Memphis Belle Page #14

RASCAL (V.O.)

Next week, they've got to cut off

his arm. He asks them again,

'Could you please have someone

drop it over my base in England?'

This time they say,

(German accent)

'Nein. Zis ve can't do anymore.'

176 INT. BALL TURRET - RASCAL

sits a little forward to deliver the punchline.

RASCAL:

The guy says, 'Why not?' And they

say,

(German accent)

'Ve sink you're trying to escape!'

77.

177 INT. COCKPIT

The sound of LAUGHTER from all over the plane. Luke is

now flying the plane. Dennis is having more soup.

LUKE:

Pretty good, Rascal. I think even

Dennis liked that one.

EUGENE (V.O.)

Stoller! That's his name.

JACK (V.O.)

No... no...

VIRGE (V.O.)

Stoller wasn't on Windy City.

EUGENE (V.O.)

You sure?

JACK (V.O.)

Wait, it'll come to me.

CLAY (V.O.)

I can see the guy's face.

VIRGE (V.O.)

Me, too.

A long, bleak pause as they think about it. Then Rascal

breaks the silence.

RASCAL (V.O.)

Well, whatever his name was, it's

a good joke.

DENNIS:

Okay, men, let's stop fooling

around. The Gerries are out there.

Let's look sharp.

In the b.g., the Thunderbolts peel off from the formation.

LUKE:

Damn, are the little friends

leaving already?

VIRGE (V.O.)

They sure know when to run out of

fuel.

CLAY (V.O.)

They ain't dumb.

178 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The Thunderbolts gather in a squadron above the formation.

(CONTINUED)

78.

178 CONTINUED:

Below, the grey sea ends in brown and green countryside.

The Thunderbolts wiggle their wings, then drop away from

the formation, one by one.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Navigator, give me a position.

179 INT. NOSE - PHIL

starts to draw a line south-southeast, right into Germany.

PHIL:

Sir, that's the Third Reich down

there.

JACK (V.O.)

Now the sh*t really hits the fan.

180 OMITTED

181 INT. CO'S OFFICE

The office is scrupulously neat, the desk clean and clear.

There's the loud TICKING of a CLOCK. It's unnaturally

quiet -- none of the usual hustle and bustle of the base.

The CO is sitting at his desk, sharpening pencils. The

pencils are already as sharp as can be, but he continues

to sharpen them, one after another. Suddenly, a RAP on

the door and the S-2 enters.

S-2

Sir, you'd better come take a

look.

182 INT. MESS HALL

Preparations are underway for a party. A banner is being

hung from the ceiling: "CONGRATULATIONS MEMPHIS BELLE!

25 MISSIONS!" A stage is being set up, tables are being

arranged, streamers are being strung. Bruce is arranging

it all. The CO comes up to him.

CO:

What's the meaning of this?

A couple of men are rolling in a piano.

BRUCE:

On the stage. Thanks. Just a

little party, Colonel.

(CONTINUED)

79.

182 CONTINUED:

CO:

I didn't order this.

BRUCE:

Leave this stuff to me. The

Memphis Belle's my job.

CO:

And my job is to approve

everything on this base. I did

not authorize a homecoming...

BRUCE:

Craig, you work too hard at being

a hardass. What's the harm in a

little party in honor of these

guys? They're special.

CO:

I have twenty-four crews up there.

They're all special to me.

BRUCE:

That's great story, but bullshit's

my business and I know it when

I see it. All you care about is

putting planes in the air.

Results. Brown-nosing H.Q. The

only man...

The CO interrupts, grabbing Bruce's arm.

CO:

Come with me!

183 INT. CO'S OFFICE

The CO comes in, Bruce behind him. The CO is trembling

with anger. He shouts at Bruce.

CO:

Sit down!

BRUCE:

Craig, look...

CO:

Sit down!

Bruce sits. The CO opens a bottom drawer and takes out a

handful of letters. He puts them on his clean desk top.

(CONTINUED)

80.

183 CONTINUED:

CO:

Start reading. This one's from

the mother of a boy who got his

head blown off over Lorient.

Start with that.

BRUCE:

Craig, I think you're cracking up.

CO:

Read it!

The CO gives him the letter. Bruce starts to read it.

OVER, we hear the letter read by the voice of a FATHER.

Bruce reads it casually at first, then little by little

it gets to him, moves him. The CO puts another pile of

letters on the desk, then another. They start to spill

over onto the floor.

FATHER (V.O.)

Dear Colonel Harriman, I want to

thank you for your letter of

sympathy about my son Tommy. He

was only at your base a month,

but he must have made a big

impression because you described

him right down to his boots. I

wish you could have told me how

Tommy died, but I understand we

have to be careful about security

these days. I'm glad he was brave

and did his job to the end. Maybe

his mother and I raised him right

after all. I guess we'll get

used to him being gone, but not

too soon, I hope. Well, I can

always read your letter and that

will bring him back. Sincerely,

Thomas R. Maguire.

During the reading we -

CUT TO:

184 INT. NOSE

Phil behind his gun, watching for fighters, sweat

dribbling down the side of his face and freezing. OVER,

we continue to hear the LETTER READ, and then hear a

second voice, VOICE of a SISTER READING another LETTER.

81.

185 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal, on edge, cold, waiting for fighters. Another

voice, VOICE OF A BROTHER, begins. The VOICES are

LAYERED on top of each other. Now we can only pick up

a word here, a phrase there.

186 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny, behind his gun, worried, tense, looking up into

his piece of sky for enemy aircraft. Then we -

CUT TO:

187 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

Outside of the plane. The Memphis Belle and its two

wingmen. Then, as more and more VOICES spill on top of

the others the way the letters spilled on top of the

CO's desk. We CUT WIDER AND WIDER until the SCREEN is

FILLED with the entire formation and the SOUNDTRACK is

filled with the VOICES READING their LETTERS to the

Commanding Officer, conveying the enormity of the air

war -- each plane contains ten young, fragile lives,

heading into battle.

Abruptly, the SEQUENCE ENDS with -

CUT TO:

GERMAN FIGHTERS:

shoot through the formation like a swarm of angry bees.

There are ME-109s and also FW-190s. These are fatter

than the 109s and have blunt, snub noses similar to the

Thunderbolts.

CLAY (V.O.)

Bandit, five o'clock low!

EUGENE (V.O.)

Three o'clock high, too!

VIRGE (V.O.)

They're all over the place!

DENNIS (V.O.)

Don't yell on the intercom.

RASCAL (V.O.)

See this guy at eight level?

Left waist, see him?

82.

188 INT. WAIST

Jack eagerly aims at the fighter. One side of the sign

on his back is unstuck and is hanging from his shoulder.

JACK:

I see him! Come to daddy!

That's the way. That's the...

He OPENS FIRE at the fighter coming in from the rear of

the plane. As Jack swings his gun to the right to follow

it, the wind catches the sign on his back and it flaps

up into his face.

JACK:

What the f***? I had him! He

was right there! Goddamit!

He rips the sign off his shoulder and reads it. He can't

believe it. He turns to Eugene, who is FIRING out his

side and hasn't seen this. Jack's about to grab Eugene

when Rascal's voice interrupts him.

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