When a Stranger Calls Page #13

A modest middle-income neighborhood where young married

couples buy their first home and start their family.

CAMERA is facing down the quiet street. In the foreground,

on the street, two small CHILDREN, a little boy and a little

girl, are playing. They are adorable kids.

CAMERA PANS ninety degrees with the children as they run out

of the street and up the sidewalk to their house.

A TITLE APPEARS across the bottom of the screen:

5 pm Friday, April 28, 1978

TITLE FADES as the children push open the front door and

enter the house.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE - FOLLOWING CHILDREN

They noisily and excitedly make their way to the kitchen.

The children are four and two and a half years old, STEVIE

and JUNE respectively.

CUT TO:

INT. KITCHEN

As the kids enter, their MOTHER is working at the stove, her

back to CAMERA.

JUNE & STEVIE

(together)

Hi, Mommy!

The mother turns around. It is Jill Johnson!

JILL:

(smiling)

Well, look what the wind blew in!

CAMERA MOVES IN on her as she comes forward, bends down,

kisses Stevie, and picks up June. Jill looks older, more

mature, but still very pretty. She is Mrs. John Lockhart

now, and has left her memories of the past behind her.

STEVIE:

Mommy, what's for dinner? Could we

have hamburgers?

JILL:

(teasing)

Is that all you ever want?

A wall phone in the kitchen starts to ring. Stevie goes to

answer it.

STEVIE:

Hello?

JOHN (O.S.)

(surprised)

Hey, how's my little tiger?

It is JOHN LOCKHART on the phone.

STEVIE:

Daddy, Junie threw my baseball down

the street; and I can't find it!

JOHN (O.S.)

Well, we'll look for it real hard

later. Let me talk to mommy.

Jill, by this time, has come to the phone. She is still

holding June.

STEVIE:

Okay. Bye, daddy.

Stevie hands the phone to Jill.

JILL:

Hi.

JOHN:

Hi, babe -- whaddya say you put on a

sexy dress, and I take you out to

dinner tonight?

Jill is very happy about this.

JILL:

Great... what's the occasion?

JOHN:

(teasing)

Just a little surprise.

JILL:

What?

JOHN:

I'm leaving here now; be home in

half an hour.

JILL:

Okay, see ya.

JOHN:

Bye, babe.

As Jill hangs up the phone, Stevie pipes up O.S.

STEVIE (O.S.)

Mommy, is Daddy gonna get me a new

baseball?

CUT TO:

EXT. DR. MANDRAKIS' HOUSE - NIGHT

Clifford's car is parked in the driveway, and we see him

getting out. He goes to the front door -- the porch light is

on and perhaps one other lamp somewhere inside the otherwise

dark house. He rings the bell, waits, rings again...

Finally the door is opened by the Houseboy.

HOUSEBOY:

Dr. and Mrs. Mandrakis are out of

town.

CLIFFORD:

For how long?

HOUSEBOY:

Three more weeks.

Pause.

CLIFFORD:

It's just as well. Will you be here?

HOUSEBOY:

Yes.

Clifford takes a business card from his pocket and gives it

to the Houseboy.

CLIFFORD:

Here. Call if you need me.

The Houseboy reads the card as Clifford walks back to his

car. Then the Houseboy closes the front door.

Clifford pauses beside his car for a moment, looking back at

the rich, dark home.

CUT TO:

INT. JILL'S HOUSE - CHILDREN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

The children are in bed. Jill is sitting next to Stevie.

Only a nightlight is on.

STEVIE:

...I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I die before I wake, I pray the

Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy

and Daddy and...

JUNE:

And me.

STEVIE:

...and Granmom and Aunt Lucy and

Uncle George...

JUNE:

And me!

STEVIE:

(pausing)

...and her. Now will you tell us a

story?

JILL:

No, I will not tell you a story. You

go to sleep now. And be good. Carol

will be here while we're gone.

STEVIE:

Goodnight.

Jill kisses him.

JUNE:

Mommy, will you come here a minute?

I want to tell you something.

Jill stands up and goes over to June's bed.

JILL:

What is it?

JUNE:

Come closer.

Jill bends closer to her daughter. O.S. the doorbell rings.

JUNE:

I love you.

JILL:

I love you, too, Junebug.

(kissing her)

Goodnight. Sleep tight.

Jill stands up and leaves.

INT. FRONT HALL

As Jill comes down the stairs. CAROL, the sitter, is at the

foot of the stairs with John. Carol has an armful of

schoolbooks.

JILL:

Hi, Carol.

CAROL:

Hello, Mrs. Lockhart. I saw your

picture in the paper the other day.

Congratulations.

JILL:

Ugggh... wasn't it a dreadful picture?

JOHN:

I thought it was nice.

Jill crosses to a hall table, picks up a phone book, flips

through it, then writes on a notepad beside the phone. Over

this action...

JOHN:

Are the kids asleep?

JILL:

They will be soon.

(to Carol)

Give them about twenty minutes and

then take a peek -- but if Stevie

sees you, you'll have to tell him a

story.

(beat)

Here's the number of the restaurant.

Call us if you need us. For police,

ambulance, any emergency like that,

just dial 911. You know that, right?

CAROL:

Nine-one-one? Oh, sure.

JILL:

And just in case, I've written the

number of the children's Uncle George

and Aunt Lucy here, too.

JOHN:

Honey, in ten seconds I eat the

staircase.

JILL:

Okay. Okay.

She puts down the pad and crosses to a closet where she takes

out a lightweight coat.

JILL:

(handing the coat to

John)

Here.

JOHN:

(not taking the coat)

I'm not wearing that thing!

Jill shoves the coat into his stomach. Smiling, he takes the

coat and dutifully helps her on with it.

CAROL:

Have a good time.

JILL:

Thanks, Carol.

JOHN:

(pulling her out the

door)

Bye, Carol.

CAROL:

Goodbye.

JILL:

Goodbye.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

John and Jill walk to the station wagon in the driveway as

Carol shuts the front door in the background. Just before

Jill gets into the car, she takes a look back at the house --

there is a moment's hesitance, and then she gets in the car.

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

Carol picks up the phone and carries it into the living room

with her. As she does it, we see lying on the phone table,

the newspaper clipping with Jill's picture, and headline:

"Jill Lockhart Chairs Community UNICEF Drive."

She puts the phone down, then her books, then herself. She

dials a number. Her BOYFRIEND answers.

BOYFRIEND (O.S.)

Hello?

CAROL:

Hi. It's me.

BOYFRIEND (O.S.)

Oh, hi.

CAROL:

Can you come over?

BOYFRIEND (O.S.)

I can't. I really have a lot of work

to do.

CAROL:

(disappointed)

Ohhh...

CUT TO:

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

An Italian Restaurant. Quiet music, soft lights, red and

white checkered tablecloths, candles, a smokey and seductive

atmosphere.

DOLLY with a LATIN WAITER carrying a huge tray of food over-

head. He passes right by the table where Jill and John are

sitting. John watches him take the food to someone else.

JOHN:

(reaching for a

breadstick)

I've eaten enough breadsticks to

turn into a pretzel.

JILL:

John, tell me about the surprise.

JOHN:

Oh, yeah. Brace yourself.

JILL:

I'm braced.

JOHN:

Good. I got the sack today.

JILL:

What sack?

JOHN:

The can... I was fired!

JILL:

Oh, sure.

JOHN:

You don't believe me?

JILL:

No, I don't believe you.

JOHN:

Well, Wally did call me into his

office today. And he did tell me I

didn't have my old job anymore.

JILL:

(getting excited)

John, what did you get?

JOHN:

Are you ready for this?

JILL:

(guessing)

District Sales Manager!

JOHN:

Regional!

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes