Memphis Belle Page #21

DENNIS (V.O.)

We're running on two engines now.

Let's lighten up. Throw out

everything you can. We're close

enough to home so you can lose

your guns.

320 INT. WAIST

Jack takes out the bolt that attaches his machine gun to

its mounting, then picks up the gun.

JACK:

Well, Mona... we didn't get a

fighter after all.

Eugene picks up his gun and looks at Jack for a long

moment. Then Eugene throws his gun out the window.

Then Jack throws his out and watches it fall. Clay comes

in from the tail with his guns slung over his shoulder.

321 INT. NOSE

Phil throws some flak jackets out of the nose hatch.

322 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is very pale. His eyes flutter a little.

323 FLASHBACK - EXT. BASE (THAT MORNING)

The Belle is sitting on the ground. Phil is asleep on

the wing.

(CONTINUED)

121.

323 CONTINUED:

The other guys are listening to Danny recite

his poem.

DANNY:

'I balanced all, brought all to

mind,

The years to come seemed waste of

breath,

A waste of breath the years

behind,

In balance with this life, this

death.'

324 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny suddenly opens his eyes. He's panicked. Val

leans over him.

DANNY:

Yeats!

VAL:

It's okay, Danny.

DANNY:

I didn't write that. It's by

W.B. Yeats. I couldn't write

that.

Val strokes Danny's forehead. He doesn't know what

Danny's talking about.

VAL:

Take it easy.

Danny becomes calmer. He closes his eyes. Then he starts

to shake. Val tucks Danny's jacket around him tighter,

but the convulsions only get worse. Val feels Danny's

pulse, then lifts one of his eyelids. Danny's eye is

turned up into his head.

VAL:

Danny!

Danny suddenly stops shaking. He lies still. Val pulls

the jacket away and puts his head down to Danny's chest.

VAL:

No!

Panicked, Val doesn't know what to do. Out of

desperation, he pounds Danny in the chest with his fist.

(CONTINUED)

122.

324 CONTINUED:

VAL:

Don't do this! Goddamnit, Danny!

Don't do it to me!

He pounds him again. Danny gasps.

VAL:

One more! Give me one more!

Danny gasps again and starts to breathe. Val listens to

his chest. He hears a heartbeat. Val looks at him.

VAL:

You try that again and I'll kill

you.

He puts Danny's jacket over him again and tucks it in

tight.

325 INT. COCKPIT

Ahead we can see the white coastline of England. Virge

crouches down behind the control box.

VIRGE:

Ain't that a pretty sight?

LUKE:

How's Danny?

Virge crosses his fingers. Then Virge looks up in the sky

and gasps.

VIRGE:

Oh my God! Fighters! A whole

squadron, twelve o'clock high!

A sqaudron of fighters have appeared directly ahead,

aimed straight for the Belle.

DENNIS:

Look alive, men. Fighters,

twelve o'clock high!

CLAY (V.O.)

(calmly)

What do you want us to do about

it, Captain? You had us throw

out our guns.

A flicker of panic in Dennis's eyes. Then Luke puts a

hand on Dennis's shoulder.

(CONTINUED)

123.

325 CONTINUED:

LUKE:

Relax, Dennis. They're little

friends.

Dennis looks up at the fighters, then breathes a sigh of

relief. The sound of the other crew members WHOOPING with

delight all around the plane.

326 OMITTED

&

327

328 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The furthest ENGINE on the right side of the plane starts

CHOKING and the propeller begins to slow.

329 INT. COCKPIT

Luke sees this out his window.

LUKE:

We're losing number four.

DENNIS:

Are we out of fuel?

Luke looks at the shattered instrument panel.

LUKE:

The gauge is shot out. How long

can we fly on one engine?

DENNIS:

I don't know. I guess we'll find

out.

330 EXT. CONTROL TOWER - LAWN

The sky is clear of planes. Les is still standing with

the ground crew, but other men have given up hope and are

walking back to the barracks.

331 OMITTED

&

332

124.

333 EXT. CONTROL TOWER - LAWN

Luke's DOG is lying on the grass. Bruce is patting him on

the head, but the dog isn't interested. Then suddenly,

it raises its head and BARKS. Bruce jumps back, afraid

he'll get bit. The DOG runs past Bruce and BARKS out at

the horizon.

CUT TO:

LES:

with the ground crew, looking anxiously out at the

horizon.

334 EXT. CONTROL TOWER - BALCONY

CO is on the balcony with the S-2. The ADJUTANT comes up

to the CO.

ADJUTANT:

Sir, Headquarters on the phone.

CO:

I'll call them back.

ADJUTANT:

Sir, it's General...

CO:

I don't care who it is, I'll call

them back!

The CO raises his binoculars and looks out at the plane.

335 CO'S POV - THROUGH BINOCULARS

The Belle, flying very low, barely clearing the treetops,

just Engine One still turning.

336 INT. COCKPIT

The base is visible ahead. Virge is crouched between

Dennis and Luke.

DENNIS:

Landing gear.

Luke flips a switch on the control box, but there's no

electric whine. He looks out his window.

(CONTINUED)

125.

336 CONTINUED:

LUKE:

Something's wrong. My wheel

didn't come down.

DENNIS:

(hesitates, then)

Okay, pull them back up again and

we'll belly land.

Luke flips the switch again, but there's silence -- no

electric whine.

LUKE:

Nothing's happening.

He flicks the switch back and forth. He looks out his

window again.

LUKE:

Nothing's coming up, nothing's

going down.

VIRGE:

The electrics must be totally out!

A moment of terror as the three men look at each other.

They remember the plane the day before that landed with

one wheel -- and blew up.

DENNIS:

Can you lower the wheel by hand?

VIRGE:

Yeah.

DENNIS:

Okay. Get some of the other men

to help you. Luke, monitor the

wheel and tell me when it's down.

Virge runs through the top turret and into the bomb bay.

Dennis flips a switch on the lower wall by his knee. A

loud ALARM BELL RINGS. Luke loads a flare gun.

DENNIS:

Take positions for crash landing.

336A INT. RADIO ROOM

Eugene and Rascal are gently moving Danny into a position

so that Val can protect him from the crash. Jack and

Clay are taking crash landing positions. Virge rushes

in.

(CONTINUED)

126.

336A CONTINUED:

VIRGE:

Jack, help me!

He grabs a small handcrank from the aft bulkhead wall and

then runs into the bomb bay, Jack and Clay right behind

him.

337 INT. BOMB BAY

Virge is straddling the bomb bay catwalk and turning the

landing gear hand crank quickly. Jack and Clay are

standing on the catwalk behind him, each waiting his

turn.

338 OMITTED

338A EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The right wheel slowly starts to descend from the belly

of the plane.

339 OMITTED

339A INT. COCKPIT

Dennis is holding the control wheel tightly as he starts

to point the plane towards the base.

340 OMITTED

341 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The plane brushes the tops of the trees at the end of the

runway. A two-pronged red FLARE SHOOTS out of the

Belle's cockpit.

342 EXT. BASE

The AMBULANCE DRIVERS are standing by their ambulance.

They see the flare.

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