A treatment of THE GREAT GATSBY, honoring its 100th anniversary, featuring the playful and mischievous Capuchin monkey, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith.
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Title: The Great Gatsby Anniversary Edition - with Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith
Genre: Whimsical Literary Parody
Tone: Wry, playfully satirical, occasionally heartfelt
Format: Feature Film or Limited Series
Treatment
It is the Roaring Twenties. Jazz crackles from gramophones, flappers shimmer like dragonflies in champagne light, and bootleggers sell gin in teacups. But in this retelling of The Great Gatsby, a tiny Capuchin monkey named Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith—a creature of refined tastes and terrible manners—plays a pivotal (and often chaotic) role in the lives of the East and West Egg elite.
The story still begins with Nick Carraway, a wide-eyed Midwesterner with moral ambitions and a tendency to narrate life as if it were a well-ordered novel. But now, Nick lives in a modest cottage not only next door to the mysterious Jay Gatsby but also next door to the monkey.
Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith (or “Smithy,” to close friends and jazz musicians) was once the property of a drunken Prussian baron, later adopted by Gertrude Stein, and finally smuggled into New York by an Armenian violinist who left him at a speakeasy. Somehow, the monkey found his way to Gatsby’s estate and never left. No one knows why Gatsby tolerates him. Some say he’s a metaphor. Others say he knows too much.
Plot Highlights
Gatsby's Parties:
Gatsby’s legendary soirées are even more surreal with Smithy swinging from chandeliers, wearing miniature spats, and sabotaging phonographs at the height of each Charleston. Guests consider him the symbol of Gatsby's eccentric genius—or perhaps a secret mob enforcer in disguise.
As in the book, Tom repeats his white supremacy nonsense about Nordic races, this time casting dark glances in the direction of our poor simian, who hides under the dessert table.
Daisy and the Monkey:
When Gatsby reunites with Daisy Buchanan, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith inserts himself into the romance with aggressive affection. He brings her wilted roses, steals her pearls, and hands her a note that reads “YOUR HUSBAND IS A BORE”—a message no one admits writing.
Tom Buchanan’s Suspicion:
Tom is jealous not only of Gatsby, but of the monkey. He claims to have seen Smithy whispering with Meyer Wolfsheim and suspects the primate of running a numbers racket out of a defunct pastry shop. Gatsby denies it, but the monkey’s tailored pinstripe vest contains a tiny ledger.
The Car Crash Scene:
When Myrtle is struck by Gatsby’s car, Smithy is in the passenger seat, wearing goggles. He’s the only witness, but his testimony consists of somber chittering and an abstract charcoal sketch he later produces at the inquest. It’s considered "deeply symbolic" by the New York art crowd.
Nick’s Disillusionment:
Nick slowly realizes the monkey is the only creature in East Egg with any honesty. Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith may steal cigarettes and rewire toasters, but he never pretends to be something he’s not. After Gatsby’s death, it is the monkey who lays a wreath (made of pilfered ribbon and grapes) on the coffin.
Final Scene:
Nick prepares to return to the Midwest. On the train platform, he finds Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith waiting, holding Nick’s forgotten notebook. The monkey hands it over with a solemn nod, then boards a different train, destination unknown.
It’s said he was later seen in Paris, arguing over absincthe with Hemingway, or possibly on a dirigible bound for Istanbul.
Themes and Style
This version of Gatsby doesn’t just critique the American Dream—it adds a layer of surreal farce to the spectacle. Through the antics of Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith, we see the hollowness of jazz-age ambition made literal. The monkey is a symbol, a saboteur, a friend, and a mirror.
Or perhaps he’s just a monkey. The film never quite says.
Want me to sketch a poster or write the opening scene?
