| The Peter
Leroy Television Series Pilot
Chapter 17, For the Long Term, in which Curt encounters Lizzie and Lou signs on |
by Eric
Kraft
|
In Babbington, the series will run exclusively on
WCLM-TV.
|
EXT. MAIN STREET BABBINGTON, OUTSIDE THE BABBINGTON
DINER. Curt Small, walking along, wearing sunglasses, decides to get something
to eat.
CUT TO:
INT. BABBINGTON DINER. Curt takes a stool at the counter.
It’s a pullman diner, a classic, but it doesn’t shine. Hand-lettered signs
for specials: clam chowder, fried clams, clam fritters, clams oreganata.
Lizzie Geiger, 35 now, fleshy, earthy, is behind the counter, pouring coffee
down the line. She makes her way to Curt. She knows exactly
who he is.
Coffee?LIZZIE(challenging)Mm.CURT(not looking up)I don’t get off until nine.LIZZIEMm. . . . What?CURTFunny . . . I wouldn’t have taken you for a man of your word, Curtis Small, but here you are . . . back.LIZZIELittle. It’s Curtis Little.CURTIs it now? . . . Small or Little, size don’t matter, dearie. . . . I didn’t think you’d come back, but . . . I guess you couldn’t get me out of your mind, huh?LIZZIE(coquettishly)Lizzie. That’s you, isn’t it?CURT(removes the shades)Of course it’s me. . . . the girl of your dreams. . . . The memory that pulled you back to Babbington. . . .LIZZIE QUICK CUT TO:
EXT. SMALL’S ISLAND. EARLY 1930s. NIGHT. Seven-year-old
Curt and his grandfather digging a hole in the sand to bury the chest,
as earlier.
QUICK CUT TO:
INT. AS BEFORE.
The memory that pulled me back to Babbington . . .CURT(overacting, for anyone who might be listening)Well, Sweetheart, you’ve got the wrong guy, but . . . what time did you say you get off? CUT TO:
INT. SMALL’S HOTEL DINING ROOM. It is nearly
dark. Peter and Albertine are returning. We feel the emptiness
of the hotel. Albertine flips the light switch in the front hall.
Nothing happens. She flips it again, again.
He opens the door to the cellar and grabs a flashlight kept handy there. Albertine makes her way to the dining room. The room is empty except for Suki, who is sitting there in tears.What’s this now?ALBERTINEMaybe it’s just a fuse. I’ll look downstairs.PETER Suki! What’s the matter?ALBERTINEThere was no one here, no one at all. There was no one to eat my dinner.SUKIOh. . . . We . . .ALBERTINE(guiltily)We had . . . business in town . . . and trouble with the launch.PETER(returning from the cellar)I made a pork roast with crushed grape seeds and toasted pumpkin rind and . . .SUKI(sniffling)What’s with the lights?ALBERTINE(with a shudder)Nothing wrong with the fuses. Are we, um, delinquent?PETERWell . . . sure. . . . but they hadn’t threatened to cut us off. . . . I’ll call them in the morning.ALBERTINE CUT TO:
INT. THE HOTEL LOUNGE. Peter behind the bar shaking
up martinis.
Peter pouring.Come on, you two, I’m going to fix us three beautiful, ice-cold martinis, and then I’m going build a fire, and then I’m going to tell you a story.PETER Peter building a crackling fire. Suki taking a seat on a sofa. Albertine sitting at the piano, going through some of the fussiness of a virtuoso soloist, and playing a bit of “Memories of You” in a big Russian Romantic style. When I was a boy, there was quite a lot of interest in flying saucers. They were a craze, like hula hoops.PETER DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE LEROY LIVING ROOM. LATE 1950s. Peter
is watching television; the picture is grainy, black and white. Title,
with ominous music: “Flying Saucers: The Untold Story.”
Flying saucer sightings date from the earliest times . . .ANNOUNCER(serious, scary) CUT TO:
TV PICTURE: Cheesy 1950s attempt to show prehistoric
cave-family (man, woman, boy, girl), roasting meat in front of cave, sighting
a flying saucer, which resembles a hub cap.
CUT TO:
INT. SMALL’S HOTEL LOUNGE. LOU bursts through
the door, beaming, pulling mittens from his hands.
Lou’s daughter ELAINE comes into the lounge. She is bundled in an enormous insulated jacket that would serve for an assault on Everest, and she wears a fur hat, but her long and stunning legs are virtually unprotected.What’s this? You started without me?LOULou!ALBERTINE(pleased to see him)Welcome back, big guy.PETERI’m here for the long term now!LOUThe long term? What do you mean?ALBERTINEIf you’ve got a room available, I’d like to take it for . . . well, for the foreseeable future.LOUGee, I’ll have to check. I might.ALBERTINEActually, I’m going to need two rooms for the next few days.LOU(calling)Honey? Albertine obliges with a flurry of notes.He kidnapped me.ELAINE(laughing)Get near the fire. I’ll fix you a hot toddy, or a Tom and Jerry, or how about hot buttered rum?LOU(to Elaine)How about a cup of coffee?ELAINEGood. I don’t know how to make those other things.LOUI’m Elaine. The impulsive old geezer behind the bar is my father.ELAINE(to Pete and Al)Jeez, I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Elaine . . . Albertine . . . Peter . . . and Suki.LOUHi, etc.ALBERTINE, PETER, SUKI(ad lib)We interrupted you.ELAINE(to Peter)Oh, that’s all right . . .PETERNo, no. Don’t stop. Go on. Go on.LOU(eager to hear the story)Okay. . . . I’ll begin at the beginning. . . . When I was a boy . . .PETERWait. . . . no pianistic introduction?LOU When I was a boy, there was quite a lot of interest in flying saucers. They were a craze, like calypso music.PETERHula hoops.SUKIOr hula hoops.PETER DISSOLVE 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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