Suppertime Intro, a tension-producing
"tubular bells"-style vamp.
MUSHNIK
(pointing up to
the shop)
Little red dots allover the
linoleum
Seymour, who had no idea they were there, loses his
breath.
M U ~ N I K (cont.)
Little red spots on the concrete
outside!! I'm talking blaod,
Krelbornl I'm talking under my
own roof
Mushnik is now at the tool cabinet. He opens it and
grabs the axe
MUSBNIK (cont.)
An axe murdererl
MUSIC: A BIG CHORD. Seymour's face falls.
CLOSEUP of Seymour as Audrey Two is heard in ECHO.
AUDREY TWO (V .0.)
(singing in echo)
He's got yout numbet now.
MOSBNIK
I saw everything.
73.
80
(CONTINUED)
80
81
74.
CONTINUED: (2)
AUDREY TWO (V.O.)
He knows just what you done.
MUSHNIK
Everything you ugh done to
her boyf=riend.
AUDREY TWO (V. 0 )
You o ~ no place to hide.
Seymour clamps his hands over his ears so as not to
hear the Demon Plant. Mushnik thinks Seymour doesn't
want to hear him so he keeps going with more
intensity -
MUSHNIK
I saw you chopping.
AUDREY TWO (V.O.)
You got nowhere to run.
SEYMOUR
It's true! I chopped him up. But
I didn't kill him!
AUDREY TWO (V. 0 )
He knows your life of crime.
Mushnik produces a gun and trains it on Seymour to hold
him back.
INT. SHOP
MUSHNIK
Tell it to the policel
We now see the plant is singing.
AUDREY TWO
I think it's Suppertime!!
We INTERCUT between the shop, where the plant keeps
singing, and the BASEMENT, where Mushnik is holding the
gun on Seymour.
Mus.hnik backs Seymour up the stairs as we are aware
that Seymour is struggling to come up with a decent way
out. Must there be more bloodshed?
AUDREY TWO
Come on, come on
National Geographic!
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
80
81
81
82
75.
CONTINUED:
AUDREY TWO (CONT.)
Come on, come on
Your future with Audrey
Come on, come on,
Ain't no time to turn squeamish
Come on, come on
I swear on all their spores,
When he's gone the world will be
yours! -:
INT. THE SHOP
The door from the basement opens. The plant is im-
mobile. Seymour walks into the room as Mushnik, gun in
hand, follows.
Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon are lurking in the shadows
outside the shop window.
GIRLS
(singing softly,
seductively)
Come on come on
Come on come on
Mushnik walks Seymour to the front door. He stops.
VAMP CONTINUES UNDER as he speaks.
MUSENIK
Krelborn, I just want to say it
kills me to have to do this.
CUT TO the Girls outside in the shadows.
GIRLS
(singing)
It's suppertime
. CUT TO Mushnik.
MUSENIK
Considering the fact you're
something of an idiot, and the man
you hacked to pieces wasn't such a
paragon himself ; you could get
off in thirty, forty years.
CUT TO the Girls whom we still see outside through the
window.
GIRLS
(singing)
Come on come on
(CONTINUED)
81
82
82
76.
CONTINUED:
CUT TO Musbnik.
MUSHNIK
And it, would be a shame, all
things considered that your
life's work shouldn't be here
waiting for you.
CUT TO the Girls who are now inside the shop sitting on
the counter.
GIRLS
(singing)
. Come on come on
CUT TO Mushnik.
MUSHNIK
So if you want me to take
care of this plant of yours I
assume you fertilize
CUT TO the Girls who are now standing right next to
Seymour.
GIRLS
(singing)
Come on come on
SEYMOUR
She needs to be fed, sir.
The PLANT RUSTLES ITS LEAVES in anticipation.
MUSHNIK
Fed?
CUT TO the Girls who, still inside the Shop, are in
front of the display window. A couple of filthy bums
are outside leering through the window just behind the
girls.
GIRLS
(singing with more
insistence now)
Come on come on
SEYMOUR
Just potash you know the
usual minerals and all.
MUSHNIK
Of course.
(CONTINUED)
82
82
77.
CONTINtJ'ED: (:2)
As Seymour speaks he casually backs Mushnik towards the
plant.
SEYMOUR
And on Thursdays you give it
w t ~ ... _.
CUT TO the Girls who are now grinning behind the plant.
GIRLS
(singing with dark
intensity)
Come on come on
CUT TO the Bums who are grinning menacingly through the
window.
CUT TO Seymour.
SEYMOUR
Of course .you have to clean
the leaves.
MUSHNIK
Yes
SEYMOUR
But most importantly, whatever you
do
Yes
CUT TO the Girls.
MUSHNIK
GIRLS
(singing ~ o s t
hissing)
Come on come on
CUT TO Seymour.
SEYMOUR
whatever you do just be
sure
By now we see the plant has opened its vast, cavernous
mouth and is waiting
CUT TO the Bums outside leering.
CUT TO Mushnik.
MOSHNIK
Yes? Yes?
(CONTINtJ'ED)
82
82 CONTINUED: (3 )
78.
82
CUT TO the Girls. They don't sing. They are grinning,
looking, concentrating intently
MUSHNIK (cont.)
Yes? Yes??
All of a sudden Mushnik falls back and inside the open
maw of the plan t.
GIRLS
(singing brightly)
It's suppertime!
Seymour turns his back. Be can't watch what he knows
will come next.
With the force of a hungry shark, the jaws slam shut on
Mushnik. CRUNCHING SOUNDS, punctuated by MUSICAL
CHORDS, mingle with the old man's SCREAMS .
MUSHNIK
Krelborn!
CRUNCH: CHORD.
MUSBNIK (cont.)
No!
CRUNCH; CHORD.
MUSHNIK (cont . )
Aaaaaaaggggghhhhh!
The girls are now outside the shop and they softly
retreat back into the shadows. The two bums cackle
loudly at what they've seen and run away.
MUSIC makes a direct segue from WEating of Mushnik"
underscore to the cello-flavored wMeek Shall Inherit"
vamp.
VOICE (O.S.)
Seymour Krelborn
Startled, Seymour turns to see a slick, grinning TALENT
AGENT who has entered the shop.
AGENT
It's so nice to meet you
I'm from William Morris.
The pleasure is yours.
You don't answer calls
So I came down in person
We're dying to book you on lecturing
tours.
(CONTINUED)
82
83
84
CONTINUED: (4)
79.
82
He extends a contract to Seymour who just stands there
in CLOSEUP thrown.
WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
Yes, darling, we're sending
photographers Thursday.
CAMERA PULLS BACK from Seymour and we see that we are
in
INT. RUSSIAN TEA ROOM-STYLE RESTAURANT
Seymour sits in a booth with an aging but glamorous
BLONDE LADY from LIFE MAGAZINE and her creepy, leering
male ASSISTANT. They are finishing a very lavish
lunch. Seymour has caviar stains on his collar.
BLONDE LADY
So get the plant ready and wear a
clean shirt. Just sign this
release.
She produces a contract.
CREEPY LEERING ASSISTANT
Need a pen?
BLONDE LADY
Aren't you thrilled? It's the
cover of Life Magazine!
As if to bribe him, the Assistant pushes an enormous
serving of something rich, cream-covered, and cherry-
topped in front of Seymour. .
CREEPY LEERING ASSISTANT
Dessert?
We are CLOSE to Seymour's dazed expression.
VOICE (O.S.)
I'm telling you son, it's a cinch
to get ratings.
And CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal that we are now in
INT. A TELEVISION STUDIO CONTROL ROOM
Banks of television monitors are in the background.
The same image is on each monitor: A smiling photo of
Seymour with Audrey Two in front of a logo.
(CONTINUED)
83
84
I '
I
84
85
86
80.
CONTINUED:
The words on the logo read "Seymour Krelborn's
Gardening Tips." A TV EXECUTIVE, WRITER and FLUNKY are
sitting with Seymour.
TV EXECUT lVE
"he 'title is Marvin's.
WRITER
The is mine.
The Flunky produces a contract and pen and urges them
on Seymour.
FLUNKY
The first weekly gardening show on
our networkl
TV EXECUTIVE
And you're gonna host it, you
lucky kid.
EXECUTIVE, WRITER and FLUNKY
Sign!
CUT TO:
INT. TYPING POOL - DAY
We are CLOSE IN on two tall impressive looking mahogany
doors. The doors swing open. CAMERA PULLS BACK as we
see two men, one holding a contract, the other smoking
a cigar and with his arm around Seymour. They walk
PAST CAMERA and we hold on Crystal, Ronette, and
Chiffon in the foreground. They are each sitting at a
desk in front of typewriters. In the background are
about ten women also at desks with typewriters. They
type and bounce in time to the music as the girls sing.
GIRLS
They say the meek Shall Inherit
You know the Book doesn't lie
It's not a question of merit
It's not demand and supply
CUT TO:
84
85
INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT 86
CLOSEUP of a chauffeur driving the car. Be is bopping
to the and smiling broadly INTO CAMERA as we hear
the girls SINGING IN VOICE OVER.
(CONTINUED)
86
87
88
81.
CONTINUED:
GIRLS (v.O.)
They say the meek gonna get it
And you a meek little guy
CAMERA PUSHES PAST him toward the back of the limo. We
see that it is an exaggerated "stretch" limo about
fifty feet long. Over this the GIRLS SING
GI RLS (V. 0.) ( con t. )
You know the meek are gonna get
comin' to 'em
By and by
CAMERA PUSHES FORWARD to see Seymour si tting in the
back seat flanked by two men urging him to sign a con-
tract. A buxom woman sits on Seymour's lap offering
him champagne. Seymour looks very confused. As CAMERA
CLOSES IN on the group, one of them lets money fall
onto Seymour's lap as we
DISSOLVE TO:
LIMBO
Money falling in SLOW MOTION in front of Seymour's
face as Seymour's unconscious sings in v.o.
SEYMOUR (V. 0 )
My future's starting
I've got to let it
Stick with that plant, and gee,
My bank account will thrive
The green, slow falling money has turned into green,
thick, undulating vines. Seymour now struggles
to disentangle himself from them.
S:EYMOUR (V.O.) (cont.)
What am I saying
No way, forget it
It's much too dangerous to keep that
plant alive.
Be finally frees himself and runs as we
CUT TO:
86
87
LIMBO 88
A long, seemingly endless tunnel.
(CONTINUED)
88
89
90
CONTINUED:
82.
88
Through its walls poke dozens upon dozens of hands and
vines holding pens and contracts and money and liquor
bottles and car keys and. bras and panties all
beckoning Seymour as he races past them trying to
escape.
LIMBO
SEYMOUR (V. 0 )
I take .these offers
That means more killing
Who knew success would come with messy,
nasty strings.
CUT TO:
A dirt floor. An hour glass sits on a short ionic
column. The sand in the top of the hour glass is
green, but as it falls and collects on the bottom it
becomes red. Tormented and panicky, Seymour races in
FROM CAMERA and runs into the distance. Be is nude,
except for his glasses and his cap.
LIMBO
SEYMOUR (V. 0 )
I sign these contracts,
That means I'm willing
To keep on doing bloody, awful, evil
things
CUT TO:
All is dark. We follow Seymour who is perspiring
heavily and running with all he's got. Suddenly he
stops because in front of him is a very large hand-
tinted photo portrait of a jaunty, smiling Mushnik.
Blood oozes down from the top of the photo.
SEYMOUR (V.O.)
No! No!
There's only so far you can bend!
Seymour whips around TO CAMERA and we see that he is
now a plant. Be is green, with plant markings.---Vines
are where his arms should be. Of course he still wears
his glasses and cap as we POLL BACK and see that he is
buried ass-high in a terra-cotta pot.
SEYMOUR (V.O.) (cont.)
Nol No!
This nightmare must come to an end!
89
90
91
92
INT. BASEMENT - EXTPJ::ME CLOSEUP - NIGHT
83.
91
of Seymour's face as he violently sits up from his
cot perspiration dripping from him.
SEYMOUR
No! No!
CUT TO:
Seymour, in his pajamasl at the tool chest. He grabs
the axe.
SEYMOUR (con t. )
You've got no alternative, Seymour
old boy.
CUT TO:
Seymour now at the stairs leading to the shop. Half
crazed, he climbs them as he sings
SEYMOUR ( con t. )
Though it means you'll be broke again
And unemployed,
It's the only solution
.It can't be avoided --
The vegetable must be destroyed.
He has reached the top of the stairs. He flings open
the door. As it swings open he sees Audrey's smock
hanging from it. Seymour's expression softens.
Forlorn and heartsick he turns away and with a tear in
his eye sings
LIMBO
SEYMOUR (cont.)
But then
There's Audrey.
Lovely Audrey
DISSOLVE TO:
A promontory on top of which Audrey stands. She looks
like a goddess. She wears a flowing dress and wrapped
around her neck is a very, very long diaphanous scarf
that extends behind her about fifty feet blown by a
strong wind.
SEYMOUR (V. 0 )
If life were tawdry and impoverished
as before
She might not like me
She might not want me
(CONTINUED)
92
92
84.
CONTINUED:
CAMERA HAS POLLED BACK to a WIDE SHOT. We see Seymour
standing off at a distance and looking up at her with
his arms outstretched. He is Gene Kelly, and she, Cyd
Charisse. She runs down and towards him through the
dense dry ice smoke lapping at her feet.
SEYMOUR (V.O.) (eont.)
Without my plant
On the word ftplant,ft Audrey runs past Seymour's waiting
arms and falls into the waiting vines of Audrey Two who
has been just O.S.
SEYMOUR (V.O.) (cont.)
She might not love me
Any more
CUT TO A CLOSEUP of Seymour. He looks up at someone in
soft, sad resignation. CAMERA BEGINS TO PULL BACK AND
UP.
GIRLS (V.O.)
They say the meek shall inherit.
CAMERA PULLS BACK AND HIGH making Seymour look very
smal+. He now stands on a very large eontraet which
eovers the entire floor.
A hand extends, from CAMERA, toward Seymour. The hand
holds a contract.
SEYMOUR
Where do I sign?
GIRLS (V.O.)
You know the book doesn't lie.
The hand, and arm, have extended about fifteen feet
from CAMERA to Seymour. The arm is the Agent's, whose
face appears in the extreme foreground.
AGENT
Right on the line.
GIRLS (V.O.)
It's not a question of merit.
CUT TO A MEDIUM SHOT of Seymour. He turns around as,
behind him, the Blonde Lady floats in horizontally like
Chagall's lovers. She, too, holds a contract.
BLONDE LADY
Your pen or mine?
(CONTINUED)
92
92
93
94
CONTINUED: (2)
85.
92
GIRLS (V.O.)
It's not demand or supply.
Seymour turns around completely now as a MAN rises from
below like a phantom, right in front of Seymour. He
holds a pen and contract.
. MAN 1
nine.
Seymour signs the contracts.
GIRLS (V.O.)
You'll make a fortune, we swear
it.
The TV Executive pops up from behind Seymour and grabs
the signed contract.
LIMBO
TV EXECUT IVE
This'copy's mine.
GIRLS (V.O.)
If on fact you rely
ALL
Bye bye. So long!
EXTREME CLOSEUP of a flashbulb popping.
CLOSEUP of Seymour. Be is being besieged by autograph
hounds. More flashbulbs pop. Each flash is like a
rifle shot to Seymour. Be tries to escape, but the
crowd hems him in. It is nightmarish. .
GIRLS (V .0. )
You know the meek are gonna get what's
comin' to 'em
You know the meek are gonna get what's
comin' to 'em
You know the meek are gonna get what's
comin' to 'em.
We see that Seymour and the crowd are actually in front
of the shop.
93
EXT. SHOP - LATE AFTERNOON 94
Seymour tries to push through the throng.
(CONTINUED)
94
95
CONTINUED:
86.
94
Bye
And
Bye
GIRLS
(they are in the
crowd now)
SEYMOUR
Pleasel Pleasel Let me through.
SECURITY MAN
Hey, get back. They're filming.
Security Man pushes him back, knocking e y m ~ u r into a
surly WINO.
WINO
Hey, watch where you're goin'.
A scuffle ensues in which Seymour is punched and man-
handled by Winos and Security.
!NT. THE SHOP - LATE AFTERNOON
A CAMERA CREW and TV CHORUS are in the midst of filming
a spot for "Del Monte Presents Audrey Two in a Salute
to Vegetables.-
Audrey stands to one side watching delightedly.
S!NGERS and DANCERS are doing something silly and
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaderish in front"of the Plant.
It's bigger than ever and has been decorated with red,
white and blue bunting.
SINGERS & DANCERS
Who's the best, the beautiful green
one?
Who?
Audrey Twol!
Who's a star if ever I've seen one?
Who?
Audrey Two! I
Look at them! Those leaves! -
That steml
She puts the rest to root!
Yes, who makes photosynthesis seem
cute?
Our Au-dreyl
Au Au Aue .
Suddenly, right as the Singers and Dancers start to go
into a dance break, the Plant collapses.
(CONT!NUED)
95
95 CONTINUED:
The vines wilt, the leaves sag, and the pod sinks to
the floor. Gasps. A moment of chaos.
DIRECTOR
Cut! What the hell's goin' on?
What happened to the goddamn
greenery?
The Director sees: Seymour stumble in the front door.
He doesn't seem to notice that Seymour is bruised and
disheveled from the fight outside.
SEYMOUR
(distraught)
It just needs to be fed.
DIRECTOR
So feed it!
SEYMOUR
(becoming more
agitated)
I can't, not now!
DIRECTOR
Then I'll feed it. Where do you
keep the plant food?
SEYMOUR
(exploding)
It doesn't eat plant food and I
can't feed it nowl Just leave me
alone, will ya? All of you! Why
won't you all leave me a 1
AUDREY
Seymour!
(she slaps him
daintily)
You're hysterical. They're only
trying to help.
SEYMOUR
(coming to his
senses a bi t)
I know I know I'm sorry
Seymour runs to the back door. Audrey follows him.
DIRECTOR
Okay Okay, guys, pack it up.
87.
95
96 EXT. THE COURTYARD
The sun is just beginning to set. Audrey discovers
Seymour sitting on a trash heap, face in hands. She
moves to him.
SEYMOUR
to himself)
What am I gonna do? What am I
gonna do?
AUDREY
It's wilted before and you've
always brought it back to life,
somehow.
(beat)
Seymour, I think running this
place all by yourself is too much
for you. When did Mr. Mushnik say
he'd be back?
Buh?
You know, in
he left you.
was goin' out
house in
SEYMOUR
AUDREY
that note you told
The one that said
to his sister's
me
he
SEYMOUR
Czechoslovakia. He could be gone
a very long time.
(beat)
Audrey -- could I ask you
something?
AUDREY
Anything.
SEYMOUR
Just suppose there'd never been an
Audrey Two and I was just a
nothing again, a nobody
(he pauses,
afraid to ask)
Would you still like me?
AUDREY
I'd still love you, Seymour.
He looks at her for a moment, 'then pulls her to him.
MUSIC: "SUDDENLY, SEYMOUR" plays under dialogue.
quietly and gently.
88.
96
(CONTINUED)
96
89.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOUR
Then marry me, Audrey. I'll take
you to that little development
you've always dreamed about and .
once we're there it'll be happy
ever after, I promise. Nice
little house nice little car
and no.plants. No plants at
all ~ W e l l go to Alaska!
AUDREY
They say it's pretty there.
SEYMOUR
Then will you? Will you marry me?
AUDREY
(a beat then shyly)
Sure.
SEYMOUR
You will?
AUDREY
Sure!
SEYMOUR
Tonight?
AUDREY
(tickled)
Aw, sure!
SEYMOUR
I'll pick you up in an hour and
we'll go to City Ball!
(singing)
Suddenly, Seymour
Is standing beside you
AUDREY
(singing)
Suddenly, Seymour
Showed me I can
(suddenly, spoken)
Seymour, we better stop singing.
I've gotta get ready!
As MUSIC SWELLS, Audrey, the happiest girl in the
worlo, flies out of the courtyard, turning back only
once to blow Seymour a kiss. Be watches her go, then
closes his eyes, wishing with all his might that every-
thing will turn out.
96
96A
90.
INT. THE SHOP
It's deserted now. Outside, the sun sinks lower. The
plant is still wilted and lifeless.
Seymour stands looking at it in silence for a moment,
then very quietly tries to sneak past it. But just as
he gets to the door, a spooky, hoarse whisper s t ~ ~ him
dead in his tracks.
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
Under no circumstances.
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
I will not so stop asking.
AUDREY TWO
Feed me!
SEYMOUR
No. No more. I can't take living
with the guilt.
AUDREY TWO
Tough titty.
SEYMOUR
Watch your lan9uage.
AUDREY TWO
Awwh. Cut the crap and bring on
the meat!
SEYMOUR
Okay okay I'll bring you
meat. I'll run down to the corner
and I'll pick you up some ground
round, how 'bout that?
AUDREY TWO
Don't do me no favors.
SEYMOUR
Look, it's my last offer. Yes or
no?
AUDREY TWO
. (beat)
You sure do drive a hard bargain.
SEYMOUR
Done. Fine. Great. And don't
think you're getting dessert.
96A
97
98
99
91.
EXT. SKID ROW - EVENING
As the sun slips further down, Winos gather and light
fires.
seymour walks down the street and disappears.
INT. THE SHOP - EV""'T"'NG
Audrey Two emits a.quiet, satisfied laugh. It waits a
beat and then slithers one of its vines toward the
shop's counter. '
The vine crawls up the side of the counter. When it
reaches the top the vine "goes to the cash register. It
pushes down a key and, with its customary RING, the
cash register drawer opens. The vine pokes through the
drawer and takes out a nickel. It then slinks baCK
down to the floor, goes to the wall, and crawls up to
the pay telephone.
Another vine lifts up the receiver as the nickel is
deposited. The receiver is brought up to the pod
where, if the pod had an ear, its ear would be. The
vine dials a number and then taps the side of the phone
patiently as the Plant hums waiting for the phone to be
answered. We hear the RINGS FILTERED through the re-
ceiver.
INT. AUDREY'S BEDROOM
Her PHONE IS RINGING. Guess who?
Audrey sits at her dressing table. Some cheap luggage
and a vanity case are on the bed. She is wearing a
white dress and is brushing her hair. She hasn't
teased it yet so it falls naturally and softly to her
shoulders. It gives her the appearance of a heroine .in
a Gothic romance. She picks up the receiver.
AUDREY
Hello.
Audrey Two is heard FILTERED through the receiver. The
Plant breathes heavily and obscenely, then
AUDREY TWO
(sung)
Hey, little lady, hellol
AUDREY
Who who is this?
(CONTINUED)
97
98
99
99
100
101
102
CONTINUED:
92.
99
AUDREY TWO
(sung)
You're lookin' cute as can be!
AUDREY
(smiling she thinks
it's a joke)
Is this someone I know?
AUDREY TWO
(sung)
You're lookin' mighty sweet.
AUDREY
(smiling affectionately
she's sure she knows
who it is now)
Seymour.
AUDREY TWO
(sung)
No, it ain't Seymour, it's me!
Audrey happens to turn around and look through her
window.
EXT. THE SHOP - AUDREY' 5 POV
It is the last blaze of sunset. Across the street,
through the shop's window, she sees the Plant
totally alive now. Its vines writhing like a Medusa,
its leaves flapping like great palmetto fans, its pod
grown to mammoth proportions. It emits an unearthly
green glow that spills from the shop onto the street.
AUDREY (V.O.)
Oh my God!
.
INT. AUDREY' 5 APARTMENT
Audrey is not there. All we see is the receiver dangl-
ing toward the floor. We hear an 0.5. DOOR SLAM and
the SOUND OF FEET RUNNING.
INT. THE SHOP
The vine replaces the receiver as another vine pulls
down the little coin return slow. No niekel. It BANGS
on the side of the phone. Still no luck. What the
hell.
(CONTINUED)
100
101
102
102
93.
CONTINUED:
Audrey has just opened the front door and she stands
and stares in amazement.
AUDREY
(under her breath)
I don't believe it. .
AUDREY TWO
Believe it, baby.
AUDREY
Am I dreaming this?
AUDREY TWO
No, and you ain't in Kansas,
neither.
(beat)
I need me some water in the worst
way. Look at my branch, I'm
drying up.
(sung)
Come on and give me a drink.
AUDREY
(spoken)
I don't know if I should.
AUDREY TWO
(sung)
Hey, little lady, be nice.
AUDREY
(spoken)
Do you talk to Seymour like this?
AUDREY TWO
(spoken)
Sure do!
(sung)
I'll drink it straight!
Don't need no glass and no ice!
Don't need no twist of lime!
AUDREY
(spoken)
All right I'll get the can.
She moves into the shop, cowering along the wall, just
into range of the large tendrils' grasp
.
In a flash, it wraps around her like a boa constrictor.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
(spoken)
And now it's Suppertime!
(CONTINUED)
102
102
103
CONT INUEO: (2)
94.
102
Audrey screams and struggles. The tendril starts pull-
ing her toward the gaping pod.
Audrey fights for all she's worth, but the vines en-
snare and attack her from all sides. She's being
pulled .1xorably toward the pod.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
Relax, and it'll be easier.
Come join your .dentist friend and
Mushnik
Audrey screams.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
They're right inside!
And with one great heave, the vines pull her into the
pod itself. The jaws clamp down. She screams again.
The shop door flies Seymour rushes in and begins
prying at the pod with all his might.
SEYMOUR
Get off of her! Get off of her!
Be finally succeeds in getting the pod open just enough
to pull her out. She is alive, but just barely. Ber
dress is tastefully stained with just a bit of red.
Be drags her out of the shop, kicking the fighting
vines and branches out of his way as he goes, until he
gets her beyond their reach and through the door.
EXT. SKID ROW
I t is night now'. The golden glow of a street lamp
floods lyrically down on them, as Seymour lowers the
dying Audrey to the moonlight pavement, and cradles her
in his arms.
MUSIC COMES IN SOFTLY UNDER.
SEYMOUR
Don't die, Audrey. Please, please
don't die.
AUDREY
(innocently, weakly)
know, the plant just said the
strangest thing just now It
said that Orin and Mr. Mushnik
were already inside.
(CONTINUED)
103
103
95.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOUR
(the ultimate
confession)
It's true. I did it. I fed them
to it.
AUDREY
-(sweetly)
And that's what made it so big and
strong and you so famous?
SEYMOUR
(he hates himself)
I've done terrible things, but not
to you, never to you.
AUDREY
But
(an idea dawns)
I want you to, Seymour.
SEYMOUR
What?
AUDREY
(tenderly)
When I die, which should be very
shortly, give to the plant so
it can live to bring you all the
wonderful things you deserve.
SEYMOUR
You don't know what you're saying
Audrey is transfigured, she's Joan of Arc, Little Eva,
Melanie Wilkes going out in a blaze of angelic self-
lessness.
AUDREY
But I do. It's the one gift I can
give you. And if I'm in the
plant, then I'm part the plant.
So, in a way we'll always be
together.
(sung quietly, with
her dying breaths)
You'll wash my leaves
You'll smell my sweet perfume
You'll water me and care for me
You'll see-me bud and bloom.
I'm feeling strangely happy now,
Contented and serene.
don't you see
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
103
103
. 104
105
106
CONTINUED: (2)
96.
103
AUDREY (CONT.)
Finally I'll be
Somewhere that's
Green!
(she reaches toward
the vision)
And she collapses. There, in the moonlight, under a
street lamp, she:dies in his arms.
MUSIC: "The Death of Audrey," a chorale with angelic
voices and string orchestra, underscores as Seymour
lifts his love from the ground.
Behind him, through the shop window, we can see the pod
open ceremoniously.
ANGLE -- Seymour holding Audrey, pod in b.g.
The pod emits beams of light now, plunging Seymour and
his dead love into dramatic silhouette. He carries her
slowly toward the source of light.
INT. THE SHOP
The mood is one of Wagnerian splendor. It's Gotter-
dammerung, as Seymour ritualistically fulfills Audrey's
dying wish and places her gently, tenderly, into the
light-filled pod.
He kneels, tears streaming down his cheeks, to see the
act to
Audrey slowly begins to slip further and further away
from us, into the light beaming from the plant's
"throat. "
At last, she's gone.
Seymour rises, destroyed, and runs from the shop out
onto the street.
EXT. SKID ROW
Seymour finds the first fire escape he can and climbs
it.
EXT. ROOFTOP
MUSIC: the last notes of the -Death of Audrey- chorale
trail off, giving way to TRAFFIC SOUNDS, as Seymour
reaches the top of the building, stumbles to the edge,
and looks down.
104
105
106
'.
- THE STREP.J' - SEDIOUR'S POV.
-
It spins below him, of course.
EXT ROOITOP
Seymour takes 8 deep breath and prepares to jump
\{hen he hears Ii VOICE that stops him.
VOICE (D.C.)
Mr. Krelborn Mr. Krelborn
Seymour tUrns to see --,
PATRICK MARTIN, 8 businessman in 8 green suit.
We will never know how he got there.
MARTIN
Patrick Martin. I'm in Licensing and
Marketing. I wanna show you something.
Seymour turns away and prepares once more to jump.
SEYMOUR
I'm not interested.
MARTIN
Aah, but you will be._ Look. _
As MARTIN speaks he carefully takes something out of his
-briefcase.
MARTIN
. 1 took the liberty of taking a cutting
from that amazing plant of yours and see
what it grew in just a couple of days
MARTIN has taken out a tiny AUDREY TWO about a few
incbes tall but looking exactly like the re&l AUDREY TWO.
It sits in a delightful, well designed container on which
are written the "Audrey Two".
Seymour, surprised and uncomprehending, just stares at it.
MARTIN
The design boys made the little pot.
Cute;hUh? Get the idea? My firm is
willing to pay you a reasonable amount
to take leaf cuttings develop little
Audrey Two's and sell them to florist
shops -- supermarkets across the nation.
Why pretty soon. every household in
America could have one.
These last words echo in Seymour's confused and frazzled mind.
ECHO
Rave one have one have one have one
Seymour shakes1his nead to banish the echo. Something
begins to dawn on him.
MARTIN
Imagine it boy. We'll make a
Audrey Twos
ECHO
Ever:rhere everywhere everywhere
everywhere'
MARTIN
This thing could be bigger than Hula "
. w.
ECHO
Hula hoops Hula hoops Hula hoops
, .' l1ARTIN
Whattya say Mr. Krelborn?
Martin is' giving his best salesman's smile, his eyes
fixed on Seymour, waiting for an answer. Seymour
looks atthe tiny plant as, unseen by' Hartin; it
subtly turns and opens' its tiny mouth at Seymour'
in an almost malicious, silent smile.
Seymour is suddenly possessed of complete understanding.
His face becomes a mask of rage and resolve. Without
another word he' races down the fire escape.
MARTIN
(Shouting)
Mr. Mr.
We don't to deal with you, you knowt
A goddamned'vegetable's public domaint
You ask our lawyerst
INT. THE SHOP.
bursts through the door and faces the plant, which
is even bigger, stronger, and healthier now. It dwarfs him
completely.
SEYMOUR
Every household in Americat
That's what you had in mind all along,
isn't it?
AUDREY TWO
(Its voice now an
unearthly rumble)
No shit, Sherlock.
110
99.
CONTINUED:
SEYMOUR
We're not talking about one hungry
plant here! We're talking
about World conquest!
AUDREY 'l'WO
You itl
SEYMOUR
You ate the only thing I ever
loved! 1
The plant, laughing, draws up to its full height
and begins to sing from old-fashioned Rock and Roll.
AUDREY TWO
I used to hear the people talk about
That old King Kong.
They used to say he was the meanest,
But them folks was wrong.
He climbed the Empire State.
(the building ain't that big)
Shoot, I could climb in half the time,
But climbin' ain't my gig.
I'm just bad!
I'm real bad!
I'm bad!
Seymour is at the counter. He opens the drawer and
takes out the gun and loads it with bullets.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
You know Godzilla was a monster,
He was mighty mean.
Now, even I had to respect him,
"Cause the boy was green.
But when he said to me
"Bey, Audrey, you ain't all that
tough,"
I had to show that leapin' lizard
I was tough. enough!
Seymour aims and FIRES at the plant.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
He said "Gad!"
Be FIRES AGAIN.
And AGAIN.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
"Don't get mad!"
(CONTINUED)
110
110 CONTINUED: (2)
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
"Boy you're bad!"
100.
110
The bullets just bounce off. Seymour runs down to the
basement.
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
That's right, I'm bad!
BACKUP VOICES (V.O.)
Bad!
AUDREY TWO
Bad!
BACKUP VOICES (V.O.)
Bad!
AUDREY TWO
So I ain't worried 'bout your biggest
guns
I'm just too bad!
Seymour returns from the basement with the axe. Be
tries chopping the vines. Every time he swings, the
vine moves and he misse,s. ~ and he smashes a. piece of
the shop.
BACKUP (V.O.)
Bad!
AUDREY TWO
Bad!
BACKUP (V.O.)
Bad!
AUDREY TWO
I'm ten feet tall and weight at least
two tons:
I'm extra badl
Audrey Two's littler pods sing backup as the big one
sings lead.
LITTLE PODS
Bad!
AUDREY TWO
Bad!
LITTLE PODS
Bad!
(CONTINUED)
110 CONTINUED: (3)
Seymour tries to get the little pods with the axe but
they're too fast for him as he smashes the wall, the
floor, the counter.
AUDREY TWO
Go on and bitch and whine and wail and
curse
Too bad! I'm bad!
LITTLE PODS
Bad!
AUDREY TWO
Bad!
LITTLE PODS
Bad!
Seymour's had it. Be just throws the axe at Audrey
Two. The plant catches it and flips it from vine to
vine. It gives Seymour a little juggling show.
AUDREY TWO
And if you mess with me,
I'll just get worse!
101.
110
The plant heaves the axe at Seymour. Seymour side-
steps it in the nick of time and it goes crashing
through a window. Seymour's really angry. During the
following lyrics he throws a chair at the plant. It
catches the chair. Be throws a small table at the
plant. It catches the table. Be throws a shovel. It
catches the shovel.
AUDREY TWO (con t. )
One day I met the r i ~ e of
Frankenstein,
(So much for her)
Just one encounter"and she called me,
RMr. Audrey, sir.R
CLOSEUP of Seymour grabbing the cash register to throw
at the plant but it's too heavy for him. But damn
itl he's not giving up and yes he's lifting itl
But no. CAMERA POLLS BACK and we see a vine wrapped
around it. It's the plant who's lifting it up and out
of Seymour's arms.
AUDREY TWO (eont.)
So"it's a cinch no puny baldy of a
botanist
Is gonna be a half a match. for me when
I get pissed.
You got it, Dad?
(CONTINUED)
110
102.
CONT INtrED; ( 4 )
The plant is now holding and waving the chair, the
shovel, and the table and the cash register. We see
it take a mighty wind up, like it's 3 and 2, bottom of
the ninth
CLOSEUP of Seymour. His m. - h is open and his eyes are
bulging with fear. Be ducks. The items sail through
the air and smash through Mushnik's large display
window. Seymour:gazes at the broken shards and
realizes that instead of him trying to kill the plant,
Sweet Jesus! the plant is now trying to
You been had!
Oh I'm bad!
. AUDREY TWO (cont.)
Seymour tries to get away, but each time he tries, a
vine hurtles past him and tears a hole in the wall,
sending off sparks from severed electrical lines, and
spewing water into the room from busted pipes.
Seymour goes to the left, a vine shoots out to the left
and smashes through the wall. Seymour goes to the
right, a vine careens to the right smashing through the
wall. Each vine is its own Bruce Lee. No fuckin'
around. The plant is serious!
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
So come and get me, kid, I dare you.
Try and make your kill.
I'll make you sorry Yl::>u was messin'
with my chlorophyll!
The plant rips the radiator out of the wall sending a
cloud of steam spewing into the room. It pulls the
radiator apart like it was a toy accordion.
AUDREY (cont.)
I hope you're gettin' close to ready
now to end thi s fUSIS
These foolish efforts to undo me is so
te-di-ous.
Getting a bit bored with it all, the plant flings its
vines to the ceiling and holds on to the rafters. It
raises its pot about five fee f:rom the floor and
bounces and swings as it sings. '
AUDREY TWO (cont.)
See, all your methods are so corny,
And so childish,
And so undergrade
They just an exercise in stupid!
(CONTINUED)
110
AUDREY TWO (Cont.)
(Singing)
Why not face it Seymour
lam
Baa -aa -aad
Audrey Two goes for the big finish: with a gargantuan
yank of the rafters it creates an avalanche of brick,
~ o o d and plaster that rages down over the Plant and
Seymour.
Before the dust has even settled we hear the :Plant
laughing triumphantly. : The shop looks like it has just
survived the blitzkrieg. The walls are partially demolished,
chunks of ceiling have caved in. On the other side of what
used to be the shop, Seymour, filthy, wounded, and exhausted,
emerges from under a pile of rubble. Dazed, but sensing he
is still in danger, he quickly scrambles, rolls, falls, and
crawls away from the shop and into the street out of reach
of the mocking Plant.
Breathing heavily and seemingly half-mad he takes the heroic
statureof a mad prophet or of Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of
the Body Snatchers as he shoute
SEYMOUR
I'll warn 'emt I'll warn 'emt I'll tell
'em!you're comingt The human race won't take
this lying d o w n ~ And wherever.your kind grows
whatever you try WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOUt
Seymour tUrns and runs pushing his way through a few bums
that have been watching.
SEYMOUR
(Shouting to the rooftops)
They're comingt They're comingt Don't feed
'emt Don't feed the plantst Don't feed the
plantst
As Seymour exits screaming, we hear the rumbling, demonic
laughter of the Plant in the distance. The bums too begin
cackling until we are left with the almost deserted streets
echoing with dark, ominous laughter.
LIMBO. AMERICAN FLAG, .,:
MUSIC: A tense rhythm begins which grows into grand
magisterial music--the intro to "Subsequent to the Events".
. '
"
.. -.. ;...... ....;:: ",: ...... :r. ir-i
~ .. ;" :'"
~ , " .- ..
,., ~
,',
'. '
~ : .. ~ : .... ~ : C':'"
~ .. ' ~ ..
...... , .
." ...
,.'
I /
104
A hup:e American f1 aff fiJ 115 the fr"ime. It is y t
making it 5p.em luminescent. It dwarfs Crystal, Ronette, Rnd
Chiffon who are posed in silhouette in front of the fJBS.
The girl,.; ceremonious1.y ber-in wi'll kine; to camera I'lnn as they
r,et closer and c10ser with Gospe) fervor
CRYSTAL
Suhsp.quent to the events
You have just witnessed
Similar events in cities
Across America
Events which bore a striking
Resemblance
To the ones you have just seen
Began
INT. GARDEN SHOP. IliAY.
An ECU of the words Y'Audrey Two'stl
fills the screen. Ciimera pulls
back to see that these words are
pI'lrt of a sign: ''Yest We have
Audrey Two's on sale Camera
trucks by a very long lin.e of
beaming customers waiting at the
check-out counter each holding one
or more tiny Audrey Two's. (Exactly
the same tiny Audrey Two's that
Patrick Martin had on the rooftop).
In the background customers are
besieging a clerk for more of those
new, delightful Audrey Two's in their
cleverly designed little containers
. ,Dissol ve to:
INT. SEARS BASEMENT. DAr. .
Close-ups of dozens of hands grasping
for the tiny Audrey Two's." A screaming,
pushing Qf are mashed up
against a counter behind which are
of Audrey Two's. People are
shoving, screaming, waving money as
the sales people do their best to help.
The frenzy is like that of Cabbage Patch
Dolla, Pet Rocks, and Hula Hoops all
rolled into one. Suddenly we see someone
pushing his way through the crowd It
is Seymour. He is unshaven, dirty, with
blood-shot eyes as if he hadn't for
weeks. He jumps on the counter-top .. .
kicking off the Audrey Two's and screaming.
Cut to:
GIRLS (V .0.)
(Singing) .
Subsequent to the events
You have just witnessed
Unsuspecting jerks
From Maine to California
Made the acquaintance of
A new breed of fly trap
And got sweet-talked
Into feeding it
Bloodt
GIRLS
(Singing)
Thus the plants
their terrible will
Finding jerks
Who would feed
Them their fill
And the plants
Proceeded to grow
And grow.
INT. HOUSE. NIGHT.
Bedroom of 8 suburban home. A
middle-aged couple are'lying in
bed. All we"see are their feet
in tne foreground. the
feet we see the T.V. on whicl .
The Tonight Show starring Jack Paar
(or a very young Johnny. A
news bulletin comes A newscaster
appears and in back of him f3ashes
the word "Cleveland". Then we see a
live, on the'spot reporter in front of
a Cleveland building destroyed
by a 15 foot Audrey Two. People are
screaming 'and running away. The" ."
destruction continues-as'the
I,
is dragged off by a tentacle. Then
6n' the"bedroom:l5till) .'';after;
"And'where yoo"3:ive,,-.; a'thick vine' comes
smashing ddwn'on exploding
it into smithereens. Two or other
vines smash: through the wall as even more
vines out and wrap around the legs of .
the people in bed and them away
screaming as plaster fells
EXT. LOS ANGELES ... NIGHT.
The large, famous' Hollywood sign
in the hills. The searchlight of a
hovering helicopter is aimed at a
hu&e Audrey Two as it the Sign
throwing the letters into the air
leavine the sigTl to just read: "'Ho--woo"
while police fire guns and flaTes at
the marauding plant.
EXT. NEW YORK. NIGHT
Medium shot of the fac- of the
Statue of .Liberty as we see green
tentacles oozing from the inside of her
crOwn and covering her eyes like -
Hcdusa's snakes. Anothp.r Audrey Two
.. ,
.. _-
iE at the end of her a,..m '!iweloping the
torch it's tentacles. On the ground
are police search liehts the National
Guard up at the pll'l]'lts.
GIRLS(V.O. Cont.)
(Singing)
And began
What they came here
To do
\hich was essentially to
Eat
And DesMqinest,
And Peoriat
,
And New Yorkt
AND WHERE YOU LIVE!
. "C'HOBUS. (V .0.)
(Singing)'
o.!t,r and
Love and acclaim' '.
But whatever'they offer
Don: !e!!.d ..
They may offer
of cheap
Fancy condos.
.In
offFr you
Don:tfeed the
, r
Look out!
Here Twoi
Look outt

. AUDREY TWO
Here I come for you!
CHORUS (V .0.)
Here I come for
Rere I eome for
Here I come for
tt n
EXT. NEW JERSEY. NIGHT
In the background l1anhattan is
on fire. In the foreground two or
three more Audrey Two's are attacking
a mind boggling mass of leaves, vines,
tendrils, and roots.:.they are lumbering
towards the foreground. Suddenly, from ..
the a torn, hasgard figure comes
to' camera. Crazed and totally
hysterical he rllns up i,nto an 'extreme
close-up his face filling the screen
, I
as he screams
I -
"r . I
They're herett
1 : THEY' HERE! L t. t, .
. ., II I ..
He' turns and runs to
screaming, trying to help the others
fight the plant.as we see cars overturned,
broken fire hydrants .spe .... ing wat'er, downed
electricalillines crackling with sparks,
police and National Guard firing
a\oJay, fires burning out of cbritrol in the.
distance . It is the end of civilization
as l',e know it. Men, women and .
incluqing Seymour run screaming up to
and past camera as the Audrey Two is :
cd", "sf upon them and: us advancing menacingly,
C!!:l inexorably to camera and, openi,ng its '. ':
\NiJe cavernous ma'!t it seems to swallow the ..
as it completely blacks out the screen.
are left vith the horrible sounds of
cataclysmic destruction.
'!
FADE UP: uTHE"END"--FOLLOWED BY __ "? U t 1"
. :-;r
HUSIC. '
CREDITS ROL4>-
I.
(After last credit in black as people
are leaving,the theatre a very large, low,
rumbling laugh )
CHORUS (V.O. Cont.)
(Singing)
Hold )'our hat
And hang onto your soult
Something's comin'
To eat the .... orld wholet
If we fight it
We've still got a chancet
But they offer yout
r
Though 'they' re sloppin' the
for yout
Please whatever they offer you,
'Don't feed the plantst
Don't Feed The
AUDREY TWO (V.O. in black)

THE GEFFEN COMPANY
Presents
A FRANK OZ FILM
RICK MORANIS
ELLEN GREENE
VINCENT GARDENIA
With a Special Appearance by
STEVE MARTIN
And with Special Guest Stars
JAMES BELUSHI
JOHN CANDY
CHRISTOPHER GUEST
BILL MURRAY
Directed by FRANK OZ
Produced by DAVID GEFFEN
Screenplay by HOWARD ASHMAN
Audrey II Designed and Created by LYLE CONWAY
Choreography by PAT GARRETT
Film Editor JOHN JYMPSON
Director of Phography ROBERT PAYNTER, B.S.C.
Production Designed by ROY WALKER
Special Visual Effects by BRAN FERREN
Music Produced by BOB GAUDIO
Original Motion Picture Score by MILES GOODMAN
Line Producer WILLIAM S. GILMORE
Music by ALAN MENKEN
Lyrics by HOWARD ASHMAN
OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT STORY
WARNER BROS.' "LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" TO OPEN HERE
ON
The monster musical comedy film "Little Shop of Horrors,"
starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia and
Steve Martin, is set to open here on
at the
Warner Bros . and producer David Geffen bring to the screen
the 1986 motion picture adaptation of the award-winning stage
hit, whi ch was based on t he 1960 Roger Corman cult classic film.
The film presents an extraordinary triangle involving a lower
eastside Manhattan flower shop employee named Seymour, his whim-
sical co-worker Audrey and a plant nicknamed Audrey II--whose
growth-rate is surpassed only by its peculiar appetite.
With the acquisition of the screen rights by the David
Geffen Company, Geffen's goal was to fuse the elements of the
original story and the stage production into its own unique
entity on film. Winning the Drama Critics' Circle, Drama Desk
and Outer Critics' Circle Awards as the season's best musical,
the New York stage production spawned an American touring com-
pany, a two-year London run, and other noteworthy productions
in major cities allover the world.
The Geffen Company presents a Frank Oz Film, "Little Shop
of Horrors," released by The Geffen Company through Warner
Bros . Produced by David Geffen and directed by Frank Oz, the
-more-
OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT STORY
monster musical comedy stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and
Vincent Gardenia, with a special appearance by Steve Martin
and cameo appearances by John Candy, James Belushi, and
Christopher Guest.
-wb-
"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS"
- Production Information -
Mushnik's Flower Shop is the sleaziest floral store
on Skid Row. Wilting corsages, dark brown greenery and
bums sprawled in the doorway add credence to the deep-rooted
belief that whatever it is that lures people "downtown," it
isn't flowers.
With business drooping lower than his Creeping Charlie,
Mushnik has decided to throw in the trowel and layoff his
only two employees, the klutzy orphan Seymour and brave, blonde ,
battered Audrey. Then Seymour purchases a strange and inter-
esting plant from an ancient Mandarin during a total eclipse
of the sun.
And business blooms.
Customers converge on the shabby premises, attracted
by the odd potted pod in the window. Christening his prize
Audrey II in honor of his secret love, Seymour showers it
with mulch, gro-light and affection.
But, as it develops, there ' s only one type of nourishment
that Audrey II craves--and it's not available at your local
nurseryl
The Geffen Company presents a Frank Oz Film, "Little
Shop of Horrors," released by The Geffen Company through Warner
Bros. Produced by David Geffen and directed by Frank Oz; the
monster musical comedy stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and
Vincent Gardenia, with a special appearance by Steve Martin
-more-
"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -2-
and cameo appearances by John Candy, James Belushi . and
Christopher Guest.
The screenplay and lyrics were written by Howard
Ashman and the music composed by Alan Menken, who collab-
orated on the off-Broadway and London stage hit on which
the movie is based.
The stage hit, which has since blossomed into a
perennial, was inspired by Roger Corman's "Grade Z" horror
film of the same title. Shot in 1960 on an unbelievable
schedule of two days and a night (largely because Corman was
offered a storefront left over from another movie), "Little
Shop of Horrors" went on to become a cult classic.
It was also notable for the brief, bizarre appearance
of relative newcomer Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental
patient.
New York theatre critics gave the stage production of
"Little Shop of Horrors" a blue ribbon reception. The New
Yorker's Edith Oliver hailed it as "a musical comedy that
is both musical and comic ... full of surprises and marvelous
effects." Richard Corliss in Time magazine welcomed "a
carnivore with its own intimidating charm" which "envelops
the stage and (gasp!) most of the audience."
Winning the Drama Critics' Circle, Drama Desk and
Outer Critics' Circle Awards as the season's best musical,
the show spawned an American touring company (which is still
going strong), a two-year London run , and productions in
France, Scandinavia, Israel, Japan, Germany, Australia and
-more-
"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -3-
Iceland.
With the acquisition of the screen rights by the David
Geffen Company, the voracious Venus people-trap had
blossomed thrice. Geffen's goal was to fuse the elements
of the original story and the show into its own unique
entity.
The time-frame, he decided, would remain intact.
Downtown, it is still 1960. Here, Seymour Krelborn (RICK
MORANIS) toils slavishly for Mushnik (VINCENT GARDENIA),
who plucked him "as a tyke" from the Skid Row Home for
Homeless Boys. In his basement bedroom, where he raises
exotic foliage, Seymour pines for Audrey (ELLEN GREENE),
the lithe, blonde salesgirl with the Betty Boop voice and
cinema noir wardrobe.
But Audrey is literally a prisoner of love. Her
steady crush--in more ways than one--is Orin Scrivello
(STEVE MARTIN), a biker dentist whose delight for burning
rubber is only exceeded by his joy for inflicting pain.
When he isn't giving root canals a bad name or getting high
on his own nitrous oxide, Scrivello spends most of his time
:C.'
putting Audrey in traction.
One night, in the depths of Mushnik's cellar, Seymour
pricks his finger on a rose--and Audrey II gets her first
slurp of RH negative.
Audrey II grows. Seymour grows anemic. Audrey II
demands more "sticky, licky sweets." Seymour buys more
Band-Aids. If Mushnik's prosperity and his exhausted
-more-
"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -4-
errand boy are both to survive , fresh blood must be added
to the floral food chain ...
For director Frank Oz, the challenge of "Little Shop
of Horrors" was "deceptive." The project, he says, "looked
simple, but wasn't. If we played it too camp, the audience
wouldn't care about the characters. If we were too straight,
we'd veer toward melodrama."
What evolved was what Oz calls "heightened reality."
In opening the stage show to encompass the littered alleyways,
decrepit tenements and end-of-the-line elevated train of
Mushnik's neighborhood, he and Oscar-winning production de-
signer Roy Walker created a fantasy Skid Row. But within
the sprawling set--which consumed every .square inch of
Pinewood Studios' "007" stage (the largest in the world)--Oz
also sought a certain "intimacy. "
"I didn't want to balloon it into a musical 'War and
Peace' or even a big, splashy '40s extravaganza," says the
director. "There are no dizzying overhead crane shots .
No irrelevant dance numbers. Nothing to overwhelm what is
basically the simple story of a boy, a girl and a man-eating
plant."
Several production numbers , however, display amusing
affection for film lore. The hollow-eyed vagrants, shuffling
through the gutters of "Downtown, " recall Busby Berkeley's
Depression-era classic, "My Forgotten Man ." "Somewhere
That's Green" is a paean to the suburban never-never land of
scores of movies and '60s sitcoms .
-more-
"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -5-
Within the "heightened reality," Oz and Geffen gathered
a colorfully incongruous cast.
Seymour is played by Rick Moranis, one of the Canadian
Second City troupe's non-fraternal "McKenzie Brothers," who
breezed through "Ghostbusters" as Sigourney Weaver's randy
next-door nebbish. His "Little Shop . .. " role as a botanical
body snatcher required "more straight acting than anything
I'd done before," says Moranis . "But the real attraction was
the chance to sing . Until now, I ' d been limited mostly to
parody."
Ellen Greene, on the other hand, knew the role of
Audrey "like a second skin," having played it for two years--
in New York, Los Angeles and London. (Time magazine praised
. --
her portrayal of "a sweet, sexy, slightly dizzy plonde with
an Elmer Fudd lisp, wittle-girl wiles" and a voice that
"buckles theatre walls . ")
Her character, comments Greene, first came into focus
during costume fittings for the off-Broadway show. "We went
through about five wigs before Audrey became a corns ilk
blonde," she explains. Next came the low-cut leopard skin
dresses, stiletto heels and jangling of the B-movie heroines
who were Audrey's role models.
Vincent Gardenia insists that he was chosen as Mushnik
because "Frank Oz liked my name ." The Naples-born actor, who
began his career as a teenager playing old men in New York's
Italian theatre, calls Mushnik "a symphony of frustration.
He's a man trying to cling to the past despite the depravity
-more-
"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -6-
building around him."
At the root of much of that depravity is Steve Martin's
Doctor Scrivello. (Call him anything other than "Doctor" and
he'll joyfully rip your eyeteeth out.) As the leather-clad
"leader of the plaque," Scrivello parks his Harley Davidson,
dons surgical whites and bounces from room to room in his "one
patient-no waiting" office armed with a variety of evermore
alarming implements. Martin claims that Scrivello makes
Lawrence Olivier's sadistic oral surgeon in "Marathon Man"
look like a public benefactor.
Scattered through "Little Shop of Horrors" are cameos
by several well-known comedic actors. Renewing his Second City
rappoFt with Rick Moranis, John Candy plays Wink Wilkenson,
the one-man radio station who introduces Skid Row listeners
to "the weirdest stuff" in the world--like Seymour Krelborn's
incredible plant. "Spinal Tap's" Christopher Guest is the
first customer to put his money down for a magnetic Audrey II.
James Belushi is a huckster with a plan to cross-pollinate
her cuttings.
Among the inspired notions of the stage musical was a
"Greek chorus" of three teenaged girls who sashayed through
the action ... in perfect harmony and street-smart cynicism ...
like Skid Row Supremes.
To find the film's t ~ i o auditions were held in New
York, Chicago, Detroit, Washington , D.C. and London. Out of
more than a thousand hopefuls tested, the youngsters chosen
for their vocal power and brash energy were 18-year-old
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -7-
Michelle Weeks as Ronette, l6-year-old Tichina Arnold as
Crystal and l7-year-old Tisha Campbell as Chiffon.
With the trio assembled, there was still one character
left to be. cast: Audrey II. The challenge of creating a
plant "like nothing ever seen on this planet," who would
talk, sing and bite the hand that feeds her, was entrusted
to Lyle Conway.
An acknowledged animatroni cs wizard, Conway has worked
with Oz (and Jim Henson) on "The Muppet Show" and "The Dark
Crystal," and had designed the enchanting Lewis Carroll
character for Dennis Potter's "Dream Child."
Conway began the project with an "inspirational" field
trip to London's famous botanical Eden, Kew Gardens. "I felt
that at each stage of her development , Audrey II should have
a distinct look. The 'baby' plant resembles a rosebud with
lips modeled after Ellen Greene 's. Then she grows ... and
grows more monstrous."
Conway next turned to the Atomic Energy Authority at
Harwell, England, for technical advice on creating a core
which would support ... and control ... the creature. "The
scientists there saw it as a game , a pleasant break from
their top-security work. They were iIIllllensely helpful," he
says.
"Size," continues Conway "is the downfall of most
mechanical marvels. Small creatures are relatively easy .
Big ones suffer from gravity. Our challenge was to take
something twelve and a half feet tall, weighing slightly
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -8-
more than one ton, and make it rap and boogie with a life
of its own."
One aspect which concerned director Oz was Audrey II's
lip synching. "It had to be perfect," says Conway. "Frank
didn't want big, flapping hamburger buns." To get the right
effect took as many as forty puppeteers.
By the time Conway's work was finished, he'd gone
through 15,000 hand-made leaves, 2,000 feet of vine, several
hundred gallons of KY Jelly and 11 1/2 miles of cable.
("Just slightly more cable than was used to build the
Brooklyn Bridge," he says proudly.)
But Audrey II was only half-alive.
Still to come was the character's voice, performed by
Levi Stubbs, an original member of the Four Tops. Says
musical director Robby Merkin: "If I die tomorrow, working
with Levi will get me into heaven . Here's a modest, con-
summate pro who has been singing for thirty years in a
group that changed the face of popular music.
"He can sing anything, any way you ask him. We showed
him what the plant would look like and a light bulb went on
in his head. From then on, he the plant."
Combining the film's diverse elements into a hothouse
of horrors began long before a camera turned. The first
phase of the process was in the hands of production designer
Roy Walker, an Academy Award winner for "Barry Lyndon," a
nominee for "Yentl," and a subject of critical acclaim for
his work with Roland Joffe on "The Killing Fields."
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -9-
The "Little Shop of Horrors" storyboards were the work
of Mike Ploog, who graduated from Marvel Comics (where he
drew "Conan," "The Werewolf" and "Planet of the Apes" ...
"anything with hair on it") to films like "Superman II" and
"Young Sherlock Holmes."
In creating his imaginary Skid Row, complete with
"working" elevated train, Walker remained a stickler for
detail. Set decorator Tessa Davies was dispatched to New
York, on a scavenger hunt to find gas meters, soap boxes,
doorknobs, street signs and hundreds of stage props, circa
1960 .
The oddest item on Davies' shopping list were garbage
cans from that era--complete with authentic garbage. "They
had to be genuine and they had to be old," she says. "I
went around the streets in a truck loaded with new garbage
cans, offering to trade them for used ones. People thought
I was crazy. I suspect I got away with it only because I
was a foreigner."
Simultaneously, costume designer Marit Allen was rum-
maging through thrift shops, with the same sixties flavor in
mind. "What helped was that the principals all had a definite
idea of how they should dress,
"
she says .
Ellen Greene wanted "clothes that suggested cast-offs
from Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth . We agreed that there would
be a point in the story where her image would change. When
she falls in love with Seymour, she goes from red, black and
leopard to softer shades."
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -10-
Rick Moranis' wardrobe was designed to "help Seymour
bridge the credibility gap, somewhere between a nerdy loser
and a shy, appealing guy." Steve Martin was "discreet in his
taste in black leather ... more Elvis Presley than Hell's
Angels."
Within the complex interweaving of humor, music,
fantasy, horticulture, set design, special effects, choreog-
raphy, puppetry and the ultimate threat to civilization, the
core of the movie is its characters, says Oz. "They have to
be people you believe in .. people you laugh with, not at."
About the Cast ...
As Seymour Krelborn, a fledgling Faust on Skid Row,
RICK MORANIS moves downtown from the Central Park penthouse
he occupied in "Ghostbusters." In that 1/1 comedy hit of 1984,
he was the party animal who threw wild bacchanals across the
hall from Sigourney Weaver, unaware that her Mid-Manhattan
apartment was being repossessed--by dead spirits.
Playing New Yorkers of any stripe is no greater sur-
prise to Toronto-born Moranis than the fact that he is an
actor at all. "I always thought show business was for
Americans," he says with his trademark sly grin. "I didn't
realize Canadians could get involved."
In fact, he began his career as a radio engineer while
he was still in high school. Although it was only part-time,
it offered Moranis an unlooked-for opportunity: after con-
sistently writing funny one-liners for his deejay friends,
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -11-
he was given his own show, and soon became a popular on-air
personality.
Seguing into cabaret comedy , Moranis performed in
Toronto nightclubs, then moved into Canadian television.
After several years of writing and performing, he was asked
to join "Second City Television" in its third season. When
the satirical comedy show was picked up by an American net-
work, it not only won an Emmy but also brought Moranis
national recognition.
In solo spots on "SCTV," Moranis earned special
acclaim for his comedic portrayals of such personalities
as Woody Allen and Dick Cavett, and won Emmys for comedy
writing in 1981 and '82.
With Dave Thomas he created the McKenzie Brothers
(Bob and Doug)--beer-guzzling phi losophers from the Canadian
north woods, whose goofy antics became an "SCTV" mainstay.
When the "McKenzie Brothers " made an album, it won
a Grammy nomination. When they made their screen bow, it
was as the stars, co-writers and co-directors of "Strange
Brew"--the top-grossing Canadian film of 1983.
Moranis has since appeared in "Streets of Fire" and
"Club Paradise," as well as "Ghostbusters."
Even though she wanted Audrey to "be ripe enough to
falloff a tree," ELLEN GREENE insists there is something
"playful and kittenish about her .. she I s a child/woman you
fall in love with because of her imperfections."
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -12-
That Greene knows her character inside out is to be
expected. She played Audrey for two years on stage--18
months in Los Angeles and off-Broadway, and six months in
London's West End.
A native New Yorker, whose grandfather was in the
Yiddish theatre, she always knew she wanted to be a per-
former. Although her father was a dentist, one brother
a doctor and the other a lawyer , her education-oriented
family didn't stand in her way when she started calling
on casting agents after finishing high school.
She finally landed a gig at Reno Sweeney's, a cabaret
club on 13th Street, where she played piano, sang and ban-
tered .. and earned strong enough reviews to move up to
off-Broadway.
With the New York Shakespeare Festival, Greene appeared
in David Rabe's "In the Boom Boom Room," "Sorrows of Stephen,"
"Wake Up, It's Time to Go To Bed" and "Stage Directions."
She made her Broadway bow in the title role of "Rachel
Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget Itl" then appeared
in "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe," "Teeth and
Smiles" and opposite Michael York in "The Little Prince and
the Aviator." Her performance as Jenny in "Threepenny Opera"
brought her a Tony nomination.
After making her motion picture debut in Paul Mazursky's
"Next Stop, Greenwich Village," Greene played Jill Clayburgh's
friend in "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can." "Little Shop of
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -13-
Horrors" marks her third film.
When Mr. Mushnik, the flower shop owner, gives Audrey
some fatherly advice--"A date gives you a corsage, not a
multiple fracture"--he is simply acting in character. Accord-
ing to VINCENT GARDENIA, who portrays him, Mushnik is "a man
of Old World manners, trying to cope with the craziness and
cruelty around him. "
A veteran character actor in films, theatre and tele-
vision, Gardenia was born in Naples , Italy, in 1922, and
played his first role at the age of five--in Brooklyn, where
his family settled after emigrating .
Graduating from juvenile to leading roles in New York's
Italian theatre, the growing Gardenia was in his mid-30s
when he began his professional career in earnest. His break-
through came with off-Broadway ' s "The Man With the Golden Arm,"
the 1954 shocker about drug addiction.
After enhancing his reputation with "The Brothers
Karamazov," "The Visit," "Death of a Salesman" and "A View
From the Bridge," Gardenia won the coveted Tony for his
performance in Neil Simon's bittersweet "The Prisoner of
Second Avenue." He followed up with roles in three more
Simon plays--"God's Favorite" (written especially for him),
"Plaza Suite" and "California Suite ." He most recently ap-
peared on Broadway in the 1984-85 hit, "Glengarry Glen Ross."
Interestingly enough, Gardenia, who emanates an easy
Italian warmth, has alternated between softies and cold-
blooded killers in his screen career. He made his bow in
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -14-
"Cop Hater" in 1958, appeared in "Murder Inc" and played
mobster Dutch Schultz in "Mad Dog ColI." But he won his
Oscar nomination for his crusty, kindly baseball team
manager in 1973's "Bang the Drum Slowly."
Other films include "Death Wish," "The Front Page"
with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and "Heaven Can Wait,"
with Warren Beatty.
His close-cropped hair is hidden under a black wig
that recalls the glory . that was "Grease," his sunshine
smile is twisted into a sadistic leer, and he handles
women like Cagney on a bad day . But as Orin Scrivello,
D.D.S. (Doctor of De Sade) , STEVE MARTIN has a role he
can sink his teeth into.
One of the outstanding comics of the past 15 years,
Martin has won Emmys for his television work, Grammys for
his record albums, and an Oscar nomination for his screen
bow as "The Absent Minded Waiter ," a 1978 short film.
Born in Waco, Texas, he was raised in Southern
California, where he sold Disneyland guidebooks at 10,
and did magic and comedy routines at Knott's Berry Farm
in his teens.
After earning his degree in Theatre Arts from UCLA,
Martin, then 21, entered television as a writer on the
popular "Smothers Brothers Show" (hi s first Emmy). He
soon added such clients as Sonny and Cher, Pat Paulsen,
Glen Campbell and John Denver to his list, but by the
late 1960s began performing his own material.
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -15-
After serving as the opening act for musical groups
like the Carpenters and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Martin
hit his stride through frequent appearances on Johnny
Carson's "Tonight Show," and other TV guest shots.
Expressions like "Excuuuuuuse me" and "I'm a wild and crazy
guy" became part of the language.
Martin's career soon encompassed his own television
specials, sold-out concerts and gold-plated comedy albums.
His first two--"Let's Get Small" and "Wild and Crazy Guy"--
won Grammys, while "Comedy is Not Pretty" and "King Tut"
sold in the millions.
With "The Jerk," which he co-wrote, Martin moved into
feature films in 1979. He has since starred in the innova-
tive "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," the sci-fi spoof "The Man
With Two Brains," the provocative "Pennies From Heaven," and
as Lily Tomlin's haunted other half in "All of Me."
Martin wears three hats on the soon-to-be-released
"Three Amigos," including that of executive producer. Di-
rected by John Landis, "Three Amigos" was written by Martin,
Lome Michaels and Randy Newman. Additionally, he top lines
the cast along with Chevy Chase and Martin Short.
Martin is presently shooting "Roxanne," a screenplay
he wrote for Columbia Pictures. Directed by Fred Schepisi
and produced by Daniel Melnick and Michael Rachmil, Martin
stars with Daryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich, Shelley Duvall and
Fred Willard.
Underscoring the dramatic twists of plot and fate in
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -16-
"Little Shop of Horrors" are Ronette, Crystal and Chiffon,
a trio of street urchins played by MICHELLE ~ E K S TICHINA
ARNOLD and TISHA CAMPBELL.
All are native New Yorkers, who knew each other
either from school or from appearing in such musicals as
"Sing Mahalia Sing," "The Me Nobody Knows" and "Mama, I
want to Sing."
Michelle, who plays Ronette--at 18 the oldest and
"toughest" of the three--began singing at four and acting
at 14. She completed a run in the starring role of Emma in
"The Tap Dance Kid" just before filming "Little Shop of
Horrors."
Sixteen-year-old Tichina--whose Crystal is the youngest
and "most talkative"--is a student at New York's Music and
Art High School. She began acting at 11, when she appeared
on stage in "The Me Nobody Knows. " She plans to study
psychology at college.
Tisha, who plays 17-year-old Chiffon--"the shy one"--
is the only member of the trio to 'come from a theatrical
family. At 5 she won a car in a talent show, and has since
appeared in various musical shows , including "Mama, I Want
To Sing" and "Really Rosie." She is a student at Arts High
in New Jersey.
Short but sparkling contributions to "Little Shop of
Horrors" are made by John Candy, James Belushi and Christopher
Guest.
As radio announcer Weird Wink Wilkenson, JOHN CANDY
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -17-
puts his considerable heft through quick character changes,
relying on voice and sound effects to fool his listeners.
It's child's play for the Toronto-born Candy, who
first gained recognition in television's "SCTV," where he
impersonated (with devastating precision) such out-sized
stars as Orson Welles, Divine and Luciano Pavarotti. He
also won two Emmys for his writing contributions.
Candy made his film debut as an extra in "Class of
'44," but quickly found his metier in such hugely successful
comedies as "The Blues Brothers," "Stripes," "National
Lampoon's Vacation" and "Splash."
He has since co-starred in "Brewster's Millions,"
"Volunteers" and the recently released "Armed and Dangerous."
Portraying a high-powered entrepreneur--who plots to
get his cut from Audrey II's cuttings--is JAMES BELUSHI, cur-
rently winning wide acclaim as Bernie Litko in "About Last
Night." (The character, a crudely endearing sexist, was
originally performed by Belushi in David Mamet's "Sexual
Perversity in Chicago," the Obie-winning play on which
"About Last Night" is based.)
Born and raised in Chicago , Belushi graduated from
the University of Illinois and spent two years with the
city's fertile Second City troupe before signing on as the
Pirate King in Joseph Papp's touring production of "The
Pirates of Penzance."
Following the show to Broadway, Felushi remained in
New York for a two-year stint on television's "Saturday
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -18-
Night Live," then returned to hi s hometown for "Sexual
Perversity."
After making his film debut i n "Thief," he played a
cameo in "Trading Places," starred in "The Man With One
Red Shoe," and co-starred as a r ock ' n' roll deejay in
"Salvador."
CHRISTOPHER GUEST--the customer who gets rose fever
from Audrey II--is a native New Yorker who studied clarinet
at the High School of Music and Ar t, then began his career
as a National Lampoon satirist .
After several years of "Lampooni ng" as both writer and
performer--59 radio shows, three-Grammy-nominated albums,
the off-Broadway hit, "Lemmings "--Guest won an Emmy for co-
writing television's "Lily Toml i n Special," in which he also
co-starred.
As a television actor, Guest has ranged from comedy to
drama, scoring as Jeb Magruder i n " Blind Ambition," opposite
Bette Davis in "A Piano for Mrs . Cimino , " and in the long-
running series "Laverne & Shirley" and "All in the Family . "
In addition to portraying r ock star Nigel Tufnel in
Rob Reiner ' s hit film, "This Is Spinal Tap," Guest has
appeared on screen in "The Long Ri ders, " "Girlfriends" and
"Heartbeeps."
About the Filmmakers ...
Director FRANK OZ is carving a unique niche for
himseLf in motion pictures.
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -19-
For Jim Henson's Muppets. he performs Miss Piggy.
Fozzie Bear. Animal, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover.
As an actor, he appeared in brief but telling roles
in "The Blues Brothers." "Trading Places" and "An American
Werewolf in London" before making an overnight folk-hero--
and cover-boy--of Yoda, the wrinkled. lovable Jedi
sage in "The Empire Strikes Back."
As a filmmaker, Oz served as producer (with David
Lazer) on the Muppets' second movie. "The Great Muppet
Caper," co-directed "The Dark Crystal" with Jim Henson,
then made his solo directing bow with "The Muppets Take
Manhattan."
Producer DAVID GEFFEN, an entertainment entrepreneur
whose involvements range from records and ilms to Broadway
shows and talent management. began his career in 1964 in the
mail room of the William Morris talent agency. Four years
later, with agency co-worker Elliot Roberts, he formed
Geffen-Roberts Management which shortly represented such
clients as Joni Mitchell. Crosby, Stills and Nash, Neil
Young and Jackson Browne.
In 1971, Geffen formed his own label, Asylum Records.
He later merged the company with Elektra to form Elektral
Asylum. which soon became a recognized leader in the music
industry, with such artists as The Eagles. Linda Ronstadt,
Jackson Browne. Queen, Carly Simon and Bob Dylan. among
others.
In 1975, Geffen was named Vice Chairman of Warner
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -20-
Bros.' film division, a post in which he was responsible
for the successful pictures "Oh, God! , " "The Late Show"
and "Greased Lightning."
From 1976 through 1979, Geffen taught a course on
the music business at UCLA and Yale University, and, in
1980, was appointed by Governor Brown to the Board of
Regents of the University of California .
In 1980, he returned full-force to the music industry
with the formation of his own Geffen Records, with such top
talents as John Lennon/Yoko Ono , Donna Summer, Elton John
and Peter Gabriel on the label.
The '80s also marked Geffen ' s entrance into theatrical
productions, such as the smash hit "Dreamgirls," the Tony
Award winning New York pJ;oduction "Cats , " and the Dramatist
Guild-winning "Little Shop of Horrors . " His other notable
theatrical efforts included "Master Harold and the Boys"
and the Royal Shakespeare Company 's "Good."
The '80s also brought Geffen ' s renewed involvement
with motion pictures with formation of The Geffen Film
Company. Under his personal guidance, Geffen's film arm has
brought to the screen the controversial drama of two young
women athletes contending for Olympi c gold in "Personal Best , "
the immensely-successful Tom Cruise,-starring youth comedy
"Risky Business," Albert Brooks ' well-received yuppy dropout
film "Lost In America" and Martin Scorsese ' s critically-
heralded comedy-drama "After Hours ."
Most recently, Geffen launched the new Broadway play
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"Social Security," toplining Marlo Thomas and Ron Silver.
HOWARD ASHMAN, who wrote the screenplay and lyrics
for the film version of "Little Shop of Horrors," also wrote
the book and lyrics for the musical play, and directed the
original off-Broadway producti on and its London counterpart.
A native of Baltimore, Ashman has been associated with
the Houston, Pittsburgh and San Francisco Opera companies,
the Manhattan Theatre Club , Princeton ' s McCarter Theatre and
New York's WPA Theatre, where he was Artistic Director from
1976 to 1982. He also wrote the book and lyrics (with Dennis
Green) for the musical version of Kurt Vonnegut's "God Bless
You , Mr. Rosewater."
For his contributions to the stage production of "Little
Shop of Horrors," Ashman received the Outer Critics' Circle
Award for best lyrics and best off -Broadway musical, the New
York Drama Critics' Award for bes t musical, and the Drama
Desk Award for best lyrics.
When composer ALAN MENKEN won the 1982/ 83 Outer Critics '
Circle Award for his music in the stage version of "Little
Shop of Horrors," it was the resul t , he says, of a longstand-
ing friendship and collaboration with Howard Ashman. The
pair previously teamed on "God Bl ess You, Mr. Rosewater," a
1979 musical of Kurt Vonnegut's book , which marked Menken's
first major production.
It was while studying medi ci ne at New York University
that Menken made the switch to music composition. Joining
Lehman Engel's BMI Musical Theat re Workshop, he wrote the
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"LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" - Production Information -22-
music and/or lyrics for its productions , as well as songs
heard in revues and cabaret acts around New York.
After having his career anointed with "Rosewater,"
Menken went on to collaborate with Steve Brown on "Attina,
Evil Queen of the Galaxy," and to write the music and lyrics
for "Real Life Funnies," a revue based on the cartoons of
The Village Voice's Stan Mack.
He is currently collaborating with Tom Eyen on "Kicks."
The Geffen Company presents a Frank Oz Film, "Little
Shop of Horrors," released by The Geffen Company through
Warner Bros. Produced by David Geffen and directed by Frank
Oz, the monster musical comedy stars Rick Moranis, Ellen
Greene and Vincent Gardenia, with a special appearance by
Steve Martin and cameo appearances by John Candy, James
Belushi and Christopher Guest.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Seymour Krelborn .... .............. .............. RICK MORANIS
Audrey ....... .................... .......... ... . ........ ELLEN GREENE
Mushnik ........... . .. . ........ ... .. VINCENT GARDENIA
Orin Scrivello . D.D.S ........................ STEVE MARTIN
Cry stal ...... .. .. . ..... ....... ... ... ... TICHINA ARNOLD
Chiffon ............... . .... .... TISHA CAl1PBELL
Ronette ............ ..... . ... . . . . . . ......... . MICHELLE WEEKS
Pat rick Martin ... .. . . . . . . .... . . ... . ..... . JAMES BELUSHI
Wink Wilkinson ............. . ...... ....... .... ....... . . ... JOHN CANDY
First Custome r .... . ........................ CHRISTOPHER GUEST
Arthur Denton ... . . ...... . . ......... .. ....................... BILL MURRAY
(in order of appearance )
Narra tor ... ........ ..... .. .... ............. .... . . STANLEY JONES
"Downtown" Old Woman . . . . ...... ...... . . .... . BERTICE READING
"Down town" Bum Il l . ..... . . .... . . .. .. .. ...... ... . . ....... .. ..... .... ED WILEY
"Downtown" Bum #2 .. .... .. .... .. ... . .... ... .... . . .. . ........... ALAN TILVERN
"Downtown" Bum 113 JOHN SCOTT MARTIN
Chinese Floris t ...... . ..... ... ....... ..... .. . VINCENT WONG
Doo Wop Street Singers ..... .. . ......... . ..... . MAK WILSON
DANNY CUNNI NGHAM
DANNY JOHN-JULES
GARY PALMER
PAUL SWABY
Second Cus tomer ... . . .... .... . .... ... ... . . MILDRED SHAY
Third Cus t omer . .......... ... ....... . .. ... ..... . . .. MELISSA WILTS IE
Fourth Customer .. . . ...... ........ . . ...... . ... ...... .. KEVIN SCOTT
Fifth Cus tomer . ........... .. .... BARBARA ROSENBLA T
Radio Station Assistant .. . .. ... .. ......... . ... . .. ....... ADEEN FOGLE
CAST OF CHARACTERS 2
Audrey & Seymour's Kids ........ KELLY HUNTLEY
PAUL REYNOLDS
Den tal Nurs e . ... . ........ MIRIAM MARGOL YES
Boy Patient ...... ..... .... .. ...... ABBIE DABNER
Second Patient ...... ............... FRANK DUX
Pa tient on Ceiling ....... ....... ....... PETER WHITMAN
Girl Patient ...... ....... HEATHER HENSON
Girl's Mother .................... . . ................... JUDITH MORSE
Ag en t .......... . .......... .. ......... . . .. BOB SHERMAN
"Life" Magazine Lady ................ . ... DOREEN HERMITAGE
Her As s is tan t . ................ .. .. ............ KERRY SHALE
Network Exec 1/1. ... ......... ROBERT ARDEN
Network Exec 112 ...... ....................... STEPHEN HOYE
Network Exec 1/3 .... ....... BOB SESSIONS
Television Reporter ............... . . ... . MICHAEL J . SHANNON
The Voice of "AUDREY II" performed by .. . .. . . ... .............. LEVI STUBBS
of The Four Tops
* * * *
THE CREDITS
Directed by .............................................................................................. FRANK OZ
Produced by .... DAVID GEFFEN
Screenplay by .................................................... .................... ................ HOWARD ASHMAN
Mus ic by ............. ALAN MENKEN
Lyrics by .................................................... .............................. .............. HOWARD ASHMAN
Music Produced by ........ BOB GAUDIO
Original Motion Picture Score by ....... MILES GOODMAN
Director of Photography ... ROBERT PAYNTER, B.S.C.
Production Designed by ....... ....... ROY WALKER
Film Editor ......... ...... . JOHN JYMPSON
Special Visual Effects by ....... BRAN FERREN
"Audrey II" Designed and Created by .... LYLE CONWAY
Costumes Des igned by ....... ...... ....... MARIT ALLEN
Casting by ........................ MARGERY SIMKIN
Based on the musical stage play
Book and Lyr ics by ... ........ HOWARD ASHMAN
Music by ............. ALAN MENKEN
Production Supervisor for The Geffen Company .... ERIC ANGELSON
Line Producer .......... WILLIAM S. GILMORE
Associate Producers ... .. . DAVID ORTON
DENIS HOLT
Camera Operator .. FREDDIE COOPER, S.O.C.
Choreographer ......... .. PAT GARRETT
Musical Casting by ........ . JOHNSON-LIFF ASSOCIATES
Orchestrations & Musical Supervision by ........ ROBBY MERKIN
Vocal Arranger ... ... ROBERT BILLIG
Music Coordinator ..... ...... ... JIM HENRIKSON
The Credits . 2
Music Arranged and Adapted by . ROBBY MERKIN & BOB GAUDIO
First Assistant Director DUSTY SYMONDS
Production Manager .. DONALD TOMS
Script Supervisor .... ... PAMELA MANN FRANCIS
Second Assistant Director ..... . GARETH TANDY
Third Assistant Director ..... NICK HECKSTALL-SMITH
Production Coordinator .......... . VICKI MANNI NG
Assistant to Mr. Oz .. ...... VAL DEMETER
Casting Director (U.K.) .... .. CELESTIA FOX
Art Director .... STEPHEN SPENCE
Art Director (Models) ....... JOHN FENNER
Assistant Art Director ......... .. ................ ...................... .... ...... ............. JIM MORAHAN
Set Decorator ... .. TESSA DAVIES
Production Illustrator .... MICHAEL PLOOG
Construction Coordinator ..... MICHAEL REDDING
Production Buyer (U.K.) ..... ... RON QUELCH
Production Buyer (U. S.) .... .. CAROL NAST
Draughtspersons .......... MARTIN HITCHCOCK
PHILIP ELTON
SUZANNA SMITH
Sculptor/Modeller ................ BRIAN MUIR
Model Maker ........ . . MARK WOOLLARD
Art Department Trainee . . JEREMY KARPEL
Focus Puller ........... DANNY SHELMERDINE
Clapper Loader ............. ........ .. .. ... BOB BRIDGES
Camera Grip ...... DAVID CADWALLADER
Additional Grip .................................................................................... KEVIN FRASER
The Credits 3
Second Unit Cameramen .......... .......... ........................................... RONNIE MAASZ
JAMES DEVIS
Second Unit Camera Operator JEFF PAYNTER
Camera Trainee NIGEL (WILL) WILLIS
Sound Mixer PETER SUTTON
Boom Oper a tor ............................................................................................ JOHN SALTER
Playback Operator SIMON COX
Sound Maintenance RON BUTCHER
Video Supervisor IAN KELLY
Video Assistant DAVID SIMONETTI
Intercom Technician/Video Operator STUART LORRAINE
Wardrobe Supervisor PAUL VACHON
Assistant Costume Designer WILLIAM McPHAIL
Wardrobe Assistants DOROTHEA SMYLIE
SUE HONEYBORNE
MIKE JARVIS
Seamstress .................................................................................................... JO MEASUF.E
Chief Makeup Artist PAUL ENGELEN
Makeup Artist LYNDA ARMSTRONG
Chief Hairdresser COLIN JAMISON
Hairdressers .............................................................................................. JAN JAMISON
SUE LOVE
Production Accountant JO GREGORY
Assistant Accountant ................................... ... ALLAN DAVIES
Computer Operator LYNN BOWEN
Cashier ANDY ANDREWS
Production Office Assistant JANINE LODGE
Producer's secretary .................. .................. TESSA BILLYEALD
The Credits ... 4
Pre-Production Secretary (N. Y.) ..... .. MELANIE WILLIAMS
Production Runners .. .. ......... JAMES HICKOX
MARK CHALLENOR
JOHN WITHERS
GARETH FRANCIS
MARTIN KRAUKA
Uni t Publicist ...... .. ..... SUSAN D I ARCY
Assistant Publicist ................. ... . .. ................... ROSE BEAN
Still Photographer ........... .. ....... . .. MURRAY CLOSE
PRINCIPAL PLANT PERFORMERS
ANTONY ASBURY
MAK WILSON
SUE DACRE
MARCUS CLARKE
DAVID GREENAWAY
MICHAEL BAYLISS
DON AUSTEN
WILLIAM TODD JONES
IAN TREGONNING
MICHAEL QUINN
GRAHAM
BRIAN HENSON
ROBERT TYGNER
DAVID BARCLAY
PAUL SPRINGER
TOBY PHILPOTT
MICHAEL BARCLAY
CHRIS LEITH
TERRY LEE
JOHN ALEXANDER
JAMES BARTON
FLETCHER
ADDITIONAL PERFORMERS
MADELINE ADAMS
TONY ANTONY
AILSA BERK
MARTIN BRIDLE
SIMON BROWN
GEORGIA CLARKE
DEBBIE CUMNING
MARY EDWARDS
MIKE HALFORD
PENNY HETHERINGTON
RONNIE LE DREW
SALLY McCORMACK
RUSSELL NASH
GRAHAM NEWTON
NIGEL PLASKITT
PETER ROBBINS
ANNA SAVVA
JOHN STYLES
IAN THOM
PATTI WEBB
FRANCIS WRIGHT
MARTIN ANTONY
JOAN BARTON
RICHARD BRAIN
FIONA BENYON BROWN
DAVID BULBECK
RICHARD COOMBS
PHIL EASTON
GEOFF FELIX
LESLIE HAYNES
HELEN JOANN IDES
PATRICIA MARTINELLI
STEPHEN MOTTRAM
ALISON NEIL
ANGIE PASSMORE
JUDY PREECE
GILLY ROBIC
DAVID SHOWLER
NICHOLAS TEMPLE
DAVID TRAINER
SINON WILLIAMSON
SASKIA WRIGHT
The Credits ... 5
Physical Therapist ....................................................................... DAVID ALLAN
ANIMATRONICS STAFF
Coordinator ................................. BARBARA GRIFFITHS
Chief Mechanical Deisgners ......... .... ...... NEAL SCANLAN
CHRISTIAN OSTWALD
Head of Fabrication ........................... ... ....... SHERRY AMOTT
Senior Modeller .......................................................................... JOHN BLAKELEY
Senior Painters ................................................. .............. .................. DAVID WHITE
JANE HARDING
Head of Foam Lab ....................... . .......... SUE HIGGINS
Senior Mechanical Design ............................ NIK WILLIAMS
JIM SANDYS
CHRIS EVELEIGH
KEVIN HERD
STUART ROBINSON
TIM WHEELER
Fabrication .................................... GRAEME GALVIN
ALISON DARKE
GINETTE RUTHVEN
JANET KNETCHEL
JOAN GARRICK
JILL THRAVES
EVE ROBERTS
MAVIS TAYLOR
Modellers ............................................ STUART SMITH
DAVID HAYES
GARY POLLARD
JEREMY HUNT
JOHN ROBINSON
PHILOMENA DAVIS
Animatronics Technicians .......................... STEVE DONALD
BRENT BLAIR
PHIL DABSON
MICHAEL SCANLAN
DAVID ELSEY
JASON REED
IAN MORSE
The Credits ... 6
Animatronics Assistants FIONA BEAUMONT
ROBERT HATT
Animatronics Plasterers ....... DON TAYLOR
MICHAEL GASTER
Trainees ........................ JONATHAN WEBB
JOANNA TURNER
Supervising Electrician ... ... JOHN MAY
Best Boy .......... , ..... JOHN SULLIVAN
Gaffer (2nd Unit) . .... ...... MICHAEL McDERMOTT
Supervising Propman ... ...... DANNY SKUNDRIC
Chargehand Props .... .... . KEITH PITT
Prop Storeman ..... ..... BRIAN WEST
Propmen ................. .... ..... .. GRAHAM EMERY
CLIVE WILSON
Carpenter ............... ... ... JOHN PERRY
Painter ......... .... . .. JOSEPH MONKS
Plasterer . . ...... TERRY LYNCH
Plasterer's Laborer ......... ... ..... RICHARD LYON
Stagehand .. . .. ... .... JOE MOO RAT
Rigger . ............ ........ ...... JOSEPH DOYLE
Carpenter (Animatronics) ......... STEVE EELS
Stagehand (Animatronics) ..... . ...... LEE TAYLOR
Rigger (Animatronics) ......... . . TONY ROBINI
Special Physical Effects ........ ... EFFECTS ASSOCIATES LTD.
MARTIN GUTTERIDGE
GRAHAM LONGHURST
Additional Lighting Equipment LEE ELECTRIC (LIGHTING) LTD.
Grip Package .. . GRIP HOUSE LTD .
Model Unit Supervisor ..... ..... .. RICHARD CONWAY
The Credits .. 7
Assistant Director .. .. TIM REED
Script Supervisor. ....... ANNE WOTTON
Cameraman ... . PAUL WILSON, B. S. C.
Camera Oper a tor JOHN MORGAN
Focus Puller JONATHAN TAYLOR
Clapper Loader . NIGEL STONE
Grip .. TED JAFFREY
Model Technicians BOB HOLLOW
MARTIN GANT
DAVID McCALL
STEPHEN HAMILTON
Model Makers . TERRY REED
JIM MACHIN
Sculptor .......... .... KEITH SHORT
Senior Effects Technician CHRISTINE OVERS
Special Effects Assistant ..... .. TIM WILLIS
General Assistant ... KAYE MOSS
Runner .... . MARTIN MERCER
Video Operator .. CHRIS KENNY
First Assistant Film Editor ......... ..... . WILLIAM WEBB
Second Assistant Editor .. JONATHAN LUCAS
ADR Editor .. BOB RISK
ADR Assistant STEFNA SMAL
Sound Effects Supervisor . RON DAVIS
Assistant Sound Editor ...... . COLIN WILSON
Visual Effects Editors .... ... DEREK TRIGG
BOB GAVIN
Effects Assistant .. . BEN PALMER
The Credits ... S
Assistant Editors (L.A.) .... . LOUISE HOGARTH
LISA DORNEY
REBECCA EINFELD
Post Production Coordinator (L.A.) .. DENISE FROST
Music Editors ............. ....... .......... NANCY FOGARTY
CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY
As sis tan t Mus ic Editor .. ANDREW GLEN
Music Pre-Recording (London) ...... ADVISION LIMITED
Eng ineer ........... ....... DAVID JACOB
Assistant Engineer .......... MARTIN O'DONNELL
Music Assistants ......................... ................... . PAULINE McGEE
CLAIRE IBBOTSON
JOANNA HART
Music Pre-Recording (Los Angeles) ... HOLLYWOOD SOUND RECORDERS, INC .
Engineer .................... TONY D' AMICO
Assistant Engineers ....... DANIEL REED
SCOTT MacPHERSON
Additional Overdubs ............ ROBERT ASH
Music Assistants .. . ....... .... . . . BOB SUTTON
ROBERT SOBO
SUZAN (KAPNER) MANN
Original Score Recording .... ....... . RECORD PLANT, INC.
Eng ineer .......................................................................................................... JOEL MOSS
Orchestra Contractor ........... CARL FORTINA
Orchestrations .... . THOMAS PASATIERI
Music Copying ... .... ROBERT BORNSTEIN
Re-Recording Mixers ...... ....... . ROBERT W. GLASS, JR.
STEVE MASLOW
KEVIN O'CONNELL
Recordists .......... ... ... ... ..... GARY RITCHIE
BOBBY NICHOLS
The Credits 9
Negative Cutter ..... .. . . . DONAH BASSETT
Color Timer ..... .. .. .. ................................ .. .. .......... ...... .... .. .. .................... DICK RITCHIE
Special Visual Effects by ASSOCI ATES & FERREN, New York
Project Coordination .... ..... .. JAMES N. SHELLY
SUSAN COURSEY
SUSAN LeBER
DAVID McDONOUGH
Electronics ....... . ... ROBERT C. FRANCIS
CHESTER T. HARTWELL
JOHN C. HUNTINGTON III
Optical Effects . . . . .. .... ...... . . .... . ROBERT ROWOHLT
JOHN ALAGNA
BOB BUCKLES
SANFORD DUKE
MITCH WILSON
Systems Support .... . ....... . .. .................... ... . .... . . . . PHILLIP CULLUM
KINNERETH ELLENTUCK
ROBERT KOHUT
LARS PEDERSON
PAUL PRATT
ALAN D. WEBB
Motion Control .. .. CHARLES F . HARRISON
OTTO LEICHLITER
JOHN A. FRITH
MELISSA RICE
KEN WISNER
Graphics & Animation . ... ... .... ... DICK RAUH
PETER WALLACH
VALERIE BAIAEDI
NICHOLAS BAUM
MICHAEL N. CAPUTO
BRADEN CLARY
MICHAEL FAERI-IAN
GREGORY M. HARKER
DENNIS JORDAN
JOE LAUDATI
DON POYNTER
MICHAEL SULLIVAN
MICHAEL TABACCO
MICHAEL VENTRESCO
BRIAN WATERSON
VINCENT N. YACENDA
The Cre.di.ts ... 10
Robin Animation .............. PETER CHIANG
OPTICAL FILM EFFECTS LTD.
Levi Stubbs' appearance
Courtesy of Motown Records
"I LOVE LUCY" courtesy of CBS Inc., and Viacom Enterprises
"HOWDY DOODY" (R) (c) courtesy of National Broadcasting Company, Inc.
"LIFE" title and format used with permission of Time Incorporated
Special Thanks to
HORTICULTURE MAGAZINE
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
TV GUIDE MAGAZINE
PAUL DOOLEY
and
ROBIN OZ
Filmed entirely at
PINEWOOD STUDIOS LTD.
Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England
Re-Recorded at
THE GOLDWYN SOUND FACILITY
Warner Hollywood Studios
Lenses and PANAFLEX (R) Camera by PANAVISION (R)
Color by TECHNICOLOR (R)
Title Design by BRAN FERREN
DOLBY (DD) STEREO in Selected Theatres
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Available on
GEFFEN RECORDS, CASSETTES & COMPACT DISCS
A GEFFEN COMPANY RELEASE
Distributed by WARNER BROS., INC. (WB),
a Warner Communications Company