Stalag 17 Page #2

As for Sefton, he is lying in his bunk just watching them.

Blondie hangs a blanket over the window. Triz swings one

over the clothesline to shield off their end of the barrack.

Hoffy and Price light a couple of handmade lamps: margarine

in tin cans with the wick stuck inside.

Manfredi and Johnson are putting on their leather jackets.

Harry tries to awaken STOSH in the bunk above him. The wooden

boards around Stosh's bunk are plastered with Betty Grable

cheesecake. Harry pokes him. Stosh does not respond. Harry

interlocks his fingers, puts them close to Stosh's ears and

cracks them in a SHARP SALVO. Stosh opens his eyes, dazed.

Harry pats Stosh's cheek.

HARRY:

(in a whisper)

Get up, Animal! Betty Grable's on

the phone!

Stosh gives him a dirty look. Gets out of the bunk. He and

Harry move to the little iron stove. Triz is already

dismantling the pipe above the stove. Harry and Stosh lift

the stove and start inching it to one side.

Hoffy moving to a large bucket of water. It is a trick job:

a bucket within a bucket. He lifts out the shallow inner

part with the water. Hidden underneath are some civilian

clothes. He takes them out, crosses to Manfredi and Johnson.

(All the dialogue in this scene in whispers, of course.)

HOFFY:

Here's your civilian clothes, boys.

MANFREDI:

Okay, Hoffy.

Duke takes the clothes from Hoffy and starts stuffing them

into a small barrack bag.

HOFFY:

Bury your Army outfits before you

get out of the forest.

MANFREDI:

Okay.

HOFFY:

The compass is the top button on

your pants, Johnson.

JOHNSON:

Okay.

Sefton, propped up in his bunk, watches the proceedings with

a pitying little smile. He eyes wander to Harry and Stosh.

By now they have moved the stove some four feet to the side,

and start carefully lifting some sawed-off planks out of the

floor.

Blondie is standing watch by the blanket-covered window,

peeking out.

Price slips a wire hook down into the crack between a bunk

and the wall, fishes out a sheaf of papers and walks to

Manfredi and Johnson.

PRICE:

Anybody asks for your papers, you're

French laborers.

He hands them the papers.

PRICE:

Your map -- your Kraut money -- Swiss

francs.

MANFREDI:

Roger.

PRICE:

Now, let's hear it once more, boys.

JOHNSON:

We've been over it a hundred times.

HOFFY:

Let's hear it again.

MANFREDI:

We stick to the forest going west

until we hit the Danube --

PRICE:

Check.

JOHNSON:

Then follow the Danube up to Linz --

PRICE:

Check.

JOHNSON:

In Linz we hop a barge and go all

the way to Ulm --

From OFF come the WEIRD SOUNDS of an ocarina being played.

They turn.

It's JOEY in his bunk playing the sweet potato. He's nuts

all right.

DUKE:

Stop it, Joey -- go to sleep!

Joey hides the ocarina behind his back, afraid they may take

it away.

PRICE:

(to Johnson)

Go on. You're in Ulm.

JOHNSON:

Once in Ulm we lie low until night,

then take a train to Friedrichshafen.

MANFREDI:

Then once in Friedrichshafen we steal

a rowboat, get some fishing tackle,

and start drifting across the lake --

always south -- until we hit the

other side -- Switzerland.

Sefton has gotten out of his bunk, and is picking up the

margarine lamp.

SEFTON:

Bingo. Once in Switzerland, just

give out with a big yodel so we'll

know you're there. It's a breeze,

boys.

He lights his cigar butt with the margarine lamp. Manfredi

and Johnson shoot him a nervous glance.

HOFFY:

Stay out of it, Sefton.

SEFTON:

Just one question. Did you calculate

the risk?

Harry and Stosh have by now removed the loose planks off the

floor. A small black hole gapes below them.

HARRY:

Ready.

Hoffy, Price, Manfredi and Johnson move toward the trap door,

Johnson carrying the barrack bag. Hoffy looks at his watch.

HOFFY:

You got ten minutes to get through

the tunnel. That'll bring you out

just when the Jerries are changing

shifts.

(Turns to window)

Blondie?

Blondie gives him the high sign.

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