Options


What would be some options for Larry and Maggie, other than the one presented in the film?

Their affair began when the home building began, and it ended when the home was finished. I would suspect that took close to one year, certainly several months or perhaps more than a year. This would mean that they got to really know each other, suggesting they fell in love rather than in lust. In the ending presented in the film, I have no doubt that Maggie would soon be in another affair. One option would be for both Larry and Maggie to divorce their spouses. Because of Maggie's indescretions, she may have lost custody of her son, or maybe not. Larry's wife would have probably gained custody of their son,(or did they have more children?). Larry could now accept the offer of building the city in Hawaii, marry Maggie and take her with him, for at least five years or when finished, get a permanent position in Hawaii. To be sure, Larry would pay a price in the divorce ruling. But, it appears he was not hurting financially and would hurt even less, considering the upcoming project. Larry's ex-wife was young, pretty and could have easily remarried two or three years later. Maggie's husband's future would be up in the air, perhaps ending up alone, which may be what he really wanted all the time. Visitation would not be bad, considering they lived in Los Angeles, a five hour flight to Hawaii would not be too harsh. What kid wouldn't want to visit his dad or mom in Hawaii for several weeks.

reply

It is amazing how today's society treats divorce and all its damaging ramifications so lightly!

What you outlined in your post by today's standards sounds like the perfect solution for everyone involved...
but what about the heartbreak, the betrayal, the distrust,
and every other negative connotation that comes along with
infidelity and the breaking of marriage vows...
not to mention the damage that it does to the children!

From what I could see, there was nothing wrong with Larry's marriage until he layed eyes on this blond,
and decided to step outside the forbidden lines of his marriage.
We do know that Maggie has some very serious problems within
her marriage, but only dealt with them by becoming embroiled in elicit affairs
with other men.

Note the phone call from whomever it was she told NOT TO CALL BACK
ANYMORE...having an affair with Larry was NOTHING NEW TO HER.

Life is about the choices we make, including the choices we make in
the very face of temptation!

It would have been utterly stupid, selfish, and totally unrealistic for Larry
to throw everything away just because he had some new PEE-EWE-S-S-WHY!!!

Now on the other hand......I was soooooo irritated when Larry's wife was on
her knees begging him not to leave her! I would have sent his cheating
A$$ packing by the next morning.....and taken everything he had!

Also...remember....this was during a time, when it was important for a
man who wanted to be successful to have a wife and family!
I doubt seriously, if the company that wanted him to build a city in
Hawaii, would have wanted the embarassment of a divorce connected with their reputation as a company.



"OOO...I'M GON' TELL MAMA!"

reply

In the book, Maggie moves onto another man almost immediately...and in the original screen play, Larry does not go back to say good bye to Maggie and the ending was not supposed to be so sudsy. The original screenplay has Maggie hooking up with Felix as Larry and Eve are leaving their home to go to Hawaii. Read Kirk Douglas's auto-bio, The Ragman's Son..he discusses this film as some length, he saw his character as having a destructive mid-life crisis while Maggie was much more a loose woman than what was finally put on film. The final ending of this film only hints at what Maggie is really all about, as she drives away, she slows down to look at the handsome landscaper...which pisses me off more than Eve on her knees begging Larry to stay...Kim Novak was intimidated by the original script, and Richard Quine was besotted with her, so it was changed....the character of Maggie was a troubled woman...the book is still around and it is quite good...

"Sentiment comes easy at fifty cents a word."

reply