Midnight Cowboy (1969) — Screenplay
A naive Texas hustler chases his fortune in New York City, but his dreams unravel as he forges an unlikely bond with a sickly con man yearning for Florida.
- Written by
- Waldo Salt, James Leo Herlihy
- Genre
- Drama
- Studio
- United Artists
- Length
- 120 pages
Study this screenplay for its devastatingly honest dialogue and its subtle shift from dark satire to aching humanism. Salt’s structural choice to follow Joe’s delusions through a fragmented cityscape makes his arc feel both inevitable and fresh. The two-hander dynamic between mismatched dreamers offers a masterclass in deepening character relationships.
Read the full Midnight Cowboy (1969) screenplay in PDF, page by page, right here on Laper — or download the original script to study Waldo Salt, James Leo Herlihy’s scene work, dialogue and structure at your own pace. A free resource for screenwriters and film students learning Hollywood script format.