Pleasantville Page #10

It is really rocking now. More cars are lined up along the

edge of the lake as the REAL (AND NASTY) VERSION OF TOOTY

FRUITY (BY LITTLE RICHARD) PLAYS OS:

LIL RICHARD (VO)

"... Got a gal--her name is Sue. She

knows just what to do ..."

SERIES OF SHOTS. (MONTAGE)

PARKER LIVING ROOM.

TOOTY FRUITY CONTINUES AS DAVID FLIPS FRANTICALLY THROUGH THE

CHANNELS LOOKING FOR DICK VAN DYKE. THERE IS ONLY A PEPSODENT

COMMERCIAL. HE SHAKES HIS HEAD ...

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM (MUSIC CONT ...)

The Pleasantville Lions lose a game late in the second half.

The scoreboard reads 84 to 16 ...

INT. PARKER LIVING ROOM. (MUSIC CONT ...)

David examines the back of the TV set ...

INT. FURNITURE STORE. (MUSIC CONT...)

A large group of customers is huddled in a circle, staring at

an item on the display floor, like it is the monolith in

"2001". They seem both confused and absolutely mesmerized as

the CAMERA PUSHES IN TO REVEAL: a double bed ...

INT. PARKER LIVING ROOM. (MUSIC CONT ...)

David sits on the floor with a weird look of resignation as a

Brillcream commercial plays in front of him ...

LIL RICHARD (OS)

"... A wop bop a loo bop--a wop bam

boom!"

SODA SHOP. NIGHT. ON DAVID.

He heads toward work with his apron and his paper hat, but

he's clearly disconcerted. David stops and stares at A BRIGHT

RED HOT ROD parked at the front door of the restaurant. He

shakes his head.

SODA SHOP.

The place has been transformed. What was cheery and benign a

couple of days before, has gotten a little bit dangerous. The

letterman sweaters have been replaced by leather jackets. The

Pat Boone and Johnny Mathis have given way to real Rock and

Roll. There is a James Dean/Marlon Brando edge in the air.

Somebody has played the flip side.

ANGLE. DAVID.

He enters the soda shop adjusting his paper hat. A young

couple makes out passionately in the doorway--all tongues and

hands. When they break David sees that the girl's cheeks are

FLUSHED WITH RED. He stares at her for a beat as they return

to normal. David shakes his head.

FOLLOWING HIM.

He crosses to the counter and grabs his pencil and little pad

of paper. Various things have already GONE TO COLOR AROUND

THE ROOM:
The JUKE BOX ... The COKE SIGN .. THE NAUGAHIDE

STOOLS ... David crosses to one of the booths where his

sister's arm is draped over Biff's shoulder.

DAVID:

What'll it be?

BIFF:

(still chipper as ever)

Gee whizz, Bud. Guess I'll just have the

usual. Cheeseburger and a cherry coke.

Bud has already written it down. He glances over at his

sister.

JENNIFER:

Me too. Sounds swell.

DAVID:

(pointed)

Really? It seems so fattening.

Before she can answer he smiles to himself and crosses behind

the counter. Bud posts the order and turns to Mr. Johnson.

DAVID (CONT)

Two cheeseburgers, two cherry cokes.

MR. JOHNSON

(staring straight ahead)

There aren't any cheeseburgers.

DAVID:

(exasperated)

Look. I thought we talked about this, I

thought we said ...

MR. JOHNSON

Oh--what's the point, Bud?

CLOSER.

Mr. Johnson. looks up at him with a weird kind of emptiness

in his eyes. David grabs his arm.

DAVID:

C'mere.

He pulls him along the counter toward a little office

storeroom in the back. He yanks him inside and shuts the

door.

INT. STOREROOM.

It is just as cheery as the rest of the place. There is a

small table with a telephone on it. A Texaco calendar shows a

happy family motoring in their Rambler.

DAVID:

What did you say?

Mr. Johnson glances down with a little shame and confusion.

MR. JOHNSON

Well ... I'm not sure I see the point

anymore.

DAVID:

What are you talking about! You make

hamburgers! That is the point!

MR. JOHNSON

No I know ... I know I do ...

(he pauses, then looks up)

But it's always the same, you know?

Grill the bun, flip the meat, melt the

cheese ... It never changes. It never

gets any better or worse ...

DAVID:

Just listen to me ...

MR. JOHNSON

(not hearing him)

... Like the other night, when I closed

up by myself. That was different ...

DAVID:

Forget about that!

MR. JOHNSON

Oh ... Okay.

(beat/

lower)

... But I really liked it.

Bud takes a deep breath. He stares at Mr. Johnson, then tries

to speak softly.

DAVID:

Look, you can't always like what you do.

Sometimes you just do it because it's

your job. And even if you don't like it,

you just gotta do it anyway.

MR. JOHNSON

Why?

DAVID:

(exasperated)

So they can have their hamburgers!

This sounds stupid even to David. He shakes his head.

MR. JOHNSON

(like a secret)

You know what I really like?

DAVID:

(warily)

... What's that?

MR. JOHNSON

Christmastime.

David rolls his eyes. Mr. Johnson leans closer, speaking

furtively.

MR. JOHNSON (CONT)

See every year on Dec 3, I get to paint

the Christmas decorations in the window.

And every year, I get to paint a

different thing ...

(beat)

One year it's the North Pole. The next

I do Santa's workshop. Here I'll show

you.

He pulls a photo album from the back of the desk and opens

it for David.

DAVID:

(impressed)

Wow ... That's pretty good ...

MR. JOHNSON

Thanks.

(continuing)

But this morning I was thinking about

it and I realized that I looked forward

to it all year. And then I thought "Gee.

That seems awfully silly. That seems

like an awfully long time to be waiting

for just one moment, don't you think?"

David looks at him speechless.

MR. JOHNSON (CONT)

Well don't you?

DAVID:

I think you should try not to think

about this anymore.

MR. JOHNSON

Really?

DAVID:

Yeah.

MR. JOHNSON

Oh. Okay. I'll try that then.

CUT TO:

INT. BARBERSHOP. DAY

The Barber Pole spins in three shades of gray. Several men

are gathered around the two chairs in the front of Gus' shop.

Besides being the barbershop, it is the bastion of all male

life in Pleasantville. Bud and Mary Sue's "father" (George)

sits in one of the chairs. "Big Bob" McGee, owner of the

drugstore, supermarket and Chevy dealership sits in the

other. He has a crew cut that's getting shorter.

GUS:

Have they ever lost before?

GEORGE:

Basketball? No they sure haven't.

BOB:

Just feels "wrong", that's all.

There are several murmurs.

THIRD PATRON:

Maybe that's where they get that saying,

"can't win 'em all."

GUS:

Yeah. That's a good point, Ralph. They

do have that saying.

BOB:

But they do win 'em all, Gus. They've

always won 'em all.

GUS:

Well, yeah. That's true too.

More murmurs, Everyone looks straight ahead trying to figure.

CUT TO:

INT. PARKER KITCHEN. DAY.

The women's bridge club has assembled in the Parker kitchen

like it does every Wednesday afternoon. Four women are seated

around the kitchen table with a nice bowl of bridge mix

between them. Betty is sifting next to Marge Jenkins, the

woman who accompanied her daughter to the doctor's office.

MARGE:

(dealing the cards)

... He said it would clear up on its

own if she just stayed away from fried

foods and sweets ...

BETTY:

Well that makes sense.

MARGE:

Except it's spread to her lips now too.

Oh, I don't know.

MARY:

(a THIRD WOMAN)

And you say it's just "red?"

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes