Saturday, January 19, 2013

Opening scenes from TUSKERS-THE MOVIE




1. INT. – MUSEUM (MORRILL HALL, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA STATE MUSEUM)
Screen virtually dark, with only a hint of light. A date appears on the screen: November, 2080. Close up of hand pushing a bank of light switches. We are in a gigantic, cavernous, dimly-lighted, room—Elephant Hall. Around the sides of the room are fossil skeletons of mastodonts, mammoths, and a few, much smaller, modern elephant skeletons for comparison. One end of the hall is a life-sized mural of a herd of woolly mammoths crossing a frozen stream bed, their breath fogging in the Ice Age air. Two people enter the hall, an older, dignified, gentleman and a beautiful, precocious, bright-eyed, highly intelligent, three-year old girl holding the man’s hand. Setting is mystic, girl’s conversation is filled with wonder, man’s voice is resigned but very patient. Young girl is Suzie Alexander; gentleman is her Grandpa.
SUZIE
Grandpa, they’re so beautiful!
GRANDPA
I’m sure they were beautiful. They’ve been dead for millions of years.
Suzie slips her hand out of Grandpa’s, walks toward the largest skeleton, a towering woolly mammoth, looking up at his skull. She gets down on her knees to examine the labels, mammoth tooth fossils for kids to touch. Grandpa joins her, kneeling down, reading labels.
SUZIE
What does it say, Grandpa? (Suzie touches the numbers.)
GRANDPA
It says I was wrong about the millions. These have been gone only for a few thousand years. Suzie’s gaze turns to the mural. Her eyes widen.
SUZIE
I want one, Grandpa. Can I have one?
GRANDPA
Sorry, kid. About the only way you’re going to get something that big is to marry a football player.
SUZIE
Then I’ll marry a football player. (She stands up, smiles; big, satisfied, smile.)  Grandpa?
GRANDPA
Yes, Suzie?
SUZIE
What’s a football player?
Grandpa stands up, takes her hand, follows her gaze toward the mural.
GRANDPA
I guess maybe your Mom and Dad haven’t taught you everything about Nebraska, have they?
SUZIE
They teach me Mozart. (She pretends to be playing the piano.)
GRANDPA
Sorry, kid. Not good enough. (Puts his hand over his heart, smiles.)
CUT TO:
BEGIN CREDIT SEQUENCE
TUSKERS
2. EXT. – MEMORIAL STADIUM
College football game in progress. Violent clash of bodies and equipment, cursing, taunting, coaches screaming, players bloody. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are obliterating their opponents; score is 56-0 near the end of the second quarter. Stands are filled with fans wearing red; it’s a violent belligerent psycho-mob out of control.
3. INT. – ELEPHANT HALL
GRANDPA
(Kneels down, starts drawing plays on the museum carpet). Come over here, kid. Look. Players try to carry a ball over a goal line. Lots of other football players knock you down, try to keep you from crossing the line. That’s why the men who play it are big. (Pan Elephant Hall.)
SUZIE
Doesn’t sound very hard. (Turns back to the mammoth fossil label.)  What does it say, Grandpa? Is this his name? (Runs her fingers over the name plate, closes her eyes, feels the Braille and raised letters.)
GRANDPA
(Still in his reverie.)  We haven’t lost a game in ten years. We’re never going to lose, Suzie. Just think of it. NEVER!
SUZIE
Grandpa, is this his name?
GRANDPA
Too bad you’ll never get tickets, kid. It’s the one thing your grandmother and I were never able to give your mom. (He wipes a tear.)
SUZIE
Grandpa, is this his name?
GRANDPA
Why, yes . . . yes; I guess so. Archidiskidon imperator maibeni. (He struggles with the pronunciation.)
SUZIE
Archidiskidon imperator maibeni. Archidiskidon imperator maibeni. Archidiskidon imperator maibeni. (Suzie pronounces the name perfectly several times, obviously enjoying the taste of the words.) 
GRANDPA
It’s a beautiful name, isn’t it? (To himself, wistfully, filled with amazement at Suzie’s abilities.)
SUZIE
I’ll call him ‘ARCHIE’ for short.
GRANDPA
Then I’ll call him ARCHIE, too! (Patient, smiling.)  I am so sorry about the tickets, my child.
SUZIE
(Takes Grandpa’s hand, looks up at him. Suzie pulls at his arm.)  Tickets, Grandpa? I don’t want tickets. (She turns back to ARCHIE, watching him as they leave.)

The entire screenplay is available on smashwords.com; the book is available on smashwords, kindle, nook, and as a paperback on createspace.com/3462041

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