Appendix II

Corrections and Addenda for The Vegetable

This section contains two consecutive sets of “corrections and addenda” made by Fitzgerald for the final acting script while the play was in rehearsal during the late summer of 1923. The performance version involved relatively minor alterations of the original published book, and Fitzgerald’s page references make these final revisions easy to follow. Here, too, the original manuscript (Princeton University Library) has been transcribed without any alterations or corrections, except that Fitzgerald’s own deletions are shown in brackets. The second set of changes refers to the first set as well as to the printed book.

 

Changes and Addenda to “The Vegetable”

 

(Numbers refer to pages of the printed book)

Act I

P. 11 Insert after the words “so he went away”:

The bell rings again, [and] Jerry answers it with alacrity and in steps a weary, night-bound postman who says “Good Evening” and hands Jerry a lone, uninteresting letter, probably an advertisement. Jerry looks at the postman with rising interest.

 

(The postman has been looking admiringly about the room, obviously in admiration of the tasty decorations)

 

THE POSTMAN. Say, that’s a fine bunch of photos you got on them walls.

(Jerry hasn’t thought of the photos for a long time but in the light of the postman’s approval they begin to assume value in his eyes.)

 

(The postman has now advanced into the room and is inspecting the art gallery.)

 

(The postman nods comprehendingly and they move on to the next picture.)

 

(The postman nods his head appraisingly, looking from one picture to the other.)

 

(They both smile)

 

He goes out.

 

(She begins to look indignantly through a magazine) Well, just listen here what I found in this magazine that you are. Just listen here. Wait a minute now—just—wait—one—minute. (she reads) “Any man who doesn’t want to get on in the world and make a million dollars hasn’t got as much to him as a a good dog has—he’s nothing more or less than a vegetable.” That’s what you are, see? It says so right here.

(For a moment Jerry considers this gloomily)

 

p. 29. Cut the first two sentences of Doris’ last speech.

p. 55 Jerry’s final speech should be:

“I’ll—I’ll ask my wife”

 

CHANGES FOR THE VEGETABLE

 

Act II

Page numbers refer to printed book.

 

 

 

P. 102 Cut Stutz-Mozart’s first speech.

P. 104 Insert after the number dies away.

DADA. The Heavenly Music!

The stage grows dark and down through the darkness comes Charlottes voice again in vituperative contempt.

CHARLOTTE. You poor, weak, miserable failure!

When Jerry is again revealed he is standing in his own [the] living room [of Act I], dressed in his business suit and holding a chair in his hand instead of the “special tree.”

Thru a blurry mist he locates the blue oblong of the door and goes out of the room and out of the house as the curtain falls.

Changes in Acts I & II

 

(numbers refer to printed book)

In Jerry’s scene with the postman cut the line “If you ever get tired of your desk job just let me know” and substitute “That certainly is a fine bunch of photos you got on them walls.” Change They both smile to Jerry smiles modestly.

Pps 54 and 55 (end of Act I)         Change “Mr. Jones” to “Mr. McSullivan” whenever it occurs on these two pages.

Insert at bottom of page 84

JERRY.         We strong men are hasty sometimes

                               or

          I’m a sort of a cry baby myself sometimes

                               or

          I’ve got to stop being so ruthless.

P. 86      Substitute for Jerry’s speech “Three Million”:

Three million then—but look at here, Honorable Snooks, I got to save some for a war I got [under consideration] ordered. I don’t want to seem tight, but—.

P. 87     Substitute for Jerry’s first speech.

“Well, I don’t like to beat you down but—” (he sees Snooks shrugging his shoulders and adds hastily:) “Four million.”

Pps 91–94       See book for cuts.

P. 105      Cut the words “Buffalo Bill and”.

                               or

        “Old King Brady” or “Nick Carter”

                               or

        “The Liberty Boys of Seventy-six”

P. 108       Insert before Pushings first speech.

P. 110        See book for speech cut.

Charlottes last speech in Act II.

“So you’ve turned out to be a drunkard too, you poor, weak, miserable failure.”