Joe Frank
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March 5, 2007

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(cont'd)

A few months back, I ran into Griffin Dunne at a West Village pub. I am a fan of his acting ("American Werewolf in London"), and long before I came across your work, was a huge fan of "After Hours". In the course of our conversation, your name came up...

The Scorsese film features a brief performance by Larry Block as the cab driver...Also, imdb.com lists the original title of the screenplay as "Lies" which is the same title as your episode which features the story that was plagiarized. As for the screenwriter, I believe he might have had the balls to rip you off.... but to use the same title "Lies," seems like balls of steel. And to cast Larry Block, seems like balls going super-nova. Even if you are unable to offer further insight into this mystery, would you let us know what you thought of (Oscar winner) Scorsese's interpretation of your story?
The Apologists

A. As you already know, Apologists, "Lies" was a show produced for National Public Radio in 1982. It included a ten-minute segment about an encounter years earlier with a strange young woman in Greenwich Village. I was living in Washington, D.C. at the time of the broadcast, producing programs for NPR. In September 1985 a friend called from New York. He asked if I'd seen Scorsese's new film, "After Hours." I told him it hadn't yet opened in D.C. He said, "Fly up to New York today and see it. It will be worth it." He wouldn't explain why.

So I took a cab to National Airport, caught the next flight to La Guardia, took another cab to the movie theater in Manhattan and saw the film. It was an astonishing experience because, within the first few minutes, I observed the identical story from my radio show unfolding on the screen word for word. Let me add, however, that having used my story as the foundation for his screenplay, the remainder of the film was the work of the writer. It's an exaggeration to suggest the entire film was based on my radio show. But I didn't know until your post that the original title had been "Lies." What must the screenwriter have been thinking to place himself in such jeopardy?

In any case, I had not yet met Larry Block in 1982, so it was a surprise to find, years later, that we both had a connection to "After Hours."

Scorsese is a great American film director and "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" are classics. But I thought "After Hours" was inferior. Maybe the film was too close for me to see clearly.

See you next week,
Joe

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