Scene Description Spotlight: “There’s Something About Mary”

There are many funny scenes in the Farrelly brothers’ movie There’s Something About Mary (1988), but the “franks or beans” scene is right up there as one of the most memorable.

In classic comedy fashion, the scene builds the humor step by step. After Ted’s unfortunate zipper-job, first Mary’s Dad enters the bathroom to check out Ted’s groin area, then Mary’s Mom, then a totally random Police Officer sticks his head in through the window, all accompanied by Mary’s brother Warren excitedly exclaiming, “Beans and franks,” and finally culminating in poor Ted being carried away in an ambulance.

But the scene wouldn’t work without a great set-up and that’s the focus of today’s scene description spotlight. The Farrelly brothers use primary and secondary slugs to ‘direct’ the action with these five shots:

— INT. BATHROOM — TWILIGHT: Establishes the location.

— TED’S POV: Ted looking at two LOVEBIRDS.

— SNAP FOCUS: Mary in the bedroom window, Ted sees her, Ted’s mother sees him.

— ON TED: Ted ducks into the bathroom horrified at being perceived as a peeping Tom.

— TED GETS HIS DICK STUCK IN THE ZIPPER!

The more common screenplay style today is not to use directing lingo, so if you were writing the scene now, you might do it like this:

INT. BATHROOM — TWILIGHT

Ted dabs his head with a tissue, then moves to the toilet. As he
TAKES A LEAK he glances out the window to his left and sees —

TWO LOVEBIRDS

perched on a branch.

TED SMILES

at the SOUND of these beautiful tweeties singing their love
song for themselves, for the spring, for Ted and Mary, and
suddenly they fly away revealing —

MARY IN THE BEDROOM WINDOW

directly behind where the birds were, in just a bra and panties,
and just then her mother glances Ted’s way and MAKES EYE-CONTACT
with what she can only presume to be a leering Peeping Tom.

TED LOSES HIS SMILE

and ducks his head back into the bathroom, HORRIFIED.

PANICKING NOW, he hastily zips up his fly and —

TED
YEEEOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

TED GETS HIS DICK STUCK IN THE ZIPPER!

This approach uses secondary slugs / shots to ‘direct’ the action without using directing lingo. Here is part of the scene as filmed:

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