Blast from the Past

FADE IN:

SCENE 1 OMITTED

EXT. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY - NIGHT

OPEN on a MOVING WIDE SHOT of a mountain range with the

distant lights of the San Fernando Valley behind it.

BEGIN CREDITS as a NAVY JET drops down into the picture.

PUSH IN on the jet's exhaust flame. Have the words "THE

BLAST" come out of the flame. Then there is a SLIGHT

EXPLOSION and the flame intensifies. The words "FROM THE

PAST" jump out of the exhaust as the jet momentarily

shakes.

INT. JET

The PILOT feels the jet shake. But he looks at his

indicators and everything appears to be normal. He

relaxes.

EXT. JET

We begin with a WIDER REAR SHOT of the jet and allow the

plane to move away. Then SUPER: "LOS ANGELES, 1962"

before continuing the main titles. A popular recording

from that period has been playing throughout.

EXT. CALVIN'S WORK SHOP - NIGHT

Start on a CU of the HAM RADIO ANTENNA, WIND GAUGE and

THERMOMETER attached to the roof of Calvin's shop. (We

can hear military air traffic chatter on Calvin's

Hallicrafter radio.) Then move down to the window where

we see CALVIN Webber tinkering with a gadget at his work

bench. Calvin's very pregnant wife HELEN appears. The

music becomes source.

HELEN:

For Pete's sake, Calvin! We've got

guests!

CALVIN:

Sorry, honey! I just got to fooling

with this darn rheostat.

HELEN:

Well, put it down and come in!

CALVIN:

You bet, hon!

They exit the workshop for the house. Calvin has left

the ham radio on.

NAVY PILOT (ON

RADIO)

Tower, Wolf One is five miles from the

overhead.

TOWER (ON RADIO)

Wolf One, Tower. Report the numbers.

You're number one for the overhead.

NAVY PILOT (ON

RADIO)

Wolf one.

INT. COCKPIT OF JET - SAME TIME

The YOUNG PILOT looks down at the flashing red light on

his control panel. He speaks into the oxygen mask that

hangs loosely from his helmet.

PILOT:

Tower. Wolf One. I've got a problem

here.

TOWER (OC)

Say your problem, Wolf One. Are you

declaring an emergency?

PILOT:

Stand by. One.

INT. DINING ROOM

DAVE, BETTY, BOB, and RUTH (30's) pass around the buffet

table. Another period song is playing on the phonograph.

BETTY:

Just remember:
don't mention the

communists!

DAVE:

Calvin's a great guy, but he's a

little, you know...

BETTY:

Nutty.

RUTH:

What's his wife like?

BETTY:

Oh, you know, housewife.

DAVE:

Likes to cook. Pregnant.

RUTH:

Normal, then.

BETTY:

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

(then)

Helen!

Helen has entered from the kitchen with more food. She

favors June Allison.

HELEN:

Hi, Betty! Dave!

BETTY:

Just look at you!

HELEN:

Any day now!

BETTY:

This is my sister and her husband.

HELEN:

Oh, hi! Welcome!

INT. LIVING ROOM

Calvin is using a cocktail shaker to very carefully make

Rob Roys for the crowd at the bar. It's like watching a

chemist at work. Calvin's a pipe-smoker.

CALVIN:

So anyhow this duck says to the clerk,

"I'd like to buy this lip balm." And

the clerk says, "Will that be cash or

a check?" And the duck says, "Just

put it on my bill!"

Polite laughter follows, but the guy out of Calvin's

sight-line rolls his eyes.

ANGLE - DAVE AND BOB

with drinks. Helen is in the b.g., rushing around, over-

serving everyone.

DAVE:

He was the golden-boy professor at Cal

Tech. But then he starts inventing

things.

BOB:

What kind of things?

DAVE:

You got me. Some kind of special

synthetic rubber. And some kind of

automated machine. Anyhow, suddenly

he gets rich. I mean rich! And quits

teaching.

ANGLE - CALVIN

as his guests sample their Rob Roys.

CALVIN:

How's that?

GUEST:

Just what the doctor ordered!

Calvin gives the man his patented thumbs-up sign.

ANGLE - BETTY AND RUTH

over by the patio doors. We can see Calvin's shop through

the window.

BETTY:

With all his money they could have

moved to Beverly Hills, but they

decided to stay in the Valley. Calvin

spends all his time tinkering out

there in his workshop. If you ask me

it's all very strange.

WOMAN GUEST #1

(chiming in)

He dug a huge hole out there for a

swimming pool. Then he decided he

didn't want it and filled the thing

in. And what's that big, high fence

for?

The women look at Calvin.

ANGLE - CALVIN

with guests (one is called Harold) at the bar.

CALVIN:

There currently exists a type of neon

light that lasts five years. But you

won't see it on the market. Same is

true of batteries. I could take your

simple yacht battery and rig it to

last a decade, easily.

HAROLD:

Well, what the heck kind of a

marketing system can't get great new

products like that out to the public?

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