01/14/2026
Lawrence Kasdan wrote "Continental Divide" (1981)—a script about a brash Chicago journalist who falls in love with a woman living in the mountains studying eagles, in the vein of an old Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn comedy. He came up with the outline while eating lunch on the lawn of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Ernie Souchak character played by John Belushi (below, opposite co-star Blair Brown) was loosely based on longtime Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko.
Kasdan shopped it around, and took it to Steven Spielberg, who was on the dubbing stage for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977). Spielberg had Universal buy the script for $150,000 in October, 1977, with a desire to serve as executive producer. "I was looking for a love story to do," Spielberg said. "Actually, it was a very intense bidding situation. There were four studios bidding for it and Universal made the highest bid. The script was wonderful. Larry is an excellent writer. He writes the sort of material we haven't seen around here for a long time. He writes about the '30s and '40s in a fascinating, exciting way. He loves old movies and draws on them for his work. He's exploring new territory based on old ground."
The movie was eventually made several years later, starring John Belushi and Blair Brown and directed by Michael Apted. It came out on September 18, 1981, three weeks after the release of Kasdan's directorial debut, "Body Heat" (1981).
According to Kasdan, the original script was "very different from the film which resulted. The script had a kind of Howard Hawksian speed, momentum, hopefully wit about it. I don't think the film turned out that way, which was one of those painful experiences I had early on."
Spielberg's enthusiasm for "Continental Divide" led him to hire Kasdan to write "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), which he was developing with George Lucas. "I think that what they were looking for was someone who could write 'Raiders' in the same way that Hawks would have someone write a movie for him—a strong woman character, a certain kind of hero," Kasdan said. In a now-famous meeting (with producer Frank Marshall also in the room), "George, Steven, and I talked for about 20 minutes. Then we stood up and shook hands, and George said, 'Let's make this movie.' I had just met the guy, and a few minutes later I'm in business with him." (Wikipedia)
Happy Birthday, Lawrence Kasdan!
