Memphis Belle Page #11

south southwest of Great Yarmouth.

This is the rally point. We're

in formation.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Okay, boys, we're on our way.

120 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

First we see the Memphis Belle, flying steady and level.

Then we PULL BACK to see its two wingmen, Baby Ruth and

Mother and Country flying tight on the left and right.

We CONTINUE PULLING BACK FURTHER AND FURTHER, REVEALING

more and more planes -- B-17s stacked up all over the sky.

The formation is composed of three groups, each group

containing eighteen planes. Memphis Belle is in the

first group. Within the first group there are three

squadrons:
high, lead and low. Memphis Belle is in the

lead squadron. The high squadron is above it, behind

and to the left. The low squadron is below and to the

right. Each squadron consists of six planes, divided

into two flights. The first flight flies above and

ahead of the second. In our squadron, the first flight

is Windy City, Mama's Boys and C Cup. Memphis Belle is

the lead plane of the second flight, with Baby Ruth and

Mother and Country as its left and right wingmen.

Altogether, there are nearly 300 planes in the air, a

majestic sight. Contrails -- wide, beautiful strips of

vapor -- are streaming from their engines. Below, the

deep green land ends in a white coastline. From then on,

nothing but grey sea.

121 INT. WAIST

Jack and Eugene are at their guns, watching the sky

tensely for fighters. Dennis's voice comes over the

INTERCOM.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Listen, men, I'm showing thirty

below zero up here, so keep your

gloves on. Don't touch your gun

with your bare hands or you'll

freeze right to it. I don't want

anyone losing any fingers.

122 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny carefully wraps the champagne bottle in an extra

blue heated suit, sets it carefully on the floor under

his desk, and plugs the socket into the outlet on the

wall.

(CONTINUED)

59.

122 CONTINUED:

DENNIS (V.O.)

And keep checking your masks for

frozen saliva. That stuff gets

down there and blocks up your

oxygen flow. The last thing I

need is someone passing out on

me.

123 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal spins the TURRET around, testing it. It turns

smoothly, with a high HYDRAULIC WHINE. He raises and

lowers his guns. He's still worried about the turret,

almost trying to find something wrong.

RASCAL:

In short, don't drool.

DENNIS (V.O.)

In short, check your masks.

124 INT. NOSE

Phil takes off his watch and sets it down on top of his

maps, where other items are laid out: his dog tags,

rabbit's foot, class ring and baseball cards which have

black and white photos of the Yankees on them. He's

trying to decide who gets what. Val is in the front of

the nose, checking the bombsight.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Keep the intercom free and call

out those fighters. Make it

short and sweet.

PHIL:

(to himself)

This is for Virge. No, Clay.

This is for Virge.

DENNIS (V.O.)

And don't shout. We can hear you

loud and clear. Let's make this

our best run yet. One we can

really be proud of.

VAL:

Right in the pickle barrel, huh,

Dennis?

DENNIS (V.O.)

Only in the pickle barrel. Keep

your minds on your job, work

together and stay alert.

60.

125 INT. TAIL

Clay has dropped off to sleep. He has fashioned a little

pillow from an extra pair of long johns and lodged it

between his head and the fuselage wall.

126 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is tuning his RADIO.

DANNY:

Captain, I'm getting Gracie Allen

here. Can I put her on?

RASCAL (V.O.)

Yeah, yeah!

VIRGE (V.O.)

Please, sir!

DENNIS (V.O.)

All right, Dennis. But when I

say that's enough...

Danny flips a switch. The voices of GEORGE BURNS and

GRACIE ALLEN are clear.

GRACIE (V.O.)

... My family is putting on a

back yard circus, just like we did

when I was a kid.

GEORGE (V.O.)

Every spring you kids used to put

on your own circus?

GRACIE (V.O.)

Yes. Of course, admission was

free, but that was only for

people who could afford it.

Audience laughter. Danny laughs, too.

127 INT. NOSE

Phil is still trying to figure out who gets what. He

has added a fountain pen and an air medal to the

collection.

GRACIE (V.O.)

Aunt Gertrude was the snake

charmer.

GEORGE (V.O.)

Aunt Gertrude? The one who's so

nearsighted?

(CONTINUED)

61.

127 CONTINUED:

PHIL:

Clay... Eugene... Jack...

128 INT. TOP TURRET

Virge is slowly rotating his turret, anxiously watching

the blue sky through the Plexiglas bubble.

GRACIE (V.O.)

Yes. She had a little snake and

she was supposed to put it in a

basket and then blow on a flute

until the snake stuck its head up.

129 INT. WAIST

Jack is behind his gun, watching the sky and eager to

get into action. Eugene has made a sign on the back of

an old flimsy and now puts two pieces of electrical

tape on it.

GRACIE (V.O.)

And what do you suppose happened

one Saturday afternoon?

GEORGE (V.O.)

She put the flute in the basket

and blew on the snake.

GRACIE (V.O.)

Wasn't that awful!

Jack laughs. Eugene laughs with Jack and slaps him on

the back, attaching the sign without Jack knowing it.

It reads, "COULDN'T GET LAID LAST NIGHT!"

130 INT. RADIO ROOM

A loud burst of STATIC. Danny adjusts the RADIO, but

the static won't go away.

GRACIE (V.O.)

I was the lion tamer. Of course,

I just used our house cat...

The voice disappears. Danny fiddles with the dials some

more. The signal returns, but very faintly.

GRACIE (V.O.)

... But when she got in front of

the audience she forgot all her

tricks and just had kittens...

(CONTINUED)

62.

130 CONTINUED:

The voices disappear again. This time Danny can't get

them back -- there's only STATIC. Disappointed, Danny

switches the RADIO OFF. Silence.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Okay, test your guns.

131 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal spins the turret as he FIRES. The vibration of

the GUNS rattles the turret and goes right through him.

132 INT. WAIST

Eugene and Jack FIRE out of their two open windows.

SHELL CASINGS SPIT out onto the floor.

133 INT. NOSE

Phil and Val FIRE their GUNS -- Phil on the left side,

Val on the right.

134 INT. TAIL

Clay wakes up in a panic. He grabs his gun and looks

around for fighters.

135 INT. TOP TURRET

Virge stops firing his guns. He puts up a hand to shield

his eyes from the bright sunlight.

VIRGE:

Little friends, three o'clock

high!

136 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

P-47 Thunderbolts streak across the sky above the

formation, like fat hummingbirds. They're careful not

to point their noses at or fly directly into the formation

to avoid being mistaken for enemy aircraft.

These one-seat fighters have a single propeller mounted

in a round, blunt nose with a white ring around the

cowling. They have eight machine gun barrels, four

on each wing. They zoom effortlessly through the air

at 300 m.p.h. and can perform dazzling acrobatics.

137 INT. COCKPIT

Luke watches as one of the Thunderbolts zips by on the

far side of Mother and Country.

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