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NLP Research Group 9

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

persistent

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Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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How many times the word 'rip' appears in the text?

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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How many times the word 'gaze' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

gestures

How many times the word 'gestures' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

wholly

How many times the word 'wholly' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

employ

How many times the word 'employ' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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How many times the word 'met' appears in the text?

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

phelan

How many times the word 'phelan' appears in the text?

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

event

How many times the word 'event' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

counterpart

How many times the word 'counterpart' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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How many times the word 'troubled' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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How many times the word 'frozen' appears in the text?

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

worse

How many times the word 'worse' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

andalusian

How many times the word 'andalusian' appears in the text?

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

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Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

ragtime

How many times the word 'ragtime' appears in the text?

Amelia Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMELIA Written by Ronald Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan September 14, 2007 1 1 EXT. BAR, LAE, NEW GUINEA - DAY CLOSE on a mud-streaked AIRFIELD in mist and driving RAIN. A Lockheed ELECTRA sits. Sleek, twin-engine, state-of-the- art, its metallic surface battered by the monsoon. Waiting. PULL BACK to see... ...our VIEW down onto the landing strip is from an open- sided, thatched roof BAR high above the airfield. And peering down through the mist and rain... ...a WOMAN in grimy flight clothes gazes at the plane. Slender. Feminine. At first glance, fragile. Then the gray eyes change like the sea, as a stray thought transforms her. Something fierce lives there. SUPERIMPOSE: LAE, NEW GUINEA - 1937. FRED (O.S.) Sure I can't talk you inta somethin' more adventurous? She turns. FRED NOONAN is tall and lean, ruggedly handsome in a reckless way. His flight clothes as rumpled and dirt- streaked as her own. He carries his bottle of tequila, and a Coke which he sets down for her. AMELIA Adventurous? You've got the wrong girl, Mister. You should know that by now. Her eyes study him. Assessing something as he pours himself four fingers. FRED Actually. I knew that the moment I met ol' George. He sips his drink. She says nothing. FRED (CONT'D) I like how you don't talk about him. AMELIA That why I get so many chances to not do it? FRED Well. Natural curiosity. His charming smile. She's thinking more about the tequila. She reaches to take his bottle and glass. Moves them to her side of the table. 2. FRED I mean, why would a guy who needs to run the show. Pick the one girl he knew could kick his tail? No response. Just her clear direct gaze. FRED (CONT'D) I'll bet he knew that. First time he met you. She looks out to sea. AMELIA He thought I hated him. He never knew I was fascinated. INT. GEORGE'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY 2 2 Alone by the window, he gazes at the city. A powerfully built man in a perfectly-tailored suit. The face at once strong and elegant, capable of every emotion. Yet just now, there are none to be seen. Even as... ...a door OPENS. A pretty SECRETARY enters soundlessly, sits respectfully. Waits, her pen suspended above her steno pad. Does he know she's there? SUPERIMPOSE: NEW YORK, LATER 1937. GEORGE (without turning) The first time I met her she sat in that chair. The secretary doesn't know whether to write that down. And still with his back to her... GEORGE (CONT'D) You may as well write it down, Mary. Write it all down. Even the parts that are confused or graceless or boring. He turns with a soft smile to put her at ease. GEORGE (CONT'D) We'll see if I remember how to edit. She smiles back. She likes him, as much as her level of being awed by him permits. She begins to write, as... 3. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'd kept her waiting two hours. T She hated me on sight, but she hought I couldn't tell. His gaze drifts to a bookcase crammed with volumes. And one object, oddly out of place. A stuffed CAT, with boots and a green frock coat. It wears a confident ironic smile. GEORGE (CONT'D) She was a person who cherished her privacy and was devoting her life to social work. And there I was... His smile is kind. And honestly self-mocking. GEORGE (CONT'D) Self-obsessed. Wallowing in the glory of my authors and celebrity acquaintances. A vain, fast- talking, manipulator. But then I guess you know all that, don't you? She looks up reproachfully. Nothing of the kind, and you know it. GEORGE (CONT'D) Oh, yes. And the kind of man who fishes for compliments. He's made her laugh. DISSOLVE TO... 3 3 INT. RECEPTION AREA - DAY She is younger, dressed conservatively. The calm at the center of a storm. Agents, authors, couriers, peddlers come and go. But she has her legs drawn up beneath her, pouring through a small stack of volumes. As if preparing for an exam. SUPERIMPOSE: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS PUBLISHING CO. 1928. GEORGE (V.O.) The waiting made her furious. She undoubtedly felt I was E stablishing my dominance and importance. She doesn't look furious at all. Thumbing through WE by COL. CHARLES LINDBERGH. Photos of Lindy beside the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris. 4. GEORGE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Actually, I hadn't given her a thought. Oblivious as usual. Which, perhaps, was even worse. Now, SKYWARD by ADM. RICHARD BYRD. Photos of the explorer preparing for his flight over the North Pole. One of Byrd with George himself, displaying considerable gravitas. AMELIA (V.O.) I figured he'd be pompous. Her eye travels over the stack of books. Adventurers, explorers, celebrities. On an end table, a framed photo of George with the great Lindbergh. A pretty SECRETARY comes to summon her. Amelia rises, smooths the wrinkles from her brown suit. They head down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I knew, of course, that he wasn't going to choose me. I had no discernible qualifications whatsoever. They reach the door, already ajar. It says GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM on a small bronze plate. The secretary gingerly pushes it open... ...revealing George on the phone in crisp shirtsleeves and suspenders. He paces, prowls, trailing the cord behind him, negotiating non-stop even as he flips through a pile of messages. Off again, stalking the room. Dashing, electric, masterful. AMELIA (V.O) But to be rejected by this... parasite. A man who had given up any life of his own to flutter near the famous. He glances up, realizing for the first time that she is there. Sit, please. But she doesn't. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I didn't know whether to laugh or throw something at the jerk. He gestures again, more commandingly. Sit. She doesn't move, she doesn't smile. She doesn't take her steady gaze from him. He hangs up the phone. They stare at each other for a frozen beat. He breaks the moment with a charming smile... 5. GEORGE Miss Earhart? AMELIA Mr. Putnam? GEORGE (softly) I asked you to sit. AMELIA Was that the thing you did with your hand? Sadly, I don't speak dog. His smile now only a trace. But more genuine. GEORGE A Ah. Well, stand if you like. melia sits. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm told you want to fly the Atlantic Ocean. AMELIA I do. GEORGE In the 12 months since Lindbergh, 55 people in 18 planes have tried. Three planes made it. Fourteen people have died. AMELIA I'll make it. GEORGE Three women died trying. Two others escaped with their lives. If you do make it, you'd be the first. Which...is the real attraction for both of us, I suspect. She nods. No smile. AMELIA Always nice to know what the real attraction is. His smile. Beginning to enjoy this conversation. 6. GEORGE The plane was bought from Adm. Byrd by Amy Guest, a socialite who wanted the record for herself. Her family wouldn't tolerate the danger. She has asked for a replacement... He gestures. Perhaps you. GEORGE (CONT'D) ...who is American, educated, well- spoken, a flyer, preferably physically attractive... AMELIA Why would that matter? GEORGE Because she wants the world to pay attention. And pretty girls command more attention. AMELIA Was that your advice? GEORGE Sure. My role is selling this event to the public. There will be a contract for the girl's story with the New York Times. Also a book to be published over her name. Understood...? G EORGE (CONT'D) But all the money from these will go to Mrs. Guest. AMELIA Except for the part that goes to you. GEORGE Which will be as great as I can manage, I assure you. AMELIA You said she wants a flyer. GEORGE Don't get your hopes up. The celebrated Wilmer Stultz will be the pilot. There'll be a male co- pilot and navigator. The woman will be purely a passenger. 7. He waits for reaction. She keeps her mouth shut. GEORGE (CONT'D) That's good for your chances. Because your level of flying experience wouldn't place you anywhere near the group that would be considered for this. If the woman were to do any flying at all. No punches pulled. Not his style. AMELIA Why would anyone want a book from a passenger? GEORGE Because the hook is that we're making the woman the commander. The pilot will sign a contract saying he is under her direction and control. It's her ship, her flight. AMELIA Good for my chances, you said. What are my chan... GEORGE The job's yours. She blinks. Stunned speechless. GEORGE (CONT'D) I chose you the moment you walked through the door. He smiles his charming smile. Several phones are RINGING. GEORGE (CONT'D) Now assuming my awful manners haven't soured you on the enterprise. May I give you a lift to the station? Amelia rises. Is she pissed at being toyed with? AMELIA You're a busy man, Mr. Putnam. I can find my way. The look holds. He shrugs. You probably can. 8. 4 4 INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - LATER Two figures on the platform. Her train is ready to leave. GEORGE I honestly feel an apology is in order. AMELIA Fine. What have I done? She watches his smile. AMELIA (CONT'D) I didn't mind waiting. Caught up on my reading. Knitted a sweater. GEORGE I mean an apology. For what's coming. His voice softens. GEORGE (CONT'D) I'm going to be pretty controlling these next few months. How you dress, move, cut your hair. Speak in public. It's all part of the package we're selling. AMELIA We. GEORGE That's right. If you're not in there selling with me, it won't work. The smile turns friendly. GEORGE (CONT'D) You're the star. I'm no one at all. AMELIA Spoken like a gentleman. She steps up onto the train. Extends her hand like a man. He shakes it firmly. The train begins to move. She watches his cheery wave as she rolls away. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Of course a gentleman. Would have paid for my ticket. 9. 5 5 INT. TRAIN - LATER Gazing out the window as she rattles toward Boston. She looks down now to a notebook in her lap. As she flips pages, we see it is a collection of hand-written POEMS and thoughts. She writes... AMELIA (V.O.) Courage is the price that life exacts For granting peace We SUPERIMPOSE over her image the wall of a little girl's bedroom, filled with treasured NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS about women doctors, officials, bank presidents, women who had established themselves in positions previously thought to be available only to men. AMELIA (V.O.) The soul that knows it not Knows no release From little things DISSOLVE TO HER MEMORY OF... 6 6 EXT. FIELD, DES MOINES - DAY Two LITTLE GIRLS, maybe 10 years old, walking in a field. Amelia and a girlfriend. They stop, hearing... The DRONING of an engine, a small red plane APPEARING above the treetops. The pilot seeing two girls alone in the field, SWOOPS down to BUZZ them. Amelia's friend runs for her life. But Amelia stands still, throws her arms WIDE, and the plane... ...DROPS lower, and LOWER, as it CLOSES straight in on the slender girl with her outstretched arms. LOUDER and FASTER, as if intent on winning some impulsive duel of wills. The aircraft SCREAMS past, just above her head. AMELIA (V.O.) As the little red airplane passed by, it said something to me. Amelia beams. She fills her lungs, transported. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I don't think I've ever stopped listening. HOLD on her, hair and uniform whipping in the breeze. SMASH CUT TO... 10. 7 7 INT. AMELIA'S PLANE - DAY Amelia flying her little yellow Kinner. Feeling the freedom she thrilled to as a A child. MELIA (V.O.) Ten years, 28 jobs and an unspeak- able number of crashes later, I hadn't changed my mind. She LIFTS the nose of the tiny craft. Begins to CLIMB. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) I even had my own plane. Bought with my last dime. At the apex of her climb, she FLIPS into a breathtaking LOOP THE LOOP, as... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Course in the early days of flying... ...her engine SPUTTERS. Then STALLS. The plane DIPS into a TAIL-SPIN, PLUNGING downward... AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...crashing was so common, you almost forgot it could kill you... Amelia STRUGGLING to start the engine, the little plane HURTLING toward earth, SPINNING as it goes. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...until it did. The engine COUGHS to life and at the last second she SWOOPS harrowingly above the ground to SOAR FREE. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) Almost. EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY 8 8 A small HANGAR in a lonely field. See a group of... ...MECHANICS in their grease-stained jumpsuits. Three big guys and one little one working on an engine that's been pulled from Amelia's Kinner. When the little guy comes up for air... ...he isn't a guy at all. 11. AMELIA Got it. I think. 9 9 INT. DENISON HOUSE, BOSTON - DAY SAM CHAPMAN, a handsome young man is being led down an institutional hallway and out onto the grounds of this venerable settlement house. He finds... ...Amelia sitting cross-legged on the grass. Reading to a group of CHINESE GIRLS, who hang on her every animated word. On the periphery, ADULTS sit, taking in the story. They are of various ethnicities, homeless or handicapped or immigrant. A Two are blind. Amelia sees Sam... MELIA Girls, this is Mr. Samuel Chapman. Sam, say hullo to the Octopus Club. The Octopus Club waves to Sam. The adults wave, too. AMELIA (CONT'D) You're just in time. Alice has come through the Looking Glass, and things are getting, well... OCTOPUS CLUB (on cue) REALLY STRANGE! AMELIA They are, actually. She pats the grass beside her. Sam has no choice but to sit. EXT. GROUNDS - LATER 10 10 Amelia and Sam walk a wooded path beside the grounds. Through the chain link fence, they watch other social workers playing with groups of children. SAM And it's a secret. AMELIA Has to be. Competition, you know. Millionaire heiresses, hot shot girl pilots. If George knew I told you, he'd have me publicly flogged. She looks over. 12. AMELIA (CONT'D) So long as he could sell tickets. He's not smiling. SAM And no one else knows. AMELIA Marion. She's giving me a leave of absence. SAM I would think so. Your name will be in all the papers, and not just Boston. Denison House stands to come in for funding, national attention. AMELIA Specially if I don't make it. SAM Don't joke about that. She wasn't joking at all. SAM (CONT'D) You'll make it. And then you'll have opportunities to work in aviation. Anywhere you want. She laughs. AMELIA Well, I'll have impressive credentials as a long-distance passenger. That's not exactly a career in aviation. She looks up at his eyes. I AMELIA (CONT'D) 'm not going anywhere, social work is my life. After all the years of false starts, I found the thing I'm meant to do. Keep walking. She gives him time to say... SAM And where does that leave us? 13. AMELIA You do love to look on the dark side. Whatever did you see in a sunny character like me? She gives him a sweet playful smile. It doesn't reassure him. SAM It's not as if I'd been putting pressure on you. AMELIA What love means to you. What it requires. Is the pressure. He stops walking. SAM I love you. Is that such a terrible problem? She gazes at him. Can he even hear this? AMELIA The problem is what it's always been. The problem is me. INT. WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY 11 11 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Hotel conference room jammed with press. A sexy brunette in a sweater that seems to be made of strips of GOLD FOIL steps to a bank of microphones. Flashes start POPPING. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, about to become the first female to fly the Atlantic in the wake of Lindbergh's historic journey, regales an eager world press... The sound switches to Mabel at the mikes... MABEL Okay, boys. I'll take any questions you wanna throw my way. Except about what's behind this sweater. The boys ROAR. Mabel keeps her smile tight. MABEL (CONT'D) The story. Behind it. Of course. 14. As the laughter CONTINUES... 12 T 12 INT. HANGAR, EAST BOSTON AIRPORT - NIGHT he heavy door rolls OPEN. George and Amelia enter the brightly-lit hangar to see two men working on the FRIENDSHIP, a sea-plane with golden wings. Its red-orange fuselage stands beside gigantic PONTOONS, each 29 feet long. The pontoons have been opened, and the men are attaching them to the plane. They turn toward us now. BILL STULTZ is short and wiry with quick eyes. Only 28, he seems weathered by his adventures and the streaks of gray through his hair. He is not necessarily happy to see us. AMELIA (V.O.) George had told me Stultz was Adm. Byrd's favorite pilot, fearless, gifted. He drank. But George said it never affected his work. George waves as we approach. Bill and Amelia seem locked on each other. AMELIA (V.O.) (CONT'D) When he said it, I must have had a funny look. So I just said, `Yeh, I grew up around a guy like that.' GEORGE Boys, I'd like to introduce your commander, Miss Amelia Earhart. AMELIA We felt `commander' was less grandiose than, say, `empress.' Bill doesn't smile. The other man does... GEORGE Say hello to Slim Gordon your navigator. She is shaking hands in that strong, direct way. GEORGE (CONT'D) And Bill Stultz here, simply the most talented pilot working. She takes Bill's powerful hand. The look between them calm, yet somehow intense. As if each is establishing a tone for their relationship. 15. GEORGE (CONT'D) We've got Byrd's pilot, we've got his plane... AMELIA Y ou mean the Admiral flies on those? The pontoons. She does not seem admiring. GEORGE Nope, those are new, personally suggested by the old man himself. Bill nods on that. Sure were. GEORGE (CONT'D) This way, if you're forced down at sea, you can wait for a rescue. AMELIA Hmmn. What does that do to our fuel? BILL Costs us at least 400 gallons. Don't bother bringing clothes for Paris, we'll be lucky to hit the nearest beach in Ireland. Real lucky. GEORGE The Admiral estimates the pontoons only cut our range by 200 miles. But Amelia looks to Bill. That's not really possible is it? BILL The Admiral is the Admiral. He gets to estimate any damn thing he wants. All we have to do is figure out how to fly without petrol. She turns to George with challenging eyes. BILL (CONT'D) Don't go blaming the bookseller. He's been all through this with Mrs. Guest, but she worships the Admiral. And it's money that puts planes in the air. AMELIA I wonder if it can keep them up there. Not that I've ever had enough to try. 16. Bill's small smile. Maybe the girl's all right. 13 13 EXT. DOCK - LATER George and Amelia approach a waiting motorboat, as the lights of Boston glimmer across the harbor. His head is down. She's watching his profile. AMELIA Sorry. I'll try keeping my mouth shut. GEORGE What I ought to try. Is listening to you once in awhile. H e meant that. And she seems oddly touched. AMELIA Careful. I could get to like it. No reaction from him. He hops into the boat. Turns, holds out his hand. She hesitates. Clearly doesn't need his help to jump into a boat. Their eyes lock. We are watching her decide. And then... She reaches to clasp his hand. Hops down beside him. AMELIA (CONT'D) Thank you, Simpkin. Thank you for everything. GEORGE (a smile) Simpkin. AMELIA It's in a book. Oh, that's right. You read the ones you publish. Her smile is friendly, not flirtatious. She goes to sit in the bow. He doesn't follow. But he is watching. 14 14 EXT. ROOF, COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL - DAY Amelia in a flying outfit. Hands on her hips as if posing. AMELIA (V.O.) There's a Beatrix Potter story about a cat named Simpkin. PULL BACK to see the PHOTOGRAPHER, George beside him. They are on a hotel rooftop, precariously high above Boston. T A 17. AMELIA (V.O.) He wasn't happy unless he had several mice, each under a different teacup. So he could never become bored. We see that Amelia's POSE looks exactly the SAME as a photo of CHARLES LINDBERGH in the photographer's hand. It is labeled `LUCKY LINDY.' AMELIA (V.O.) THe illusion of activity was essential for him to feel at peace. The photographer now shows George ANOTHER PHOTO of Lindbergh in a different pose. AMELIA What are you boys doing over there? GEORGE Trying to make you look like a girl. George studies the photo, then goes to Amelia and begins moving her body into the new pose. Tilting her head to Lindbergh's angle. MELIA (V.O.) I wondered. Was I Mr. Putnam's 43rd mouse? Or his 307th. Now touching her, adjusting her coat, fluffing a bit of her hair, pulling the collar around to frame her face... G EORGE he more we can make you look like a girl, the better. AMELIA Oh god, is it worth the effort? He cocks his head, studies her. Nah, guess not. GEORGE Wondering who should play you in the film of all this. I'm thinking Chaplin. AMELIA Valentino's not available? He shakes his head sadly. Adjusts her collar once more. This time, his hands linger. 18. AMELIA (CONT'D) Two things. One, Chaplin can't play me because he's perfect for you. And two, you have company. She glances to where a WOMAN, beautiful and aristocratic, is being helped onto the roof. George's face lights to see her. He rushes over, sweeps her into his arms, kisses her tenderly. Amelia smiles to see this, makes her like them both. GEORGE Amelia Earhart, this is Dorothy Binney Putnam. The women trade smiles. They shake hands, holding eye contact. DOROTHY Great to meet you. George talks so much about you. (a wink) In fact, lately, you're all he does talk about. George steps in close, and the photographer SNAPS a three- shot. And another. PHOTOGRAPHER Hold those smiles for one more, please. EXT. JEFFREY YACHT CLUB HARBOR, EAST BOSTON - EARLY LIGHT 15 15 The FRIENDSHIP bobbing on its pontoons. Bill and Slim are off-loading equipment and other gear from the plane to a TUGBOAT filled with support crew and family. The plane's engines REV in the predawn stillness. PULL BACK to see... 1 EXT. YACHT CLUB DOCK - EARLY LIGHT 6 16 ...the yacht club dock. George and Amelia alone at the railing. She's wearing her leather flight jacket and boots. They stare out at the plane, so frail and awkward. From her bag now, she pulls three ENVELOPES... Puts them in George's hand. Straight, unblinking... AMELIA Popping off letters. For my dad, my mom, my sis. You know. In case. 19. He stares down. Rocked by the weight of this against the simplicity of her words. The top envelope says: DEAREST DAD. GEORGE I'm honored. That you'd leave these with me. AMELIA Who else? If I do pop off, it's your fault. Said in her sunny way. But she's not kidding. It takes a beat before he can offer... GEORGE I'll call them once you're safely on your way. AMELIA Sam will handle that. They trust him. That registers. GEORGE I've figured out the Simpkin thing, you know. AMELIA Have you. GEORGE Sure. There are so few books I haven't published, it was easy to find. Well...? GEORGE (CONT'D) Beatrix Potter, the Tailor of Gloucester. He's a cat in a green frock coat. AMELIA But why is he you? Oh. GEORGE He's brilliant, charismatic... AMELIA So you haven't actually read it. Do you actually read? H 20. GEORGE ...neurotic, compulsive, manipulative. Am I getting warmer? She sighs. AMELIA P ray I make it. Or the secret pops off with me. A held look. A friendly... AMELIA (CONT'D) Well. See ya. She walks off down the dock toward the Friendship. e stands watching her go. DISSOLVE TO... 17 17 INT. SMALL HOTEL, NEWFOUNDLAND - MORNING Amelia alone, leaving her hotel room in her flight jacket. Locking the door. SUPERIMPOSE: FIRST STOP: CANADA AMELIA (V.O.) Our first hop was to Canada, to start from as close as we could get to Ireland. Just in case we couldn't get the thing in the air and had to row. She walks briskly down the corridor. AMELIA (V.O.) The fuel was going to be so close, every single mile counted. Turns a corner. Approaches the dining room door. AMELIA (V.O.) George told me to keep to my room, just in case there was a reporter or two somewhere. She enters the hotel dining room. Stops cold. Across the room a disgruntled Bill and a sheepish Slim stare at her from their breakfast, surrounded by 15 REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holy shit. Half a dozen CAMERAS RISE as one. It is a defining moment. And Amelia... Cocks her head. Throws an effortless golden smile. R 21. AMELIA Hi there, boys. How are the ham and eggs? The FLASHES EXPLODE as one. They keep POPPING as Amelia makes her way to them. BILL Don't blame us, lady. I think somebody's starting to sell books. The reporters are handing her their morning editions. The New York Times front page headline: BOSTON GIRL STARTS FOR ATLANTIC HOP. There beneath the headline, the glamorous PHOTO we watched being taken on the Copley Hotel roof, Lady Lindy. Next to it, an earlier photo of her as a demure social worker. A melia is sifting through the other papers, grinning and shaking her head. EPORTER Say, Amelia. What have you got for Mabel Boll to chew on? AMELIA Now why would a famous gal like Mabel give a thought to someone like me? I don't have a single sweater made out of gold. The boys ROAR, Slim louder than anyone. Even Bill cracks a smile. They're shouting, teasing, YOU CAN'T KID US! AMELIA (CONT'D) Hey, not even silver. The boys make room. Bill rises to hold Amelia's chair. A friendly murmur... BILL The ham's a little tough, Commander. But the bacon's swell. 18 18 INT. WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL - DAY MOVIETONE NEWSREEL footage, accompanied by their signature fanfare theme. Once more, the hotel conference room jammed with press. Today Mabel wears a luxurious silver fox coat, shimmies up to a bank of microphones at the podium. Flashes start POPPING. 22. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) The Queen of Diamonds Mabel Boll, upstaged by upstart social worker, seems madder than a rich wet hen. Hey Mabel, tell us about your rival! The sound switches to Mabel leaning her sultry voice to the mikes... MABEL Well, how would any woman feel about some tart who steals her man? Reporters furiously writing, more flashes EXPLODE. MABEL (CONT'D) Bill Stultz and I were going to make history together, until this poor little social worker and her sugar daddy, oh excuse me, `publisher,' started throwing money and I don't know what else at him. R EPORTER Mabel, are you implying Miss Earhart used her feminine charms on your pilot? MABEL I don't know, Charlie, I never seen her. Has she got any? LAUGHTER, they're all calling out. She shows them a smoky smile, but stays on message. MABEL (CONT'D) Well, she had to use something on somebody to get from nowhere to here. You figure it out, or wait til George Putnam feeds it to you. Two dozen questions at once. She's not even listening. MABEL (CONT'D) We're going to Canada, waiting for some good weather on the Atlantic, and then we'll kick Little Miss Whoozis in the keester. REPORTER What makes you so cocky that she won't leave first? 23. MABEL Rusty, we can carry enough fuel to go to China. That thing they're flying can't load enough gas to make Yonkers. Tell that to Putnam's girlie. And while you're at it... She snuggles the gleaming fox fur around her. MABEL (CONT'D) Tell her I do wear silver. So I'm two up on her. EXT. HARBOR, TREPASSEY, NEWFOUNDLAND - EARLY MORNING 19 19 MOVIETONE NEWSREEL CONTINUES. We are looking at foggy, bleak Trepassey Harbor as the Friendship makes an unsuccessful attempt to take off. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Eleven days of failure for plucky Amelia Earhart and her crew. If it isn't storms over the Atlantic, it's the inability of the seaplane's pontoons to lift from the sea. S ERIES OF ANGLES. One failed take-off after another. ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D) Perhaps it's for the best. Remember, no woman has beat the jinx of the Atlantic and three have died trying. Including a princess and the niece of former President Woodrow Wilson. The plane's engine SPUTTERS and STALLS. It

cursory

How many times the word 'cursory' appears in the text?

American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

emporium

How many times the word 'emporium' appears in the text?

American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

ambulance

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

feels

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

ashtray

How many times the word 'ashtray' appears in the text?

American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

zenith

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

friendship

How many times the word 'friendship' appears in the text?

American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Gangster Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN GANGSTER Written by Steven Zaillian FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT July 27, 2006 1 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 1 A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B/Jazz club. 2 INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY 2 He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men there, then calmly shoots them and exits. AMERICAN GANGSTER 3 EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER) 3 Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man, elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg - stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor - like a benign king. Legend: Harlem A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas - Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from below. 4 INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER) 4 Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers: BUMPY O/S This is the problem. This is what's wrong with America. The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window. BUMPY O/S It's gotten so big you can't find your way. People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass. BUMPY The corner grocery's a supermarket. Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this place. (MORE) (CONT) 2. 4 CONTINUED: 4 BUMPY (CONT'D) Where's the pride of ownership here? Where's the personal service? Does anybody work here? Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display window full of Japanese stereo componentry. BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out, buying direct from the manufacturer - Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks - putting Americans out of work? He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer. BUMPY What am I supposed to do with a place like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to ask for, the assistant manager? (pause) This is the problem. This is the way it is now: You can't find the heart of anything to stick the knife. Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in. They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down. FRANK What is it? Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused. FRANK Somebody call an ambulance! But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of. Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly - BUMPY Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge. 5 EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY 5 Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family, friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian mobsters like Albert Tosca. (CONT) 3. 5 CONTINUED: 5 REPORTER - whose passing has brought together a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon. The Governor has come down. The mayor of New York - its Chief of Police and Commissioner - sports and entertainment luminaries - A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a camera - including the Feds - before going inside. 6 INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER 6 The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here: a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem gangster, Robin Hood and killer. REPORTER ON TV He was a Great Man, according to the eulogies. A giving man. A man of the people. No one chose to include in their remembrances the word most often associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson: Gangster. Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment, heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners circling the place like vultures: Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar. TOSCA White wine, please. A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down next to Frank. BANKER How you doing, Frank? FRANK All right. BANKER What a loss. (Frank nods) How are you otherwise? Things okay financially? (CONT) 4. 6 CONTINUED: 6 Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table. BANKER Bumpy set something up for you? Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster. TANGO Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while you're at it. Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango - who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off. CHARLIE I know you're hurting, Frank. So am I. Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope man. CHARLIE You going to be all right? FRANK Yeah. CHARLIE I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he made me promise, anything ever happened to him, I'd make sure you didn't go without. FRANK I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people here owed Bumpy money when he died. A lot of money. If they think I'm going to forget to collect, they're wrong. CHARLIE That's the spirit. Go get them. On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..." 5. A7 INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT A7 A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard like a man to the gallows. RICHIE V.O. I live in fear of hearing my name called. PROFESSOR Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade - RICHIE V.O. Of walking up there, turning around, knowing every one of them knows more than I do - PROFESSOR Subject, issues, what the determination was and what it means to us today. Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a decade or more younger than him. 7 EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY 7 Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly fills the frame. RICHIE You know the Number 1 fear of most people isn't dying; it's public speaking. They get physically ill. They throw up. RIVERA And that's what you want to do for a living. RICHIE I don't like being like that. I want to beat it. Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows another report about Bumpy Johnson. Legend: New Jersey A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer - (CONT) 6. 7 CONTINUED: 7 CLERK Hey - Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket. RIVERA Who's going to do this? RICHIE He knows me, he'll take it from me. I've known him since high school. RIVERA Just throw it in, he doesn't take it. That's good service. They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks. The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to close the door - RIVERA Throw it - As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame. RIVERA Down - Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings past his head shattering the door - 8 INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 8 The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in. The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily break through it - Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off. 9 INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY 9 A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand. (CONT) 7. 9 CONTINUED: 9 CAMPIZI I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly. RICHIE You bit my fuckin hand - Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand - which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The paramedics manage to pull him away. CAMPIZI What can we do, Richie? You don't want to do this. For old times sake, what can we do? Who do you want? Who can I give you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want his accountant? I'll give him to you. Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She smiles back. 10 INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY 10 Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops or gangsters. Legend: New York City 11 INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY 11 One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo - scribbles a signature and badge number different from the one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting evidence needed in court. He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts. Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie unwrapped with dangling tags. The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase. 8. 12 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 12 Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out, crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling grocery bags. 13 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY 13 Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter, boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale, and yellow baggies. Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence" tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each of the now-empty property room bags. TRUPO Now just enough for the reagent test. He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags, the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase. 14 INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY 14 The suitcase and "heroin," and some weapons and money, have been arranged on an evidence table with the care of a Macy's display window. Trupo - the officer in charge of the case - watches the jury files in - 15 EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY 15 A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic. ROSSI V/O This is the French Connection dope. The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny Grasso took from us. 16 OMIT 16 OMIT 9. 17 INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY 17 Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses to a back room. ROSSI V/O They seize it, arrest everybody, whack it up and sell it back to us. Our dope. They been living off it for years, these New York cops. 18 INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY 18 Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table. ROSSI They basically control the market with it. What the fuck has happened to the world, Frank? FRANK Fuckin crooks. Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos. ROSSI Sad about Bumpy. Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam. ROSSI Things are never going to be the same in Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music - walk down the street, nobody bothers you because Bumpy's making sure of it. (hands Frank one of the espressos) How bad is it there now? 18pt FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM 18pt Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley - 18pt BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM 18pt FRANK It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself. (CONT) 10. 18pt CONTINUED: 18pt ROSSI Who can live like that? There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians. More important than any one man's life - is order. 19 EXT. HARLEM - DAY 19 A street sign on a corner: 116th and 8th Avenue. 20 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 20 As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle- aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate and refills his coffee. FRANK Thank you, Charlene. Last one. CHARLENE It's all right with me, Frank, you can stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't. It's nice outside. FRANK Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk. Just cause you said so. She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes. 21 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY 21 Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building. 22 INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY 22 Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another - Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen. RED TOP On the house for our men in uniform. SERVICEMAN 1 Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind. RED TOP Thank Frank. (CONT) 11. 22 CONTINUED: 22 Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him. The servicemen start cooking up the dope. FRANK How's Nate? You seen him? SERVICEMAN 1 All the time. Nate is everywhere. He's good. Got himself a club now. FRANK Where, Saigon? SERVICEMAN 1 Bangkok. SERVICEMAN 2 I don't think he's ever coming home. Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up - FRANK You're gonna have to boot it a couple times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it, cutting it - SERVICEMAN 1 I don't want to say anything cause the price is right - but the shit in Nam is way, way, way, way, way - He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence. 23 OMIT 23 OMIT 24 EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 24 Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat. CAMPIZI That's him. Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel. 25 EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON 25 From the parked car they observe the accountant putting another bag in his trunk. 12. 26 EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON 26 He comes out of another place with another bag. To Campizi - RICHIE All right. Get lost. Get out. Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON 27 They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant leave his car and get into another car that's parked there. RIVERA We gonna stay with him or the car? Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick. RICHIE Let's see who comes for the car. 28 EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT 28 All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can. RIVERA Think he made us? Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch. Cranes in his seat to look behind them. RICHIE You called for the warrant? Where are they? RIVERA I just called. I called and walked back here and ten seconds has gone by. Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car: RICHIE We saw him with the slips, Javy. RIVERA You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags. You don't know what's in them. (CONT) 13. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me that bullshit - RIVERA What's the rush? Half an hour the warrant'll be here - RICHIE I got night school. RIVERA Guess you're going to miss it. (Rivera sips at his coffee; then:) You know, what you were saying before - about throwing up in front of people - money will take that feeling away. RICHIE Not when it's less. RIVERA Less than what. RICHIE Than what I make now. RIVERA No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop. RICHIE They do in the Prosecutor's Office. Three thousand less. RIVERA You're fuckin kidding me. Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy. Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough. RICHIE Fuck this - RIVERA Richie - Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as he comes around back to search it - (CONT) 14. 28 CONTINUED: 28 RICHIE Check inside. Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely - RICHIE Javy ... Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside. Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes - 29 EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT 29 Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out at the car with the money in it. Eventually - RICHIE This isn't a couple of bucks. RIVERA It's the same thing. In principle. RICHIE We're talking about principle? RIVERA Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs. RICHIE We're fucked either way. RIVERA Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're fucked, you're right. But not if we keep it. RICHIE (more to himself) Yes, we are. RIVERA Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in. They regard each other again in silence ... 15. 30 INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT 30 As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback, Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly: TOBACK How much. RICHIE Nine hundred and eighty thousand. TOBACK What happened to the rest? It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place - who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback walks over to the captain, and, quietly: TOBACK What're you doing counting this in front of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin mind? Take it into a room. Now. Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked. 31 INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN 31 As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him - knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect, but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off. 32 INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY 32 Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast. TANGO Didn't you see the jar, Frank? I think you walked right past it. Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats. Tango sits. TANGO The money jar. On the corner. What I got to do, put a sign on it? Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango. (CONT) 16. 32 CONTINUED: 32 TANGO Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more, Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and the lease is twenty-percent. Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look that says that won't be happening. TANGO Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a fuckin job. You need a job? You can be my driver, drive me around, open my door, yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right away, Massa Johnson, sir. Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it. On the surface, though, Frank remains cool. FRANK Twenty percent? TANGO Of every dollar. Every VIG, every truckload, every girl, every ounce. In the jar. FRANK Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm giving it to you then what am I doing? Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you know, out of business, which puts you out of business. (reaches for his breakfast check) There are ways to make money legitimately, and then there's this way. Not even Bumpy took twenty percent. TANGO Bumpy's fuckin dead. Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango. FRANK There. That's twenty-percent. As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ... 17. 33 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 33 Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a pot, put it on the stove. 34 INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 34 A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian suppliers and, if he were to, Tango. 35 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED 35 Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in. Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn. 36 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT 36 A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he inherited. 37 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 37 Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment, revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips. As he rolls a joint - BUMPY V/O A leader is like a shepherd - 38 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 38 The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to fade as Frank throws the stick again. BUMPY V/O Sends the fast nimble sheep out front, and the others follow as the shepherd walks quietly behind - The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively. BUMPY He's got the stick - the cane - and he'll use if he has to. (MORE) (CONT) 18. 38 CONTINUED: 38 BUMPY (CONT'D) But most of the time he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd - quietly. Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick. 39 INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT 39 The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie studies. 40 EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED 40 The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick. 41 EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER 41 Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out another to the shepherd. To camera: BUMPY What right do they have cutting out the suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct, putting Americans out of work ... This is the way it is now, Frank. Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of his meditative trance with an idea. 42 CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE) 42 A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm. Slight grimace. A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture. Malaria shot. 43 CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP) 43 A strobe lights up Frank's face: a passport photo. 44 CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE) 44 The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport application. 45 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY 45 Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket. FRANK Get yourself a new suit. 19. 46 INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY 46 Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000. 47 - 48 OMIT 47 - 48 OMIT 49 EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME 49 The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area. RICHIE I'm sorry. LAURIE I don't know, Richie. RICHIE It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend I'll be able to take him. She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park. LAURIE I'm moving. He looks back, not sure he heard right. RICHIE What? Where? LAURIE To the St. Regis, what do you care. (pause) My sister's. RICHIE Your sister's. In Vegas? He glances away to a sound: shattering glass. Some teen- agers breaking bottles on the ground. RICHIE You can't move to Vegas. Not with Michael anyway. LAURIE What am I supposed to do with him? Leave him with you? There's a picture. (CONT) 20. 49 CONTINUED: 49 RICHIE (to the vandals) Hey, you want to shut up over there? The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's hard with the constant noise. RICHIE No court will allow it for one thing. I won't allow it. LAURIE You? RICHIE When am I supposed to see my son? LAURIE Last weekend! Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie. RICHIE Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las Vegas. LAURIE Oh, like this is a good environment. Around your friends. There are less creeps in Vegas. RICHIE What's he going to grow up to be in a mobbed

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

past

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

maindrag

How many times the word 'maindrag' appears in the text?

American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

hear

How many times the word 'hear' appears in the text?

American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

distant

How many times the word 'distant' appears in the text?

American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

regard

How many times the word 'regard' appears in the text?

American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

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American Graffiti Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck RADIO On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band of red floats mysteriously across the screen. Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing-- 70... 90... 110... 130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs, fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static. Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up- the-volume, pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back when things were simpler and the music was better. And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and growling while the music pumps and grinds... WOLFMAN Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay! The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the Clock" blasts forth. MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in the foreground... MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and channeled, white with red trim, tuck- and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action. Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn. A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him-- and suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool. Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough. Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and guardian angel. Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and Terry watch Curt Henderson get out. Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts over to his buddies. TERRY Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave? STEVE The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man. Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check. CURT (sarcastic) Oh great... TERRY Whadaya got, whadaya got? Wow--two thousand dollars. Two thousand doll-- !! Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty. STEVE Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says they're all very proud of you. Curt hands the envelope back to Steve. CURT Well... ah... why don't you hold onto it for a while? STEVE What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it. TERRY I'll take it. CURT Steve... Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten- Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's '58 Edsel. STEVE Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later. CURT Now, Steve! Let her wait. STEVE Okay, make it short and sweet. CURT Yeah, well... Listen... (clearing his throat) I... I don't think I'm going tomorrow. STEVE What! Come on, what are you talking about? CURT I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year... go to city-- Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable. STEVE You chicken fink. CURT Wait, let me explain-- STEVE You can't back out now! After all we went through to get accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt) Now take it. We're leaving in the morning. Okay? Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and parks at the rear of the drive in. Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself. STEVE You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever. CURT I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next year. STEVE We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they hug. On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes on. RADIO (singing) "Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!" WOLFMAN (V.O.) Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got the Wolfman Jack Show! MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by them. A girl leans out the window and smiles. GIRL Hi John! The girls in the car all screech and giggle as they zoom off. JOHN Not too good, huh? CURT Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? Or has a boyfriend? Where is the dazzling beauty I've been searching for all my life? John watches the procession of gleaming cars traveling through the hot night. JOHN I know what you mean. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. It was really somethin.' Suddenly, in the distance, there's a blood-curdling scream from an incredible high-performance engine. The entire drive- in stops and listens. CURT Hey, John. Someone new in town. JOHN Ahhh. CURT You gonna go after him? JOHN Hey, listen, Professor, if he can't find me, then he ain't worth racin', right? CURT The big shot! Across the swarming parking lot, Steve sits in the front seat of his chevy with Laurie. Budda Macrae, a car hop, leans down to attach a tray to Steve's window, showing off her tight blouse. BUDDA A cherry-vanilla coke and a chocolate mountain. Anything else you want, Steve? (Steve shakes his head.) If there is you let me know now. Just honk and I'm yours. She tucks in her blouse a little tighter, gives him a hot look and goes to get the other tray. Budda takes the other tray around the car, almost shoves it in the window where Laurie is sitting. BUDDA One fries--grab it before I drop it. She gives Laurie an antagonistic look and goes off. Steve laughs. Laurie smiles. She's seventeen, very pretty, with big doe-eyes, and a short bobbed hairdo. She pushes up the sleeves on Steve's letterman sweater, which is sizes too large for her. His class ring glints on a chain around her neck. Laurie is sweet, the image of vulnerability, but with a practical and self-preserving mind beneath. STEVE Where was I? LAURIE Um, how you thought high school romances were goofy and we started going together just because you thought I was kinda cute and funny, but then you suddenly realized you were in love with me, it was serious... and ah... oh, you were leadin' up to somethin' kinda big. STEVE You make it sound like I'm giving dictation. Well, seriously, what I meant was, that ah... since we do care for each other so much, and since we should really consider ourselves as adults. Now, I, ah... could I have a couple of those fries? Through the windshield of the Chevy, they see Terry run by in front of them, chasing Budda Macrae who's outdistancing him on her roller skates. TERRY: Come on, Budda. Come on... Steve watches them go by, then looks back at Laurie. STEVE Ah, where was I? LAURIE ..."consider ourselves adults"... Laurie pretends to be interested in her french fries, but is obviously expecting something big. STEVE Right... right... anyway, I thought maybe, before I leave, we could ah... agree that... that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? Laurie hasn't looked up but her mood has changed like a mask. LAURIE You mean dating other people? STEVE I think it would strengthen our relationship. Then we'd know for sure that we're really in love. Not that there's any doubt. Steve smiles and then looks to her. He stops smiling. They listen to the radio for an awkward moment. Laurie struggles to hold back her tears. With obvious difficulty, she turns to him and smiles. He's expected something different and doesn't know what to do, so he smiles back. LAURIE I think you're right. I mean, we're not kids anymore, and it's silly to think that when we're three thousand miles apart we shouldn't be able to see other people and go out. Laurie takes his ring on the chain from around her neck and puts it in her purse. STEVE Laurie, now, listen, I didn't ask for that back. I think that... LAURIE I know. I just sort of think it's juvenile now. I'll keep it at home. It's less conspicuous there. STEVE You don't want to wear it? LAURIE I didn't say that. I understand and I'm not upset. I mean, I can't expect you to be a monk or something while you're away. Steve just looks at her and nods. The Wolfman howls an intro to "Gee" by the Crows. Outside, skooting around the drive-in after Budda, Terry is pleading with the sexy car hop as she delivers a tray to a car. TERRY ...and I have a really sharp record collection. I even have "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Anyway, how can you love Nelson when he's going out with Marilyn Gator. Since he dumped on you maybe we could-- BUDDA He didn't dump on me, you little dip. Hi, Steve! Her tone changes immediately. Terry looks sour and turns around to Steve who's getting out of the chevy. Budda leaves, wiggling her butt for Steve. TERRY She's a little conceited--just playing hard to get. STEVE Listen, I came over here to talk to you about-- TERRY Any time, buddy. I'm your man. Nothing I like better than chewing the rug with a pal. You talk, I'll listen. I'm all ears. Shoot. STEVE Shut up. TERRY Sure. STEVE Terry, I'm going to let you take care of my car while we're away--at least until Christmas. I'm afraid if I leave it with my-- Steve notices Terry isn't with him any more and turns. Terry is standing frozen to a spot. STEVE What's wrong? Terry tries to talk, much like a shell-shocked war veteran. His mouth moves but only a gurgle comes out. Curt is standing by the Chevy, talking with his sister Laurie. She's still upset by what Steve said to her. CURT Hey, sis--what's wrong? LAURIE Nothing. Meanwhile, they watch Terry as Steve explains to him about the car. STEVE Now listen, only 30 weight Castrol- R. I've written the tire pressure and stuff on a pad in the glove compartment. Are you listening? The others are watching now as Terry shakes his head mechanically. CURT What's wrong, he's crying! There is indeed a tear rolling down Terry's cheek. TERRY I can't... believe... it. (He starts toward the car and gently caresses its paint.) I don't know what to say. I'll... love and protect this car until death do us part. (He circles the car.) This is a superfine machine. This may even be better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird. It is better than Daryl Starbird's. Laurie watches Terry, realizing that like the car, she'll be left behind as a fond memory. She turns and looks at Steve, who's been watching her. There's a moment between them... Budda comes by with an empty tray. Terry sees her and wipes his eyes. He walks up to her, a strange look on his face. TERRY Budda, how would you like to go to the drive-in movies with me? The idea is so preposterous that even Budda is speechless. She looks around at others. BUDDA You've got to be kidding! TERRY Would I kid you about a thing like that? I want you to know that something has happened to me tonight that is going to change everything. I've got a new... John walks up quietly and casually pulls down hard on the back pockets of Terry's low riding levis. There is general hysteria as Terry quickly pulls up his pants. TERRY Car!! All right, who's the wise-- (He turns and sees John and changes his tune.) Oh, John--verrry funny. (He tries to laugh with the others.) JOHN Hey, did she do that to you? STEVE Let's get going. It seems like we've spent most of our lives in this parking lot. TERRY Hey, Curt, let's bomb around, I wanna try out my new wheels! CURT I'd like to, Toad, but I'm going with Steve and Laurie to the hop. I'd just slow you down anyway. TERRY Yeah, tonight things are going to be different. JOHN Hey, wait a minute, you're goin' to the Hop? The Freshman Hop? CURT Yeah. JOHN Oh, come on, man. That place is for kids. You two just got your ass out of there. Don't go back now. CURT You ain't got no emotions? TERRY We're gonna remember all of the good times, is what we're gonna do. JOHN Yeah, well, go. CURT Why don't you come with us? JOHN Bullshit, man! CURT Come on. For old time's sake. JOHN Yeah, yeah... Well, listen. You go. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You go on over there and you remember all the good times you won't be having. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. I'm stayin' right here. Havin' fun, as usual. John walks angrily to his coupe, gets in and slams the door. Curt looks at the others and shrugs. TERRY Jesus, Milner, you're in a great mood tonight. Curt goes over and stands by the window of the yellow coupe. CURT What's the matter John? Did I say somethin' wrong? I'm sorry. JOHN Ah, man, it's nothin'. CURT Well, we'll see you later, okay? JOHN Right. CURT We'll all do somethin' together. You know, before Steve leaves. John looks at him suspiciously. JOHN Okay, wait a minute. Now, you're not going? CURT I don't know. John shakes his head. On the radio, Wolfman is taking a call from a listener-- MAN (V.O.) Wolfman? WOLFMAN (V.O.) Who is this? MAN This is Joe... in Little Rock, way down in the Valley. WOLFMAN You callin' from Little Rock, California? MAN Long distance. WOLFMAN My, my, my... listen, man, what kind of entertainment you got in that town? MAN All we got is you. John roars his engine and pulls the yellow deuce coupe into a screeching take-off out of the drive-in. Terry and Curt watch him go off. MAIN STREET, MODESTO-NIGHT During the day, G street is a line of used car lots, small shops, tacky department stores and greasy spoons. At night, it is transformed into an endless parade of kids in flamed, lowered and customed machines who rumble down the one way street, through the seemingly adultless, heat-drugged little town. Police cars glide ominously with the flow of traffic. In parked cars, couples neck between flashing headlights. Guys looking cool in a '56 Chevy sit in the slouched position of the true Low Rider--and over it all the music and the Wolfman can be heard. Just now, it's "Runaway" by Del Shannon. John travels with the flow of traffic, watching some dopey guys shooting squirt guns from a moving car. John drives the deuce coupe effortlessly. He looks over at a car pacing alongside of his own. JOHN Hey, Zudo. A sweaty looking guy turns and nods from the window. PAZUDO Hey, Milner. JOHN Hey, man, what happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Huh? JOHN What happened to your flathead? PAZUDO Ah, your mother! JOHN What? PAZUDO Your mother. Hey, we been talkin' about you. JOHN Yeah? PAZUDO Yeah. There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you. JOHN Yeah, I know. PAZUDO Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry. JOHN Yeah. All right, thanks. John nods and the two cars pull apart down the street. TRAVELING G STREET-STEVE'S WHITE '58 CHEVY The Rock and Roll blares as Terry the Toad cruises along the main drag, singing along with the music. Sitting low in his seat, he looks around, his face aglow, experiencing a new world from the inside of a really fine car. This is the greatest thing that has happened to Terry in seventeen long years of being a short loser. Terry turns a corner and another car pulls alongside. A guy looks out the window. GUY Hey, Toad. Terry looks over and smiles coolly, proud of his new wheels. GUY (leaning out the window) Is that you in that beautiful car? (Terry nods modestly) Geez, what a waste of machinery. Terry's smile changes to a scowl as the car pulls away from him.. Terry accounts the slight to jealousy. Then he forgets it and enjoys driving the beautiful Chevy again. Another car pulls alongside of him as he cruises along slowly. GIRL Hey, kid. Terry looks over at the car cruising next to him. In the back seat, a guy has dropped his trousers and is pushing his bare buttocks against the side window--a classic BA complete with pressed ham. Terry looks away, wondering why this is still happening to him, even in his new car. TRAVELING G STREET-LAURIE'S '58 EDSEL Curt is in the back seat gazing out the window at the dark main street of the small farm community. Steve and Laurie are talking quietly in the front seat. Laurie is sitting near the window and it sounds like Steve is convincing her to move over. Laurie finally does. His arm goes around her and her head rests on his shoulder. Curt is laughing as the Wolfman harasses someone on the radio. The Wolfman is placing a call. WOLFMAN (V.O.) Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone, dummy. MAN (V.O.) Pinkie's Pizza WOLFMAN Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes? MAN Hit parade on the stethoscope? WOLFMAN No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets... and the satellites and the little bitty space men. MAN You must have the wrong number, partner. WOLFMAN 'Bye. Wolfman cuts into "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Curt is laughing in the back of the car, as he listens to the ever- present D.J. Steve slows the Edsel to a stop at the next light. Curt glances over at a classic white '56 Thunderbird and sits up. In the T-bird, a girl watches him. Blonde, beautiful, her hair, backlit by a used car lot, seems to glow, making her look almost ethereal. Curt doesn't move, as if afraid of scaring her away. She smiles faintly---then says something, so softly it's lost... CURT What? Curt struggles to lower his window. She repeats it, but he can't hear. The light changes. She smiles once more and is gone. CURT (shouting) What? What?!!! STEVE We didn't say anything. CURT Quick! Hang a right! STEVE What? Why? CURT Cut over to G Street, I've just seen a vision! She was a goddess. You've got to catch her! STEVE I didn't see anything. LAURIE We're not going to spend the night chasing girls for you. CURT I'm telling you, this was the most perfect, dazzling creature I've ever seen. STEVE She's gone. Forget it. CURT She spoke to me. She spoke to me, right through the window. I think she said, "I love you." Curt looks at his sister and Steve in the front seat. They are bored by his romantic visions. CURT That means nothing to you people? You have no romance, no soul? She-- someone wants me. Someone roaming the streets wants me! Will you turn the corner? Laurie looks around at him and seems to pity his flights of poetic fantasy. Curt sits back and shakes his head. PARKING LOT Big John sits in his deuce coupe, backed into the parking lot of the Acme Fall-out Shelter Co., the prime spot in town for girl watching. A guy in wrap-around dark glasses leans by the car next to John. They watch a group of laughing girls cruise by in a Studebaker. JOHN Oh, oh. Later. GUY Alligator. John turns on his lights and swings the deuce coupe out into the flow of traffic, after the Studebaker. John accelerates and pulls alongside the Studebaker. The girl in the front seat rolls down her window. John grins and yells over at the carload of cuties. JOHN Hey, you're new around here. Where're you from? FIRST GIRL Turlock. JOHN Turlock? You know a guy named Frank Bartlett? FIRST GIRL No. Does he go to Turlock High? JOHN Well, he used to. He goes to J.C. now. FIRST GIRL Do you go to J.C.? JOHN Yeah, sure. FIRST GIRL Oh, wow! Do you know Guy Phillips? JOHN Yeah, sure. I got him in a class. FIRST GIRL He's so boss. JOHN How would you like to ride around with me for awhile? FIRST GIRL I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going steady. JOHN Ah, come on! FIRST GIRL I just can't. JOHN You're just ridin' around with a bunch of girls. Hey, how about somebody else in there? Anybody else want to go for a ride? The girls chatter and giggle among themselves. One of the girls dangles a bra out the back window, and they all break into hysterical laughter. The girls try to accelerate ahead, but John stays alongside their car. JOHN Aw, come on... I got plenty of room. It's dangerous to have that many people in a car. Cops see ya, you're had. You got nothing to fear, I'm as harmless as a baby kitten. A small voice rises above the chatter. CAROL I'll go. I'll go. FIRST GIRL Judy's sister wants to ride with you. Is that all right? JOHN (grinning) Yeah, sure, Judy--her sister--her mother--anybody. I'll take 'em all. Listen, we'll go up and stop at that light. It'll turn red by the time we get there. All right? The first girl grins and nods. John winks at her. JOHN You ever get tired of going steady with somebody that ain't around--I'm up for grabs. The cars stop at the light. A girl rushes out from the Studey and runs around the back of John's coupe. She opens the door and climbs in fast as the light changes. The Studebaker pulls off fast. John pushes through the gears and turns and smiles at his pick-up, as "That'll Be the Day" plays on the Wolfman Jack Show. JOHN So, you're Judy's little sister. Carol Morrison shakes her head. She is thirteen years old, very cute--wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a "Dewey Webber Surf Board" T-shirt which hangs to her knees. John seems slightly panicked. JOHN Ah, shit,--how old are you? CAROL Old enough. How old are you? JOHN I'm too old for you. CAROL You can't be that old. JOHN Listen, listen. I think you better go back and sit with your sister. Hey, ah... where are they, anyway? They comin' back or somethin'? This is a joke, right? This better be a joke, 'cause I'm not drivin' you around. CAROL But you asked me. What's the matter? Am I too ugly? (on the verge of tears) Judy doesn't want me with her and now you don't want me with you. Nobody wants me... even my mother and father hate me. Everybody hates me. JOHN No they don't. I mean, I don't know, maybe they do. But I don't. It's just that you're a little young for me. CAROL I am not! If you throw me out I'll scream. JOHN OK, OK, just stay cool. There's no need to scream. We'll think of something. (He looks at her as she wipes her eyes.) It shouldn't take too long to find your sister again. Suddenly, a car horn honks next to them. John looks over at the car. VOICE (O.S.) Hey John--you gonna be there tonight? JOHN Oh, shit! Hey, get down! John grabs Carol by the neck and pushes her head down onto his lap so she can't be seen. John casually waves to the friend in the car cruising alongside. JOHN Hey, cool... Carol's head is being held down on his lap. She looks up at him. CAROL Hey, is this what they call copping a feel? John jumps, and immediately lets go of her as if burned. JOHN NO! Uh uh. N-O. Don't even say that. Jesus... John is beginning to sweat now. CAROL What's your name? JOHN Mud, if anybody sees you. CRUISING G STREET-STEVE'S '58 CHEVY Terry continues to cruise the main drag, slouched low and looking cool in his newly acquired machine. He adjusts his waterfall curl as the Wolfman dedicates a list of songs. He passes a group of guys bullshitting around the raised hood of a souped-up parked car. Terry cruises alongside two girls in a Ford. He revs the engine to get their attention and once he has it he motions to roll down their window. They flip him the bird instead and he lets them pass. Terry pulls up to a stop light. The car next to him is a '56 Ford--a good opponent and besides, the kid driving looks younger than Terry. TERRY What you got in there, kid? KID More than you can handle. Terry revs his engine. So does the Ford. The tension mounts. The green arrow for the left turn lane flashes on, the car on Terry's other side moves off, and before he can control his reflexes, Terry, too, has shot into the intersection while the light remains red! Terry quickly shifts and returns to the starting position. The other driver is grinning. Terry is flustered and embarrassed. Terry revs the Chevy a couple more times, concentration intently this time on the right light. Green!... The Ford bolts into the intersection. Terry likewise floors the gas pedal and goes crashing backwards into a large Buick. Terry is stunned for a moment, then realizes he forgot to shift into first. He fumbles to get the car into first gear. A distinguished looking man comes up to his window after inspecting the damage. Terry tries to escape, but in his panic the engine dies. He struggles to start it. OLDER MAN Excuse me, but I think we've had an accident. TERRY Well, goddamnit, I won't report you this time, but next time just watch it, will ya? Terry roars off in a cloud of indignant

screenplay

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

allowing

How many times the word 'allowing' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

singularly

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American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

reaches

How many times the word 'reaches' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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How many times the word 'star' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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How many times the word 'above' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

drenched

How many times the word 'drenched' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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How many times the word 'x' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

many

How many times the word 'many' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

ours

How many times the word 'ours' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

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How many times the word 'clean' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

sketches

How many times the word 'sketches' appears in the text?

American History X Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AMERICAN HISTORY X screenplay by David McKenna February 6, 1997 INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES A young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room. EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE turns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an earlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside. INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES They snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS even louder. EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT A slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street lights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD BRONCO rests in the driveway. EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM TUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by slowly heads down the residential street, cruises past the Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The music stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car. They move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in hand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger hurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the car, another man methodically waits. INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES The sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for Danny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads 3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side. A poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall. Pre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes scattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner. The off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's attention. He sits up and looks through the blinds. EXT. HOUSE - SAME Danny SEES a man reach through the broken window and unlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am. INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY His fearful expression says it all. DANNY Holy shit. Danny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent bedroom down the hall. He barges through the door. INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG It hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant, tome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach orgasm. TIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head, a thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left tit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age girlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a BLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade. Danny watches her fuck, only for a second. DANNY (softly) Der ! Danny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek forcefully grabs his little brother's arm. DEREK (controlled) What? Stacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off Derek and onto her side. STACEY Fucking pervert, Dan! DANNY There's a black guy outside Der... breaking into your car. Derek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and quickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his mattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and shoves in a clip. DEREK How long has he been out there? DANNY Not long. STACEY Who? DEREK Nobody. Relax. Stacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his black combat boots. STACEY Who's out there, Derek? DEREK Not right now, honey. (to Danny) How many? DANNY One...I think. DEREK Is he strapped? DANNY Hunh? DEREK Does he have a fucking gun, Dan? DANNY I'm not sure. DEREK Is there a driver? Danny nods his head yes. DEREK Okay. Stay the luck here. STACEY Derek? Be careful. He looks at his girlfriend and walks off. INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity on his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and grabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks through the eye hole on the door. EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV THE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to see what's taking his partner so long with the wires. INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR The guard has his back to him. Derek goes. EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL Derek throws open the door and the black man standing guard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek buries two bullets in his chest. DEREK Fuck you! The force propels the man six feet backwards. INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN Stunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway Tranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The car splits and Derek fires a shot through the side window. He then walks towards the car and fires shot after shot at it until it disappears. INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS Davina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they were in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not able to place the direction of the gunfire. DAVINA MOM!!!! DORIS STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?! They stay down on the carpet together. EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV From the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his wounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from a distance. STACEY (O.S.) Get down, Danny! Jesus! TIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from his bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and walks toward the man. TIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering. FADE TO BLACK: THREE YEARS LATER EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING A black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes through the automatic doors and into the station. He approaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk reads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997. SWEENEY Captain Rasmussen? DESK SERGEANT Briefing room. Down that hall...third door on the left. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING Cops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee. The clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged with slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a thought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly reaches for a file. RASMUSSEN All right. Moving on-- (acknowledging) Good Morning, Doctor. The group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare. SWEENEY Good morning. RASMUSSEN Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney. He's Principal over at Venice High and for some time now he's done a load of outreach work with gangs...in and out of the can. Sweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and continues. RASMUSSEN Three years ago a local kid named Derek Vinyard gets sent up for murdering a couple of Crips who were trying to jack his car. Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and has followed the case closely. YOUNG COP He was a skinhead, right? SWEENEY Derek was more like...the skinhead. He and Cameron Alexander. COP #2 Who? Rasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests Derek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals CAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view. RASMUSSEN Cammeron Alexander is probably the biggest writer and distributor of white power literature in LA County. He promotes white power bands, writes reviews, columns, all at the ripe age of forty. YOUNG COP (smiling) He's forty? Jesus. RASMUSSEN Pretty clean record...runs everything out of his house down by the beach. SWEENEY There weren't any organized white gangs around Venice before those two hooked up. Very few, if any. It was mostly just black and Mexican. But it was tiny. They hit it off though... and Alexander hit the jackpot with Derek. Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR. RASMUSSEN We got some uncut footage here. Courtesy of NBC. ON THE TELEVISION-- REPORTER Earlier this evening...LA County Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot and killed while putting out a fire in a suspected Compton drug den. RASMUSSEN (to the group) This being February of '90. EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck, he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera. REPORTER To my right I have Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son Derek. (to Derek) How do you feel about all this, son? DEREK How do I feel? How do you think I feel? It's typical. REPORTER Typical how, Derek? DEREK Well...look at our country. It's a haven for criminals. Black...brown... yellow...whatever. REPORTER So you're saying the murder of your father is "race" related? DEREK Every problem in this country is "race" related. Every problem, not just crime. These problems are rooted in the black community, the Hispanic community, the Asian...every non- Protestant group in our society. (then) Look at the shit. Immigration... welfare...AIDS...they're all the problems of the non-white. Look at the statistics. REPORTER Most of these issues you're referring to though son are related to-- DEREK (interrupting) No no no! Don't say poverty right now cause that's not it. They're not a product of our fucking environment either! Minorities don't give two shits about this country! They're here to exploit...not embrace. RASMUSSEN (O.S) (over reporter's question) When Alexander got his hands on this segment...he copied it, sent it out and it became the Gettysberg Address for hate groups across the country. BACK TO THE TELEVISION. DEREK Millions of white Europeans came to this country and flourished within a generation! A generation! So what the fuck is wrong with these people?! REPORTER What does any of this have to do with your father? DEREK Because my father was doing his fucking job! Saving a nigger neighborhood he didn't give two shits about! And he got killed by some drug dealer who still collects a fucking welfare check. Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to the reporter who just stands there, speechless. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and he turns it off. RASMUSSEN Vinyard was quietly released from Chino on Saturday after three and some odd years. And I think it's something we might want to keep an eye on for a few days. SWEENEY I don't wanna be an alarmist. But payback is out there. I know it is. And in this particular case...if Vinyard gets popped...more people will get popped. RASMUSSEN It's not exactly LAPD policy but I want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard for a few days. COP #2 (smiling in disbelief) Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir? RASMUSSEN Just for a few days. ANOTHER COP He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here, Captain. You want us to bust him or protect him? Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question. SWEENEY I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the one to start anything. It's his following. RASMUSSEN Either way...let's keep it low. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles north to get a better break on the next set. Danny watches as he skateboards down the strand. His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger, softer Derek. Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M., and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their bikes and head off to class. EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman. LIZZY Hi Danny. DANNY Hey Lizzy. The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny zips up and faces them. LITTLE HENRY (to a terrified Daryl) Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'? I've never cheated in my life. BUDDY #1 Beat his ass, Henry! LITTLE HENRY Why you trippin' on me? DARYL I didn't say anything, Henry. I swear. BUDDY #2 He's lying, man! I was right there! Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny. LITTLE HENRY Next time, man. Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS. CUT TO: INT. CLASS - SAME Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in and tries to be discrete. OFFSCREEN VOICE Vinyard!? An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board for the students to solve. OLDER TEACHER You're late. The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to Danny. OLD TEACHER But it looks like you got bigger problems. DANNY (reading the slip) Oh, man! Come on. Get a job. The teacher stares at him. CUT TO: INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY He sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR. ROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the secretary as she types and talks on the phone. TIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through the the crack in the door as his eyes swell. MURRAY (O.S.) I do not have a problem with him as an individual, alright!? SWEENEY (O.S.) Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate this kid. INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION The bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48, looks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray walks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY, who now has his jacket off. He points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles in horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF. "Daniel Vinvard - American History" is in the upper left hand corner. MURRAY This paper is a travesty, Bob! Arguing for Hitler as a civil rights hero?! You've gotta draw a line. SWEENEY Murray...it says in your syllabus that they could do their report on any book related to the struggle for Civil Rights. MURRAY Oh come on, Bob! SWEENEY Let me finish! He needs help...I'm not disputing that. But I read it and I'm not going to throw him out. MURRAY His brother probably put him up to it. SWEENEY I can guarantee you his brother didn't have anything to do with it, Murray. Murray sighs and takes off his glasses. MURRAY Don't let him walk scot-free here. For his sake...not mine. You might be all he has left. Sweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods. CUT TO: EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS Murray walks out and turns back to Sweeney. MURRAY Thanks, Bob. SWEENEY (O.S.) Okay. Get in here, Dan! Danny and Murray make hostile eye contact. DANNY I knew it was you. SWEENEY (O.S.) Shut up and get your ass in here! INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS Before he even gets through the door he's chastised. SWEENEY What's it gonna be, Dan? DANNY What's what going to be? SWEENEY This petty shit you're pullin'. DANNY Well...I don't know. SWEENEY You said it, all right. Sit down. Danny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the teenager and leans back in his chair. SWEENEY Are you okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY Any time you wanna talk, Dan-- DANNY Okay. SWEENEY How's Derek? DANNY Fine. SWEENEY Adjusting okay? DANNY Yeah. SWEENEY He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student... like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh? No answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper. SWEENEY Great writing. I can't correct it though. It wreaks too much of shit. DANNY Come on, man! I followed directions and wrote an "A" paper. It's got nothing to do with Derek. SWEENEY Everything you do now has something to do with Derek. Who told you to do this? DANNY Let us get on with our lives, man! SWEENEY Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he can take care of himself. I'm worried about his little brother. (softly) Mein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you! DANNY Do it. What? You don't think I could handle it? SWEENEY (smiling in disbelief) The street would kill you, Danny. You're not tough. The second a brother pulls a gun on your ass you'll be holierin' for Doris. (pondering to himself) So here's the drill. Take it or leave it cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm your history teacher from here on out. We're gonna deal with shit happening right now. Call it American History...X. I see your ass once a day. Any more, any less, and you're a memory at Venice High. Clear? DANNY It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. Come on, Sweeney. SWEENEY My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a another paper on my desk tomorrow. DANNY What am I doing it on then? SWEENEY It'S not a "what", it's a "who." (after a beat) Derek. SMASH TO: EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON A series of intercuts shows activity in and around the pier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster. OPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia. A FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG MEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and boxers. TIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk, performing tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit, recovers, and looks off into the distance. DANNY (V/O) People look at me...and they see my brother. That's how things have gone since the murder of our father. EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT From afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot hoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold glance. DANNY (V/O) Little Henry Hastings and his older brother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline Crip...Henry's on his way. Little Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath and stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips from a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing. DANNY (V/O) Venice Beach, man. It didn't always look like this. I mean...our Dad used to take us down here to run...and it was cool. Derek fucking owned this place. Since then though...the gangs, man-- TIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he takes a drag off his Marlboro Red. DANNY (V/O) --they've moved west from Inglewood and South Central and have really just...taken over. Especially at my high school. The Venice Locos are big too but they hang out in bumluck Mar Vista. It's scary. (then) And then there's The Disciples of Christ. The D.O.C. Jerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra players and spectators. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK DANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3 blacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1 Latino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his two skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better, predominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has a shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed on his head. JEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the court and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left shoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON. Cowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on the bleachers. LAWRENCE Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks! SETH Bring it on, boy. Derek quickly moves his eyes to the court. LAWRENCE Boy? Lawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as he hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers. SETH Lucky piece of shit! I'm through "monkeying" around with your ass! Lawrence spins around and challenges Seth. LAWRENCE Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating, cracker, motherfucker. A hundred bucks says I make you my bitch. SETH (to the crowd) Here we go! Trying to make ends meet for that cut in welfare. He makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline. Lawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks at him, concerned. DANNY It's eight-six, Seth. SETH When I want your fucking opinion I'll ask for it, fuckhead. (to Derek and Cam) Help me cover here, guys. Derek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose and embarrass them. CAMMERON You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid. SETH I'll take this negro down. DEREK You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up. Derek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and stands. He shouts for all to hear. DEREK I got a bet. Lawrence stares at him, sensing something harder. DEREK I come in, same score now, first one to eleven. Black boys against the white boys. Lawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief. LAWRENCE Name your price, Cracker. DEREK No money...for the court. We win, you grab your shit and find a different place to run. Not just today... forever. You win, and we don't come back. No hitching, no fighting, here in front of everyone. Six-eight, our ball. The action around the court gets very still. Finally, Lawrence nods. LAWRENCE You got a lot of fucking balls, man. Bring it. Right now. Derek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey. Lawrence gets his team together. CUT TO: EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE No more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, one team is black. A SERIES OF SMOTS Derek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek hits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses his elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls Derek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a twenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on two and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses the glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane and dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket. SETH Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish. SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on transition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches intently. CAMMERON It's all you, Der! LAWRENCE Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we need is one now! Lawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding competitive boundary. A look filled with rage. CAMMERON Use that fat ass and keep him out, Seth! Seth and the opposing player bang to get position underneath. LAWRENCE I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it out! The POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court -- his teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek is solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is stifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence inadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face, sending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS. CURTIS That's fuckin' offense! LAWRENCE Get the fuck outta here! He was movin' his feet! Derek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down. DEREK (threateningly) I'll go if you want to. LAWRENCE You wanna piece! Bring it! Players quickly rush to restrain the two even though the teams hate each other. DEREK If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be throwin' fuckin' elbows. LAWRENCE Fuck you! Derek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing courtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting for him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip. Cameron stares at Derek. CAMMERON Hey. Are you copacetic? Derek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey. CAMMERON He's gonna do that 180 spin move. DEREK I know what he's gonna do. DANNY You gotta call offense on that shit. DEREK Not on point game you don't. STACEY Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull that shit. It's fucking- DEREK Not on point, honey. He turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence. He stands in front of him and checks the ball in. DEREK Tens! Lawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and quickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a marvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten foot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT. Lawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off the fast break and DUNKS IT. DANNY (amazed by the dunk) Holy shit! Everybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the sideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered. Everyone is riveted on Derek. SETH (to the other team) Get off my fucking court! This is my house! DANNY Yeah! Fuck...yeah! A sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes a drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his bitter opponent, and says nothing. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT Derek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand outside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the stereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off. DANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his sweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear, and it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag reads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER. Derek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny notices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill. Derek meets their gaze. CUT TO: EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV Danny awakens from his daydream. The black players now stare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down the boardwalk. DANNY (V/O) It was only the beginning. (then) Derek once told me that minorities would take America over one day. That white people are too afraid. Maybe he was right. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO Danny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his hand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the back. EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS LIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond friend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned. KAMMI Hey! Danny! DANNY (smiling) Hey. LIZZY You're going tonight, right? DANNY Where? LIZZY That party. Go there. The two young girls giggle and take off. INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME JASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved heads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to INSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo while Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their fullsuits hang down. DANNY (O.S) There's dick for waves. CHRIS I don't care. I just wanna get wet. TIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER DIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital clock that reads 4:47 p.m. DANNY I've been trying to buy this. You can't find it anywhere. The two look at Dan. JASON Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope fucking shit, man. It's all about reclaiming the country. I'll let you read it when I'm done. DANNY Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf. JASON There you go. CHRIS Hey? What was this Daryl shit you were talking about? DANNY Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl Dawson's ass. He would're too if-- CHRIS Little Henry the negroid? Danny nods. DANNY Everyday there's something over there, man. CHRIS Why do you think we fuckin' quit? DANNY I hear you. JASON Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot. CUT TO: EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER The three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris with their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's shirt. CHRIS What's ZOG again? JASON Zionist somethin'. DANNY Zionist-Occupational-Government. Ahead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING CARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard and knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny breaks off and heads east on Rose. CUT TO: INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES DAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on the couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as she lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu. Shirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss her. DEREK It's gonna be fine. EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Danny skates up to his residence and looks at a car across the street. Two plainclothes cops from the earlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar. Danny goes through the gate. iNT. HOUSE- SAME Danny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands there, wishing the day would just end. DANNY Oh man--! Come on! What are you crying about now? THE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it. DEREK I got it. Danny looks to his mother. DANNY Are you feeling better at all? DORIS I need a kiss. Danny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away

allowed

How many times the word 'allowed' appears in the text?

American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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How many times the word 'fault' appears in the text?

American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

packs

How many times the word 'packs' appears in the text?

American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

sheep

How many times the word 'sheep' appears in the text?

American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

journeying

How many times the word 'journeying' appears in the text?

American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

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American Werewolf in London Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS "An American Werewolf in London" -- by John Landis FADE IN 1 MAN'S FOOTPRINT on the moon. EXT. MOON Camera begins to pull back slowly, straight up - the song "Moon Shadow" by Cat Stevens begins. Once we are high enough to see the entire moon, the main title is superimposed. An American Werewolf in London We continue to retreat from the moon, looking on as it grows farther from us, continuing credits until the full moon is the size it appears to us from earth. 2 EXT. CROSSROADS ON THE MOORS - NIGHT Tree branches enter into the frame, the camera pans down and we see a truck approaching. We are at a crossroads in the moors, looking sinister enough to have earned their literary reputation. The truck stops at the crossroads, the DRIVER, mustached and wearing tweeds, boots, and a muffler, climbs down. "Moon Shadow" ends. CUT TO: Loud bang of the back grating on the truck as it slams down. Revealed among the sheep are two rudely-awakened young American boys. They look exhausted. They both carry backpacks, two American kids on a jaunt in Europe. They are both in their late twenties. It is very cold and they clamber out of the truck none too happily. Pushing sheep aside they step out and stretch. JACK GOODMAN AND DAVID KESSLER They've been cramped for hours. TRUCK DRIVER Here, lads, East Proctor and all about are the moors. I go east here. JACK Yes, well thank you very much for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep. TRUCK DRIVER (as he clambers back up on his truck) Boys, keep off the moors. Stay on the road. Good luck to you. DAVID Thanks again! He drives off. LONG SHOT of the two boys as the lorry pulls away. Surrounding them are the moors. They put on their packs, David points to the signpost pointing towards East Proctor. EXT. ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT As they walk, their breath visible: JACK Are you cold? DAVID Yes. JACK Good. They walk on, finally: DAVID Jack. JACK David. DAVID You're not having a good time are you? JACK Oh, I don't know. I mean look around. Isn't this a fun place? The camera shows us the moors - desolate, cold, foreboding. DAVID Well, I like it here. JACK I'm sorry. Northern England first, Italy later. DAVID Right. They walk on. JACK Do you think she'll meet me in Rome? DAVID I think Debbie Klein is a mediocre person with a good body. JACK Debbie is not mediocre and she has one of the great bodies of all time. DAVID She's a jerk. JACK You're talking about the woman I love. DAVID I'm talking about a girl you want to fuck, so give me a break. JACK Well, anyway, do you think she'll be there? DAVID I don't know. JACK (like an announcer) Rendezvous in Rome starring Jack Goodman and Debbie Klein. The love affair that shocked Europe! See torrid lovemaking at its most explicit! See Jack and Debbie expose their lust in the sacred halls of the Vatican! Never has the screen dared.... DAVID If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you. JACK I have to make love to her. It's very simple. She has no choice really. DAVID It just fascinates me that you can spend so much energy on someone so dull. JACK It is impossible for a body like that to be dull. DAVID We've known Debbie what, since the eighth grade? How many years of foreplay is that? JACK She says she `likes me too much'. David just laughs and laughs and laughs. DISSOLVE TO: 3 EXT. EAST PROCTOR MAIN STREET - NIGHT David and Jack entering East Proctor. It is brightly moonlit. East Proctor consists of a few shops, all closed, a petrol pump and a pub. East Proctor has a very small population and the place looks empty. David and Jack enter the middle of town and look about. The camera sees what they see. A few shops, dark and shuttered. Light and laughter come from the pub. 4 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT Its traditional shingle shows a ferocious wolf's bloody head on a pike, and tells us the pub's name, "The Slaughtered Lamb". JACK The Slaughtered Lamb? DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed fox head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's a wolf's head. DAVID Of course, The Slaughtered Lamb. Why else would they have a severed wolf's head on a spear as their symbol? JACK That's not a spear. It's a pike. DAVID A severed wolf's head on a pike as their symbol. JACK David, before we go in there I want you to know that - no matter what happens to us - it's your fault. DAVID I assume full responsibility. JACK Okay. DAVID Shall we? 5 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The pub was apparently "modernized" sometime in the mid- fifties. Its traditional Englishness combines with greasy stainless steel and glass. It is populated by mostly pale young men with longish hair. Several older men are ruddy complexioned and sport large mustaches. Four or five are watching a chess game. Two men are playing darts. The conversation is loud and there is often laughter. But there is something unsavory about these people. A look of leanness and poverty. They seem inbred and somehow sullen. We establish the types and the general level of noise in the room. The door opens revealing David and Jack. There is dead silence and all are staring in a not friendly way at the two boys who are made uncomfortable by all the strange attention. They give each other a "what?" look, then turn to the assembled populace. DAVID Hello. JACK Nice to see you. FACES Silent and staring. CUT TO: DAVID AND JACK DAVID (smiles) It's very cold outside. May we come in? The WOMAN BARKEEP nods. The boys walk carefully over to a table and very self-consciously remove their packs, place them on the floor, and sit down at the table. There is a long, awkward wait. The Woman finally comes over to them. JACK Do you have any hot soup? WOMAN No. DAVID Well, do you have any coffee? WOMAN No. JACK Hot chocolate? WOMAN We've got spirits and beer. If it's something hot you want, you can have tea. JACK Then you have some hot tea? WOMAN No. JACK Oh. WOMAN But I can heat some up for you if you'd like. DAVID & JACK Yes, please. As the Woman turns to prepare the tea, everyone resumes what they were doing; talking, drinking, playing chess and darts, and the boys breathe easier. JACK Nice looking group. DAVID Listen, at least it's warm in here. JACK Look at that. CUT TO: JACK'S P.O.V. On the wall is painted a red pentangle (a five-pointed star) and on either side burns a yellow candle. DAVID What about it? JACK It's a five-pointed star. DAVID Maybe the owners are from Texas. The Woman brings them their tea. JACK (to Woman) Remember the Alamo? WOMAN I beg your pardon? DAVID He was joking. Thank you. WOMAN Joking? I remember The Alamo. I saw it once in London, in Leicester Square. Jack and David look startled. One of the CHESS PLAYERS explains: CHESS PLAYER She means in the cinema, that film with John Wayne. (turns to board) Checkmate. DAVID Oh, yes, of course. JACK Right, with Laurence Harvey and everybody died in it. It was very bloody. CHESS PLAYER Bloody awful if you ask me! This sends everyone into gales of laughter. Jack and David smile politely. CHESS PLAYER Here, Gladys, Tom. Did you hear the one about the crashing plane? WOMAN No, but we're about to. Laughter. CHESS PLAYER You be quiet, woman, and let me speak. WOMAN (heavy sarcasm) Quiet, everyone! Hush! Shhh! Uproarious laughter. CHESS PLAYER All right, laugh then. I shan't tell it. WOMAN Oh, come on, tell us. CHESS PLAYER No. You've had your chance. The men all coax him to tell the joke. JACK (to David) Ask them what the candles are for. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. JACK (to David) Listen, that's a pentangle, a five-pointed star. It's used in witchcraft. Lon Chaney, Jr. and Universal Studios maintain it's the mark of the wolf man. DAVID (to Jack) I see. You want me to ask these people if they're burning candles to ward off monsters. JACK (to David) Right. DAVID (to Jack) Wrong. The drinkers have gotten the Chess Player to tell the joke as everyone knew he would. CHESS PLAYER Oh, all right. There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. WOMAN That's very funny, that is. Uproarious laughter. JACK (to David) Go on, ask them. DAVID (to Jack) You ask them. CHESS PLAYER Here now, let me finish! So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman.... DART PLAYERS Hear! Hear! CHESS PLAYER (undaunted) ...steps up and shouts `God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, `Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican. This is apparently the funniest joke the inhabitants of East Proctor have ever heard. The laughter is uproarious, choking, knee-slapping, incredible. As the Chess Player goes to take a drink of beer, the Dart Player gasps out... DART PLAYER Remember the Alamo! ...causing the Chess Player to spit out his beer causing even harder laughter. Complete hilarity. JACK Excuse me, but what's that star on the wall for? Dead silence. A dart lands in the wall. David and Jack are understandably bewildered. The villagers look hard indeed. DART PLAYER (angry) You've made me miss. JACK I'm sorry. DART PLAYER I've never missed the board before. DAVID Jack, we'd better go. JACK What do you mean? I'm starving. DART PLAYER There's no food here. The villagers look threatening and David's voice is a bit urgent. DAVID Come on, Jack, shall we go?!! JACK Apparently so. The boys pick up their backpacks and move uncertainly for the door. WOMAN (to men) You can't let them go. DAVID (worried) How much do we owe you? CHESS PLAYER Nothing, lads. Go, God be with you. DAVID Uh, thank you. WOMAN Wait! You just can't let them go! DART PLAYER Go! And stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. DAVID Yes, well, thanks again. CHESS PLAYER Beware the moon, lads! David pushes Jack out. 6 EXT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is very cold. JACK What the hell was that all about? DAVID I don't know. Let's see if there's an inn or something up the road. JACK Beware the moon? DAVID Come on, I'm freezing. They start up the road into the night. 7 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT It is quiet. WOMAN You can't let them go. DART PLAYER (angry) Should the world know our business?! CHESS PLAYER It's murder then. DART PLAYER Then murder it is! It's in God's hands now. The wax drips from the Pentangle's candles onto the floor. DISSOLVE TO: 8 EXT. A ROAD ON THE MOORS - NIGHT - DAVID AND JACK walking on the road surrounded by darkness. DAVID That was weird. I guess leaving was the best idea. JACK I don't know. Now that we're out here and it's three degrees, I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather face a blood- thirsty mob. DAVID Well, not quite a blood- thirsty mob. They keep walking. JACK What do you think was wrong? DAVID I have no idea. JACK Maybe that pentangle was for something supernatural. DAVID I see and they were too embarrassed to talk about it, because they felt so silly. There is a flash of lightning that sends a ghostly illuminating sheet of light over the boys' faces. The clap of thunder follows loud and rumbling. DAVID Please don't rain. Downpour. The boys are walking in a deluge. DAVID Of course. They walk getting soaked. JACK Say, David.... DAVID I'm well aware of how pleasant the weather is in Rome at the present time thank you. Jack spreads his arms and sings. JACK Santa Lucia...Santa Lucia. 9 INT. THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - NIGHT The rain is loud on the roof and beating on the windows. The gathered continue to drink, play chess and darts, but all are silent and contemplative. WOMAN Perhaps they'll be safe in the rain. The Chess Player slams his hand on the table. Shouts: CHESS PLAYER No one brought them here! No one wanted them here! WOMAN You could have told them! DART PLAYER Are you daft? What do you think they'd say? They'd think us mad. WOMAN Listen! The rain is subsiding. There is a very faint howl. WOMAN Did you hear it? We must go to them. DART PLAYER I heard nothing. CHESS PLAYER Nor I. The camera lingers as the Chess Player's hard face shows the man's struggle. Another howl. The Chess Player turns suddenly. 10 EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David and Jack are now completely out of sight from East Proctor surrounded by darkness and wet. There is a light drizzle. They are standing, listening. The drizzle stops. JACK Did you hear that? DAVID I heard that. JACK What was it? David begins to walk, Jack with him. DAVID Could be a lot of things. JACK Yeah? DAVID A coyote. JACK There aren't any coyotes in England. DAVID The Hound of the Baskervilles. JACK Pecos Bill. DAVID Heathcliffe. JACK Heathcliffe didn't howl. DAVID No, but he was on the moors. JACK It's a full moon, `beware the moon'. Another howl, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time. JACK I vote we go back to The Slaughtered Lamb. DAVID Yeah. They are both visibly worried and walk briskly back from where they just came. Although after a bit of fast walking they are getting nowhere. They stop out of breath. DAVID We're lost. Another bloodcurdling howl. JACK Shit! David, what is that? DAVID I don't know. Come on. JACK Come on, where? DAVID Anywhere! I think we should just keep moving. A growl. A low guttural growl comes from out of the darkness. We stay on the boys, but we hear something out there. It starts to walk. DAVID It's moving. JACK It's circling us. And indeed it is. The boys strain to hear its four footfalls and they turn slowly, following it. A snarl. JACK Fuck. We hear the wolf-monster stop (for that's what it is - we know it's there even though we've not seen it). It sits breathing heavily. DAVID What's the plan? JACK (nervously) Plan? DAVID (not too relaxed himself) Let's just keep walking. They do and David keeps talking as they walk. DAVID That's right, a lovely stroll in the moors. Tra-la-la, isn't this fun? The thing stalking them seems to speed up. The boys hesitate as they sense it run past them. It stops. DAVID It's in front of us. JACK Do you think it's a dog? Jack and David strain to see what waits ahead of them. BOYS' P.O.V. Something is waiting in the darkness. Its hulking shape is barely discernible, but its eyes glow eerily and its breath is visible. JACK Oh shit. What is that? DAVID A sheep dog or something. Turn slowly and let's walk away. The boys keep talking as they move faster and faster. JACK Nice doggie. Good boy. DAVID Walk away, Jack. JACK Walking away, yes, sir. Here we are walking away. They are in a full-out run by now. After a few minutes flight they stop, panting. DAVID See anything? JACK No. A moment of quiet, then a howl. DAVID It sounds far away. JACK Not far enough. Come on. They walk briskly. DAVID Jack? JACK Yeah. DAVID Where are we going? JACK I'll tell you when we get there. DAVID Well. I'm glad we...WHOAA!! David shouts as he slips suddenly in the mud, scaring Jack, and us, and himself a great deal. He lays startled on the wet ground for a moment, then he and Jack laugh. JACK You really scared me, you shithead. DAVID Are you going to help me up? Jack takes David's extended hand to help him up when THE WOLF MONSTER SPRINGS! EXT. MOORS - NIGHT The lunging beast brings Jack down in one fell swoop. David falls back on his ass. Jack is screaming and struggling as he is torn to shreds. David scrambles to his feet and runs in complete panic. Jack's screams and the wolf's roars combine. JACK Jesus fuck! David! Please help me! Please! David! Shit! Help me! Oh God! EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David runs and runs. Finally he falls, out of breath. DAVID Jack? Oh my God, Jack! He gets up and runs back to find Jack a torn and bloody mess on the ground. He stares in horror. DAVID Jack.... EXT. NIGHT - VARIOUS FLASH CUTS THE WOLF SPRINGS! The camera adopts David's P.O.V. as he fights the dark savage shape on top of him. Fangs clamp down on his shoulder when shots ring out and the hulking form rolls off of him. EXT. ROADSIDE ON THE MOORS - NIGHT David, dazed and bloody, looks and sees the men from The Slaughtered Lamb armed with shotguns and torches running towards him. Looking over at his attacker, instead of a wolf he sees a very old, naked man laying in the mud riddled with bullet holes. As the villagers crowd around, David falls back and faints. FADE OUT FADE IN 11 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David is in a small, clean and very white hospital room. He lays on his back in bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm plugged into a bottle of plasma. There are several cuts and abrasions on his arms and face, but he really doesn't look too bad. He opens his eyes slowly, blinks, and tries to sit up and look around, but is unable to because of the pain. He calls out.... DAVID Jack?! ...and passes out. However his shout has fetched a nurse. She is ALEX PRICE, very English, very beautiful. She goes to the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? She looks into his eyes, lifting the lids with her thumb, and then checks his chart at the end of the bed. ALEX Mr. Kessler? David remains unconscious. Another young nurse, MISS GALLAGHER, comes in. MISS GALLAGHER He all right? ALEX Yes, I should think. He called out just now. MISS GALLAGHER He's an American, you know. Dr. Hirsch is going to fetch round one of those Embassy fellows to see him. ALEX Chart says he's from New York. MISS GALLAGHER I think he's a Jew. ALEX Why on earth do you say that? MISS GALLAGHER I looked. ALEX (smiles) Really, Susan, I don't think that was very proper, and besides, it's common practice now. A voice startles the girls. DR. HIRSCH Yes, Miss Gallagher, Miss Price is quite right. DR. HIRSCH enters. He is an older man wearing the customary lab coat. A very commanding and reassuring presence. The girls are embarrassed. ALEX Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Kessler cried out a minute ago. DR. HIRSCH Miss Gallagher, surely you must perform some function here at the hospital. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Then get on with it. MISS GALLAGHER Yes, Doctor. She exits. Dr. Hirsch begins to examine David. Alex watches. Dr. Hirsch turns to Alex. DR. HIRSCH Can I be of service, Miss Price? ALEX Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Go about your duties. ALEX Yes, Doctor. She starts to exit. DR. HIRSCH Oh, Miss Price? ALEX Yes, Doctor? DR. HIRSCH What exactly did he call out? ALEX He said `Jack'. DR. HIRSCH That would be Jack Goodman, the boy who was killed. ALEX What happened to them? DR. HIRSCH The police report said an escaped lunatic attacked them. He must have been a very powerful man. Although I really don't see that it is any of your concern, Miss Price. ALEX No, sir. Of course, sir. Good day, Doctor. She exits as Dr. Hirsch continues his examination, looking into David's eyes. 12 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY The camera is handheld, running furiously through the almost dense greenery. On the soundtrack are the footfalls and heavy breathing of the runner. The camera abruptly stops and turns, sharply looking about, the panting continuing. The breathing gets louder and harder, then too loud when we: CUT TO: 13 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David opens his eyes quickly, the silence and whiteness contrast sharply with the preceding fantasy. Standing beside the bed are Dr. Hirsch and MR. COLLINS. Mr. Collins wears a bow tie and is holding a briefcase. DR. HIRSCH Hello, David. I am Dr. Hirsch and this is a countryman of yours, Mr. Collins. DAVID Where am I? DR. HIRSCH You're in a hospital in London. DAVID London? Where's Jack? I had a strange dream. DR. HIRSCH I should think so after your recent traumatic experiences. DAVID The guy I was with. Is he all right? How did I get to London? DR. HIRSCH (quietly) Now, David, I want you to prepare yourself; your friend is dead. David jolts up in bed and shouts. DAVID What? The sudden exertion and strain hurt. DAVID Ow, shit! He sinks back down. DAVID Jack's dead? MR. COLLINS Mr. Kessler, I am Mr. Collins of the American Embassy here in Grosvenor Square. Both Mr. Goodman's parents and your parents have been notified of your injuries and everything's in order. DAVID Everything's in order? What are you talking about? MR. COLLINS Mr. Goodman's body has been air-freighted back to New York for burial and your parents have wired funds for your stay in the hospital until you are well enough to fly home. DAVID (controlled tears) You don't crate and ship Jack like some side of beef. (approaching hysteria) Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where is Jack? I demand to see him! DR. HIRSCH (holds David down, calls out) Miss Price! Miss Price, please! DAVID (shouting) Get your fucking hands off me! What the hell is going on here? Alex enters amidst David's shouting and confusion. MR. COLLINS (distraught, clutching his briefcase) I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Kessler, but please try to refrain from hysterics. David continues shouting and struggling. DR. HIRSCH Prepare a hypodermic, please, Miss Price. The shot is administered and David is held down by Dr. Hirsch and Alex until his breathing becomes more normal. MR. COLLINS Now, Mr. Kessler, try not to excite yourself. Everything has been arranged. I shall come back to check on your progress and send a report to your parents. The police have requested to interview you and I have given them permission to do so. Dr. Hirsch walks Mr. Collins to the door. DR. HIRSCH Thank you very much, Mr. Collins. He'll rest now and I'm sure everything will be fine once he's adjusted. He's had quite a shock. MR. COLLINS These dumb-ass kids never appreciate anything you do for them. Mr. Collins exits. Dr. Hirsch crosses back to the bed. DAVID How long have I been here? DR. HIRSCH You've been unconscious since you were brought in two weeks ago. DAVID Two weeks? DR. HIRSCH You've suffered some rather severe cuts and bruises, lost a bit of blood, but nothing too serious; black and blue for a while. You'll have some dueling scars to boast of. That lunatic must have been a very fierce fellow. They say a mad man has the strength of ten. DAVID (softly, as the drugs take hold) Lunatic? DR. HIRSCH Now we've just given you a pretty strong sedative, so try to get some rest now. Miss Price will see to your needs. Rest now. Dr. Hirsch watches as Alex straightens David's covers. DAVID (softly) It wasn't a lunatic. ALEX (puzzled) I beg your pardon? DAVID It was a wolf. ALEX (bends down close to hear) What? DAVID A wolf. David passes out. Alex looks to Dr. Hirsch. DR. HIRSCH Did he say a wolf? ALEX Yes, I believe he did. Dr. Hirsch regards David thoughtfully. 14 INT. DR. HIRSCH'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Hirsch is on the phone, he is referring to a desk calendar. DR. HIRSCH But Roger is so terribly boring. Yes, dear, but couldn't we...I see. (he makes a note) Thursday at eight, dinner with boring Roger. Yes, I'm sure I will; if I survived Rommel, I suppose I'll survive another excruciating evening with Roger Mathison. Be a good girl. Bye. He hangs up very disgruntled. The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus are here to see you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Send them in. He rises to greet the two police officers, one tall, the other rather pudgy. LT. VILLIERS Dr. Hirsch? DR. HIRSCH Come in, come in. Please sit. Some tea? The cops sit down, Lt. Villiers immediately produces a small notebook. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you. SGT. McMANUS I'd like some tea, please. Lt. Villiers shoots the sergeant a withering look. SGT. McMANUS Maybe not. No thanks. Maybe later. DR. HIRSCH It's no problem. LT. VILLIERS No, thank you, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH Well, then, what can I do for Scotland Yard? SGT. McMANUS We understand the Kessler boy has regained consciousness. Lt. Villiers glares at McManus. SGT. McMANUS Sorry. LT. VILLIERS Has Mr. Kessler said anything regarding the attack on the moors? The intercom buzzes. DR. HIRSCH Excuse me. Yes? SECRETARY (V.O.) Roger Mathison, Doctor. DR. HIRSCH What here? SECRETARY (V.O.) He's on the telephone. DR. HIRSCH Tell him I'm out. No, tell him I've passed away. An old war wound or something. Tell him I'm dead. And no more calls! He turns from the intercom back to the cops. DR. HIRSCH You were saying? LT. VILLIERS Has David Kessler anything to say concerning the attack on the moors? DR. HIRSCH Why don't we ask him? 15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY David sits up in bed. Lt. Villiers and Sgt. McManus stand by his side. Dr. Hirsch sits observing. DAVID I'm sorry if I conflict with your report, but Jack and I were not attacked by a man. LT. VILLIERS So you've said. SGT. McMANUS He may have a point, Lieutenant. Two strong boys would be able to defend themselves against one man. LT. VILLIERS Sgt. McManus, are you suggesting that David and Jack were, in fact, attacked by some animal and that the officialdom of East Proctor has conspired to keep it a secret? We have an autopsy report on the murderer who was shot in the act by the local police. We have two witnesses to the crime. You'll forgive me, Mr. Kessler, if I consider your testimony as coming from someone who has gone through a terrible shock. SGT. McMANUS Lieutenant, the boy seems pretty lucid to me and.... LT. VILLIERS And what, Sergeant? SGT. McMANUS (defeated) I don't rightly know, sir. LT. VILLIERS That is precisely my point. David, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed. We won't trouble you any further. Good day. The lieutenant goes for the door. The sergeant smiles at David and follows. LT. VILLIERS Doctor. The cops exit. Dr. Hirsch crosses to David's bed. DAVID There were witnesses? DR. HIRSCH So they said. DAVID How could there have been witnesses? It was so dark. We were running and I fell and Jack went to help me up and this thing came from nowhere...I don't understand what they're talking about. DR. HIRSCH In time I'm sure it will all come back to you. DAVID Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm beginning to worry about. CUT TO: 16 EXT. DENSE FOREST - DAY Again the handheld camera is running furiously through the woods. Heavy breathing and the sounds of the runner crashing through the foliage. The camera runs for a while then suddenly stops short near a tree. David abruptly enters frame, animal-like, the tenseness of a startled cat. His head makes sudden movements, looking about. CLOSEUP of his flared nostrils and perked up ears accenting his animalness. DAVID takes off and now we run with him. He runs fast and gracefully, taking long strides and leaps. We run with him faster and faster sharing in his exhilaration. We see him completely as the animal, study his movement and grace as if watching a gazelle. Suddenly he stops again, alert, listening. He moves with stealth, slowly he pushes some leaves

undaunted)

How many times the word 'undaunted)' appears in the text?