Page One: “Tootsie” (1982)

Screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal, story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart

The movie version of the opening (credit sequence).

I’m often asked: “May I write a credit sequence in a spec script?” Some people in the development community may chafe at that seeing as it’s the director’s job. There’s no rule against it, but to be on the safe side, you can do like the opening of the Tootsie script does: Write a credit sequence without calling it a credit sequence. [Obviously, by contemporary standards, you would break up the paragraph into several smaller ones to make it more readable].

You may download the screenplay here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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