Shawshank Redemption Page #17

RED (V.O.)

In prison, a man'll do most

anything to keep his mind occupied.

...where the latest poster turns out to be Racquel Welch ins

fur bikini. Gorgeous. "One Million Years, B. C. " SLOW PUSH IN,

RED (V.O.)

By 1966...right about the time

Tommy was getting ready to take his

exams...it was lovely Racquel.

187INT -- LIBRARY -- DAY (1966) 187

Tommy's taking the big test. Andy's monitoring the time. Deep

silence, save for Tommy's pencil-scribbling. A few old-timers

are browsing the shelves, sneaking looks their way. Tommy

tries to ignore them. Concentrate.

Andy clears his throat. Time's up. Tommy puts his pencil down,

ANDY:

Well?

TOMMY:

Well. It's for sh*t.

(gets up in disgust)

Wasted a whole f***in' year of my

time with this bullshit!

ANDY:

May not be as bad as you think.

TOMMY:

It's worse! I didn't get a f***in'

thing right! Might as well be in

Chinese!

ANDY:

We'll see how the score comes out.

TOMMY:

I'll tell you how the goddamn

score comes out...

Tommy grabs the test, wads it, slam-dunks it into the trash.

TOMMY:

Two points! Right there! There's

your goddamn score!

(storms out)

Goddamn cats crawlin' up trees, 5

times 5 is 25, f*** this place,

f*** it!

Tommy is gone. Red and others stare. Andy gets up, pulls the

test from the trash, smoothes it out on the desk.

188INT -- WOOD SHOP -- DAY (1966) 188

Rest break. Tommy and Red sipping Cokes.

TOMMY:

I feel bad. I let him down.

RED:

That's crap, son. He's proud of

you. Proud as a hen.

(off Tommy's look)

We been friends a long time. I know

him as good as anybody.

TOMMY:

Smart fella, ain't he?

RED:

Smart as they come. Used to be a

banker on the outside.

TOMMY:

What's he in for anyway?

RED:

Murder.

TOMMY:

The hell you say.

RED:

You wouldn't think, lookin' at him.

Caught his wife in bed with some

golf pro. Greased 'em both. C'mon,

boy, back to work...

SMASH! Red turns back. Tommy's Coke has slipped from his hand

and shattered on the floor. The kid's gone white as a sheet.

TOMMY:

(bare whisper)

Oh my God...

189INT -- LIBRARY -- DAY (1966) 189

Tommy sits before Andy and Red:

TOMMY:

'Bout four years ago, I was in

Thomaston on a 2 to 3 stretch.

Stole a car. Dumbfuck thing to do.

(beat)

Few months left to go, I get a new

cellmate in. Elmo Blatch. Big

twitchy f***er. Crazy eyes. Kind of

roomie you pray you don't get, know

what I'm sayin'? 6 to 12 for armed

burglary. Said he done hundreds of

jobs. Hard to believe, high-strung

as he was. Cut a loud fart, he'd go

three feet in the air. Talked all

the time, too, that's the other

thing. Never shut up. Places he'd

been, jobs he pulled, women he

f***ed. Even people he killed.

People that gave him sh*t, that's

how he put it. One night, like a

joke, I say:
"Yeah? Who'd you

kill?" So he says...

BLATCH:

...I got me this job one time

bussin' tables at a country club.

So I could case all the big rich

pricks that come in. I pick out

this guy, go in one night and do

his place. He wakes up and gives

me sh*t. So I killed him. Him and

the tasty b*tch he was with.

(starts laughing)

That's the best part! She's f***in'

this prick, see, this golf pro, but

she's married to some other guy!

Some hotshot banker. He's the one

they pinned it on! They got him

down-Maine somewhere doin' time for

the crime! Ain't that choice?

He throws his head back and ROARS with laughter.

191INT -- PRISON LIBRARY -- DAY (1966) 191

Silence. Tommy has finished his story. Red is stunned...but

Andy looks like he's been smacked with a two by four.

RED:

Andy?

Andy says nothing. Walks stiffly away. Doesn't look back.

192INT -- NORTON'S OFFICE -- DAY (1966) 192

NORTON:

Well. I have to say, that's the

most amazing story I ever heard.

What amazes me most is you were

taken in by it.

ANDY:

Sir?

NORTON:

It's obvious this fellow Williams

is impressed with you. He hears

your tale of woe and quite

naturally wants to cheer you up.

He's young, not terribly bright.

Not surprising he didn't know what

a state he'd put you in.

ANDY:

I think he's telling the truth.

NORTON:

Let's say for a moment Blatch does

exist. You think he'd just fall to

his knees and cry, "Yes, I did it!

I confess! By all means, please add

a life term to my sentence!"

ANDY:

It wouldn't matter. With Tommy's

testimony, I can get a new trial.

NORTON:

That's assuming Blatch is even

still there. Chances are excellent

he'd be released by now. Excellent.

ANDY:

They'd have his last known address.

Names of relatives...

(Norton shakes his head)

Well it's a chance. isn't it? How

can you be so obtuse?

NORTON:

What? What did you call me?

ANDY:

Obtuse! Is it deliberate? The

country club will have his old time

cards! W-2s with his name on them!

NORTON:

(rises)

Dufresne, if you want to indulge

this fantasy, that's your business.

Don't make it mine. This meeting's

over.

ANDY:

Look, if it's the squeeze, don't

worry. I'd never say what goes on

in here. I'd be just as indictable

as you for laundering the money!

NORTON:

Don't you ever mention money to me

again, you sorry son of a b*tch!

Not in this office, not anywhere!

(slaps intercom)

Get in here! Now!

ANDY:

I was just trying to rest your mind

at ease, that's all.

NORTON:

(as GUARDS enter)

Solitary! A month!

Andy gets dragged away, kicking and screaming:

ANDY:

What's the matter with you? It's my

chance to get out, don't you see

that? It's my life! Don't you

understand it's my life?

193EXT -- PRISON YARD -- DAY (1966) 193

Mail call. Men crowd around as names are called out. Red and

the boys are parked on the bleachers.

FLOYD:

A month in the hole. Longest damn

stretch I ever heard of.

TOMMY:

It's my fault.

RED:

Like hell. You didn't pull the

trigger, and you didn't convict him.

HEYWOOD:

Red? You saying Andy's innocent? I

mean for real innocent?

(Red nods)

Sweet Jesus. How long's he been in

here?

RED:

Since '47. Going on nineteen years.

MAIL CALLER:

Thomas Williams!

Tommy raises his hand. The envelope gets tossed to him. He

stares at it. Red peers over his shoulder.

RED:

Board of Education.

TOMMY:

The son of a b*tch mailed it.

RED:

Looks that way. You gonna open it

or stick your thumb up your butt?

TOMMY:

Thumb up my butt sounds better.

He gets hemmed in by the older men. Red snatches the letter.

TOMMY:

C'mon, just throw it away. Will you

please? Just throw it away?

Red rips it open, scans the letter. Expressionless.

RED:

Well, sh*t.

194INT -- VISITOR'S ROOM -- DAY (1966) 194

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