Stalag 17 Page #18

END OF SEQUENCE "C"

SEQUENCE "D"

FADE IN:

INT. BARRACK 4 - (DAY)

About twenty P.O.W.s lazing about. The sack rats in their

bunks. Triz and Price playing chess, Joey looking on blankly.

Sefton, a towel around his neck, is sitting in a chair being

shaved by Cookie. Stosh, in his bunk, is carving a new ocarina

for Joey out of wood. CAMERA MOVES SLOWLY to:

The electric light bulb, hanging straight and innocent on

its wire.

COOKIE'S VOICE

Now let me see, what came next? Oh,

yes. Next came those new prisoners.

'Twas two days before Christmas when

all through the camp, not a creature

was stirring, not even that lamp.

MARKO'S VOICE

At ease! At ease!

Marko, carrying a handful of letters and a book, has entered,

followed by The Crutch.

MARKO:

Mail call!

The whole barrack springs to life, everyone moving towards

Marko with whistles, screams and hoorays. Joey, who keeps

staring at the chess board. Sefton and Cookie go on with the

shave.

MARKO:

At ease! At ease! First, the

Kommandant is sending every barrack

a little Christmas present. A copy

of Mein Kampf. In the words of Oberst

von Scherbach:
'Now that a German

victory is in sight, all American

prisoners are to be indoctrinated

with the teachings of der Fuehrer.

Unquote. In my own words:

(he lets go with a

belch)

Unquote.

He tosses the book into the air. Duke catches it.

DUKE:

That's the wrong direction.

He flings it at Sefton. It sails past Sefton's head.

Cookie ducks. Sefton doesn't even bat an eyelash.

SEFTON:

You must have been some tail gunner!

(to Cookie)

Go ahead, Cookie.

STOSH:

Come on, let's get that mail. Anything

for Stanislaus Kuzawa?

MARKO:

At ease! At ease!

As Marko calls out the names he hands out the letters. Some

of the men open them immediately. Others go to their bunks

to read.

MARKO:

Martin. Shapiro. Price. Trzcinski.

McKay. Shapiro. Shapiro. Manfredi.

There is an awkward pause, then Marko puts Manfredi's letter

in his pocket.

MARKO:

Shapiro. Musgrove. McKay. Peterson.

Cook.

Cookie comes up for his letter. So do Duke and Blondie. (Their

names are Musgrove and Peterson.)

MARKO:

Pirelli. Coleman. Agnew. Shapiro.

STOSH:

(in a little voice)

Nothing for Kuzawa?

MARKO:

Shapiro. Shapiro.

STOSH:

(to Harry)

Just what makes you so popular?

HARRY:

(fanning the letters)

Frightening, isn't it? Fifty million

guys floating around back home and

all those dames want is Sugar-lips

Shapiro.

MARKO:

McKay, Agnew. Here, Stosh.

He holds out a letter.

STOSH:

(revitalized)

Yeah?

MARKO:

Give this to Joey, will you?

STOSH:

Oh.

Marko has now distributed all the letters.

MARKO:

At ease! At ease! Here's a little

something from Father Murray. One to

each barrack.

He has knelt down in front of The Crutch and pulls out from

the empty pant's leg a little Christmas tree.

MARKO:

And he says he wants you cruds to

cut out all swearing during Yuletide.

G.I.

How'd he get those trees?

MARKO:

I don't know. Prayed, I guess. They

grew out of his mattress.

Marko sticks the tree into one of the margarine cans.

G.I.

What'll we use for decorations?

MARKO:

For that you got to pray yourself.

He goes, followed by The Crutch.

Stosh sits next to Joey at the table, reading his letter to

him.

STOSH:

'...and we do hope that you will

finish that last year of law school

when you come back home...'

(looks up at Joey)

Law school?! You don't want to be a

stinking lawyer with a stinking brief

case in a stinking office, do you,

Joey?

Joey just sits there. Stosh goes on reading.

STOSH:

'...And do keep writing, son. Your

letters are very dear to us. With

all our love, Dad.' Here, Joey, take

it.

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