The film""s entire story was an elaboration of the first scene in Wilder""s directorial debut filmThe Major and the Minor (1942).The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences nominated it for eight awards: Best Supporting Actress (Melinda Dillon), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score (John Williams), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.Gotham Globereporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) was stymied in obtaining information from the police about the "giant bat" and his assault on the two goons.de Winter at his table.The young woman explains her employment as a "paid companion" to Mrs.Van Hopper, a job she took after her father, a painter, died the previous summer (her mother died years earlier).As he had hoped, the propulsion from the broken valve on the tank sent the flaming man crashing into an exploding Union 76 gasoline truck, that blew into the air and landed on their police car.