A Hard Day's Night Page #21

GEORGE:

Eh, Ringo, do you know what happened

to me?

RINGO:

(passing him)

No. I don't.

As he goes round the corner RINGO turns on the surprised

GEORGE.

RINGO:

You want to stop being so scornful,

it's twisting your face.

INTERIOR T.V. THEATRE NEAR STAGE DOORMAN'S OFFICE

JOHN and PAUL are chatting up a couple of girls, when they

see RINGO approaching they break off the conversation.

JOHN:

Here he is, the middle-aged boy

wonder.

RINGO looks at JOHN hard.

PAUL:

Eh. I thought you were looking after

the old man.

RINGO:

(with simple dignity)

Get knotted!

PAUL and JOHN gape at him. For good measure Ringo takes a

quick photograph of them before he leaves them flabbergasted

and walks off into the street.

PAUL:

We've got only half an hour till the

final run-through. He can't walk out

on us.

JOHN:

Can't he? He's done it, son!

GEORGE runs towards them.

GEORGE:

Eh, I don't know if you realise it,

but...

PAUL:

We do.

GEORGE:

Yes. Your grandfather's stirred him

up.

PAUL:

He hasn't.

GEORGE:

Yes, he's filled his head with notions

seemingly.

PAUL:

The old mixer, come on we'll have to

put him right.

The three of them go into the street.

EXTERIOR T.V. THEATRE STAGE DOOR ENTRANCE

The boys look up and down but RINGO has completely

disappeared.

PAUL:

We'll split up and search for him,

he can't be far.

They now all start to go off in the same direction, they

pause, there are three roads they can take but each time

they begin to move they all go the same way.

JOHN:

It's happened at last, we've become

a limited company.

GEORGE:

I'll look in here again.

PAUL gives him a push to the left and GEORGE to the right

and going straight ahead himself they part and go their

separate ways.

EXTERIOR STREET:

RINGO is walking along taking photographs with his camera

when some girls recognise him and start to follow him. They

quicken their pace and RINGO runs ahead of them. He turns

and comes into another street.

He sees a second-hand clothes shop with a sign saying "We

Buy Anything" and enters the shop just before the pursuing

girls come round the corner. The girls stand about looking

in all directions. After a moment RINGO comes out of the

shop. He is wearing a long mackintosh and a natty cap pulled

well down. He is ignored by the girls who don't recognise

him. Realising this he goes back and ogles one of them. She

glares at him.

RINGO:

Hello.

GIRL:

Get out of it, short house!

CLOSE-UP on Ringo's secret but happy smile as he walks briskly

down the road.

EXTERIOR TOW PATH CANAL

RINGO kicks at a brick. He kicks stylishly but misses so

tries again, misses again, but finally kicks the stone which

doesn't budge so he bends down and pulls it out of the ground.

It is quite big. Three quarters of it being below the surface.

Having got it he now decides to throw it away. As he does so

the same POLICEMAN rides past on a bicycle.

POLICEMAN:

Ain't you got no more bleeding sense

than to go round chucking bricks

about.

Before RINGO has time to answer the man has disappeared.

RINGO:

(shouting after him)

Southerner!

He looks at the canal water moodily; at this moment a large

lorry tyre rolls down the incline and bashes him slap in the

back, sprawling him on the path, the tyre on top of him. A

small boy appears after the tyre and stands over the prostrate

RINGO.

BOY:

Here, mate, that's my hoop, stop

playing with it.

RINGO:

Hoop, this isn't a hoop, it's a lethal

weapon. Have you got a licence for

it?

BOY:

Oh don't be so stroppy!

RINGO:

(getting up)

Well! A boy of your age bowling "hoop"

at people. How old are you anyway?

BOY:

(aggressively)

Nine.

RINGO:

Bet you're only eight and a half.

BOY:

(countering swiftly)

Eight and two thirds.

RINGO:

Well, there you are and watch it

with that hoop.

BOY:

Gerron out of it, you're only jealous

'cause you're old.

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