The Leopard Man Page #3

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CHARLIE-HOW-COME

THE LEOPARD MAN:

STRETCH LIKE A PANTHER FOR MUSCLES OF STEEL

Leaning against a fender of this vehicle is Jerry Manning,

hot, disheveled and excited. He is talking with a short

Indian, Charlie How�Come, dressed in Levis, a velvet Zuni

jacket, and with a battered felt hat on his coarse black

hair.

CHARLIE HOW-COME

Remember what you said: Ten bucks

for the loan of my cat �-two

hundred and twenty-five if anything

happened to it.

Jerry tries to control his exasperation.

JERRY:

(with strained patience)

But nothing has happened to it. It

got into this alley, and there's no

way out of it. They'll find it.

CHARLIE HOW-COME

You don't get the idea, Mister.

These cops banging those pans,

flashing those lights -� they're

going to scare that poor cat of

mine, Cats are funny. They don't

want to hurt you -- but if you

scare them -� they go crazy. These

cops don't know what they're doing.

A little Mexican boy who has seen listening to the

conversation between Jerry and Charlie, is suddenly attracted

by something off in the darkness. Grinning, he turns on the

hand flashlight he is holding and points it off into the

darkness of the alley.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - Clo-Clo's legs. The flashlight picks up a

pair of shapely legs and holds on them as they move forward,

The legs stop their walking motion and suddenly begin to

stamp with the heel taps that are part of her dance. The

light snaps off.

MED. SHOT - Jerry and Charlie. Clo�Clo comes in from the

left. She grins at the men.

CLO-CLO

(to Jerry)

Maybe, Mr. Manning would like to

help me? I do not need a leopard. I

have talent.

Jerry is furious and about to make some retort. Clo�Clo

laughs and takes her hands from her pockets. She is holding

her castanets, and a ribald rattle drowns anything Jerry

might want to say.

CLO�CLO

(moving off)

Goodnight, Mr. Publicity Man.

Jerry glares after her.

EXT. FLOWER SHOP - NIGHT

This is a small flower shop. One or two vases hold wilted

flowers which have been left in the display window. Behind

them is a mirror. In this mirror we can see the mouth of the

alley and Clo-Clo as she walks away from the men and comes

toward the flower shop.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Clo�Clo passes the flower shop and continues on.

The CAMERA TRUCKS WITH her. She passes several dark doorways

and comes abreast of a dimly lit shop. Behind the grimy

window of this store is a large hand�lettered sign:

GENUINE GYPSY READINGS

HAND OR CARD:

From the dark doorway of this store, a voice calls out.

MARIA'S VOICE

Why are you hurrying, Clo-Clo?

CLO-CLO

(with a derisive twitter

of her castanets)

Oh, it's you. Faker!

Suddenly a white, thin hand and arm appears from the shadows

of the doorway. The hand holds a deck of cards, extending

them toward Clo-Clo temptingly.

MARIA'S VOICE

Take a card, Clo-Clo. See what the

night holds for you.

Clo-Clo hesitates. Looks at the deck of cards.

CLO-CLO

Your cards are a joke. I wouldn't

give you a centavo.

She starts to move away.

MARIA'S VOICE

One card Clo�Clo -- for nothing.

Clo-Clo stops. Pretending indifference, she casually reaches

out and takes a card.

INSERTACE OF SPADES in Clo-Clo's hand.

MED. CLOSE SHOT of Clo�Clo as she stares at the card. She

laughs and flips the card back into the darkness of the

doorway, letting the castanets in her other hand speak of her

disbelief.

CLO-CLO

Faker!

She starts off along the street.

CAMERA TRUCKS WITH her. She passes an open doorway. In the

shadow lounges a tall thin man, his figure merging with the

darkness. He is smoking. We can see the glow of his

cigarette.

CLO�CLO

(in passing)

Hello, Shorty.

The man disregards a verbal reply, but blows a smoke ring

toward her. She pokes' her index finger through the ring

playfully and goes on.

The CAMERA MOVES WITH her. In the area way of the next

building are two lovers, pressed close to each other and

close to the wall..

CLO-CLO

Oo! Oo!

THE GIRL:

(protestingly)

Clo-Clo.

Clo-Clo goes on. From a window a young girl is peeping,

looking up and down the street with large frightened eye a.

CLO�CLO

(smiling)

Hello, Chiquita.

TERESA:

(smiling back, a little

hesitantly)

Hello, Clo-Clo.

Clo-Clo goes on, but our CAMERA REMAINS. This is Teresa

Delgado, a wisp of a young girl, whose childish, smooth face

might go unnoticed if it were not for her enormous and

wistful dark eyes. She has on a skimpy cotton dress drawn in

at the waist with a five-and-ten cent store belt. Having

looked again up and down the street she pulls down the sash

and turns back into the room.

INT. DELGADO HOUSE - NIGHT

The Delgado house is typical of the poorer Mexican homes in

New Mexico. This main room, which is small, serves as living

room, bedroom and kitchen. An Indian blanket covers the

doorway into the only other room. The adobe walls are

plastered with pictures of religious subjects.

The wooden floor is bare. There is a charcoal-burning brasero

in one corner. Pots and pans on the hearth of the fireplace

show that it is a supplementary stove, The rest of the

furniture consists of an iron bedstead, a large and hideous

oak table and an open-faced china cabinet which contains the

Delgado treasures.

Pedro, Teresa's nine-year-old brother is seated at the oak

table, eating from a bowl of frijoles. He is, and looks like,

an imp. Teresa is backing away from her mother, who turns

away from the window to face her angrily.

TERESA:

(evidently resuming

a discussion)

But, Mamacita -- why can't Pedro go

this time? I'm so tired...

PEDRO:

(complacently)

I'm too young.

SRA. DELGADO

If your father comes home and there

are no tortillas, he will shout ��

and tomorrow it will be all over

town:
the family of Juan Delgado is

too poor to buy corn meal! Do you

wish we should be so disgraced?

Teresa shakes her head, but makes no move to go. Exasperated,

Sra. Delgado reaches for the nearest weapon -- the broom.

SRA. DELGADO

Then go!

Sra. Delgado brandishes the broom toward Teresa, who backs up

again.

PEDRO:

I know what she's afraid of...

Pedro lifts his hand. It casts a sharp shadow on the wall

behind him. Watching the shadow, he manipulates his fingers

so as to create the shadow of a leopard's head in miniature.

PEDRO (CONT'D)

This!

SRA. DELGADO

And what, por todos los santos, is

"this"?

Teresa braves the threatening broom and moves a step toward

her mother.

TERESA:

(eager to be believed)

The leopard, Mamacita. They say a

lady at the El Pueblo had it on a

string and it ran away. It hasn't

been found yet...

SRA. DELGADO

A leopard?

PEDRO:

(gleefully)

They're big -- and they jump on

you!

Pedro jumps the shadow on the wall, to simulate the leap of a

leopard.

SRA. DELGADO

(furiously)

Did you ever meet one of those

things yet when you went to the

store for me?

Teresa swallows, shakes her head mutely.

SRA. DELGADO

(bellowing)

Then you won't meet one this time

either! Now get out! Do as I told

you!

Sra. Delgado gives the broom such a backward swing of final

purpose that Teresa hurriedly opens the door behind her and

slinks out backwards -- her big liquid dark eyes, still

futilely pleading, the last to disappear. Sra. Delgado moves

after her, pushing the door closed.

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