Memphis Belle Page #12

(CONTINUED)

63.

137 CONTINUED:

LUKE:

I'd give anything to fly a

Thunderbolt. You're all alone,

you can do anything you want.

That's flying.

138 INT. WAIST

Phil is here, with Jack and Eugene. He has a small,

light oxygen tank slung over his shoulder on a strap.

It has eight minutes of air in it. Whenever the men

move around the plane for any length of time, they use

these little tanks, taking a hit of oxygen when they

need it. Both Jack and Eugene have their masks off to

talk. Phil hands Eugene a fountain pen.

PHIL:

It's the best pen money can buy.

EUGENE:

Why can't I have the baseball

cards?

PHIL:

They're for Jack. Here, Jack.

He hands Jack the baseball cards. Jack looks longingly

at the fountain pen.

JACK:

I'm really more of a football

fan myself.

Angrily, Phil grabs the pen from Eugene, thrusts it at

Jack, then takes the cards and gives them to Eugene.

He shouts at them.

PHIL:

Happy?

He turns and stomps out of the room.

139 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is changing the film in his camera when he hears

the ROOKIE'S VOICE on the RADIO.

ROOKIE (V.O.)

Mother and Country calling

Memphis Belle. Come in.

Danny flips a switch on the radio.

(CONTINUED)

64.

139 CONTINUED:

DANNY:

Read you, Mother. What's wrong?

Danny looks out his right window. Mother and Country can

be seen, flying very close. We might even see the

Rookie's head.

ROOKIE (V.O.)

Nothing, Danny, I just had a

question.

DANNY:

We're not supposed to use the

radio unless it's an emergency.

ROOKIE (V.O.)

Oh, sorry. It was just about my

log book, whether I should write

down every radio communication I

hear or just...

DANNY:

Write down everything at first.

Then later on... Look, we better

sign off.

ROOKIE (V.O.)

Okay. Thanks, Danny. I won't

bother you again.

Danny has wound his camera. He stands up and aims it out

the right radio room window.

DANNY:

I'm taking your picture. Smile.

Danny snaps the picture.

140 INT. NOSE

Phil extends the line on his map out across the North

Sea. His hand shakes and the line goes wobbly.

DENNIS (V.O.)

We're getting close to enemy

territory. Be on guard. Call

out those fighters soon as you

see them.

141 INT. WAIST

Jack is alert, tense, checking the sky for fighters.

(CONTINUED)

65.

141 CONTINUED:

He checks from eight to ten o'clock, high and low. He

still isn't aware of the sign on his back. Eugene also

watches the sky, nervously. His duty is two o'clock to

four o'clock, high and low.

EUGENE:

Clay, you really sang great last

night. You should do like we keep

saying. After the war go to

to Hollywood and get a record

contract like Frank Sinatra.

JACK:

Yeah, so we can say we knew you

when.

142 OMITTED

143 INT. TAIL

Clay has a bird's eye view of the formation, spread out

in perfect "Vs" across the sky. It's a spectacular

sight. Clay is whittling his model plane. He looks up

occasionally for fighters -- his area is mainly four to

eight o'clock low.

CLAY:

Nah. I'm gonna get a nice little

farm and a nice little wife and

settle down.

143A INT. COCKPIT

Dennis is intently flying the plane. Luke is, as usual,

sitting beside him with nothing to do.

CLAY (V.O.)

Luke's the one should go to

Hollywood. He could star in the

movies.

LUKE:

Maybe, maybe. I don't know what

I'm going to do after the war.

Except not work.

RASCAL:

Yeah, Luke, why go back to the

daily grind of being a lifeguard?

Take it easy!

(CONTINUED)

66.

143A CONTINUED:

VIRGE (V.O.)

I know exactly what I'm going to

do.

RASCAL:

Virge, if I hear one more word

about that stupid restaurant...

144 OMITTED

145 INT. TOP TURRET

Virge is slowly turning in his turret, watching the upper

sky, all hours of the clock.

VIRGE:

It's not stupid! At least I've

got a plan. What are you going

to do after the war, Rascal?

RASCAL (V.O.)

Come to your restaurant and rob

it!

145A INT. NOSE

Val is behind his gun on the right front side of the

nose. He's searching the sky, twelve to three o'clock

high and low. Phil is on his gun on the left side,

checking the sky nine to twelve, high and low.

JACK (V.O.)

Val's the smart one. He's almost

a doctor already. What kind of

doctor are you going to be, Val?

VAL:

A rich one. What about Phil?

What should he be after the

war?

Nerves on edge, Phil looks at Val.

VAL:

Wait. I've got it. A mortician!

Val cackles with laughter. Phil doesn't think it's

funny at all. He turns away.

67.

146 INT. COCKPIT

Above and ahead, the first flight can be seen, still

streaming contrails from their engines.

DENNIS:

Fellas, think about this. My

family has a furniture business.

We make furniture, sell it. You

can all come work for me.

Silence.

DENNIS:

Like I said, don't give it a

thought.

LUKE:

That's just what we need, you

ordering us around the rest of

our lives. 'Do the pre-flight

check!'

RASCAL (V.O.)

'Don't hog the intercom!'

VIRGE (V.O.)

'Keep your gloves on!'

DANNY (V.O.)

'Check your masks!'

JACK (V.O.)

'Call out those fighters!'

CLAY (V.O.)

'Let's make this our best one

yet!'

VAL (V.O.)

'Right in the pickle barrel!'

Laughter all around the plane.

DENNIS:

I'm not that bad.

147 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is behind his gun. He watches the sky from four

to eight, high.

CLAY (V.O.)

Danny boy, you didn't say what

you're gonna do when it's all

over.

(CONTINUED)

68.

147 CONTINUED:

DANNY:

(hesitantly)

Clay, I don't really like talking

about it. I mean, what if

something happens...

(hesitates)

What I mean is, it just seems so

far away, that's all.

A silence as the men think about how far away the end

of the war really is. Now Danny feels bad for spoiling

the mood.

DANNY:

I'm sorry, guys.

Suddenly, Eugene's voice calls out, sharply.

EUGENE (V.O.)

Bandits, five o'clock high!

148 INT. WAIST

Eugene swings his gun towards the rear and aims at two

tiny specks in the sky. He's already nervous, jumpy.

149 INT. TOP TURRET

Virge spins his turret to five o'clock and sights in the

fighters with his two big .50 calibers, excited and

anxious.

150 INT. TAIL

Clay, calm as ever, puts down his penknife and model

plane, takes hold of his guns and aims them at five

o'clock.

151 INT. COCKPIT

Luke looks out his window. The Thunderbolts are peeling

off to chase the fighters.

LUKE:

Go get 'em, little friends!

DENNIS:

Hold your fire till Gerry's

in range. Don't waste

ammunition.

69.

152 INT. WAIST

Eugene OPENS FIRE at the fighters, still far away.

DENNIS (V.O.)

I said, hold your fire!

Eugene stops firing.

JACK:

That was Geenie the weenie.

Jack laughs and looks at Eugene. Eugene fakes a kick

to Jack's groin. Jack doesn't even flinch, he just

laughs.

153 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The Thunderbolts and German fighters rush at each other

at a combined speed of over 600 m.p.h., FIRING away.

Just when the fighters seem about to collide, the

Thunderbolts peel away and soar off into the sky. The

M-109s keep coming. They're smaller and more sleek than

the Thunderbolts, like cigars with wings. They can do

anything they want.

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