North by Northwest Scene 17 Summary

  • There's very little dialogue in this super-famous scene, but lots and lots of action.
  • Thornhill waits and waits for George Kaplan.
  • He's surrounded by the endless plains, not a soul in sight. A few cars whiz by, kicking up dust.
  • A man is drooped off at the intersection. Thornhill approaches, thinking he might be Kaplan, but he turns out to be someone else.
  • The man points out that a plane passing over a field is, oddly, "dustin' crops where there ain't no crops." The man then boards a bus.
  • After the bus's departure, the crop-dusting plane heads straight for Thornhill. It's armed with machine guns.
  • Thornhill runs from the plane, which just misses him, and dives into a ditch to keep from getting hit. The plane keeps chasing him.
  • Desperate, Thornhill tries to stop a truck by standing in the middle of the street, bringing the truck to a sudden halt. By some Hitchcockian miracle, he falls unhurt under the truck.
  • The plane dives towards the truck. Thornhill and the driver get away from the truck in the nick of time; it explodes when the plane crashes into it.
  • Thornhill's safe for now, but he's even more afraid for his life.
  • He steals a truck from a stranger who stopped by the side of the road after seeing the explosion.