IVIV20: That MGM idea, 359-360

[Paul Nightingale]

Back to Linus's Tavern (359), Sauncho taken back to the moment he left. We
can see the preceding action about to happen. On 350 we see Bigfoot moving
away from Doc's perspective, and something similar is happening here,
courtesy of the "Doper's Intuition" (359). As the narrative winds up, Doc is
being left behind. Whatever the next pages have in store for him, a sequel
has opened up for Sauncho, as for Bigfoot earlier. His "fair vocal
impression" of Shirley Temple (360) recalls Doc's version of The Sea Wolf on
356.

As they return Doc suggests celebration for Sauncho, but work for himself:
"... it's been a while" since he was last at the office (359). Back in 16.5,
in fact: "Figuring to check in at his office ..." (287). Another return,
then, given that key narrative scenes with Shasta and Adrian/Puck, not to
mention the Bigfoot/dope sequence, have taken place since then. The office
anchors Doc to the reality of his occupation.

Above the section break on 359 Sauncho insists on an alternative to "the
government story", a multiplicity of narratives and contested knowledge.
This feeds into his "MGM idea" on 360, where he wishes to recover the
original ending to Double Indemnity. The film ending, of course, an act of
censorship comparable to that suffered by Chandler and others, restores the
happy family and invokes the Golden Fangers on 349-350.

Sauncho's "MGM idea" is introduced on 286. Watching on black-&-white
television suppresses knowledge (ie the film's use of colour) that
technological developments (ie colour television) will restore. In this
instance Sauncho confuses his/the viewer's perspective with that of the
character within the film. Changing the end of Casablanca is, again, another
matter, perhaps reminding us that the script remained ambiguous up to the
end of production ... but all three instances invoke a future of, eg,
reality television and interactive media.