Newsgroup: it.fan.stephen-king
Titolo: Stud City scene summary

I'm falling behind in trying to keep up with all of the (mostly similar)
questions regarding my script adaptation of "Stud City," so I am posting
a (for the most part) complete scene summary of my script.  I hope this
satisfies most people's couriosity regarding what's in the adaptation and
answers many of the e.mail questions I have been getting.
I can't place the entire script on-line at this time because: 1.) it
takes a hell of a long time to format a long script to look right on the
Internet, and 2.) Even though King and his lawyer have OK'd this script
and film project, we now are waiting on multiple grants of permission
from various copyright holders to "Stand By Me" because of our references
to characters, settings and scenes in that film.
Not all details of the script are listed below, just the general gist of
each scene.
             "Stud City" scene summary:
Note:  The "Night 1963" scenes all take place on the same November night
in chronological order.  The "Day 1959" scenes take place somewhat out of
chronological order over the course of the summer of 1959.
For the "look" of the film, the "Night 1963" scenes will have muted color
and resemble the look of "Failsafe" (1964).  The "Day 1959" scenes will
have a bright, "reminiscent" quality about them like "My Favorite Year"
(1982).   (Both films from cinematographer Gerry Hirschfeld ["Young
Frankenstein"] BTW, who I was a fan of as a junior high film club member
in the early 70s, and who is now a friend of mine here in Ashland,
Oregon.)
The script (in 12-point Times) with 54 scenes is just over 43 pages long
for a planned  48-minute film.
Characters, settings and events marked with *** three astericks at
beginning and end *** indicate people, scenes and images which are not
from the short story by are references to, or material from, the film
"Stand By Me."
                   ACT I
SCENE 1: Song quote from Bob Seger's "Night Moves" fades in and out on a
black screen (ala some "Millennium" show openings): "Woke last night to
the sound of thunder, how far off I sadly wondered.  Started humming a
song from 1962.  Ain't it funny how the night moves, when you just dont
seem to have as much to lose"
SCENE 2 (Night 1963): Titles appear as shot zooms in on sad-looking home
with cluttered yard, rusted and beat up old Dodge up on blocks in the
middle of the overgrown grass.  There is an eletrical storm in the
background, and when thunder rumbles there is a "match shot" special
effect -- based on the length and intensity of the sound -- in which we
see glimpses of the same yard and house but in good order on a bright
summer day.  Several of these effects occurs, showing us more of the
other time and place until one match shot "holds" and becomes:
SCENE 3-9 (Day 1959): The Dodge looks relatively new in this flashback,
the yard well kept and the house in good repair.  On the radio "Lonely
Teenager" by Dion (the theme song) is ending and ***dj Bob Cormier is
heard announcing the next song Rockin' Robin ("from the racks and stacks
its the best on wax. . .").***  A young teen (Young Chico) and his older
brother (Johnny) seem to be trying to get the car going, while ***junkman
Milo Pressman (with his dog "Chopper" milling about)*** tries to close
the deal.  Young Chico and Johnny get the car going, and the two discuss
working on it together, but when Young Chico mentions a night job
Johnny's been offered as the best plan, Johnny's mood darkens, and he
casts a glance to an upstairs bedroom window where a woman (stepmom
Virginia) is watching them.  Camera zooms into the window as distance
thunder rumbles again with match shot effect.  A final match shot effect
"holds" at the window closeup, and we switch to the same window in:
SCENE 10-11 (Night 1963): A shirtless 19-year-old boy opens the window
and looks out as he lights a cigarette; a girl behind him in bed calls
out to him "Chico" and we realize this is an older version of the same
boy in the scene before.  He mostly ignores Jane or acts indifferently
towards her.  They have just made love (her first time) and there are
spots of blood on the sheet.  He tells her this used to be the room of
his big brother Johnny, who was killed in a 1959 racing accident.  She
tries to coax a little personality out of him, but he mostly stares out
into the night, smoking.  When a loud roadster roars by on the street
below, he says pseudo-philosophically "That guy.  He's going to Stud City
in his new stud car."  Despite Chico's cold behavior, he and Jane have
sex again.  The shot moves to a view outside the window and the old car
below, which becomes a match shot for:
SCENE 13-16 (Day 1959): The same Dodge being prepared for a race at
Oxford Plains raceway.  Johnny is chewed out by his mechanic for being
overly aggressive and reckless during the prelims.  The conversation is
cut short by the track owner calling the start of the race.  Young Chico
(with increasing concern) and three pit crewmen watch the race from the
in field as Johnny drives with abandon.  Suddenly, Johnny loses control
and the car heads for the wall; as Young Chico is about to yell in alarm,
the scene cuts to:
SCENE 17-19 (Night 1963): Chico wakes with quiet resignation, used to
this familar nightmare, in bed next to Jane.  He wakes Jane and tells her
they need to leave as his father and step-mother will be home soon.  She
gets dress with a new, more confident aire about her, which seems to
rattle Chico slightly.  When she goes into the bathroom to do her makeup,
Chico gets dressed as well.  Jane returns, and as she sits on the bed to
put on her shoes, notices a ragged old newspaper clipping being used as a
bookmark in an old pulp detective novel on the nightstand, an obit which
announces the cancer death of Chico's mom in 1954.  The two walk down to
the livingroom, and Jane picks up an old family portrait from the TV top
as Chico puts on his coat.  About six years old, the photo shows Chico,
his dad Sam, his stepmom Virginia, and his big brother Johnny holding the
two year old youngest brother Billy.  Chico snatches the photo from her
and bristles when Jane calls Virginia pretty.  On the porch she questions
him about his attitude, and this makes him even more morose.  As Jane
walks to Chico's VW in the driveway, he stops in the rain to look again
at the old Dodge.  A sudden lightning flash switches the scene to:
SCENE 20 (Day 1959): Johnny and Young Chico are having an increasingly
worsening argument over whether Johnny should take a day job at Oxford
Plains Raceway, (where Johnny would work on the Dodge by himself), or
take an offered night job at a factory in Gates Mills, so he could work
on the car with Young Chico (as previously promised) after school.  ***
(In the background, the radio news discusses missing 12 year old local
boy Ray Brower).***  Johnny seems torn and conflicted, finally admits he
doesn't want to be home alone during the day with their stepmother,
because she has been seducing him for years.  He wants to stop, so he
needs to be gone all day, even though it means breaking a promise to
Chico.  Young Chico is startled by this news, then is horrified to learn
that their youngest brother is probably the son of Johnny and Virginia,
not their father and her.  As he watches ***four boys walk along the
railroad tracks in the distance,*** Young Chico is wracked with sobbing.
Johnny reaches to put a hand on his shoulder, but instead. . .
SCENE 21 (Night 1963):  . . .it is Jane's hand that gives his shoulder a
shake, pulling him out of his trance.  They get in Chico's car and drive
off.
                   ACT II
SCENE 22-24 (Night 1963):  Driving Jane home in the rain, she gets him to
talk a little about the Dodge, but then drops the subject.  As he drives
through downtown and ***over the bridge out of Castle Rock to get some
gas we are reminded shots from "Stand By Me."***  Jane drifts off to
sleep.
SCENE 25-27 (Night 1963):  They stop at ***"Quidacioluo Country Store"***
for gas, and Chico chats with the store owner Brownie.  Brownie asks
about Jane, but Chico brushes the questioning off.  Chico also says hello
and speaks to a pretty blond named Sally who comes out of the store and
drives off in her T-bird.  Jane asks Chico about Sally, and finds out
that Chico's real name is Eddie, but he doesn't give out much more in the
way of personal info.  They ***drive back through Castle Rock*** to take
Jane home.
SCENE 28-34 (Night 1963):  Arriving at Jane ***Tessio's house,*** the two
of them talk in the car.  With Jane's mother peeking out from the porch
window, Chico is sweet at first but then turns rude, and the date ends
with discomfort and a worried Mrs. Tessio questioning her on the porch.
Chico pulls out into the street and his car engine dies.  When he gets
the VW going again, he pauses before driving off to watch a small boy
with a serene expression in a rain slicker jump from puddle to puddle
across the street and past his car.
SCENE 35-39 (Night 1963): Chico has arrived home but sits in the car
finishing his cigarette. In the house, his dad and brother Billy are in
the kitchen, getting dinner ready while the news is on TV in the living
room where the newscaster is discussing the president's trip the next day
to Texas.
Sam May brings their beans-and-franks dinner into the living room, just
as Billy's favorite show "Carl Stormer and his Country Buckaroos" begins
on TV.  Chico finally comes in the house, and Billy is happy to see him,
but his dad is more critical, provoking the start of an immediate
argument with Chico.  With "Carl Stormer" playing on the TV, and Billy
splitting his attention between the show and growing argument, the
squabble turns into a fullblown fight and almost comes to blows.  Only
Billy's pleading gets the two to back down, but the stress in the room
gets him crying.   Chico fires back at his dad with some vague plan fix
up the Dodge and head to California to get away from this life.
Virginia comes into the room, and Chico's mood switches from anger to
simmering hate, while she herself is purposefully calm and reserved.  She
asks about a comb she found in the bathroom, and if he had a girl in his
room while they were gone.  Chico remains acidic towards her, and Sam
seems to defer to her authority, which angers Chico even more.  Finally,
he has had enough and grabs his jacket to leave, telling Virginia, as a
parting salvo, that she'll need to scrub his sheets because Jane bled on
them.  Chico takes a final and heartwrenching look at his sobbing little
brother, then leaves.
SCENE 40-42 (Night 1963): With one of the songs from the "Carl Stormer"
TV show ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") echoing in his head, he drives
off into the night, through Castle Rock, heading apparently to Harlow to
meet up with some friends for pool (a plan which he had told Jane about
earlier).   His is shaking with anger, and gives Castle Rock a meaningful
glance through the rearview mirror as he ***crosses the bridge out of
town.***  His thoughts drift off to:
SCENE 43 (Day 1959): A flashback, continuing the race track scene (scene
16) in Chico's dream, picking up from where the dream ended, with Young
Chico screaming, Johnny crashing through the wall, the car exploding, and
Johnny escaping from the car in flames, then covered in picnic blankets
and coats by spectators on the ground in an attempt to rescue him.  Cut
back to:
SCENE 44-45 (Night 1963): Chico drives past the darkened  ***"Quidacioluo
Country Store"*** without acknowledging the wave Brownie, who is sweeping
up, gives him as he goes past.  Chico, smoking shakily, is still lost in
memories, as the kid's show song continues to play in his head.
SCENE 46 (Day 1959): A flashback, continuing the front lawn discussion
(scene 20) between Chico and Johnny, picking up right where Chico's
earlier recollection (while standing in the rain) ended.  Johnny tells
Chico he's going to stick with racing and working out at the track, thus
avoiding any more temptation or opportunity with Virginia.  He tells
Chico that his decision means everything will be alright.  Cut back to:
SCENE 47 (Night 1963): Chico continues driving away from Castle Rock and
towards the state highway.  He slows as he approaches a train crossing
where the lights are flashing and the guardrail is down.  He and his car
are bathed in light and noise from the oncoming train, the kid's show
song chorus repeats, but has a distant and tinny quality.
SCENE 48 (Day 1959): A flashback, the completion of the race track memory
(scene 43). Spectators have managed to snuff out Johnny's burning clothes
just as Young Chico arrives from the infield and a fire truck pulls up to
assist with the accident.   The coats and blankets are removed so a
fireman can check the pulse on one of Johnny's blackened wrists.  The
fireman looks up and the crowd and shakes his head to indicate that
Johnny is dead.  Young Chico crumples to the ground.  Cut back to:
SCENE 49 (Night 1963): The train roars past Chico's car, blowing it's
horn.  Chico's knuckles are noticiably white gripping the steering wheel.
His jaw muscles clenched, emotions swirl in his eyes, clearly lost in his
own little world.
SCENE 50 (Night 1963): A brief replay of Chico's last glance at his
little brother Billy (scene 40) before he left the house.  Cut back to:
SCENE 51-54 (Night 1963): The roar of the train and the last of the kids
show tune are now a sickening and discordant cacophony as Chico's
emotional limit is breached.  With the train still speeding past, he
lurchs out the passenger door and pukes convulsively onto the road.  The
train finally passes, leaving the winded Chico silhouetted in the
headlights of the cars waiting on the other side as he tries to catch his
breath.
He finally composes himself, lights and then throws away another
cigarette, then drives off into the darkness toward the state highway,
turning on the radio and again we hear Dion and the Belmonts singing
"Lonely Teenager."
At the state highway, mileage signs give him two options, north to Harlow
and Portland, or south to Eugene, Grants Pass, Redding and Sacramento.
For a long moment, the car idles there peacefully.  Then his left turn
blinker comes on, and he heads south into the darkness towards
California.  At the chorus of "Lonely Teenager," the new version fades in
over the traditional one.
FADE OUT
Regarding liberties I took with the short story (apart from the
intentional "Stand By Me" references) and the reasons why:
The short story takes place in March 1970 (in fact the story's first word
is "March."), with references to events the year before.
I set the story in November 1963 with flashbacks to summer 1959.  Using
summer 1959 is not just to make the "SBM" connection, but also to place
Chico at a more vunerable age (14) when the tramatic past events occur
(and because we'd really like to get Austin and Trever O'Brien to play
the two Chicos).  Putting the flashbacks in summer and the later
"present" time in winter make the frequent time shifts easier to follow.
Plus winter is a strong metaphor for the desolation of Chico's spirit.
Setting the main events on the evening of November 21, 1963 (as indicated
by the newscaster's report) on the eve of one of America's greatest
tragedies, is a slightly gratuitious but (I think) effective way of
provoking an emotional reaction to set the tone for the confrontation
which follows.
Because of the year difference, the "Easy Rider" poster in Chico's
bedroom is changed to a James Dean poster.
Chico's birth mother isn't mentioned in the story.  I add the old
newspaper clipping to fill in the blank.
I changed Chico's car from an old Buick (in the story) to a beat-up VW,
because nothing says "crappy life" more than having an old Bug as your
only transportation, plus the hollow "knocking" sound of an old VDub's
engine is so distinctive.
Finally, with the change of setting, all geographical references change
from Maine to Oregon.
Apart from these changes, there is nothing left out from the short story,
and much of the new material added to it expands past events which are
only briefly mentioned in the short story.
This script I sent off for Stephen King's approval with a fair amount of
trepidation, even though I already knew he turns down almost all outside
requests to film his material.  Even though King himself knocks "Stud
City" in the chapter following it in "The Body," I also knew that in real
life this was his first real "adult" short story, published when he was
at the University of Maine.  That makes for a pretty strong emotional
connection regardless of what a person thinks of their own writing years
later.
Although I have never spoken with King himself, I think the subtle
tribute to "Stand By Me" was one of the reasons he OK'd the script, since
he is said to have been (according to one of his friends) deeply moved by
the 1986 film.  Or maybe because this story is sort of like a "lost
child" to him, and is glad that it was "found."  Whatever the reason,
getting the "thumbs up" to something I wrote from King himself (though in
the form of a very business-like letter from his attorney) is really one
of the most satisfying events in my life.
I am currently working on two Ray Bradbury projects, a stage play
adaptation of "The Better Part of Wisdom" and a film script of "Story of
Love."  And I have gotten to speak personally with Bradbury regarding
these projects (to whom I owe my motivation for becoming a writer in the
first place) -- talk about a satisfying life event!  Right now the *long
delayed* "Stud City" project is bumping into finishing those two scripts,
even with the help of students in the screenwriting class I teach doing
some of the first draft writing.
In the meantime my own scripts (not adaptations of anything) are pretty
much neglected and will stay that way at least until the end of the year.
(Sigh!)  But to quote the "Stud City" location scout Matt Russell as a
preface to a script ("Storm Within the Calm") he wrote a few years ago:
"The only thing I know about film making is that it is almost always
impossible."  How true, how true. . .
- - - - -
If anyone has any questions or comments about this project, please e.mail
me or (if you post to Usenet) "cc" a copy of the post to
"
sea...@efn.org
" because I rarely read the newsgroups.  However, I will
post responses to all cc'd posts to the appropriate newsgroups.
Sean
Sean Parlaman  (
http://www.efn.org/~seanpar
) (
sea...@efn.org
)
Northern Star Communications  
http://www.VirtualAshland.com
The CAPCAT Project  
http://www.capcat.org
"Stud City" film page  
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0140577
Nick Stahl Fan Website  
http://www.NickStahl.com
  "We can do no great things.  Only small things with great love"
                     -- Mother Teresa
Sent via Deja.com 
http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

 answers many of the e.mail questions I have been getting.
Well...
If ya need any actors and pay Equity rate...
And you're filming in the UK...
;')
--
Covenant.
A Man Who's Quite GOOD At That....Even If He DOES Say So Himself... ;')

Sbaglio o Stud City era un racconto inserito ne Il Corpo?
In questo caso, se qualcuno legge il mex qui sopra, potrebbe fare un
brevissimo riassuntino?
thanks
Tatò

 wrote in message 87v1s0$d2v$1...@nslave1.tin.it...

Tatň, attento ai crosspost...quello che hai scritto tu l'hanno letto
anche tutti gli americani di absk.
Cmq sě, Stud City č il raccontini inserito in The Body...per il resto
quel msg ancora non l'ho letto perchč non ho avuto tempo :(((
--
 Jonas              
tu...@tin.it
ICQ #26577568
"King non č tanto difficile da leggere in inglese...se c'č riuscito
Dobner..."
[Gargoyle - Raduno IFSK 05/02/2000]
http://www.fantascienza.net/sfcity/torre
http://web.tiscalinet.it/ifsk
http://members.xoom.it/ngfriends

anche tutti gli americani di absk.
/me è curioso di sapere cosa cazzo avranno capito gli americani!!!
Ciao Michele               ICQ #53115667
Sono la tua coscenza sporca, sono il vecchio contadino
Sono l'indio, il mendicante, sono l'ortica del tuo giardino.
I miei compagni sono già morti o marciscono in prigione
Eppure sono ancora qui a gridare al mondo "Viva la rivoluzione"   MCR