Cool Hand Luke Page #18

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LUKE:

It's a phoney. Made it up just for

you guys.

LOUDMOUTH STEVE:

Aw, come on. We saw it all.

TATTOO:

The champagne.

TRAMP:

Some life.

FIXER:

You really had it made.

LUKE:

Nothin. I had nothin, made nothin.

Couple towns, couple bosses. Laughed

out loud one day and got turned in.

KOKO:

(about to cry)

But -- but --

LUKE:

That's all there was. Listen. Open

your eyes. Stop beatin' it. And stop

feedin' off me. Now get out of the

way. Give me some air.

Stunned, the men shrink back.

DRAGLINE:

He ain't himself. He's all beat up.

Cain't you see that? He don't know

what he sayin'.

EXT. ROAD DAY

Luke is working with great difficulty, pained, weary under

the double set of chains. Bosses Paul and Kean stand right

over him, watching every move.

ANGLE ON GODFREY

standing far behind, his mirrored eyes on Luke.

ON LUKE:

moving, he stumbles on the chains, gets hit by Paul's cane.

BOSS PAUL:

You was eyeballin', Luke. You can't

gitcha mind on them weeds if yer

eyeballin'...

LUKE:

(wearily)

Boss, you don't need reasons to hit

me.

He gets the cane again.

BOSS PAUL:

Gonna learn you not to back sass!

EXT. THE BOX (NIGHT)

as Luke is slammed into it and the door is closed.

INT. THE BARRACKS (NIGHT)

The poker game is in progress: Dragline, Koko, Blind Dick,

Gambler, Tattoo with Tramp behind him. Society Red stands at

the window, looking out as he brushes his hair.

SOCIETY RED:

He'll never make it.

KOKO:

What are you talking about?

SOCIETY RED:

He doesn't know when to give in.

They'll kill him.

KOKO:

Give in? That's our Luke out there.

DRAGLINE:

That ole box collapse and fall apart

before Luke calls quits.

SOCIETY RED:

Your Luke's got more guts than brains.

KOKO:

I don't see no sign of guts in you.

SOCIETY RED:

No. No chains either.

KOKO:

(heating up)

You ain't man enough to wear them!

SOCIETY RED:

But you're dog enough. Maybe they'll

let you sleep outside the box near

your master.

KOKO:

Big deal paper hanger! Hell, anyone

who can write can pass fifty-sixty

dollar checks. Like breakin' open a

piggy bank.

SOCIETY RED:

You've been having bad luck with

masters, haven't you? Your last one

left you when the cops came... and

now Luke. You should complain to the

S.P.C.A.

KOKO:

(rushing him)

You phony creep!

Dragline steps in to separate them.

DRAGLINE:

Awright, that's enough. You wanna

end up in the box, too?

The tire rim sounds.

CARR'S VOICE

First bell! First bell!

INT. MESS HALL (NIGHT)

The men file in from work, sullen and quiet, Dogboy serving

but without his usual chatter. Higgins leans back, unusually

alert.

ANGLE ON DOORWAY

Suddenly Luke appears, unshaven but cleaned up and in his

uniform. The men make room as he moves to his accustomed

place at the head of the line, before Dynamite.

DOGBOY:

Here's our champeen hog gut. Ain't

et for four days, gonna need a little

extra... Well we got plenty for you...

He's heaping food onto Luke's plate.

DOGBOY:

(continuing)

Now you know the rules... gotta eat

everything on the plate or go back

in the box, right, Boss?

Higgins nods, Dogboy continues to pile it on. When Luke tries

to move on, Dogboy reaches out and grabs the plate with his

free hand and continues to ladle it out. Behind Dogboy, Jabo,

the cook, looks sympathetic to Luke.

JABO:

(to Dogboy)

We ain't got but one pot of stew,

you know. He ain't the only one

eatin'.

DOGBOY:

(piling it on)

Man use to Free World food gotta big

appetite... so here's some more

potatoes and here's some ice cream

and some cake with choclat fudge

sauce... there you go, stretch that

hog-belly right out.

Luke looks at the impossibly piled plate and moves off.

LUKE AT A TABLE:

He is eating with great difficulty, finally puts his spoon

down and his eyes close with weariness. Koko reaches over

and takes a bite off the plate. Luke sits there and one by

one the men get up and file out, each one passing behind

Luke and taking a bite until, as Deacon takes the last

mouthful, the plate is empty and Luke stands up and leaves.

EXT. CAMP YARD (DAY)

It is Saturday afternoon. The men have just returned from

the road. Luke moves slowly toward the barracks, Dragline

helping him.

DRAGLINE:

You made the week, boy. Plenty of

time to rest up for old Monday.

They move a few feet until confronted by...

THEIR P.O.V. BOSS PAUL AND BOSS KEAN

BOSS PAUL:

Luke!

Kean steps forward, draws a long line in the dirt of the

yard, barring the path, moves three feet back and draws a

parallel line.

BOSS PAUL:

Boss Kean say that's his ditch. I

tol' him that their dirt is yore

dirt. What's yore dirt doin' in his

ditch?

Luke looks up at them blindly.

LUKE:

(weakly)

I don't know, Boss.

Boss Paul canes him and the other prisoners scatter. Boss

Kean throws a shovel at Luke's feet.

BOSS PAUL:

You git yore dirt outa his ditch,

boy!

Luke takes up the shovel and starts to dig.

BOSS PAUL:

Roll! I wanna see you roll it!

He canes Luke across the back, Luke digs.

ANGLE ON BARRACKS

It is later. The men sit on the stoop, the usual Saturday

activities.

ANGLE ON LUKE:

He is hidden up to his waist in the trench he has dug, about

three feet deep and wide and as long as the lines Kean drew.

ANGLE ON MEN:

watching.

ANGLE ON BOSS SHORTY

walking along briskly, feigns surprise at seeing what Luke

is doing. He stops.

TWO SHOT BOSS SHORTY AND LUKE

BOSS SHORTY:

Luke, what you think you doin'?

LUKE:

(not stopping)

Diggin' my dirt outa Boss Kean's

ditch, Boss.

Shorty is carrying a hoe handle with which he hits Luke on

the head. Luke slumps to the ground.

BOSS SHORTY:

Be damned iff'n you gonna put your

dirt in mah yard. You hear me?

LUKE:

(getting to his feet)

Yes, Boss.

BOSS SHORTY:

Then git it out there. Roll it, heah?

Luke begins slowly shoveling the dirt back into the ditch.

Boss Shorty nods with satisfaction and walks away.

ANGLE ON LUKE (LATE AFTERNOON)

The dirt is almost all back in the ditch. A shadow falls on

the dirt beside him. A walking stick falls across his buttocks

and he staggers to his knees.

BOSS PAUL'S VOICE

Ah done told you to get yore dirt

outa Boss Kean's ditch, didn't ah?

LUKE:

(getting to his feet)

Yes, Boss.

BOSS PAUL:

Then how come it ain't done yet?

LUKE:

I don't know, Boss.

BOSS PAUL:

You don't know!

He canes Luke on the back of the legs. Luke falls and rolls

over and Paul canes him across the head. Luke gets up on all

fours and makes a rush right at Boss Paul. He is so weak and

uncoordinated that the attack does nothing but smear blood

and dirt over Paul's uniform. The guards beat Luke away and

he falls on his back in the soft dirt.

INT. BARRACKS (NIGHT)

The men are restless, their efforts to ignore what's happening

are futile. Dragline gets up and looks out the window into

the yard. Koko leans over beside him. He holds the picture.

DRAGLINE'S P.O.V.

Luke under the lights, working again, slowly, dumps a shovel

full of dirt and hasn't the strength to move the shovel.

Momentarily, he stops moving and is hit. We HEAR the thud

and the groan he gives.

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