Chapter on the Cutting Room Floor
As six month anniversary of the release of the book approaches, it's been fun to reflect on the encouraging response from friends, fans and even some fairly impartial reviewers. Rewardingly, the feedback has been universally positive. And, comers to a couple dozen book talks in a variety of settings have appreciated the story behind the story.
One common question we get, and not always with tongue planted in cheek, is: So when is the movie coming out? Seriously, people do ask. And, humble though we may be, the thought had actually occurred to us, even while we were writing. Those wild thoughts even lead to a chapter, the final chapter of the book at one point, and the only one not to make the final cut for publication.
As its author, I was in favor of keeping. While no one took issue with the writing, the argument from others, including our editor as I recall, was essentially that it was (as articulated by Billy) "too self-indulgent." And the entire book isn’t? I thought to myself. But I was not going to dig in my heels, and in the spirit of "all for one and one for all," cheerfully acceded to the collective wishes of those who had stronger feelings.
If, after reading, you agree those guys are a bunch of &hit#eads, feel free to weigh in on our Facebook page and or send them hate mail. Maybe those short sighted bastards will reconsider for the second printing.
Afterword By Phil Odence
Fallon: ...and you must have known you had something very special.
Guy: Well, when we started, we thought it would be special, but never really...
Phil (interrupting): You, thought it would be something special.
Guy: Phil was a little skeptical at the outset.
Fallon: Seriously? Come on; people can’t put it down.
Phil: The rest of us figured the book would have a circulation of seven, one for each of us. We played along to get Guy off our backs.
Guy: It wasn’t that bad, but Phil’s right, we looked at this as a labor of love, not a commercial venture. In fact, prior to being contacted by HarperCollins we had been planning to self-publish.
Fallon (head shaking): I can’t tell if you guys are pulling my leg. So, safe to say you weren’t thinking movie at the beginning either.
Guy: I remember Ed joking about it.
Phil: Never seriously occurred to any of us until Norm highlighted the paragraph in the publisher’s contract. He was able to negotiate an unusually good deal on that point—almost unheard of for new authors—so maybe Harper wasn’t really expecting the film either.
Fallon: So, I have to ask, happy with the result? And how much were you involved?
Guy: Mostly it was Phil consulting on the screenplay. And, then I was around for a lot of the on-location stuff in New Hampshire and Maine. In fact, in the background to the opening credits, it’s Lou Zambello and me doing the “stunt work” out on the river.
Fallon: So you must have been psyched about that.
Guy: Overall, the Boys liked the film.
Phil: And our wives...who could not be happy with George Clooney?
Fallon: Now that we’ve met, he does a good you. Will Smith was an interesting call.
Phil: Well, Guy’s wife Cheryl is black, that’s what gave Redford the idea of bringing in Will and twisting it around to have him married to Nicole Kidman.
Guy: Which, of course, is how she and Bob got together. And we all thought John Malkovich was a great Norm.
Phil: Except for Norm.
Fallon: Will all the Boys be there next week?
Guy: Most of us; Klingon is getting sworn in as Transportation Secretary that same day, and Billy is still serving the last couple months of his sentence.
Phil: Wouldn’t miss it; see you on the red carpet!
Fallon: Thanks for stopping in, fellas. See you next week.
Photo at top by Christian Haugen, used under cc by 2.5 license
