by bob chartain
DAVID
Your personal life is none of my business.
Jean. You've given me a chance -- a chance to
get myself straightened out. You've given
Tommy a chance too -- to have someone to love.
(beat)
I've asked too much. If you have to go,
I understand.
Tommy walks into the room with feigned innocence.
TOMMY
Jean, who is Masters and Johnson?
JEAN
Not "is." Are.
TOMMY
Huh? Are what?
David and Jean break into laughter.
JEAN
It's okay Tommy.
(to David)
Now you see what I mean.
DAVID
Tommy, can you leave us for a few minutes?
JEAN
Let him stay, David. He should know.
I'll stay on.
(beat)
But only on the condition that we set
a time limit.
Tommy throws his arms around Jeans neck.
DAVID
Thanks, Jean. I promise.
THE SAME ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Tommy sits twirling his spaghetti as David struggles to express to Tommy the feelings he has kept pent up for so long.
DAVID
Tommy!
TOMMY
(twirling absently)
Yes Dad.
DAVID
You haven't heard a thing I said.
I wanted to tell you why I.
Tommy moves closer to his father and with a fork full of spaghetti throws his arms around David and hugs him.
TOMMY
It's no biggee, Dad.
DAVID
(Tommy pulls back)
Tommy, I love.
David catches Tommy's pensive look then turns to see the spaghetti draped over his jacket. A smile breaks across David's face. Tommy laughs and David gathers him into his arms.
TOMMY
I know Daddy. Please stay home.
A PRIMITIVE BAR SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL AMERICA
Where David sits solitary in a group of greenhorn American COMMANDOS and military advisors, who will shortly join him on a raid. Joe and Maria sit near David and his pile of empty bottles, cooing at one another.
JOE
Okay, try it again, little missy.
Joe. Joe Bob Baker.
Maria tries, but her J's sound like H's.
JOE
Pretty good. Again.
MARIA
Hj-yo Bop Baker,
J-yo Bob Baker.
(staccatto)
Joe Bob Baker, Joe Bob Baker,
JOE BOB BAKER.
MARIA
(with glee,turning to David)
I got it. I got it.
David, is not that wonderful?
DAVID
Joe Bob. Everybody in Texas have
two first names?
JOE
Naw. My brother's name is Keeper.
That's what you call a fish when
he's to big to throw back in.
DAVID
(looking at Maria)
What are the people back in Moosejaw or
where-ever, going to say about Maria?
JOE
It's Muleshoe. Muleshoe, Texas.
How many times have I got to tell you.
I dunno. I just might stay down here.
With a little persistence and some
elbow-grease a guy could make out.
DAVID
(fiddling with beer)
You thinking of gettin out?.
JOE
I'm tired, Bubba.
I don't know whether I'm comin or going.
(beat)
You ought to think about it too,
buddy, before they carry us both out
in coffins.
(beat to no response)
How's that kid of yours?
DAVID
Okay. I guess.
(beat)
Let's hear another English lesson.
JOE
(winks)
Watch this.
(turns to Maria)
Hey muchaca, let me hear you give out
with that old Rebel Yell.
MARIA
Ya -- Hooo.
The other Americans LAUGH and AD LIB.
DAVID
(looking over group)
You think these guys are going
to be all right?
JOE
I dunno. Ask Benson, he sent 'em.
DAVID
I don't like working with guys
I've never seen before.
JOE
I miss Big Daddy.
DAVID
So do I,
(in thought)
So do I.
DAVID'S HOUSE, TOMMY'S BEDROOM,
which is decorated in early Salvation Army and kid modern. Tommy talks on a toy military headset, amidst piles of toys and keepsakes from Disney and the movies. Dozens of tiny models of planes and spaceships hang from the ceiling and a toy train runs on a fancy layout in the corner. The place HUMS and Tommy picks up a model of a -
SUBMARINE -
and places it on the railroad track and picks up a paper Stamped in Red -
TOP SECRET.
TOMMY
Blue Fox leader interdict combat
team red four and proceed to destination
Tortuga in the Caribbean.
THERE IS A SOFT KNOCK ON THE DOOR -
JEAN
(enters)
I thought you were working
on your math problems.
Tommy points to the blackboard where the algebraic equations have been handily solved and sets the Top Secret Paper down, blank side up. Manny and Rosy poke their heads in the door behind JEAN.
JEAN
Tommy, some friends of your father --
TOMMY
(rushing)
Rosy, Rosy. I've got some new tricks
to show you.
They end up in a hug as Manny moves weakly into the room.
MANNY
Buenas dias, Tomas.
TOMMY
Ola, Manuel. Did the ort-is-cop-ic
(mangling "arthroscopic")
surgery get all of the bullet fragments?
MANNY
Si sen~or. I'm as fit as a fiddle.
The toy train crashes into the submarine.
TOMMY
(panicked to headset)
Blue Fox leader abort mission,
report to Benson at Langley.
I repeat, report to Benson at
Langley. Petrovsky has our number.
MANNY
(amazed and wondering)
Tomasito, who taught you that?
Tommy looks at Manny with a blank stare as Manny pats him on the back.
MANNY (cont'd)
That's not a funny game.
ROSY
The child's only playing, love.
THE HOT COMMANDO TRAINING CAMP IN THE CENTRAL AMERICAN JUNGLES
A jungle war training the course made up of tires, logs, nets and ropes etc. David finishes then stops and pulls out a stop watch as Joe finishes and moves beside him.
DAVID
See how it's done. Okay Bernstein, you
first, then the rest.
The commandos, in shorts and college T-shirts, move to the line.
DAVID
Go!
The men stumble through the course, some exceeding, but most don't come up to the expectations of David and Joe.
JOE
This is bad, Bubba.
Shii-eet, we'd be better off with
my rag-tag bunch of chicanos.
(beat, then in different voice)
David?
DAVID
Yeah?,. Okay, go.
(presses stopwatch)
JOE
David?
In b.g. a trainee staggers and falls into the tires.
DAVID
Goddamn Benson's Ivy leaguers.
(to Joe)
What?
JOE
Take care of Maria, will you?
I want my little rug rat to grow
up in the USA.
DAVID
What are you talking about?
JOE
My kid, David. My kid.
DAVID
Your what ?
JOE
Maria's pregnant.
DAVID
Good God, Joe. You want to bring a
kid into this kind of world.
David stops in mid-sentence as both he and Joe realize the stupidity of the remark, and look at one another.
DAVID'S HOUSE -
where Tommy works on a project in his usual place in the middle of the living room floor; television blaring, cookies, milk and sophisticated toys scattered all around. Smudge licks the milk glass. A maze of wires and various pots and pans and
other resurrected parts are being laboriously assembled to the top secret plans of the "atomic" device in David's papers.
Jean walks into the room and backs in front of the television, then turns it off. Tommy looks up, startled by the silence.ﾍ
JEAN
Young man, the living room is
no place for these things.
Tommys quickly shuffles David's papers under some paraphernalia.
TOMMY
Jeanny, do all wrist watches have
radium on their dials?
A BUNK ROOM INSIDE A SUBMARINE IN THE CARIBBEAN, -
where Da
vid dons the last of his commando gear, then opens the -
HALIBURTON BRIEFCASE, - pulls out a water proof envelope and examines it methodically.
DAVID'S LOOK TURNS WORRIED, - he ruffles through the top-secret papers again and again .
DAVID
(worried)
Don't tell me, I couldn't have.
THE MARINA GREEN - SAN FRANCISCO
Tommy, wearing a school uniform, sits with with several classmates gathered around him. He shows them the plans he has taken from David's briefcase.
TOMMY
My Dad's real important.
See, these plans are marked top
secret.
LITTLE BOY
You don't know what it says.
LITTLE GIRL
Gee Tommy can you read that.
TOMMY
I can do better than that.
I building it at home for my Dad so
he won't have to work so hard.
LITTLE GIRL
You must be really lucky to have such
great parents.
THE MISSION:
TWO - MAN RAFTS ON THE SEA, BENEATH OMINOUS CLOUDS.
DAVID, JOE AND THE GREEN HORN COMMANDOS
in war paint paddle away from the USN SUBMARINE in the b.g. David looks up at the thunder clouds.
BENSON O.S.
An atomic device has been stolen from one of
our NATO friends, Carson. We want it returned.
Quickly.
JOE
Can you read those deactivation plans, Bubba?
With that, several large droplets hit the raft. Everyone paddles faster as the rain falls in sheets. Now the rain pours so hard that its difficult to keep sight of the other rafts, which bob in and out of the giant swells.
DAVID TOSSES A LINE TOWARD ONE OF THE BARELY VISIBLE RAFTS.
DAVID
(shouting)
Lash yourselves together!
They paddle and bail, fighting the storm for their lives.
TOMMY'S BEDROOM, -
the computers and other toys have been moved into his bedroom, in contrast to his previous run of the house. Jean moves into the room where Tommy sits dejectedly with Smudge.
TOMMY
Jeanny, it's not fair. You always
let me play in the living room.