Rocky Page #5

Rocky ignores the statement and faces a very young girl who

is smoking and leaning whore-like against the wall.

ROCKY:

Is that Marie? -- Marie, ya

brother know you're hangin'

out so late?

The girl, MARIE, assumes an indifferent attitude, attempting

to impress her friends.

MARIE:

... Screw you.

ROCKY:

(awed)

What'd you say?

MARIE:

... Screw you, yoyo.

The gang laughs. Angered and shocked, Rocky grabs her arm.

ROCKY:

Did these guys teach you to

talk dirty? Huh?

27.

MARIE:

Hey --

ROCKY:

What?

MARIE:

Stuff it, man!

ROCKY:

(shakes her)

Don't you never say that --

(to the gang)

-- You guys talk like that in

front of a little girl -- You

guys are scum.

CHIPPED TOOTH:

This is our place, dig!

The gang reluctantly backs up a step.

ROCKY:

Don't ya never come round this

girl -- Go home.

YOUNG MAN #2

This is our corner, man! You

go, chump!

Rocky moves forward and they scatter... They quickly move off.

CHIPPED TOOTH:

(backpedaling)

We'll kill you, man -- We

gotta gun.

ROCKY:

Pull heat on me? -- I'll dent

ya face!

Rocky leads the girl away.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Rocky is walking the young girl home... They are presently

cutting through a dark public school yard. They pass

through the beams of light cast off by weak flood lights

located at the top of the school building. The atmosphere

is somewhat eerie.

28.

ROCKY:

How come ya wanna hang out

with those guys? They teach

ya bad things.

MARIE:

I like 'em. If you don't you

can f--

ROCKY:

Hey! When I was your age,

there was only one girl who

talked like that in the whole

neighborhood.

MARIE:

(bored)

... Yeah.

She attempts to light a cigarette... Rocky nonchalantly

tosses it to the ground.

ROCKY:

Make your teeth yella --

MARIE:

I like yella teeth.

ROCKY:

Makes your breath like garbage.

MARIE:

Maybe I like garbage.

Rocky and Marie take a shortcut through a dark school yard.

ROCKY:

Nobody likes garbage --

Anyway, this girl with the

dirty mouth wasn't bad lookin',

but the guys wouldn't take her

out for any serious datin'.

MARIE:

Why?

ROCKY:

'Cause that's the way guys

are -- They laugh when ya talk

dirty. They think ya cute for

a while, but then ya getta

reputation an' watch out.

(MORE)

29.

ROCKY (CONT'D)

Nobody's ever gonna take ya

serious. Ya get no respect...

I gotta use a bad word --

Whore. You'll end up maybe

becomin' a whore.

MARIE:

C'mon, Rocky. I'm twelve.

ROCKY:

That doesn't matter -- You

don't really have to be a

whore, just act like one an'

that's it.

MARIE:

What?

ROCKY:

Yo, a bad reputation -- Twenty

years from now people will say

'D'you remember Marie?' 'No,

who was she?' 'She was that

little whore who hung out at

the Atomic Hoagie Shop.' 'Oh,

now I remember!'... See, they

don't remember you, they

remember the rep.

Rocky and Marie exit the dark school yard... Standing in the

shadows of the building are three young muggers. The light

from their cigarettes flares red in their faces.

The muggers pace Rocky across the street and follow them

down the block... Rocky sees them and stops and faces the

three. The muggers pause and study Rocky from a distance of

twenty yards. Rocky gives a loud boxer's snort, wipes his

nose with the side of his thumb and rolls his shoulders...

The muggers are intimidated and slowly peel off the meander

away.

Rocky turns to Marie who has been standing behind him.

ROCKY:

(points down

the block)

... That's your house, ain't it?

Marie nods.

ROCKY:

(continuing)

Listen, I hope ya don't --

30.

MARIE:

I won't.

ROCKY:

What was I gonna say?

MARIE:

Ya hope I don't keep acting

like a whore or I'll turn into

one, right?

ROCKY:

Ya, somethin' like that.

They exchange smiles and Marie moves away. Rocky has made

an impact on her life.

MARIE:

Goodnight, Rocky.

ROCKY:

'Night, Marie.

She takes a few more steps and pauses again.

MARIE:

... F*** you, Creepo!!!

The girl runs to her house as Rocky looks on in dismay.

ROCKY:

(walks off)

... Yeah, who're you to give

advice, Creepo.

INT. JERGENS' OFFICE - DAY

APOLLO CREED and his LAWYER and TRAINER are seated in the

offices of MILES JERGENS. Jergens, a successful promoter

looks unhappy as he looks into the scowling face of Apollo

Creed.

LAWYER:

Are the doctor's reports

confirmed?

JERGENS:

Definitely --

(reading)

-- It says here, Mac Lee Green

has suffered a seriously

cracked third metacarpal in

his left hand.

31.

APOLLO:

Damn.

JERGENS:

I suppose we could cancel the

fight indefinitely if you are

set on fighting Green.

TRAINER:

It ain't just Green, what

about the time Apollo's

invested --

JERGENS:

I believe we can find a

solution.

APOLLO:

Solution, nothin' -- What

about the Bicentennial fight.

LAWYER:

Jergens, don't play games with

my client! Apollo has already

done nearly a million dollars

worth of publicity --

TRAINER:

Ten million's worth!

LAWYER:

-- And has made contractual

obligations with over twenty

different organizations -- He

doesn't want to be embarrassed.

APOLLO:

You best find me another

ranked contender an' I mean in

a flash, man!

JERGENS:

(holding up

some notes)

I contacted Ernie Roman's

manager, he's fighting in

France the same week.

APOLLO:

Then gimme Buddy Shaw -- He's

ranked fifth.

32.

JERGENS:

Shaw's fighting in South

America -- Why not postpone

the bout until July Fourth?

LAWYER:

Hell with Fourth of July, man!

Ten thousand things'll be

goin' down on the Fourth of

July! -- Apollo wants to be

first!

JERGENS:

That may not be possible, Jimmy.

TRAINER:

This man here is the Star,

dig -- Don't cause him to

breathe heavy -- Now what

'bout that sucker, Billy Dukes?

JERGENS:

Went to California and gained

fifty pounds -- and I called

every worthwhile contender,

but they say five weeks isn't

enough time to get in shape.

Apollo stands beneath a new fight poster and points to it.

APOLLO:

Shape, nothin' -- They're

afraid. They know everybody

in the world's gonna see this

fight an' none of them gotta

prayer of beating me so

they're makin' excuses so they

don't have to be the chump

that's gonna be whipped in

front of the whole civilized

world!!

JERGENS:

Apollo, I'm sure there's a way

to salvage this.

TRAINER:

Nobody wants to be dissected

on the country's birthday.

33.

JERGENS:

All I can counter with is that

I'm a goddamn good promoter --

I've promoted in every country

in the world -- and I've tried

to the best of my abilities.

Perhaps you're right, and no

one wants to be beat on the

country's birthday... I don't

know what else to say --

APOLLO:

I do -- Maybe what this fight

needs is something new -- a

novelty.

TRAINER:

You's the novelty, Champ!

APOLLO:

Give my main man a raise!!

Everyone laughs.

APOLLO:

(continuing)

Now here's what's goin' down.

Listen, 'cause I'm gonna say

this but one time. On January

first, the first day of the

Bicentennial I'm gonna fight

me a local poor underdog, dig?

A snow-white underdog. An'

I'm gonna put his face on this

poster with me, hear? An'

I'll tell you why, 'cause I'm

sentimental -- An' all the

people in the country all

sentimental, man, an' they'd

like nothin' better than me,

Apollo Creed, to let some

unknown get a shot at the

greatest title in the world on

this country's biggest birthday.

Now that's the way I see it

an' that's the way I want it!!

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