The Production GuideScript To Screen: The Mark of Archanon
by Martin Willey
The Production Guide
In scene 29, Alan teaches Etrec how to play football. In the 12 April 1976 script, this was association football (soccer). The script has dialogue with blanks for the details, and an instruction to fill in details of an Australian footballer. This rarely happens in scripts, even for medical or scientific terms. The script tries to explain the terms "football" and "soccer" for the audience, although the game is also called soccer in Australia and Britain. In America, football refers to a different game (gridiron), and Australia has two popular forms of football, soccer and Australian Rules. In the 26 April blue page amendments, they will change the game.
29 INT. MOONBASE INTERSECTION CORRIDOR 29
Looking along the cross-corridor. ALAN is standing
with his back to camera, with ETREC facing him at the
far end, kicking a football (soccer) to each other.
ALAN stops the ball just short of it getting past him
at his end of the corridor, using expert movements.
ALAN
Almost - but no goal.
And he boots the ball back to ETREC...
ALAN
No hands - no hands - use
your feet or your head!
ETREC jumps in the air to hit the ball back with his
head.
ALAN
A good one!
JOHNSON's face peers cautiously round the corner of
the intersection. Another expert sidekick from ALAN
sends the ball hurtling back to ETREC. JOHNSON ducks out of sight again.
ALAN
Block it, kid, block it!
Get that body in there, and
block it.
But the ball gets past ETREC for a goal.
ALAN
Good try. A little more practise
and we'll have you playing goalie
for the American Alpha Soccer squad.
ETREC
Tell me what is football and what
is soccer?
ALAN
Same game. On Earth it's called
football in Australia, and soccer
in America. Now lets have you
give it a kick back...
(demonstrates)
And arch your body so, and boot
it with the side of your foot like
this, got it?
ETREC
Got it.
And just before ETREC kicks back, JOHNSON peers
nervously out again, looking at ALAN.
JOHNSON
Excuse me, sir...
ALAN
Hey, Bluey! Just in time .. you
can be referee.
JOHNSON emerges fully into the corridor.
JOHNSON
Is that a real football?
ALAN
A football. This is the
football that (so-and-so) scored
nine goals in one game in the
(blank) stadium on June 8th
1927 (?).
RELEVANT DETAILS OF FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALLER,
STADIUM, ETC. TO BE INSERTED ABOVE.
JOHNSON
(impressed)
You're kidding!
ALAN
See? There's the date and
there's (so-and-so's) own
signature.
He comes forward to JOHNSON and shows him.
JOHNSON
(to ALAN)
Where you get it?
ETREC has come to join them, and is looking on with an
almost proprietorial interest.
ETREC
His grandfather caught it in
the stadium when he was just
about my size. It has been in
his family ever since. And he
would not let it out of his
hands for a million ... what
was it you said Alan?
ALAN
(grins)
Not for a million buckets of
suds!
In the 26 April blue page amendments, the scene is rewritten. Now they are explicitly playing rugby, although it is called rugby in Australia (not to be confused with soccer or Australian Rules), and the American audience will probably never have heard the term rugby. The ball is from an explicit game, 30 December 1933. This is actually an error. Australia played Wales at Wembley on 30 December, winning 51-13. The score of 63-13 is from the following day, when Australia beat England, but it was in the Stade Pershing, Paris, not at Wembley. There is still a "{?}" for a name of an Australian player in the game.
"THE MARK OF ARCHANON"
27th April 1976
31
28. INT, MOONBASE, CORRIDOR 28
A length of corridor with another corridor crossing it at
right angles about halfway down.
JOHNSON turns into the corridor from the far end and
walks towards the CAMERA, As he nears the intersection,
ALAN'S voice is heard.
ALAN
Allright, allright...now get
ready to take this one !
An object hurtles across the corridor just in front of
JOHNSON'S nose. He draws back hurriedly, startled.
There is a dull connecting 'thunk' out of shot, then
ETREC'S voice.
ETREC (O.S)
Allright, Alan--back to you !
The object comes hurtling back across the corridor.
29. INT. CROSS-CORRIDOR 29
Looking along the cross-corridor, ALAN is standing with
his back to the CAMERA, with ETREC facing him at the far
end, kicking a rugger ball to each other. ALAN stops the
ball just short of it getting past him at his end of the
corridor.
ALAN
Almost,,.but you're still not
stabbing it clean,
And he boots the ball back to ETREC...
ALAN
Now fly for it...eyes on the ball...
good, good...nice try.
ETREC jumps in the air to take the ball high, sets
himself up and stabs it back.
ALAN
That's better ! My old grandad
would be proud of you.
JOHNSON'S face peers round the corner and ducks back
as the ball hurtles past.
ALAN
Block it, kid, block it!
Get that body in there, and
smother it.
ETREC leaps for the ball,
"THE MARK OF ARCHANON"
27th April 1976
32
29. CONTD. 29
ALAN
Good stuff. A little more practise.
and we'll have you playing three-
quarter for the Alpha footie Squad.
ETREC
Tell me what is football and
what is Rugby ?
ALAN
Same game. It's called football in
Australia and rugby in America. Now
come on, try and get that stab kick
right.
(demonstrates)
Keep your head down, eyes on the ball...
concentrate...very low, ..very accurate.
Got it ?
ETREC
Got it.
JOHNSON peers round the corner again.
JOHNSON
Excuse me, sir...
ALAN
Hey Bluey ! Just in time,
You can be referee.
JOHNSON emerges fully into the corridor,
JOHNSON
Is that a real football ?
ALAN
Footie ! This is the footie...
used when Australia beat Great
Britain 63-13, Wembley, December
30, 1933.
JOHNSON
(impressed)
You're kidding !
ALAN
See ? There's the date, and there's
( ? ) own signature.
He comes forward to JOHNSON and shows him,
JOHNSON
Where you get it ?
ETREC has come to join them, and is looking on with an
almost proprietorial interest.
"THE MARK OF ARCHANON"
27th April 1976
33
29. CONTD. 29
ETREC
His grandfather used to play in
( ? ) suburban team and he
gave it to him because they were...
"mates",
ETREC looks to ALAN to see if he got it right. ALAN
smiles back.
ALAN
That's right son, They were mates.
ETREC
And he wouldn't let it out of his
sight for a million buckets of...
what was it you said, Alan ?
ALAN
Not for a million buckets of
hen's teeth,
ETREC (repeats)
Hen's teeth,
JOHNSON looks astonished.
ALAN
Hey, Bluey,..you want to referee ?
I've got to get the champ here
in shape for the big game next week.
JOHNSON
(as if suddenly remembering
of them both )
Uh-- Mr Verdeschi wanted me to
hunt you down... tell you we got
the stuff out of the cavern.
ALAN
The Stasis Chamber and the Power
Source ?
JOHNSON
Yeah. The Chamber is pretty well
scrap, but the Power Unit is hardly
touched. They're in Tech-Lab Three.
Mr Verdeschi'd like you to come there.
ALAN
Let's go.
He kicks the ball and starts along corridor on the run,
ETREC with him, getting to the ball first and giving it
another kick.
JOHNSON grins after them, shaking his head in
amusement, then follows.
By the time of shooting (on Tuesday 11th May), there was no attempt to explain football or any mention of rugby. For American viewers who thought of football as the gridiron game, rugby was superficially similar. The game has been moved up to 9th November 1963, a more recent and memorable Australian victory. A real player is named, Earl Harrison, who played five-eighth. Later he coached in New South Wales, which may be where Alan Carter's grandfather met him.
Copyright Martin Willey