The Butler Page #18

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CECIL:

He’s going to be late to his own

funeral. He said he gonna be here

for us! Go ahead, call him.

GLORIA:

I aint calling Louis. I’m gonna get

my purse and--

Cecil walks back into kitchen with the Bible.

CECIL:

What did you say... Isiah... I see

you got that mark here...

Then Cecil sees that Gloria’s head is slumped. Cecil looks at

her. He’s too afraid to move. He knows that she is gone.

He stares at her for what seems to be an eternity, doesn’t

want to accept it.

CECIL (CONT’D)

Baby? Honey? You sleeping? Baby?

Are you alright?

INT. CHURCH - DAY

Cecil sits in a church all by himself. He looks like he’s

been there for hours. Just doesn’t want to leave because he’s

got nowhere else to go.

INT. GAINES HOUSE - LOUIS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT - 2008

Louis lays face up on a day bed. He looks around at all of

his mother’s stuff. Louis grabs a photo album off the shelf,

he starts thumbing through it, then stops on -

A picture of the Gaines family from when Louis was a teenager

- Cecil, Gloria, Louis and 8 year old Charlie. He stares at

it for a long beat. An American family.

Then he sees a picture he doesn’t recognize. A sepia-tone

photograph of young Cecil on the cotton farm with his father

and mother, Earl and Hattie Gaines. He hears yelling:

CECIL (O.S.)

Louis! Louis come on down! Come

down!

Louis hurries down the steps.

107.

INT. GAINES HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT - 2008

Cecil sits on his couch watching election night results:

ANDERSON COOPER:

“And CNN can now project that

Barack Obama, 47 years old, will

become the President-Elect of the

United States.”

A picture of BARACK OBAMA appears on the screen. Cecil and

Louis stare at it, absolutely stunned. Then Louis walks over

to his father and puts his arms around him.

CUT TO - FULL SCREEN - ARCHIVAL NEWS FOOTAGE:

President-elect Barack Obama makes a speech to the crowd on

election night.

BARACK OBAMA:

“If there is anyone out there who

still doubts that America is a

place where all things are

possible; who still wonders if the

dream of our founders is alive in

our time; who still questions the

power of our democracy, tonight is

your answer.”

Cecil and Louis watch the speech, still holding each other.

Then Cecil begins to cry.

INT. GAINES HOUSE - BEDROOM - CURRENT DAY - 2009

Standing in front of a mirror, Cecil wears Kennedy’s tie that

Jackie gave him as he puts on the LBJ tie clip. He then

grabs his father’s pocket watch.

INT. WHITE HOUSE - ENTRANCE HALL - DAY - 2009

Cecil sits in the Entrance Hall of the White House. He looks

around - everything is exactly as he remembers. He whispers

to himself.

CECIL:

Look them in the eye, see what it

is they want, see what it is they

need, anticipate, bring a smile to

the principal’s eyes...

The new Chief Usher, ADMIRAL STEPHEN ROCHON, black, walks up

to him.

108.

ADMIRAL ROCHON:

Mr. Gaines, I’m Admiral Rochon the

Chief Usher.

Cecil looks surprised that he’s a black man.

CECIL:

It’s nice to meet you, Admiral.

ADMIRAL ROCHON:

The pleasure’s all mine. I just

wanted to tell you what an honor it

is to meet you, sir.

Cecil looks pleased. The two start to walk down the hall.

CECIL:

The honor is mine.

ADMIRAL ROCHON:

The President so excited to meet

with you.

CECIL:

Well that’s just fine.

Admiral Rochon gestures toward the State Dining Room.

ADMIRAL ROCHON:

Let me show you the way.

Cecil gives him a look, then tells him:

CECIL:

I know the way.

Cecil walks alone down that long hallway toward the State

Dining Room. As he passes the official portraits of the

Presidents we hear their iconic voices:

JFK V.O.

The heart of the question is

whether all Americans are to be

afforded equal rights and equal

opportunities.

He walks past the portrait of LBJ.

LBJ V.O.

It is the effort of American Negros

to secure for themselves the full

blessings of American life.

109.

As Cecil turns the corner to meet the first black President

we hear his famous speech:

BARACK OBAMA V.O.

We will respond with that timeless

creed that sums up the spirit of a

people:
Yes we can!

FADE TO BLACK.

THE END:

110.

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