Get on Up Page #17

119A EXT. POOL AREA BAR. SAME TIME. 119A

Our racist couple has now bellied up to an outside bar. Cold

Sweat leaks out into the bar area.

Unable to help themselves, the couple rises and begins todance.

119B BACK INSIDE THE REHEARSAL: 119B

The band is really hitting it hard. Vicky, Bobby...everyonefeelin’ it.

JAMES BROWN:

Mmmn! Huh! Now that a groove.

By God it is. James starts singing the cut.

120 INT. HOTEL BAR. NIGHT. 1967 120

The recording session is over. James has long since gone.

Maceo and Bobby relax at the bar.

MACEO:

Bobby, James Brown’s my meal

ticket. So I just shut my ears and

chomp down his bullshit. But why

you soak it up man? You his best

friend. You know him for time

brother. And he treat you like

that. I was you I’d bust him in his

damn mouth.

Bobby Byrd nods his head.

BOBBY BYRD:

I hang in there cause I remember

the day that I knew. Knew I was

never gonna be in front.

He looks at Maceo with a calm, measured sense of reality.

100

BOBBY BYRD (CONT’D)

You work so hard at this one thing

and then one day you realize it

ain’t supposed to be you. You can

get mad. Try to fight it but if

it’s God’s truth. It’s God’s truth.

James is supposed to be in front. I

saw it happen. And the man in front

has to BE the man in front. It

ain’t always pretty but that’s the

man’s responsibility if he wanna

stay there. And you and me can’t

know what that is. We ain’t

supposed to. So, don’t lie to

yourself Maceo.

Every man in this band walks taller

because he with James Brown. Every

man in this band believe in himself

a little more because he’s with

James Brown.

MACEO:

You sure you just ain’t too scared

to be in the front?

BOBBY BYRD:

No. But my ears a’ open. Open your

ears, Maceo. He’s a genius. And

he’s takin’ us with him.

CUT TO:

121 INT. KING RECORDING STUDIO. DAY. 1968 JAMES 35 YRS 121

Boiling studio. James drenched in sweat howls at themicrophone.

JAMES:

Mother, she got to have. Say, yougot to have a mother for me. Yeah,

popcorn!

The band sit right into the groove of MOTHER POPCORN and

sweet thunder rolls onto another master tape. Everyone’s eyesare glued to James standing in the centre: directing themwith body movements and gestures, playing the whole band likea single instrument.

JAMES (CONT’D)

Quit it.

(They stop.)

We missing something.

(They look at each other. It was perfect.)

(MORE)

101

JAMES (CONT’D)

Pee Wee, get over here by themicrophone. And bring that hornbox. That’s where you keep the wig,

right?

They all stop. Oh. Sh*t.

PEE WEE:

Mr. Brown?

CUT TO:

Now Pee Wee stands at the Microphone, uncomfortable, with thewig on, singing the song.

James is in with the horns, who are all crying with laughter,

enjoying the hell out of this rare moment of levity. James,

deadpan, eggs him on. Pee Wee calls for a horn solo from him.

SUDDENLY there’s a commotion in the mixing booth. Jamesbrings them to a stop.

JAMES:

What is it? Why we stop Henry?

The engineers hands go to their faces. Shaking heads.

JAMES (CONT’D)

What? What is it?

Bobby enters the room.

BOBBY BYRD:

It’s King. They shot Dr. King.

121A BLACKOUT:
SFX: BURNING. SIRENS. GUNFIRE. 121A

TELEVISION FOOTAGE. Riots all over America. Police beatingback groups of rioting youths.

122 INT. KING RECORDS - SYD NATHAN’S OFFICE - NIGHT. 122

James sits watching the carnage unfold. Ben Bart knocks andenters

BART:

Jimmy, Mayor of Boston’s office

called. Wanted you to know they’ve

cancelled tomorrow’s show at the

Garden. For reasons of public

safety. He’s worried about rioting.

102

James doesn’t look away from the screen.

JAMES BROWN:

Tell the Mayor, I sold 30 millionrecords and ninety five percent ofthem are to the black community.

They listen to me. They won’t riot

BART:

We have virtual race war loomingacross the South, Jimmy. Politics,

101? Don’t put 10,000 angry blackstogether in one place in the middleof a city, and broadcast it live tothe world.

JAMES:

Get the Mayor on the phone.

CUT TO:

123 INT. KING RECORDS. SYD NATHAN’S OFFICE - NIGHT. 123

James is on the phone with the mayor

JAMES:

Mr. Mayor, the way I see it, youalready lost your next election.

You lost it at 7:05 PM Memphistime.

CUT TO:

124 INT. BOSTON MAYOR OFFICE - NIGHT. 124

The mayor listens intently with the phone pressed to his ear.

JAMES:

Now tomorrow night, you either got10,000 angry folks in the BostonGarden, or you got 10,000 angryfolks on your front lawn. Take yourpick son. Which one you want?

125 INT. BOSTON GARDENS. NIGHT. 1968 JAMES 35 YRS 125

Tension in the air. Police on every exit. Dogs. On stage,

MAYOR WHITE speaks to a restless audience.

103

MAYOR:

All of us are here to night tolisten to a great talent. JamesBrown. But we’re also here to paytribute to one of the greatestAmericans, Dr. Martin Luther King.

So, let us look at each other and pledge thatwhatever else any other community might do we inBoston will honour Dr. King in peace.

James steps forward.

JAMES:

Brother before I get to this nextthing I wanna say. He’s a young manyou dig.

He’s a young man so he’s thinkingtogether. The man is together. Give

him another round of applause.

James watches the restless, shouting, crowd. He looks at thecameramen. The tension is unbearable. He lets it build.

JAMES (CONT’D)

Hit it.

A fast, rhythmic drum solo. Building. Faces in the crowd. Thepolice. Tense promoters and politicians to the beatingrhythms.

The band whipcrack into I GOT THE FEELING. James pulsates.

Spins. Pushes the stand away. Zip! It’s back.

A kid at the front gets onto the stage and sprints for Jamesonly to be tackled by James’ security. Another clambers upbut is kicked back by a police officer. The audience reactbadly.

Another kid gets on stage and cops harshly push him to thefloor and throw him back into the audience. Police come out

onto the right side of the stage and shine torches down intothe audience. They shove people back down.

A kid in a white jacket leaps on stage right in front ofJames. For a moment everyone stops. A white cop appears fromnowhere and viciously bodychecks the kid back into the frontrow in full view of the cameras.

The mayor stands in the wings flanked by policemen. Dede

stands behind them watching nervously.

MAYOR:

Oh no.

104

On stage James stops the band.

JAMES:

Wait a minute. Step off. Move off.

I’ll be a’ight here. I be fine.

James waves the police off the stage on either side to cheersand whistles from the audience.

Suddenly a ten year old kid appears next to James from out ofthe audience. He seems amazed to find himself there.

JAMES (CONT’D)

Do you wanna dance son? You dance.

No longer held back by police more kids invade the stage.

James respects them all, shaking hands and looking at themeye to eye. Kids throng around him on stage. He’s losingcontrol.

JAMES (CONT’D)

C’mon. C’mon now. Y’all go down. Goback down. Don’t nobody else comeup. Wait a minute. Wait. Ladies andgentleman. This is no way. This is.

We are black. We are black.

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