Memphis Belle Page #19

278 INT. COCKPIT

Dennis watches the delivery from his side window. Then

he reaches down and flips off the auto pilot.

DENNIS:

Okay, boys, we've done our job for

Uncle Sam. Now we're flying for

ourselves.

He turns the control wheel. There are WHOOPS of joy all

over the plane -- they did it.

279 INT. WAIST - EUGENE AND JACK

holding on as the plane tips into its turn. Eugene holds

up his St. Anthony medal. Jack gives him the thumbs-up

sign.

280 INT. NOSE

Phil reaches out and pats Val on the back, but Val

angrily shakes him off.

281 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

Bombs are still falling. The target is a mass of fire

and smoke. The Belle banks into a turn. Baby Ruth

follows.

108.

282 INT. WAIST

GUNS are again POUNDING all around the plane. Jack is

FIRING, following a fighter from ten o'clock high to

nine low.

JACK:

Gerry breaking low to nine

o'clock. Ball turret, watch it,

watch it!

283 INT. BALL TURRET

Rascal pushes on the foot pedal to swivel the turret,

but nothing happens.

RASCAL:

I'm stuck! Virge! He's coming

right at me! Virge! Virge!

The fighter is zooming in right at him, firing. Rascal

stomps on the pedal, but still nothing happens. The

fighter keeps coming, keeps firing. Rascal's eyes widen

in horror.

284 INT. COCKPIT

Suddenly, a HUGE EXPLOSION and the plane rocks violently.

DENNIS:

Call in!

Virge pulls off his oxygen mask, yanks out his intercom

cord, jumps down from the top turret and charges into

the bomb bay.

CLAY (V.O.)

Tail.

EUGENE (V.O.)

Right waist.

JACK (V.O.)

Left waist.

285 INT. RADIO ROOM - DANNY

is frantically FIRING up into the sky as Virge comes

running through.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Ball turret! Ball turret, call

in!

109.

286 OMITTED

287 INT. BALL TURRET AREA

Panicky, Virge falls to his knees beside the ball turret,

opens the hatch and looks down into it.

287A VIRGE'S POV

down into the turret. The bottom of the turret is gone

and Rascal is dangling twenty thousand feet above the

ground, held by just the strap between his legs. He's

holding onto the top of the turret and the force of the

slipstream is blowing his legs toward the back of the

plane. He's out of his mind with terror. He reaches

for Virge. Virge grabs his hands and pulls him, with

difficulty, out of the narrow hatch on the top of the

turret. Rascal is shot up a little. Virge quickly

checks him, but the wounds look superficial. Rascal is

shaking and crying.

VIRGE:

You're okay, Rascal. You're safe.

You're okay.

Rascal grabs Virge and hangs onto him. Virge holds him,

pats his back, trying to comfort and calm him down.

288 INT. WAIST - EUGENE AND JACK

are FIRING frantically out of their sides of the plane.

289 INT. TAIL - CLAY

is FIRING, too, humming a little as he does.

290 INT. RADIO ROOM - DANNY

finishes FIRING a round, then swings his gun around to

fire at another fighter. As he does, he sees that his

camera has again moved to the edge of the desk and is

just about to fall. Quickly, Danny reaches for it and

catches it just as the camera falls off the edge. Relief.

Just then, a CANNON SHELL bursts through the roof of the

radio room and EXPLODES.

291 INT. COCKPIT

The plane is jolted harder than ever.

(CONTINUED)

110.

291 CONTINUED:

LUKE:

Now what?

DENNIS:

Call in!

CLAY (V.O.)

Tail.

292 INT. BALL TURRET AREA

Virge and Rascal have been thrown to the deck by the

explosion. They scramble to their feet and go through

the forward doorway into the radio room.

EUGENE (V.O.)

Right waist.

JACK (V.O.)

Left waist.

293 INT. RADIO ROOM

The room is on fire. Danny lies face-down on the floor.

Virge pulls him away from the flames while Rascal grabs

a fire extinguisher and turns it on the flames.

294 INT. COCKPIT

Fighters are everywhere. FLAK is still PUMMELING the

outside of the plane. Virge comes out of the bomb bay

and crouches down behind Dennis and Luke.

VIRGE:

Danny's hurt.

DENNIS:

Val, Danny's hurt. Get back

there right away and see what you

can do.

295 INT. NOSE - VAL

STOPS FIRING his GUN. He hesitates.

VAL:

How bad is it?

DENNIS (V.O.)

I guess he needs help pretty

badly.

(CONTINUED)

111.

295 CONTINUED:

But Val doesn't go. He hangs onto his gun. Phil rips

off his oxygen mask and yells at Val.

PHIL:

What are you doing? It's Danny!

VAL:

I can't. There's fighters all

over.

PHIL:

I'll cover your gun. Just go!

VAL:

(hesitantly)

Maybe somebody in the back of the

plane could...

PHIL:

You're the f***ing doctor!

VAL:

(panicky)

That's just it. I'm not. Phil,

I lied about it. I only had two

weeks of medical school before I

enlisted. I don't know anything.

Phil drags him toward the back of the nose, grabs the

first aid kit off the wall and shoves it into Val's

hands.

PHIL:

Just do it!

Val starts to go up the hatch to the cockpit.

296 OMITTED

296A INT. COCKPIT

FIGHTERS are still BUZZING around. Luke is silent and

grim.

DENNIS:

Luke, don't worry. Danny'll be

okay.

LUKE:

It's such a waste. The whole

f***ing...

(CONTINUED)

112.

296A CONTINUED:

He stops, unable to put into words his feelings. Dennis

tries to think of something to say to make him feel

better.

297 OMITTED

298 INT. RADIO ROOM

The fire is out. Val, Virge and Rascal gently turn Danny

over. His oxygen mask was ripped off in the explosion.

He's pale and still. Val opens his jacket. There is an

ugly, open wound in his upper chest below his shoulder.

Val stares, paralyzed with fear. Then he opens the first

aid kit and takes out a syringe.

298A INT. COCKPIT

Dennis speaks quietly, comfortingly to Luke.

DENNIS:

Luke, don't take the world on your

shoulders. You didn't start the

war. All we can do is try to do

our best. We're not perfect.

When this is all over, we'll go

back home...

LUKE:

(looking out

window)

Fire on number three!

DENNIS:

Cut fuel, feather prop. Fire

extinguisher.

Luke quickly turns the engine three feathering switch on

the instrument panel, then pulls the turbo supercharger

control and closes the throttle, both on the control box.

Suddenly, BULLETS RAKE across the instrument panel. GLASS

and sparks fly as Dennis and Luke cringe. Half the

instrument panel is shot out.

DENNIS:

Call out those fighters!

299 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The prop on engine three slows, then stops, edges facing

into the wind. But the fire still burns and now it's

spreading to the wing itself.

113.

300 INT. COCKPIT

Virge is again crouched behind Dennis and Luke. Luke is

finishing the feathering procedure, flipping the shutoff

valve to closed and the booster pump to off.

VIRGE:

Danny's in bad shape.

DENNIS:

How's Rascal?

VIRGE:

He's okay.

LUKE:

Prop feathered, but the

extinguisher's not working. If

we don't do something quick we're

going to lose the wing. Dive!

DENNIS:

Okay, but I'm going to need you

to pull out of it.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes