The It's the Writers, Stupid!!!! Ficathon
This is not what I call lounging around....But.
So one of my Christmas presents was this neat set of flashcards with great movie pickup lines. I was already thinking of having a fanfic prompt party based on these, a la the wonderful You Gotta Have Cash ficathon by vylit or the Music of Pain ficathon by brandil and crazydiamondsue. I can envision fic writers having a field day with such juicy flirtation lines (some of which seem to beg for slash treatment).
Then as I was riffling through the cards to pick my favorite prompts, I noticed they listed the quote, the movie, the pairing (with actors) and the director -- but not the writer! Even though there was something in the packaging about how brilliantly crafted these bits of dialogue were, not one word about who actually crafted them.
So that made me realize this Writers Guild strike season is the perfect time for this ficathon, and it gave me a name for it. Announcing:
The "It's the Writers, Stupid!!!" Ficathon
Pick your prompt from the quotes behind the cut, and use it however you choose to write a piece of fanfiction. Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel: the Series fics strongly encouraged (because I'll have a clue who the characters are), but other fandoms welcome. Hell, you can even write The Postman Always Rings Twice fic if you wanna. I'm not going to close prompts as they're chosen, so the more the merrier. Slash and het welcome, and if you can figure out a way to work 'em into a genfic, go for it.
Stories should be at least 1000 words, and let's make the deadline the Ides of March, which is a Saturday. Post your chosen prompt here, and I'll make a master list for completed fics when the time comes.
Listed with writing credits (thank you IMDB). Because it's the writers, stupid!!!
"I hate being pawed."
"Ah, but then maybe you've never been pawed properly."
- Loretta Young and Lyle Talbot in She Had to Say Yes.
Written by John Francis Larkin (story "Customer's Girl"), Rian James (screenplay) and Don Mullaly (screenplay).
"You're a swell dish. I think I'm gonna go for you."
- James Cagney in Public Enemy.
Written by Kubec Glasmon and John Bright (story "Beer and Blood"), Harvey F. Thew (adaptation) (as Harvey Thew).
"Everything wrong with you, I like."
- Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe.
Written by Chandler Sprague (story) and David Boehm (story), Frederick Hazlitt Brennan (adaptation) and Dalton Trumbo (screenplay).
"Oh, now don't turn ordinary on me. I get tired of ordinary dames. And I don't want to get tired of you."
- Robert Taylor in Johnny Eager.
Written by James Edward Grant (story and screenplay) and John Lee Mahin (screenplay).
"I like your eyes. Do you mind?"
- Greta Garbo in Inspiration.
Written by Alphonse Daudet (novel "Sapho," uncredited), James Forbes (adaptation, uncredited) Gene Markey (dialogue)
"I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair."
- Bette Davis in Cabin in the Cotton.
Written by Harry Harrison Kroll (novel), Paul Green (screenplay).
"Dearest, I think you're the lowest thing that ever crawled, but as long as I can put my hands on you, no other man will ever touch me."
- Bette Davis in It's Love I'm After.
Written by Maurice Hanline (story) and Casey Robinson (writer).
"We're going to know each other eventually, why not now?"
- Humphrey Bogart in Across the Pacific.
Written by Robert Carson (story) and Richard Macaulay (screenplay).
"Give me a kiss or I'll sock you."
- John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice.
Written by James M. Cain (novel), Harry Ruskin (screenplay) and Niven Busch (screenplay).
"Let's go somewhere where we can be alone. Ah, there doesn't seem to be anyone on this couch."
- Groucho Marx in Go West.
Written by Irving Brecher (original screenplay), Buster Keaton (uncredited).
"I'd like to run barefoot through your hair."
- Franchot Tone in Bombshell.
Written by Caroline Francke (play) and Mack Crane (play), John Lee Mahin (screenplay), Jules Furthman (screenplay) and Norman Krasna (additional writer, uncredited).
"I guess you are sort of attractive, in a corn-fed sort of way. You can find yourself a poor girl falling for you if -- well, if you threw in a set of dishes."
- Bette Davis in The Man Who Came to Dinner.
Written by Moss Hart (play) and George S. Kaufman (play), Julius J. Epstein
(screenplay) and Philip G. Epstein (screenplay).
"If you ain't decent, boyfriend, you'll do until something decent comes along."
- Jean Harlow in China Seas.
Written by Crosbie Garstin (book), Jules Furthman (screenplay) and James Kevin McGuinness, (screenplay), Paul Bern (contributor to story, uncredited) and Paul Hervey Fox (contributor to dialogue, uncredited) and Monckton Hoffe (early script writer, uncredited) and John Lee Mahin (contributor to screenplay construction, uncredited) and Maurice Revnes (early script writer, uncredited).
"I like older men. They're so grateful."
- Greta Garbo in Two-faced Woman.
Written by Ludwig Fulda (play), S.N. Behrman (screenplay) and Salka Viertel (screenplay) and George Oppenheimer (screenplay)
"I always have liked redheads."
"You shouldn't. Red means stop."
"I'm color-blind."
- George Raft and Ann Sheridan in They Drive by Night.
Written by A.I. Bezzerides (novel "Long Haul"), Jerry Wald (screenplay) and
Richard Macaulay (screenplay).
"What's the matter with me? I'm gay, I'm lovable, and I've got good teeth."
- Robert Montgomery in June Bride.
Written by Graeme Lorimer (play), Ranald MacDougall (writer) and Eileen Tighe (play "Feature for June").
"Let's go in my room and talk the situation over."
"What situation?"
"Well...uh...what situations have you got?"
- Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in A Night at the Opera.
Written by James Kevin McGuinness (story), George S. Kaufman, (screenplay) and Morrie Ryskind (screenplay), Al Boasberg (dialogue) uncredited, Buster Keaton (uncredited), Robert Pirosh draft (uncredited) and George Seaton draft (uncredited).
"When you get your fill of marriage, I'll be waiting for you."
- Ricardo Cortez in Illicit.
Written by Edith Fitzgerald (play) & Robert Riskin (play) and Harvey F. Thew (adaptation) (as Harvey Thew).
"Mind if I get drunk with you?"
- Jean Harlow in Red Dust.
Written by Wilson Collison (play), John Lee Mahin (screenplay) (as John Mahin) and Donald Ogden Stewart (additional writer) uncredited.
"It's midnight. Look at the clock, one hand has met the other hand, they kiss. Isn't that wonderful?"
- Melvyn Douglas in Ninotchka.
Written by Melchior Lengyel (story), Charles Brackett (screenplay) & Billy Wilder (screenplay) and Walter Reisch (screenplay).
So one of my Christmas presents was this neat set of flashcards with great movie pickup lines. I was already thinking of having a fanfic prompt party based on these, a la the wonderful You Gotta Have Cash ficathon by vylit or the Music of Pain ficathon by brandil and crazydiamondsue. I can envision fic writers having a field day with such juicy flirtation lines (some of which seem to beg for slash treatment).
Then as I was riffling through the cards to pick my favorite prompts, I noticed they listed the quote, the movie, the pairing (with actors) and the director -- but not the writer! Even though there was something in the packaging about how brilliantly crafted these bits of dialogue were, not one word about who actually crafted them.
So that made me realize this Writers Guild strike season is the perfect time for this ficathon, and it gave me a name for it. Announcing:
The "It's the Writers, Stupid!!!" Ficathon
Pick your prompt from the quotes behind the cut, and use it however you choose to write a piece of fanfiction. Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel: the Series fics strongly encouraged (because I'll have a clue who the characters are), but other fandoms welcome. Hell, you can even write The Postman Always Rings Twice fic if you wanna. I'm not going to close prompts as they're chosen, so the more the merrier. Slash and het welcome, and if you can figure out a way to work 'em into a genfic, go for it.
Stories should be at least 1000 words, and let's make the deadline the Ides of March, which is a Saturday. Post your chosen prompt here, and I'll make a master list for completed fics when the time comes.
Listed with writing credits (thank you IMDB). Because it's the writers, stupid!!!
"I hate being pawed."
"Ah, but then maybe you've never been pawed properly."
- Loretta Young and Lyle Talbot in She Had to Say Yes.
Written by John Francis Larkin (story "Customer's Girl"), Rian James (screenplay) and Don Mullaly (screenplay).
"You're a swell dish. I think I'm gonna go for you."
- James Cagney in Public Enemy.
Written by Kubec Glasmon and John Bright (story "Beer and Blood"), Harvey F. Thew (adaptation) (as Harvey Thew).
"Everything wrong with you, I like."
- Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe.
Written by Chandler Sprague (story) and David Boehm (story), Frederick Hazlitt Brennan (adaptation) and Dalton Trumbo (screenplay).
"Oh, now don't turn ordinary on me. I get tired of ordinary dames. And I don't want to get tired of you."
- Robert Taylor in Johnny Eager.
Written by James Edward Grant (story and screenplay) and John Lee Mahin (screenplay).
"I like your eyes. Do you mind?"
- Greta Garbo in Inspiration.
Written by Alphonse Daudet (novel "Sapho," uncredited), James Forbes (adaptation, uncredited) Gene Markey (dialogue)
"I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair."
- Bette Davis in Cabin in the Cotton.
Written by Harry Harrison Kroll (novel), Paul Green (screenplay).
"Dearest, I think you're the lowest thing that ever crawled, but as long as I can put my hands on you, no other man will ever touch me."
- Bette Davis in It's Love I'm After.
Written by Maurice Hanline (story) and Casey Robinson (writer).
"We're going to know each other eventually, why not now?"
- Humphrey Bogart in Across the Pacific.
Written by Robert Carson (story) and Richard Macaulay (screenplay).
"Give me a kiss or I'll sock you."
- John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice.
Written by James M. Cain (novel), Harry Ruskin (screenplay) and Niven Busch (screenplay).
"Let's go somewhere where we can be alone. Ah, there doesn't seem to be anyone on this couch."
- Groucho Marx in Go West.
Written by Irving Brecher (original screenplay), Buster Keaton (uncredited).
"I'd like to run barefoot through your hair."
- Franchot Tone in Bombshell.
Written by Caroline Francke (play) and Mack Crane (play), John Lee Mahin (screenplay), Jules Furthman (screenplay) and Norman Krasna (additional writer, uncredited).
"I guess you are sort of attractive, in a corn-fed sort of way. You can find yourself a poor girl falling for you if -- well, if you threw in a set of dishes."
- Bette Davis in The Man Who Came to Dinner.
Written by Moss Hart (play) and George S. Kaufman (play), Julius J. Epstein
(screenplay) and Philip G. Epstein (screenplay).
"If you ain't decent, boyfriend, you'll do until something decent comes along."
- Jean Harlow in China Seas.
Written by Crosbie Garstin (book), Jules Furthman (screenplay) and James Kevin McGuinness, (screenplay), Paul Bern (contributor to story, uncredited) and Paul Hervey Fox (contributor to dialogue, uncredited) and Monckton Hoffe (early script writer, uncredited) and John Lee Mahin (contributor to screenplay construction, uncredited) and Maurice Revnes (early script writer, uncredited).
"I like older men. They're so grateful."
- Greta Garbo in Two-faced Woman.
Written by Ludwig Fulda (play), S.N. Behrman (screenplay) and Salka Viertel (screenplay) and George Oppenheimer (screenplay)
"I always have liked redheads."
"You shouldn't. Red means stop."
"I'm color-blind."
- George Raft and Ann Sheridan in They Drive by Night.
Written by A.I. Bezzerides (novel "Long Haul"), Jerry Wald (screenplay) and
Richard Macaulay (screenplay).
"What's the matter with me? I'm gay, I'm lovable, and I've got good teeth."
- Robert Montgomery in June Bride.
Written by Graeme Lorimer (play), Ranald MacDougall (writer) and Eileen Tighe (play "Feature for June").
"Let's go in my room and talk the situation over."
"What situation?"
"Well...uh...what situations have you got?"
- Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in A Night at the Opera.
Written by James Kevin McGuinness (story), George S. Kaufman, (screenplay) and Morrie Ryskind (screenplay), Al Boasberg (dialogue) uncredited, Buster Keaton (uncredited), Robert Pirosh draft (uncredited) and George Seaton draft (uncredited).
"When you get your fill of marriage, I'll be waiting for you."
- Ricardo Cortez in Illicit.
Written by Edith Fitzgerald (play) & Robert Riskin (play) and Harvey F. Thew (adaptation) (as Harvey Thew).
"Mind if I get drunk with you?"
- Jean Harlow in Red Dust.
Written by Wilson Collison (play), John Lee Mahin (screenplay) (as John Mahin) and Donald Ogden Stewart (additional writer) uncredited.
"It's midnight. Look at the clock, one hand has met the other hand, they kiss. Isn't that wonderful?"
- Melvyn Douglas in Ninotchka.
Written by Melchior Lengyel (story), Charles Brackett (screenplay) & Billy Wilder (screenplay) and Walter Reisch (screenplay).