"OUR TOWN"

ACT ONE

FADE IN:

1. EXT. LONG SHOT - GROVER'S CORNERS - DAY

shooting downward from a great height, we see the town
nestled among trees in a snow covered landscape. Farm
fields surround the little patch of buildings that is
the town seen from this height.

2. THE CAMERA MOVES SLOWLY DOWNWARD UNTIL IT ALMOST TOUCHES THE STEEPLE OF THE TALLEST CHURCH.

DISSOLVE TO:

3. CLOSE SHOT - THE CHURCH STEEPLE

4. AS THE CAMERA PULLS SLOWLY BACK

we see it is the steeple on a church which is part of a
miniature model of the town of Grover's Corners as it is
today - complete with television aerials on the houses,
chain stores on the Main Street, miniature cars parked
before stores and houses and placed in the traffic lanes,
parking meters, traffic lights, a gas station...

5. FULL SHOT - THE MINIATURE MODEL AND THE PRODUCTION MANAGER

He is kneeling on one knee, pipe in mouth (or hand)
looking at the model.

6. THE CAMERA MOVES IN TO A CLOSER SHOT OF THE PRODUCTION MANAGER AS HE LOOKS UP AND SPEAKS INTO THE CAMERA

PRODUCTION MANAGER

This is Grover's Corners, New
Hampshire, just over the line
from Massachusetts - the way it
looks today... T.V. aerials on
the houses, autos clogging up
the streets... This is Main Street
here -

(points with his pipe)
there's our supermarket and our
chain drug store...

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

3.

6 CONTINUED: -2

PRODUCTION MANAGER (CONT)

Over here, in the oldest residential
district, there've been very few
changes. The houses are older and
new generations are living in 'em.
But they're the same houses...

This is our doctor's house - Doc
Gibbs. We're going to learn a
lot about him and his family, and
today, especially, a lot about his
son George...

In those days our newspaper came
out twice a week - the Grover's
Corners Sentinel - and this is
Editor Webb's house. Right here
is a big butternut tree -
(puts it in place)
that's going to be blown down in
the big blizzard of 1947 - forty-
three years away... The Webb's
daughter, Emily, is another
person we're going to learn a
lot about today...
(rises)
Well, now, we're ready to go to
the afternoon of June the
fourteenth, 1904...

DISSOLVE TO:

7 THE VILLAGE SQUARE (LIFE SIZE)

The CAMERA PANS around the square and along the buildings,
establishing the setting and comes to rest on -

8 THE PRODUCTION MANAGER

- leaning casually against a lamp post, pipe in hand,
observing the scene.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

(turns to camera)

Before we listen to this important
conversation Emily and George are
about to have, I want you to try
and remember what it was like when
you were very young, and particularly
(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

8.

10 CONTINUED: -2

MR. MORGAN
(as he mixes
two sodas)
Two strawberry ice-cream sodas,
yes sir. Yes, sir.
(sets sodas
before them)
There you are!
(as another
customer enters)
How d'you do, Mrs. Ellis.
(as he walks away)
What can I do for you?

11 TWO SHOT - EMILY AND GEORGE

EMILY
(awed)
They're so expensive.

GEORGE
No, no - don't you think of
that, Emily. We're celebrating -
our election - And then do you
know what else we're celebrating?

EMILY
N-no.

GEROGE
I'm celebrating because I've got
a friend who tells me all the
things that ought to be told me.

EMILY
(tearfully)
George, please don't think of
that. I don't know why I said
it. It's not true. You're-

GEORGE
(with a brief
look at her)
No, Emily, you stick to it.
I'm glad you spoke to me like
you did. But you'll see, I'm
going to change so quick - you
bet I'm going to change.
(she sips, winking
back tears)
But Emily -

(CONTINUED)

12.

12 CONTINUED: -2

PRODUCTION MANAGER

And here's Doc Gibbs, returning
from a call.

DR. GIBBS

(calling out)

Hello, Julie. Hello there,
Myrtle.

THE LADIES

Hello.

Hello, Frank.

MRS. GIBBS

Come on in and I'll get you a cup
of coffee. You look tired.

DR. GIBBS

I believe I could use a cup of
coffee. That Mrs. Soames and her
rheumatism are real exhausting.

(he exits into his
house with Mrs. Gibbs.
Mrs. Webb exits into
her house)

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Doc Gibbs died in 1930. New
hospital's named after him. Mrs.
Gibbs died first - long time ago,
in fact.

(during this, Mrs. Gibbs
comes out again, gets some
more kindling and exits
into the house)

She went out to visit her daughter
Rebecca, who married an insurance
man in Canton, Ohio, and died there
-- pneumonia - but her body was
brought back here. She's up in
the cemetery there now - in with
a whole mess of Gibbses and Herseys
-- she was Julia Hersey before she
married Dr. Gibbs in the Congregational
Church. In our town we like to
know the facts about everybody.

(looks off)

Here's George and Emily now - after
having been delayed by that -
"trifle".

17.

20

CONTINUED: -2

GEORGE

(a bit choked
with emotion)

I'm glad you did it, Emily.

(thinks deeply about it)

It - it made me feel - well -
getting it was the biggest
thrill of my life so far.

EMILY

I'm glad I had the courage to
mail it.

GEORGE

(pause)

Emily --

EMILY

Yes, George.

GEORGE

Emily, I want to ask you a favor.

EMILY

W-wh-a-t?

GEORGE

This is the eighth of May -
graduation's only seven weeks
off.

EMILY

Yes, I know...

GEORGE

And I have to make up my mind
right away about going to State
Agriculture College in the fall.

EMILY

(almost inaudible)

I know...

GEORGE

Emily, if I go away to State
Agriculture College -

(the thought hurts
Emily and she turns
away, biting lip)

will you write me a letter once
in a while?

(CONTINUED)

20

CONTINUED: -3

18.

## EMILY

(winks back tears)

I certainly will. I certainly
will, George -

(plucks at a
blade of grass)

It certainly seems like being
away three years you'd get out
of touch with things. Maybe
letters from Grover's Corners
wouldn't be so interesting after
a while. Grover's Corners isn't
a very important place when you
think of - all New Hampshire;
but I think it's a very nice town.

(tears blade of grass)

## GEORGE

The day wouldn't come when I
wouldn't want to know everything
about our town. I know that's
true, Emily.

## EMILY

Well, I'll try to make the letters
interesting.

## GEORGE

(pause)

You know, Emily, whenever I meet
a farmer I ask him if he thinks
it's important to go to Agriculture
School to be a good farmer.

## EMILY

(arguing nobly against
her inclinations)

But George, maybe it's very
important for you to go and
learn all that - about cattle
judging and soils and those things.

(adding feebly)

Of course, I don't know.

## GEORGE

(after a pause -
very serious)

Emily, I'm going to make up my
mind right now - I won't go.
I'll tell Pa about it today.

(CONTINUED)

22.

23 CONTINUED:

EMILY

My father likes to joke quite
a lot - but of course he won't
about anything like this.

GEORGE

(not fully
convinced)

Of course we have to tell them.
We can't keep a thing like this
to ourselves.

EMILY

Of course not.

GEORGE

Well then -
(he looks at her
helplessly)

EMILY

(quickly)

I'm going in right now and tell
them.

She turns and hurries into her house, George watching her.

DISSOLVE TO:

24 INT. THE WEBB HOUSE

Mr. and Mrs. Webb are seated in the living room. Mrs. Webb is knitting. Mr. Webb is reading. Emily enters, a little out of breath and flushed.

EMILY

Hello!

Both parents look up at her a little surprised.

MRS. WEBB

Why, Emily - you're all out
of breath and you look flushed.
Is anything wrong?

EMILY

Why no, mama, nothing's wrong.

(CONTINUED)

26.

25

INT. THE GIBBS HOUSE

George is in the midst of his scene with his parents,
having already told them the news. Mrs. Gibbs is seated,
darning socks. George is standing near his father, who
is seated.

GEORGE
(upset - to his
father)

But why not? Why not?
(he turns and looks
at his mother in
appeal)

MRS. GIBBS
You just listen to what your
father's telling you, George.
In twenty years of marriage I've
yet to hear him say anything
downright foolish.

DR. GIBBS
(with a smile)

Now, Julia, that's just plain
prejudice.

(turning to George -
very serious)

The plain fact of the matter is,
George, you're just too young
to be engaged.

GEORGE
(indignant)

Too young!

DR. GIBBS
I'm afraid it would cut rather
seriously into your baseball time.

GEORGE

Ye gods!

(angry and upset,
he turns and rushes
out of the house)

MRS. GIBBS
(worried, half rising,
making a move to
follow him)

George -

(CONTINUED)

26

CONTINUED:

28.

### EMILY

I know _just_ what we must do,
George.

### GEORGE

(with some
trepidation)

Wha - what?

### EMILY

George, I love my father and my
mother and I know you love yours -

(george nods
agreement)

but they just don't understand
how we feel.

### GEORGE

I guess they don't.

### EMILY

George, this is much too important
to us to be brushed aside so - so
callously by our parents. Why,
it means our whole future!

### GEORGE

I know it.

### EMILY

And we _are_ old enough to know what
we want - why, we'll be finished
with school next month! And if we
want to be engaged to each other,
why - we're _going_ to be - no matter
what they say!

### GEORGE

(catching fire
from her)

You're right, Emily!

### EMILY

I'm going right in again and tell
them that!

### GEORGE

You are? - I am too!

(CONTINUED)

31.

29

CONTINUED: -

MRS. WEBB

You had on brown corduroy pants
and a new grey sweater... you were
trying to grow a mustache...

MR. WEBB

Yes - I remember that - it was
a failure...

MRS. WEBB

And do you remember - it was
getting dark - we walked back
to town real slow - holding hands -
I had a bouquet of wild flowers
you picked for me -

(She picks up the nosegay
of flowers that Emily dropped
and looks at it a moment)

I went in to tell my father that
we wanted to be

MR. WEBB

I remember...

MRS. WEBB

And remember what he said when
I told him...?

MR. WEBB

(slowly)

"He's not good enough for you..."

MRS. WEBB

I was so hurt - I cried... I had
known you all my life - you were
the only one I ever wanted to marry...

MR. WEBB

That's how I felt about you, too...

Mrs. Webb looks at the nosegay of flowers again,
and then looks up at her husband. As they look
at each other silently and thoughtfully -

30

THE CAMERA PANS SHOWLY AWAY FROM THEM TO DR. AND
MRS. GIBBS

At the same time, another male voice, coming from
a great distance, is heard on the sound track.

MALE VOICE

(Sound track)

You're just too young - too young -
too young...

(CONTINUED)

32.

30

CONTINUED:

The voice trails away and the camera holds on a
TWO SHOT of Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs.

MRS. GIBBS
(looking up from her darning)
Frank -

DR. GIBBS
Yes, Julia?

MRS. GIBBS
Just now - when George rushed out
of the house - and I almost went
after him - the oddest thing
happened in my mind. For a
minute I - I thought it was you.

DR. GIBBS
(laughs)
Well, that is odd, Julia. The
boy resembles me, of course -
but there's some noticeable
differences...Thirty years or so.

MRS. GIBBS
(dreamily)
He's wearing his new shoes today -
and they creak a little...
(Dr. Gibbs looks up with
a deeply thoughtful
expression as though
trying to remember
something)

And it took me back a long time,
Frank, to the day when we decided
to become engaged...you were
wearing your new shoes that day...
and they creaked...

DR. GIBBS
(nods slowly)
I remember...

MRS. GIBBS
(softly)
You were just the same age as George...

DR. GIBBS
(softly)
Yes...

(CONTINUED)

33 CONTINUED: -2

39.

MR. WEBB

Well, now, Frank, I wouldn't say
that exactly. I just thought
he's too young to get engaged.

(They look at each other solemnly
a moment, then laugh)

DR. GIBBS

So I guess we'd better celebrate
the engagement.

MR. WEBB

I guess we'd better.

(to Mrs. Webb)

Myrtle, get that bottle of elderberry
wine we've been saving for a special
occasion.

MRS. WEBB

(to Mrs. Gibbs as she gets
the wine from the sideboard)

Aren't men the limit, Julia?

MRS. GIBBS

They certainly are.

DR. GIBBS

I see you brought six glasses,
Julia. Good idea. The young
couple might as well drink to
their own engagement.

They look around and are suddenly aware of the
absence of Emily and George.

MR. WEBB

Where are they?

MRS. GIBBS

We left them here a minute ago.

MRS. WEBB

(looking through window)

Take a peek through this window.

They all crowd around the window and look.

34 LONG SHOT - THE GARDEN

Emily and George are sitting on the garden bench,
holding hands and staring dreamily off into space.

40.

35 **INTERIOR - THE WEBB HOUSE**

Almost unconsciously Dr. Gibbs' arm embraces his wife.
CAMERA PANS to show Mr. and Mrs. Webb with hands clasped.

DR. GIBBS
Nothing's really changed, has it...

As Mrs. Webb starts to pour the wine -

DISSOLVE TO:

36 **CLOSE SHOT - PRODUCTION MANAGER**

PRODUCTION MANAGER

(to camera)

That's about all we have time for
today. Before we say good night,
I think I should tell you that
the Cartwright interests have just
begun building a new bank in Grover's
Corners and they've asked a friend
of mine what they should put in the
cornerstone for people to dig up a
thousand years from now. 'Course
they've put in a copy of the New
York Times and a copy of Mr. Webb's
Sentinel and a copy of the Bible
and the Constitution of the United
States and Shakespeare's plays.
What do you say, folks? What do
you think? Y'know, Babylon once
had two million people in it, and
all we know about 'em is the names
of the Kings and some copies of
wheat contracts and - the sales of
slaves. Yes, every night all those
families sat down to supper, and
the father came home from his work,
and the smoke went up the chimney -
same as here. And even in Greece
and Rome, all we know about the
real life of the people is what we
can piece together out of the joking
poems and the comedies they wrote
for the theatre back then. So I'm
going to have filmed copies of this
television show put in the cornerstone
so that the people a thousand years

(CONTINUED)