| The Peter Leroy Television Series Pilot
Chapter 10, Everybody Makes Mistakes, in which Peter supplies photographic services to Mrs. Jerrold |
by Eric
Kraft
|
In Babbington, the series will run exclusively on
WCLM-TV.
|
INT. SMALL’S HOTEL LOUNGE. AFTER DINNER. In addition
to Albertine, Lou, Dick and Jane, and Suki, the audience includes FOUR
COUPLES and a CUTE BRUNETTE.
This is the biggest turnout so far.PETER(to Albertine, whispering)A few of them said they heard about us on Baldy’s show.ALBERTINE(with a twinkle) People move to the well-stocked bar.It pays to advertise.PETERFirst round’s on me, folks!LOU(to the room) CUT TO:
INT. THE LOUNGE. A FEW MINUTES LATER. Albertine plays
a bit of “Memories of You.” Peter takes his place beside the fire.
INT. YOUNG PETER’S BEDROOM. LATE 1950s. Young Peter studying a full-page ad in Impractical Craftsman for a Deluxe Photo Developing Kit and E-Z Darkroom Instructions. He’s filling out the coupon, counting out coins and bills.I suffer from two forms of mental illness that have been passed along on both sides of my family for generations. The first is a tendency to think that we can do things that we really can’t.PETER I blame this illness on Impractical Craftsman magazine.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) CUT TO:
EXT. STREET IN FRONT OF THE LEROY HOUSE. LATE 1950s.
DAY. Young Peter, on his way home from school, checks the mail box.
The Deluxe Photo Developing Kit has arrived!
My grandfather read it, my father read it . . .PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) CUT TO:
INT. THE LEROY BASEMENT. A FEW MINUTES LATER.
Young Peter has the E-Z Darkroom Instructions unfolded on the floor.
He is trying, incompetently, to nail pieces of scrap lumber into some semblance
of the darkroom that the drawings show.
Young Peter raising one wall of the darkroom-to-be, then trying to hold it up while he reaches for the hammer . . .. . . and I read every issue.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) Young Peter smacking his thumb with the hammer . . .I tried to build the projects, and I ordered kits and gadgets from the ads.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) Young Peter raising a second wall beside the first, the whole thing wobbling . . .One of those was a Deluxe Photo Developing Kit and “E-Z” instructions for building a home darkroom.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) Young Peter, exhausted but pleased with himself, looking at a woefully inadequate kid-built darkroom.I think I must have misunderstood the meaning of “E-Z.”PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) Young Peter printing flyers on a Little Giant printing set: YOUR FILM DEVELOPED WHILE YOU WAIT.I advertised myself as an expert in photographic services.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) My first customer was Mrs. Jerrold.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) CUT TO:
EXT. BABBINGTON, YOUNG PETER’S BLOCK. LATE 1950s.
From a distance, we see ROGER JERROLD, mid-thirties, dressed in a cheap
suit and looking like a salesman, carrying something like a sample case
to his car, a gray Studebaker. Roger is not a happy man, and not
a kind husband or father.
Pull back to reveal Young Peter watching through binoculars from his upstairs bedroom diagonally across the street. He checks the time and makes a note in a composition book.The Jerrolds lived across the street.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) BETTY JERROLD, about thirty, a pretty brunette with a trim figure, emerges from the house leading ROGER JUNIOR, six, a messy child, to say goodbye to daddy. Roger upbraids Junior for having dirty hands and a dirty face, rejects his affection, and gives him a quick smack on the bottom.I suspected that Mr. Jerrold was a spy, hiding his identity behind a front of conventional behavior.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) Peter turns the binoculars on Betty, giving Roger a half-hearted kiss, Roger laying down the law about something, Betty nodding. Roger gets into the car and backs out of the driveway. Peter puts his binoculars down, grabs a flyer, and rushes to the Jerrolds’ house.Because the spy business required a lot of travel, Mrs. Jerrold was often alone. I thought about her quite a lot.PETER (CONT’D., V.O.) CUT TO:
EXT. THE JERROLDS’ BACK DOOR. A MINUTE LATER.
She disappears into the house for a moment, then returns, hands him a roll of film, and tousles his hair.Good morning, Mrs. Jerrold. How would you like to have your film developed while you wait?PETERFilm?MRS. JERROLD(what’s he up to now?)Photographs . . . snapshots . . . expert work . . . low prices . . . satisfaction guaranteed.PETEROkay. Just a minute.MRS. JERROLD(aware of Peter’s crush) CUT TO:
INT. THE LEROY BASEMENT. THAT AFTERNOON. Young
Peter swishing prints in trays of developing solution. As we watch,
they slowly go from visible pictures to solid black rectangles.
Peter puts the pictures, such as they are, into an envelope. CUT TO:
EXT. THE JERROLD’S BACK DOOR. Young Peter, head down,
knocks.
She wrinkles her forehead and pouts her lips. For a moment she seems about to cry. Peter feels awful.I have your pictures.YOUNG PETERAlready? That’s amazing! I can’t wait to see them. There should be some nice shots from our vacation.MRS. JERROLDYeah, there probably were.YOUNG PETER“Were”?MRS. JERROLDNot all of them came out.YOUNG PETEROh.MRS. JERROLDA couple of them came out.YOUNG PETERA couple?MRS. JERROLDAnd some of them came out partway.YOUNG PETEROh.MRS. JERROLDThere was a really good one of you in a bathing suit.YOUNG PETER(with genuine enthusiasm)“Was”?MRS. JERROLDYeah. I was trying to get it just right, but it was a little too light, and then it was a little too dark . . . and then it was black. . . . I think it’s this one.YOUNG PETEROh.MRS. JERROLD It’s all my fault.YOUNG PETERDon’t be silly. I’m a terrible photographer. Most of my pictures don’t come out . . . and besides, everybody makes mistakes.MRS. JERROLD(tousling his hair)Yeah.YOUNG PETERHow much do I owe you?MRS. JERROLDOh . . . no charge.YOUNG PETERI must owe you something.MRS. JERROLDNo, no. I only charge if the whole roll comes out. That’s my policy.YOUNG PETERI closed up shop . . . but I didn’t stop thinking about Mrs. Jerrold.PETER (V.O.) 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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