Young Frankenstein Page #6

Freddy wakes with a start. He sits up and listens to the

MUSIC. Then he stands and crosses to the bed.

FREDDY:

Inga!

INGA:

(in her sleep)

Yes, you may... but don't make

any noise.

FREDDY:

(shaking her)

Inga, wake up!

INGA:

(slowly waking)

What is it? Is something wrong,

Doctor?

FREDDY:

Listen! Don't you hear that

strange music?

INGA:

(listening)

Yes! What could it be at this hour?

FREDDY:

I don't know. It just woke me up.

Freddy goes to the bookcase; Inga follows.

FREDDY:

It seem to be coming from behind

this bookcase.

He puts his ear against the books and then fells for some

hidden button or handle.

FREDDY:

Hand me one of those candles!

Inga takes a candle from a wall sconce and hands it to

Freddy. He looks closely at the books, examining some of

the titles. One title reads:

37

47INSERT - TITLE47

"SEX AND HAIR GROWTH: IT'S UP TO YOU"

48FREDDY48

out of amazement, pulls the book from the shelf.

49ANOTHER ANGLE49

A SMALL DOOR OPENS IN THE BOOKCASE.

INGA:

Dr. Fronkonsteen -- look!

FREDDY:

(listening through

the open door)

Whatever it is, it's coming from

down there. I'm going down to see.

INGA:

Let me come with you, Doctor,

please! I don't want to stay up

here alone.

FREDDY:

All right then, quietly! Close

your robe and stay right behind me.

Don't make a sound!

They enter the secret passage.

50INT. SECRET PASSAGE50

Freddy, holding the candle above them, follows the MUSIC

down a narrow, winding stairway. The source of the MUSIC

gets CLOSER and CLOSER, as they follow the yellow candle-

light down, down, down... brushing against the cobwebbed

walls. As they pass one section of wall, an ancient sign

can just barely be made out in the after glow of their

light. It reads:

CAPACITY:
NOT MORE THAN 3 PERSONS

By order of:

FIRE DEPT.

Finally, they reach a landing. A door separates them from

whatever lies beyond. Freddy takes hold of the handle...

it crumbles in his hand like dust. He gently pushes

against the door. It CREAKS slowly open. The VIOLIN

MUSIC STOPS!

38

51INT. VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN'S LABORATORY51

Freddy and Inga walk into the now famous room. A strange

light comes from around a corner. As they walk towards

the light, they pass a shelf lined with skulls. They

look at each ancient head as they pass. Inga shudder

with horror.

The forth head is Igor. It looks as if his head is on

the shelf, but actually he is standing just behind the

shelf. He smiles.

FREDDY:

Aye-gor!

IGOR:

Fro-derick!

FREDDY:

What are you doing here?

IGOR:

I got frightened all alone upstairs,

so I came down here.

He leads them around the corner, where a glass bowl filled

with water is being heated by small flame.

FREDDY:

But what you were doing?

IGOR:

Just putting up some tea.

FREDDY:

Did you hear that strange music?

IGOR:

What?

FREDDY:

Did you hear that strange music??

IGOR:

What?

FREDDY:

Did you hear that strange music?

Cont.

39

51 Cont.

IGOR:

No, not sound.

INGA:

There must have been someone else

down here then.

FREDDY:

It seems that way.

(to Igor)

You didn't hear any music at all?

IGOR:

What?

FREDDY:

You didn't hear... nothing!

Aren't there any lights in this

place?

IGOR:

Two switches over there, but I

wasn't going to be the first.

Freddy walks over and throws the first switch. OPEN ENDED

ELECTRICAL CURRENTS SHOOT OUT ALL OVER.

IGOR:

Well, it's all right for

atmosphere.

Freddy turns off the first switch and then throws the other

one.

52"NORMAL" LIGHTS GO ON52

Now the lab can be SEEN in all its old splendor, but thick

in dust and spiders' webs.

INGA:

Ooh!

FREDDY:

What a filthy mess.

IGOR:

I don't know... a little paint,

some flowers...

Cont.

40

52 Cont.

FREDDY:

Did you see anyone else down here?

IGOR:

No, but when I first came in, there

was a light coming from behind that

steel door.

A huge steel door is open a few inches. Freddy goes to

the door and listens, then opens it and they all walk in...

hesitantly.

53INT. PRIVATE LIBRARY53

By the light of Freddy's candle, they see a small, creepy

room, filled with musty books. There is a table in the

center of the floor. On the table there is a large book,

an ashtray, and a VIOLIN AND BOW.

INGA:

(seeing the violin)

Look, Doctor!

FREDDY:

Well, this explains the music.

INGA:

But who was playing it?

There is a smoldering cigar in the ashtray.

FREDDY:

I don't know, but whoever it was

barely finished putting out his

cigar. It's still smoldering.

(to Igor)

Let me smell your breath.

Igor exhales in Freddy's face. Freddy nearly passes out.

FREDDY:

Well, it wasn't you.

He looks around the room.

FREDDY:

What is this place?

IGOR:

Must be the music room.

INGA:

There's nothing but books and papers.

Cont.

41

53 Cont.

FREDDY:

I wonder...

He looks at the large book lying on the table. He puts

his candle over the cover. A LOW RUMBLE OF THUNDER as

we SEE:

54CLOSE SHOT - BOOK54

"HOW I DID IT" BY VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN. Camera pulls back.

FREDDY:

It is! This was my grandfather's

private library. Look at this!

IGOR:

(reading the cover

of the book)

'How I Did It.' Good title!

FREDDY:

Funny it should just be lying out

here on the table. I wonder what

kind of dribble this is?

He opens to the first page.

FREDDY:

(reading aloud)

'Whence, I often asked myself,

did the principles of life proceed?

To examine the causes of life... we

must first have recourse to death.'

God, what a looney bin!

ANOTHER LOW RUMBLE OF THUNDER. Freddy's candle almost

blows out from a draft.

INGA:

Oh, doctor!

FREDDY:

Perhaps we'd better leave.

IGOR:

Taking the book along?

FREDDY:

Yes, I think we could all use a

good laugh.

DISSOLVE TO:

42

55INT. LAB55

Freddy is convulsed with laughter.

FREDDY:

This guy is too much.

Inga and Igor stare passively. The three of them are

drinking tea. More water is boiling in a test tube.

FREDDY:

(reading)

'...and as soon as the dazzling

light vanished, the oak tree had

disappeared. I knew then that

electricity and galvanism had

changed my life.'

He howls.

FREDDY:

This guy is bonkers! Did you

ever hear anything like this??

ANOTHER LOW RUMBLE OF THUNDER.

As Freddy goes on reading, the CAMERA TRAVELS UP, UP, UP...

THROUGH the giant laboratory... as if to seek the source

of the THUNDER we HEAR, as the CAMERA MOVES UP:

FREDDY'S VOICE

(o.s.)

'When I look back now, it seems

to me as if this almost miraculous

event obliterated any last effort

by the spirit of preservation to

avert the storm that was even then

hanging in the stars.'

MORE THUNDER.

FREDDY'S VOICE

(o.s.)

He kills me! This guy kills me.

The CAMERA FINDS a large opening in the ceiling -- an

opening through which bodies might be elevated during an

electrical storm. THUNDER CLOUDS CAN BE SEEN as the

CAMERA PASSES THROUGH the opening into the night air.

FREDDY'S LAUGHTER is still HEARD from below. there is a

GIANT CRACKLE OF LIGHTNING - as if in reply.

Now the CAMERA TRAVELS DOWN. Time has passes and Freddy's

voice is hoarse, and more intense, and as the CAMERA TRAVELS

DOWN:

Rate this script:4.8 / 6 votes