Magnolia Page #4

STANLEY:

Should be one-thirty.

RICK:

I got an audition, I won't make it

here 'till two, c'mon, I'll see you

later. Love you.

STANLEY:

Love you too.

Rick drives off real quick. Stanley looks around at his backpacks.

CUT TO:

INT. 1960's SUBURBAN HOME - DAY

CAMERA pushes in on an old television set playing a clip

from "What Do Kids Know?" (1968) The clip shows a younger JIMMY GATOR

asking questions to a ten year old kid named DONNIE SMITH.

JIMMY:

Donnie, you have an answer?

DONNIE:

Promethius.

JIMMY:

It is!

TELEVISION CLIP continues and we see DONNIE and two other KIDS receive

a check from the younger JIMMY GATOR in the amount of 100,000 dollars

each. CU - Young Donnie Smith as he smiles, accepts check, shakes hands

with Jimmy.

TITLE CARD reads: Quiz Kid Donnie Smith - 1968

CUT TO:

INT. DENTIST OFFICE/EXAMINING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

DONNIE SMITH, aged 40, is reclined back in a dentist chair.

He has spiky hair, a small stud earing and a bad grey suit.

TITLE CARD reads: Quiz Kid Donnie Smith - Today

DONNIE:

This is really exiting....bet you don't

get many people my age getting braces --

CU - Donnie opens wide and the pink gook-imprint is placed in his mouth.

CU - A Nurse holds it in there and smiles, says:

NURSE #1

You were really cute when you were

on that show --

NURSE #2

-- you can't answer any questions right

now though, huh? He-he-he.

CU - Teeth. The gook imprint is taken out of his mouth.

CUT TO:

INT. DENTIST OFFICE/HALLWAY - LATER

CAMERA pulls back as DONNIE and his dentist, DR. LEE (Asian, 40s)

exit an examining room, smiling, through with their appointment...

DR. LEE

So we're all set to go, Donnie.

DONNIE:

Great, great, great, so I'll see you

tommorrow morning.

DR. LEE

You're running around like crazy, huh?

DONNIE:

I'm gonna be late for work.

CUT TO:

EXT. 7-11/PARKING LOT - NORTH HOLLYWOOD - DAY

CAMERA pushes in towards Donnie as he pulls into the parking lot

in his little HONDA ACCORD. He's smiling and singing along to

a song* as he pulls into a parking space....

...but he's going just a bit too fast...and in a flash, he's

over the parking stopper and up on the curb and taps the glass

store front just enough to have GLASS FALL AND SHATTER and DISPLAYS

FALL OVER ONTO THE HOOD OF THE CAR....

CAMERA pushes in on Donnie and some people running over to see

what's happend....

DONNIE:

What the hell? What the hell?

PEDESTRIAN:

Hey! It's Quiz Kid Donnie Smith.

PEDESTRIAN #2

Quiz Kid Donnie, why'd you drive

into the seven eleven?

CUT TO:

INT. EARL'S HOUSE - DAY

CAMERA pushes in real fast on the front door as PHIL PARMA (20s) enters.

He has a flat top, flip shade sunglasses that he flips up and he's

carrying 7-11 coffee and a donut....CAMERA WHIPS LFT to reveal;

In this nice house in Encino, a medical bed has been planted in the

middle of the living room. In the bed is EARL PARTRIDGE (70s) He is

very thin and bald and he is on his last legs, dying from cancer.

There are four or five MUTT DOGS that sleep on his lap and around

the bed and at the sound of the door they are up and BARKING.

A young MEXICAN NURSE sits next to Earl, motions to Phil and his post

is relieved. Phil moves in next to the bed, pets Earl's head;

PHIL:

How's today then?

EARL:

F***in' bullshit is what this is.

PHIL:

F***in' bullshit is right, in'it?

CAMERA MOVES INTO A CLOSE UP ON EARL, MOVES INTO HIS THROAT, QUICK

DISSOLVE INTO:

INT. EARL'S THROAT - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA moves around his throat and through his body, looking at

his BLOOD STREAM and watching, like a MEDICAL FILM, the cancer as

it eats away at his body...as we see it at work we hear a WHISPER

that is EARL'S VOICE:

EARL'S WHISPER VOICE

...f***in regret, move through this life....

..and we do these things...get that back...

...forget, forget....f***....f***......

...make it right....and we do these things....

QUICK DISSOLVE TO:

INT. EARL'S LIVING ROOM - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA PULLS BACK from Earl's throat to his MOUTH and his EYES and

he looks to Phil says;

EARL:

I'm onna need your help, Phil.

...you gotta help me something today...

CAMERA PANS over quick to PHIL.

PHIL:

I'II take care of anything, Earl.

CAMERA PANS/DOLLIES away and TILTS up to the cieling;

QUICK DISSOLVE TO:

INT. EARL'S HOUSE/UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA dollies in on LINDA PARTRIDGE (30s) as she paces around in a

nightgown, pops a pill, talks on the phone;

LINDA:

Well, you're his doctor and that's

why -- well tell me something -- tell

me something --

XCU, She sees the the bottle of pills she is popping from is empty.

LINDA (contd.)

And he needs more pills, then.

(beat)

F*** it, I'm coming to see you,

I need to come see you to get him more

pills and I need some answers so you

better just talk to me, I'm coming

to see you, I'm coming to see you --

She SLAMS down the phone.

CUT TO:

INT. EARL'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

CAMERA moves with Linda as she comes down the stairs, walks

over towards Earl's bed, trying to hide her state. Phil stands

up and looks to her.

PHIL:

Hi, Linda.

EXTREME CLOSE UP 2-SHOT. Linda and Earl. He opens his eyes just a bit.

She bends in and gives him a kiss on the forehead.

LINDA:

I love you, my darling.

She turns quickly, speaks as she walks out;

LINDA:

I'll be back in a while, Phil.

I have to go get some things and

I have to see something and I'll be back....

She continues to talk as she walks out the door.

CUT TO:

INT. GARAGE/LINDA'S MERCEDES - PARKED - MOMENTS LATER

CAMERA DOLLIES IN real quick as she gets behind the wheel. She SMASHES

her fists on the steering wheel and cries and cries and cries.

CUT TO:

INT. JIM KURRING'S APARTMENT - DAY

A very straight ahead apartment in Reseda where JIM KURRING (30s) lives.

SOUND of a 1-900 PERSONAL DATING SERVICE plays over following quick

shots of Kurring getting ready for his day;

-Jim is sipping his morning coffee, reading the paper.

-Jim in the shower.

-Jim doing push ups.

-Jim watching and laughing a bit with the Today Show.

-Jim kneeling down by his bed, praying.

PHONE SERVICE VOICE

...Press One to hear this person's personal

description of themself and Two to leave a

a personal message of your own --

The SOUND of touch-tone phone pressing "1."

JIM KURRING'S VOICE

Well, hello. This is Jim. I work in

Law Enforcement. I am an officer for

the L.A.P.D. and I work out of the Van Nuys

district. I love my job, and I love to go to

the movies. I try to stay pyhsically fit,

my job demands it, so I'm in pretty good shape.

I'm gettin' up there, though: I'm 32 years old

and I'm six feet two inches tall and I weigh about 160.

I'm really interested in meeting someone special

who likes quiet things.....my life is very

stressful and I'd hope to have a relationship

that is very calm and undemanding and loving --

The SOUND again of the touch-tone phone cancels Jim's description.

PHONE SERVICE VOICE

If you would like to hear more personal

descriptions from other men in your area,

press two now --

CUT TO:

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