State And Main

FADE IN:

EXT. FIREHOUSE - DAY

Ann is walking down the street. The firedog runs out of the

firehouse, she gives the dog a biscuit, and pats him on the

head.

The fireman is out front with a cup of coffee. Ann hands him

a poster.

EXT. STATE AND MAIN - INTERSECTION - DAY

Morris and Spud, two codgers, are about to cross the street

when they hear a beeping and stop.

As they cross, we see the tail end of a van, and the group

nods in that direction.

MORRIS:

You hear that?

SPUD:

Yes, I hear it.

MORRIS:

Drive a man to drink. Took me near

half an hour, get across the street

yesterday.

SPUD:

I saw Budgie Gagnon, leaning on the

bank of the building. Said, "What

are you doin'?" He said, "I'm waitin'

for the 'leven o'clock crossing..."

As Morris and Spud speak a car is coming down the street,

and bounces in the pothole.

MORRIS:

Ywanna fix something, you should fix

the pothole. Yessir, they should be

trussed up, thrown off some high

building.

DOUG MACKENZIE, a young Republican type, walks up to join

them.

DOUG:

Who's that?

MORRIS:

Whoever spent ten, f'teen thousand

dollars, a new traffic light, you

could grow old, paint your house

before it lets you cross the street,

and then, not fix the pothole.

SPUD:

What was wrong with the old traffic

light?

INT. COFFEECORNER - DAY

They enter the Coffeecorner. Carla is serving the folk, and

Jack the owner is behind the counter.

DOUG:

I'm glad you asked... I'll tell you

what was wrong with it. And what was

wrong with it was it was behind the

times. Now:
You want to bring business

into this town? You have to plan for

a Waterford that does not exist. Not

at the moment, no...

ANN:

Morning, darling.

DOUG:

Morning.

CARLA:

Hi, Annie.

Ann hands Carla a poster.

ANN:

Morning, Carla.

Doug and the two codgers move to a table by the window where

Carla, the nubile waitress, brings them coffee. Ann talks to

a woman at the counter.

MORRIS:

...the damn thing...

SPUD:

No, I'm serious, election's coming

up, a lot of people are pretty

upset...

DOUG:

They are... Yes. I'm sure they are...

WOMAN AT COUNTER

Annie, I'm going to be a lil late

for the rehearsal, tonight.

ANN:

S'Okay, Maude. You know your lines...?

DOUG:

...I'm sure that people are upset...

MAUDE:

I know em, I don't know what order

they come in...

ANN:

We'll work it out...

JACK:

What're they on about?

ANN:

Traffic light.

JACK:

Waal, no, th'trafficlight's Doug's

thing. That's his thing, fine.

DOUG:

Thank you, Jack, and...

JACK:

But we got to talk about the pothole.

DOUG:

Jack...

JACK:

A public office is a public trust...

This is why this is America. Question

is:
who owns the street.

Outside the front booth, on the street, the airport van

cruises by.

EXT. STATE AND MAIN - DAY

As they walk out we hear a high pitched beeping sound at the

traffic light. We see DOC WILSON crossing the street, holding

his doctor's bag.

An ELDERLY MAN approaches Doc at the crossing. As Walt and

Bill walk, the airport van follows them.

TOWNSMAN:

Doc, those pills, y'gave me for my

back? I'm not sure that they work.

DOC WILSON:

Well, I'm not sure either, but y'don't

hear me complain... come by th'office,

end of th'afternoon.

TOWNSMAN:

Thanks, Doc...

BILL:

This is your movie, this is small

town America.

WALT:

Town in New Hampshire was small town

America too. Forty thousand dollars

a day, to shoot on the street. And

then they kicked us out...

They stop in front of a rack of fifty "factory seconds."

Black and red hunting jackets, in front of the sporting goods

store. The sign reads "FACTORY SECONDS, FIVE DOLLARS."

BILL:

A jacket for five dollars... I can

buy this town for fifty bucks.

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