A Hard Day's Night Page #3

NORM:

Don't be cheeky, I'll bind him to me

with promises. Come on, Grandad.

GRANDFATHER joins SHAKE and NORM.

NORM:

(over Grandfather's

head)

He's very clean, isn't he?

SHAKE and NORM collect GRANDFATHER and are in the process of

leaving the compartment when a fat upper class city

Englishman, JOHNSON, attempts to enter. There is a bit of

confusion and they get tangled up with each other.

JOHNSON:

Make up your minds, will you!

At last SHAKE, NORM and GRANDFATHER sort themselves out and

JOHNSON enters with his case. The other three go to coffee.

JOHNSON puts his case up on the luggage rack, then sits down.

All his movements are disgruntled... he finally picks up his

copy of the Financial Times and burying himself behind it,

starts to read. After a moment he looks up, notices the

compartment window is open. He gets up and without so much

as a "by your leave" he closes it, glares at the BOYS and

sits down again.

The boys exchange looks as if to say... "Hello, Saucy!!"

PAUL:

(politely)

Do you mind if we have it opened?

JOHNSON:

(briefly)

Yes, I do.

JOHN:

Yeah, but there are four of us, like,

and we'd like it open, if it's all

the same to you, that is.

JOHNSON:

(rudely)

Well, it isn't. I travel on this

train regularly twice a week, so I

suppose I've some rights.

RINGO:

Aye, well, so have we.

He disappears behind his paper before the BOYS can say another

word.

RINGO pulls a face at the raised paper and switches on his

portable radio. A pop number is playing.

JOHNSON puts down his paper firmly.

JOHNSON:

And we'll have that thing off as

well, thank you.

RINGO:

But I...

JOHNSON leans over and switches it off.

JOHNSON:

An elementary knowledge of the Railway

Acts would tell you I'm perfectly

within my rights.

He smiles frostily.

PAUL:

Yeah, but we want to hear it and

there's more of us than you. We're a

community, like, a majority vote. Up

the workers and all that stuff!

JOHNSON:

Then I suggest you take that damned

thing into the corridor or some other

part of the train where you obviously

belong.

JOHN:

(leaning forward to

him)

Gie's a kiss!

PAUL:

Shurrup! Look, Mister, we've paid

for our seats too, you know.

JOHNSON:

I travel on this train regularly,

twice a week.

JOHN:

Knock it off, Paul, y' can't win

with his sort. After all, it's his

train, isn't it, Mister?

JOHNSON:

And don't you take that tone with

me, young man!

GEORGE:

But...

JOHNSON:

(accusingly)

I fought the war for your sort.

RINGO:

Bet you're sorry you won!

JOHNSON:

I'll call the guard!

PAUL:

Aye... but what? They don't take

kindly to insults you know. Ah, come

on, you lot. Let's get a cup of coffee

and leave Toby the manger.

The boys troop out of the door into the corridor. JOHNSON

smiles triumphantly. He is about to settle down to his paper

when there is a tap on the corridor window. He looks up and

we see pressed against the window a collection of hideous

Beatle faces.

PAUL:

Eh, Mister... can we have our ball

back!

The man jumps to his feet.

INTERIOR OF THE CORRIDOR

The boys run away like a pack of school boys and disappear

round the corner.

INTERIOR OF THE TRAIN CORRIDOR

From the P.O.V. of the door leading to the restaurant car.

The boys come down the corridor in full flight, laughing

away like happy idiots. GEORGE and PAUL pull open the sliding

doors. The boys look inside.

INTERIOR RESTAURANT CAR

From their P.O.V. we see the car is half empty and at a table

in the centre SHAKE and NORM and GRANDFATHER are sitting. On

the table is a pile of photos of the boys. NORM and SHAKE

are arguing. NORM is being very aggressive, much to SHAKE's

discomfort.

NORM:

Yeah, you want to watch it.

SHAKE:

(unhappily)

It's not my fault.

NORM:

Well, you stick to that story, son.

SHAKE:

I can't help it, I'm just taller

than you.

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