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Friday, May 4, 2012

"I Provide the Evil"

Sadly there is no readily available video of Peter Cook as Satan and Dudley Moore as the hapless Stanley Moon who sells his soul for seven wishes, so this part of a transcript will have to do. It puts me in mind of my talk this afternoon for some reason:

Scene: the Devil and Mr. Moon up a tree. The Devil has a jar full of wasps. They are observing a group of hippies communing below them.

MooreI thought you were gonna make me happy.
CookI never promised you that. that's up to you.
I just gave you 7 wishes for one measly little soul.
I'm only doing me job.
MooreYour job? 




Making people miserable?
CookNo. giving them the chance to be happy.
It's god's idea.
MooreDon't confuse me with religion.
CookYou see, his theory, and I'm not knocking it, is that in order for people to be really good, they have to make a free choice .. and choose good.
Look. (Hippies playing fifes in a field)

I'm a vital part of his plan. [grins]
I provide the evil. 

[Wasps buzzing, hippies fighting them off] 


Moore[Laughs] ah, you rotten, nasty-minded troublemaker.
Ohh.
Those nice, gentle flower people grooving along quietly, and you have to come and mess it up.
CookYou could do something about it.
MooreHow?
CookWhy don't you give them one of your wishes?
MooreWell, because they're mine, and I've only got 5 of them left.
I'm not falling for any more of your tricks, thank you very much.

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