Chance Dance
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Transcript of Chance Dance
EXT. PARK- DAY
EARL, 80, a walking Norman Rockwell painting, sighs as he
sits down on a worn out park bench. He unwraps his pastrami
sandwich and is about to take a bite when:
Wham! A soccer ball whacks against the side of the bench,
narrowly missing him, but startling him so he spills
the content of his sandwich out.
Earl looks up. A kid retrieves the ball, and they continue
to play soccer, without an apology. Earl shakes his head in
defeat.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Surrounded by many other cardboard boxes at this empty
upscale apartment, a phone buzzes inside a cardboard box.
The alarm reads "10:00AM First Class" LAUREN, 23, snoozes in
her messy bed.
She awakes with a start and throws off the covers. She
scrambles to find clothes and the source of the buzzing
sound, pulling things willy nilly out of boxes.
LAUREN
Ten minutes to get out the door. I
can do this.
She finds adequate clothes and her phone and runs into the
bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
INSERT: Loud RAP music.
EXT. PARK- SAME TIME
Breakdancers dougie to the same music, adjacent to Earl, who
is standing (sitting) his ground against the small crowd of
onlookers, munching his rye bread and pickle. Every now and
then his cane falls over as someone bumps into it. He
strains to pick it up.
INT. APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Lauren emerges from the shower, clumsily dressed, and stares
down a poster of Audrey Hepburn ala Funny Face "BE
DISCIPLINED".
2.
LAUREN
I Promise I’ll do my stretches
later. Unpacking took it out of me
last night.
Lauren reaches for her keys on the nightstand, but there’s
nothing there.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
Come on! I don’t have time for
this.
She looks at her phone for the time, and at the mess of the
apartment. Beat.
She books it out the door.
EXT. APARTMENT- MOMENTS LATER
Lauren sprints down the blocks, twirling past the bustling
crowd.
She jumps into the street and collides with a BICYCLER.
Bicycler grabs his satchel and cranks his wheel back in
place.
BICYCLER
Watch where you’re walking. This
isn’t SoCal. We bikers have the
right of way in San Francisco.
LAUREN
I’m so sorry sir. I’m running
late--
BICYCLER
Dumb Tourist.
Bicycler pedals away, flipping her the bird.
Lauren shakes her head, appalled. She checks her phone: 1
new text: CARRIE NEW BOSS-- Don’t bother.
A angry DRIVER beeps his car horn bringing her back to
reality.
DRIVER (O.S.)
Get off your damn phone!!
Lauren waves a sorry as she crosses the street.
3.
EXT. PARK- MINUTES LATER
Lauren enters the Golden Gate Park, and makes a phone call.
Her steps grow slower paced every few feet.
LAUREN
You’re right... Yes I know but--
yes maam. I should have been to
teach Princess Ballet... I’m still
getting adjusted to Frisco...
That’s no excuse, you’re right.
She slumps onto a bench.
LAUREN (CONTD)
Thank you for the opportunity...
Bye.
Earl, who is sitting on the same bench is startled to find
another person in his radius. His cane falls over and he
struggles to pick it up.
Lauren reaches it first. Their eyes meet.
LAUREN
Oh, I’m sorry--
EARL
It’s fine. I’ve got it.
LAUREN
Here.
She hands it to him.
LAUREN
Oh no! I made you drop your
sandwich.
EARL
Not hardly. A rogue soccer ball to
the back.
Earl points towards the kids playing soccer in the field.
LAUREN
I hope they at least apologized.
Earl shrugs.
EARL
Honey, there’s something no one
tells you about the day you turn
4.
EARLeighty. I gained the power of
invisibility.
(beat)
Sounds like you’ve had a hard day
too.
LAUREN
You heard that phone call?
EARL
I’m not deaf, just look it.
LAUREN
Sorry it came out that way. I only
meant that--
EARL
I know what you meant. Just yankin
your chain.
Lauren forces a laugh.
EARL
First time getting fired?
LAUREN
Ok, I didn’t technically get fired.
EARL
Really?
LAUREN
(rapidly)
So, today was my first day working
at this new dance studio on Main,
but i couldn’t find my keys, and I
was running late. So, I literally
started running, and i hit this
bicyclist, and then Carrie called,
and she, she, she fired
me.(beginning to cry) Before i even
got a chance to teach the little
girls how to poteberre.
Earl sets his bread down and digs through his fanny pack. He
hands a bright pink handkerchief and a dried carnation to
Lauren.
LAUREN
Thank you?
5.
EARL
I’m not used to weeping women. But,
for myself, I find that smelling
flowers can be particularly
calming.
Lauren breathes in the flower’s scent.
EARL (CONT’D)
Told ya so.
LAUREN
Ok. Ok. I’m better now.
(breathing deeply)
I did not just cry in public.
EARL
Hmmph.
LAUREN
You know what would help both of
us?
Lauren springs to her feet.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
Come on. Get up. Let’s go for
awalk.
She helps Earl up. They walk, but with no place in mind.
EARL
You don’t know where we’re going.
LAUREN
The best way to learn your way
around a new city is to get lost in
it.
Earl leads them down a different path. To Lauren’s quizzical
look, he shruggs.
EARL
I’ve never been this way before.
EXT. PATH- MINUTES LATER
Faint Jazz music is heard wafting through the park. It grows
louder as they walk towards the sound, arm in arm.
EARL
Across the street from my condo,
there’s this coffee shop. Fresh
donuts on Saturday mornings.
6.
LAUREN
Ok. Maybe I’ll try it sometime.
EARL
They have a help wanted sign. I
know the owner, Nancy, very nice
lady. If you really need a job, I
can put in a good word for you.
LAUREN
Thanks. Where’s this place?
EARL
9th and Wall.
LAUREN
Oh. Ok, hold on let me write that
down.
Lauren fishes in her bag looking for a pen and paper.
Earl continues down the path and turns a corner.
EXT. PAVILLION- CONTINUING
Thirty people, age twenty to fifty, casually dressed, are
social dancing to a small jazz band. The warm energy is
infectious.
EARL
Oh. Wow.
Lauren catches up to Earl, and she takes in the scene, but
particularly Earl.
Lauren watches Earl straighten up, and smile, humming the
tune and tapping his feet.
FLASHBACK TO:
INT. SPARROW BALLROOM- NIGHT (1941)
YOUNG EARL, 18, enters the smoke filled nightclub, dressed
to the nines. Voices shout greetings, amidst swingouts,
kickups, and aerials.
A thirty piece big band is playing the same tune as before.
A pretty blonde, LOUISE, takes his hand, and they hit the
dancefloor.
7.
LOUISE
Earl! My you’re here early. How was
the Duke last night?
YOUNG EARL
As hep as always. But you know this
is my favorite joint, Louise.
Earl and the blonde do a spectacular dance, hitting all the
breaks. The dance floor clears in anticipation, watching
Earl.
All is swell, then Earl gets a stabbing pain in his knee.
END FLASHBACK:
EXT. PAVILLION- RESUME
Earl holds his knee in pain, clearly saddened that he cannot
continue.
Lauren notices.
LAUREN
Are you alright?
EARL
(wincing)
Peachy.
Earl finds a different bench to sit down.
LAUREN
Let me help you.
Earl swats her away. She sits beside him anyway. An akward
pause.
EARL
See those kids there?
LAUREN
Yeah, that some pretty cool
dancing--
EARL
Lindy hop. We invented it back when
this music was new.
LAUREN
You were there form the birth of
lindy?
Earl nods.
8.
EARL
Dont ask me to prove it now though.
They sit and he grows disappointed.
LAUREN
You know I’m pretty new to this
city... and I don’t really know
anyone... I’d really like to go out
tonight.
EARL
And celebrate your first firing?
LAUREN
And meeting a new friend.
Lauren sees this doesn’t get her much.
LAUREN
My only friend.
EARL
Well for petes sake...
LAUREN
So it’s a date then.
Earl smiles at the word "date".
LAUREN
So once I find the keys to my car,
i’ll pick you up! Say 8?
EARL
I go to bed at 8. Lets make it 6.
They shake on it.
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE SHOP- LATER
Lauren finds her way up to the front of the coffee shop with
a "Help Wanted" sign out front. She checks the street
sign. "9th and Wall" to be sure.
9.
INT. COFFEE SHOP- CONTINUING
Lauren walks up to the front counter, and a warm waitress,
NANCY, Retro-chic 50s, greets her.
NANCY
Hello there, What can I get started
for you?
LAUREN
Are you the owner?
NANCY
Yes, maam.
Nancy wipes her hands on her dishtowel and extends her hand
to Lauren.
NANCY (CONT’D)
Nancy. Owner and operator of the
world famous Coffee Shop.
LAUREN
Oh, Wow he wasn’t kidding about the
donuts.
Nancy pulls out a tray of giant sugary goodies.
NANCY
We make ’em big here.
LAUREN
That’s quite a selection. Earl said
the Huckleberries were the best. Do
you have any left?
NANCY
You know Earl?
LAUREN
I guess so, yeah.
NANCY
Well in that case, I’ve got a
couple Huckleberries stashed in the
back.
Nancy hurries behind the back curtain. Lauren takes this
time to look around the shop.
Kitschy decorations, tons of black and white photos of San
Francisco outdoor photos, and mismatched furniture crowd the
tiny space.
10.
On the back wall where the menu is written, a single picture
of a young Nancy and young Earl, shaking hands in front of
the coffee shop.
Nancy returns.
LAUREN
Hey, is that you and Earl?
NANCY
Mhmmmm. He was my first customer.
Nancy hands Lauren the donuts in a paper bag.
NANCY (CONT’D)
When I first moved to the city in
1968, Earl sort of became my
mentor. I was coming off of a
Heroin high, and I stumbled upon
Earl suntanning on the public
beach.
Nancy points to a black and white photo of Earl suntanning
at the beach.
NANCY (CONT’D)
He just looked so calm, and lonely.
Like me. We hit it off
immediately...not like that
(whispering)
He’s gay. Spent his whole life
hiding it, I’m the first person he
revealed it too, aside from, you
know...
Lauren nods.
NANCY
So, Earl found him another one of
me?
LAUREN
I just met him, actually.
Nancy gives Lauren a knowing pat on the hand.
NANCY
I’m glad. He really needs some more
company.
LAUREN
I want to do something special for
him tonight.
11.
NANCY
That’s really sweet. You best get
on your way, then. Earl’s goes to
bed pretty early.
LAUREN
Oh yeah, geez, I gotta get going.
Lauren starts to leave and then spots the "Help Wanted"
sign.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
I almost forgot. Could I come back
tomorrow for an interview?
NANCY
Interview? Honey, just show up at
six to open with me.
MONTAGE:
INSERT Upbeat Jazz music.
EXT. COFFEE SHOP- CONTINUING
Lauren bounds down the street and clicks her heels.
INT. EARL’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Earl drops his cane at the door and follows his path of
carefully placed chairs and end tables into the bedroom
INT. BEDROOM- CONTINUING
Earl finds his closet. He pushes back several decades worth
of suits to find a dusty Navy 1940s suit. He throws it on
the bed and checks the dresser clock "5:30"
Earl walks into the bathroom.
CUT TO:
INT. LAUREN’S APARTMENT- LATER
Lauren kicks off her work shoes and flips open her laptop.
She types. Then watches with the careful eye of a dancer.
Then She begins to practice triple steps, rock steps,
Charleston steps.
12.
INT. EARL’S APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Earl, all cleaned up and wearing the suit, shuffles around
to his well worn EZBoy. He checks his watch. "6:20". He
reclines back, far enough to reach a stereo, and uses his
cane to turn it on.
INT. LAUREN’S APARTMENT- LATER
Lauren has clearly progressed in her dance study. She Suzie
Qs and Shim shams.
INT. EARL’S APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Earl has slipped into a deep sleep, but his toes keep time
with the music.
CUT TO:
INT. SPARROW BALLROOM- NIGHT(EARLS DREAM)
Earl dances the most hep solo jazz performance of all time.
Across the ballroom, Lauren, done up in period gear, twirls
into Earl’s arms. Young Earl and Lauren joyfully dance.
The music stops abruptly.
END DREAM:
INT. EARL’S APARTMENT- RESUME
Earl wakes up startled: the stereo has stopped playing.
Grogily, he checks his watch: "8:00".
EARL
Hmmpf. I should have known she’d
stand me up.
Earl gets up and shuts the stereo off.
INT. LAUREN’S APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Lauren towel dries her wet hair as she walks into the main
living room. She checks the time: "8:00"
LAUREN
Shit.
She looks up to Audrey.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
Sorry Audrey.
13.
She bolts back into the bathroom and shuts the door. A blow
dryer is heard.
INT. EARL’S BEDROOM- LATER
Earl pulls off his tie and slings it and the jacket on the
bed.
EXT. EARL’S APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Lauren rushes up the street, reading street maps on her
phone.
She finds the right place, an old skinny duplex, and rushes
up to the front door.
She checks her vintage hair and makeup on the glass screen
door, pulls out the bag of donuts from her purse, and knocks
politely on the door.
INT. EARL’S BEDROOM- SAME TIME
Earl hears the knock on the door, but he down at his
pajamaed self and bare feet, then down the long hallway.
INT. HALLWAY- CONTINUING
The hallway from Earl’s bedroom to the front door stretches,
feeling seemingly endless.
INT. EARL’S BEDROOM- CONTINUING
Earl looks back at his suit lying on the bed, deciding.
EXT. APARTMENT- MOMENTS LATER
Lauren knocks again.
LAUREN
Earl? Sorry I’m late. I, I brought
you something.
Silence.
Lauren tries again, louder.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
I know I said 730. I got stuck
doing... something. Are you there?
She waits a moment longer. Then walks back down the steps,
leaving the bag of donuts at the front door.
14.
The door opens with Earl behind it in his suit jacket and
pajamas.
EARL
Keep it down, you’ll wake up the
neighbors.
Lauren turns around and sees him. She rushes back up the
steps to meet him. She picks up the donuts and hands it to
Earl as they walk inside.
INT. EARL’S APARTMENT- CONTINUING
Earl opens the bag of donuts and inhales their intoxicating
scent.
LAUREN
As you may have guessed it, I met
Nancy today at the coffee shop.
Earl dives into a donut.
EARL
And?
LAUREN
I start tomorrow!
Lauren sets down her bag and surveys the room. She finds
what she’s looking for, and goes to the stereo.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
So, I’m guessing it’s too late to
go out. But I have to show you
something.
She plugs in her ipod to the stereo system and puts on the
same song from the park.
LAUREN (CONT’D)
May I have this dance?
She bows low, sillily. Earl laughs.
EARL
Usually I just grab the girl and
say "What about it, dollface?"
They shuffle to the music.
15.
INTERCUT:
INT. SPARROW BALLROOM 1941- NIGHT
Lauren and Young Earl dance intricately and beautifully,
covering the dance floor.
INT. EARL’S APARTMENT- SAME TIME
Their dance is sloppy, more like a sway, but it’s everything
to Earl and Lauren.
THE END