Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964)

In the first chapter of Winston Graham’s 1961 novel, the title character describes how she obtained a job in the box-office of a cinema, and as was her modus operandi, she worked there for several months, became comfortable with the layout, and after identifying the lapses in security, she managed to leave the premises with the weekend’s takings in her bag.

At the Hitchcock Centennial Conference, Richard Allen asked screenwriter Jay Presson Allen about this sequence, as it did make its way into Evan Hunter’s draft, and does appear in the shooting script for Marnie. Unfortunately, Mrs. Allen had no recollection of the episode from the novel, or the script, and couldn’t offer any insight as to why the scene was cut.

58 INT. OUTER LOBBY MOVIE HOUSE – NIGHT – CLOSE SHOT

MARNIE, now dressed in the uniform of an usherette, emerges from the main lobby past the ticket taker and comes into CLOSE- UP. Her expression is vacant, withdrawn. But now, a sound penetrates her consciousness. The look on her face changes swiftly to narrow-eyed concentration. The CAMERA RETREATS, leaving the figure of MARNIE diminished in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. The CAMERA has now ANGLED BACK to leave the domination of the scene to the theater’s box office in the foreground of the lower left of our picture...it is from this area that the sound is coming to MARNIE. This SOUND is the tinkling of coins as the MANAGER collects the evening’s take from the cashier. The CAMERA OPENS UP until it moves around and focuses its attention on the money box and the change sacks held in the MANAGER’S arms and hands. The CAMERA DOLLIES back across the lobby in a CLOSE-UP of the moving money. When it reaches MARNIE there is a TINY PAUSE as we HEAR the MANAGER’S VOICE speak to her. (THE SCREEN IS FILLED WITH MARNIE’S CLOSE-UP AND THE MONEY.)

MANAGER (o.s.)

Big day. Regular old-fashioned, pre-TV day!

The money moves away and we are left remaining with MARNIE who watches him OFF SCREEN. The CAMERA then takes MARNIE through the curtains to the main lobby. She still remains in CLOSE-UP.

59 INT. MAIN LOBBY MOVIE HOUSE – CLOSE-UP

MARNIE, looks off.

60 SEMI LONG SHOT – FROM HER P.O.V.

We see the MANAGER ascending the stairs with the money.

61 CLOSE-UP MARNIE

We PAN her across the inner lobby toward the stairs to the balcony. The MANAGER has now disappeared from sight. We see MARNIE ascend the stairs.

62 INT. UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR MOVIE HOUSE – MED. SHOT

MARNIE turns at the top of the stairs and goes toward the curtained entrance to the balcony.

63 CLOSE-UP

MARNIE by the curtained opening smiles as she sees:

64 INT. BALCONY – LONG SHOT – P.O.V.

Balcony empty save for one necking teen-age couple.

65 CLOSE SHOT

MARNIE by curtains. She stoops down and picks up two full coke bottles. She takes from her pocket an opener. She opens each one. She puts the opener back into her pocket; takes out two rolled up stoppers of Kleenex with which she plugs each bottle. Now she takes two lengths of black electrician’s tape from her pocket. She makes her way OUT OF THE PICTURE. She goes down the stairs toward the front of the balcony and moves to the far side aisle.

66 CLOSE SHOT

She lays down both bottles on top of balcony ledge, about two feet apart, and seals each of them to the balcony rail with the black tape.

67 CLOSE-UP

The first bottle held with the black tape as she fastens down the second one. Her hands come into the picture. They hold for a moment.

68 CLOSE-UP

MARNIE looks over and down.

69 CLOSE-UP

One of her hands gradually eases out the Kleenex stopper a tiny fraction. We see the brown fluid begin to soak its way through the Kleenex.

70 MED. SHOT

MARNIE hurrying away up the side aisle as the CAMERA PANS her to the back of the balcony.

71 CLOSE SHOT

MARNIE arrives at back of balcony in original position, conceals herself behind the curtains. The CAMERA DOLLIES IN until she is in CLOSE-UP. We now HEAR the beginnings of a commotion below. The scene on the movie screen is a quiet one with just a tremulo of MUSIC. The angry voices can be HEARD in protest against the dripping coke. Now she HEARS another voice coming from the lobby. It is the voice of an irate man. we HEAR the word ‘Manager!’ interspersed with his protests. MARNIE draws back a little bit as her fellow usherette runs across the top corridor and puts her head in the manager’s office. There is a pause, he comes out and the two of them hurry along.

72 CLOSE SHOT

MARNIE waits for them to go by.

73 INT. BALCONY CORRIDOR – MED.SHOT

MARNIE emerges from the curtained entrance, watches the departing manager and usherette. The CAMERA PANS MARNIE over to a small staircase that leads to the Manager’s Office.

74 INT. MANAGER’S OFFICE – MED. SHOT

MARNIE crosses quickly to the filing cabinet. She takes out an old glove, gropes inside it and finds the key to the safe. She immediately bends down and inserts the key, swings the safe open.

75 INSERT

HER HAND starting to extract the piles of bills from inside the safe.

76 INT. BALCONY – LONG SHOT

The MANAGER hurries from the curtained entrance down the steps of the aisle, to the front of the balcony. He is followed by the usherette.

77 CLOSE SHOT

He sees the two coke bottles and angrily rips them off, turns around.

78 SEMI LONG SHOT

FROM HIS P.O.V., the necking couple.

79 CLOSE-UP

The MANAGER moves purposefully out of the picture.

80 LONG SHOT

He crosses to the couple.

81 CLOSE SHOT

MANAGER upbraiding the necking couple.

MANAGER

Ya punks, ya! Out! Whatever you’ve got to say, I don’t want to hear it! Out!

CAMERA PANS necking couple out, up the aisle, hustled by the MANAGER and the usherette.

82 INT. BALCONY CORRIDOR

The outraged couple emerges, followed by the usherette who now has the two coke bottles. The MANAGER is behind them and we PAN HIM over to the small staircase and up to his office.

83 MED. SHOT

As he places his hand on the door knob of his office, we see the PROJECTIONIST come out from his booth and join the MANAGER. We have the two in:

84 CLOSE SHOT

as the PROJECTIONIST asks:

PROJECTIONIST

(to MANAGER)
What’s the trouble?

MANAGER

Damn kids! Figured a new balcony stunt...why can’t they stick to plugging up the fountains and defacing the walls? Like we used-ta.

PROJECTIONIST

While you’re here, Mr. Gutterman! If this machinery don’t get fixed right or replaced, I’m getting an ulcer! I told you and told you!

A look of weary resignation comes over the MANAGER’S face as he prepares to endure the harangue.

PROJECTIONIST (cont’d)

When I run the title on a picture, no matter what machine I run it on...either one...it will be one side or the other...will be out and that’s the way it’s been for six weeks...that kid you had come in to fix it...it’s no better than it was. Just because his lens flattened it out a litter better don’t mean it’s fixed. He’s got a super cinephon lens... but we don’t. We got these lenses here right off the ark! You got your- self a curved screen, Mr. Gutterman!

During all this we CUT now and again to the MANAGER’s hand on the door knob. At last the PROJECTIONIST’S tirade is interrupted by the SOUND of the telephone in the MANAGER’S office ringing insistently.

MANAGER

(delighted)
Oh oh! There goes the phone... I’ll have to catch it, Mike.
(opens door and escapes into his office)

85 INT. MANAGER’S OFFICE – MED. SHOT

MANAGER shuts and locks the door behind him, turns into room. It is empty, exactly as he left it. We PAN HIM over to phone; he answers it.

MANAGER

Yeah?...Oh, hi, Steve...yeah, real big day. I haven’t finished counting up yet....I’ll call you back in about twenty minutes when I’ve got the total.
(smiles happily)
I think we stole a couple of bucks today.

I would love to have seen how this sequence worked when put together, and although it’s a great Hitchcock moment, it does nothing to advance the story, and little for the character, as opposed to a flashback sequence showing a group of young girls that catch a CHILD MARNIE shop-lifting a bottle of perfume to give to her mother.