Cool Hand Luke Page #8

---

KOKO:

(tentatively)

Cuter.

LUKE:

(automatically)

Kick a buck.

KOKO:

Damn.

He looks up to Dragline for help.

DRAGLINE:

Kick him back a buck!

Koko looks uncertain, but listens.

KOKO:

Back a buck.

LUKE:

(automatically)

Kick a buck.

Koko looks up to Dragline: What do we do now?

DRAGLINE:

Don't look at me, mullet-head.

Koko looks to the others.

GAMBLER:

Man, you play like a kokonut. You

got to call him at least.

KOKO:

I know he's got a paira kings. He

don't have to stick 'em in my ear.

BLIND DICK:

Gotta have kings.

GAMBLER:

Sure he's got kings but you still

gotta call him.

Koko looks back to Dragline.

DRAGLINE:

Man's got a paira kings, get your

tail out.

Koko folds. Luke reaches for the pot at the same time that

Dragline reaches for Luke's cards.

DRAGLINE:

Nuthin'! A handfull of nuthin'!

(cuffs Koko)

You stupid mullet-head. He beat you

with nuthin'! Just like today when

he kept coming back at me.

LUKE:

(smiling)

Nuthin' can be a pretty cool hand.

DRAGLINE:

Cool Hand Luke.

So saying, Dragline saves face and the baton of leadership

is passed.

EXT. YOYO SHIMMERING IN THE SUN TRANSITIONAL DEVICE (DAY)

swinging away the time...

INSERT:
ROAD MOVING SHOT DAY

SHOOTING THROUGH cage truck, as it moves swiftly along, the

landscape a blur of shadows and racing phone poles, etc.,

the men shadows slouched on their benches inside.

DISSOLVE TO:

BEARCAUGHT AVENUE

This is a country road running over rolling moors, land open

to the sky and sun, the roads reaching out to infinity. The

cage truck rolls to the end of the road and stops. Stretching

out on either side of the road, every five feet is a pyramid

of freshly dumped sand.

ANGLE ON REAR OF TRUCK

as the bull gang gets down, looks at the sand, are given

shovels.

KOKO:

Oh no, man! Not on this hot muther.

GAMBLER:

All the bears gonna be walking today.

ALIBI:

(nervously)

What's the deal?

DRAGLINE:

Tar truck.

At these bleak words, over the last rise comes a filthy

blackened tank truck with a fire in its belly and an array

of pipes and valves at its rear, like a hellish beetle.

KOKO:

(to Tattoo, Tramp,

Alibi)

You think you've been working hard.

This muther'll break your back.

SOCIETY RED:

This is a big day for the guards.

They get to remind us who's boss.

TRAMP:

I ain't forgot.

ON THE MEN:

as the truck driver makes adjustments in the heater, flame,

etc.

BOSS PAUL:

Awright, every second man, git to

the other side of the road.

Dragline, Dynamite, Gambler, Tattoo, Loudmouth Steve, Alibi,

Sleepy, Stupid Blondie and Chief cross over, leaving Luke,

Koko, Society Red, Tramp, Babalugats, Blind Dick, Mechanic

and Sailor. The tar truck begins to move slowly down the

road, spreading a black, hot, acrid wake behind it.

BOSS PAUL:

(continuing; with

undisguised malice)

Captain heard this gang been doin'

so good, gave us this special job.

We got three miles of tarrin' to

cover today. Let's roll it!

NEW ANGLE ON THE MEN

They begin to work, digging a shovel-full of sand, fanning

it out over the hot tar, moving up to the next pile. Luke

and Dragline in the lead of their respective groups. The

guards move up along the ridges behind the men, urging them

to move faster, caning the slow workers.

BOSS PAUL:

Let's git with it!

BOSS SHORTY:

Roll it, heah?

ANGLE GODFREY:

He is at the rear of the columns, walking down the center of

the road. With his stick he points to spots where the tar

has not been covered and the nearest man flicks a spray of

sand over it.

ON LUKE WITH KOKO AND SOCIETY RED LATER

They are working steadily but it is hot, hard, back-breaking

labor. Koko stops for a moment to rub his arm.

KOKO:

Oh man. I'm gonna twist my arm off

if this heat don't kill me first.

Boss Paul canes him across the legs.

BOSS PAUL:

Roll it!

ON DRAGLINE:

sweating and suffering across the road, just keeping up with

Luke.

DRAGLINE:

Hey, buddy. Take it easy. You're

making me look bad.

LUKE:

The man wants speed, let's give it

to him. Ram it in and break it off.

Go hard. Shag it.

Dragline begins to work harder, digging and fanning, keeping

pace with Luke.

ON DRAGLINE AND DYNAMITE

DYNAMITE:

(panting)

Whatta we racin' for?

DRAGLINE:

Man wants speed, let's give it to

him. Use that shovel like you use

your spoon. Shag it, man!

Dynamite understands and throws himself into it.

FULL SHOT THE MEN

up to their waists in smoke and dust, splattered with tar,

working like devils as the word passes down the line.

BLIND DICK:

(to Society Red)

Go hard!

GAMBLER:

(to Tattoo)

Ram it in and break it off!

ALIBI:

(to Sleepy)

Roll it!

LOUDMOUTH STEVE:

Shag it!

They are all working like hell.

ANGLE ON BOSS PAUL

He looks confused, concerned by this sudden manic activity.

ANGLE ON BOSS GODFREY

forced to walk faster to keep up, finding no unsanded spots

for his sorcerer's wand.

ON LUKE, DRAGLINE, OTHERS

enjoying the guard's confusion.

DRAGLINE:

(to Luke)

They don't know iff'n to smile, spit

or swallow.

LUKE:

They ain't never seen a bull gang

before.

SOCIETY RED:

Work those shovels instead of your

mouths.

WORKING ON BEARCAUGHT AVENUE

Essentially a MONTAGE, a wild insane ballet of labor as led

by Luke and Dragline, the bull gang throws itself into the

madness, muttering Luke's words of inspiration to each other

and loving the guards' confusion. (SONG ON SOUND TRACK)

TRAMP:

Go hard!

TATTOO:

Ram it in...

MECHANIC:

Break it off...

SOCIETY RED:

Roll it!

DYNAMITE:

Shag it!

STUPID BLONDIE:

Move it!

Luke grins and works. The guards are tense and uneasy and

walk the road backward, not daring to turn their backs on

these madmen. Rabbit runs around with his water bucket but

the men don't drink, just upturn the water over their faces

and keep going.

ON BOSS PAUL:

confused, angry, has not been able to cane anyone in an hour.

As Rabbit rushes by:

BOSS PAUL:

Rabbit! What the hell's goin' on?

RABBIT:

(knows but isn't saying)

I don't know, Boss. They must be

bearcaught. All of them.

He rushes off, as caught up in the esprit as the others.

WORKING AGAIN:

More of the madness but now even faster, sweatier, wilder.

The men are bearcaught by their sudden power to confound the

guards. ALL SHOTS FAVORING Luke, splattered with tar, working

right behind the truck.

ON GODFREY:

Replacing his stick with a rifle, as tense and uncertain as

the other bosses, staring at Luke with blank, hating eyes.

ON LUKE:

as he looks up just as the tar truck turns off the road which

has ended, crossed by a small highway. They have finished.

Luke stands straight, looking out across the highway to the

rolling green beyond. Dragline works up to him.

DRAGLINE:

Where'd the road go?

LUKE:

That's it. That's the end.

KOKO:

But there's still daylight left.

DRAGLINE:

(checking the sun)

'Bout two hours left.

LOUDMOUTH STEVE:

What do we do now?

Luke has been looking at the guards who have grouped in

conference around Boss Paul who has his watch out. They look

concerned, gesticulating toward Luke and the others.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes