Screenplays
Exerps from two of my screenplays. WordPress doesn’t seem to understand screenplay formatting.
Land of Opportunity
A story of America after World War I
IN BLACK
INT. LUCKY LUCY MINE – DAY
SUPER: CRIPPLE CREEK, COLORADO – 1924
SUPER: LUCKY LUCY MINE
The earth rumbles. Rocks tumble. Screams of men. Quiet.
Choking, coughs.
CARL
(gasps)
Mac?… Jenkins?
Coughs. A metallic click then the sound of someone banging a
metal object with his hand.
A small light pierces the dust. It sweeps around to MAC, a
strongly built man, who picks himself up off the ground. A
dark stain spreads on his left leg. He puts weight on it.
Cries in pain. Sits back down hard.
CARL (CONT’D)
Mac? You okay?
MAC
My leg. Mr. Fremont?
Carl Fremont holds the light on himself. He’s a man in his
forties whose strong body has been cushioned by a softer,
later life, stands bowed over.
Unlike the rest of them, he’s dressed in a suit. Right arm of
the suit and shirt torn to pieces.
His right arm hangs useless next to him. A bone in the
forearm sticks through the skin and fabric.
He cradles his arm. Shakes as he looks at the protruding
bone.
MAC (CONT’D)
I’m bleeding pretty bad.
Carl squints through the dust and moves toward Mac.
CARL
(calls out; coughs)
Jenkins, Freed, Bobby. Everybody
okay?
He squats next to Mac. Mac holds his thigh tight. Blood
gushes from the wound. Carl shines the light on the wound.
Takes off his tie.
Carl looks at the wound. Looks around. Pulls the tattered
fabric from his right sleeves, grimaces in pain and creates a
compress.
CARL (CONT’D)
I guess I need a hand.
He and Mac make a tourniquet with the tie and a piece of
wood.
MAC
Arm looks bad.
CARL
(tries to laugh)
Yeah. I won’t be shaking hands any
time soon.
Mac tries to turn on his light. JENKINS, small, wizened man
pulls himself over to Mac and Carl.
MAC
Jenkins. Thank God.
JENKINS
Bobby’s unconscious. Got dinged
pretty good.
CARL
How about you?
JENKINS
Ankle’s broke.
MAC
Where’s Freed?
JENKINS
Can’t find him. I think yours is
the only working lantern.
MAC
Freed.
JENKINS
Freed.
Carl moves through the dust. Finds Freed. His head and left
arm crushed by a boulder.
Makes his way back to Jenkins and Mac. The earth rumbles.
They all freeze. More dust. More coughs.
2.
CARL
He didn’t make it.
Jenkins and Mac groan. They all move over to Bobby. BOBBY is
sixteen, covered in dirt and blood from a head wound.
CARL (CONT’D)
Aren’t we a group. Since I got
legs, I’ll scout a little.
Carl walks away. His light shows that the way they came into
the mine is dammed with rocks.
JENKINS
Ah, Jesus.
MAC
This is what I was telling you, Mr.
Fremont. They’re skimping on the
shorings.
CARL
They’ll come for us.
The miners look at each other doubtfully.
The earth rumbles again. They huddle protectively. Form a
shield over Bobby. They watch the walls of their new home
shudder.
The light goes out. Sounds of falling rock and screams.
MAC
Oh, God.
CARL
Mary!
Ed Wood, Jr.
A story of misspent youth becoming misspent manhood. A boy has a vision of his future.
INT. DEN – LATER
Jacob watches “Plan 9 from Outer Space” on the television.
Ben enters. Jacob is totally into the movie. Doesn’t even
notice Ben.
BEN
Hey.
Without looking up, Jacob waves Ben over.
JACOB
Look at this!
Ben joins him in front of the screen.
BEN
Cool! What is it?
JACOB
Plan 9 from Outer Space!
He waits but gets no reaction from Ben.
JACOB (CONT’D)
Ed Wood?!
BEN
(acts as if he knows who
that is)
Oh, yeah. Ed… him. Where’d you
get it?
JACOB
My dad has a secret panel in his
den.
BEN
Yeah, my dad has one of those.
It’s full of dirty magazines.
Wanna come over and see?
Jacob turns the tape off. Pulls out the camera and shows it
to Ben.
BEN (CONT’D)
Whoa! Where’d you get that?
JACOB
My dad just got it. Do you know
what we can do with this?
BEN
Tape the girls locker room through
that hole.
JACOB
No!
(thinks it over)
Well, yeah but I mean, we can do
our own videos.
BEN
Videos?
Jacob holds up the box for “Plan 9”
It takes a moment but Ben gets the vision.
BEN (CONT’D)
Yeah!
JACOB
Yeah!
BEN
(not sure why he’s
excited)
Yeah! Your dad will just let us
use it?
JACOB
I got straights As.
BEN
You didn’t!
JACOB
Yes, I did! Besides, my dad will
forget he even owns this in a week.