Wag the Dog Page #18

BREAN PICKS UP THE PHONE AND DIALS.

BREAN:

Hello...?

FAD KING PICKS UP THE PHONE.

FAD KING:

Yeah, I need a list, people in Military Special

Pro...

MOSS:

...what do you got?

FAD KING:

(INTO PHONE)

Military Special Programs... Programs... No, I am not

Shouting at you, I'm... I'm sorry. Anyone named Shoe

Schumann? Schuster... uh

JOHNNY GREEN, ANGLE ON HIM, HIS EYES LIGHT UP.

JOHNNY GREEN:

I got it!

HE TAKES OUT HIS GUITAR, AND STARTS TO STRUM. HE PICKS UP A PENCIL. IN THE

B.G. WE SEE THE OLD AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN COME INTO THE STUDIO, AND START

CLEANING UP.

SINGER:

"I guard the Northern Borders..."

Okay, y'want to roll on another one...?

JOHNNY GREEN:

Naaa. F*** that. F*** that...

ENGINEER:

...go get a Coke. Y'want something to eat...?

SINGER:

We gonna be long, cause I told my wife...

DISSOLVE:

INT STUDIO. NIGHT. VAST AMOUNTS OF TAKE-OUT FOOD WRAPPING. AMES, BREAN,

JOHNNY GREEN, MOSS, THE ENGINEER, SITTING AT THE CONSOLE. IN THE STUDIO, AN

OLD, BLACK SINGER, ARRANGING MUSIC ON THE STAND IN FRONT OF HIM. HE HOLDS A

VERY BATTERED OLD GUITAR.

JOHNNY GREEN, STILL SCRIBBLING ON MUSIC PAPER, GOES INTO THE STUDIO, AND HANDS

A SHEET TO THE SINGER, AND LEAVES.

THE SINGER IS THE OLD MAN WE SAW SWEEPING UP.

SINGER:

(SINGS)

Good Old Shoe

Good Old Shoe...never left you hangin, Just a Good Old

Shoe...

(HE STOPS, TALKS TO THE CONTROL ROOM)

I'm sorry, Barry, the action on this... where the hell

did you get this old thing?

ENGINEER:

(TALKING THROUGH THE P.A.)

...found it in a pawnshop. Three bucks.

THE SINGER SMILES, SHAKES HIS HEAD, STARTS TO TUNE A STRING.

MOSS:

Don't tune it too good.

ENGINEER:

Leave it flat, will you, Ben?

THE SINGER NODS.

ENGINEER:

Do another?

SINGER:

Let's do it.

ENGINEER:

(CUING THE TAPE)

Good Old Shoe...

MOSS:

(SHOWS THE PHOTO OF SCHUMANN TO BREAN)

William Schuman. Old Shoe. U.S. Army. Serial number,

21-31-2841-262.

ENGINEER:

Take ten.

SINGER:

He's the Runt of the Litter

Waal that's true

N'I found him jest hiding in an Old Work Shoe

N'he got into mischief, as a Pup will do.

But I never had a better than my Good Old Shoe.

Waal, we's out jest a-huntin, on a Cold Fall Day, and

it seems like that Possum 'bout to Get Away...

MOSS:

It's too clean.

ENGINEER:

Hold it a minute, Benny, willya?

MOSS:

It's too clean.

ENGINEER:

Let's take the bridge from nine, and the intro from

one, and...

MOSS:

It's got to sound like an acetate recording, 1930.

ENGINEER:

Hold it a minute, Benny, we're going to tweak it a bit.

(TO THE GROUP)

This may take a while.

BREAN:

(TO JOHNNY, AND MOSS)

This is fantastic.

JOHNNY GREEN:

Y'like it? Wait'll you get to the bridge...

BREAN:

This's Fantastic...

JOHNNY GREEN:

(TO ENGINEER)

Don't go with the bridge from nine, go with the bridge

from eight.

ENGINEER:

Why eight?

JOHNNY GREEN:

Just try it.

IN THE B.G. WE SEE AMES TALKING INTO THE CELLPHONE.

AMES:

A new take on the... Well, sir, we're coming back,

we'd like you to try it out, this evening...

MOSS:

Listen to what I've ... listen to... does anybody know

Morse Code?

BREAN:

What're you gonna do with Morse Code?

MOSS:

(NODS, POINTS TO THE GLOSSY PHOTO)

...we put your Guy in a sweater...

BREAN:

Yeah...?

MOSS:

"Good Old Shoe -- " We put him in a sweater.

WE HEAR A WHISTLE. HEADS TURN. THE COWBOY TYPE IS WHISTLING. HE IS OVER

AT A COFFEE AREA, LOOKING AT A SMALL TELEVISION, THE GROUP MOVES TO THE TV.

ON THE TELEVISION WE SEE A TALKING HEAD, ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF THE PRESS.

IN THE B.G. AIRFORCE ONE IS ROLLING TO A STOP. WE SEE THE RAMP COME DOWN AND

THE PRESIDENT COME OUT IN THE RAIN AND HURRY TOWARD A WAITING HELICOPTER.

HE SEES SOMETHING OFF TO THE SIDE AND STOPS, HIS AIDES TRY TO DISSUADE HIM,

BUT HE PULLS AWAY. THE NEWS CAMERA HUNTS AND FINDS A SMALL ALBANIAN GIRL,

CARRYING A SHEAF OF WHEAT IN HER HANDS, AN OLD WOMAN BEHIND HER, BOTH STANDING

IN THE RAIN. THE PRESIDENT ADVANCES, AND MOVES TO LET HIS AIDES LET THE CHILD

COME FORWARD. WE SEE THE PRESIDENT, MOVED AT THE SIGHT OF THE LITTLE GIRL,

OFFERING HIM THE SHEAF OF WHEAT, WE HEAR A REPORTER, V.O.

REPORTER:

(VO)

...trying too... it seems that she is speaking in... is

is Albanian ... Is it Albanian? Can we get someone

on...

A WOMAN'S VOICE COMES ON, A TRANSLATOR.

TRANSLATOR:

(VO)

...salvation of our Country. To...to "intercede" where

violent men would work to destroy ... to destroy

Harmony. Now is the Harvest Season in my Land, and I

bring you...

(SHE HANDS HIM THE WHEAT)

I bring you this traditional Albanian, forgive me not

to speak English, but my Grandmother...

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