Pleasantville Page #20

WIDER.

David grabs the umbrella and closes it quickly. Margaret

looks to the street as the convertible slows to a crawl and

two TEENAGE BOYS pull up beside them. They are clean cut with

BLACK AND WHITE faces ...

DRIVER:

Hello Bud ...

DAVID:

(clipped)

Hello Whitey.

They smile at each other for no good reason. It's scary and

arrogant.

WHITEY:

(more pointed)

Hello Margaret.

MARGARET:

Hello Whitey ...

WHITEY:

(loud)

Hey Bud, how come you're not at

the town meeting right now?

DAVID:

(curt)

No reason.

(pause/

firing back)

How come you're not?

WHITEY:

Oh. We're s'posed to go out and

let everybody know about it. See.

He points to an ARMBAND that has some sort of Chamber of

Commerce seal on it. Whitey leans out of the car and

leers ...

WHITEY (CONT)

No reason hunh ... See I thought

maybe it was cause you were too

busy entertaining your colored

girlfriend.

Margaret literally flinches. The boys share a PEEL OF

LAUGHTER AND SNORT AT EACH OTHER. David puts an arm around

her and pulls her close.

DAVID:

Why don't you guys just get the

hell out of here.

WHITEY:

Oh, okay, Bud. We'll do that.

He guns the engine as if to leave, then pauses and turns

toward Margaret.

WHITEY (CONT)

(leering more)

You know Margaret, you can come

over and bake those Oatmeal cookies

for me anytime you want to.

They share another CHORTLE as Whitey guns the car and peels

out with a SCREECH. Margaret's lip starts to quiver and David

holds her tighter ...

DAVID:

It's fine ... It doesn't mean anything.

She nods, groping for reassurance ...

CUT TO:

INT. TOWN HALL. NIGHT.

The chamber of commerce meeting is still in full swing.

Various citizens are now on their feet, screaming from the

audience.

WOMAN:

Ed McFadden's got a blue front door.

ED MCFADDEN:

It's always been blue!

WOMAN:

Not that blue!

MAN:

There's a big tree turning orange

in Joe Baker's front yard!

SHOT. GEORGE.

He still sits behind Bob with the same stoic expression on

his face. George fingers the little pin in his lapel ...

BOB:

People, people ... I think we all

know what's going on here.

SHOT. BOB.

Bob lifts his hands in the air. The crowd quiets down a bit.

BOB:

Obviously certain "changes" have

been happening. Up until now, things

in Pleasantville have always been--

well ... "Pleasant." And, recently,

certain things have become ...

"Un-Pleasant." Now it seems to me

the first thing we have to do is to

separate out the things that are

pleasant, from the things that are

"Un-Pleasant."

There is a loud murmur and nod of agreement ...

BOB (CONT)

George, why don't you and Burt

take the lead on this. Why don't

you put together kind of an

"Un-Pleasant" Activities Committee ...

CUT TO:

INT. SODA SHOP. NIGHT.

Mr. Johnson has scrubbed the snow scene from the window and

stares with his palette at a blank pane of glass. There is a

knock at the door ...

WIDER.

Mr. Johnson puts down the paints and crosses to open it.

Betty is standing in the doorway clutching her purse and a

"Lady Samsonite Weekender" bag. She stares up into his eyes.

DISSOLVE TO:

FULL SHOT. SHOP WINDOW. MORNING.

Burt Campbell opens up the hardware store like he does every

morning, only today there is a slight difference. He swings

open the door, puts out the rakes and shovels, then sets a

newly handwritten sign clearly in the front window:

"NO COLOREDS"

SERIES OF SHOTS. SHOP WINDOWS.

As the businesses are opened on Main Street, more and more

"NO COLOREDS" signs appear in the windows: next to the

donuts ... by fishing poles ... beside the stationery

supplies ... Everything else looks frighteningly the same...

CUT TO:

EXT. MAIN STREET. DAY.

Joey Anderson, the local paper boy, is finishing his morning

rounds. He reaches in his bag and tosses left toward the

bakery. Then he throws right toward the post office. Then he

turns left toward the soda shop, does a double take and slams

into a trash can ...

WIDER. SODA SHOP.

Where Mr. Johnson had once painted his cubist snow scene,

there is a brand new painting that isn't cubist at all. A

NUDE version of Betty graces the shop window--painted in

curving sensual brush strokes. Joey stops his bike and just

stares in amazement. He gets up and rides away as fast as he

possibly can ...

CUT TO:

MAIN STREET. LATER ...

David is in a happy daze, wandering up Main Street and

doesn't even notice the crowd gathered outside Mr. Johnson's

soda shop. After a moment or two, he glances up and sees the

window ...

CLOSER. DAVID.

His eyes go wide. The murmur of the crowd grows louder as

stray derisive comments rise above the noise. David glances

from the nude in window to the growing angry mob ...

MAIN STREET. DAY.

David goes tearing through the business district looking for

any sign of his "mother." He glances in the flower shop ...

toward the green grocer ... David is just about to turn on

Elm Street when a booming voice seems to come from the

sky ...

DICK VAN DYKE (OS)

Bud ...

David stops and looks to his right. There, in the window of

the Philco TV store, are twenty screens of various sizes

displaying the image of Dick Van Dyke.

DICK VAN DYKE (CONT)

I want a word with you ...

DAVID:

(scared)

Oh--well ...

DICK VAN DYKE:

(BOOMING)

NOW!

The sound reverberates like God Himself. David ducks inside

the store, slamming the door behind him.

INT. STORE.

Fifty Dick Van Dyke's stare at him from every TV in the

store. The effect is smothering.

DICK VAN DYKE:

(still pretty loud)

What the hell do you think you're

doing!

David glances around, not sure where to look.

DAVID:

(terrified)

What do you mean?

DICK VAN DYKE:

What do I MEAN!

(beat)

You think this is a toy? You think

it's your own little goddamn

coloring book ...

DAVID:

Look--it just sort of "happened" ...

DICK VAN DYKE:

A deluge doesn't just "happen."

Bolts of lightning don't just

"happen" ...

(louder)

You burned down an ELM tree for

Christ's sake ...

DAVID:

I had nothing to do with that.

DICK VAN DYKE:

Oh. I'm sorry--refresh my memory.

What episode does the orgy happen

in, again?

DAVID:

Look ...

DICK VAN DYKE:

It was a gift Bud. It was so

special. You liked these things

as much as I did, remember:

Warm smells in the family kitchen?

A smile from a stranger? You know

how rare that is?

DAVID:

(beat/

quietly)

... Only if they mean it.

Dick Van Dyke looks at him for a beat, then goes "red" in the

face.

DICK VAN DYKE:

OKAY. NOW YOU'RE REALLY STARTING

TO PISS ME OFF!

DAVID:

(finding courage)

I didn't do anything wrong.

DICK VAN DYKE:

Oh no? Let me show you something!

SHOT. TV SCREEN.

All at once a box appears in the upper right hand comer of

the screen containing the image of David and Margaret at

Lover's Lane. The VIDEOTAPE rolls forward as she extends the

BRIGHT RED APPLE. David hesitates, then takes it, then puts

it to his mouth and takes a bite.

DICK VAN DYKE:

"YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS PLACE."

The image of David biting the apple PLAYS BACKWARDS AND

FORWARDS like some football instant replay ...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes