Who Framed Roger Rabbit Page #8

As Valiant finishes dialing, he idly puts the empty shot

glass down on a photograph on the counter.

ROGER RABBIT:

(continuing)

Won't anything change your mind?

Valiant turns from the pleading rabbit. Now something he

sees on the counter gets his attention.

POV THROUGH SHOT GLASS

The shot glass is resting on one of the reject pictures of

Acme and Jessica. The bottom of the glass is magnifying the

back of the exuberant Marvin Acme. Sticking out of his back

pocket is a legal folder headed "Last Will and Testament".

CLOSE - VALIANT

He looks as if the truth has just hit him in the face.

VALIANT:

The goddamn will.

VOICE:

(on phone)

L.A.P.D.?

Valiant slowly returns the phone to the cradle,

ROGER RABBIT:

You mean you believe me?

Now outside we HEAR TIRES SCREECHING to a stop. Roger runs

to the window and pulls back the drapes. His eyes bug out of

his head.

ROGER RABBIT:

It's Toon Control!

Valiant comes to the window and looks out, too.

VALIANT'S POV

The Toon Control wagon has stopped in front of the house.

The Weasles pile out. One of them takes what looks like a

butterfly net out of the back. Several others grab violin

cases.

EDDIE AND ROGER:

Valiant jerks Roger back behind the curtain.

VALIANT:

Get away from that window.

Roger, elated, jumps into Valiant's arms.

ROGER RABBIT:

You're gonna help me? How can I ever

thank you?

He plants a big wet Toon kiss on Valiant's lips.

VALIANT:

For starters... don't ever kiss me.

EXT. BUNGALOW

The Weasles are filing up the walk to the front door. The

leader pounds on the front door.

WEASLE:

Police...

INT. BUNGALOW

Valiant puts Roger down.

VALIANT:

I'll talk to 'em. Find a place to

hide.

Roger zips to the closet door and goes inside.

VALIANT:

(continuing)

Not in there. That's the first place

they'll look.

Valiant goes to the closet and opens the door. REVEAL Roger

is now dressed in Eddie's trenchcoat and hat. Playfully,

Roger snaps one of the handcuffs onto Eddie's wrist. He's

got the Other attached to one of his wrists.

ROGER RABBIT:

Eddie Valiant... you're under arrest!

Just kidding...

VALIANT:

You idiot. I lost the key for those

cuffs.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The KNOCKING is more impatient. Valiant

looks to the door.

WEASLE (O.S.)

Open up!

EXT. VALIANT'S DOOR

The Weasles open the violin cases and take out real tommy guns

and shoulder them in teams of two. Suddenly they unleash a

torrent of MACHINE GUN FIRE, making the outline of a weasle

in the door with BULLETS. The leader blows on the cut-out

and it falls in. The Weasles file through one by one.

INT. APARTMENT

The Weasles don't bother to look around. They all just start

BLASTING. Bullets fly every which way. The barrage destroys

Valiant's apartment in a matter of seconds. When the

shooting stops and the smoke clears, the Weasles look around.

The head Weasle spots blood all over the kitchen floor.

WEASLE #1

We got him.

But when he looks behind the counter, it's only a shattered

ketchup bottle.

EXT. REAR OF APARTMENT

Eddie and Roger, handcuffed together, are beating it down the

alley. Roger, being a rabbit, is beating it a lot faster.

He's kicking up dust, his legs are blur. Valiant stumbles

trying to keep up. When they round the corner, Roger slams

on the brakes, Toon style. Valiant goes skidding past him and

is jerked to a stop like a dog on a short leash.

VALIANT:

Hey! What do you think you're doin'?

ROGER RABBIT:

Sorry, Eddie, I forgot you're not a

Toon.

VALIANT:

Don't ever forget that.

EXT. BUNGALOW - BACK WINDOW - THE WEASLES

come piling out the window. They start sniffing the ground.

Suddenly one of them freezes on point, like a dog. Another

blows a HUNTER'S HORN and they're off on the trail.

EXT. STREET - EDDIE AND ROGER

emerge from the alley. They pause momentarily to

reconnoiter. Eddie decides to go left, Roger right. When

they get to the end of the cuffs, they snap back into a pile.

Valiant gets back to his feet and hauls Roger up angrily.

VALIANT:

This way, goof...

They start across the street. But Roger goes on one side of

the Street sign, Eddie the other. Roger coils around it like

a tether ball. Valiant yanks Roger off the sign and they

duck across the street just as a trolley car passes.

THE WEASLES:

come bloodhounding around the corner. They search the street

for signs of the fugitive. But when they get to the trolley

tracks, they stop, bewildered.

WEASLE #1

Scent's cold.

WEASLE #2

Pssst.

He points toward the trolley car pulling into the Terminal

Station. They fall all over themselves scurrying over to the

trolley. They surround it and jump aboard, tommy-gun at the

ready.

INT. RED CAR

The CONDUCTOR raises his hands like it was a hold-up. A

couple PASSENGERS scream as the Weasles search the car. But

no Roger or Eddie. As quickly as they got on, they get off.

EXT. RED CAR

as it pulls away. The Weasles look around perplexed.

WEASLE #1

Funny... I could swear I smelled

rabbit.

ANGLE FROM ABOVE

Eddie and Roger are balanced on the trolley wire above the

Weasles' heads. As the Weasles sniff around the barn, Eddie

and Roger ease along the wire, using the wall of the Terminal

Bar to lean on.

INT. TERMINAL BAR - KITCHEN

Dolores is preparing corned beef and cabbage. The RADIO is

PLAYING "MARES EAT OATS". A NEWSCASTER breaks into the

music.

NEWSCASTER:

News flash... Hollywood. Citywide

Toonhunt for Roger Rabbit, suspect in

Acme slaying. Police describe him as

short, cuddly... and psychotic.

Dolores turns just as Roger's grinning face appears in the

window.

DOLORES:

(startled)

Mother Mary...

Now Eddie's face comes into view. He motions for her to open

the window.

OUTSIDE THE WINDOW

Roger and Eddie watch another trolley approach. The contact

arm sparks its way along the wire as it rolls along towards

them. Valiant watches as Dolores struggles to get the window

open.

VALIANT:

Hurry, hurry...

At the last second, the window opens. Eddie jumps for the

sill, Roger dangling from the cuffs as the trolley passes.

INT. KITCHEN

Dolores helps pull Valiant through the window. Then he drags

Roger inside.

DOLORES:

Jesus, Eddie, is this who I think it

is?

VALIANT:

Dolores, meet Roger Rabbit.

Roger bows at the waist, takes her hand and kisses it like

Charles Boyer

ROGER RABBIT:

Charmed, enchanted, pleasure's all

mined.

DOLORES:

Where'd you find him?

VALIANT:

The Toon Fairy left him under my

pillow.

Now Roger spots a plate of freshly shucked corn.

ROGER RABBIT:

May I?

Before she can answer, he grabs an ear, presses it to his

lips and applies the typewriter method to it. When he gets

to the end of a row, we even HEAR the BING!

DOLORES:

He's a riot.

VALIANT:

Oh, yeah? Well, you're not handcuffed

to him.

(holds up

cuffs)

Anybody in the back room?

DOLORES:

It's all yours.

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