Dog Day Afternoon

FADE IN:

EXT. ELECTRIC SIGN

It FILLS THE SCREEN (designed to exactly FILL THE FRAME size

of whatever ratio we're shooting in). It says:

2:
51

This message will be a little cryptic to the movie audience

on an essentially BLACK SCREEN. HOLD for a beat, then it

changes:
the lights flash this sign, which should explain it

to everyone:

94°

And a slow distant ROLL OF THUNDER in the far distance; now

the SOUND of media begin to come up loud, under:

EXT. FLATBUSH AVENUE - DAY

LONG SHOT down the Avenue, 400 mm lens, heat waves shimmering,

thousands of old people, and people with children in strollers

moving restlessly about in the heat on those endless miles

of benches.

The SHOT is ON SCREEN only for a beat or two, then gone...

SOUND TRACK COMES FROM A THOUSAND TRANSISTOR RADIOS, TV SETS,

AUTO RADIOS, BLENDED IN THE OPEN AIR...

RADIO ANNOUNCER 1 (V.O.)

...the situation continued tense in

the Middle East today, as...

EXT. SHEA STADIUM (TV CLIP) - DAY

An unnamed player swings and hits a high pop up...

ANNOUNCER 2 (V.O.)

...hits a high inside pitch foul

into the upper stands...

ANGLE ON CROWD:

as the ball comes down they scramble and fight for it...

A touch of viciousness...

ANNOUNCER 3 (V.O.)

...B-52's meanwhile, unleashed the

heaviest bombing of the war...

EXT. MOVIE HOUSE TO MACDONALD'S - DAY

We are SEEING HEIDI, though we don't know it yet - she's

just another pretty 175-pound Italian girl with two kids,

KIMMY, JIMMY, about four and five years old. Right now she

is a lump of browning flesh, shining with oil among rows of

similar ladies (mostly thinner, but all with a certain

unhealthy softness about them) laid out in rows and groups

across the sand. SHOOT LOW AND LONG, so heat shimmers rise,

as though the heat were baking the oil out of this mob,

visible suntan oil pollution... Heidi's transistor blasts

ROCK MUSIC into the air.

LYRICS (OVER)

(Roberta Flack)

REVEREND LEE, SHE SAID, LORD KNOWS I

LOVE YOU, REVEREND LEE - DO IT TO ME

(etc., etc.)

ANNOUNCER 3 (V.O.)

...the American High Command announced

the famed 25th Cavalry Division would

be coming home! The 25th Cavalry,

long since afoot, hardened in battle

in the jungles of World War II...

FAR DISTANT THUNDER ROLLS...

INT/EXT. SONNY'S CAR - STREET - DAY

It is parked in a drab Brooklyn street. Beside the car stands

SAL, medium height, also good-looking in an intense boyish

way. His eyes dart about suspiciously, the ever-watchful

Sal.

There is a watchful reserve in Sal that contrasts to Sonny's

outgoing bounciness: first impression is Sonny is all bark;

Sal is the bite. Sal is dressed in impressive blue suit

style, he looks like a kid trying to impress the Godfather.

He even wears a hat. Now, matching Sal's preparations inside

the car, he checks his tie's alignment, shoots his cuffs and

is ready...

Meanwhile, on their car radio:

ELTON JOHN:

(Amoreena)

AND SHE DREAMS OF CRYSTAL STREAMS OF

DAYS GONE BY WHEN WE COULD LEAN

LAUGHING FIT TO BURST UPON EACH

OTHER...

ANOTHER ANGLE BY CAR

As he turns, from the back of the car, JACKIE appears with a

huge florist box, tied with ribbon. Jackie is an eighteen

year old with bad complexion and in contrast to Sonny and

Sal is dressed in teenage sloppiness. Adidas, T-shirt,

bowling jacket, jeans. He is uncertain: waits for directions

from Sonny. Sonny takes the florist box from him.

We see a water truck drive down the street, followed by

Sonny's car, which drives up near bank. It stops, Jackie

gets out, crosses to bank window, peers through, then

ANGLE INSIDE CAR

returns to car. Leans in, has fake conversation with Sonny.

They are waiting. Sonny checks his watch, turns to Sal in

back seat:

SONNY:

30 seconds, Sal...

They wait. At appropriate moment, Sal exits car, walks toward

bank. Slowly Sonny gets out.

INT. BANK - DAY

A slightly seedy little branch bank, old yellow brick, blond

varnished wood, a rubber plant, an American flag. Through

the windows we SEE HOWARD, the aged black bank guard, in

uniform, taking down the American flag from outside. Past

him comes Sal carrying an attache case. He passes Howard

coming toward us through the door into the bank. As he passes

CAMERA:

INSERT:
BANK CLOCK

as it CLICKS from 2:57 to 2:58 PM.

MOVING SHOT WITH SAL

as he moves toward the left-hand deposit-slips desks.

He picks out a car-loan application slip, then walks toward

the manager's desk (as the sign on the desk proclaims) of

PATRICK MULVANEY. Sal sits down, his back to Mulvaney, facing

the front door of the bank. Mulvaney is on the phone.

ON DOOR:

as Sonny bustles through in his bouncy dancer's walk. He

carries the large florist box. He moves toward the left-

hand deposit-slips desks, takes one out and begins to fill

one out.

ON HOWARD:

as he pulls out the keys, attached to the belt of his uniform.

Jackie approaches the door of the bank and stops, neither in

nor out, as though he can't make up his mind. Howard watches

him, waiting patiently, keys in hand, folded flag under his

arm.

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