TO: John Derevlany (OTHER NAMES REMOVED)
CC: (PRODUCTION EXEC NAMES REMOVED)
FROM: (NAME AND NETWORK REMOVED)
RE: Notes on 1st draft, “Green Eggs and Ham”
Great work on the first draft script of Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.” We are very excited about moving forward with this project, and delivering on our character-branded marketing strategy for the programming block. The Seuss name carries with it a great amount of creativity energy and branding potential that will greatly enhance our block’s visibility and credibility among both viewers and advertisers. This is a fantastic start. Great work!
That said, we have a number of concerns about Mr. Derevlany’s half-hour adaptation of “Green Eggs and Ham.” The script captures much of the magic and wonder of the original Dr. Seuss book, and we appreciate the writer’s efforts to stick as closely as possible to the original text as possible. However, specific issues arose while discussing and testing the project that MUST be addressed before this we move forward.
First, and excuse me if this issue has already been covered in the last conference call, but why exactly are the eggs “green?” Are we saying there is something wrong with the eggs? Have they been contaminated by some sort of bacterial agent or other material that rendered them green? Is this the message that we want to communicate to young viewers – that off-color foods are healthy – and even fun – to eat? Is there anyway we can see, step-by-step, how the eggs turned green, and assure our viewers they turned green in a safe and child-friendly manner? Please explain, or change the green eggs to normal, healthy yellow eggs.
Second, we are having trouble with the character of Sam. We find the character of Sam repeating the line, “I am Sam, Sam I am” a little off-putting. What is Sam’s emotional issue that needs to be addressed and resolved? Is it a self-esteem or identity issue? Is this why he must constantly reassure us, “I am Sam, Sam I am.” Frankly, it’s a little too much. Please simplify. We suggest changing the line “I am Sam, Sam I am,” to just: “Hi, I’m Sam.” We feel this will make him a more relatable character for our young viewers.
Thirdly, we’ve been testing the name of this project -- “Green Eggs and Ham” as well as “Yellow Eggs and Ham” – and have encountered some resistance to the “ham” reference. We’re not sure if it’s a vegetarian thing or not, but it seems any mention of an animal or meat product in a title causes a strong negative among potential viewers and their parents (although “eggs” seems to be okay). Thus, we toyed with other titles, such as “Green Eggs and Soy,” but that just confused people, and diluted the Seuss name-brand recognition. Our suggestion is to, again, simplify. Let’s just pare the title “Green Eggs and Ham” down to its most essential element: “Eggs.”
With these changes, we feel confident that the project Dr. Seuss’ “Eggs” will move forward, and capture the true spirit and imagination of the original property in the most viewer-friendly manner possible. How soon can we get a second draft?
Sincerely,
NAME AND NETWORK REMOVED
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