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INT
- BOXING RING - NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #2”. The bell RINGS. Mac charges ahead. We hear a loud THUMP. Mac
crashes to the canvas, unconscious. The
bell RINGS; the fight is over. INT
- BOXING RING - A DIFFERENT NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #3”. Mac goes flying through the
ropes, and his foot gets snagged on the bottom ring rope. Mac hangs there unconscious as Tom, Eugene
and Kid disentangle him. INT
- BOXING RING - A DIFFERENT NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #4”. Mac approaches the ring,
with Tom, Eugene and Kid behind him.
Kid carries the bucket and Eugene carries the stool. Eugene seems strangely proud of the stool,
as if it were a trophy. He carries it
with great dignity and solemnity. Mac
climbs up the steps to the ring but slips and falls, crashing his jaw against
the top step and knocking himself out cold.
Tom
rushes to Mac’s side, checks him out, and waves his arms at the Referee. The
Referee blows his WHISTLE and raises the hand of Mac’s OPPONENT in victory. INT
- BOXING RING - A DIFFERENT NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #5”. Mac falls flat on his face,
nose and lips pressed against the canvas.
He sticks there like glue, not moving. INT
- BOXING RING- A DIFFERENT NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #6”. Mac and his OPPONENT swing at the same time, both PUNCHING each
other in the face. They are both
knocked unconscious. REFEREE ... Seven!
Eight! Nine! Ten! Both
fighters lie flat on their backs. The
REFEREE blows his WHISTLE and waves his arms, signaling the end of the fight. INT
- BOXING RING - A DIFFERENT NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #7”. Mac stands in his corner, dancing and fidgeting. OLD MAC (v.o.) Every time I got my clock rung I started thinking
about what Padre told me about boxing being my salvation, and I wondered if
Jesus was gonna suddenly materialize and turn me into a priest. The
bell RINGS; Mac rushes forward. We hear
a loud THUMP. Mac crashes to the
canvas, unconscious. MAC’S
P.O.V. The
crusty old REFEREE counts, spittle flying from his lips as he screams. REFEREE Eight!
Nine! Ten! So long, sonny-boy! OLD MAC (v.o.) Now, who’s to say what Jesus really looks like? But
speaking for myself, I think I know what he don’t look like. The Referee’s goofy old face stares directly into
Mac’s eyes. INT
- BOXING RING - A DIFFERENT NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #8”. Mac lies on the canvas, head lolling. The REFEREE counts. REFEREE Six! Seven!
Eight! Mac
struggles to his feet. The referee
checks him out, then signals the fight to continue. Tom
yells from where he stands ringside. TOM Come on, Mac, dance! Stay on your toes! Mac
dances around his opponent, STAN RUPINSKY, a jiggling ball of white
blubber. Mac lands a ripping RIGHT HOOK
into Stan’s stomach, making the layers of fat ripple. Stan
bends over double, the wind knocked out of him. Mac follows up with a RIGHT UPPERCUT that puts Stan on the seat
of his pants. REFEREE One! Two! The
bell RINGS and the fighters retreat to their corners. TOM C’mon, spit. Mac
spits the water directly into Eugene’s face. Tom puts the mouthpiece back in
Mac’s mouth. Eugene grimaces and wipes
his face. TOM
(cont.) Listen. Hit
him in the belly. MAC (lisping through the mouthpiece) Othay. Mac
and Stan advance on each other. They
study each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Mac
and Stan circle each other slowly, neither one throwing a punch. The crowd begins to GRUMBLE. VOICE #1 FROM CROWD Hit him, ya bum! VOICE #2 FROM CROWD What’re you, scared? Mac’s
brow knits with anger. He rushes
forward. Mac
and Stan swing simultaneously. Mac
swings a RIGHT into Stan’s belly, and Stan smashes a RIGHT into Mac’s nose. Mac
collapses, bleeding from the nose. Stan
bends over double and stumbles around the ring clutching his stomach. He makes it to his corner then collapses
onto one knee with his head down low, gagging and holding onto the ropes for
support. REFEREE Seven!
Eight! Nine! At the count of nine Stan gets up with a wretched,
sick look on his face. REFEREE Ten! The Referee holds Stan’s hand up in the air. Stan tries to straighten up to acknowledge
the victory, but suddenly bends over double and spits up a big chunk of sausage
on the ring mat. The Referee jumps away
quickly. Tom, Kid and Eugene have dejected looks on their
faces. EXT - PARK IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS - DAY The park overlooks the Manhattan skyline. FABULOUS FREDDY (o.s.) That’s where the money is, Mac. Can you smell it? MAC (o.s.) (with a nasal tone) I can’t smell nothing. Mac and Fabulous Freddy sit on a bench with a view
of Manhattan. Mac has a bandage around
his face that covers his nose, and a bloody wad of tissue stuck up one nostril. FABULOUS FREDDY You can’t smell nothing. Of course you can’t, you got a broken nose! Freddy thinks this is very funny, and LAUGHS. Mac pulls out the wad of tissue. MAC It finally stopped bleeding. FABULOUS FREDDY Here’s the thing.
I can’t afford to pay you to fight no more. MAC But ... we have a contract, Freddy. FABULOUS FREDDY Remember I said rules are made to be broken? Same thing with contracts. If it’s not working it’s not doing either
one of us any good. I don’t need to go
bankrupt and you don’t need to break any more bones. MAC But I can do this Freddy, I know I can. FABULOUS FREDDY I’m trying to give you an education here. It’s like this: if you’re not winning the
game, sometimes you need to try a different game. You’re saying let’s quit. FABULOUS FREDDY You’re not listening to me, I’m trying to propose
something. It’s not quitting, it’s a proposal.
Do you want to hear it? Mac glowers in silence. FABULOUS FREDDY (cont.) Gambling. People have to go all the way to Atlantic
City or Las Vegas to do it. Until
now. There’s a proposal to legalize
gambling in Manhattan. Whoever runs the
casinos ... get the picture? MAC What’re you asking me? FABULOUS FREDDY Not asking, offering. It’s an investment opportunity.
For fifteen thousand I know some people will guarantee my name gets on
the list for a casino license. If we
don’t get the license, the money’s returned, clean, with interest. If we get the license, well, it’s a license
to print money. It’s a no risk
investment. Lilly put in five “G’s”, I
got eight. You can put up the other
two, we’ll be partners. MAC I don’t have it. FABULOUS FREDDY I know, what I’m saying is, we can work something
out. I’ll let you keep fighting for me,
but instead of me paying you, I’ll give you a piece of the casino deal when it
comes through. What do you say? MAC I don’t know. They
are silent for a moment. FABULOUS FREDDY I’m going to ask Lilly to marry me. Mac struggles to retain his composure. MAC When? FABULOUS FREDDY Soon. Soon enough.
I’m gonna really surprise her. But I gotta save up some money to do it
right. Do you know what it costs to get
married? You don’t want to know. Mac looks Freddy in the eye. Mac’s nose is bleeding again. MAC You’re right, I don’t. Listen, I got two more fights and I’m gonna do ‘em even if it
kills me. Pay me or don’t pay me, I
don’t care, but I’m doing ‘em. A
LITTLE LATER Mac,
alone in the park, stands by the railing looking across the water at
Manhattan. A few raindrops fall on him but
he doesn’t notice. Mac
STRIKES himself across the face with an open hand, then does it again and
again. EXT
- OUTSIDE WEGMAN’S COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT, LATER THE SAME DAY It’s
a cold, rainy evening. Mac, wearing a rain jacket and hat, looks through the window
and sees Lilly pouring coffee for a customer.
INT
- WEGMAN’S COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT Lilly
is behind the counter. She walks up to
Mac, who is seated at one of the counter stools. Lilly can’t see it’s Mac because he holds a newspaper in front of
his face. LILLY What can I get you, mister? MAC (from behind the newspaper) Coffee with chocolate ice cream. Lilly
pulls down the newspaper and sees Mac.
They laugh. LILLY Sorry, it’s not on the menu. Mac looks around, as if making sure no one is
eavesdropping. MAC (in a hushed tone) I promise not to tell anybody. Lilly
leaves and comes back a moment later with the coffee/ice cream drink. Mac tries it. MAC It’s pretty good once you get used to it. LILLY Exactly.
Oatmeal’s like that too. I remember the first time I tried oatmeal. At first there was something weird about it,
and then the next thing you know I found myself craving it at two in the
morning. MAC Freddy said you gave him five thousand dollars for
that casino thing. That right? LILLY We took a note out on the house. MAC Is that such a good idea? What if something goes
wrong? LILLY Then we get our money back. Like Freddy said, it’s a risk free
investment. MAC Ain’t no such animal in the zoo. LILLY Did he ask you to quit boxing? MAC (shakes his head “no”) That word ain’t in my vocabulary. LILLY What word? MAC Quit. LILLY Hah! You
just said it! MAC Saying it and doing it ain’t the same thing, and I
ain’t gonna do it. I’m not a quitter. LILLY Baloney. You
quit on me, but you won’t quit getting punched in the face. How do you think that makes me feel? What does that say about me? MAC If it says anything about you it’s that you never
realized you could do better. Let’s
face it -- I’m a punching bag with a gimpy left arm. I’m working a subsidy job from the government which I only have
because someone with a few stars and bars on his arm took sympathy one me. I live in a rat trap with paper thin
walls. All I’ve got to my name is my
name, and when people tell me to quit, they’re telling me to throw that away
too. So sorry, but I’m not about to
quit. Mac stalks away, then comes back and puts some
change on the counter. MAC (cont.) (softly) Every time I ever quit something I always wished
later that I hadn’t. Mac exits. EXT
- BROOKLYN STREET - DAWN Mac
runs through he streets. EXT
- BROOKLYN PARK - DAWN Mac
runs through the park. The Manhattan
skyline is shrouded in fog. EXT
- BROOKLYN NAVY YARD - DAWN Mac
runs to the waterfront area in the back and does some jumping jacks. A tugboat glides by and BLARES its horn. INT
- BROOKLYN NAVY YARD WAREHOUSE - DAY A
hand pulls the string under a brass horn, and the BLARING of the tugboat’s horn
segues into the BLARING of the five o’clock quitting-time horn in the Navy
warehouse. Mac
looks up at the horn and smiles. He
walks toward the exit, but stops as he overhears two WORKERS talking. WORKER #1 My grandmother could take him -- and she died last
year! WORKER #2 I heard he knocked himself out brushing his teeth. WORKER #1 I hear he sleeps on canvas sheets ‘cause that’s the
only way he can get comfortable. Mac frowns at the sound of their LAUGHTER and walks
away. KID (o.s.) Who’s gonna tell him? INT
- BOXING GYM - DAY A
few fighters are training on the heavy bags and speed bags. There are two boxing rings, both being
used. Tom, Eugene and Kid sit on a
couch by the entrance. EUGENE I ain’t gonna tell him. You tell him. KID Tom, you tell him. TOM He’s not gonna wanna quit. He’ll get angry if I tell him. EUGENE He’ll get killed if you don’t. Mac
bounds through the front door. TOM Hey, how you feeling, Mac? MAC Like a horse. KID Yeah, huh? TOM You been training real hard, Mac - MAC We’re gonna win this time, I guarantee it. You can take that to the bank and buy a U.S.
bond. TOM We been talking, Mac - MAC You know what Lilly says to me yesterday? Get this: she says I should quit. They stare at Mac. MAC (cont.) Yer all speechless.
Me too! I says “Quit? That word ain’t in my vocabulary.” Course I had to say the word “quit” to tell
her it ain’t in my vocabulary, but she got the point. I told her Mac Mackouckas ain’t never run away from a fight in
his life and he ain’t about to start now. TOM Well ... yeah. We’re all real proud of you, Mac. Eugene and Kid nod. INT
- BOXING GYM - A LITTLE LATER Kid
takes a poster off the wall. The poster has a picture of Rosco Battaglia and
reads “Heavyweight Title Defense at Madison Square Garden! Rosco Battaglia (42-0) vs. Allan Yutley
(14-2).” Underneath there is a picture
of Stefan Toussaint: a scary, scowling black man with white warpaint stripes
across his face. The type reads
“Undercard Fight: The Witch Doctor Stefan Toussaint (5-0) vs. Mac Mackouckas
(0-7-1).” Mac
is punching Eugene around the ring. Mac still punches almost exclusively with
his right, but now he’s keeping his left glove up by his cheek for protection;
his boxing technique is clearly improving.
Padre, Tom and Kid stand outside the ring. KID Stefan Toussaint.
Don’t sound like a name for a witch doctor, does it? Sounds more like a French pastry chef. TOM He’s an Indian, from the Chapahoutle tribe in New
Orleans. He killed a man in the ring. INT
- LOCKER ROOM - A LITTLE LATER Mac
gets dressed. Tom, Kid and Eugene put
the equipment away. POPS,
the eighty-year old curmudgeon who runs the boxing gym, enters the dressing
room. He’s smoking a cigar and carrying
a gift-wrapped package with a bright red bow on it. Pops’ voice sounds like a croaking frog. POPS Special delivery. Mac is surprised.
He takes the package. MAC Thanks, Pops.
What is it? POPS Big box. Mac reads the attached card. It says “To Mac. From a
Fan.” MAC Who gave it to you? POPS Hey, whudda I know?
I was takin’ a leak and when I got back -- (sucks on cigar and exhales) -- end of story. Mac
opens the package. Inside is a red,
cloth robe with black trim, folded up. EUGENE Geez, Louise. KID Hey, Mac, that’s something. MAC Did you guys do this? TOM No. Least I
didn’t. You fellas? Eugene
and Kid shake their heads “no”. MAC Wow. A
genuine boxing robe, like a real professional. Mac
takes the robe from the box. He hold it
up by the shoulders and displays it proudly. Tom,
Eugene, Kid and Pops stop smiling and stare at the robe with surprised
expressions on their faces. The
silence in interrupted by a Pop’s loud, croaking laughter. POPS Ha ha ha ha! Canvas Back Mac. That’s rich! Pop
turns exits, LAUGHING. POPS (cont.) Ha ha! I
wish I’da thought of that. Canvas Back
Mac it says. He’s a canvas back all
right! Mac’s face grows red. EUGENE Whoever did this is gonna pay. KID I’ll bet it was Pops. He was laughing at you. EUGENE Yeah, and he was saying “Canvas Back Mac” too! TOM He only said that ‘cause he saw it on the robe. EUGENE Maybe because he’s the one that put it there in the
first place? KID Ah, who knows?
It’s like the chicken and egg. EUGENE The what? KID You know, what came first, the chicken or the egg? EUGENE The chicken of course. Where else are you gonna get an egg? KID But where’d the egg come from? From the chicken, stupid. As
they others argue Mac puts on the robe; it is a perfect fit. He ties the belt around the middle and looks
at himself in the wall mirror. MAC I’m gonna wear it. KID But Mac, people are gonna laugh at you. MAC Maybe they should.
If I can’t win no fights then I don’t deserve to wear any better’n this. TOM You’re not serious - MAC I’m gonna wear this thing until I can tell the world
I ain’t a canvas back no more. EUGENE But it’s embarrassing, Mac. MAC Then you’re free to go. Listen, no one’s holding a
gun to your heads, so if you’re embarrassed now’s the time to walk out. Tom,
Eugene and Kid look at each other. EUGENE I’m sticking with you, Mac. KID Me too. They look to Tom. TOM I always considered you an embarrassment anyway, so
I guess nothing’s changed. MAC Only one thing’s changed. I ain’t losing no more. EXT
- WEGMAN’S COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT Mac
stands across the street, watching Lilly serve a CUSTOMER. MAC’S
P.O.V. Lilly
looks in a mirror and adjusts her hair.
She accidentally knocks over some napkins and bends over to pick them
up, outlining the lovely angles of her legs and hips. EXT
- WEGMAN’S COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT Mac
crosses the street and looks in the window.
Lilly turns around and sees him.
She smiles and waves for Mac to come in. INT
- WEGMAN’S COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT Mac
smiles, points to his watch, shrugs his shoulders and points down the
street. Through the glass, he mouths
the words “Are you coming to the fight?”. LILLY (shaking her head) What? Mac mouths the words “Are you coming to the fight?”
again. LILLY (shaking her head) I can’t hear you! CUSTOMER He says, are you coming to the fight? LILLY Oh. Ask him
if he wants me to come to the fight. CUSTOMER (yelling) Do you want her to go to the fight? Mac nods his head. CUSTOMER I’d say that’s a “yes”. LILLY Okay. Tell
him I’ll be there. EXT - WEGMAN’S COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT The customer yells loud enough for Mac to hear him
through the glass. CUSTOMER She says she’ll be there! Mac
smiles, waves good-bye. The customer
waves back, and returns to his coffee. EXT
- MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT A
huge crowd swarms around Madison Square Garden. The marquee reads “Tonight:
Heavyweight Title Fight! Rosco Battaglia vs. Allan Yutley.” A
limousine pulls up and some WELL-DRESSED PEOPLE step out and walk the red
carpet to the VIP entrance. The
limousine pulls away, and another one takes its place. INT
- DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT Mac
sits on a bench while Tom ties his boxing gloves. Eugene and Kid rush in the door. EUGENE It’s a mob! TOM Did you ever think you’d see the day you’d be
fighting in Madison Square Garden? MAC For a good seat maybe, but never in the ring. There’s
a KNOCK at the door, and it opens.
Rosco Battaglia pokes his head in. ROSCO Good luck there, kid. I always root for the New Yorker. Rosco grins then closes the door. KID (amazed) That was - MAC (in awe) Rosco Battaglia. EUGENE I don’t believe it.
He came in here and said “Good luck, Mac!” KID No, he said, “Good luck, kid.” No, he said “Mac.”
He wasn’t talking to you. KID I know, but he didn’t say “Mac,” I heard him say
“kid.” He said “Good luck, kid.” EUGENE He wasn’t saying “good luck” to you, stupid! You ain’t even fighting. KID What’s wrong with this guy? I know I ain’t
fighting! But he said “kid,” not “Mac”
even though he was talking to Mac and not me. EUGENE Oh, so now you’re calling the heavyweight champion
of the world stupid? (opening the door)
Do you want to say that to his face?
‘Cuz I’ll go get him for you! KID No, I’m just saying - The
sound of DRUMS starts THROBBING through the building. Mac, Tom, Eugene and Kid all look around. INT - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT SUPER:
“Fight #9”. The DIN of the crowd grows SOFTER as the sound of the DRUMS grows
LOUDER. The
RING ANNOUNCER, wearing a tuxedo and bow tie, steps into the middle of the
ring. He reaches for the microphone
hanging from the ceiling into the ring. RING ANNOUNCER Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Madison Square
Garden, the Mecca of professional boxing! The crowd CHEERS.
The DRUMS get louder. RING ANNOUNCER (cont.) Tonight’s undercard is a heavyweight fight with some
up-and-coming young talent. Those drums
can only mean one thing. Ladies and
gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Witch Doctor, Stefan
Toussaint! The
DRUMS build to a CRESCENDO. Heads turn
in the crowd to look toward the curtain from the dressing rooms. STEFAN
TOUSSAINT emerges from behind the curtain.
He wears a huge Mardi Gras Indian headdress, and a necklace of
teeth. He scowls through the war paint
on his face. He is followed by his
trainer PHILLIPE THERIOULT and four
shirtless MARDIS GRAS INDIANS all banging on DRUMS. Stefan
walks slowly, regally toward the ring.
His entourage WHOOPS and HOLLERS and POUNDS on the drums. Faces in the crowd betray awe and fear. Stefan
climbs into the ring and makes a slow circle.
He stands alone in the middle of the ring and then emits a BLOOD
CURDLING INDIAN WAR SCREAM. The crowd
responds with a ROAR. INT
- CURTAIN LEADING FROM DRESSING AREA TO RING - NIGHT Tom
peaks through the curtain and looks over his shoulder at Mac. TOM Showtime. INT - BOXING RING - NIGHT RING ANNOUNCER And his opponent, hailing from Brooklyn, New York - The crowd CHEERS. RING ANNOUNCER (cont.) - weighing
in at one hundred ninety-five pounds, Mac Mackouckas! The crowd looks up the aisle to the dressing room. The curtains part and Mac steps out wearing his red
robe. The crowd CHEERS. Tom follows. Kid is next, BANGING a ladle on the water bucket. KID That’s right!
Make some noise for your home town boy! Eugene follows behind, proudly holding a wooden
stool over his head as if it were a trophy.
Mac, Tom, Eugene and Kid march toward the ring. Sonny sits ringside, waving a little American
flag. Fabulous Freddy and Lilly sit
together in the crowd. As he turns, we see the back of his robe: CANVAS
BACK MAC. People in the crowd begin to
notice, and LAUGHTER spreads through the crowd. VOICE #1 FROM CROWD Get a load of his robe! VOICE #2 FROM CROWD It’s Canvas Back Mac! Flashbulbs begin to POP. Fabulous Freddy’s jaw drops. He covers his face with his hands and shakes
his head. VOICE #3 FROM CROWD Hey, Canvas Back Mac! Hey, Canvas Back Mac, look over here! Mac
grins a tight-lipped grin. Tom juts his
jaw out and stares straight ahead. The REFEREE waves Stefan and Mac into the middle of
the ring. Stefan and Mac stare at each other. Mac looks surprisingly confident. Stefan stands almost six inches taller than Mac, but his fierce
expression has gone and he looks perplexed. VOICE FROM CROWD (o.s.) Canvas Back Mac!
Canvas Back Mac! Canvas Back Mac! More voices join in. Soon the crowd is CHANTING: CROWD Canvas Back Mac!
Canvas Back Mac! Canvas Back
Mac! Stefan turns to the Referee. STEFAN (New Orleans accent) Canvas Back Mac? Is this a joke? REFEREE You tell me. Stefan looks at Mac. STEFAN Are you a crazy man? Mac
answers with a lisp caused by the mouthpiece already in his mouth. MAC (waving a fist) Crazy like a chicken. STEFAN (to Referee) Is this a circus?
I am supposed to fight him? Stefan turns to his trainer, Phillipe Therioult. STEFAN (cont.) Phillipe, I cannot fight this man. I think he is
retarded. PHILLIPE He’s just punchy.
Been knocked out eight times in a row.
Make it nine. STEFAN I will not. It is very back luck to hit a man like
that. PHILLIPE You can’t walk away, this is Madison Square Garden. Stefan fixes Phillipe with a deadly stare. STEFAN Do not anger me, Phillipe. MAC (lisping through the mouthpiece) Come on, take your medicine. Stefan
climbs between the ropes and walks down the steps. The Referee goes to the corner of the ropes and begins
counting. The crowd ROARS in anger. REFEREE One! Two! Mac spits out the mouthpiece. MAC Hey! Come
back here and fight! REFEREE Three! Four! Mac runs to the side of the ropes next to the
Referee. MAC I said come back here and fight, you coward! Tom
runs up behind Mac and throws an arm around him, trying to pull him away. TOM Let him go, Mac, you’re gonna win the fight. REFEREE Five! Six!
Seven! MAC Get offa me! The crowd JEERS and throws things at Stefan and his
entourage as they leave the ring. Mac
breaks free of Tom’s grip and runs to the ring corner closest to Stefan. MAC Quitter!
You’re a quitter! REFEREE Eight! Nine!
Ten! Dah winner! The Referee throws Mac’s hand in the air. Mac pulls away, climbs up the ropes and
stands on the top turnbuckle.
Flashbulbs POP all around him. MAC (yelling at Stefan) I wanna rematch!
I wanna rematch! REFEREE (to himself) I’ve been a referee for eighteen years and this is
the first time I’ve ever seen the winner demand a rematch. Stefan
waves his hands at Mac. STEFAN Phooey! MAC Phooey?! Why
you ... I ain’t letting you quit! Mac
launches himself in a headfirst dive off of the top rope directly toward
Stefan. A million flashbulbs POP all at
once. The
picture freezes as Mac flies through the air.
Mac is colored white by the illumination of a flashbulb. OLD MAC (v.o.) This was the other key moment that I was talking
about. I coulda taken the cheap win and made everybody happy. But for some reason I wasn’t satisfied. I knew there was something more to really
winning, and I wouldn’t be happy until I found out what it was. Tom,
Eugene, Kid, the Referee, Sonny, Lilly, Fabulous Freddy, Stefan Toussaint and
various faces in the crowd tilt their heads back and follow the trajectory of
Mac’s flight. They follow Mac’s
liftoff, his gaining of altitude, and then their faces turn down to follow the
course of his plummet: a loud CRASH marks the inevitable. Mac
lies unconscious at Stefan’s feet; he missed Stefan entirely. Stefan’s jaw hangs slack and he looks down
at Mac in astonishment. The
Ring Announcer strides into the middle of the ring. RING ANNOUNCER Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner by default ...
Canvas Back Mac! (beat) Is there a
doctor in the house? Mac is unconscious.
The crowd CHEERS, LAUGHS and APPLAUDS.
A man wearing shades and a tuxedo and sitting next
to a stunning BLONDE WOMAN at ringside stands up. He removes his shades and APPLAUDS. It is Hurricane Tony, his ink-black hair slicked back into a
perfect pompadour. INT - ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH - DAY The
ORGAN PLAYER peers over the side of the choir loft at the large groups of
people assembled below. Fabulous Freddy
stands at the front near the altar, wearing a dark suit. Freddy looks at the Organ Player and nods. The
Organ Player plays sad FUNERAL MUSIC. Freddy
turns and looks down the aisle toward the Church’s entrance. He makes an almost imperceptible gesture
with his right hand. FOUR
WOMEN carrying wreathes and flowers walk down the aisle and arrange the flowers
around the sides of the altar. Freddy
looks up again at the choir loft at a LARGE WOMAN, and nods. She begins to SING a hymn along with the
organ. Freddy
turns, looks down the aisle and makes another gesture. In response, SIX PALLBEARERS carry a coffin
toward the altar. Freddy watches their
feet to make sure they are all in synch with each other. FABULOUS FREDDY (softly, to himself) Left, right, left.
That’s it. They got it. Freddy looks to the altar. Padre is waiting to exit the rectory door and walk onto the
altar. Padre takes a step out, and
Freddy shakes his head “no” and holds up one finger. Padre freezes. Freddy waits until the coffin is nearly at the front
of the church. Just as the pallbearers
arrive Freddy looks up at Padre and drops his finger. Padre walks onto the altar. Freddy looks up at the Singer and the Organ
Player and makes an urgent face. The
MUSIC STOPS just as Padre raises his hands over his head. PADRE Friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the
passing of our dear sister Angelina Cicio - Freddy smiles contentedly. INT - FABULOUS FREDDY’S HOUSE - DAY About thirty people mill around Fabulous Freddy’s
modest home. The guests drink coffee
and hold plates of cake and cookies. Tom pulls Mac aside, and speaks low so others don’t
hear. TOM Do you get the odd feeling that Freddy is enjoying
his own mother’s funeral? It’s like
he’s producing a television show. MAC He’s gonna ask Lilly to marry him. TOM (surprised) You’re not going to let that happen, are you? MAC What would you do? TOM I don’t know.
Punch him in the nose or something? MAC I can’t do that. Why not? MAC He just lost his mother. How can I punch him in the nose? TOM You’re right. (beat)
How long do you think we have to wait until it’s okay to punch him in the nose
again? MAC I don’t know.
Let’s ask Padre, he’ll know. TOM A week, tops. Celia, Lilly and Mrs. Robbins join Mac and Tom. Celia takes Tom’s arm. MRS. ROBBINS Well, it’s true.
Mrs. Cicio never met a bottle she didn’t like. Or a man, either, so I’m told. CELIA Oh, come on now.
I’m sure those were just rumors. MRS. ROBBINS Just look over there. MR. ROMANO (the butcher), his WIFE, their nine year
old SON and eleven year old DAUGHTER
stand at the far end of the room. They
are all stuffing their faces with cake, except for Mr. Romano, who is sweating
and looks very uncomfortable in his dark suit. MRS. ROBBINS (cont.) Now look at the pictures. They all look to the pictures on the wall: one shows
Freddy’s mother holding Freddy as a baby.
Another shows Freddy as a ten year old boy. Another shows Freddy at about twenty-five. They all look back to Mr. Romano and family: Mr. Romano’s son bears a striking
resemblance to the picture of Freddy when he was ten. They all look back to the picture of Freddy at
twenty-five. They look at Mr. Romano. The resemblance between Freddy and Mr. Romano is more than a
coincidence. MAC The butcher did it! MRS. ROBBINS Just because they’re rumors doesn’t mean they’re not
true. They all turn and look at Freddy again. Freddy is listening politely to an elderly
man, and then breaks into a big laugh and claps the man on the back. TOM He sure doesn’t look too upset. The front door of the house opens and a MURMUR goes
through the small crowd. Hurricane Tony walks in the front door, with his
blonde girlfriend in tow. As always, Hurricane Tony’s hair is perfect. Freddy spots Hurricane Tony and runs to greet him. FREDDY Tony! Glad
you could make it. It is so good of you
to come. Hurricane Tony gives Freddy a somber handshake.
Freddy casts a quick look around to make sure that everybody notices the
moment. HURRICANE TONY Not at all, Freddy. Please accept my sincerest condolences. FREDDY Thank you, Tony. HURRICANE TONY How was the funeral? FREDDY Fabulous! HURRICANE TONY Really? FABULOUS FREDDY Big flowers, the organ player and the singer doing
the “Ave Maria,” the priest got all his lines right. It was a big production,
you would have liked it. HURRICANE TONY That’s great, Freddy. Hurricane
Tony looks over toward Mac and Lilly. HURRICANE TONY (cont.) Hey, is that who I think it is? Hurricane Tony walks toward Mac and Lilly, with
Freddy following closely. Lilly smiles with surprise; she thinks Tony
recognizes her. HURRICANE TONY (cont.) Is it you?
Canvas Back Mac? Hurricane Tony takes Mac’s hand and shakes it
enthusiastically. Lilly frowns. HURRICANE TONY (cont.) I saw you fight at the Garden last week. You were incredible. MAC I was? HURRICANE TONY The picture of guts. There you were in the middle of the ring in Madison Square
Garden, surrounded by ten thousand screaming people, looking up at the biggest,
scariest heavyweight I have ever seen, short of Rosco Battaglia, and you had
him beat at the stare down. MAC It wasn’t exactly like that - Eugene and Kid have snuck up behind Hurricane
Tony. Kid takes out his comb and starts
combing his hair back into a pompadour like Tony’s. HURRICANE TONY Don’t I know it.
And when he turned yellow and tried to slink out, you wouldn’t let him.
You showed him true courage. I heard
you’re Marines, 5th Amphibious? At Iwo
Jima? MAC That’s right. 4th Armored.
Did my four years before the Big One.
You’re true blue, kid. No guts,
no glory! Take no prisoners! Right? Eugene pretends to blow on Hurricane Tony’s hair
from behind. Kid continues combing his
hair back and patting it, all the while mugging and mouthing the word
“Perfect!”. MAC I ain’t no quitter, sir. HURRICANE TONY He’s no quitter.
Did you hear that? Not a
quitter! Freddy waves Eugene and Kid away. FREDDY That’s right, Tony. Mac’s one of my top guys. HURRICANE TONY Oh, so you’re under contract with Freddy? Freddy,
standing behind Hurricane Tony, looks at Mac with a pleading look on his face
and puts his palms together as if praying.
Mac pauses a beat before answering. MAC Yeah, that’s right. HURRICANE TONY I want you on my show. Freddy, call Mona in the morning. Book Mac for Wednesday night.
And that kid you got, the dancing kid. FREDDY Little Ernie Mendlebaum. HURRICANE TONY Yeah. Him
too. It was a true pleasure to meet
you, Mac. Hurricane Tony turns and leaves with his blonde
escort. Lilly turns to Freddy with an angry look on her
face. LILLY And what am I, a house plant? You didn’t even introduce me! Hey, Lilly - LILLY You’ve been promising to put me on his show for
almost a year, and then when he’s right here in your own living room you can’t
even let me say hello? FREDDY You heard Mona.
Freddy doesn’t like dogs. MAC Never trust nobody who don’t like dogs. FREDDY Mac, please, stay out of this. LILLY (to Mac) And you get to be on his show just for getting
knocked out all the time! (to Freddy) I suppose you think that’s entertainment? Lilly
turns and bumps into an OLDER GENTLEMAN.
Lilly gives him an angry look. LILLY Men! Lilly
exits, leaving the older gentleman with a befuddled look on his face. MRS. ROBBINS Lilly. Mrs.
Robbins turns her wheelchair around to follow Lilly. Celia helps her, taking the handles of the wheelchair and pushing
her. They exit after Lilly. EXT - FRONT PORCH OF FABULOUS FREDDY’S HOUSE - NIGHT Mrs.
Robbins and Celia come from the house onto the porch and see Lilly standing in
the corner. MRS. ROBBINS Come inside, dear.
(shivering) The wind is
blowing cold tonight. A
breeze blows Lilly’s scarf off and it falls on the floor. Lilly doesn’t notice. LILLY Can you please take mother back in for me,
Celia? I’ll be along in a minute. Mrs.
Robbins and Celia go back into the house. Lilly stares at the sky. INT - TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT The ANNOUNCER steps up to the microphone. The sound
of GUSTING WINDS emanates from the large speakers above his head. ANNOUNCER Get ready to be bloooowwwn away! It’s time for the
Hurricane Tony Show, brought to you by Miracle Hold Hair Tonic. Your hair will look perfect every time, even
in a hurricane. Just ask Tony. Tony stands with his face into a wind machine. The wind blows his tie and jacket around
him, but not even a hair moves on his well-oiled pompadour. The
wind and sound effects die down and Hurricane Tony smiles. He pats his hair. HURRICANE TONY Perfect. The crowd LAUGHS and APPLAUDS. INT - BACKSTAGE - NIGHT Mac, Freddy and ERNIE MENDLEBAUM watch Hurricane
Tony doing his shtick. Ernie, a thin
boy of about twelve years old, wears a red suit and shiny black shoes. ERNIE I’m not gonna be first, am I? I don’t wanna go on first. FREDDY It’s not up to us.
We go on when they tell us. MAC There’s nothin’ to be afraid of, champ. It’s just television. INT - TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT HURRICANE TONY So the bartender says, “I don’t know where the
midget went, but the rodeo clown’s been in the bathroom for over twenty
minutes!” Hurricane Tony and the crowd LAUGH
hysterically. INT - BACKSTAGE - NIGHT ERNIE He’s gonna cancel me again, I know it. FREDDY No he won’t.
I made him promise. A
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, in her mid-twenties, carries a large flower arrangement
into the room. PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Mr. Mackouckas? MAC Yeah? PRODUCTION ASSISTANT These came for you. MAC Wow, thank you. Mac looks at the card. It says “Good luck, Mac.
Love, Lilly.” Mac smiles
broadly. Mac pockets the card. FREDDY Got a sweetheart, huh? MAC Yeah. FREDDY (looking through the curtain) Listen for your name. MAC (to himself) Love, Lilly.
Love, Lilly. HURRICANE TONY (o.s.) Let’s have a real big round of applause for the Tap
Dance Kid, Little Ernie Mendlebaum! The
crowd CHEERS. Ernie panics, turns
around and starts to run away. Freddy catches him by the collar. ERNIE Let me go!
Let me go! FREDDY Get out there, Ernie. The crowd is still CHEERING. ERNIE I don’t wanna go first! FREDDY (sticking a finger in Ernie’s face) Don’t embarrass me, Ernie. MAC How ‘bout I got out with ya, Ernie? Would that be okay? FREDDY You don’t go out until Tony calls your name. Those are the rules, Mac. MAC Well screw him.
Rules are made to be broken, right Ernie? Ernie nods. Mac winks at Freddy, then leads Ernie through the
curtains as the band strikes up some BIG BAND SWING music. FREDDY Mac -- INT - TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT Ernie and Mac walk out to the center of the hardwood
floor under the spotlights. INT - MRS. ROBBINS’ HOUSE - NIGHT Lilly and Mrs. Robbins are watching the Hurricane
Tony Show. LILLY I don’t believe it.
It’s Mac! MRS. ROBBINS My goodness, what’s he doing there? I think he’s going to dance. He’s a great dancer. INT - TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT Ernie
TAP DANCES. Mac tries to imitate Ernie, but he’s so bad it’s funny and the
crowd LAUGHS. Ernie
does some quick steps. Mac can’t keep
up. He exaggerates his ineptitude, and
the crowd LAUGHS. Ernie
and Mac dance like crazy toward the CRESCENDO.
The crowd is really LAUGHING now. Mac
STOMPS both his feet and points his hands at Ernie to give him a solo. Ernie dances solo for about twenty seconds,
and the crowd CHEERS him on. Ernie
STOMPS his feet and points his hands at Mac to give Mac a solo. Mac gives up trying to tap dance and does
some spectacular solo swing dancing. He jumps high, comes down into a split,
then pops up and keeps swinging. Ernie
joins Mac and the two of them dance together for the last fifteen seconds of
the song. INT
- MRS. ROBBINS’ HOUSE - NIGHT Lilly
and Mrs. Robbins are enjoying the show. MRS. ROBBINS Look at them go! INT
- TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT The
BAND LEADER swings his arms wide to stop the band at a BREAK in the song. Ernie fills in the break with about five
seconds of inspired TAPPING, then the band hits the final CHORD. The crowd CHEERS wildly. Hurricane
Tony comes out to greet Mac and Ernie. HURRICANE TONY How about that, folks? Wasn’t that incredible?
Little Ernie Mendlebaum and his sidekick, Mac Mackouckas, also knows as
Canvas Back Mac! The crowd CHEERS. A FEW MINUTES LATER Hurricane Tony sits behind his desk and Mac sits in
a chair next to him. Hurricane Tony holds up the Daily News article with the
photo of Mac leaping off the top rope of the ring. HURRICANE TONY And for any of you who missed it, this is what it
looked like when Mac jumped off the top rope.
What was going through your head, Mac? MAC I was angry ‘cause he quit on me and I never got a
chance to fight. I mean, I won but I
was disappointed. HURRICANE TONY And would you like to fight in Madison Square Garden
again, Mac? MAC You bet I would. HURRICANE TONY You can talk to our surprise guest about that. Ladies and gentlemen, the Heavyweight
Champion of the World, Mr. Rosco Battaglia! The CROWD goes crazy. Rosco Battaglia steps out from behind the curtain and waves. He is huge, and grinning a gap-toothed
smile. Rosco shakes hands with Hurricane Tony and Mac. Rosco stands about six or seven inches
taller than Mac. Rosco puts an arm
around Mac. ROSCO I like this guy.
He got a fighter’s heart! The crowd APPLAUDS. HURRICANE TONY Is there something you want to say to him, Rosco? ROSCO Next week I got a mandatory title defense, and
everybody too scared to fight me. You
wanna fight me? The crowd CHEERS; Mac is shocked. LILLY No! INT - BACKSTAGE - NIGHT FREDDY Yes! INT - EUGENE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT Kid and Eugene sit on the couch watching the
Hurricane Tony show and drinking beers. MAC (on television) You bet I do! Kid and Eugene, caught by surprise, do a
simultaneous spit-spray of beer. INT - TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT Hurricane Tony and the crowd APPLAUD. Rosco and Mac playfully trade punches. Rosco pretends to be hurt by one of Mac’s
punches, and the crowd LAUGHS. INT - MRS. ROBBINS’ HOUSE - NIGHT Lilly stares at the television set. Mrs. Robbins turns and looks at her. Lilly gets up and runs up the stairs. INT - BACKSTAGE - NIGHT Freddy claps Mac on the back. FREDDY That was fabulous, Mac, just fabulous. MAC I need a glass of water. FREDDY I told you, Mac, just stick with me. Hurricane Tony comes backstage. HURRICANE TONY I knew you could fight, but where’d you learn to
dance? If the music’s good I just let my feet go where they
wanna go. HURRICANE TONY You’re a welcome guest anytime, Mac, anytime. MAC Could I ask you a favor, Tony? INT - BACKSTAGE - NIGHT Mac is at the payphone. LILLY (o.s.) I’m going to be on the Hurricane Tony Show? Really? MAC Really. He
said so himself. LILLY (o.s.) Oh, Mac, thank you so much! Mac
looks down at the card that came with the flowers: “Love, Lilly.” INT
- MAC’S APARTMENT - NIGHT Mac
enters wearing old work-out clothes and a towel around his neck. His hair is wet with sweat. He rubs his head with the towel and sits on
his bed. Mac
swings his left arm and grimaces as he feels a twinge of pain. He mops some more sweat from his face then
pulls open the drawer of his night table. Mac
withdraws a Bible from the night table.
He opens it and sticks his finger down the hole where the binding goes
over the spine of the book. He pulls
out a rolled up wad of dollars bills. Mac
counts his money: he has three hundred twenty-five dollars. He puts the money back into the Bible, then
puts the Bible into the night table and closes the drawer. Mac
lies down on the floor and does some pushups. On Mac’s wall is a calendar. Thursday night is circled in red, and a
notation reads “Lilly on TV.” Friday
night is circled in red, and a notation reads “Fight Night.” INT - DOCTOR’S OFFICE - DAY Mac sits next to Celia in the waiting room, with a
few OTHER WOMEN. CELIA You’ve never been to an obstetrician’s office
before, have you? MAC I thought it was a doctor’s office. CELIA An obstetrician is a baby doctor. They probably think you’re the father. MAC When’s Tom get back from Nantucket? CELIA Sunday. He’s
finally going to tell his mother I’m pregnant. MAC She doesn’t know? CELIA Oh, no. You know she never approved of her dear son
marrying a Mexican girl. Having a half-Mexican grandchild might be more than
her blue-blooded heart can take. MAC Think she’ll ever come around? CELIA Tom thinks so, but I doubt it. “Daughter of a dishwasher” she called me, to
my face. Probably says even worse
things behind my back. MAC I remember the night he told her you two were
getting married. There wasn’t a cup or
dish left in the house. CELIA I know it wasn’t easy for him. How do you admit you have a secret
love? It makes me think of poor Mrs.
Cicio and Mr. Romano. MAC Think he’s really Freddy’s father? No question. Mr. Romano kept his love for Ms. Cicio
a secret, and they had nothing but problems.
It’s better not to have secrets. MAC You have nothing to be ashamed of. CELIA She has to accept me as I am, and she’ll have to
accept my Rosalinda as she is. MAC Oh, so now it’s Rosalinda, not little Tommy? CELIA I hope so. I
want to name her after my grandmother.
And Rosalinda is a good Mexican name.
It’ll infuriate my mother-in-law. MAC That’s good. NURSE (o.s.) Mrs. Evans? Celia smiles and stands up. EXT - STOOP OUTSIDE MRS. ROBBINS’ HOUSE - DAY Mac
RINGS the bell. No answer. He KNOCKS.
No answer. He walks around the
house to the backyard. EXT
- MRS. ROBBINS’ BACKYARD - DAY Night
and Day are in the backyard. They hear
Mac and start BARKING. Mac stands
outside the backyard fence. MAC Hiya, fellas.
Chow time. Mac
unfolds the brown paper and takes out a steak.
The dogs stop barking and stare at the steak with unblinking eyes. MAC (cont.) Now I want you to do right by Lilly. No jokes, no
mistakes. Can you do that for me? Mac lifts the steak up and down. The dogs follow; their heads seem to be
nodding “yes.” MAC (cont.) Because it means a lot to her, and you don’t want to
disappoint her, do you? Mac
shakes the steaks from side to side, and the dogs’ heads seem to shake “no.” MAC (cont.) Okay. We
have an understanding. Mac
tosses the steak into the backyard.
Night and Day play tug of war with it, GROWLING. EXT
- MAC’S APARTMENT BUILDING - DUSK Mac
walks out of the front door of his apartment building and starts walking down
the street. Across
the street Kid runs out of the Silver Cup Bar.
He yells across the street to Mac. KID Hey, Mac. C’mere! MAC I can’t. I’m
going down to watch Lilly on the Hurricane Tony Show. KID No, wait!
You gotta hear this, Mac. Mac
looks at his watch, then crosses the street.
He follows Kid into the bar. INT
- SILVER CUP BAR - DAY Kid
and Eugene are in the back of the bar with ACE, a sleazy-looking bookie about
forty-five years old. His face is
covered with stubble, his clothes are old and wrinkled, yet he wears an
immaculate white fedora with a black band and a bright yellow feather in it. KID You know Ace the Bookie. MAC Sure I do. Hiya,
Ace. EUGENE Tell him what you told us. Ace regards Mac coolly. ACE You ever take a dive, Mac? Mac’s face goes red with anger and he takes a step
toward Ace. MAC Why, you - Kid and Eugene grab Mac. EUGENE Shut up and listen.
This is for your own good. ACE I saw your first fight and I says to myself, this
kid’s a natural. That big guy you
knocked out, Mouse, he was a real contender.
And you whipped him like a schoolboy. MAC So? ACE So I says to myself, how can this kid with the fancy
dance steps and a jackhammer for a right hand get K.O.’d eight times in a row,
nine if you count the last time you knocked yourself out? Why’s he still fighting? Is he crazy? Or is he maybe crazy like a fox? MAC What’s your point? ACE The point is I heard that Fabulous Freddy been
betting against you every fight. MAC (stunned) Freddy? ACE Every fight.
And he was making out pretty good for a while, ‘cept you kept
losing. The odds kept getting worse and
worse, on account of the word got around.
How’s it look when you’re own manager’s betting against you? So tell me straight, kid. You been taking dives? You take that back! ACE I didn’t say anything to take back. I asked you a
question. And it ain’t just me. Everybody been saying the same thing about
you. MAC I don’t believe you. ACE This morning Freddy told me he had ten G’s to put on
you to lose. I wouldn’t take it. Not because I think you have a prayer of
winning, but because I don’t deal with numbers that big. So Freddy goes down to
Flatbush and places the bet with Nunzio.
Now if Rosco wins, Freddy only clears maybe a hundred bucks, because the
odds are not exactly in your favor. But
if by some crazy fluke you win, then I’d say Fabulous Freddy made a fabulous fuck
up. So it’s reasonable to conclude that
Freddy has advised you not to put up too much of a fight. MAC (almost screaming) I never took no dives! I got beat the honorable way every time, with a stiff shot to the
head and an honest to God knockout! I
been concussed more times than I can remember, and I ain’t about to stop now! |