"OUR TOWN"
SECOND DRAFT SCREENPLAY

FADE IN:

1. FULL SCREEN CLOSEUP

of the United Artists Trademark in white letters
against a black background. When this has been regis-
tered, CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal that the trademark
is a sign which hangs on a nail in front of a row of
shelves. On the shelves are displayed various articles
of merchandise, radios, electric light bulbs, etc., to
establish that the time is the present. CAMERA CONTIN-
UES BACK to disclose MR. MORGAN (FRANK CRAVEN) seated
on a stool in front of counter, with his BACK TO CAMERA,
working intently on something before him. He is smoking
a pipe, and the smoke from it is curling upwards.
CAMERA PULLS BACK FARTHER to show the general atmosphere
of INTERIOR GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORE (1940) -- (DAY).

2. CLOSE SHOT

SHOOTING PAST Morgan's face in profile and ANGLING DOWN
on the counter before him to reveal that he is working
on a jigsaw puzzle map of the United States, which has
been completely assembled save for the State of New
Hampshire.

3. FULL SCREEN CLOSEUP

of the northeastern section of the map, as Morgan's hand
enters the scene and inserts the New Hampshire section.

4. FULL SCREEN CLOSEUP

of the New Hampshire section. This shot shows plainly
the words "New Hampshire", and reveals also that one
small section of the state, near the Massachusetts line,
still is missing. Morgan's hand enters the scene, in-
serts the small remaining piece.

5. FULL SCREEN CLOSEUP

of the newly inserted piece. It bears a map of the town
of Grover's Corners, showing Main Street, railroad

(CONTINUED)

5.

10. CONTINUED:

CAMERA ANGLES TO CENTER ON Polish Town, EXCLUDING
Morgan's face from the shot. Lighted windows are seen
in a cottage in Polish Town and in the adjacent rail-
road station.

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
The only lights on in town are in
a cottage over by the tracks where
a Polish mother's just had twins.
And in the depot, where Shorty
Hawkins is gettin' ready to flag
the five forty-five for Boston.

SOUND
(TRAIN WHISTLE IN DISTANCE)

CAMERA ANGLES BACK to Morgan and FOCUSES on him. Over
the shot is heard:

SOUND
(FINAL BLAST OF TRAIN WHISTLE
IN DISTANCE)

Morgan takes out watch, looks at it, nods and smiles,

MR. MORGAN
Aya -- there she is.

11. EXT. STREET IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT (MORNING)
MOVING SHOT

A boy of eleven, JOE CROWELL, with a stack of newspapers
under his arm, is moving along the street. As he passes
the various houses, he rolls papers deftly, throws them
in yards or sticks them in fences.

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
There comes Joe Crowell deliverin'
the mornin' papers.
(pause)
So -- another day's begun.

12. EXT. STREET -- ANOTHER LOCATION (MORNING)
MOVING SHOT

DOC GIBBS, a pleasant, portly man in the thirties,
carrying a doctor's satchel, is walking along street.
He is whistling.

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
Here comes Doc Gibbs from that baby
case I was telling you about.

6.

13. EXT. GIBBS AND WEBB HOUSES (MORNING)
WIDE ANGLE

The Gibbs house is in foreground. In the background, on
an angle, is the Webb home. CAMERA ANGLE, while TAKING
IN both houses, FAVORS the Gibbs house. The Gibbs
kitchen window, through which we will see Mrs. Gibbs,
is prominent so that when we PICK UP Mrs. Gibbs the
CAMERA can be MOVED CLOSER to the window, but always
keeping the window frame and a portion of the exterior
of the house in the CAMERA FRAME.

Both houses are typical New England, two-story homes.
In the Gibbs yard can be seen a portion of a woodpile
and Mrs. Gibbs' garden: corn, peas, beans, hollyhocks,
heliotrope and burdock. In the Webb yard can be seen
a portion of a similar garden, and also a big butternut
tree. There is a white picket fence around the Webb
home. The adjoining yards of the two houses form an
open area of about thirty feet between the two dwell-
ings,

As we come in on the scene:

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
And this is Doc Gibbs' house. His
neighbor is Editor Webb. He runs
the Grover's Corners Sentinel. In
those days our newspaper only came
out twice a week.

Through the Gibbs kitchen window we see MRS. GIBBS, a
plump, pleasant woman in the thirties, coming down-
stairs into kitchen, and CAMERA MOVES IN CLOSER to
window, as we hear:

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
There's Mrs. Gibbs comin' downstairs
to get breakfast.

As Morgan's voice continues, Mrs. Gibbs bustles to put
up a shade, open a window a bit, then to make a wood
fire in the stove. She grinds coffee into a pot at the
stove, crosses to sink to pump water into coffee pot,
crosses to put pot on stove, then goes to cupboard to
slice bacon, after which she crosses to stove to put
bacon in skillet. CAMERA PANS with her as she moves
around the kitchen.

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
(continuing)
I want to tell you something about
Julia Gibbs there. Later on --
around about 1910 -- she's going
out to visit her daughter Rebecca,
in Canton, Ohio. Rebecca's going

(CONTINUED)

7.

13. CONTINUED:

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE

(cont'd)

to marry an insurance man, who was
doing mighty well. Mrs. Gibbs is
going to die there -- pneumonia --
but she's going to be brought back
here and buried in the cemetery
right here in our town, with a
whole mess of Gibbses and Herseys.
She was a Hersey before she married
Doc Gibbs. In our town we like to
know the facts about everybody.

Mrs. Gibbs, who has been bustling around the kitchen, pauses momentarily by a window, and, as if sensing that it is about time for Mrs. Webb to be coming down to get breakfast, she glances out window in direction of Webb home.

14. EXT. WEBB HOUSE (MORNING)

MEDIUM SHOT

SHOOTING TOWARD kitchen window. Through the window we see MRS. WEBB, a thin, serious, crisp little woman in the thirties, hurry downstairs into kitchen, tying on an apron, and CAMERA MOVES IN CLOSER to the window, as we hear:

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
And there's Mrs. Webb comin' down-stairs to get her breakfast, too.

As Morgan's voice continues, Mrs. Webb crosses to stove, shakes grate, adds coal from a hod with a shovel, turns damper. She crosses to cupboard to grind coffee into pot, crosses to put pot on stove. CAMERA PANS with her as she moves around kitchen.

MR. MORGAN'S VOICE
(continuing)
She was a Grover before she married.
Mighty pretty girl, too, in her
younger days.

Mrs. Webb glances up at a clock, "tsk-tsk's" in dis-approval as she sees it is seven o'clock; hurries to foot of stairs.

15. INT. WEBB UPPER HALLWAY AND STAIRS (MORNING)

MEDIUM SHOT

SHOOTING DOWN stairs, as Mrs. Webb's head and shoulders appear around kitchen doorway at foot of stairs, and she peers upstairs.

(CONTINUED)

8.

15. CONTINUED:

MRS. WEBB
(calling)
Emily! Time to get up! Wally!
Seven o'clock!

16. INT. GIBBS KITCHEN (MORNING)
MEDIUM SHOT

Mrs. Gibbs, at cupboard, has just finished cutting
several slices of bread. On the stove are a pot of
coffee and a skillet of bacon and eggs. Mrs. Gibbs
places sliced bread on plate, starts toward table,
CAMERA PANNING. As she passes foot of stairs she
turns to call up.

MRS. GIBBS
(calling upstairs)
Children! Children, time to get
up! George! Rebecca!

She continues to table, sets down plate of bread.
She is about to start back to cupboard but halts, look-
ing in direction of door, as she hears:

SOUND
(RATTLE OF MILK-CANS AND MILK-
WAGON STOPPING OFF SCENE)

She picks up a pan, starts towards the door.

17. ANOTHER ANGLE

SHOOTING PAST Mrs. Gibbs and ANGLING TOWARDS kitchen
door and window beside it. Mrs. Gibbs, pan in hand,
moves toward the door, CAMERA FOLLOWING. As she nears
window, through it can be seen EXTERIOR STREET, where
a feeble horse is harnessed to a milk-wagon. In rear
of wagon are several large milk containers. Mrs. Gibbs
continues past window to door, where she stops, CAMERA
HOLDING. She opens the door, disclosing HOWIE NEWSOME,
an overalled country "character" of about thirty,
carrying a measuring milk-can of the period, as he
comes up on the porch. He walks with a hitch. Horse
and wagon can be seen on street in background of scene.

MRS. GIBBS
Good morning, Howie.
(holds pan out)

HOWIE
'Mornin', M's Gibbs.
(pours milk from
measuring can
into pan)

(CONTINUED)

11.

22. (CONTINUED)

Doc laughs.

HOWIE
(noting Doc's
satchel)
Somebody sick?

DOC GIBBS
Pair of twins over to Mrs.
Goruslawski's.

HOWIE
Twins, eh? This town's gettin'
bigger every year.

DOC GIBBS
(smiling)
Goin' to rain, Howie?

HOWIE
No, no. Fine day -- it'll burn
through,
(starts off with
horse -- nodding)
Doc!

DOC GIBBS
(nodding in return)
Howie!

Howie pulls the horse off. Doc looks after them with a smile, then turns to continue on his way.

23. MOVING SHOT

on Doc Gibbs walking along street in direction of his
home. He has taken only a few steps when his attention
is attracted to Joe Crowell, who has just thrown a
paper on the other side of the street, and now starts
across street towards Doc. Doc waits until Joe joins
him.

JOE
'Mornin', Doc!

DOC GIBBS
'Mornin', Joe!

They continue along street.

JOE
Want your paper now?

DOC GIBBS
Yes, I'll take it.

(CONTINUED)

12.

23. (CONTINUED)

Joe hands paper to Doc, who unfolds it and scans the
front page as he walks.

JOE
Anybody been sick, Doc?

DOC GIBBS
No, Some twins over in Polish
Town,
(indicating paper)
Joe, I see your teacher Miss
Foster is goin' to get married.

JOE
Yes sir, to a feller over in
Concord,

DOC GIBBS
I declare. Well, how do you
boys feel about that?

JOE
(seriously)
Well, of course it ain't none
of my business -- but I think if
a person starts out to be a
teacher she ought to stay one.

DOC GIBBS
(smiling)
How's your knee, Joe?

JOE
Fine, Doc. I never think about
it at all. Only like you said,
it always tells me when it's goin'
to rain.

DOC GIBBS
What's it tellin' you today? Goin'
to rain?

JOE
No, sir.

DOC GIBBS
Sure?

JOE
Yes, sir.

DOC GIBBS
Knee ever make a mistake?

(CONTINUED)