Memphis Belle Page #15

RASCAL (V.O.)

Here he comes around again, left

waist! Jack, get the greedy

bastard!

Jack turns back to his GUN and FIRES.

189 OMITTED

189A INT. TOP TURRET

Virge pounds his GUNS at the fighters.

189B INT. TAIL

Clay rattles his GUNS at a fighter up in the sky.

189C INT. NOSE

Val and Phil are both FIRING out of their sides of the

nose.

190 INT. WAIST

Eugene reaches up to touch his St. Anthony medal, but

it's not there. Alarmed, he pulls off his oxygen mask

and speaks to Jack.

EUGENE:

My medal! Have you seen it?

(CONTINUED)

83.

190 CONTINUED:

Jack spies it on the floor, reaches down and picks it

up -- the chain has broken.

EUGENE:

Thanks.

Eugene reaches for it. But instead of giving it to

him, Jack angrily throws it out the window. Eugene

screams.

EUGENE:

Why'd you do that?

JACK:

Now we're even!

Jack turns back to his gun.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Right waist? Right waist, call

in! Radio operator, get back

there and see what's happening!

191 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny pulls off his oxygen mask and pulls out his intercom

cords.

192 INT. WAIST

Danny comes into the waist and Eugene grabs him. He's

frantic.

EUGENE:

My medal, it's gone! I'm

finished, Danny, I'm finished!

DANNY:

Stop it, Gene! Wait!

Danny quickly pulls off his glove and takes off the big

red rubber band around his wrist.

DANNY:

Take my lucky rubber band. It

really works.

He puts it on Eugene.

DANNY:

You're okay now. Go get 'em.

(CONTINUED)

84.

192 CONTINUED:

Danny pats him on the back, then goes back through the

forward bulkhead. Eugene looks at the rubber band and

decides it's better than nothing. He puts his oxygen

mask back on, gives Jack a kick in the butt, grabs his

gun, sights in a fighter and starts FIRING.

193 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

A fighter swoops down from above, FIRING away. C Cup

is all that remains of the first flight.

VAL (V.O.)

190, twelve o'clock high!

LUKE (V.O.)

He's going for C Cup. Look out,

look out!

The NOSE of C Cup SHATTERS. A man is blown out and

starts to fall. No parachute opens.

194 INT. NOSE

Val and Phil look down through the nose at the falling

man.

PHIL:

Jesus, he doesn't have a parachute.

How long would it take to fall?

VAL:

Too long.

Somehow, C Cup remains above. But the nose is gone and

wires and equipment dangle from it.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Everybody, make sure you've got

your parachutes.

Phil reaches under his desk for his parachute.

195 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal spins in the turret, looking for fighters.

RASCAL:

Parachute? There isn't room for

a hard-on in here!

DENNIS (V.O.)

I know, ball turret, but put your

safety strap on.

(CONTINUED)

85.

195 CONTINUED:

RASCAL:

It hurts.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Put it on!

Rascal takes the strap, a thin strip of canvas, and

puts it between his legs. He snaps it into place above.

It's tight and uncomfortable.

196 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is at his radio.

DANNY:

Captain, I just got word from

C Cup. They're dropping out of

formation. We're in the lead

now.

197 INT. COCKPIT

C Cup is losing speed and altitude. We start to pass

it. It looks like a ghost ship. Dennis has again taken

control of the plane.

DENNIS:

Okay, Danny. Give me C channel

to talk to group.

LUKE:

Poor bastards.

VIRGE (V.O.)

They're dead meat.

CLAY (V.O.)

The bogeyman will get them.

EUGENE (V.O.)

Bye-bye, C Cup.

There is a sharp CRACKLE on the INTERCOM.

DANNY (V.O.)

Sir, you're on to group.

DENNIS:

This is the Memphis Belle.

198 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The Belle is now the lead plane, leading the entire

group.

(CONTINUED)

86.

198 CONTINUED:

Dennis is sobered by the responsibility of what he has

to do. He speaks quietly, with humility, to the other

captains.

DENNIS (V.O.)

We're lead plane now. I'll try

my best to put those bombs right

in the pickle barrel and get us

out of here safe. I'm going to

need all the help you can give me.

Let's tighten up out there and be

on our toes. We're three minutes,

thirty seconds from the bomb run.

199 INT. NOSE

Val FIRES at a fighter coming in a little to the right.

VAL:

Bloodsucker, nine o'clock level!

Ball turret, watch out!

Rascal starts to spin the turret around, but suddenly

it sticks and won't move.

RASCAL:

I'm jammed! He's coming right

at me! Virge, help!

He stomps on the control pedal, but nothing happens.

200 INT. TOP TURRET

Virge pulls off his oxygen mask, yanks out his intercom

cords and jumps down from the turret.

201 INT. BOMB BAY

Virge runs down the narrow catwalk through the bomb bay.

202 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is SHOOTING his GUN into the sky as Virge runs

past him and through the aft bulkhead doorway.

203 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal stomps on the pedal again and again. Suddenly

the turret unsticks, whirls around and Rascal FIRES.

204 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The FIGHTER EXPLODES in a ball of flame.

87.

205 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal screams at the fighter.

RASCAL:

And your mother, too!

206 INT. BALL TURRET AREA

Virge drops to his knees beside the turret, breathing

hard. He looks at the top of the turret -- it's turning

smoothly.

VIRGE:

What's his problem?

Virge shakes his head in annoyance, then starts back

towards the front of the plane.

207 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

A FIGHTER appears out of nowhere, BUZZING down on the

left, MACHINE GUNS BLASTING.

208 INT. WAIST

BULLETS RIP through the waist and Jack is knocked to

the floor. His oxygen mask is ripped from his face.

EUGENE:

Jack's hit!

209 INT. NOSE

Val is doing some adjustments to his instrument panel.

Phil is FIRING out his side of the plane.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Val, run back and look at Jack.

VAL:

Captain, I'm two minutes from the

bomb run!

DENNIS (V.O.)

Okay. Gene, you're going to have

to take care of him.

Val is very relieved.

210 INT. WAIST

Eugene kneels beside Jack, who is squirming and yelling.

Eugene tears open Jack's pant leg around the wound on

his left thigh. Eugene pulls off his oxygen mask to

talk.

(CONTINUED)

88.

210 CONTINUED:

EUGENE:

Jack, hold still! Let me look!

Blood is already freezing around the wound. Eugene

examines it. Then he starts to laugh.

JACK:

Would you help?

EUGENE:

It's a scratch! Look! It's

nothing, and you're screaming like

a stuck pig!

Jack looks at his leg. Eugene's right, it's nothing.

Then Jack sees his harmonica sticking out from his torn

pant leg pocket. It's bent -- clearly it deflected the

bullet.

JACK:

My harmonica! Goddamnit, my

favorite harmonica!

Laughing, Eugene quickly wraps his flight scarf around

Jack's leg, ties it, then pulls Jack to his feet. Then

Jack reaches behind Eugene's ear and pulls out the St.

Anthony medal. Eugene looks at it, astonished.

EUGENE:

How'd you do that?

Jack smiles, sheepishly.

JACK:

Magic.

Eugene takes the medal and beams at Jack.

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