tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post7718198877500158757..comments2024-03-28T15:01:21.285-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: MacGuffinsLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-91690019044853159182022-02-03T09:04:54.383-05:002022-02-03T09:04:54.383-05:00John,
Great article, and fascinating discussion. I...John,<br />Great article, and fascinating discussion. I've been intrigued with MacGuffins since I first heard of them when I watched the movie The Double McGuffin back in the day. Now I'll have to re-watch the movies discussed here and see how the MacGuffins are used, starting with North By Northwest, which is one of my favorites.Mary Monninhttp://www.mamonnin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-52979042316324493962022-02-01T18:07:08.311-05:002022-02-01T18:07:08.311-05:00Travis, I'm sure you and I and almost all writ...Travis, I'm sure you and I and almost all writers wind up using MacG's even if we're aren't conscious of it at the time. I've rarely planned to use one, though I think I've gotten better at recognizing them, in my stories AND those of others.<br /><br />Thanks as always!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-1988410452496342302022-02-01T18:04:18.130-05:002022-02-01T18:04:18.130-05:00Valerie -- Thanks for these thoughts. The list of ...Valerie -- Thanks for these thoughts. The list of MacGuffins was fun to put together.<br /><br />Congratulations on the new novel. Best of luck with it and all your writing endeavors!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-55572122538408729612022-02-01T17:27:58.474-05:002022-02-01T17:27:58.474-05:00I enjoyed the article, John and have a better unde...I enjoyed the article, John and have a better understanding of MacGuffins. I've never willingly written a story with a MacGuffin, but I'm sure I've used them for motivation. A lot of fiction is about characters wanting something and the obstacles they have to overcome. I guess when the journey to desired goal overtakes the plot (or is replaced by something more important) then the object becomes a MacGuffin. <br />Travis Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11921123586885981804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-49878892391428143582022-02-01T12:16:47.377-05:002022-02-01T12:16:47.377-05:00In my latest thriller that I just finished and wil...In my latest thriller that I just finished and will be out this year ONE LAST BETRAYAL, I use a flash drive that supposedly has incriminating evidence that will bring down a Boston mob. Everyone chases it, but it's not the evidence. People die because of it. I'm a film noir buff so I see McGuffins everywhere. Thanks for this article, John, and the list of McGuffins in movies. And thanks to Josh for the story of "two train passengers." Hilarious! I haven't thought of Idiocracy in ages! Thanks, Elizabeth, for the reminder. Valerie J. Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10204154587049392271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-80331424719187185002022-01-31T15:57:03.652-05:002022-01-31T15:57:03.652-05:00Josh, I always learn something when I talk to you!...Josh, I always learn something when I talk to you!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-52941784800255009882022-01-31T12:00:56.711-05:002022-01-31T12:00:56.711-05:00Yes, John, Hitchcock used to tell the story of &qu...Yes, John, Hitchcock used to tell the story of "two train passengers, and one asks the other what's in a package and he says, 'Oh, that's a MacGuffin." <br /><br />For those unfamiliar with it, here's how the story continues:<br /><br />Passenger 1: "A McGuffin, is it? Well, what's it for?"<br /><br />Passenger 2: "It's for shooting elephants in the north of Scotland."<br /><br />Passenger 1: "Elephants in the north of Scotland? But there <i>aren't</i> any elephants in the north of Scotland!"<br /><br />Passenger 2: "Is that so? Then I suppose it <i>isn't</i> a McGuffin...."joshpachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12123432071405643210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-60548840822681696842022-01-31T10:03:00.111-05:002022-01-31T10:03:00.111-05:00Bob, I think this MacG subject is one that's i...Bob, I think this MacG subject is one that's interesting to all writers. As others have said, I've used it in several older stories before I even realized the technique had a name.<br /><br />Thanks for the thoughts!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-68348170631020841092022-01-30T21:35:04.461-05:002022-01-30T21:35:04.461-05:00McGuffins make for top notch stories. Everyone get...McGuffins make for top notch stories. Everyone gets to jostle for the same thing but from different motivations and perceptions. Thanks for talking them up. Bob Mangeothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07888391367916922601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-9449190995026432252022-01-30T20:05:39.197-05:002022-01-30T20:05:39.197-05:00Liz -- I would bet a powdered unicorn horn is a Ma...Liz -- I would bet a powdered unicorn horn is a MacGuffin that hasn't been used anywhere else in the history of literature. And I'd forgotten all about the Saint--I need to watch that again.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-16234400338501267182022-01-30T11:22:49.109-05:002022-01-30T11:22:49.109-05:00I alwways think of "The Bird" in The Mal...I alwways think of "The Bird" in The Maltese Falcon as the quintessential McGuffin. There are McGuffins in several of my Mendoza Family Saga stories, though I've never thought about them that way. It's jewelry in "Roxelana's Ring" and "The Cost of Something Priceless" (out soon in Jewish Noir II) and an alleged aphrodisiac made of alleged powdered unicorn horn in "A Unicorn in the Harem." As for other great movies, there was a microchip in The Saint with Val Kilmer as a master of disguises in the title role.Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-15422868090977878572022-01-30T11:21:37.259-05:002022-01-30T11:21:37.259-05:00Liz, I re-watched G&D a few months ago, and li...Liz, I re-watched G&D a few months ago, and liked it as much as the first time. I'd forgotten, though, that many of the victims of the two man-eaters were workers at a bridge-building site. Talk about job-related stress . . . <br /><br />As stories go, it's a great example of suspense. You could never relax knowing that the two lions might show up at any second. Douglas was great in the movie, and Kilmer too. I have it (and A Fish Called Wanda too) in my ridiculously huge DVD collection, so I might watch it yet again soon!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-15173970489048244352022-01-30T11:10:25.625-05:002022-01-30T11:10:25.625-05:00The Ghost and the Darkness was terrifying! We watc...The Ghost and the Darkness was terrifying! We watched it with our stuffed warthog (toy, not taxidermy)—warthogs are a prey animal for lions—and it kept hiding its eyes under the pillow. G&D is also probably the only movie in which Michael Douglas got eaten.Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-87037822145567079422022-01-30T10:37:19.664-05:002022-01-30T10:37:19.664-05:00Thank you, Dan. I think EVERYBODY loved A Fish Cal...Thank you, Dan. I think EVERYBODY loved A Fish Called Wanda, and yep, I guess the diamonds are the MacGuffin there. As for the Tsavo lions and Hitch's definition of MacGuffins, they were certainly the goal (of the two hunters) and interesting to them and all the other characters, and appeared throughout the tale, but they weren't otherwise insignificant. Who knows? As I said, this whole MacG thing can be vague.<br /><br />The thing I remember most about The G and the D is that the story was based on real-life events. Those two lions ate dozens of people before being killed. The kid in me still loves any kind of adventure story, and this one was TRUE.<br /><br />Thanks so much for stopping in at SS!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-66440417524084042882022-01-30T10:27:49.124-05:002022-01-30T10:27:49.124-05:00Rob, I'm not sure I've heard that story. I...Rob, I'm not sure I've heard that story. Is it the one with the two train passengers, and one asks the other what's in a package and he says, "Oh, that's a MacGuffin" (or something like that)?<br /><br />The late screenwriter William Goldman had a lot to say, in one of his nonfiction books, about North by Northwest and Hitchcock's brilliance, there. That movie's a gem.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-52649109658817989432022-01-30T02:32:23.603-05:002022-01-30T02:32:23.603-05:00Excellent article and list, John. I'd add the ...Excellent article and list, John. I'd add the diamonds in one of my favorites, A Fish Called Wanda. Might also add the two lions from The Ghost and the Darkness.C. Dan Castrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10705124533997711789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-74149784126679501782022-01-29T20:40:23.815-05:002022-01-29T20:40:23.815-05:00I don't think anyone has mentioned Hitchcock&#...I don't think anyone has mentioned Hitchcock's story about where the McGuffin's name came from. An old joke. And I love the bare minimalism of the McGuffin in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. "[The villain] is an exporter." "What does he export?" "Secrets." In my novel SUCH A KILLING CRIME a folksinger is killed and the only recording of his original songs vanishes...Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-6135027065382200692022-01-29T19:56:07.043-05:002022-01-29T19:56:07.043-05:00Hi Elizabeth -- I've seen Inside Man (I think ...Hi Elizabeth -- I've seen Inside Man (I think I've watched pretty much all DW's movies) but I can't remember the specifics. Sure enough, though, the money in most crime stories, whether it's stolen loot, payoffs, inheritances, treasure, or whatever, might or might not be a McG. It sort of depends on whether it's of great value to the character(s) but fairly unimportant in itself (or, as Rob said in his comment, if "it ain't about the money . . ."). I think one of my favorite MacGuffins is the empty glass Coke bottle dropped from a plane in The Gods Must Be Crazy. It sets the plot in motion, gets mentioned occasionally later, and--since the goal is its delivery by the protagonist to "throw it off the edge of the world"), also shows up again at the end of the story/journey.<br /><br />As for Idiocracy, I LOVE THAT MOVIE. Almost nobody knows about it! And I guess the time machine could be a MacGuffin, though it probably wouldn't have occurred to me. It was certainly one of the constants of the story, throughout.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping in!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-44812656110107846552022-01-29T16:27:29.458-05:002022-01-29T16:27:29.458-05:00Hey O'Neil -- They seem to show up in my writi...Hey O'Neil -- They seem to show up in my writing too, when I look back at old stories. I guess I knew then what MacGuffins were, but I certainly wasn't consciously including them in stories. I sometimes do, now.<br /><br />I guess a MacGuffin that isn't really a MacGuffin could be a MacGyver. (If they provide a way to fix a problem.)<br /><br />Thanks for the comment!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-82896892612012290362022-01-29T16:19:26.220-05:002022-01-29T16:19:26.220-05:00Thank you John. I've never really understood w...Thank you John. I've never really understood what a MacGuffin is. If the following two examples are incorrect then I still don't.<br /><br /><i>Inside Man</i> starring Denzel Washington & Jodie Foster, although much of it takes place in a bank vault, the MacGuffin is not the money in the vault!<br /><br />In <i>Idiocracy</i>, the MacGuffin is the "Time Masheen".Elizabeth Dearbornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14714209544959819305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-91928148858278789932022-01-29T16:18:05.747-05:002022-01-29T16:18:05.747-05:00Rob, I haven't watched Prison Break, but I wil...Rob, I haven't watched Prison Break, but I will. And yep, a bundle (or bag or case or trunkful) of money indeed makes a good MacGuffin. (Oh, and this'll interest you, as a longtime librarian: it seems there are two acceptable spellings for MacGuffin, one with the a and one without. Mysteries everywhere . . .)<br /><br />Sure hope you like my crazy story--you'll see, I think, how much fun this one was for a movie addict to write.<br /><br />Thanks for the note.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-49307508975460064252022-01-29T16:12:26.209-05:002022-01-29T16:12:26.209-05:00Yep, the money Potter took does indeed drive the p...Yep, the money Potter took does indeed drive the plot, and is certainly important to pretty much all the characters. (I've only seen that movie a hundred times, including a re-watch with the kiddos this past Christmas.)<br /><br />Thanks, Susan.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-35346622134743902302022-01-29T16:10:26.817-05:002022-01-29T16:10:26.817-05:00Jim -- Sorry I misplaced my reply to your comment....Jim -- Sorry I misplaced my reply to your comment. It's below. <br /><br />Thanks so much for stopping in at SleuthSayers!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-78990809419854164382022-01-29T16:08:35.164-05:002022-01-29T16:08:35.164-05:00Good one, Jim. Thanks! I'd forgotten all about...Good one, Jim. Thanks! I'd forgotten all about that.<br /><br />I guess briefcases/suitcases/packages can be especially good MacG's because in some stories we the readers/viewers might not even know what's in there (as in Pulp Fiction).<br /><br />Take care!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-57880736774349843342022-01-29T12:54:44.365-05:002022-01-29T12:54:44.365-05:00Like Barb, I've used McGuffins without realizi...Like Barb, I've used McGuffins without realizing it. Thought they were called MacGuyvers, but that's a TV show. Isn't it? Good article.O'Neil De Nouxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142721824657611738noreply@blogger.com