Well, TheAuthor’s gone and lost himself in one of his weird boring fantasies again and this one’s a real doozy. (I figured 40’s slang was apropos here). TomLes, lacking the ability or “real life” movie-making experience to make this “Lisa’s Story” screenplay the least bit coherent, really goes off the deep end here with his bizarre fixation on 1940s popular culture and things that makes sense only to him. I mean there are maybe ten living people who might relate to this and I guarantee you that none of them are regular FW readers because, well, duh. This might be one of the single stupidest FW strips ever and I don’t throw around statements like that lightly. Only like a hundred times a year, I’ve really cut back.
1940’s Leslie is every bit as annoying as 2014 Les is. When I read “Les” and “pulp” in the same sentence I’m not thinking about fiction, I can tell you that. More like huge industrial grinders and pulverizing machinery and such. Pulp magazines and comic books, Saturday afternoon serials at the movie house..how old IS this guy anyway? Seriously though, although this might have seemed like a great idea after a few cold low-alcohol craft beers and a Trazadone, this little fantasy probably should have been deposited in the studio wastebasket once he saw it in the harsh light of day. I mean gad-zooks, man, get on the trolley. What a maroon.
Son of Stuck Funky 
Wow, has this plot gone off the rails. You’d think that would be an improvement, but it’s not.”
So, I guess the point here is that Mason has always been a moron, unaware of how movies work, but Les is the Genius Eternal who knows everything.
Got it.
Tossed it back.
At first, I was thinking that Batiuk watched “Barton Fink” and immediately identified with Barton as a “serious artist,” never realizing that Barton is a huge hypocrite. Then I thought, “Yeah, like Batiuk ever watched ‘Barton Fink.'”
Wow. He’s a pompous git who sees everyone as an inferior in any era.
If Mason thinks his character’s not going to snuff it—what an ultramaroon! What a gullibull! What a nincowpoop!
23-skidoo!
Good God….
This storyline that already displaying the big problem I have with the homage covers: it reminds me of how there is so much better stuff out there to read.
It’s telling that Batiuk found this storyline so boring that he decided he needed to invent a fantasy world surrounding it to write about instead.
If I was put up for free in Hollywood and hanging around a movie set, I wouldn’t be fantasizing about old movies.
Throwback Les is consistent in his choice of unfortunate facial hair.
I just noticed that while Les has been portrayed as shorter than Cereal Box, in his fantasy Les is taller. Hmmm, insecurity showing much?
There have been several comments here about the incongruity of having table reads while the scrip is still being written. I would like to suggest that the scrip has been finalized and is in production. They are taking advantage of Les’ ignorance and unwillingness to admit to his ignorance to give him busy work and keep him out of the way. All those actors taking advice from him are just humoring him while doubling over with laughter on the inside.
Some people write themselves into a corner. Tom Batiuk has written himself into a goddamn bottomless hole!!
In the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
In the Batiuktionary:
in any decade Les (or Leslie – is that is real name?) is a smug jackasss.
@Professor Fate, yep its a real name mostly English. Bob Hope’s name who was born in England was acutely Leslie Hope. Legend has it that he started using Bob after his family moved to the US. When he was asked to introduce himself to the class he gave his name in the English style of the time last name then first name. It sounded like hopelessly to the class to their great amusement and embarrassed Mr. Hope who didn’t get what they were laughing at.
…and Batiuk doesn’t get what people are laughing at in regards to his works.
We are laughing along with you Tom….we’re laughing at you the same way audience laugh while watching people in painful situations on America’s funniest home video.