A Hard Day's Night Page #19

GIRL:

(admiringly)

What a clean old man.

GRANDFATHER:

(touchingly)

You're too young for a fella of my

cosmopolitan tastes, so don't press

your luck.

JOHN:

He's sex-obsessed, the older

generation are leading this country

to galloping ruin.

NORM returns leaving the door open, the boys hear the sound

of music coming from the studio.

NORM:

They're nearly ready for you. They're

just finishing the band call.

JOHN:

(jumping from his

seat)

Gear! Come on, girls, let's have a

bit of a dance.

JOHN'S GIRL

I don't think its allowed.

JOHN:

Well... it wouldn't be any fun if it

was!

The BOYS drag the make-up GIRLS out of the room and into the

studio.

The GIRLS are still trying to finish making the BOYS up.

As the BOYS and MAKE-UP GIRLS dance past, we see one of the

"Strauss" singers combing his long hair straight back. Two

STAGE HANDS swing a wind machine past him and his hair is

blown straight forward into a Beatle cut.

JOHN:

(passing him)

Never.

During dance, GEORGE takes off wig and places it on dummy,

revealing identical hair underneath.

INTERIOR T.V. STUDIO FLOOR

The work is still going on and the music is up full blast,

the BOYS enter and with the GIRLS [and] they start a wild

dance, hippy, shake, zulu, blue beat, the lot. LIONEL and

DANCERS are doing their routine on one side of the stage...

it becomes a challenge dance between both groups. JOHN swings

his GIRL onto the motorized CAMERA, Western style, and starts

to track through the GROUP. GEORGE is on another CAMERA.

INTERIOR CONTROL ROOM

The whole control room crew are watching the dance on all

the monitors.

The DIRECTOR is about to stop the boys but his GIRL P.A.

glares at him, with a shrug he lets the dance go on.

We now cut between the dancers on the monitors and the boys

actual dancing down on the studio floor. When the recorded

music stops, they grab their instruments and go into a number.

So we can watch every aspect of their work and with so many

monitors it gives the impression that there are many more

boys than just four.

When the number finally ends we are back in the studio on

the floor.

INTERIOR T.V. STUDIO FLOOR DIRECTOR'S VOICE OVER TANNOY

Thank you gentlemen, you can break now while we push on with

the show.

The boys acknowledge this with a quaver of guitar chords and

a drum roll.

NORM is on them at once.

NORM:

That was great, you've got about an

hour but don't leave the theatre.

JOHN grabs the arm of a sexy girl dancer.

JOHN:

She's going to show me her stamp

collection.

PAUL:

(grabs a showgirl)

So's mine.

NORM:

John, I'm talking to you. This final

run through is important. Understand?

Important.

JOHN:

(like a pig)

Oink! Oink!

They dash off with the two beauties.

GRANDFATHER is hovering in the background with SHAKE.

GRANDFATHER:

I want me cup of tea.

NORM:

Shake.

SHAKE:

I'm adjusting the decibels on the

inbalance.

NORM:

Clever.

(he turns)

George.

But GEORGE is disappearing out of the door.

NORM turns to RINGO.

NORM:

Look after him.

RINGO:

But...

NORM:

Do I have to raise me voice?

RINGO:

(choked)

Oh, all right. Come here, Grandad.

And the two of them walk off, Ringo leading.

INTERIOR BACKSTAGE

A man, whose act is playing tunes by hitting himself on the

head, is swallowing a handful of aspirin tablets. He starts

rehearsing his act, which consists of throwing his head back

and slapping his cheeks. Next to him, a JUGGLER is practising

with four table tennis balls.

GRANDFATHER passes him and bumps his arm slightly. Only 3

balls come down. There is the sound of coughing off.

WE CUT TO:

THE HEAD-PLAYER being patted on the back. The ball drops out

of his mouth and bounces slowly on the studio floor.

INTERIOR T.V. STUDIO CANTEEN

The canteen is about half full of actors many of which are

dressed as Nazi soldiers, with mock blood bandages and arm

bands. Also there are a sprinkling of T.V. people. At a table

sits GRANDFATHER and RINGO. RINGO is deeply engrossed in a

book and GRANDFATHER has a near empty cup of tea in front of

him. The old man is bored and looks about him slyly. He then

looks at Ringo who is innocently occupied, a malicious gleam

comes into GRANDFATHER's eye. He decides to have a go at

RINGO and sits staring at him. RINGO gradually becomes aware

of the stare and shifts uncomfortably then tries to continue

reading his book.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes