AustLit

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'CHRIS GARDNER Youngish businessman - quite prosperous with a seemingly assured future. A pleasant personality, but nothing at all extraordinary about him. Just an average bloke of his particular type. His whole world is changed in the instant when he's involved in a fatal accident.

'KAY GARDNER The ideal wife for Chris Gardner (see above). Prior to the accident, she was a happy woman - living in complete security.

'JOHN DAVIS A solicitor with a lucrative practice - mainly concentrates on handling of real estate transactions and investments. In outlook, he is a conventional adherent of the establishment, but he is not fusty in manner. Can be unrestrained and volatile in arguments with his wife. A strong personality. Drives car.

'THERESA DAVIS Wife of John. Loves him, but is often angered by aspects of his conservatism. An activist - living in comfort, but drawn to people at the other end of the social scale. Most of the time, she is humourless - direct, saying whatever comes into her mind.

'CHARLES HAMMOND (50) A businessman - very moderate education. Has acquired a degree of "smoothness", but lapses sometimes. A competent hypocrite. Persecuted his wife until she left him. He has no conscience about this.

'RUTH HAMMOND (50) Charles Hammond's wife. A pathetic derelict. One scene.

'STELLA JOHNSON (In forties) A woman who has been brow-beaten and physically battered until she has no initiative whatever. Completely crushed.

[Note: The notes '(2 scenes)' has been struck out after this character note, and a note made in the margin that the character will appear in film scenes, and not just, as originally planned, in live scenes.]

'CLIFF JOHNSON (45 or so) A factory foreman. Strong. He is another of those characters who make a point of being pleasant to everyone but their wives. When he torments Stella, there is no gloating sadism. It is straight-out brutality.'