A Hard Day's Night Page #5

RINGO:

(protesting)

Now look here!!

GRANDFATHER grabs two lumps of sugar from the table and forces

them into RINGO'S mouth.

GRANDFATHER:

Get out while you can, ladies, his

time's coming round for one of his

turns.

The frightened girls scurry out of the restaurant car. The

boys look in amazement and horror at GRANDFATHER. They are

completely flabbergasted.

GRANDFATHER smiles at them benignly.

INTERIOR OF RAILWAY COMPARTMENT

SHAKE and NORM are seated. SHAKE is buried in a science

fiction book.

NORM looks at his watch, slightly worried.

NORM:

He's been gone a long time.

SHAKE:

(without looking up)

Who?

NORM:

Paul's grandfather.

SHAKE:

Oh, I didn't notice, where'd he go?

NORM:

Down the... er...

SHAKE:

Oh, down the... er...?

NORM:

Yeah, down the... er...

SHAKE:

Well, give a couple of minutes...

He resumes reading. But NORM goes on worrying.

INTERIOR OF ANOTHER RAILWAY COMPARTMENT

Grandfather is in full flight of conversation with a charming

elderly lady, AUDREY, who is listening intently.

GRANDFATHER:

(proudly)

Yes, I'm their manager, I discovered

them.

LADY AUDREY:

Did you indeed, Mr. McCartney?

GRANDFATHER:

Now, Audrey, I told you, the name's

John. We show biz people are a

friendly lot.

AUDREY:

Of course, John.

GRANDFATHER:

Yes, they were playing the queues

outside the picture palaces of

Liverpool. Scruffy young lads, lacking

even the price of a jam roll. Orphans,

every Paddy's son of 'em. I saw their

potential at once although I had me

doubts about the little fella, a

savage primitive, that Ringo, but it

was him what gave in first. He picked

up a brick and heaved it at me and I

quelled him wid one fierce flash of

me eyes. "Mister, can you spare us a

copper?" he said. I was disarmed by

the grubby little outstretched

mauler... So, I took them under me

managerial banner.

AUDREY:

The usual ten per cent?

GRANDFATHER:

Oh, not at all, I let them have twenty-

five; sure aren't there four of them?

AUDREY:

(her eyes lighting up)

How fascinating. Do go on...

(pause)

...John.

GRANDFATHER:

...Oh, I'm all heart, Ma'am, all

heart... Well, I let...

INTERIOR CORRIDOR OF TRAIN

NORM and SHAKE meet with the BOYS as they are returning from

coffee.

NORM:

Eh, have you got Paul's grandfather?

JOHN:

Of course, he's concealed about me

person.

NORM:

No... he's must have slipped off

somewhere.

PAUL:

(accusingly)

Have you lost him?

NORM:

Don't exaggerate.

PAUL:

You've lost him.

SHAKE:

Put it this way, he's mislaid him.

PAUL:

You can't trust you with anything,

Norm, if you've lost him, I'll cripple

you.

SHAKE:

He can't be far.

JOHN:

I hope he fell off.

PAUL:

(mildly)

Don't be callous.

RINGO:

He doesn't like me, honest, I can

tell... It's 'cos I'm little.

GEORGE:

You've got an inferiority complex,

you have.

RINGO:

Yeah, I know, that's why I took up

the drums. It's me active compensatory

factor.

JOHN and PAUL run down the corridor. SHAKE and NORM turn

from the door and go in the opposite direction, GEORGE and

RINGO follow after the other two boys.

INTERIOR CORRIDOR OF TRAIN

PAUL and JOHN look into various compartments. CLOSE SHOT of

RINGO looking into compartments in the manner of Groucho

Marx. In one of the compartments we see from RINGO'S P.O.V.

the occupant, a glamorous woman, TANIA, with a small lap

dog.

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