Dora Evans made a nice living running her mobile concession truck.
She would find out where the local movie company was shooting on location and park her truck, which she called simply “The Box”, near-by. Technicians and actors alike would stop by for some pastry and coffee during breaks from shooting.
The director was shooting the most important scene in the movie. In this scene the lovers walking along a deserted beach decide to break off their relationship and return to their respective spouses to live the rest of their lives with only the memory of their short interlude to comfort them in the years ahead.
He had shot the scene several times in order to insure that he had obtained the most dramatic effect.
That evening, on reviewing the daily takes, he was shocked to find every take was spoiled. As the stars were talking, the camera swept around the surrounding loneliness of the empty beach. But in every take, there was the concession truck with several people enjoying its wares.
He immediately called his cinematographer and shouted angrily, “I told you never to pan Dora’s Box.”
oh dear…..
I love the line in Notting Hill – “I knew a girl called Pandora once … I never saw her box though.”