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RAISING ARIZONA

                                     RAISING ARIZONA

                                      Screenplay by

                                        Ethan Coen

                                        Joel Coen

		OVER BLACK:

				VOICE OVER
		My name is H. I. McDunnough...

	A WALL

	With horizontal hatch lines.

				VOICE OVER
		...Call me Hi.

	A disheveled young man in a gaily colored Hawaiian shirt is 
	launched into frame by someone offscreen.

	He holds a printed paddle that reads "NO. 1468-6 NOV. 29 
	79."

	The hatch marks on the wall behind him are apparently height 
	markers.

				VOICE OVER
		...The first time I met Ed was in 
		the county lock-up in Tempe, 
		Arizona...

	FLASH

	As his picture is taken.

	CLOSEUP

	On the paddle: "NOV. 29 79."

				VOICE OVER
		...a day I'll never forget.

	A bellowing male voice from offscreen:

				SHERIFF
		Don't forget the profile, Ed!

	ANGLE ON THE STILL CAMERA

	It is mounted on a tripod. A pretty young woman in a severe 
	police uniform peers out from behind it.

				WOMAN
		Turn to the right.

				HI
		What kind of name is Ed for a pretty 
		thing like you?

				ED
		Short for Edwinna. Turn to the right!

	HI obliges, but still looks at Ed out of the corner of his 
	eye.

				HI
		You're a flower, you are. Just a 
		little desert flower.

	FLASH

	On his eye-skewed profile.

				HI
		Lemme know how those come out.

	LOW ANGLE CELL BLOCK CORRIDOR

	As Hi is escorted away from the camera toward his cell.

	At the far end of the corridor a huge con is sluggishly 
	mopping the floor.

				VOICE OVER
		I was in for writing hot checks which, 
		when businessmen do it, is called an 
		overdraft. I'm not complainin', mind 
		you; just sayin' there ain't no 
		pancake so thin it ain't got two 
		sides. Now prison life is very 
		structured - more than most people 
		care for...

	INTERCUTTING

	HI'S POV of the MOPPING CON, tracking as he approaches, and 
	the Mopping Con's POV of Hi as Hi approaches.

				VOICE OVER
		...But there's a spirit of camaraderie 
		that exists between the men, like 
		you find only in combat maybe...

	The Mopping Con snarls as Hi passes:

				CON
		Grrrr...

				VOICE OVER
		...or on a pro ball club in the heat 
		of a pennant drive.

	NEWSREEL FOOTAGE

	A ballplayer connects - THWOCK - for a home run and the crowd 
	roars.

	PRISON HALL

	Panning a circle of men who sit facing each other in folding 
	chairs. The pan starts on Hi.

				VOICE OVER
		In an effort to better ourselves we 
		were forced to meet with a counselor 
		who tried to help us figure out why 
		we were the way we were...

	At this point the pan has reached the COUNSELOR, an earnest, 
	bearded young man who straddles a folding chair with his 
	arms folded over its back.

	He is addressing one of the Cons:

				COUNSELOR
		Why do you use the word "trapped"?

	CLOSEUP BLACK CON

	The huge muscle-bound black man with a shaved head is knitting 
	his brow in consternation.

				CON
		Huh?

				COUNSELOR
		Why do you say you feel "trapped" in 
		a man's body?

				CON
		Oh...

	He bites his lip, thinking; then, in a resonant bass voice:

				CON
		...Well, sometimes I get the menstrual 
		cramps real hard.

	PAROLE MEETING ROOM

	Three PAROLE OFFICERS - two men and a woman - face Hi across 
	a table.

				CHAIRMAN
		Have you learned anything, Hi?

				HI
		Yessir, you bet.

				WOMAN
		You wouldn't lie to us, would you 
		Hi?

				HI
		No ma'am, hope to say.

				CHAIRMAN
		Okay then.

	EXT. 7-ELEVEN NIGHT

	A beat-up Chevy pulls into the all-night store's empty parking 
	lot.

				VOICE OVER
		I tried to stand up and fly straight, 
		but it wasn't easy with that sumbitch 
		Reagan in the White House...

	Hi is getting out of the Chevy in a Hawaiian shirt, holding 
	a pump-action shotgun.

				VOICE OVER
		...I dunno, they say he's a decent 
		man, so...

	He primes the shotgun - WHOOSH - CLACK - and heads for the 
	store.

				VOICE OVER
		...maybe his advisers are confused.

	FLASH

	Full-face exposure of Hi once again in front of the mug-shot 
	wall.

				ED
		Turn to the right!

	Hi obliges but shoots sympathetic glances at Ed who is 
	obviously upset, wiping away tears and snuffling behind the 
	camera.

				HI
		What's the matter, Ed?

				ED
		My fai-ants left me.

				VOICE OVER
		She said her fiancée had run off 
		with a student cosmetologist who 
		knew how to ply her feminine wiles.

	FLASH

	On Hi's profile. He turns back to Ed.

				HI
		That sumbitch.

				SHERIFF (O.S.)
		Don't forget his phone call, Ed!

				HI
		You tell him I think he's a damn 
		fool, Ed. You tell him I said so - 
		H.I. McDunnough. And if he wants to 
		discuss it he knows where to find 
		me...

	As another police officer starts to lead him away:

				HI
		...in the Maricopa County Maximum 
		Security Correctional Facility for 
		Men...

	CLOSE ON ED

	Looking up through her tears as Hi is led away.

				HI (O.S.)
		...State Farm Road Number Thirty-
		one; Tempe, Arizona...

	BACK TO HI

	Struggling to call back over his shoulder as he is firmly 
	led out the door.

				HI
		...I'll be waiting!

	The door slams.

	LOW ANGLE CELL BLOCK CORRIDOR

	As Hi is once again escorted toward his cell.

	The Mopping Con is now in the middle-background, having worked 
	his way about halfway up the corridor since last time we saw 
	him.

				VOICE OVER
		I can't say I was happy to be back 
		inside, but the flood of familiar 
		sights, sounds and faces almost made 
		it feel like a homecoming.

	CLOSE ON MOPPING CON

	As Hi passes.

				CON
		Grrrr...

	PRISON HALL

	Group is meeting again.

				COUNSELOR
		Most men your age, Hi, are getting 
		married and raising up a family. 
		They wouldn't accept prison as a 
		substitute.

	Hi looks sheepish.

				COUNSELOR
		...Would any of you men care to 
		comment?

	Two convicts sitting next to each other, GALE and EVELLE, 
	appear to be friends.

				GALE
		But sometimes your career gotta come 
		before family.

				EVELLE
		Work is what's kept us happy.

				ANGRY BLACK CON
		Yeah, but Doc Schwartz is sayin' you 
		gotta accept responsibilities. I 
		mean I'm proud to say I got a 
		family... somewheres.

	HIGH ANGLE CELL

	Looking down from the ceiling. In the foreground, lying on 
	the top bunk, hands clasped behind his head as he stares off 
	into space is MOSES. Moses is a gnarled, elderly black con 
	with wire-rimmed spectacles. On the lower bunk, also with 
	hands clasped behind his head and staring off at the same 
	spot in space, is Hi.

				VOICE OVER
		I tried to sort through what the Doc 
		had said, but prison ain't the easiest 
		place to think.

				MOSES
		An' when they was no meat we ate 
		fowl. An' when they was no fowl we 
		ate crawdad. An' when they was no 
		crawdad to be foun', we ate San'.

				HI
		You ate what?

				MOSES
			(nodding)
		We ate San'.

				HI
		You ate sand?!

				MOSES
		Dass right...

	PAROLE BOARD ROOM

	Hi faces the same three PAROLE OFFICERS across the same table.

				CHAIRMAN
		Well Boy, you done served your twenty 
		munce, and seeing as you never use 
		live ammo, we got no choice but to 
		return you to society.

				SECOND MAN
		These doors goan swing wide.

				HI
		I didn't want to hurt anyone, Sir.

				SECOND MAN
		Hi, we respect that.

				CHAIRMAN
		But you're just hurtin' yourself 
		with this rambunctious behavior.

				HI
		I know that, sir.

				CHAIRMAN
		Okay then.

	HIGH SHOT

	Of a 7-Eleven parking lot, at night, deserted except for 
	Hi's car which sits untended, its engine rumbling.

				VOICE OVER
		Now I don't know how you come down 
		on the incarceration question...

	Hi backpedals into frame with a shotgun and a bag of cash.

				VOICE OVER
		...whether it's for rehabilitation 
		or revenge.

	He spins and grabs his car-door handle. Locked. He tries the 
	back door. Locked.

				VOICE OVER
		...But I was beginning to think...

	As we hear the wail of an approaching siren, Hi takes it on 
	the heel and toe.

				VOICE OVER
		...that revenge is the only argument 
		makes any sense.

	FLASH

	On Hi against the mug-shot wall.

				ED
		Turn to the right!

				SHERIFF (O.S.)
		Don't forget his latents, Ed!

	CLOSE ON HI'S HAND

	We see his right hand being efficiently manipulated by Ed's 
	two hands: She is rolling each of his inked fingers into the 
	appropriate space on an exemplar sheet.

				HI (O.S.)
		Hear about the paddy-wagon collided 
		with the segment mixer, Ed? Twelve 
		hardened criminals escaped.

	Ed's hand lingers on top of his.  Hi's other hand enters to 
	rest on top of hers.

				HI (O.S.)
		Got a new beau?

				ED (O.S.)
		No, Hi, I sure don't.

	Hi slips a ring off his own finger and slides it onto Ed's.

				HI (O.S.)
		Don't worry, I paid for it.

	LOW ANGLE CELL BLOCK CORRIDOR

	The surly Mopping Con has now worked his way up to the 
	foreground.

	Hi is being escorted past him to his cell.

				VOICE OVER
		They say that absence makes the heart 
		grow fonder, and for once they may 
		be right.

	Halfway up the corridor Hi points casually at the floor.

				HI
		You missed a spot.

	The Mopping Con turns to watch him recede.

				CON
		Grrrr...

	HIGH ANGLE CELL

	Same high shot with Moses on the top bunk, Hi on the lower.

				VOICE OVER
		More and more my thoughts turned to 
		Ed, and I finally felt the pain of 
		imprisonment.

				MOSES
		An' momma would frow the live crawdad 
		in a pot of boiln' water. Well one 
		day I decided to make my own 
		crawdad...

	We begin to crane down to tighten on the absently staring 
	Hi.

				VOICE OVER
		...an' I frew it in a pot, forgettin' 
		to put in the water, ya see...

	Moses' voice is mixing down as we lose him from frame.

				VOICE OVER
		...and it was like I was makin' 
		popcorn, ya see... The joint is a 
		lonely place after lock-up and fights 
		out...

	We are now very close on Hi, staring.

				VOICE OVER
		...when the last of the cons has 
		been swept away by the sandman.

	HI'S POV

	The underside of the top bunk.

	A sudden flash whitens and fades to leave the image of Ed, 
	smiling behind her camera, softly supered on the underside 
	of the bunk.

	BACK TO HI

	He wearily turns his head to profile on the pillow and shuts 
	his eyes.

				VOICE OVER
		But I couldn't help thinking that a 
		brighter future lay ahead - a future 
		that was only eight to fourteen months 
		away.

	Eyes closed, he is illuminated by a flash.

	PAROLE BOARD ROOM

	Hi and the same three officers.

				CHAIRMAN
		Got a name for people like you, Hi. 
		That name is called recidivism.

				SECOND MAN
		Ree-peat O-fender.

				CHAIRMAN
		Not a pretty name, is it, Hi?

				HI
		No Sir, it sure ain't. That's one 
		bonehead name. But that ain't me 
		anymore.

				CHAIRMAN
		You're not just tellin' us what we 
		wanna hear?

				HI
		No Sir, no way.

				SECOND MAN
		'Cause we just wanna hear the truth.

				HI
		Well then I guess I am tellin' you 
		what you wanna hear.

				CHAIRMAN
		Boy, didn't we just tell you not to 
		do that?

				HI
		Yessir.

				CHAIRMAN
		Okay then.

	TRACKING

	Over Hi's shoulder as he strides toward a door marked 
	"Processing" and flings it open.

	It is the familiar booking room. Ed looks up from her camera, 
	having just snapped a picture of another suspect against the 
	hatched wall.

				HI
		I'm walkin' in here on my knees, Ed - 
		a free man proposin'.

	Hi cocks a finger at the suspect.

				HI
		Howdy Kurt.

	ED'S ROOM

	As she nervously frets at her white bridal gown in front of 
	a mirror.

				VOICE OVER
		And so it was.

				SHERIFF (O.S.)
		Don't forget the boo-kay, Ed!

	CLOSE SHOT ED

	Gazing earnestly into the camera. A congregation is seated 
	behind her - the bride's side wearing police blues; the 
	groom's side, Hawaiian shirts.

				ED
		I do.

	CLOSE SHOT HI

	Also staring into the camera.

				HI
		You bet I do.

	REVERSE

	Over their shoulders, the minister.

				MINISTER
		Okay then.

	FLASH

	On the newlyweds smiling at the camera.

	FLASH

	On the newlyweds smiling at each other, profile to the camera.

	HIGH WIDE SHOT TRAILER PARK

	In the middle of a vast expanse of desert.

				VOICE OVER
		Ed's pa staked us to a starter home 
		in suburban Tempe...

	INT. MACHINE SHOP

	Hi is working the drill press, wearing goggles and sweat-
	stained overalls.

				VOICE OVER
		...and I got a job drilling holes in 
		sheet metal.

	Next to him idly stands Bud, a veteran of the shop, with a 
	grimy face and a pair of goggles pushed up on his forehead.

				BUD
		So we was doin' paramedical work in 
		affiliation with the state highway 
		system-not actually practicin', 
		y'understand - and me and Bill's 
		patrollin' down Nine Mile -

				HI
		Bill Roberts?

				BUD
			(barking)
		No, not that motherscratcher! Bill 
		Parker! Anyway, we're approachin' 
		the wreck, and there's a spherical 
		object arestin' on the highway...

	He pauses to blow and pop a bubble with his chewing gum.

				BUD
		...And it don't look like a piece a 
		the car.

				VOICE OVER
		Mostways the job was a lot like 
		prison, except Ed was waitin' at the 
		end of every day...

	CASHIER'S WINDOW

	Hi is scowling at his paycheck. Behind the barred window a 
	fat cashier grins.

				VOICE OVER
		...and a paycheck at the end of every 
		week.

				CASHIER
		Gummint do take a bite, don't she?

	EXT. TRAILER

	Hi sits in a lawn chair in front of the trailer. Ed sits on 
	his lap, his arms around her. Both are wearing sunglasses, 
	looking at the setting sun. The scene is suffused with a 
	warm yellow light.

				VOICE OVER
		These were the happy days, the salad 
		days as they say...

	As the sun sets, the light is turning from yellow to amber. 
	Hi and Ed watch, their heads following its slow downward 
	arc.

				VOICE OVER
		...and Ed felt that having a critter 
		was the next logical step. It was 
		all she thought about.

	The amber is turning to a more neutral dusky light as the 
	sun has set. Hi and Ed continue to stare at the point where 
	it disappeared.

				VOICE OVER
		...Her point was that there was too 
		much love and beauty for just the 
		two of us...

	The dusk is slipping away into darkness.

				VOICE OVER
		...and every day we kept a child out 
		of the world was a day he might later 
		regret having missed.

	We are by now holding on pitch black. Crickets chirp. From 
	the darkness:

				ED
		That was beautiful.

	A CALENDAR

	Ed is crossing off the last day on the calendar before a day 
	circled in red.

				VOICE OVER
		So we worked at it on the days we 
		calculated most likely to be 
		fruitful...

	INT. TRAILER

	Hi is wearily entering after a long day at work, clutching 
	his lunchpail.

				VOICE OVER
		...and we worked at it most other 
		days just to be sure.

	Ed flies into frame and leaps into his arms, covering him 
	with kisses.

	TRAILER BEDROOM

	In each other's arms, Hi and Ed roll over on the bed.

				VOICE OVER
		Seemed like nothing could stand in 
		our way now...

	We pan with them rolling and continue off them to the night 
	table, on which sits a framed pair of photographs of Hi, 
	probably taken by Ed: One shows him full face, the other in 
	profile.

	EXT. TRAILER TWILIGHT

	Ed sits in a lawn chair knitting a booty. Hi stands in Bermuda 
	shorts and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, hosing down the 
	minuscule patch of front lawn.

				VOICE OVER
		...My lawless years were behind me; 
		our child rearin' years lay ahead.

	DUSTY ROAD LEADING UP TO TRAILER DAY

	A squad car, its siren wailing, kicks up dust as it roars 
	into the foreground.

	ADOPTION OFFICE

	Hi and Ed are seated on folding chairs facing an agent's 
	desk. Hi wears a sport coat over his Hawaiian shirt. Ed is 
	in her dress blues.

				HI
		It's true I've had a checkered past, 
		but Ed here is an officer of the law 
		twice decorated...

	THE AGENT

	Looking, with a dead pan, from the file to Hi.

				HI
		...So we figure it kind of evens 
		out.

	His face still deadly neutral, the agent looks back down at 
	the file and unfolds the accordioned rap sheet, revealing it 
	to be a couple feet long.

				VOICE OVER
		...But biology and the prejudices of 
		others conspired to keep us childless.

	INT. SQUAD CAR

	On Ed as she stares vacantly out the passenger window.

				VOICE OVER
		Our love for each other was stronger 
		than ever...

	ON HI

	Driving. He looks from Ed out to the road.

				VOICE OVER
		...but I preminisced no return of 
		the salad days.

	TRAILER BATHROOM

	Over Hi's shoulder as he stares listlessly at himself in the 
	mirror, a razor held forgotten in one hand, his face half 
	lathered and half shaved.

				VOICE OVER
		The pizazz had gone out of our lives.

	TRAILER BEDROOM

	The bedroom is somewhat messy. Ed sits on the edge of the 
	bed, also staring listlessly. Her police uniform is on but 
	not yet buttoned. Her hands lie palm-up in her lap, like two 
	dead fish.

				VOICE OVER
		Ed lost all interest in both criminal 
		justice and housekeeping. Soon after, 
		she tendered her badge.

	MACHINE SHOP

	Once again Hi works as his sweaty gum-chewing colleague stands 
	idly by.

				VOICE OVER
		Even my job seemed as dry and bitter 
		as a hot prairie wind.

				BUD
		So here comes Bill a-walkin' down 
		Nine Mile - that's Bill Parker, 
		y'understand - got his sandwich in 
		one hand, the fuckin' head in the 
		other...

	ON HI DRIVING

	Alone in his Chevy. He looks to the side.

				VOICE OVER
		I even caught myself drivin' by 
		convenience stores...

	HIS MOVING POV

	7-Eleven.

				VOICE OVER
		...that weren't on the way home.

	TRAILER LIVING ROOM

	Hi and Ed sit listlessly watching TV.

				VOICE OVER
		Then one day the biggest news hit 
		the state since they built the Hoover 
		Dam...

	Ed perks up, reacting to something on TV. Hi notices her 
	reaction and also sloughs off his stupor to watch.

				VOICE OVER
		...The Arizona quints was born.

	THE TV

	A newscaster silently reading copy. Behind him news footage 
	of five nurses holding infants mortices in.

				VOICE OVER
		By "Arizona" quints I mean they was 
		born to a woman named Florence 
		Arizona.

	BACK TO HI AND ED

	Watching intently. Eyes still locked on the set, Ed reaches 
	her hand out to Hi. Eyes still locked on the set, Hi takes 
	her hand in his.

				VOICE OVER
		As you probably guessed, Florence 
		Arizona is the wife of Nathan Arizona. 
		And Nathan Arizona - well hell, you 
		know who he is...

	THE TV A LATE-NIGHT LOCAL COMMERCIAL

	NATHAN ARIZONA, a stocky middle-aged man in a white polyester 
	suit, is gesturing expansively with his white cowboy hat 
	toward a one-story warehouse store with a football stadium 
	parking lot, chroma-keyed in behind him.

				NATHAN ARIZONA
			(mixing up on the TV)
		So come on down to Unpainted Arizona 
		for the finest selection in fixtures 
		and appointments for your bathroom, 
		bedroom, beaudoir!

				VOICE OVER
		...The owner of the largest chain of 
		unpainted furniture and bathroom 
		fixture outlets throughout the 
		Southwest.

				NATHAN ARIZONA
		And if you can find lower prices 
		anywhere my name ain't Nathan Arizona!

	BACK TO HI AND ED

	As they slowly look from the TV set toward each other.

	LINE OF NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINES

	Hi lounges near one of the vending machines as a businessman 
	puts in a quarter.

				VOICE OVER
		Yep, Florence had been taking 
		fertility pills, and she and Nathan 
		had hit the jackpot.

	The businessman takes his newspaper and releases the machine 
	door as he turns to leave.

	Hi snags the door before it closes and takes his own five-
	finger discount copy.

	He flips the paper over to look at the headline.

	FRONT PAGE OF NEWSPAPER

	The banner headline of the Tempe Intelligencer is:

	"ARIZONA QUINTS GO HOME!"

	The subhead: "More Than We Can Handle,' Laughs Dad." Next to 
	it is a picture of Nathan.

				VOICE OVER
		Now y'all who're without sin can 
		cast the first stone...

	A pull back from the paper shows Hi and Ed reading it together 
	at home. They look from the paper to each other.

	Hi opens to an inside page and we pan a row of pictures - 
	the five tots with their names underneath: "HARRY, BARRY, 
	LARRY, GARRY and NATHAN JR."

				VOICE OVER
		...but we thought it was unfair that 
		some should have so many while others 
		should have so few.

	BILLBOARD

	In the middle of the desert. It reads: "WELCOME TO TEMPE! 
	POPULATION 13,948... PLUS FIVE!"

	EXT. TRAILER TWILIGHT

	We are floating in toward Ed who is seated, waiting, in the 
	driver's seat of Hi's Chevy. Hi enters frame and cinches 
	down a ladder that is tied to the roof of the car. Pieces of 
	red flag flutter at either end of the ladder where it sticks 
	out beyond the car.

				VOICE OVER
		With the benefit of hindsight maybe 
		it wasn't such a hot idea...

	Hi gets in the car.

	FROM BEHIND THE CHEVY

	It starts down the long, winding road leading away from the 
	trailer, kicking up dust.

				VOICE OVER
		...but at the time, Ed's little plan 
		seemed like the solution to all our 
		problems, and the answer to all our 
		prayers.

	The title of the film burns in: "RAISING ARIZONA". A building 
	chord snaps off in a shock cut to:

	SUBURBAN LIVING ROOM EVENING

	Tableau of a couple at home. Nathan Arizona is on the 
	telephone, his stocking feet up on an ottoman. Florence sits 
	reading Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care.

	The living room is dominated by a large oil portrait of Nathan 
	and Florence, gazing out from the wall over the mantelpiece.

				NATHAN
			(into the phone)
		Eight hundred leaf tables and no 
		chairs?! You can't sell leaf tables 
		and no chairs! Chairs, you got a 
		dinette set! No chairs, you got dick! 
		I ask my wife she got more sense!...

	TITLE IS SUPERED:

	"THE ARIZONA HOUSEHOLD"

	From somewhere upstairs we hear an infant start to cry. 
	Florence stops reading and looks up at the ceiling. Nathan 
	is oblivious.

				NATHAN
		...Miles, all I know is I'm away 
		from the office to have me some kids 
		and everything goes straight to heck! 
		I ain't gonna stand for it!

	Another title is supered below the first: "SEPTEMBER 17, 
	1985". The baby stops crying and Florence's attention returns 
	to her book.

				VOICE OVER
		...Yeah, and if a frog had wings he 
		wouldn't bump his ass a-hoppin'! I'm 
		sick of your excuses, Miles! It is 
		now...

	As he throws out his wrist to look at his watch a third title 
	is supered beneath the first two: 8:45 p.m.

				VOICE OVER
		...8:45 in the p.m. I'm gonna be 
		down to the store in exactly twelve 
		hours to kick me some butt!

	He starts to replace the receiver but brings it back with an 
	afterthought:

				VOICE OVER
		...Or my name ain't Nathan Arizona!

	As he slams the phone into the cradle the titles disappear. 
	Another baby starts crying. Florence looks up at the ceiling.

				NATHAN
		That sounds like Larry.

	Close on the crying baby as Hi bounces it, gently but 
	desperately.

				HI
		Shhhh! Shh! Nice baby...

	He starts to lower it back into the crib. The crib is 
	unpainted with the name of each baby burned Bonanza-style 
	into the headboard: Harry, Barry, Larry, Garry, and Nathan 
	Jr. Instead of quieting as he is lowered into the crib, the 
	squalling baby only sets off one of his brothers. Hi hurriedly 
	lifts him back out.

	He looks desperately around the room.

	The room is wallpapered with nursery rhyme characters.

	There are toys strewn around. There is one adult-sized easy 
	chair in the corner.

	Hi carries the baby over to the chair, stepping on and 
	reacting to the squeal of a squeeze-me toy on the way. He 
	sits the baby deep in - the chair and then returns to the 
	crib to deal with the second crying baby.

	He lifts the baby out of the crib and gently bounces it. 
	This baby stops crying.

	Another one in the crib starts bawling.

	Hi sets the second baby down on the floor and gives it a 
	rattle to keep it pacified. He reaches for the third baby in 
	the crib. Sweat stands out on Hi 's brow. He is desperately 
	chucking the third baby under the chin when we hear a muffled 
	PTHUMP!

	He whirls to look across the darkened room.

	The first baby has dropped off the easy chair and is 
	energetically crawling away toward a shadowy corner.

	LIVING ROOM

	Nathan and Florence are sitting stock-still, staring at the 
	ceiling. After a moment, another baby starts crying.

				NATHAN
		What're they, playing telephone?

	They stare at the ceiling.

	NURSERY

	Loose babies are crawling everywhere. Hi is skittering across 
	the room in a half-crouch, a baby tucked under one arm, 
	reaching out with the other as he pursues a crawling baby 
	across the room.

	He hefts the other baby with his free arm and brings the air 
	back to the crib.

	He turns to look frantically around the room.

	The other three babies have disappeared.

	There is perfect quiet.

	Hi goes over to the closet door, which is ajar, and swings 
	it open.

	He reaches under a moving pile of clothes on the floor and 
	pulls out a baby.

	He returns it to the crib and freezes, listening.

	The sound of a rattle.

	He drops to the floor to look under the crib.

	WIDE ANGLE UNDER CRIB

	A baby holding a rattle leers into the camera in the 
	foreground. Behind him Hi, on his stomach, is reaching in to 
	grab at his leg.

	Hi is pulling the baby out, away from the camera, when with 
	a plop! a baby drops onto Hi 's back from the crib above.

	Hi twists one arm back to grope for the baby crawling on top 
	of him.

	He is straightening up, a baby in each arm, when he reacts 
	in horror to something he sees across the room.

	HI'S POV

	The hindquarters of a diapered baby are just disappearing 
	around the corner of the nursery door into the hallway.

	LIVING ROOM

	Florence and Nathan are staring at the ceiling. After a beat 
	we hear a muffled plop! on the ceiling. A beat later, the 
	bleat of the squeeze-me toy.

				NATHAN
		...Whyn't you go up and check on 
		'em?

	They sound restless.

	UPSTAIRS HALLWAY

	The floor-level wide-angle shot shows a baby crawling toward 
	the camera in the foreground. Behind him, in the background, 
	just rounding the open door from the nursery, yet another 
	baby is making a mad dash for freedom.

	Hi emerges from the nursery and, stepping around the 
	background baby, trots toward the baby in the foreground. By 
	the time he reaches it the low-angle cropping shows us only 
	his feet and calves.

	CLOSE ON HI

	Perspiring as he tiptoes the last two steps to the baby.

	HI'S POV

	The baby and, beyond it, the stairway down to the main floor. 
	We hear footsteps approaching.

	BACK TO HI

	He scoops up the baby and hurriedly tiptoes away toward the 
	nursery.

	LOW-ANGLE REVERSE

	The baby at the nursery door in the foreground; the staircase 
	in the background. As Hi reaches the baby we hear footsteps 
	climbing the stairs.

	Hi's free arm comes down into frame to scoop the baby up and 
	out of frame just as:

	Florence's head appears, bobbing up as she climbs the stairs.

	She approaches the nursery, still clutching the Dr. Spock 
	book.

	NURSERY

	As Florence enters from the hallway door.

	We track back into the room, on her, as she approaches the 
	crib. Halfway there she freezes, staring, in shock.

	HER POV

	All of the babies have been replaced in the crib but not 
	lying down: They are seated in a row, staring back at her, 
	lined up against the far crib railing, like a small but 
	distinguished panel on "Meet the Press."

	THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD OF THE CHEVY

	ED'S POV of Hi approaching the car. He is shrugging and 
	displaying a pair of manifestly empty hands.

	CLOSE ON ED

	Barely able to fight down her anger. Hissing:

				ED
		What's the matter?!

	Hi appears at her - the driver's-window.

				HI
		Sorry honey, it just didn't work 
		out.

	He is reaching to open the door but she slaps his hand away 
	from the handle.

				ED
		What d'you mean it didn't work out?!

				HI
		They started cryin', then they were 
		all over me...

	He is trying to open the door, which Ed is holding shut with 
	all her might.

				HI
		...It was kinda horrifying - Lemme 
		in, honey.

				ED
		Course they cried! Babies cry!

				HI
		I know that now! Come on honey, we 
		better leave -

	Ed is rolling up the window and locking the door.

				ED
		You go right back up there and get 
		me a toddler! I need a baby, Hi; 
		they got more'n they can handle!

	Muffled, through the closed window, and very forlorn:

				HI
		Aw honey I -

				ED
		Don't you come back here without a 
		baby!

	NURSERY

	Florence is holding one of the babies cradled against her 
	shoulder. She is facing the hallway door; her back is to the 
	crib and window. The baby, peeping out over her shoulder, is 
	facing the window.

	CLOSE ON BABY

	Looking.

	BABY'S POV

	Of the window, as Hi's head appears in it.

	BABY

	Looking.

	HI

	Looking back, he holds a finger to his lips.

	BABY

	Florence starts bouncing it, patting it on the back.

	BABY'S POV

	Hi and the window bouncing up and down.

	LIVING ROOM

	Nathan is leafing through the lingerie ads in the newspaper.

	We can hear Florence's returning footsteps. Muttering:

				NATHAN
		Christian Dior my butt...

	Florence enters.

				NATHAN
		...They pay money for that?

				FLORENCE
		Yes dear.

				NATHAN
		How're the kids?

				FLORENCE
		Fine dear.

				NATHAN
		Fuckin' kids, I love 'em.

	We hear the bleat of the squeeze-me toy. Florence and Nathan 
	look at the ceiling for a beat, then Nathan clears his throat 
	and returns to the newspaper.

	CHEVY

	Ed sits anxiously waiting in the driver's seat, peering 
	intently through the windshield. As she catches sight of 
	something she breaks into a broad smile, unlocks the door, 
	and slides over to the passenger seat.

	Hi is opening the door with one hand, cradling a baby in the 
	other.

				ED
		Which one ya get?

	As he gets into the driver's seat:

				HI
		I dunno. Nathan Jr., I think.

				ED
		Gimme here.

	He hands her the infant, then hands her the copy of Dr.Spock's 
	Baby and Child Care.

				HI
		Here's the instructions.

				ED
		Oh, he's beautiful!

	Hi nods as he pulls away from the curb.

				HI
		He's awful damn good. I think I got 
		the best one.

	Ed is gushing and kissing the baby through the rest of the 
	conversation.

				ED
		I bet they were all beautiful. All 
		babies are beautiful!

				HI
		Yeah. This one's awful damn good 
		though.

				ED
		Don't you cuss around him.

				HI
		He's fine, he is. I think it's Nathan 
		Jr.

				ED
		We are doin' the right thing, aren't 
		we Hi? - I mean, they had more'n 
		they could handle.

				HI
		Well now honey we been over this and 
		over this. There's what's right and 
		there's what's right, and never the 
		twain shall meet.

				ED
		But you don't think his momma'll be 
		upset? I mean overly?

				HI
		Well a course she'll be upset, sugar, 
		but she'll get over it. She's got 
		four little babies almost as good as 
		this one. It's like when I was robbin' 
		convenience stores -

	Ed suddenly bursts out crying.

				ED
		I love him so much!

				HI
		I know you do, honey.

				ED
			(still sobbing)
		I love him so much!

	TRAILER LIVING ROOM

	As the lights are thrown on. The room is hung with streamers. 
	A string of cut-out letters reads "Welcome Home Son!"

				HI (O.S.)
		Okay, bring him in!

	REVERSE

	Ed is entering with Nathan Jr.

				HI
		This is it young Nathan Jr. Just 
		feast your eyes about, old boy!

				ED
		Don't be so loud around him, Hi.

				HI
			(softly)
		Damn, I'm sorry honey.

				ED
		And don't you cuss around him.

				HI
		Aw, he don't know a cuss word from 
		shinola.

				ED
		Well see that he don't.

				HI
			(jovially)
		He's all right, he is.

	He reaches for the child.

				HI
		...Come on over here, Nathan Jr., 
		I'll show you around.

	He takes the baby in both hands and holds him out at arm's 
	length, pointing him at the various places of interest. The 
	baby looks goggle-eyed at each one.

				HI
		...Lookahere, young sportsman. That - 
		there's the kitchen area where Ma 
		and Pa chow down. Over there's the 
		TV, two hours a day maximum, either 
		educational or football so's you 
		don't ruin your appreciation of the 
		finer things. This - here's the divan, 
		for sociahzin' and relaxin' with the 
		family unit. Yessir, many's the day 
		we sat there and said wouldn't it be 
		nice to have a youngster here to 
		share our thoughts and feelin's -

	Impatient with the nonsense:

				ED
		He's tired, Hi.

				HI
		Well we'll just sit you right there, 
		boy...

	He is propping Nathan Jr. up in the corner of the couch. Hi 
	sits at the other corner and Ed sits in a facing chair.

				HI
		...Just put those dogs up'n take a 
		load off.

	Hi beams at Nathan Jr. Ed smiles at Nathan Jr. Nathan Jr. 
	looks from one to the other, deadpan. They seem to be waiting 
	for him to contribute to the conversation.

	Silence.

	Suddenly Hi slaps his knee.

				HI
		What are you kiddin'?! We got a family 
		here!

	Ed is getting up.

				HI
		...He's a scandal, honey! He's a 
		little outlaw!

	As she picks up the baby:

				ED
		He's a good boy.

				HI
		He ain't too good! You can tell by 
		that twinkle in his eye!

				ED
		Don't you think we should put him to 
		bed?

				HI
		Hang on, honey...

	He is frantically reaching for a Polaroid camera.

				HI
		...Let's us preserve the moment in 
		pictures!

				ED
		Just one, okay?...

	She sits down on the couch with Nathan Jr. as Hi starts 
	screwing the camera into a tripod.

				ED
		...I gotta tell ya, I'm a little 
		scared.

	Absently, as he sets up the camera:

				HI
		How come is that, honey?

				ED
		Well we got a baby, Hi. It's an awful 
		big responsibility.

	As he peers through the lens:

				HI
		Honey, could ya slide over a tad and 
		raise the nipper up?

	As she complies:

				ED
		I mean we never done this before and 
		I'm kinda nervous.

				HI
		You're doin' real good, sugar.

	Hi sits on the couch, holding the camera's cable release. He 
	puts his arm around Ed and smiles at the offscreen camera.

	Ed nestles her head against Hi's shoulder.

				ED
		I love you, Hi.

				HI
		We're set to pop here, honey.

				ED
		You're gonna help, aren't ya?

	Through his teeth as he continues to grin at the offscreen 
	camera:

				HI
		How's that, honey?

				ED
		Give Nathan Jr. a normal family 
		background, just quiet evenings at 
		home together...

	We begin to hear distant thunder.

				HI
		You can count on it, honey.

				ED
		...Everything decent'n normal from 
		here on out.

				HI
		Uh-huh.

	As he squeezes the cable release - FLASH - the image 
	momentarily freezes on Hi beaming, Nathan Jr. staring, and 
	Ed looking at Hi with a little bit of concern.

	DARK FIELD SAME NIGHT

	The rolling thunder has built to a thunderclap at the cut, 
	and the flash of the Polaroid match cuts to lightning throwing 
	a momentarily harsh glare on the field.

	Rain beats down on the bare patch of ground we are looking 
	at - by now just a patch of mud.

	Faraway lightning flickers and we hear the rumble of more 
	thunder approaching, then suddenly:

	THWACK - A head pops up out of the mud. It is Gale, the con 
	we saw in group therapy. He bellows as lightning and thunder 
	flash and crack nearby.

	His head is covered with mud, although the driving rain is 
	already starting to wash it away.

	We are beginning to track in an arc around Gale's head, who 
	is now struggling, working to get his shoulders and arms up 
	out of the mud. The end of the 180-degree arc and a flash of 
	lightning reveal, way in the distance, the wire-topped walls 
	of a penitentiary.

	Still bellowing, as if in some primal rage, Gale has gotten 
	his muck-covered arms up out of the earth and is now pushing 
	down to haul up the rest of his body. It comes with much 
	effort, and with the loud sucking-popping sounds of the 
	fiercely clinging mud.

	Finally he is free.

	With a great cry, the mud-covered man plunges his right arm 
	straight back down into the earth, all the way up to his 
	shoulder. He gropes intently and then, apparently having 
	grabbed hold of something underground, he starts pulling.

	His arm comes slowly back up out of the mud. Clasped in his 
	hand is - a human foot.

	Bellowing with effort he continues to pull, liberating the 
	foot... leg... torso of his companion, and finally his head.

	As the rain starts to wash the mud off his companion's head 
	we see that it is his friend Evelle.

	Both are bellowing.

	Mud sucks and pops.

	Thunder crashes.

	INT. GAS STATION MENS ROOM

	At the cut the ear-splitting thunder drops out to quiet. We 
	hear only the muffled patter of rain and the hum of a bare 
	fluorescent.

	The two bedraggled escaped cons are standing side by side, 
	combing their hair in the mirror. The men seem absorbed in 
	their task, using hair jelly from a jar that sits on the 
	shelf between them to restore their duck's-ass haircuts.

	Evelle cracks the bathroom door and looks out into the rain.

				EVELLE
		...Okay.

				GALE
		What is it?

				EVELLE
		Mercury. Looks nice.

	EXT. GAS STATION

	The two men are trotting out to a Mercury that sits untended 
	at a gas island, a gas hose on automatic stuck in its tank.

	As Gale starts up the car Evelle yanks the hose out and drops 
	it to the ground. Gale is already starting to peel out as 
	Evelle gets in.

	WIDE SHOT TRAILER LIVING ROOM

	Late at night. Hi sits asleep on the sofa at the far end of 
	the room, in a pool of lamp light.

	We hear faint, distant knocking. As we track in toward Hi 
	the knocking becomes louder and more present.

	As we approach Hi we see that several Polaroids are spread 
	over his gently rising and falling chest.

	By the time we tighten on his face the knocking has become 
	quite loud.

				VOICE
		Open up!

	Hi starts awake with a grunt.

				VOICE
		...Open up in air!

	He looks up, alarmed.

	HI'S POV

	The front door of the trailer. Someone is pounding 
	insistently.

				VOICE
		Open up! It's a police!

	BACK TO HI

	He sits up and tenses. He looks around.

	Ed stands in her nightgown at the mouth of the hallway, 
	holding Nathan Jr. and squinting at Hi. She hisses:

				ED
		Hi! What's goin' on?

				VOICE
		Po-lice, son! Open her up!

	Hi gets to his feet, hurriedly tosses the Polaroids under a 
	cushion of the couch and takes out a gun.

				HI
		Get in the bedroom.

				ED
		They ain't gonna take Nathan?!

				HI
		Well I'd like to see 'em fly.

	As Ed turns back to the bedroom:

				VOICE
		Open up and maybe we'll letcha plea-
		bargain.

	BEDROOM

	As Ed enters and shuts the door. She listens hard at the 
	door:

	Hi's footsteps cross the living room, the click of the door 
	opening, silence... a burst of raucous male laughter.

				HI'S VOICE
		...Honey! Come on out here! Want you 
		to meet a couple friends of mine!

	LIVING ROOM

	As Ed enters, carrying Nathan Jr. All three men - Hi, Gale, 
	and Evelle - are beaming at her.

				HI
		Honey, like you to meet Gale and 
		Evelle Snopes, fine a pair as ever 
		broke and entered.

	Gale roars with laughter.

				HI
		...Boys, this - here's my wife.

				GALE
		Ma'am.

				EVELLE
		Miz McDunnough.

	Ed smiles politely, then squints at Hi.

				ED
		Kind of late for visitors, isn't it 
		Hi?

				HI
		Well yeah honey, but these boys tell 
		me they just got outta the joint. 
		Gotta show a little hospitality.

	Gale is admiring the baby.

				GALE
		Well now H.I., looks like you been 
		up to the devil's bidnis!

				EVELLE
		That a him or a her?

				ED
		It's a little boy.

				GALE
		Got a name, does he?

	Hi and Ed look at each other uncomfortably. Hi clears his 
	throat.

				HI
		Well so far we just been using Junior.

				ED
		We call him Junior.

				EVELLE
		Say, thairs good - JR., just like on 
		the Teevee.

	Gale is staring at the streamers and decorations. Reading 
	aloud:

				GALE
		"Welcome... Home... Son." Where's he 
		been?

	Hi and Ed respond simultaneously:

				HI
		Tulsa.

				ED
		Phoenix.

				HI
		He was, uh... he was visiting his 
		grandparents.

				ED
		They're separated.

				GALE
		Was that yer folks ma'am?

				ED
		No, I'm afraid not.

				GALE
		I thought yer folks was dead, H.I.?

				HI
			(very uncomfortably)
		Well we thought Junior should see 
		their final resting place - Whyn't 
		you boys have a seat?

	As the two men move toward the couch Ed hesitantly pipes up:

				ED
		Hi, it's two in the morning...

	She wrinkles her nose.

				ED
		...What's that smell?

	Apologetically:

				GALE
		We don't always smell like this, Miz 
		McDunnough. I was just explainin' to 
		yer better half here that when we 
		were tunneln' out we hit the main 
		sewer - dumb luck, that - and just 
		followed that to -

				ED
		You mean you busted out of jail!!

				GALE
		Waaaal...

				EVELLE
		We released ourselves on our own 
		recognizance.

				GALE
		What Evelle means to say is, we felt 
		the institution no longer had anything 
		to offer us.

	He is looking at the baby.

				GALE
		...My Lord he's cute.

				EVELLE
		He's a little outlaw, you can see 
		that.

				ED
		Now listen, you folks can't stay 
		here!

	Gale, Evelle, and Hi look up at Ed, dumbstruck. After a beat:

				EVELLE
		...Ma'am?

				ED
		You just can't stay! I appreciate 
		your bein' friends of Hi and all, 
		but this is a decent family now...

	She looks at Hi.

				ED
		...I mean we got a toddler here!

	Gale leans in close to Hi, a look of sincere concern on his 
	face, and says under his breath:

				GALE
		Say, who wears the pants round here 
		H.I.?

				HI
		Now honey -

				ED
		Don't you honey me. Now you boys can 
		set a while and catch up, and then 
		you'll be on your way.

	There is an awkward silence as she leaves and slams the 
	bedroom door.

	Gale is carefully studying his thumbnail; Evelle stares 
	fixedly at the ceiling. Still looking at his thumb:

				GALE
		Gotcha on a awful short leash, don't 
		she H.I.?

	BEDROOM

	Sometime later, as Hi tiptoes in. Ed lies in bed facing the 
	wall; we see only the back of her head. Hi sits gingerly on 
	the edge of the bed and, smiling, sticks a finger through 
	the bars of the crib to play with the baby.

	The sound of the TV set in the living room filters faintly 
	in.

				ED
		They still here?

	Hi is momentarily startled, then goes on playing with the 
	baby.

				HI
		Yeah, they're just gonna stay a day 
		or two. It's raining out honey, they 
		got nowhere to go.

	Ed finally turns to face him. We hear the two men laugh 
	raucously in the living room.

				ED
		They're fugitives, Hi...

	Hi turns to face her.

				ED
		...How're we gonna start a new life 
		with them around?

				HI
		Well now honey you gotta have a little 
		charity. Ya know, in Arab lands they'd 
		set out a plate -

				ED
		Promise just a day or two.

				HI
		Tonight and tomorrow, tops.

	EXTREME HIGH ANGLE

	Looking straight down at Hi, asleep in bed. It is later: 
	filtering softly in from the other room is the end of the 
	"Star Spangled Banner" on TV. We are craning down.

				VOICE OVER
		That night I had a dream.

	FLASH CUT

	For a brief moment we see a wall of flames and hear it roar.

	BACK TO HI

	Still craning down.

				VOICE OVER
		...I'd drifted off thinkin' about 
		happiness, birth, and new life...

	FLASH CUT

	Wall of flames. Deafening roar.

	BACK TO HI

	Craning down. The faint National Anthem ends: we hear the 
	WEEEEEEEE of a test pattern.

				VOICE OVER
		But now I was haunted by a vision of -

	WALL OF FLAMES

	Roaring. At the cut: WHOOOOOSH! a huge low-rider motorcycle 
	bursts through the flames, its engine roaring even louder 
	than the fire. Its driver is a huge leather-clad hellion.

	The chains worn by the Biker clank ominously as he rides.

				VOICE OVER
		He was horrible...

	The Biker roars out of frame.

	LOW-ANGLE REVERSE

	As the Biker roars into frame, his rear tire laying down a 
	wake of fire.

				VOICE OVER
		...a lone biker of the apocalypse...

	TRACKING ON BIKER

	As he roars along a ribbon of desert highway.

				VOICE OVER
		...a man with all the powers of her 
		at his command.

	The Biker reaches for his bullwhip.

				VOICE OVER
		...He could turn the day into night...

	The Biker cracks the whip and, at the crack:

	The sky behind him turns instantly to black. Bolts of 
	lightning crackle across it as thunder roars.

	ANOTHER DESERT SCENE DAY

	Tracking with and also in on the Biker from behind as he 
	roars along a strip of highway. He is reaching for the two 
	sawed-off shotguns which are strapped crisscross across his 
	back.

				VOICE OVER
		...and laid to waste everything in 
		his path.

	REVERSE TRACK ON BIKER

	Pulling the Biker from a distance as he levels the two 
	shotguns. The tracking camera pulls back further to reveal a 
	running jack-rabbit keeping pace with us in the foreground.

				VOICE OVER
		He was especially hard on the little 
		things...

	CRACK - as the first shotgun spurts orange the foreground 
	rabbit keels over. The Biker slues the other gun around.

	LOCKED-DOWN WIDE SHOT

	On a rock in the foreground, a desert lizard suns himself.

	The Biker is approaching in the distant background.

				VOICE OVER
		...the helpless and the gentle 
		creatures.

	CRACK - from afar, the foreground lizard is blown away.

	LOCKED-DOWN LOW-ANGLE WIDE SHOT

	Of the empty desert road stretching away. In the foreground 
	a lone desert flower blooms.

	The Biker roars into frame.

				VOICE OVER
		He left a scorched earth in his wake, 
		befouling even the sweet desert breeze 
		that whipped across his brow.

	As the Biker roars away, the foreground flower bends with 
	his draft and then bursts into flame.

	TRACKING ON BIKER

	From in front. He twirls the shotguns in either hand and 
	reaches back to plunge them over his shoulders into their 
	holsters.

				VOICE OVER
		I didn't know where he came from or 
		why...

	We are moving in on his chest, where two crisscrossed 
	bandoliers carry two rows of hand grenades, their silver 
	pins glinting in the sun. We follow the line of one of the 
	bandoliers up to his right shoulder which bears the tattoo: 
	"Mama Didn't Love Me."

				VOICE OVER
		I didn't know if he was dream or 
		vision...

	REVERSE TRACK ON BIKER

	From behind, booming down as we track. We are approaching 
	the crest of a rise.

				VOICE OVER
		But I feared that I myself had 
		unleashed him...

	HIGH SHOT

	Of the Biker approaching, craning down as he draws near.

				VOICE OVER
		...for he was The Fury That Would 
		Be...

	With the crane down we momentarily lose him from view over 
	the rise; then suddenly - ROAR - he tops the rise and, wheels 
	spinning, is airborne

	REVERSE

	As he crashes back down to earth in the foreground and roars 
	away. Only now we are no longer in the desert:

	We are looking down a twilight street at the end of which is 
	the Arizona house.

				VOICE OVER
		...as soon as Florence Arizona found 
		her little Nathan gone.

	The roar of his engine and clank of his chains recede as the 
	Biker gradually dissolves into thin air.

	We are left looking at the empty street and the faraway 
	Arizona house.

	The receding roar has left behind eerily beautiful singing, 
	a woman singing a lullaby. Faintly, behind the singing, there 
	is also a droning high-pitched noise.

	The camera starts floating forward very close to the ground, 
	moving slowly toward the Arizona house. The high-pitched 
	drone is becoming less faint under the singing.

	The camera is accelerating. The drone is growing louder - we 
	can now tell that it is a human scream.

	As we approach the Arizona house we can see that a ladder is 
	propped up to a second-story window.

	We are moving quite fast now. The scream all but buries the 
	singing.

	We are rushing toward the house, toward the base of the 
	ladder, the sustained scream drawing us on.

	We hurtle toward and then straight up the ladder with no 
	abatement of speed, sucked forward by the deafening scream.

	We reach the top and hurtle - THWAP! - through the white 
	curtains of the open second-story window into the nursery to 
	reveal Florence Arizona, her back to us, screaming over the 
	crib.

	We are rocketing toward her.

	She is turning to us, hands pressed to her ears, mouth 
	stretched wide in an ear-splitting shriek and we are rushing 
	into an extreme close-up of her gaping mouth and her wildly 
	vibrating epiglottis and we

									 CUT TO:

	EXTREME CLOSE SHOT OF HI'S EYES

	As they snap open.

	The screaming snaps off at the cut. The singing that the 
	building scream covered, however, is now audible again.

	Perspiration beads Hi's forehead. He looks down toward the 
	foot of the bed.

	THE BEDROOM

	It is now morning. Ed walks back and forth, gently bouncing 
	the baby as she walks. She is singing it a lullaby.

	Faintly, from the next room, we can hear Gale and Evelle 
	snoring away like buzz saws.

				HI
			(groggily)
		He all right?

				ED
		He's all right. He was just havin' a 
		nightmare.

	Hi is getting out of bed.

				HI
		Yeah, well...

	He crosses to the bedroom window and cracks the venetian 
	blind. Orange light filters in.

	HIS POV

	Beyond a clothes line and a septic tank, a huge orange ball 
	of sun is rising. We can almost hear the roar of its burning 
	surface.

	BACK TO HI

	Looking.

				HI
		...Sometimes it's a hard world for 
		little things.

	HIS POV

	The orange sun, rumbling, perceptibly rising.

	ARIZONA HOME FRONT FOYER

	At the cut the rumble of the sun is snapped off by the high-
	pitched ba-WEEEEeeee... of a strobe going off as a flash 
	picture is taken: We are looking over Nathan Jr.'s shoulder 
	as he stands at his open front door, facing a battery of 
	press people who stand out on the porch.

	An obie light over a local TV news camera glares in at us; 
	various flashbulbs pop.

				NATHAN
		No, the missus and the rest of the 
		kids've left town to I ain't sayin' 
		where. They'll be back here when 
		we're a nuclear fam'ly again.

				VOICE
		Mr. Arizona, which tot was abducted?

				NATHAN
		Nathan Jr., I think.

				VOICE
		Do you have anything to say to the 
		kidnappers?

				NATHAN
		Yeah: Watch yer butt.

				VOICE
		Sir, it's been rumored that your son 
		was abducted by UFOS. Would you care 
		to comment?

				NATHAN
			(sadly)
		Now don't print that, son. If his 
		mama reads that she's just gonna 
		lose all hope.

	A POLICEMAN from inside the house is taking Nathan by the 
	elbow.

				POLICEMAN
		We really have to ask you some more 
		questions, sir...

	As Nathan allows himself to be led back into the house he 
	calls back over his shoulder:

				NATHAN
		But remember, it's still business as 
		usual at Unpainted Arizona, and if 
		you can find lower prices anywhere 
		my name still ain't Nathan Arizona!

	We are following the two, hand-held, as the Police leads 
	Nathan toward the living room.

	LIVING ROOM

	The room is filled with policemen milling about in several 
	different uniforms: local police, state troopers, plainclothes 
	detectives.

	The original Policeman is leading Nathan to a table where a 
	white-smocked technician is preparing inkpad and exemplar 
	sheets.

	The dialogue is urgent, rapid-fire and overlapping.

				POLICEMAN
		Mr. Byrum here can take your exemplars 
		while you talk.

	MR. BYRUM has taken Nathan's right hand and is rolling its 
	fingers onto the inkpad.

				BYRUM
		Just let your hand relax; I'll do 
		the work.

	Nathan jerks his hand away.

				NATHAN
		What is this?! I didn't steal the 
		damn kid!

	Two men in conservative suits are approaching.

				POLICEMAN
		Sir, these men are from the FBI-

				NATHAN
			(bewildered)
		Are you boys crazy?! All I know is I 
		wake up this morning with my wife 
		screaming-

				BYRUM
			(patiently)
		We just need to distinguish your 
		prints from the perpetrators', if 
		they left any.

	Giving his hand back:

				NATHAN
		Course! I know that!

				FBI #1
		Sir, we have an indication you were 
		born Nathan Huffhines; is this 
		correct?

				NATHAN
		Yeah, I changed m'name; what of it?

				FBI #2
		Could you give us an indication why?

				NATHAN
		Yeah, would you buy furniture at a 
		store called Unpainted Huffhines?

				FBI #1
		All right, I'll get to the point-

				UNIFORMED COP
		Was the child wearing anything when 
		he was abducted?

				NATHAN
		No one sleeps nekkid in this house, 
		boy! He was wear-

				FBI #1
		I'm asking the questions here, 
		officer.

				COP
		If we're gonna put out an APB we 
		need a description of the -

				NATHAN
		He was wearin' his-

				FBI #2
		It's just that we're better trained 
		to intervene in crisis situations
			(to Nathan)
		What was he wearing?

				NATHAN
		A dinner jacket! Wuddya think, he 
		was wearing his damn jammies!

				FBI #2
			(to cop)
		The child was wearing his jammies. 
		Are you happy?

				FBI #1
		Do you have any disgruntled employees?

				NATHAN
		Hell, they're all disgruntled! I 
		ain't runnin' a damn daisy farm!

				COP
		What did the pajamas-

				NATHAN
		My motto is do it my way or watch 
		your butt!

				COP
		What did the pajamas-

				FBI #1
		So you think it might have been an 
		employee?

				NATHAN
		Don't make me laugh. Without my say- 
		so they don't piss with their pants 
		on fire.

				COP
		What did the pajamas look like?

				FBI #1
			(pained)
		Officer-

				NATHAN
			(bellowing)
		I dunno, they were jammies! They had 
		Yodas'n shit on 'em!

				BELLOWING VOICE OFFSCREEN
		Would ya mind, I'm trying to set up 
		a Command Post here!

	Nathan bellows back:

				NATHAN
		Get your feet off m'damn coffee table!

	Also raising his voice at the offscreen bellower:

				FBI #1
		Ron, you're upsetting the victim.

	Nathan is getting worked up.

				NATHAN
		Damnit, are you boys gonna go chase 
		down your leads or are you gonna sit 
		drinkin' coffee in the one house in 
		the state where I know my boy ain't 
		at?!

				FBI #2
		Sir, there aren't any "leads" yet, 
		aside from this coat-

				NATHAN
		Gimme that!

	He grabs the overcoat being displayed by FBI #2.

				NATHAN
		That's a five-hundred-dollar camel's 
		hair-

				BYRUM
		Sir, you might want to wash your 
		hands at this point.

	Nathan realizes that he's gotten ink from his fingerprinting 
	all over the coat.

				NATHAN
		Well goddamnit!

	He is rising to his feet and hurling the coat to the floor.

				NATHAN
		...No leads?!

	He furiously kicks the coat.

				NATHAN
		...Everyone leaves microbes'n whatnot!

	Throughout the speech Nathan stalks the room, working himself 
	into a frenzy, furiously putting coffee cups onto coasters, 
	generally cleaning up, hectoring the police, and swiping 
	their feet off his furniture.

				NATHAN
		...Hell, that's your forte, trackin' 
		down them microbes left by criminals'n 
		commies'n shit! That's yer whole 
		damn raison d'itre! No leads?! I 
		want Nathan Jr. back, or whichever 
		the hell one they took! He's out 
		there somewhere! Somethin' leads to 
		him! And anyone can find him knows 
		the difference between a lead and a 
		hole in the ground!!

	HOLE IN THE GROUND - DAY

	Specifically, it is the hole in the muddy patch of earth 
	that Gale and Evelle climbed out of. We hear only the squish - 
	suck of many feet walking around in the mud offscreen.

	We are pulling back to reveal the feet-the shiny black patent 
	leather shoes and blue pants cuffs - becoming quickly 
	spattered - of several policemen milling about the hole.

	German shepherds sniff around also.

	With a roar, motorcycle wheels enter frame. The bike's 
	jackbooted rider casually tools around the hole once; police 
	step back and dogs skitter away to give him room.

	He backs toward the camera and stops, standing astride the 
	bike. The burning stub of a cheroot is dropped into frame; 
	it hisses angrily and dies in the mud. We start to crane up.

	The whipcracking Biker cue mixes up. The Biker's motorcycle 
	idles with a deep rumble, like the roar of fire on the sun.

	We are now framed looking over the Biker's shoulder. The 
	policemen's attitude to him seems to be deferential. One cop 
	in front of him is pointing a direction. The Biker is shaking 
	his head; he doesn't think they went that way.

	Suddenly, with a loud whipcrack effect, the Biker's head 
	snaps to profile. He is staring across the field, stock-still, 
	having heard, smelled or sensed something.

	The dogs milling around the hole also react, snapping to 
	attention, a split second after the BIKER.

	THEIR POV

	A jackrabbit is bounding away at the far end of the field.

	THE DOGS

	After a moment, their attention returns to the hole.

	THE BIKER

	His attention also returns to the matter at hand. He squints, 
	concentrating. His bike rumbles. Gradually his face sets in 
	a specific direction.

	We pan down to the tattoo on his shoulder: "Mama Didn't Love 
	Me." His shoulder flexes once or twice as he revs the 
	throttle; then he puts the bike in gear and it roars out of 
	frame.

	TRAILER KITCHEN CLOSE ON GALE AND EVELLE

	They are both intently munching cornflakes, staring at 
	something offscreen. After a beat:

				EVELLE
		...Awful good cereal flakes, Miz 
		McDunnough.

	THEIR POV

	Ed is sitting in the living room, bottle-feeding Nathan Jr. 
	She is surrounded by the rumpled sheets and blankets used by 
	the house guests. She does not respond to the ice-breaker.

	Gale puts his spoon down and picks up a cigarette which has 
	been smoking in the ashtray next to him. There is a bead of 
	milk dribbling down his chin.

	He takes a contemplative puff, studying Ed.

				GALE
		...Whyncha breast feed him? You 'pear 
		to be capable.

				ED
		Mind your own bidnis.

	Through a mouthful of cornflakes:

				EVELLE
		Ya don't breast feed him, he'll hate 
		you for it later. That's why we wound 
		up in prison.

	Gale blows out smoke and picks up his spoon to start back in 
	on his cornflakes.

				GALE
		Anyway, that's what Doc Schwartz 
		tells us.

	Hi is walking in, yawning.

				HI
		Boys.

				EVELLE
		Morni', H.I.

	Sharply, as Hi sits and starts to pour cornflakes into a 
	bowl:

				ED
		...Hi.

	Hi holds the cornflakes box arrested in mid-air. He looks at 
	Ed, who is motioning to gale and Evelle with her eyes.

				HI
		Oh yeah... Say boys, you wouldn't 
		mind makin' yourself scarce for a 
		couple hours this afternoon?

				ED
		We're havin' some decent friends 
		over.

	Gale and Evelle are looking dumbly from Ed to Hi.

				HI
		Heh-heh... What Ed means to say is, 
		seein' as you two boys are wanted, 
		it wouldn't exactly do to have folks 
		seein' you here - I mean for your 
		own protection.

				GALE
		Sure H.I.

				EVELLE
		Anything you say.

	More relaxed now, to Ed:

				HI
		Matter of fact honey, maybe I'll 
		skip this little get-together myself, 
		Glen won't mind, and I'll just duck 
		out with the boys, knock back a couple 
		of-uh, Co-Colas-

				GALE
		Sure H.I.

				EVELLE
		We'd love to have ya.

	CLOSE ON ED

	Looking pleadingly at Hi.

	BACK TO HI

	Feeling the look, he goes back to his cornflakes.

				HI
		...Well... maybe that ain't such a 
		hot idea either.

	Gale leans back to blow smoke at the ceiling.

				GALE
			(bitterly)
		So many social engagements. So little 
		time.

	WIDE SHOT GAS STATION BATHROOM

	It is the bathroom where we earlier saw Gale and Evelle 
	combing their hair, now empty.

	We are looking toward the door. The bathroom is quiet except 
	for the dripping sink, and the faint rumble of an approaching 
	motorcycle. It grows louder, then begins to recede as the 
	bike shoots by the station.

	Suddenly we hear the screech of the bike's brakes.

	EXT. THE STATION

	We are on the road outside the gas station as the motorcycle 
	screeches to a halt in the foreground. The low wide shot 
	crops the BIKER at his shins. In the background behind him 
	is the gas station.

	The Biker pauses for a moment, thinking or feeling.

	BACK TO INT. BATHROOM

	We hear the rumble of the bike approaching, very loud.

	CRASH - the bathroom door flies open as the Biker bursts in 
	astride his hog, bright daylight streaming in with him to 
	throw him into imposing silhouette. The shafts of light 
	pouring in are defined by motes of dust dancing in the air.

	HIS POV

	Fast track in on the jar of hair jelly sitting on the shelf 
	under the mirror.

	BACK TO BIKER

	An extreme close shot shows his nostrils dilating as we hear 
	him sniff.

	He revs the rumbling bike, stealing thunder from a far 
	mountain.

	FRONT STOOP OF TRAILER

	Hi, with Ed standing by, is just opening the door to a young 
	couple. Glen is a short stocky blond man in his early 
	thirties, wearing Bermuda shorts. DOT is wearing slacks, 
	heels, and a scarf over her hair.

				HI
		Glen, Dot-

	As the door opens, Dot hops up the stoop shrieking.

				DOT
		Where's at baby? Where's he at?

	From behind, Glen gives her an energetic THWOK on the ass.

				GLEN
		Go find him honey!

	Dot spins and smacks Glen across the face with her purse.

	Through clenched teeth:

				DOT
		Cut it out, Glen!

	He reels under the blow.

				ED
			(quietly)
		He's asleep right now.

	Dot shrieks again, but this time muffles it with her own 
	hand. She tiptoes into the trailer, hand to her mouth.

	Glen, rubbing his cheek, seems angry at himself.

				GLEN
		Shit, I hope we didn't wake it!

				DOT
		Can I just sneak a peek-a-loo?

	Glen at the top of the stoop, turns out to the yard.

				GLEN
		Come on kids...

	WIDE SHOT GLEN AND DOT'S KIDS

	A scad of children, ranging in age from two to seven, are 
	crawling over Hi's car. One is beating on it with a large 
	stick, another sits on the hood pulling back one of the 
	windshield wipers, etc.

				GLEN
		...Get away from Mr. McDunnough's 
		car.

	TRAILER BEDROOM

	As Ed and Dot enter, Ed beaming as they go to the crib.

				DOT
		What's his name?

				ED
		Uh... Hi Jr. Till we think of a better 
		one.

				DOT
		Whyncha call him Jason? I love 
		Biblical names. If I had another 
		little boy I'd name him Jason or 
		Caleb or- Oh!

	She puts her hand to her forehead, reacting to the baby as 
	if she is about to faint.

				DOT
		...He's an angel!

	She hides her face in her hands and looks away as if blinded, 
	then sneaks a look around her hands.

				DOT
		...He's an angel straight from heaven! 
		Now honey I had all my kids the hard 
		way so you gotta tell me where you 
		got this angel. Did he fly straight 
		down from heaven?

				ED
		Well-

				DOT
		You gonna send him to Arizona State?

	TRAILER LIVING ROOM / KITCHEN

	The weaving knee-level tracking shot is following a six-year-
	old boy in shorts and a dirty T-shirt as he tramps around 
	the trailer, brandishing a big stick. He strikes the walls, 
	furniture, various other objects with his stick, hollering 
	"Bam! Bam-Bam!" with each blow.

	The track weaves off him and onto Hi, who is bending down to 
	pull a couple of beers from the refrigerator. He raises his 
	voice to make himself heard over the din of all the children 
	boiling around the room:

				HI
		Need a beer, Glen?

				GLEN
		Does the Pope wear a funny hat?

	Hi considers this.

				HI
		...Well yeah, Glen, I guess it is 
		kinda funny.

				GLEN
		Say, that reminds me! How many 
		Pollacks it take to screw up a 
		lightbulb?

				HI
		I don't know Glen, one?

	Hi looks down.

	One of Glen's children, in a cowboy hat, is squirting a squirt 
	gun into his crotch area.

				GLEN
		Nope, it takes three!

	He starts laughing, then catches himself.

				GLEN
		...Wait a minute, I told it wrong. 
		Here, I'm startin' over: How come it 
		takes three Pollacks to screw up a 
		lightbulb?

				HI
		I don't know, Glen.

				GLEN
		Cause they're so durn stupid!

	He laughs; Hi doesn't react.

				GLEN
		...Shit man, loosen up! Don't ya get 
		it?

	Hi looks over at the TV, which the bam-shouting six-year-old 
	is banging with his stick.

				HI
		No Glen, I sure don't.

				GLEN
		Shit man, think about it! I guess 
		it's what they call a Way Homer.

				HI
		Why's that?

				GLEN
		Cause you only get it on the Way 
		Home.

				HI
		I'm already home, Glen.

	The kid in the cowboy hat is reaching up to slap Hi on the 
	ass.

				KID
		You wetchaself! Mr. McDunnough wet 
		hisseff, Daddy!

				GLEN
		Say, that reminds me! How'd you get 
		that kid s'darned fast? Me'n Dottie 
		went in to adopt on account of 
		something went wrong with m'semen, 
		and they told us five years' wait 
		for a healthy white baby! I said 
		healthy white baby! Five years! Okay, 
		what else you got? Said, two Koreans 
		and one Negro born with the heart 
		outside...

	He takes a sip of beer.

				GLEN
		...Yeah, it's a crazy world.

				HI
		Someone oughta sell tickets.

				GLEN
		Sure, I'd buy one.

	Hi is looking at another child who is just finishing off the 
	T in FART in crayon on the wall.

	Glen chuckles, looking at his errant child.

				GLEN
		...That Buford's a sly one. Already 
		knows his ABCs. But I'm sayin', how'd 
		ya get the kid?

				HI
		Well this whole thing is just who 
		knows who and favoritism. Ed has a 
		friend at one of the agencies.

				GLEN
		Well maybe she can do something for 
		me'n Dot. See there's something wrong 
		with m'semen. Say, that reminds me! 
		What you gonna call him?

				HI
		Uh, Ed-Ed Jr.

				GLEN
		Thought you said he was a boy.

				HI
		Well, as in Edward. Just like that 
		name.

				GLEN
			(not really interested)
		Yeah, it's a good one... Course I 
		don't really need another kid, but 
		Dottie says these-here are gettin' 
		too big to cuddle. Say, that reminds 
		me!

	The sound of shattering glass. Glen looks around.

				GLEN
		Mind ya don't cutchaseff, Mordecai...

	EXT. PICNIC GROUNDS

	Dot faces Hi and Ed across a picnic table covered with grilled 
	hamburgers, rolls, green jello mold, cooler, etc.

	One of the younger children sits in the middle of the table, 
	occasionally taking a fistful of jello and flinging it at 
	Hi. The two women don't seem to notice.

				DOT
		...and then there's diphtheria-
		tetanus, what they call dip-tet. You 
		gotta get him dip-tet boosters yearly 
		or else he'll get lockjaw and night 
		vision. Then there's the smallpox 
		vaccine, chicken pox and measles, 
		and if your kid's like ours you gotta 
		take all those shots first to get 
		him to take 'em. Who's your 
		pediatrician, anyway?

				ED
		We ain't exactly fixed on one yet. 
		Have we Hi?

	Hi sits stock-still with a stony face.

				ED
		...No, I guess we don't have one 
		yet.

	Dot shrieks.

				DOT
		Well you just gotta have one! You 
		just gotta have one this instant!

				ED
		Yeah, what if the baby gets sick, 
		honey?

				DOT
		Hi, even if he don't get sick he's 
		gotta have his dip-tet!

				ED
		He's gotta have his dip-tet, honey.

	Hi shrugs, then flinches as a piece of jello hits his 
	shoulder.

				HI
		...Uh-huh.

				DOT
		You started his bank accounts?

				ED
		Have we done that honey? We gotta do 
		that honey. What's that for, Dot?

				DOT
		That-there's for his orthodonture 
		and his college. You soak his thumb 
		in iodine you might get by without 
		the orthodonture, but it won't knock 
		any off the college.

	Hi sits stoically. Dot is looking offscreen:

				DOT
		...Reilly, take that diaper off your 
		head and put it back on your 
		sister!... Anyway, you probably got 
		the life insurance all squared away.

				ED
		You done that yet honey?

				DOT
		You gotta do that, Hi! Ed here's got 
		her hands full with that little angel!

				HI
			(dully)
		Yes ma'am.

				DOT
		What would Ed and the angel do if a 
		truck came along and splattered your 
		brains all over the interstate? Where 
		would you be then?

				ED
		Yeah honey, what if you get run over?

				DOT
		Or you got carried off by a twister?

	LAKESIDE PATH

	We are tracking on Hi and Glen as they walk side by side. 
	Glen is sopping wet, wearing only swimming suit and wing-
	tipped shoes. His body is ghostly pale except for a V-area 
	at his neck and his arms below the short-sleeve line, which 
	are a bright angry red.

				GLEN
		Hear about the person of the Polish 
		persuasion he walks into a bar holdin' 
		a pile of shit in his hands, says 
		"Look what I almost stepped in."

	Glen bursts out laughing; Hi walks on in silence.

				HI
		...Yeah, that's funny all right...

				GLEN
		Ya damn right it's funny! Shit man, 
		what's the matter?

				HI
		I dunno... maybe it's wife, kids, 
		family life... I mean are you, uh, 
		satisfied Glen?  Don't y'ever feel 
		suffocated? Like, like there's 
		somethin' big pressin' down...

				GLEN
			(solemnly)
		Eeeeeyep... I do know the feelin'.

	Hi shakes his head.

				HI
		Dunno-

				GLEN
		And I told Dottie to lose some weight 
		but she don't wanna listen!

	He roars with laughter and slaps Hi heartily on the back. As 
	he chuckles sympathetically:

				GLEN
		...No man, I know what you mean. You 
		got all kinds a responsibilities 
		now. You're married, ya got a kid, 
		looks like your whole life's set 
		down and where's the excitement?

				HI
		Yeah Glen, I guess that's it.

				GLEN
		Okay! That's the disease, but there 
		is a cure.

				HI
		Yeah?

				GLEN
		Sure; Doctor Glen is tellin' ya you 
		can heal thyself.

				HI
		What do I gotta do?

				GLEN
		Well you just gotta broaden your 
		mind a little bit. I mean say I asked 
		you, what do you think about Dot?

				HI
			(puzzled)
		Fine woman you got there.

	Glen is eyeing him shrewdly.

				GLEN
		Okay. Now it might not look like it, 
		but lemme tell you something: She's 
		a hellcat.

				HI
		That right?

				GLEN
		T-I-G-E-R.

				HI
		But what's that got to do with-

				GLEN
		Don't rush me!

	He stops walking. Hi stops also, looking at Glen, Still 
	puzzled. Glen lays a companionable hand on his shoulder.

				GLEN
		Now the thing about Dot is, she thinks- 
		and she's told me this-

	He looks around as if to make sure they are not being 
	overheard. His tone is confidential.

				GLEN
		...she thinks... you're cute.

	Hi looks suspiciously at Glen's hand on his shoulder.

				HI
		...Yeah...?

	Glen nods energetically:

				GLEN
		I'm crappin' you negative! And I 
		could say the same about Ed!

	Through tightly clenched teeth:

				HI
		What're you talkin' about, Glen?

				GLEN
		What'm I talkin' about?!  I'm talkin' 
		about sex, boy! What the hell're you 
		talkin' about?! You know, "L'amour"?! 
		I'm talkin' me'n Dot are Swingers! 
		As in "to Swing"! Wife-swappin'! 
		What they call nowadays Open Marriage!

	Beaming, he takes his hand off Hi's shoulder and spreads his 
	arms.

				GLEN
		I'm talkin' about the Sex Revolution! 
		I'm talkin' about-

	THWAK - Hi's fist swings into frame to connect solidly with 
	Glen's jaw.

	Glen's feet leave the ground. He flies back and lands in a 
	heap.

	LOW-ANGLE REVERSE

	Glen in the foreground, groggily rubbing his jaw; Hi 
	approaching menacingly.

				HI
		Keep your goddamned hands off my 
		wife!

				GLEN
		Shit man!

	He is scrambling to his feet.

				GLEN
		...I was only tryin' to help!

				HI
		Keep your goddamned hands off my 
		wife!

	With Hi still advancing, Glen starts to run.

	TRACKING ON GLEN

	With Hi pursuing in the background.

	Glen is looking back over his shoulder to shout at Hi as he 
	runs.

				GLEN
		You're crazy! I feel pity for you, 
		man!  You-

	CRASH! - Glen runs smack into a tree and drops like a sack 
	of cement.

	INT. CAR NIGHT

	Hi is driving, his jaw rigidly set, his temple throbbing.

	Nathan Jr. sits in a safety seat between him and Ed.

				ED
		We finally go out with some decent 
		people and you break his nose. That 
		ain't too funny, Hi.

				HI
			(stolidly)
		His kids seemed to think it was funny.

				ED
		Well they're just kids, you're a 
		grown man with responsibilities. 
		Whatever possessed you?

				HI
		He was provokin' me when I popped 
		him.

				ED
		How'd he do that?

				HI
		...Never mind.

				ED
		But Hi, he's your foreman, he's just 
		gonna fire you now.

				HI
		I expect he will.

				ED
		And where does that leave me and 
		Nathan Jr.?

				HI
		With a man for a husband.

	He is pulling into a convenience store parking lot.

				ED
		That ain't no answer.

				HI
		Honey, that's the only answer.

	He puts the car in park but leaves it running.

				HI
		...Nathan needs some Huggies. I'll 
		be out directly.

	As he gets out of the car:

				HI
		...Mind you stay strapped in.

	INT. STORE

	A hand enters to take a package of panty hose from the 
	standing rack.

	CLOSE SHOT HUGGIES

	A hand enters to take a big carton of disposable diapers 
	from the shelf.

	CLOSEUP CASHIER

	A pimply-faced lad with a paper 7-Eleven cap on his head. He 
	is looking up from a dirty magazine, reacting in horror to 
	something approaching.

	HI'S POV

	Hi is approaching the check-out island with a gun in one 
	hand, the carton of Huggies tucked under the other. The L'Eggs 
	stocking is pulled over his head to distort his features.

				HI
		I'll be taking these Huggies and 
		whatever cash you got.

	CLOSE SHOT CASHIER'S HAND

	As he presses a silent alarm under the lip of his counter.

	EXT. CAR

	Ed is reading to Nathan Jr. from a large picture book.

				ED
		"Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-
		chin." Then I'll huff and I'll 
		puff...'

	She pauses for a moment, listening. We can barely hear a 
	distant siren. She resumes absently, but her voice trails 
	off.

				ED
		"...and I'll blow your house in..."

	We can definitely hear the WHOO-WHOO of the siren now, and 
	it is definitely approaching. Ed hooks an arm around the 
	seat and looks behind the car, then looks forward.

	HER POV

	Indistinctly visible through the semi-reflective glass are 
	two figures at the check-out island. One is pointing something 
	at the other.

	BACK TO ED

	As the siren is growing louder. Under her breath:

				ED
		That son-of-a-bitch.

	She unstraps herself and gets out of the car.

	INT. STORE

	Two-shot of Hi and the CASHIER, who is stuffing bills into a 
	grocery bag. Beyond them we can see Ed, outside, circling 
	the front of the car.

	Her shout is muffled through the glass:

				ED
		You son-of-a-bitch!

	With this Hi notices her. He turns to the Cashier.

				HI
		Better hurry it up. I'm in dutch 
		with the wife.

	But Ed is already getting into the driver's seat of the car.

	BACK TO ED

	As she slams the car door shut. The siren is quite loud now.

				ED
		That son-of-a-bitch. Hang on, pumpkin.

	The car squeals out of the lot.

	WIDE SHOT THE STREET

	The squad car tops a rise to bounce into view, its siren 
	wailing.

	BACK TO THE STORE

	Hi bursts out the door, still wearing the stocking. The carton 
	of Huggies is still tucked under one arm.

	Bellowing hopefully after his departing car:

				HI
		Honey!

	We hear the SMACK-CRACK of a gunshot and glass impact, but 
	the approaching squad car is still too far down the block to 
	have been the source.

	Hi looks around the parking lot, bewildered.

	The wailing siren is becoming painfully loud.

	Hi looks behind him at the plate-glass front of the store, 
	where a bullet pock mars the glass.

	HIS POV

	Through the glass we see the pimply young Cashier with the 
	paper 7-Eleven cap pop up from behind the counter to sight 
	down his huge .44 Magnum for another shot. The gun is so big 
	he uses both hands to heft it.

	SMACK-CRACK - the bullet kisses another hole in the glass.

	Hi is off and running.

	The squad car is screeching into the lot. An officer tumbles 
	out of the passenger side before the car is fully stopped. 
	He rolls on the pavement, then hurriedly rights himself and 
	takes up a half-kneeling shooting stance.

	At the same time the little Cashier is emerging from the 7-
	Eleven with his gun.

	The two bang away at Hi's retreating figure - the Policeman's 
	revolver popping, the Cashier's Magnum booming.

	We hear the Policeman who is still in the car drawling over 
	its loudspeaker:

				SPEAKER
		Halt. It's a police warning, son. 
		Put those groceries down and turn 
		yourself in.

	TRACKING ON HI

	Legs pumping, panty hose still over his head, its unused leg 
	streaming behind him like an aviator's scarf. The gun is 
	tucked into his belt; the Huggies are tucked securely under 
	his arm.

	Behind him we can see the OFFICER and the Cashier squeeze 
	off another couple shots, and then the policeman piles back 
	into the squad car.

	ED'S CAR

	Driving. She hears distant gunshots.

				ED
		That son of a bitch... Hold on, 
		Nathan. We're gonna go pick up Daddy.

	She hangs a vicious U-turn.

	TRACKING ON HI

	Huffing and puffing down the road with his Huggies.

	The cop car careens onto the street in the background, its 
	siren wailing.

	The PASSENGER COP is leaning far out his window, one hand 
	gripping the light-and-siren rack, the other pointing a gun 
	at Hi, shooting away.

	Bullets whizz past.

	Suddenly, with a soft pthunk! the Huggies box pops forward, 
	out from under Hi's arm - hit by a bullet. Still running, Hi 
	reaches forward, tries to catch it on the fly, bobbles it, 
	tips it - loses it. He overruns it a couple steps before he 
	can bring himself up short.

	He turns and reaches to pick up the box but - PING-PING - 
	bullets chew up the road near his hand.

	Leaving the Huggies, Hi takes off through a well-manicured 
	yard.

	The police car is proceeding on down the street to catch him 
	around the corner, the driver still drawling over his 
	loudspeaker:

				SPEAKER
		That's private property, son. Come 
		back out to the street and reveal 
		yourself to Officer Steensma and 
		Officer Scott - that's me.

	YARD

	Hi vaults a fence to land in the backyard.

	As he straightens to his feet we hear a horrible snarling 
	and barking.

	A huge black Doberman is bounding across the lawn. It looks 
	like it means to rip Hi's throat out.

	LOW TRACKING SHOT TOWARD HI

	The dog's racing POV as it bounds toward the paralyzed Hi.

	The dog leaps - camera flying up toward Hi's face - and:

	CLOSE SHOT HI'S FROZEN PROFILE

	The dog's slavering muzzle flies into frame and - stops, 
	bare inches from Hi's nose, and the dog falls back, having 
	reached the end of his chain.

	Hi resumes running.

	CLOSE

	On the dog, snarling and straining against the end of his 
	chain.

	TRACKING

	Down along the chain toward the spike mooring it to the 
	ground. As the dog strains, the spike starts to stir in the 
	ground.

	Other dogs can be heard barking now, the Doberman having 
	started a sympathetic wave.

	ED'S CAR

	Her jaw set, she takes a hard turn, looking this way and 
	that.

				ED
		That son of a bitch...

	The police car approaches and roars by, the Passenger Cop 
	still hanging out his window.

				ED
		...Lookie Nathan, a police car...

	She is looking in her rearview mirror.

				ED
		...Say, that looks like Bill Steensma.

	LOW TRACKING SHOT

	The camera is shooting forward at ground level, following 
	the Doberman as it bounds along. The Doberman is dragging 
	his chain and spike, which stretch into the foreground, 
	bumping and scraping along the road.

	Far ahead we can see Hi running, then turning down an 
	intersecting street.

	A second dog peels into the road to bound along with the 
	Doberman.

	TRACKING BEHIND HI

	Running up a dark street. There is an oncoming pickup. Hi 
	runs directly at it.

	INT. PICKUP

	The DRIVER screams and brakes - not quite in time.

	Hi rolls onto the hood, and off, and gamely trots over to 
	open the passenger door.

	The Driver is leaning over to tell him:

				DRIVER
		Son, you got a panty on your head.

				HI
		Just drive fast...

	He is displaying his gun as he starts to climb in.

				HI
		...and don't stop till I tell ya.

	Before Hi can get his door shut the Driver is obediently 
	peeling out.

	Hi is reacting to an oncoming car. He peels the stocking off 
	to look, and leans across the Driver's lap to bellow as Ed's 
	car passes:

				HI
		...Honey!

	Hi turns to look through the back window.

	HIS POV

	Ed's car is braking and spinning into a U-turn.

	BACK TO HI

	Leaning out the window.

				HI
		Mind the baby now!

	Next to him, the Driver is screaming.

	As Hi turns forward, the entire windshield explodes in.

	THEIR POV

	The pimply-faced Cashier from the 7-Eleven is standing in 
	the middle of the road ahead, sighting down his .44 Magnum 
	for another shot.

	We are rushing in.

	THE DRIVER

	Still screaming.

	THE CASHIER

	Ready to fire and - THUMP - he is bowled over by the arriving 
	Doberman, still trailing chain and spike, and now accompanied 
	by three other dogs, all braying at the top of their lungs.

	Still screaming, the Driver puts his body into a hard right 
	turn to avoid the Cashier and hellhounds.

	NEW STREET

	Roaring up the new street, they are now directly in the path 
	of the oncoming police car, its siren wailing, barreling 
	straight at them.

	Still screaming, the Driver leans into another hard right.

	Wind is whistling in through where the windshield used to 
	be.

	Two wheels hop curb as the car skids into the new street, 
	fishtails, and roars away.

	ED'S CAR

	She hears dogs, siren, squealing brakes on an adjacent street.

				ED
		Hold on Nathan, we'll take a shortcut.

	She gives the wheel a hard right turn.

	But there is no cross street. The car hops the curb and roars 
	up someone's nicely tended front yard, heading for the gap 
	between this house and the one next door.

	POLICE CAR

	Recovered and turned around from its near collision with the 
	SCREAMING; Driver, the squad car is now squealing onto the 
	street the Screamer swerved on to - resuming pursuit.

	As the police car roars down the street, Ed's car appears 
	from between two houses behind it, bounces down the front 
	yard to the street and follows the police.

	SCREAMER'S PICKUP

	Raking two-shot of Hi and the Screamer. Hi is looking back 
	over his shoulder at the pursuing police.

	Desperately pleading:

				SCREAMER
		Can I stop now?

	Hi looks forward.

	HIS POV

	They are rushing toward an imposing colonial house planted 
	at the end of the dead-end street.

	BACK TO HI

				HI
		Maybe you better.

	CLOSE SHOT BRAKE PEDAL

	Stepped on hard. The brakes scream.

	EXT. CAR

	As the car squeals to a halt Hi is catapulted through where 
	the windshield used to be, tumbling over the hood onto the 
	front lawn.

	He rolls to his feet and, as he runs up the lawn, calls back 
	over his shoulder:

				HI
		Thank you.

	INTO THE HOUSE

	We are tracking behind Hi as he runs up to the house and 
	crashes through the screen door.

	Still tracking behind him as he runs through the living room.

	A middle-aged couple sits on the couch watching TV. They 
	look up as Hi rushes by.

	Hi plunges down a staircase. As he does so we hear: ka-chick 
	ka-chock ka-chick ka-chock.

	He emerges into a rec room where he and we rush past two 
	kids playing ping-pong. He runs out the back door.

	TRACKING WITH THE POLICEMAN

	As he runs into the house.

	As he runs through the living room we catch a glimpse of the 
	middle-aged couple gaping at him.

	OFFICER STEENSMA plunges down the stairs.

	TRACKING ON HI

	Outdoors now, running, crossing the street behind the house 
	and entering the parking lot of a supermarket on the other 
	side.

	BACK TO THE HOUSE

	As a pack of dogs thunders in. The lead Doberman with chain 
	and spike has now picked up about a dozen neighborhood dogs.

	The dogs thunder through the living room and down the stairs. 
	As they hit the rec room the thunder of their feet turns 
	into the clatter of nails on tile.

	INT. SUPERMARKET

	As Hi bursts in. Tracking on him as he runs down the broad 
	front aisle, head whipping as he runs, looking up each 
	perpendicular lane, searching for something.

	He turns up one of the last lanes, races along it and grabs 
	a carton of Huggies, still on the flat run.

	He emerges into the broad back aisle and runs along it, but 
	at the first perpendicular lane he hits, we see Officer 
	Steensma, gun leveled, at the other end. He fires.

	Hi keeps running.

	The Policeman is running along the front aisle, keeping pace 
	with Hi running along the back aisle. He squeezes off shots 
	at Hi as each lane gives him the opportunity.

	Hi abruptly stops between lanes and doubles back, losing the 
	Policeman. He runs down the second lane he comes to toward 
	the front of the store.

	The pack of dogs appears at the end of the lane and thunders 
	up toward Hi, braying at the top of their doggy lungs. The 
	lead Doberman holds in his teeth a paper 7-Eleven cap.

	Hi reverses again, and emerges into the back aisle.

	BANG! A pyramid of cranberry juice explodes at his shoulder. 
	The Policeman has been waiting at the end of the back aisle; 
	he aims once again.

	Hi plunges down the next lane but is brought up short as KA-
	BOOM! five jars of applesauce explode in front of him.

	Hi looks.

	Standing in the raised platform-cubicle at the front of the 
	store is the Store Manager, a fat man in a white short-sleeved 
	shirt with a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

	The Manager cracks open his shotgun and inserts two more 
	cartridges - THOONK THOONK - in the smoking chamber.

	Hi doubles back once again toward the back aisle.

	He is still several paces from the end of the lane when the 
	Policeman appears there, squaring to face him.

	The Policeman is in front of him. The MANAGER is blowing out 
	groceries on the shelves behind him.

	CLOSE ON POLICEMAN

	As he coolly levels his police special and takes aim at Hi .

	POLICEMAN'S POV

	Still on the dead run, Hi is flinging the carton of Huggies.

	The carton rockets straight at the camera.

	BACK TO POLICEMAN

	Futilely raising his gun to avoid-impact: The Huggies catch 
	him square on the chest. The force makes him stumble one 
	fatal step backwards - into the back aisle - where:

	CRASH - He is hit broadside and bowled over by a rocketing 
	shopping cart, propelled by an hysterically screaming SHOPPER.

	TRACKING ON SHOPPER

	Racing on down the back aisle, bellowing.

	HER FEET

	Tracking from in front. Beyond her we can see the pack of 
	furiously barking dogs, nipping at her heels. They boil over 
	the prostrate Officer Steensma, and this is the last we see 
	of him in this movie.

	EXT. STORE

	As Hi emerges through the back door. Ed is just skidding 
	around the corner.

	Hi scrambles in the passenger side.

	INT. CAR

	Raking two-shot with Hi in the foreground. The car peels out 
	of the lot.

				HI
		Thank you honey, you really didn't 
		have to do this-

	THWAK - Ed gives him a good hard slap and Hi's head rolls 
	toward the camera.

				ED
		You son-of-a-bitch! You're actin' 
		like a mad dog!

	Rubbing his jaw:

				HI
		Turn left, honey.

	Still at top speed, she leans into a hard left, tires 
	squealing.

				ED
		What if me'n the baby'd been picked 
		up? Nathan Jr. would a been accessory 
		to armed robbery!

				HI
		Nawww honey, it ain't armed robbery 
		if the gun ain't loaded-

				ED
		What kind of home life is this for a 
		toddler?! You're supposed to be an 
		example!

				HI
		Now honey, I never postured myself 
		as the three-piece suit type - Turn 
		left, dear.

				ED
		We got a child now, everything's 
		changed!

				HI
		Well Nathan Jr. accepts me for what 
		I am and I think you better had, 
		too. You know, honey, I'm okay you're 
		okay? That - there's what it is.

				ED
		I know, but honey -

				HI
		See I come from a long line of 
		frontiersmen and - here it is, turn 
		here dear - frontiersmen and outdoor 
		types.

	Hi's eyes are fixed on something in the road ahead.

				ED
		I'm not gonna live this way, Hi. It 
		just ain't family life!

	Hi's attention is still on the road. He is opening his door, 
	even though the car is still racing along. He absently 
	concedes:

				HI
		Well... It ain't Ozzie and Harriet.

	LOW ANGLE THE STREET

	In the extreme foreground sits the first carton of Huggies 
	that Hi dropped in the middle of the road. The car is 
	approaching.

	As the car passes the carton, Hi's hand reaches from the 
	passenger door and snags it.

	REVERSE

	As Hi pulls the carton in and slams his door shut. Crane up 
	in the car speeding away.

	TRAILER LIVING ROOM

	As Ed bursts in the front door, holding Nathan Jr.

				ED
		You two are leaving.

	ON GALE AND EVELLE

	They look up, dumbstruck and mortified, from the sofa where 
	the have been watching TV.

				ED
		Tomorrow morning. Now I got nothing 
		against you personally...

	Gale and Evelle look appealingly toward Hi, who shifts 
	uncomfortably behind Ed.

				ED
		...but you're wanted by the 
		authorities and you're a bad influence 
		in this household, in my opinion.

				GALE
		Well ma'am... we sure didn't mean to 
		influence anyone.

				EVELLE
		And if we did, we apologize.

	Ed is unmoved.

				ED
		I'm goin' in to town tomorrow to see 
		about some shots for the baby. When 
		I come back you better be gone or 
		I'll kick you out myself.

	She storms into the bedroom and slams the door.

	There is an awkward silence as Gale studies his thumb and 
	Evelle stares at the ceiling. Finally Evelle turns to Hi.

				EVELLE
		...What's he need, his dip-tet?

				HI
		I'm awful sorry boys, but when Ed 
		gets mad, you know, when she gets an 
		idea...

				GALE
		Well there ain't a thing to apologize 
		for, H.I...

	He looks at Evelle.

				GALE
		...It seems pretty clear what the 
		situation is here.

				EVELLE
		Yeah, I guess the Missus wants us to 
		clear out.

				GALE
		Now H.I., you'll pardon me for sayin' 
		so, but I get the feelin' that this-
		here...

	His gesture seems to take in the trailer and the entire 
	domestic situation.

				GALE
		...ain't exactly workin' out.

				HI
		Well now Ed's generally a real 
		sweetheart, I-

				GALE
		And as per usual, I wouldn't be 
		surprised if the source of the marital 
		friction was financial.

				HI
		Well, matter of fact, I did lose my 
		job today-

				EVELLE
		Come on Hi. you're young, you got 
		your health - what do you want with 
		a job?

				GALE
		But look, I'd rather light a candle 
		than curse your darkness. As you 
		know, Evelle'n I never go anywhere 
		without a reason... and here we are 
		in your little domicile. We come to 
		invite you in on a score.

				EVELLE
		A bank, Hi.

	Hi is shaking his head.

				HI
		Aw boys, I don't-

				GALE
		I know you're partial to convenience 
		stores but, H.I., the sun don't rise 
		and set on the corner grocery.

				EVELLE
		It's like Doc Schwartz says: You 
		gotta have a little ambition. Why we 
		just heard on the news how somebody 
		snatched off one of the Arizona 
		babies. Now there's someone thinkin' 
		big.

				GALE
		And here you are sittin' around on 
		your butt playin' house with a - 
		don't get me wrong, H.I., with a 
		fine woman - but a woman who needs 
		the button-down type.

				HI
		Well now that ain't really any of 
		your-

				GALE
		Just lookahere...

	He is handing Hi a folded-up picture.

				EVELLE
		Picture of El Dorado, Hi.

				GALE
		Though the locals call it the Farmers 
		and Mechanics Bank of LaGrange. Looks 
		like a hayseed bank and, tell you 
		the truth, it is a hayseed bank. 
		Except the last Friday of every 
		financial quarter there's more cash 
		in that bank than flies at a barbecue.

				EVELLE
		And guess what day it is tomorrow?

				GALE
		Ya see, H.I., it's when the hayseeds 
		come in to cash their farm subsidy 
		checks.

				EVELLE
		A-One information.

				GALE
		Got it in the joint from a guy named 
		Lawrence Spivey, one of Dick Nixon's 
		undersecretaries of agriculture.

				EVELLE
		He's in for solicitin' sex from a 
		state trooper.

				GALE
		Ordinarily we don't associate with 
		that class of person, but...

	Gale chuckles.

				GALE
		...he was tryin' to make brownie 
		points with some of the boys.

				HI
		Boys, I can't -

				EVIELLE
		We need someone handy with a scatter-
		gun to cover the hayseeds while we 
		get the cash.

				GALE
		Y'understand, H.I., if this works 
		out it's just the beginning of a 
		spree across the entire Southwest 
		proper. We keep goin' 'till we can 
		retire - or we get caught.

				EVELLE
		Either way we're fixed for life.

	Hi is still shaking his head.

				HI
		Boys, it's a kind offer, but you're 
		suggesting I just up'n leave Ed. Now 
		that'd be pretty damn cowardly, 
		wouldn't it.

				GALE
		Would it?  Think about it, H.I. Seems 
		to me, stayin' here, y'ain't doin' 
		her any good. And y'ain't bein' true 
		to your own nature.

	The camera has floated in to a close shot of Hi, staring 
	glumly at GALE.

	TRACKING ON MOTORCYCLE NIGHT

	Following it, very close, we see only its rear wheel and 
	fender and twin exhaust pipes, one on either side. Flame is 
	boiling in each exhaust pipe as the hog roars.

	HIGHER TRACKING SHOT

	From behind the Biker's head as he rides through the night. 
	With the sharp whipcrack effect he suddenly looks left, 
	searching. With a second whipcrack effect he suddenly looks 
	right, still searching.

	He banks into a turn.

	EXT. TRAILER

	Creeping in. Late at night. We are tracking in toward the 
	one window that is illuminated, with a feeble yellow light.

	In voice-over, Hi is composing a letter.

				VOICE OVER
		My dearest Edwinna. Tonight as you 
		and Nathan slumber, my heart is filled 
		with anguish.

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	INT. TRAILER

	Creeping in on Hi 's hunched back, as he sits over the kitchen 
	table writing the letter. The yellow lamp sitting on the 
	table is the only light on in the trailer.

				VOICE OVER
		...I hope that you will both 
		understand, and forgive me for what 
		I have decided I must do. By the 
		time you read this, I will be gone.

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	LIVING ROOM

	Creeping in on GALE and EVELLE, sprawled on the sofa and 
	easy chair respectively, sawing boards.

				VOICE OVER
		...I will never be the man that you 
		want me to be, the husband and father 
		that you and Nathan deserve...

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	BACK TO HI

	Still creeping in.

				VOICE OVER
		Maybe it's my upbringing; maybe it's 
		just that my genes got screwed up - 
		I don't know...

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	INT. 7-ELEVEN

	Creeping in on the pimply-faced Cashier, sitting asleep behind 
	the counter, a dirty magazine lying face-down, open on his 
	chest.

				VOICE OVER
		But the events of the last day have 
		showed, amply, that I don't have the 
		strength of character to raise up a 
		family...

	We are slowly panning over to the newspaper rack, revealing 
	tomorrow's headline: "WHERE IS NATHAN JR.?"

				VOICE OVER
		...in the manner befitting a 
		responsible adult, and not like the 
		wild man from Borneo.

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	ARIZONA HOME

	Creeping in on Nathan Jr. in the living room, asleep in his 
	ottoman armchair, lit only by the snow from the TV set he is 
	facing, a half-full glass of milk on the coffee table next 
	to him.

	His robe is disheveled; his eyeglasses have slid down his 
	nose.

				VOICE OVER
		...I say all this to my shame.

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	TRAILER BEDROOM

	Creeping in on Ed and Nathan Jr., asleep together in the 
	double bed. Ed's arm is draped protectively over the sleeping 
	infant.

				VOICE OVER
		...I will love you always, truly and 
		deeply. But I fear that if I stay I 
		would only bring bad trouble...

	We start to hear the rumble of the motorcycle mix up again.

				VOICE OVER
		...on the heads of you and Nathan 
		Jr.

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	BLACKNESS

	Night sky. The motorcycle tire enters frame as the bike comes 
	to a halt. The Biker plants a jackbooted foot in the 
	foreground.

	The engine rumbles.

				VOICE OVER
		I feel the thunder gathering even 
		now; if I leave, hopefully, it will 
		leave with me.

	We are craning up over the Biker's back to reveal what he is 
	looking at: We are on a bluff overlooking the trailer park. 
	In the window of one trailer below, a yellow light glows.

				VOICE OVER
		I cannot tarry...

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	BACK TO HI

	Still creeping in.

				VOICE OVER
		Better I should go, send you money, 
		and let you curse my name. Your 
		loving... Herbert.

								FADE OUT

	FIRE

	Roaring at the cut. Through it we can see the Biker sitting 
	on the ground, legs stretched out in front of him, back 
	resting against his parked motorcycle, arms folded across 
	his chest.

	Perfectly motionless, he stares at the campfire.

	We are floating in toward him.

	As we come closer, eventually drawing in to a close shot of 
	his face, we gradually realize something peculiar about his 
	eyes: He seems to have none. Although his eyes are 
	unblinkingly open we do not see eyeballs, but only fire - 
	either a reflection of the campfire or something roaring - 
	burning-inside.

	CLOSE SHOT DOOR MAT

	It reads: "Come On In! To Unpainted Arizona."

	The smoking butt of a cheroot is dropped onto the mat. A 
	jackbooted foot grinds it out.

	CLOSE SHOT BAR ON GLASS DOOR

	Leading into the showroom. The Biker's mail-and-chained fist 
	pushes the door open.

	LOW WIDE TRACKING SHOT

	Behind the jackboots as they stroll through a showroom of 
	unpainted furniture and bathroom fixtures.

	TRACKING ON THE MAILED HAND

	Swinging as he walks, the Biker's hand produces a fresh 
	cheroot from no apparent source-either sleight-of-hand or 
	magic.

	THE OTHER HAND

	Similarly producing a long wooden match.

	DISCOLORED TEETH

	Biting down on the cigar.

	HAND

	Dragging the kitchen match along the unfinished wood surface 
	of an expensive bureau, leaving an ugly black scar.

	The match erupts into roaring flame.

	CIGAR

	Crackling as it is lit.

	DOOR

	Reading "Executive Offices." The mailed fist pushes it open.

	PEBBLED GLASS DOOR

	From the inside of the office. The name on the pebbled glass 
	is a backwards Nathan Arizona.

	There is the shadow of a man approaching the door, and muffled 
	voices.

				SECRETARY'S VOICE
		I'm sorry, Mr. Arizona, he just barged 
		in...

	The door swings open and Nathan stands looking in, his middle-
	aged secretary hanging at his elbow.

				SECRETARY'S VOICE
		...Should I call Dewayne?

	Nathan is staring toward his desk.

				NATHAN
		Hell no, why wake the security guard. 
		I'll take care a this.

	The secretary leaves.

	NATHAN'S POV

	The Biker sits with his back to us, jackboots propped lazily 
	on the desk.

	His head bobs and ducks, as if he is following some movement 
	in the air in front of him.

	BACK TO NATHAN

	Eyes on the Biker he slams the door shut behind him, looking 
	for some reaction.

	BIKER

	No reaction. His head continues to bob and duck.

	BACK TO NATHAN

	Circling the Biker as he crosses to sit behind his desk.

	HIS POV

	Arcing around to reveal the Biker's face. He still does not 
	react to Nathan, not even bothering to give him a glance.

	His eyes continue to follow some phantom movement.

	When the Biker speaks it is still without looking at Nathan, 
	and with a surprisingly soft voice and mild, unhurried manner:

				BIKER
		You got flies.

	He finally looks at Nathan, and smiles faintly.

				NATHAN
		I doubt it. This place's climate-
		controlled, all the windows are 
		sealed. Who the hell are you?

				BIKER
		Name of Leonard Smalls. My friends 
		call me Lenny...

	He takes a drag on his cigar.

				BIKER
		...Only I ain't got no friends.

				NATHAN
		Stop, you'll make me bust out crying. 
		Listen Leonard, you want some 
		furniture or a shitbox, they're out 
		on the sales floor.

	SMALLS is pleasantly shaking his head.

				SMALLS
		Nooo, I ain't a customer, I'm a 
		manhunter. Ordinarily. Though I do 
		hunt babies, on occasion. Hear you 
		got one you can't put your hand to.

				NATHAN
		What do you know about it?

				SMALLS
		Wal, that's my business. I'm a tracker-
		part Hopi Indian, some say part hound 
		dog. When some dink skips bail, 
		crashes outta the joint, I'm the man 
		they call.

				NATHAN
		Mister, I got the cops, the state 
		troopers and the Federal-B-I already 
		lookin' for my boy. Now if you got 
		information I strongly advise-

				SMALLS
		Cop won't find your boy. Cop couldn't 
		find his own butt if it had a bell 
		on it. Wanna find an outlaw, call an 
		outlaw. Wanna find a Dunkin Donuts, 
		call a cop.

				NATHAN
		Smalls, first off, take your damn 
		feet off m'furniture. Second off, 
		it's widely known I posted a twenty 
		grand reward for my boy. If you can 
		find him, claim it. Short of that 
		what do we got to talk about?

				SMALLS
		Price. Fair price. And that ain't 
		whatever you say it is; fair price 
		is what the market'll bear. Now there 
		are people, mind you, there are people 
		in this land, who'll pay a lot more'n 
		twenty grand for a healthy baby.

	Nathan is looking at him stonily.

				NATHAN
		What're you after?

				SMALLS
		Give you an idea, when I was a lad I 
		m'self fetched twenty-five thousand 
		on the black market. And them's 1954 
		dollars. I'm sayin, fair price. For 
		fifty grand I'll track him, find him-

	Quick as a flash the heretofore languid Smalls bolts forward, 
	his fist stopped an inch short of Nathan's nose.

	EXTREME CLOSE SHOT SMALLS' FINGERS

	His index finger and thumb are pinched together-holding the 
	leg of a struggling fly that he has just plucked from the 
	air.

				SMALLS
		...and the people that took him...

	He flicks the fly away.

				SMALLS
		...I'll kick their butts.

	He sits back down.

				SMALLS
		...No extra charge.

	Nathan stares grimly at Smalls.

				NATHAN
		And if I don't pay?

				SMALLS
		Oh I'll get your boy regardless. 
		Cause if you don't pay, the market 
		will.

				NATHAN
		You wanna know what I think? I think 
		you're an evil man. I think this is 
		nothin' but a goddamn screw job. I 
		think it's a shakedown. I think you're 
		the one took Nathan Jr. and my fine 
		friend, I think you're the one gonna 
		get his butt kicked...

	Nathan swivels to punch numbers on a telephone.

				NATHAN
		I think I'm on the phone to the cops 
		right now, and I-

	He swivels back, looking up, and his speech stops short.

	HIS POV

	The office is empty. A whipcrack effect builds to the cut 
	and:

	CLOSE ON HI

	His eyes snap open as the whipcrack echoes away.

	He has been slumped over the kitchen table, asleep.

				GALE (O.S.)
		Up and attem, H.I. Today is the first 
		day of the rest of your life...

				EVELLE (O.S.)
		...and already you're fuckin' it up.

	Hi looks up.

	Gale and Evelle are smiling down at him.

				EVELLE
		Come on, the missus'll be back from 
		town soon.

	Hi takes the envelope that he was slumped over, to Ed written 
	on its face. As he sticks it to the refrigerator door with a 
	broccoli magnet:

				HI
		Where's the baby?

				EVELLE
		Bedroom, in his crib.

				GALE
		He's sawin' toothpicks, he'll be 
		fine.

	There is a harsh knock at the door. All three tense.

				GALE
		...You expectin' anybody?

	Hi is staring. The knock comes again.

				HI
		No. You two stay outta sight.

	He goes to the door, pulls back its shade and peeks out. 
	Under his breath:

				HI
		Shit.

	He opens the door.

	EXT. TRAILER

	It is Glen. He backs nervously down to the foot of the stoop 
	as Hi stands in the half open doorway. Glen comes to rest a 
	few feet away from the stoop.

	He is wearing a neckbrace. The bridge of his eyeglasses is 
	taped together. Cotton wadding is stuffed up his nose, which 
	is darkly discolored. He holds a rolled up newspaper.

	His station wagon is parked behind him, idling.

				HI
		Morning Glen.

	Glen speaks in a very nasal voice:

				GLEN
		I ain't comin' in if ya don't mind. 
		I'll just keep my distance.

				HI
		I didn't invite you in, Glen.

				GLEN
		Well don't even bother. First off, 
		you're fired - and that's official.

				HI
		I kinda figured that, Glen.

				GLEN
		Well that ain't why I'm here neither. 
		No sir. You're in a whole shitload 
		of trouble, my friend.

	Hi is looking at him evenly.

				HI
		Why don't you just calm down, Glen.

				GLEN
		Why don't you make me?! Know that 
		little baby you got in there? Remember 
		him? I know what his real name is!

	Hi is suddenly nervous and urgent:

				HI
		Wanna keep your voice down, Glen?

				GLEN
		I'll pitch my voice wherever I please! 
		His name ain't Hi Jr.! His name ain't 
		Ed Jr.! But it's junior an right! 
		Yes sir, it's Nathan Jr.!

	Hi takes one step down holding out a calming hand.

	Glen takes two nervous steps away and reassures himself by 
	resting a hand on the door of his station wagon.

				GLEN
		...Stay away from me, McDunnough!

	Hi stops short. Glen smiles.

				GLEN
		...Sure, you're an awful big man 
		when you got somethin' around to 
		clobber a guy with!

				HI
			(softly)
		I ain't a big man.

				GLEN
		That's right! And now you're at my 
		mercy!

	He spits on the dirt in front of him.

				GLEN
		...I'm your worst nightmare!  I wanted 
		to just turn you in for the re-ward. 
		But Dot, she wants something to 
		cuddle. So it looks like that baby's 
		gonna be Glen Jr. From now on!

	Hi's face is set in rigid dismay.

				GLEN
		...I'll give you a day to break the 
		news to Ed...

	Glen is getting into his car.

				GLEN
		...Dot'll be by tomorrow to pick him 
		up.

	He slams the door.

				GLEN
		...It's either that or jail. Oh and 
		say, that reminds me! You'll find a 
		doctor bill in the mail in a few 
		days. I recommend you pay it!

	And the car squeals off.

	Hi looks back at the trailer.

	HIS POV

	A slat in the window blind drops back into place.

	BACK TO HI

	He opens the door.

	INT. TRAILER

	Evelle is already emerging from the bedroom with the baby in 
	his arms.

	Hi moves toward Evelle. His teeth are set; he means business.

				HI
		What's goin' on here.

	Gale steps in front of Hi.

				GALE
		You know what's goin' on, H.I. It's 
		just business. Now this can go either 
		hard or easy-

	Hi gives Gale a hard push to get past him. Gale staggers 
	back but recovers and grabs Hi in a bear hug.

	Hi flips Gale. Gale lands on a coffee table which flips up 
	and crashes back down.

	Evelle is dancing back out of Hi's reach. As Hi lunges for 
	him the prostrate Gale grabs his legs.

	Hi goes down hard.

	Gale leaps to his feet and - CRASH - bangs his head up against 
	an overhanging lamp. Both of his hands fly up to massage the 
	top of his head.

	THOOMP - Hi's fist flies into frame to connect with Gale's 
	unguarded stomach. Gale doubles over, clutching at his gut.

	Hi interlaces his fingers to make a club of his two hands.

	With Gale's bowed head a target in front of him, Hi swings 
	his hands up over his head.

	Hi's knuckles scrape painfully against the plaster of the 
	too - low ceiling. Skin is flayed, plaster crumbles.

	Hi grabs at his knuckles in pain. Gale lunges with a mid-
	body tackle that sends Hi crashing into the wall.

	Gale, still on top of him, reaches back to throw a punch.

	The reach-back sends his elbow crashing through a window but 
	doesn't stop the punch.

	It connects with Hi's jaw.

	Gale throws another quick punch, all his weight behind it. 
	Hi's head bobs sideways just in time and Gale's fist goes 
	through the wall. It is momentarily stuck there.

	Hi uses the opportunity to grab Gale's one free arm with 
	both of his. He is twisting it to make Gale, roaring with 
	pain, twist around and present his back to him.

	Hi climbs aboard, grabbing Gale's face.

	Gale, still roaring, is pulling his fist out of the hole. He 
	grabs a lath exposed by the hole and pulls; it tears out of 
	the wall and snaps free, giving him a length of about two 
	feet.

	Gale is rampaging around like a grizzly bear hemmed in a too-
	small space. Hi is hanging on for dear life, his own feet 
	flailing this way and that, knocking over lamps and wall 
	fixtures as Gale bends and twirls about, trying to shake him 
	loose. Gale crashes and bounces off the walls, roaring in 
	pain and fury.

	Close shots of Gale's face show his features impossibly and 
	grotesquely contorted by Hi's hand, squeezing, gripping and 
	clutching at it.

	Evelle is dancing around with the baby, dodging crashing 
	furniture and flailing body parts.

	EXT. WIDE SHOT THE TRAILER

	At the cut Gale's roaring drops out. We hear the chirping of 
	birds and the laughter of children playing in the 
	neighborhood.

	It is a sunny day.

	BACK TO INT. TRAILER

	Gale still roars. With a last mighty effort, he finally swings 
	Hi off his body.

	Hi crashes against a wall and through it to land in the:

	BATHROOM

	Amid a shower of plaster dust and lath. Hi has landed, 
	groggily, against the toilet.

	Evelle enters now with his hands free, apparently having set 
	the baby down somewhere.

	He yanks the cord off the bathroom blinds.

	LIVING ROOM

	Hi is seated in a straight-back chair, still violently 
	struggling but Gale's arms are wrapped around him from behind.

	Evelle is just finishing tying off his wrists behind the 
	chair.

	No one talks; there is nothing left to say.

	Finished, Gale goes to the door and Evelle goes to the 
	bedroom. He emerges with the baby and precedes Gale out the 
	door, Gale slamming it behind him.

	Hi starts bucking and struggling, weeping tears of rage and 
	frustration. He succeeds only in tipping forward, face down 
	into the carpet, the strapped-on chair pressing down on top 
	of him.

	His profile is pressed into the carpet.

	Offscreen we hear the door of the trailer opening.

	HI'S POV

	At carpet level. Gale's shoes enter his field of vision. 
	They stride over to a mess of debris in the corner of the 
	living room.

	OBJECTIVE SHOT

	As Gale paws through the wreckage to expose the copy of Dr. 
	Spock's Baby and Child Care. He grabs the book.

	HI'S POV

	The feet walk away and leave his field of vision.

	CLOSE ON HI

	As we hear the door slam shut with horrible finality.

	Hi's mouth stretches wide. He ROARS with grief and 
	frustration.

	WIDE SHOT

	Moving down the road toward an oncoming car. As the oncoming 
	car gets closer we can see Gale and Evelle in its front seat.

	As the car passes we pan with it, to reveal that we have 
	been shooting from the inside of another car, and we hold on 
	the profile of its driver: Ed. She has just watched the other 
	car shoot past.

				ED
		...Good.

							 QUICK FADE OUT

	INT. DEVASTATED TRAILER

	As Ed sits heavily into frame, apparently in shock, her frozen 
	profile to the camera as she stares straight ahead into space.

	Her foreground hand absently holds a length of cord.

	Beyond her in the middle background Hi is rummaging in the 
	debris. He stands up, cropped from the chest down and starts 
	loading bullets into the chamber of Ed's .38 police special.

				HI
			(frantically)
		I know you're worried honey but 
		believe me, there ain't a thing to 
		worry about. We're gonna get him 
		back, there just ain't no question 
		about that...

	He snaps the chamber shut and leaves frame, still talking.

				HI
		...We'll get him back, that's just 
		all there is to it. And you wanna 
		know another thing?

	He is walking back into frame holding another handgun now in 
	addition to the .38, this one an automatic.

				HI
		...I'm gonna be a better person from 
		here on out. And that's final, I 
		mean that's absolutely the way it's 
		gonna be, that's official. You were 
		right and I was wrong...

	He snaps a clip into the automatic.

				HI
		...A blind man could tell you that. 
		Now they ain't gonna hurt him, they're 
		just in it for the score...

	Hi is leaving frame again, continuing to talk as we hear him 
	rummaging offscreen.

				HI
		...But I ain't like that no more, 
		I'm a changed man. You were right 
		and I was wrong. We got a family 
		here and I'm gonna start acting 
		responsibly...

	Hi enters frame with the two handguns stuck in his belt, 
	holding his pump-action shotgun.

				HI
		...So let's go honey...

	He primes the shotgun: WHOOSH-CLACK.

				HI
		...Let's go get Nathan Jr.

	TRACKING SHOT

	From the front bumper of an automobile. Beautiful desert 
	stretches to the horizon. The road rushes under the camera.

	GALE AND EVELLE'S CAR

	Gale drives, gazing out at the road. Evelle holds Nathan 
	Jr., occasionally bouncing him.

	Contemplatively:

				GALE
		I luuuuv to drive.

				EVELLE
		You said somethin' there, partner.

				GALE
		...Yessir, I figure with the ransom 
		and this bank, you'n I'll be sittin' 
		in the fabled catbird seat.

	Evelle is looking down at the baby, shifting him in his lap.

				EVELLE
		Uh, Gale... Junior had a, uh, 
		accident.

				GALE
		What's that, pardner?

				EVELLE
		He had a little accident.

	Gale looks over.

				GALE
		Wuddya mean, he looks okay.

				EVELLE
		No, ya see... Movin' though we are, 
		he just had hisself a rest stop.

				GALE
		Well it's perfectly natural.

				EVELLE
			(very excited)
		Hey Gale!

				GALE
		What now?

	Evelle, beaming, looks up from the baby to Gale.

				EVELLE
		...He smiled at me!

	THE SUN

	A huge rumbling rippling red ball that fills the frame.

	As we hear his footfalls on concrete steps, Smalls rises 
	into frame, apparently climbing a stoop. The sun behind him 
	throws him into silhouette; the extreme telephoto flattens 
	him against the sun. Heat waves ripple between us and him, 
	making his figure slightly waver.

	The rumble builds, louder and louder, until it is snapped 
	off by a-

	INT. TRAILER

	CLICK. The front door handle clicks open and Smalls stands 
	in the doorway. The abandoned trailer is perfectly quiet.

	The room is a complete shambles from the fight. Sunlight 
	filters in between the slats of the venetian blinds. Smoke 
	from Lenny Smalls' cheroot ripples up through the light.

	After only a momentary pause at the door to take in the scene, 
	Smalls goes directly to a specific spot in the debris and 
	nudges some of it aside with his toe, exposing a piece of 
	paper.

	He bends down to pick it up but suddenly freezes, with a 
	soft grunt of surprise.

	HIS POV

	At knee-height on the wall in front of him, "FART" is scrawled 
	in crayon.

	BACK TO SMALLS

	As he stands up with the piece of paper.

	THE PAPER

	It is Gale's picture of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

	INT. CONVENIENCE STORE

	Close on a carton of diapers being set down on the check-out 
	counter.

				EVELLE (O.S.)
		Know how you put these thangs on?

	WIDER

	Evelle and the Cashier, a late-middle-aged man (perhaps the 
	proprietor of this small mom-and-pop store) face each other 
	across the check-out counter. Evelle has various baby 
	purchases - the diapers, baby food, etc. - piled on the 
	counter. The Cashier is ringing them up.

	Through the open door beyond them we can see a strip of the 
	parking lot.

				CASHIER
		Welp. Around the butt, then up over 
		the groin area-

				EVELLE
		I know where they go, old timer. I 
		mean do I need pins or fasteners?

	We see Gale trotting past through the visible part of the 
	parking lot, cooing "Weeeeee!" as he holds Nathan Jr. Up 
	over his head.

				CASHIER
		Well no, they got those tape-ettes 
		already on there, it's self-contained 
		and fairly explanatory.

				EVELLE
		Uh-huh...

	He takes a plastic-covered squirt gun off a display rack and 
	drops it on the counter. He is looking around at the other 
	impulse purchases displayed by the register; he unhooks a 
	bag of balloons.

				EVELLE
		...These blow up into funny shapes 
		at all?

	Gale is trotting by in the opposite direction: "Weeeeee!"

				CASHIER
		Well no. Unless round is funny.

	Evelle is pulling a gun out of his belt.

				EVELLE
		All right, I'll take these too. Now 
		you lie down back there-

				CASHIER
		Yessir!

				EVELLE
		And don't you move till you've counted 
		up to eight hundred and twenty-five 
		and then backwards down to zero. 
		I'll be back to check - see y'ain't 
		cheatin'.

	The Cashier is already down on the floor, out of frame.

				CASHIER (O.S.)
		You the diaper burglar?

	As he heads for the door with the groceries:

				EVELLE
		Looks like I'm one of 'em.

	EXT. STORE

	As Evelle hurriedly emerges with the two bags. Faintly we 
	can hear the Cashier bellowing: "One one thousand, two one 
	thousand..."

				EVELLE
		Get the door, will ya?

	Gale is slipping the baby back into his car seat, which sits 
	on the roof of the car. He starts doing up the straps.

				GALE
		He's a real cheerful little critter 
		once he warms up to ya.

	Hands free now, Gale reaches for the back door.

				EVELLE
		Hurry up Gale...

	Gale has the door open. Evelle starts throwing in the 
	groceries.

				EVELLE
		I don't know how high this one can 
		count.

	GALE AND EVELLE'S CAR

	Gale drives as Evelle sorts through his purchases.

				EVELLE
		I got him some baby grub... baby 
		wipes... diapers, disposable... packet 
		of balloons-

				GALE
		They blow up into funny shapes at 
		all?

				EVELLE
		No, just-

	Gale is looking around, puzzled.

				GALE
		Say, where's Junior?

				EVELLE
		Wuddya mean, didn't you put him in?!

				GALE
		No, I thought-

	The two men look at each other.

	REVERSE

	The two men's heads whip around to look in the back seat.

	BACK TO FRONT ANGLE

	They look at each other in horror.

				GALE
		Where'd we leave him?!

	The two men's eyes widen as they remember at the same time: 
	both look up at the roof of the car.

	CLOSE ON GALE'S FOOT

	Coming off the accelerator.

	CLOSE ON EVELLE

	Screaming as he watches the foot:

				EVELLE
		NOOOOOO!!

	But too late.

	GALE'S FOOT

	Already plunging down on the brake. SQUEEEEEEEAL...

	TWO SHOT

	Evelle is screaming at the top of his lungs as the car rocks 
	to a stop. He peers through the windshield, still screaming, 
	but nothing has shot off the roof of the car.

	He cranes his neck to look up the slant of the windshield 
	toward the roof. This of course gives him no view; still 
	screaming, he thrusts his body out his open window to look 
	up at the roof. His scream is muted as his head disappears 
	from view, then comes back full force as he ducks back in, 
	frantically shaking his head.

	With this Gale's last hope disappears and he starts bellowing 
	also.

	GALE'S FOOT

	Rising from the brake to plunge down on the accelerator.

	EXT. THE CAR

	As it hangs a squealing U-turn and races off at top speed.

	LOW WIDE SHOT

	In the foreground Nathan Jr. sits upright in his car seat, 
	in the middle of the road that fronts the convenience store. 
	He is placidly looking at the scenery.

	Faintly, we hear the Cashier bellowing:

				CASHIER
		...Seven hunnert ninety-seven one 
		thousand, seven hunnert ninety-six 
		one thousand...

	GALE AND EVELLE

	In their speeding car, both staring out at the road ahead, 
	mouths gaping, emitting ear-splitting screams.

	INT. STORE

	Shot faces the front of the store with some of the street 
	visible outside. The Cashier on the floor is out of frame, 
	but we can hear him loud and clear:

				CASHIER
		...Seven hunnert ninety-one one 
		thousand, seven hunnert - ah... 
		bullshit.

	He rises into frame, back to the camera, just as: We see 
	Gale and Evelle's car, through the front window, roaring up 
	the street. Quick as a shot, the Cashier has dropped back 
	out of frame and resumes bellowing:

				CASHIER
		Seven hunnert ninety - ought one 
		thousand! Seven hundred eighty -

	The car is starting to squeal to a screaming halt.

	BACK TO LOW WIDE SHOT

	With Nathan Jr. in the foreground. Gale and Evelle's car 
	comes to a rocking halt behind - and inches shy of - the 
	baby.

	Evelle's door is already open. He bolts from it and runs 
	over to the baby, blubbering. He picks up the car seat and 
	Nathan Jr.

	Gale is also getting out of the car.

				EVELLE
		Promise we ain't never gonna give 
		him up, Gale! We ain't never gonna 
		let him go!

	Gale, choked up, speaks in a low unsteady voice:

				GALE
		We'll never give him up, Evelle. 
		He's our little Gale Jr. now.

	HI AND ED'S CAR

	Hi driving. Both are staring wordlessly ahead at the road.

	Hi looks over at Ed, glum but trying to be kind.

				HI
		...Ed, I realize I can't be much of 
		a comfort to you. But lemme just say 
		this...

	He is nodding to himself.

				HI
		You'll feel a whole lot better when-

				ED
		I don't wanna feel better.

				HI
		Honey-

				ED
		I don't care about myself anymore. I 
		don't care about us anymore. I just 
		want Nathan Junior back safe.

				HI
		I know that-

				ED
		If we don't get him back safe, I 
		don't wanna go on livin'. And even 
		if we do, I don't wanna go on livin' 
		with you.

	This shuts Hi up.

	After a moment:

				ED
		...I guess I still love you Hi; I 
		know I do. I ain't even blaming you. 
		The whole thing was crazy and the 
		whole thing was my idea.

	Hi clears his throat.

				HI
		Well, factually, I myself bear a 
		very large-

				ED
		Lemme finish. Since those jailbirds 
		took little Nathan I been doin' some 
		thinking, and I ain't too proud of 
		myself. Even if Mrs. Arizona had 
		more'n she could handle, I was a 
		police officer sworn to uphold the 
		Constitution of the United States -

				HI
		Now waitaminute honey, you resigned 
		before we-

				ED
		That ain't the point, Hi. We don't 
		deserve Nathan Jr. Any more'n those 
		jailbirds do. And if I'm as selfish 
		and irresponsible as you-

				HI
		Y'ain't that bad, honey.

				ED
		If I'm as bad as you, what good're 
		we to each other. You'n me's just a 
		fool's paradise.

	FARMERS AND MECHANICS BANK

	Baking in the noonday sun.

	GALE AND EVELLE

	Sitting in the front seat of their idling car, looking at 
	the bank.

				EVELLE
		There she is.

				GALE
		Yep. Welp...

	They look at each other. Gale reaches for his door.

				GALE
		...Let's do her.

				EVELLE
		Waitaminute. What do we do with Gale 
		Jr.?

				GALE
		Wuddya mean, he waits here.

				EVELLE
		Are you crazy?!  He can't wait here 
		by hisself. Supposin' we get killed 
		in there - it could be hours before 
		he's discovered.

	INT. FARMERS AND MECHANICS BANK

	As Gale and Evelle bang in through the door. Evelle holds a 
	shotgun; Gale holds a shotgun in one hand and Nathan Jr. in 
	his car seat in the other.

				GALE
		All right you hayseeds, it's a stick-
		up! Everbody freeze! Everbody down 
		on the ground!

	Everyone freezes, staring at Gale and Evelle. An Old Hayseed 
	with his hands in the air speaks up:

				HAYSEED
		Well which is it young fella? You 
		want I should freeze or get down on 
		the ground? Mean to say, iffen I 
		freeze, I can't rightly drop. And 
		iffen I drop, I'm a gonna be in 
		motion. Ya see -

				GALE
		SHUTUP!

	Promptly:

				HAYSEED
		Yessir.

				GALE
		Everone down on the ground!

				EVELLE
		Y'all can just forget that part about 
		freezin'.

				GALE
		That is until they get down there.

				EVELLE
		Y'all hear that?

	There is a murmur of acknowledgment from all the people on 
	the ground.

	Gale is tossing Evelle a sack.

				GALE
		Wanna fill that sack, pardner? We 
		got - shit!

	He is looking in shock at the tellers' counter.

				GALE
		...Where'd all the tellers go?

	There is no one behind the counter.

	A muffled voice from offscreen:

				VOICE
		We're down here, sir.

				EVELLE
		They're down on the ground like you 
		commanded, Gale.

				GALE
		I told you not to use m'damn name! 
		Can't you even try to keep from 
		forget'n that?!

	Evelle is momentarily abashed, but then brightens:

				EVELLE
		Not even yer code name?

	Gale registers understanding.

				GALE
		Oh yeah... m'code name.

				EVELLE
		Y'all hear that?

	There is a murmur of acknowledgment from all the people on 
	the ground.

				GALE
		All right now everone, we're just 
		about ready to begin the robbery 
		proper...

	EXT. POLICE CAR

	The camera is locked down on the roof of the rocketing squad 
	car, looking past its flashing gumballs.

	The car is approaching the townlet, its siren wailing.

	BACK TO THE BANK

	A teller is finishing stuffing the last of two burlap bags. 
	Close on her hands, we see her putting in a cash packet that 
	is really only a few bills and a sleeve surrounding and hiding 
	a small plastic device.

	The teller hits a button on the device and it starts ticking; 
	she shoves it into the sack.

				EVELLE
		All right now everyone, you know how 
		this works: Y'all stay flattened for 
		ten full minutes...

	He is grabbing the two sacks and tosses one to Gale, who 
	also picks up the baby. As the two are backing toward the 
	door:

				EVELLE
		...We might come back in five to 
		check. That's for us to know and y'a 
		to find out.

				GALE
		Anyone found bipedal in five wears 
		his ass for a hat.

	They bolt out the door.

	EXT. POLICECAR

	Siren jumps in loud at the cut. It is the same locked-down 
	shot over the gumballs.

	EXT. GALE AND EVELLE'S CAR

	Peeling out from in front of the bank.

	INT. GALE AND EVELLE'S CAR

	Gale is driving; Evelle starts pawing through one of the 
	sacks.

				GALE
		That old timer threw off my 
		concentration. Otherwise it would a 
		gone smoother.

				EVELLE
		We done okay. Yessir. This ought to 
		split nicely three ways.

	A thought registers with Gale and Evelle at the same moment.

	They look at each other. They both twist frantically to look 
	in the back seat.

	Bellowing:

				GALE
		Goddamnit! Ya never leave a man 
		behind!

	KA-POP! With a loud flat crack something detonates in the 
	front seat and the interior of the car is spattered with 
	bright blue paint.

	Gale and Evelle, both covered in blue, are screaming in rage, 
	fear and incomprehension. Blue dollar bills snap and flutter 
	around the inside of the car.

	The car is swerving wildly as Gale drives blind, the inside 
	of the windshield covered with blue paint. He reaches forward 
	to wipe clear a patch of windshield.

	HIS POV

	As the blue paint is smeared away we see Hi and Ed's car 
	parked broadside in the middle of the road. Hi and Ed are in 
	front of it, Hi aiming his scatter gun, Ed a revolver.

	The guns spit orange flame.

	HI'S POV

	Down the barrel of his shotgun. The car with the blue interior 
	is swerving crazily at us, one front tire blown out.

	Hi lets go with the other barrel.

	The shot chews up the front grill, shatters one headlight 
	and blows out the other front tire. The hood of the car flies 
	open.

	The car is squealing to a halt and Gale and Evelle pile out, 
	still bellowing.

				GALE
		Goddamnit H.I., ain't we got enough 
		to contend with?

	Ed is running over to Gale and Evelle's car, throwing open 
	the back door to look for the baby but coming out only with 
	Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care.

	Evelle is staggering around in shock, looking in disbelief 
	at his own blue body.

				ED
		Where's the baby?

	Evelle points this way and that, in a state of confusion.

				EVELLE
		I think we left him on the roof of 
		the... he must be back at the...

	Hi and Ed are climbing into their car.

				GALE
		Let us come with you!

	Hi and Ed are already peeling out.

				GALE
		...He's our baby too!

	CLOSE ON NATHAN JR.

	Sitting placidly in his car seat that sits in the middle of 
	the road in front of the bank.

	We can hear the wail of the police siren still approaching.

	As we hold on Nathan Jr. we hear the distant booming of a 
	shotgun.

	As we boom up to show the empty street beyond the baby, we 
	hear the crack of return fire and furiously squealing brakes. 
	The screech culminates in a loud explosion that snaps off 
	the siren wail. The police car is apparently history.

	From beyond the crest of the road ahead a ball of flame has 
	leapt up with the explosion. As the explosion echoes and 
	fades we hear the deep rumble of an approaching engine.

	Lenny Smalls' motorcycle appears over the rise. Framed against 
	fire and smoke, he is coming directly toward us, and the 
	baby.

	FROM BEHIND HI AND ED

	As they top a rise coming from the other direction. We see 
	the baby sitting in the middle of the street, and Lenny fast 
	approaching from the background.

	LOCKED DOWN TO MOTORCYCLE

	The extremely low wide shot, locked down to the speeding 
	bike, shows us rushing toward the rear of Nathan Jr's car 
	seat.

	With a clank of chains Lenny's hand drops down into frame, 
	palm forward, tensing to scoop up the car seat that we are 
	almost upon.

	A tattoo on Lenny's wrist reads "No Prisoners."

	REVERSE

	Low shot with Nathan Jr. in the foreground.

	He is scooped up and out of frame as Lenny roars by.

	ON LENNY

	Roaring along. He hooks the car seat over his handlebars.

	OVER HI AND ED'S SHOULDERS

	Lenny is approaching. Under her breath:

				ED
		What is he?

				HI
		...D'you see him too?

	Lenny is sawing a shotgun out of his back holster and leveling 
	it at the oncoming car.

	Lenny is sighting down the gun, swinging it around as he 
	approaches the car.

	HI AND ED DUCK JUST AS:

	The shotgun spits orange flame and the windshield explodes 
	in.

	Lenny roars by.

	LENNY'S POV

	The baby on the handlebars in the foreground; the road rushing 
	by beyond him.

	The bike banks into a hard turn.

	FACING HI AND ED

	Shooting through where the windshield used to be, cutting in 
	at the end of the skid as the car rocks to a halt.

	Hi and Ed are raising their heads. Facing forward, they do 
	not see Lenny approaching again through the rear window.

	He is sawing out his second shotgun.

	Hi looks around, reaches and pulls Ed down beneath him just 
	as:

	KA-BOOM! - The second shotgun roars and the back window spits 
	in.

	As Lenny roars past the back window he casually flips 
	something in.

	LOOKING DOWN AT HI AND ED

	Folded over in the front seat. Below them something bounces 
	into and around the leg well - Lenny's grenade.

	EXT. CAR

	As the two front doors fly open and Hi and Ed spill out - Hi 
	from the driver's side, heading for the far side of the road, 
	and Ed from the passenger side.

	ON ED

	As she dives for cover behind a parked car. Beyond her - 
	KABOOM! - their car explodes and bounces, pouring black smoke.

	ON HI

	The explosion flings him to the ground in the middle of the 
	street.

	THROUGH FIRE AND SMOKE

	Looking up the street to where Lenny is wheeling his bike in 
	a U-turn. He is not finished yet.

	Hi flat on his back, woozily shaking his head.

	He weakly raises himself on his elbows to look down the 
	street.

	HI'S POV

	Looking down the length of his own body. His legs stretch 
	away in a V.

	Crashing down from a wheelie, Lenny's roaring bike is almost 
	upon him - aiming up the middle of the V.

	HI

	He rolls. As the bike is roaring by:

	HI'S HAND

	Reaches and snags a chain on Lenny's passing boot.

	HI

	Dragged several yards before the boot shakes him off, leaving 
	him on his stomach in the middle of the road.

	Hi looks up the road.

	HI'S POV

	Lenny is again sluing the bike around.

	REAR WHEEL OF BIKE

	Smoking as it skids around in the foreground, completing its 
	turn.

	Boom up Lenny's back to reveal Ed stomping straight up the 
	street toward him - unarmed, unafraid.

				ED
		I want that baby!

	BACK TO HI

	He reaches back to pull up his shirt, revealing a gun tucked 
	in his pants in the small of his back. He grabs the gun.

	OVER LENNY'S SHOULDER

	As Ed closes in.

				ED
		Gimme that baby, you warthog from 
		hell!

	Lenny's arms rise into frame. With a roll of his wrists two 
	knives appear in his hands.

	BACK TO HI

	On his stomach, sighting down the gun toward Lenny.

	HIS POV

	Ed stepping into his line of fire, blocking Lenny.

	FROM BEHIND LENNY

	Raising an arm to stab.

	Ed stoops to scoop the baby from the car seat, revealing: 
	Hi, behind her. He fires.

	LENNYS HAND

	Drilled by Hi's bullet, drops its knife.

	The exit wound spurts, not flesh and blood, but a brief jet 
	of fire.

	LENNY

	Quick as a flash hurling the other knife at Hi.

	HI

	As the knife stings the gun out of his hand.

	KNIFE ON THE GROUND AT LENNY'S FEET

	Lenny bends to scoop up the knife he dropped.

	TRACKING BEHIND ED

	As she runs toward the bank, clutching Nathan Jr. to her 
	chest.

	INT. BANK

	As Ed bursts in. The floor is littered with obedient hayseeds. 
	From where he lies prone:

				OLD TIMER
		Just lie down on the floor, missie.

	BANG: The front door bursts open before Lenny's roaring hog.

	It sails off a step into the sunken atrium, and lands with a 
	CRASH amidst the hayseeds.

	TRACKING BEHIND ED

	As she runs for the back door and pushes through it.

	TRACKING BEHIND LENNY

	As he slaloms through the wildly scattering hayseeds.

	EXT. BACK OF BANK

	As Lenny bursts out.

	With a whipcrack effect he looks left, then right. He jerks 
	the bike right, to where an alleyway flanks the side of the 
	bank.

	ALLEYWAY

	Ed is running up the alley toward the front of the bank as 
	Lenny enters. He roars after her.

	LENNY'S POV

	Roaring down the alley.

	TRACKING IN FRONT OF ED

	As the bike approaches behind her.

	BACK TO LENNY'S POV

	Closing on Ed as she reaches the mouth of the alley. A plank 
	swings into frame, straight at the camera.

	REVERSE

	Matching action as Hi finishes swinging the plank into Lenny's 
	face.

	Lenny hits the ground hard as his bike spins out from under 
	him.

	THE BIKE

	Riderless, twisting crazily into the street where it 
	collapses.

	HI AND ED

	Lenny is rising to his feet beyond them as Hi nods 
	encouragement to Ed.

				HI
		Run along now, honey.

	Lenny is reaching back to throw his knife.

	Hi, unaware, is turning to face him, presenting the plank as - 
	the knife is thrown.

	It thunks into the plank, piercing it through.

	Hi backs up, swinging the knife - studded plank to make Lenny 
	keep his distance.

	TRACKING BEHIND LENNY'S SHOULDER

	As he reaches up to unhook a chain from a ring on his vest 
	shoulder.

	LENNY'S HAND

	As the free chain drops down into his palm.

	LENNY

	Swinging the chain - WHOOSH WHOOSH - at the backpedaling Hi.

	THE PLANK

	As the chain snakes around it and rips it out of Hi's hands.

	LENNY

	Grabbing Hi by the shirtfront.

	LENNY'S OTHER HAND

	Swings down and brass knuckles appear on it.

	ON HI

	As Lenny's fist swings into frame to club him forehand, then 
	backhand.

	An uppercut from his heels sends Hi sprawling back.

	A PARKED CAR

	As Hi lands against it, banging his head. He sinks to the 
	ground.

	Lenny is casually walking toward him, lighting a cheroot. Hi 
	flops over onto his stomach and starts wriggling under the 
	car.

	FROM UNDER THE CAR

	Hi's face in the foreground as he desperately seeks escape.

	Behind him we can see Lenny casually reaching down and 
	grabbing an ankle.

	The shot is framed identically to the shot in the Arizona 
	nursery where Hi pulled a baby from under the crib.

	Lenny pulls. Hi is dragged away from the camera and out from 
	under the car.

	HI

	Struggling to stand up.

	Lenny wraps his arms around him and applies a tremendous 
	bear hug.

	HI'S ARMS

	Crushed against Lenny. His hands paw futilely at Lenny's 
	chest.

	FULL SHOT

	Lenny finally flings Hi away.

	HI

	Landing in the dust, all the fight beaten out of him.

	LENNY

	Tired of the fight: He saws out both shotguns

	THE HAMMERS

	On the guns as Lenny's thumbs draw them back. He raises the 
	guns to fire.

	HI

	The end of the road.

	He wearily lifts a hand, defensively extending it in front 
	of him - then stops, staring at:

	HI'S HAND

	A hand grenade pin hangs, glinting, from one of his fingers.

	Pawing at Lenny's chest he must have hooked his finger through 
	its ring.

	HI

	Reacting.

	LENNY

	Reacting to Hi reacting. He looks down.

	LENNY'S CHEST

	On the bandoliers across his chest, silver pins glint in all 
	the grenades - except one. Its squeeze-lever juts at a right 
	angle from the grenade.

	LENNY'S FACE

	Hi's jaw drops.

	LENNY'S FEET

	The lit cheroot hits the ground between his boots.

	HI

	Scrambling to his feet.

	LENNY

	Trying to drop the shotguns to free his hands. In his panic 
	his fingers tangle in the trigger guards.

	HI

	Starting to run.

	LENNY

	Finally freeing his hands.

	HI

	Diving behind the parked car.

	LENNY'S CHEST

	His hands fly in to wrap around the grenade - too late - 
	bright light:

	LENNY

	Blows sky-high. There is a roar as if the earth were cracking 
	open and flame as if hell were slipping out.

	We pan the fire to the sky.

								FADE OUT

	A white aluminum ladder rises up into the blackness, clanking 
	softly. The top of the ladder arcs toward the camera.

	JUMP BACK

	To the interior of the Arizona second-story nursery as the 
	ladder comes to rest against the window frame.

	It is late at night; the nursery is dark and empty.

	THE HEADBOARD

	Of the unpainted crib with the burned-in names: Harry, Barry, 
	Larry, Garry, and Nathan Jr.

	As we pull back from the headboard Ed's arms are gently 
	depositing the sleeping Nathan Jr. into the crib. Hi puts 
	the singed copy of Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care next to 
	the baby.

	REVERSE

	Hi and Ed looking sadly down at the baby.

	The silence is broken by the bleat of a squeeze-me toy as 
	the lights are snapped on. Hi and Ed turn, startled.

	NURSERY DOORWAY

	Nathan stands in his jammies, hair disheveled, holding a gun 
	and squinting against the light.

	Keeping the gun trained on Hi and Ed, he slowly raises a 
	pair of eyeglasses to his nose.

				NATHAN
		The hell is goin' on?

	He advances cautiously into the nursery, gesturing with his 
	gun.

				NATHAN
		...Get away from there.

	Hi and Ed back away from the crib.

	Nathan peers in and studies the baby for a moment.

	He lays the gun down, tenderly picks up the baby and holds 
	him to his chest. A tear forms at the corner of his eye.

	Hi and Ed are quietly moving back towards the ladder.

				NATHAN
			(sharply)
		Waitaminute...

	Hi and Ed Stop.

				NATHAN
		...I ain't through with you. What're 
		you doin' creepin' around here in 
		the dark? You in with Smalls?

				HI
		...Scuse me?

	As he bounces the baby, studying Hi and Ed:

				NATHAN
		Leonard Smalls, big fella rides a 
		Harley, dresses like a rock star?

				HI
		No sir, that's who we saved him from. 
		It's a long story.

				NATHAN
		Suppose you tell it.

				HI
		Well, sir, in a re-ward situation, 
		they usually say no questions asked.

				NATHAN
		Do they.

	Hi shrugs.

	Nathan turns to put the baby back in the crib.

				NATHAN
		...All right, boy, I guess you got a 
		re-ward coming. Twenty thousand 
		dollars...

	He turns around with a thought:

				NATHAN
		...Or, if you need home furnishings, 
		I can give you a fine of credit at 
		any of my stores. Fact, that's the 
		way I'd rather handle it, for tax 
		reasons...

				HI
		Well-

	Nathan throws his hands up in the air.

				NATHAN
		But it's up to you.

				HI
		Tell you the truth, I think we'd 
		prefer the ca-

				ED
		We don't want no reward.

	Hi does a small take, surprised at this much integrity.

				ED
		...We didn't bring him back for money.

				NATHAN
		Well, we could work it that way too.

				ED
		Could I just look at him a little 
		bit more?

	She stands looking into the crib. Hi steps up next to her 
	and puts an arm around her shoulder.

				NATHAN
		Be my guest, young lady... but would 
		you mind tellin' me exactly how you-

	Ed starts crying softly as she gazes into the crib. Hi murmurs 
	something to comfort her.

	Nathan is studying the two of them.

				NATHAN
		...You took him, didn't you? Wasn't 
		that biker a'tal.

	Hi turns to face him. He speaks in a rush.

				HI
		I took him, sir, my wife had nothin' 
		to do with it. I crept in yon window 
		and-

				ED
			(still crying)
		We both did it. We didn't wanna hurt 
		him any; I just wanted to be a mama.

				HI
		It wasn't for money or nothin'. We 
		just figured you had more'n you could 
		handle, babywise. But I'm the one 
		committed the actual crime sir, if 
		you need to call the authorities-

				NATHAN
		Shutup boy, no one's callin' the 
		authorities if there's no harm done.

				HI
		Thank you sir.

				ED
		Thank you sir.

				NATHAN
		Aw bullshit. Just tell me - just 
		tell me why you did it.

				ED
		We can't have our own.

	Nathan looks at her. Finally he nods and sighs.

				NATHAN
		...Well lookit. If you can't have 
		kids you gotta just keep tryin' and 
		hope medical science catches up with 
		you. Like Florence'n me - it caught 
		up with a vengeance. And hell, even 
		if it never does, you still got each 
		other.

				HI
		Sir, those're kind words. But I think 
		the wife and me are splittin' up...

	He indicates Ed with a nod of the head.

				HI
		...Her point of view is we're both 
		kinda selfish and unrealistic, so we 
		ain't too good for each other.

				NATHAN
		Well ma'am, I don't know much but I 
		do know human bein's. You brought 
		back my boy so you must have your 
		good points too. I'd sure hate to 
		think of Florence leavin' me - I do 
		love her so...

	He clears his throat and turns to the door. His tone is harder 
	again:

				NATHAN
		...You can go out the way you came 
		in...

	He snaps off the lights.

				NATHAN
		...And before you go off and do 
		another foolish thing, like busting 
		up, I suggest you sleep on it...

	He has disappeared into the hall. We hear his voice receding:

				NATHAN
		...at least one night.

	HIGH SHOT

	Looking straight down at Hi, asleep in the trailer bedroom. 
	We start to crane down.

				VOICE OVER
		That night I had a dream...

	EXTREME WIDE SHOT

	A beautiful dusk landscape. We are floating in over the field, 
	abutting the prison, that Gale and Evelle popped out of.

	In the middle background of the extreme long shot two men 
	are walking across the field.

				VOICE OVER
		...I dreamt I was as light as the 
		ether, a floating spirit visiting 
		things to come...

	BACK TO HIGH SHOT BEDROOM

	Craning down toward Hi.

				VOICE OVER
		The shades and shadows of the people 
		in my life wrastled their way into 
		my slumber.

	BACK TO FIELD

	Still floating forward but now much closer to the two walking 
	men. We see that they are Gale and Evelle. Both are still 
	dyed blue.

	They are approaching the hole in the ground.

				VOICE OVER
		I dreamt that Gale and Evelle had 
		decided to return to prison...

	Evelle is starting to climb into the hole.

				VOICE OVER
		...Probably that's just as well. I 
		don't mean to sound superior, and 
		they're a swell couple guys, but...

	Evelle has disappeared and Gale starts climbing in.

				VOICE OVER
		...maybe they weren't ready yet to 
		come out into the world.

	FLOATING UP THE WALK OF THE ARIZONA HONE

	The front door has a holly wreath on it.

				VOICE OVER
		And then I dreamed on, into the 
		future, to a Christmas morn in the 
		Arizona home...

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	ARIZONA LIVING ROOM

	Five three-year-olds in their pajamas are opening presents 
	around a tree as Nathan and Florence look on.

				VOICE OVER
		...where Nathan Jr. was opening a 
		present from a kindly couple who 
		preferred to remain unknown.

	We have been isolating in on one of the children peeling the 
	wrappings off a package marked to Nathan Jr. Inside is a 
	shiny red plastic football.

	FLOATING IN TOWARD A STATION WAGON

	Pulled over on the state highway in the middle of the desert, 
	a police motorcycle parked behind it. Glen is leaning out 
	the driver's window of the car talking to the state trooper 
	who stands facing him.

				VOICE OVER
		I saw Glen, a few years later, still 
		havin' no luck gettin' the cops to 
		listen to his wild tales about me'n 
		Ed...

	Glen is grinning and talking with his hands cupped in front 
	of him, as when he told Hi about the Pollack who almost 
	stepped in the pile of shit.

	The trooper, in crash helmet and dark sunglasses, is listening 
	tight-lipped and stone-faced as Glen finishes his story and 
	slaps his knee.

				VOICE OVER
		...Maybe he threw in one Pollack 
		joke too many...

	The trooper is clicking open his ballpoint pen and reaching 
	his citation book from his breast pocket. The name tag on 
	the pocket says "SGT. KOWALSKI."

				VOICE OVER
		...I don't know.

	FLOATING IN TOWARD A FOOTBALL

	It sits on a tee in the middle of a football field.

				VOICE OVER
		And still I dreamed on...

	A cleated foot boots the football out of frame.

				VOICE OVER
		...further into the future than I'd 
		ever dreamed before.

	HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER

	Looking up, arms out at his sides, waiting to receive the 
	kicked ball.

				VOICE OVER
		...Watching Nathan Jr.'s progress 
		from afar...

	He catches the ball and starts running.

				VOICE OVER
		...Taking pride in his accomplishments 
		as if he were our own...

	He is skillfully eluding and stiff-arming tacklers.

				VOICE OVER
		...Wondering if he ever thought of 
		us.

	He reaches the end zone and triumphantly spikes the football.

	He whips off his helmet and we track in on the face of the 
	rosy-cheeked high-school bruiser.

				VOICE OVER
		...and hoping that maybe we'd 
		broadened his horizons a little, 
		even if he couldn't remember just 
		how they'd got broadened.

	BACK TO BEDROOM

	Still craning down, now very close to the sleeping Hi.

				VOICE OVER
		But still I hadn't dreamt nothin' 
		about me'n Ed. Until the end...

						 DISSOLVE THROUGH TO

	A COUPLE

	The man and woman are sitting on a sofa in the foreground 
	with their backs to the camera. They are in the living room 
	of Hi and Ed's trailer, which is suffused with a warm golden 
	light.

	As they face the trailer's front door, all we see of the 
	couple is the backs of their heads. They both have white 
	hair, the woman's pulled into a bun. The old man wears a 
	cardigan, the woman a shawl.

				VOICE OVER
		...And this was cloudier 'cause it 
		was years, years away.

	The front door bursts open. Two young couples are entering 
	as their kids - about a dozen of them - stream in around 
	them.

	The old couple on the couch raise their arms to embrace their 
	visitors. The children boil onto the couch.

				VOICE OVER
		...But I saw an old couple bein' 
		visited by their children - and all 
		their grandchildren too. And the old 
		couple wasn't screwed up, and neither 
		were their kids or their grandkids. 
		And I don't know, you tell me. This 
		whole dream, was it wishful thinking?  
		Was I just fleein' reality, like I 
		know I'm liable to do?

	FLOATING IN TOWARD A LONG DINING TABLE

	In the trailer. The table is all laid out with a Thanksgiving 
	dinner, a huge turkey sitting at the far end.

	Cut-out letters at the other end of the room say: "WELCOME 
	HOME KIDS!"

	The grandchildren are running into frame and taking their 
	seats at the table, accompanied by their parents.

				VOICE OVER
		...But me'n Ed, we can be good too...

	The elderly couple enter from either side of the camera and 
	stand in the foreground, backs to us, facing the table.

				VOICE OVER
		...And it seemed real. It seemed 
		like us. And it seemed like well... 
		our home... If not Arizona, then a 
		land, not too far away, where all 
		parents are strong and wise and 
		capable, and all children are happy 
		and beloved... I dunno, maybe it was 
		Utah.

	The elderly man drapes an arm around his wife's shoulder and 
	draws her close. She rests her head against his shoulder, 
	and we:

								FADE OUT

	THE END


Raising Arizona



Writers :   Joel Coen  Ethan Coen
Genres :   Comedy


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