On May 15th, we had the first “table read for Melonpool: The Motion Picture and I’m more jazzed about this project than ever! We had a small audience and 95% of the cast in attendance, and I’m pleased to report that for the most part all the laughs were in the right places and most of the non-Melonpool fans could follow along.

One thing I came away with, however is that as the script has progressed, I keep fighting the same battle: make Mayberry less annoying (like Screech) and more lovable (like Gilligan). While he’s getting there, I’m sure he still has a way to go.

If you haven’t “Saved by the Bell,” count yourself lucky. There was a super dumb, super annoying character in the late ’80s played by Justin Diamond that — at leas in my mind — is the epitome of all that’s bad about this type of character. If you need a little evidence, check out the following clip:

They’re all like this, unfortunately.

Here’s a favorite episode of Gilligan’s Island — sorry it’s the whole episode, but I couldn’t find a clip:

In a way, I think this has been a major hurdle for Melonpool since it’s inception. It’s such a fine line between the two characters — and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that would never classify Gilligan as more than “the guy that kept those poor people stranded on that island,” but there is section of the audience (myself included) that really root for the guy. I doubt there is a similar camp for Screech from “Saved by the Bell.”

That said, how do you make a character that’s essentially an idiot lovable without being annoying? I keep thinking of other characters like George McFly (from Back to the Future) or Jerry Lewis in a lot of the Martin and Lewis movies that seem to always get the audience on their side (for the most part, anyway).

I’ve made a lot about how I’ve been trying to keep the comic’s canon intact. For all intents and purposes, this film is not a reboot — sure some of the facts have been changed to make the story work on its own, but Ralph is still an egomaniac hothead and Sam is still the voice of reason, etc. And I believe that Mayberry has always been a sort of a Gilligan — at least in my mind.

I just have to make sure he doesn’t come off as Screech.

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