| The Peter Leroy Television Series Pilot
Chapter 1 |
by Eric
Kraft
|
In Babbington, the series will run
exclusively on WCLM-TV.
Brought to you by . . .
The Babbington Clam Council
Babbington Studebaker
Kap’n Klam |
“SPONSOR” SPOTS SERIES THEME MUSIC UP: “Indian Summer” played by Sidney Bechet. SPOT FOR THE BABBINGTON CLAM COUNCIL INT. A clam and an egg fall, in very slow motion . . . . . . they strike a surface. The egg breaks, but the clam does not.Brought to you in part by a grant from the Babbington Clam Council.ANNOUNCER (V.O.) Clams . . . the chewy snack in the sturdy pack.ANNOUNCER (CONT’D., V.O.) CUT TO:
SPOT FOR BABBINGTON STUDEBAKER
INT. Pan and zoom on Studebaker catalog cover with Babbington Studebaker logo . . . And in part by Babbington Studebaker . . . where you can still buy yesterday’s car of tomorrow today. . . . Babbington Studebaker . . . Drive home in a dream.ANNOUNCER (CONT’D., V.O.) CUT TO:
SPOT FOR KAP’N KLAM
INT. Cartoon image of Kap’n Klam. And by Kap’n Klam, America’s favorite all-bivalve family restaurants . . . home of the clam salad sandwich . . . and our exclusive baked stuffed stuffing . . . with “klamessence.”ANNOUNCER (CONT’D., V.O.) DISSOLVE TO:
1. THERE’S AN ISLAND IN A BAY, in which
we meet PETER LEROY and CURTIS SMALL, rivals in love with an island.
EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY. 1960s. TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER LEROY is sailing his grandfather’s sloop, the Rambunctious. It’s homebuilt, just 22 feet long. At Peter’s side is the love of his life, TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ALBERTINE GAUDET (a dark-haired beauty). They are both college students home for the summer. You see all those little islands out there? My grandfather and I used to go crabbing around those islands.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER(pointing) DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY, NEAR THE “CLAM FLATS.”
EARLY 1950s. In this area, there are small islands, around which
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD PETER and his GRANDFATHER LEROY are rowing in a rowboat,
crabbing. Grandfather Leroy is at the oars, and Peter is handling
the crab net. Small’s Island and the abandoned building that will
become Small’s Hotel are visible in the distance. It’s an idyllic,
sunsplashed memory.
Those crabs were so elusive . . . like a memory that you can’t quite catch.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER (V. O.)
Those days were . . . perfect.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER (V. O.) CUT TO:
EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY. 1960s. An overpowered
runabout comes roaring by, drowning out Peter’s words and leaving the little
sloop rocking in its wake.
CUT TO:
EXT. ON BOARD THE RUNABOUT. FORTY-YEAR-OLD
CURTIS SMALL is at the wheel. He’s skinny, nervous. At his side is TWENTY-YEAR-OLD
LIZZIE GEIGER. She’s plain, but she’s bleached her hair and made herself
up. Curt thinks she’s gorgeous. So does she.
See that island? That’s Small’s Island. My family used to own it.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(shouting over the roar) CUT TO:
EXT. ON BOARD THE RAMBUNCTIOUS.
That’s the island I want you to see.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND. EARLY 1950s. Seven-year-old
Peter and his grandfather sitting on the end of the dilapidated dock, opening
sandwiches that have been wrapped in waxed paper.
That house always fascinated me. . . .TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER (V. O.) CUT TO:
EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND. THE ABANDONED MANSION.
EARLY 1950s. Peter and his grandfather exploring. The place
is in poor repair. Broken shutters, broken panes of glass, cobwebs.
CUT TO:
EXT. ON BOARD THE ROARING RUNABOUT.
It was in the family for generations, right up until the Depression . . .FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(shouting over the roar) CUT TO:
EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND. A QUIET COVE ON THE
SIDE OF THE ISLAND AWAY FROM BABBINGTON. Peter sails as close to shore
as he can. Albertine drops anchor. Peter drops the sail. They begin wading
ashore, looking up at the abandoned mansion.
It does make you dream, doesn’t it? I can imagine living here . . .TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ALBERTINE(enchanted by the place)
CUT TO:
EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND. THE SIDE OF THE ISLAND
FACING BABBINGTON. Curt cuts the engines, tilts them up, runs the boat
onto shore, and stands looking up at the abandoned mansion.
Now the town of fucking Babbington owns it. They took it from my grandfather . . . kicked the poor bastard when he was down. Got him for tax-evasion and grabbed it all.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(feeling an old wound) Couldn’t he fight it? Get a lawyer?TWENTY-YEAR-OLD LIZZIENah. They had it all stacked against him. The whole town was in on it . . .FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND. EARLY 1930s. NIGHT.
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD CURT and his GRANDFATHER SMALL are near the shoreline, digging
a hole in the sand. Beside them is a chest or heavy box. Except for their
dress, it could be a scene from a pirate film.
CUT TO:
EXT. AS BEFORE.
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND. Peter and Albertine are making their way toward the mansion.Where the hell did we bury that money?FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(to himself, looking around) Did you mean that? About living here?TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
Curt and Lizzie are making their way toward the mansion.
Seven generations of Smalls put their sweat into building something and they took it away from us . . .FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(vehement) CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
In splendid isolation? You and me? Here? Together? Yes, I meant it. It’s . . .TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ALBERTINE CUT TO:
INT. ALBERTINE’S “DAYMARE.” THE FUTURE.
Albertine stands terrified in the old mansion, like a girl in a bad teen
horror movie, during a frightening thunderstorm.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
Albertine, wide-eyed, wonders where that premonition came from but shakes
it off.
. . . a . . . wonderful . . . dream.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ALBERTINE (CONT’D.)Well . . . I have an idea, a way to make that dream come true.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
They ran us out of town, took the house and the island . . . and our good name too . . . the jewel of our souls.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURTHuh?TWENTY-YEAR-OLD LIZZIENever mind.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(brooding) CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
Peter and Albertine stand peering into the mansion through a dirty window.
We hear an ominous rumble of thunder, though the day is still fair. Albertine shudders, then smiles gamely.We could turn this into a hotel.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER(excited, eager, naive)A romantic place, a getaway, a . . .TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ALBERTINE(slipping into the dream) . . . an escape from dull care and the daily grind.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
Someday, you bastards . . . this will belong to the Smalls again.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(shaking his fist in the direction of Babbington) CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
Someday we are going to live here . . .TWENTY-YEAR-OLD PETER(playfully, with a shrug). . . if only in our dreams.We’ll make that dream come true. . . .TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ALBERTINE CUT TO:
EXT. THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
A siren is approaching.
What’s that?TWENTY-YEAR-OLD LIZZIEProbably the cops . . . after the boat.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURTYou said you could use it.TWENTY-YEAR-OLD LIZZIEI could. I did. But I wasn’t . . . authorized to do so. Come on.FORTY-YEAR-OLD CURT(they run, but Curt turns back toward the mansion, and says in a whisper)I’ll be back. There’s a fortune here with my name on it. CUT TO:
|
||
 Here
are a couple of swell ideas from Eric Kraft's vivacious publicist, Candi
Lee Manning.
You'll find more swell ideas from Candi Lee here. |
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Copyright © 2002 by Eric
Kraft
The scripts for The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy Television Series are works of fiction. The characters, incidents, dialogues, settings, and businesses portrayed in it are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this teleplay may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. The illustration at the top of the page is an adaptation of an illustration by Stewart Rouse that first appeared on the cover of the August 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions. The boy at the controls of the aerocycle doesn’t particularly resemble Peter Leroy—except, perhaps, for the smile. |
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