Note: Foggy's Drive-in is registered with the WGA and is currently being shopped in Los Angeles and in Canada.
NOTES: SET IN 1964 HIGH RIVER, ALBERTA: THE LARSON FAMILY RUNS FOGGY’S DRIVE-IN. FOGGY, THE DAD - LEE, MOM - CARRIE 6 - TREVOR AND TREENA, 16 AND IRENE, FOGGY’S MOM, 68.
FADE IN:
EXT. FOGGY’S DRIVE-IN - SUNSET
Prairie highway at sunset. Rocky Mountains on horizon.
TITLE CARD: ‘High River, Alberta - 1964’
A HORN HONKS LONG AND LOUD: A LIME GREEN 1970 AMC GREMLIN careens off the highway into the ditch in front of Foggy’s Drive-in, dirt flying as it barrels toward US.
IT MOWS DOWN THE LARSON’S MAILBOX.
CARRIE, 6 (O.S.)
Whoa!
PULL BACK TO REVEAL we are inside -
INT. FOGGY’S HOUSE, CARRIE’S BEDROOM - SUNSET
Looking out the LARGE WINDOWS of the second story bedroom (which run the length of the LARGE room in the old house) we see the 1970 Gremlin regain control - drive out of the ditch.
But now we hear a FEMALE VOICE SCREAMING from a distance.
CARRIE LARSON, 6, leans out the window, around ‘BRUCE THE SPRUCE’ the large Blue Spruce which has some branches protruding into the open window. Carrie is small for her age.
CARRIE
WHO’S SCREAMING? HEY! HEY!
Screaming STOPS.
LEE (O.S.)
Carrie! Stop screaming.
Carrie looks down at her Mom but we don’t see her yet.
CARRIE
Somebody was screaming, Mom.
LEE (O.S.)
Nobody was making a racket but you. Again.
Carrie points toward the highway.
CARRIE
But a car knocked -
She looks over and sees -
THE MAIL BOX UPRIGHT AND UNDAMAGED.
CARRIE (CONT’D)
Never mind.
LEE (O.S.)
For God’s sakes.
Carrie’s face is hurt as she withdraws into her room, paces a few feet.
She paces back, looks out at the mail box again.
Wow. She is dazed. She looks at the tree.
CARRIE
Guess what, Bruce the Spruce?
She says these words with gravitas, her expression serious.
CARRIE (CONT’D)
I - am - just - like - Grandma.
And then a slow wide grin spreads across her face.
OPENING NOTES OF ‘Louie, Louie’ by the Kingsmen carry into credits.
END TEASER
From ACT I
EXT. FOGGY’S DRIVE-IN - NIGHT
The Beatles run from mobs of girls on Foggy’s DRIVE-IN SCREEN: ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ showing.
The fun frenetic opening in beautiful black and white.
TITLE CARD: ‘Incomprehensible At Any Speed’
Now we see Carrie running and jumping like The Beatles as she tears across the Drive-In in front of the screen.
Carrie keeps one eye on the screen and one eye on the ground ahead as she runs and jumps joyously.
She passes by: A Picnic Area with a sign, ‘Kiddie Corral’, with a ranch style fence around it.
KIDS in sleeping bags or having picnics with parents.
KIDS inside the Kiddie Corral ride little bouncy horses on springs attached to the ground.
Carrie passes them and then slams to a stop, staring at something straight ahead.
She looks around at the people nearby. Everyone is focused on the screen.
She turns back.
CARRIE’S P.O.V.: In the forest running alongside Foggy’s is a group of sad faced people, some crying.
They huddle in the night with candles and pictures of a guy with weird long hair and round wire glasses.
We recognize the photo as JOHN LENNON and the scene as the VIGIL outside the Dakota on the night of December 8, 1980.
But Carrie doesn’t know what she is seeing.
The image FADES AWAY.
Only the forest remains.
She grins.
CARRIE
Grandma.
She tears off running again.
FROM ACT I
INT. PROJECTION BOOTH - NIGHT
The giant REELS spin film through the big projector.
FOGGY LARSON, 38, a Beatnik looking guy in his classic Breton sailor cap, black turtleneck and jeans, sits beside the projector.
Carrie is sitting beside him. They look at each other periodically, smiling and laughing at the movie.
Carrie revels in this magical time with her Dad in the flickering light of the projector. He’s obviously her hero.
LATER:
CARRIE
I am like Grandma.
Foggy hesitates, this is not what he wants to hear.
FOGGY
You are not like Grandma.
CARRIE
I’m just like her. I like her stories and I’m just like her.
He laughs, joshing with her to cover his alarm.
FOGGY
Carrie. No, you’re not. Jeez. You just have an imagination.
CARRIE
What’s so bad about being like Grandma?
Foggy bumps shoulders with her, then puts his arm around her shoulder, gives her a little shake, effectively dismissing what she’s just said.
FOGGY
Heyyyyy...
He looks to the screen again, laughs too loud, trying to draw Carrie back into the movie.
He bumps her shoulder again, points at the screen.
FOGGY (CONT’D)
These guys are the real deal, eh?
He pretends to be lost in the screen again.
She makes no such pretense now, staring at the floor for a moment before stealing a glance at her Dad.
She knows he’s aware of her looking at him but he pretends to be lost in the movie.
She hopes he doesn’t notice the disappointment on her face.
From ACT I
TWINS TREVOR AND TREENA, 16, presented proudly with an old 56 VW Beetle from Foggy.
Trevor and Treena turn away from the car and stare at Foggy as though he’s lost his mind.
Foggy sighs,
FOGGY (CONT’D)
-a Beetle.
TREVOR
It’s old.
TREENA
And embarrassing.
Irene laughs to herself as her gaze turns inward.
IRENE, 10 (PRE-LAP)
Dad, this is embarrassing.
FLASHBACK EXT. LARSON FARM - DAY (1906)
Hoofs plod out the door of a barn as LOUIS LARSON, 40, an affable farmer, leads an old but still serviceable plow horse, BLUE, out to the corral.
IRENE’s 10 years old - and this is TRAGIC.
LOUIS
Blue’s a good horse.
IRENE
She’s a plow horse, Dad. She’s old. And embarrassing.
Irene gives her Dad her best pleading look.
FLASHBACK EXT. ALBERTA PRAIRIE ROAD - DAY (1906)
A beautiful fall morning. Irene riding old Blue to school at a leisurely walk - she’s riding with a flat exercise saddle under her, no saddle horn
-a group of kids pass on their trotting horses, laughing as they go by.
Irene leans forward, pats Blue’s neck.
IRENE
Never mind, Blue. Let’s be late so we miss ‘God Save The King’.
She leans down over the horse’s neck, snuggles into Blue’s mane, closes her eyes and revels in the sun on her face, the gentle rolling gait of the old horse.
She opens her eyes and sees...
IRENE’S P.O.V.: The dirt road slowly passing below Blue’s shoulder under her.
Blue’s front leg stepping; safely, steadily onward.
NORMAL P.O.V.
IRENE (CONT’D)
(whispers)
I didn’t mean what I said. You’re the best horse in the world.
She squeezes her arms around Blue’s neck.
The stillness of a prairie morning broken only by the squeaking leather of the saddle.
Irene’s eyes close as she falls asleep, still wrapped around Blue’s neck.
Blue carries her faithfully down the road.
The horse’s head turns toward something in a field-
- a coyote sits in tall wheat, watches them pass.
Blue continues on with her safe sleeping rider.
Excerpt...LATER...
Irene jumps at the SOUND OF A JET ENGINE.
Irene stops Blue. Looks around, twisting in the saddle.
Sees the coyote sitting in the crop field quietly.
Blue stands still.
IRENE (CONT’D)
Blue, didn’t you hear that?
She looks round some more then something above catches her eye.
She looks to the sky at the weird line of CONTRAIL THERE - the jet just barely visible in front of it.
She’s never seen a white line in the sky like that.
She closes her eyes - rubs them - opens them.
Only the blue sky remains.
And Blue under her.
___________
Foggy’s Drive-in is being shopped in Los Angeles and in Canada and I hope to return to High River to shoot it :).
