Harrison explained that Heston and producer Walter Seltzer coaxed MGM into making a film based on “Make Room! Make Room!” (although there was an existing TV show that altered the movie’s title), but the novel’s exclusive focus on overpopulation was perceived as “inconsequential” by the studio. After the cannibalism aspect was introduced, the film went into production, and Harrison’s involvement was nominal, as the incorporation of his notes was solely based on Fleischer’s discretion.
Despite being contractually obligated to not suggest changes to the script, Harrison voiced his opinions regarding certain creative decisions that the film made, such as the unspecified time period that cushioned the opening. After the author pointed out that a near-future setting would grant more weight and immediacy to the events, Fleischer and his team whipped up a strong opening that rooted the events in the year 2022, and the film is better for it.
This is just one example of how Harrison’s notes actually helped refine the adaptation, but the author did not mince words when it came to expressing his disappointment regarding the script:
“This is when I came onto the scene, to be instantly impressed by two inescapable facts: the truly professional ability of everyone connected with the making of the film and the truly appalling quality of the script, which transmogrified, denigrated, and degutted the novel from which it had been taken.”
While Harrison was not fond of certain aspects of the script, he maintained a deep appreciation for Fleischer, the cast, and the creatives involved, as they captured the core of the novel while diverging from it in significant ways. For instance, Edward G. Robinson, who played Sol Roth, consciously enriched his performance after learning more about the character’s novel counterpart from Harrison, investing Sol with the depth that was absent in the lackluster script.
