Daily Dialogue — December 7, 2010

“I’m walkin’ here!”

 — Ratso (Dustin Hoffman), Midnight Cowbody (1969), screenplay by Waldo Salt, based on a novel by James Leo Herlihy

For the actual scene, go here.

The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum words — suggested by CWillGoWrite. Midnight Cowboy suggested by Jux.

Trivia: Contrasting Opinions #1: Ratso Rizzo’s famous line, “I’m walkin’ here!”, *was* scripted. The location was at 58th Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The scene called for the taxicab (driven by a stunt driver) to turn east onto 58th Street from 6th Avenue as Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, walking north on 6th Avenue, crossed 58th Street. Dustin then was to yell at the cab as it almost ran into him. The scene was rehearsed, and then with camera and sound rolling, the shot was filmed. There was a pause, the cab reversed direction, backed up onto 6th, stopped, then proceeded to turn again onto 58th as Dustin and Jon once more crossed the street. This happened several times, each time attracting a larger and larger crowd of curious onlookers. The camera setup was just to the north, and the crew seemed to be greatly amused as the filming disrupted morning rush hour.

Trivia: Contrasting Opinions #2: According to Dustin Hoffman himself, the taxi incident *wasn’t* scripted. During an L.A. Times interview in Jan. 2009, he said that the movie didn’t have a permit to close down the NYC street for filming, so they had to set-up the scene with a hidden camera in a van driving down the street, and remote microphones for the actors. After 15 takes, it was finally going well, but this time, as they crossed the street, a taxi ran a red light. Hoffman wanted to say “Hey, we’re SHOOTING here!”, not only from fear of his life, but also from anger that the taxi driver might have ruined the take. Instead, being the professional that he is, he stayed in character and shouted “Hey, we’re WALKING here!” and made movie history. Jon Voight also backs up this version of the incident, saying that seeing how well Hoffman was handling the situation, he likewise stayed in character. 

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