PLTV Pilot, Chapter 8

The Peter Leroy Television Series Pilot
Chapter 8

In Babbington, the series will run exclusively on WCLM-TV. However, in the real world the television rights are available. Contact: Graham Leader		8. A CASE OF THE FAMILY ILLNESS, in which we get a glimpse of the life Albertine would like to lead and meet Mrs. Jerrold EXT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON SMALL’S ISLAND. DAWN. Morning comes to Small’s. It’s going to be a beautiful day. CUT TO: INT. PETER AND ALBERTINE’S BEDROOM. Peter is lying late in bed, with the covers over his head. Albertine is awake, reading a copy of Manhattan magazine. Peter stirs a bit, and Albertine quickly returns the magazine to the drawer of her bedside table and picks up her book. PETER Do you know what day this is? ALBERTINE Yes. I do. Mortgage day. PETER That . . . and an anniversary. We bought Small’s fifteen years ago. (brightly) Only fifteen left on the mortgage. ALBERTINE But we’ve got a second mortgage on top of that, and the payments . . . I worry about this day every month. PETER I’m sorry. He gets up, shivering in the cold. He pulls the bathroom door shut. When Albertine hears his electric shaver, she takes Manhattan magazine from the drawer of her bedside table.
THIRTY SECONDS OF "WE'LL HAVE MANHATTAN" LEE WILEY		MUSIC UP: “We’ll Have Manhattan,” sung by Lee Wiley. As Albertine turns a page of the magazine, a look comes over her face as if she were looking at erotic photographs, and her hand slips beneath the covers. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. THE QUEENSBORO BRIDGE, APPROACHING MANHATTAN. DAY. Peter and Albertine are in a new Audi TT Cabriolet, blasting along, Albertine at the wheel, Peter thoroughly enjoying the ride. ALBERTINE Oh, Peter, we’re escaping! Manhattan! My heart sings! CUT TO: EXT. MIDTOWN. Albertine and Peter walking among bustling crowds, smiling, holding hands. ALBERTINE Don’t you just love it here? A guy bumps into Peter and lifts his wallet, but that doesn’t dampen his mood, and he cavorts like Gene Kelly in Paris. PETER I do! I really do! ALBERTINE It’s everything I dreamed it would be! PETER It’s all that . . . He steps into dog shit. PETER (CONT’D.) . . . and more! CUT TO: EXT. SOHO. Albertine and Peter walking along; a shop window with women’s shoes catches Peter’s eye. PETER (nearly ecstatic) Look! Darling! Shoes! Albertine seems uninterested. She actually shrugs. PETER Darling! Shoes! ALBERTINE (coyly) Oh, I don’t know . . . Peter begins tugging her into the shop; she pretends to resist. We hear the sound of the bathroom door latch. CUT TO: CUT TO: INT. PETER AND ALBERTINE’S BEDROOM. Albertine in an ecstatic state, eyes half closed . . . then she hears the latch and quickly pulls herself together, hides the magazine, and picks up her book. Peter enters, drying himself. PETER Are you sleeping in? ALBERTINE No. I’m getting up. Albertine gets out of bed and pulls her workout wear on.
THIRTY SECONDS OF "TEEN BEAT" SANDY NELSON		MUSIC UP: “Teen Beat” by Sandy Nelson. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND SHORELINE. Albertine is in little shorts and a sports bra, running along the water’s edge. CUT TO: EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY, ABOARD DEXTER’S BOAT. Dexter is on his way to the island with the mail. He squints in the direction of the island and spots Albertine. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND SHORELINE. Albertine spots Dexter’s boat. She changes her route to get out of Dexter’s sight. CUT TO: EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY, ABOARD DEXTER’S BOAT. DEXTER (snarling) Yeah. Turn your back. Run away. To our surprise, Curt comes forward from the stern, where he has been staying out of sight of the island. CURT Who’s that? DEXTER Albertine. She owns the place . . . with that guy. . . . Peter. CURT (hopefully) You got something against her? DEXTER You could say that. CURT (secretly pleased) Sounds to me like the bitch spurned your affections. DEXTER Yeah. . . . In the eighth grade. . . . CURT (hiding his glee) Leaving a wound that will not heal . . . an arrow in your heart. CUT TO: INT. WORKOUT ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE HOTEL. It’s not glamorous. Albertine is pumping iron. The boiler is sputtering and hissing in a threatening way. CUT TO: EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY, ABOARD DEXTER’S BOAT. Curt begins going through the mail, sorting it, throwing away all the good stuff, leaving only the bills and past due notices. He finds a letter addressed to “Reservations, Small’s Hotel, Babbington, New York.” He throws it into the bay. He finds a bill from the electric company. He puts it into the bag. He finds a contest envelope with “You may already be a winner!” he throws it into the bay. He finds one from the Foggy Cove Inn addressed to Peter, hesitates between the bay and the bag, and puts it back into the bag. CUT TO: INT. PETER AND ALBERTINE’S BATHROOM. Albertine is showering. The water begins to spit erratically, then drops to a trickle. CUT TO: EXT. BOLOTOMY BAY, ABOARD DEXTER’S BOAT. Dexter flings the mail bag toward the dock in his usual half-hearted way. CUT TO: INT. SMALL’S HOTEL KITCHEN. Albertine is discussing the day’s menu with SUKI. Albertine’s English muffin is stuck in the toaster, burning, finally pops up black and smoking. CUT TO:
		PLTV \| CONTENTS \| CHAPTER 9

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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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LITTLE FOLLIES
HERB ’N’ LORNA
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED
WHERE DO YOU STOP?
WHAT A PIECE OF WORK I AM
AT HOME WITH THE GLYNNS
LEAVING SMALL’S HOTEL
INFLATING A DOG
PASSIONATE SPECTATOR
MAKING MY SELF
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