Gremlins: Dick Miller Owned and Annotated Script
This incredible script comes straight from the hands of Dick Miller and contains personal notes, circled scenes, and handwritten dialog.
The Gremlins Museum
Dick Miller Owned Gremlins Script
Handwritten dialog, notes, and circled scenes. A true treasure.
Introduction
Dick Miller was a beloved character actor whose career spanned over 100 films and television shows. One of his most memorable performances was as Murray Futterman in the 1984 film Gremlins—a role that would help solidify his status as a cult icon.
Gremlins was a major commercial success and has since become a beloved holiday classic. Miller’s portrayal of the eccentric, Gremlin-wary neighbor added both humor and heart to the film, making Murray Futterman one of its most iconic and enduring characters. His performance remains a standout and a testament to his talent as a scene-stealing character actor.
The Script
When it comes to Gremlins movie treasures, it's really hard to top this relic. The following are photos from Dick Miller's personal script, an eighth draft dated April 11th, 1983 and close to the final movie script.
The front cover shows wear from the 40+ years of existence with some rusty three-hole-punch fasteners. You can see Mr. Miller's handwritten scene numbers in the top corner along with some upcoming scheduling dates. The red stamp is common on all scripts handed to key players, Mr. Miller was designated GREM00074 and it is stamped on all pages of the script.
One of the more memorable scenes with the Futtermans is the banter while they watch TV on the couch. Here we see the events leading up to the Gremlins driving a snow plow through their house, including handwritten dialog describing him getting laid off from the noddle factory because of Mrs. Deagle. This ended up being cut from the movie, but it is preserved in roughly 10 minutes of Gremlins deleted scenes.
Sheila Futterman : Did you hear from the noodle factory?
Murray Futterman : That's not going to reopen.
Sheila Futterman : [looks at him] Ever?
Murray Futterman : Mrs. Deagle forclosed on the goddamn factory. I guess that's the end of my career in noodles.
Sheila Futterman : [smiles] There's more to life than noodles (she says macaroni in the deleted scene).
Finding a script with this level of notations and handwritten dialogue is a true treasure— especially when it relates to such a memorable character.
Mr. Miller circled off all his speaking scenes in this draft and you can see close to final dialog for his character. Still there are little interesting nuances left in that would ultimately be updated or ad libbed in his final performance.
