Danny Collins

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1 INT. CHIME IN MAGAZINE OFFICES - DAY (1971) 1

We listen to the song as we pick up snapshots from an

office of an early 70’s music magazine:

-Cigarettes are smoked indoors, everywhere. Smoke wafts

over cubicles, everywhere.

-Women wear mini-skirts. Really “mini” mini-skirts.

-Music POSTERS and SIGNAGE line cubicle walls. Hendrix.

Dylan. Simon and a Jew-fro’d Garfunkel.

-A poster of a young RICHARD NIXON. Someone has drawn a

MUSTACHE on Nixon’s face as well as a “SPEECH BUBBLE”

which reads “I’m an a**hole.”

-We hone in on a SINGLE CIGARETTE. A hand places it in

an ASHTRAY. The now-empty hand removes the needle from

the record player (stopping the song).

VOICE (O.S.)

Well, it’s a hell of an album,

Kid. People are gonna freak.

The album goes into a SLEEVE and gets placed on a table.

The album’s cover bears only a simple title: Danny

Collins.

The cigarette gets picked back up, and the “voice” takes

his place behind a desk. His other hand picks up a

DICTAPHONE.

VOICE (O.S.) (CONT’D)

(re:
recording)

This cool?

SECOND VOICE (O.S.)

Sure.

He hits RECORD. A PACK OF CIGARETTES are held forward.

(CONTINUED)

2.

1 CONTINUED:
1

VOICE (O.S.)

Smoke?

SECOND VOICE (O.S.)

No thanks.

The pack is pulled back REVEALING for the first time:

OUR INTERVIEWER, GUY DELOACH (36). His style is of the

day and his manner that of a hippie who thinks he knows

everything about anything worth knowing.

DeLoach leans back in his seat. He takes a long drag on

his cigarette as he studies the YOUNG MAN opposite him.

ON THIS YOUNG MAN

Throughout, we see him only in FACELESS SNAPSHOTS.

-Long hair, very much of the era.

-Open collared shirt. A hairless chest.

-A single gold cross on the hairless chest.

-Those few facial features we can make out are boyish,

untouched by... well, anything.

DELOACH:

Jesus H, you’re a baby. What are

you, sixteen?

YOUNG MAN:

Twenty-one.

DELOACH:

Jesus H.

(beat, then)

Well the album’s gonna be massive,

Kid. Who got you there?

YOUNG MAN:

I’m sorry?

DELOACH:

Your influences. Who do you dig?

Who makes you hard?

YOUNG MAN:

(uncomfortable)

Oh, well, I-

DELOACH:

Hold on.

DeLoach picks up the recorder, speaks into it.

(CONTINUED)

3.

1 CONTINUED:
(2) 1

DELOACH (CONT’D)

June 30th, 1971, Guy DeLoach withDanny Collins for Chime Mag.

(then)

More than anything it’s your

writing. You write like fuckingLennon, man.

DANNY:

Oh, well, that’s... thank you.

DELOACH:

He’s clearly an influence here,

no?

DANNY:

Yeah, I mean... I guess he’s the

one who makes me the hardest?

A beat. DeLoach LAUGHS, shakes his head.

DELOACH:

Jesus H. Well, you’re going to be

huge, Kid. I know the real thingwhen I hear it and you’re it.

Danny doesn’t say anything. DeLoach raises a brow.

DELOACH (CONT’D)

Kid, look at me. I’ve been a star-

maker and a star-f***er for a verylong time, and I’m telling you:

You. Are. Going. To. Be.

Huge. Richer than richer, famous

as sh*t, more women than you knowwhat to do with. And I’m telling

you this, and I’ve got to ask: why

are you sitting there, staring atme, looking like that informationscares the living sh*t out of you?

Danny leans forward, full-frame for the first time.

DANNY:

Because it does.

CUE TITLE CARD:

DANNY COLLINS:

CHYRON:
42 YEARS LATER

2 OMITTED 2

4.

3 EXT. THE GREEK - EVENING 3

The large marquee outside the famous theatre bears onlyfour words:

Danny Collins. Sold Out.

4 OMITTED 4

5 INT. BACKSTAGE - MEANWHILE 5

A sign on the dressing room door reads: HEADLINER.

the distance we hear a dull, thumping ROAR. THUMP.

THUMP. THUMP. A distant crowd awaits their star.

In

6 INT. DRESSING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 6

A HAND fingers a CROSS.

The cross dangles from a chain, half buried in a patch ofgray chest hair. The cross is removed, placed on a table.

The cross OPENS, like a coffin, and dumps a line ofCOCAINE on a table.

A NOSE comes into frame, snorts some.

AT THE MIRROR:

Preparation for show time:

- GRAY HAIR STRANDS are darkened with HAIR COLORER.

- A GIRDLE is strapped over an undershirt.

- PLATFORM SHOES are stepped into, providing an extrafive inches of height.

7 INT. TUNNEL - MOMENTS LATER 7

From behind, we TRACK our hero as he marches through thebowels of the arena in his platform shoes - his steps arewobbly, not exactly in a straight line.

He passes some GIGGLING GIRLS, nods at them. He passes afew “backstage” types, including a familiar ROADIE.

ROADIE:

Break a leg, Danny.

(CONTINUED)

5.

7 CONTINUED:
7

DANNY:

(from behind)

Just tell me whose.

The Roadie LAUGHS as Danny moves on. The CHANTING CROWD

grows closer.

AT THE STAGE CURTAIN/DOOR

From behind, we watch as he pauses. One deep breath.

One crack of the neck, each way. Then:

He gives a THUMBS UP to someone off to the side. The

curtain/door opens as he steps out onto the stage infront of 20,000 adoring fans.

Needless to say, they go completely bat-sh*t.

8 ON STAGE 8

We stay behind Danny as he strolls forward, takes themic, and greets his fans.

DANNY:

Thanks for coming, Los Angeles.

It’s good to be home.

The crowd ROARS approval.

DANNY (CONT’D)

I think you might know this one.

Danny turns to his BAND, NODS, and...

LIGHTS BLAST ON!!! Everywhere. The crowd ERUPTS.

Our CAMERA SWEEPS over the crowd revealing, in full,

DANNY COLLINS for the first time since he was twenty-one.

He’s still a striking man, but the years have definitely

left their mark.

He wears an impeccably tailored but boldly coloredoutfit. And those platform shoes. Equal parts RodStewart and Neil Diamond.

There are instruments everywhere... but Danny’s not

playing any of them.

This is over-the-top spectacle... but not caricature.

The music, the act, it’s cheesy without being cartoony,

campy without being completely void of melody.

It’s pretty clear that the stadium isn’t the only thing

that has sold out.

(CONTINUED)

6.

8 CONTINUED:
8

Danny has clearly led off with his biggest hit, akin to

Sweet Caroline (equally catchy, almost as good). Sweet

Caroline is a good reference actually, mainly because

from the first note (and especially the chorus), the

audience is SINGING ALONG in a call and response fashion

(TWO VIDEO SCREENS even cue the audience to sing their

part with bouncing-ball karaoke-esque prompts).

The CROWD (older) eats it all up. A WOMAN sings his

chorus “Hey, Baby Doll” while also wearing a “Hey, Baby

Doll” T-shirt. ANOTHER WOMAN holds up a sign that reads

“This Granny Loves Danny.”

ON DANNY:

During the song he mingles with women in the front row -

he kisses one woman’s hand, blows a kiss to another. He

makes a show out of giving one woman his SCARF.

Danny takes in...

THE CROWD:

AN OLDER COUPLE, arm and arm, SING the response part of

the song back at him. They’re singing way too hard.

THREE OLDER WOMEN sit quietly in their front row seats,

eating RED VINES and mouthing words along, lifeless.

A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE sings along with energy... but

they’re LAUGHING. They’re not laughing with Danny.

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