The Green Mile Page #7

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A long beat. Percy turns, looks down at the mouse. The mouse

turns, looks up at Percy...

...and all hell breaks loose again. They race the Mile as

before, Percy hollering and stomping all the way, mousetraps

snapping and flying up into frame as they go charging wildly

past the cells.

The mouse wins again. Percy pauses, furious...and sees Coffey

staring at him from his cell.

COFFEY:

Saw me a mouse go by.

Percy loses it, kicking and punching the restraint room door

in a screaming rage as we

FADE TO:

INT. E BLOCK - DAY

Paul appears at Bitterbuck's bars with a group of guards.

PAUL:

Arlen? Your daughter and her

family are here.

Bitterbuck steps from his cell. Bill Dodge escorts him off

the block. The moment they're gone:

PAUL:

Let's move. I want at least two

rehearsals before he gets back.

INT. VISITOR'S ROOM - DAY

Bitterbuck is led in. His DAUGHTER rises...an awkward

hesitation...and she touches his face, kisses him. He takes

her hands, kisses them, tries not to cry. The rest of the

family is there:
SON-IN-LAW, GRANDCHILDREN, COUSINS. They

form around him, murmuring hellos, shaking hands...

INT. E BLOCK - DAY

...while TOOT-TOOT takes Bitterbuck's place in the cell. He's

a wiry and toothless old trusty, crazy as a tick. He sits:

TOOT:

Sittin' down, sittin' down,

rehearsing now! Everybody settle!

He glances to Paul--okay, hit it.

PAUL:

Arlen Bitterbuck, step forward.

Toot springs to his feet and steps from the cell.

TOOT:

I'm steppin' forward, I'm steppin'

forward, I'm steppin' forward...

Toot turns, shows the top of his head to Dean.

PAUL:

Is his head properly shaved?

DEAN:

No, it's dandruffy and it smells.

PAUL:

I'll take that for a yes. All

right, Arlen, let's go.

Toot starts up the corridor, ringed by guards.

TOOT:

I'm walkin' the Mile, I'm walkin'

the Mile, I'm walkin' the Mile...

PAUL'S INNER OFFICE

Toot throws himself to his knees as soon as they enter:

TOOT:

I'm prayin', I'm prayin', I'm

prayin'. The Lord is my shepherd,

so on an' so forth...

PAUL:

Toot, you have to wait till I tell

you to pray.

(Toot waits)

Okay, pray.

TOOT:

Still prayin', still prayin'...

HARRY:

Paul, we're not gonna have some

Cherokee medicine man in here

whoopin' and hollerin' and shaking

his dick, are we?

PAUL:

Well, actually--

TOOT:

Still prayin', prayin', gettin'

right with Jesus...

HARRY:

Do it quietly, you old gink!

Harry slaps Toot upside the head to shut him up.

PAUL:

As I was saying, I don't believe

they actually shake their d*cks,

Harry. Be that as it may, Mr.

Bitterbuck is a Christian, so we

got Reverend Schuster coming in.

DEAN:

Oh, he's good. Fast, too. Doesn't

get 'em worked up.

PAUL:

On your feet, Toot. You've prayed

enough for one day.

TOOT:

Gettin' to my feet, walkin' again,

walkin' on the Green Mile...

EXECUTION CHAMBER

They enter. Brutal is waiting for them, gun drawn. Percy

peers out from behind the partition wall from the switch room.

PERCY:

What do I do?

PAUL:

Watch and learn.

Paul motions Percy behind the wall. Percy sighs, takes his

spot next to Jack Van Hay, peers through the wire mesh as

Toot plops into Old Sparky, wriggling his skinny ass to get

comfy.

TOOT:

Sittin' down, sittin' down, takin'

a seat in Old Sparky's lap...

Paul and Dean kneel to apply the ankle clamps. Brutal steps

in from the side, pressing down on the condemned man's left

arm to keep him in place until the ankle clamps are secure.

Harry moves in from the other side, securing the right arm

clamp.

TOOT:

Gettin' clamped, gettin' clamped,

gettin'--ow, sh*t, watch the skin!

Paul signals "ankles secure." Brutal holsters his pistol,

applies the final clamp to the left arm.

BRUTAL:

Roll on one.

BEHIND THE PARTITION

Van Hay mimes turning the generator knob up, whispering:

VAN HAY:

"Roll on one" means I turn the

generator up full. You'll see the

lights go brighter in half the

prison...

RESUME MAIN CHAMBER

as Brutal steps before the "condemned" and pronounces:

BRUTAL:

Arlen Bitterbuck, you have been

condemned to die by a jury of your

peers, sentence imposed by a judge

in good standing in this state.

Do you have anything to say before

the sentence is carried out?

TOOT:

(gleefully)

Yeah! I want a fried chicken

dinner with gravy on the taters,

I want to sh*t in your hat, and I

got to have Mae West sit on my

face, because I am one horny

motherf***er!

Brutal tries to hold on, but it's impossible--he cracks up.

Everybody falls apart, howling helplessly with laughter. Even

Jack Van Hay is guffawing behind his partition.

Only Paul is reining it in--he's a little too pissed to go

with it. He waits until the laughing fit starts to pass, then:

PAUL:

Shut up, Brutal. That goes for

everybody. I want quiet in here.

(turns)

Toot, another remark like that,

I'll have Van Hay roll on two for

real.

BRUTAL:

(beat, gently)

It was pretty funny.

PAUL:

That's why I don't like it.

Tomorrow night we're doing this

for real. I don't want somebody

remembering a stupid joke like

that and getting going again.

(off their looks)

Ever try not laughing in church

once something funny gets stuck in

your head. Same goddamn thing.

BRUTAL:

Sorry, Paul. You're right. Let's

keep going. Harry...

Harry takes a black mask and snugs it down over Toot's head,

leaving only the crown of his head exposed. Brutal takes a

large sponge, dips it in a steel bucket, mimes soaking it...

BEHIND THE PARTITION

PERCY:

What's with the sponge?

VAN HAY:

You soak it in brine, get it good

and wet. Conducts the electricity

directly to the brain, fast like

a bullet. You don't ever want to

throw the switch on a man without

that.

RESUME MAIN CHAMBER

as the sponge is placed atop Toot's head. Harry now lowers

the steel cap and Brutal secures the straps.

BRUTAL:

Arlen Bitterbuck, electricity

shall now be passed through your

body until you are dead, in

accordance with the state law. God

have mercy on your soul.

(to Van Hay)

Roll on two.

BEHIND THE PARTITION

Van Hay mimes flipping the switch, looks to Percy:

VAN HAY:

And that's that.

RESUME MAIN CHAMBER

Toot can't resist--he starts bucking and flailing:

TOOT:

Now I'm fryin'! Fryin'! Geeaaah!

Fryin' like a done tom turkey!

Paul rolls his eyes at Brutal. Brutal shifts his gaze past

him and nods--look behind you.

BRUTAL:

One of the witnesses showed up a

day early.

Paul turns. Sitting on the door sill, watching them with

beady eyes, is the mouse. Paul turns back, addresses the room:

PAUL:

All right, let's go again and do

it right this time! Get that idiot

out of the chair...

HIGH WIDE ANGLE OF EXECUTION CHAMBER

Brutal and Harry start undoing Toot's clamps. Everybody

relaxes, drifting from their positions...

DISSOLVE TO:

SAME ANGLE AS ABOVE - NEXT NIGHT

...and the room is now quietly filling up with WITNESSES

trickling in. People speak in whispers, if at all.

INT. BITTERBUCK'S CELL - NIGHT

Bitterbuck, the top of his head now shaved, is speaking

quietly as Paul listens:

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