SUMMER OF ’62
screenplay by
Steven Robert Travers
Dennis Jarvis
Donaldson Miehle
REPRESENTATION:
Lloyd D. Robinson
Suite A Management
1101 S. Robertson Blvd., Ste. 210
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 278-0801
FADE IN:
MONTAGE OF SHOTS:
Images of the free and easy “California Dream” of surfers, girls and that golden lifestyle sought by millions worldwide.
ROLL CREDITS.
MUSIC plays, a kind of modern surf anthem for the 2000s.
Surfers negotiate the waves off the coast of Southern California.
Beautiful girls stroll along the water’s edge.
Bikers ride on the boardwalk.
Skateboarders, tanned and trim, gracefully work the concrete.
Next to them, skateboarders draw stares as they perform aerial gymnastics.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
KELLY MALLOY, 20-something, is an athletic, tanned picture of the primo California surf god. He negotiates the waves like butter.
EXT. BEACH (HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF.) – DAY
A crowd of on-lookers admires his expert moves.
Among those in the crowd are his girlfriend, JENNY BISHOP, also twentyish, a gorgeous, tanned hardbody. Wearing dark shades, she observes Kelly, but the look on her face is less than worshipful. A FAN approaches her.
FAN
Your guys’ acin’ today, Jenny.
Jenny stares out a little longer, then turns and walks away, leaving the fan standing there.
FAN (cont’d)
(to himself)
Stuck-up.
2.
EXT. BEACH – DAY
Kelly tucks his board under his arm, and heads up to The Strand.
The crowd of admirers includes a plentiful and glorious selection of fine, bikini-clad girls vying for his attention. Kelly sees Jenny walking away.
KELLY
Jen. Wait up.
Jenny hears him, stops, and turns around.
Just at that moment, a 16-year old surf groupie plants her nubile young body directly in Kelly’s way.
KELLY (cont’d)
Excuse me, honey.
That does not deter the girl. She throws her arms around Kelly, and plants a big, wet kiss on him. Kelly cannot help but return the kiss, at least to an extent.
That is all Jenny needs to see. With a huff, she turns on her heels and heads up towards the boardwalk.
Kelly extricates himself from the girl, then sees Jenny’s response.
KELLY (cont’d)
Jenny, wait.
To late. Jenny is out of earshot, and Kelly becomes encircled by fans of both genders.
EXT. BOARDWALK - DAY
Jenny turns around again, and sees Kelly surrounded by his entourage, which seems to be mostly fine-looking chicks.
EXT. JENNIE’S HOUSE - NIGHT
End MUSIC. End CREDITS.
Waves lap against the shore in the b.g. A modern, beachfront home on The Strand is lit up. Modern Gen X MUSIC is heard through the open windows.
JENNIE (O.S.)
You surf too much!
3.
INT. JENNIE’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
A lamp smashes against the wall.
Kelly has just barely avoided the lamp, thrown by Jenny, who is even more beautiful
when she is mad, and right now she is mad as hell.
KELLY
This is the career I chose, in case you didn’t notice.
JENNY
Oh, I noticed.
Kelly throws his hands up in exasperation.
KELLY
It’s the same old thing, just like it’s always
been.
JENNY
Maybe you ought to wonder about me, Kelly.
KELLY
What’s that s’posed to mean? Huh?
Jenny’s mother, MARLA, a damn fine-looking lady in her own right, enters the room.
KELLY
Huh? What’s that s’posed to mean, Jenny?
MARLA
Jenny, honey, you shouldn’t be arguing with Kelly.
You two ought to go out and have a nice time together.
JENNY
The two of you should be going out, you seem to agree
on everything.
With that, Kelly just throws his hands in the air again, then addresses Marla.
KELLY
Mrs. Bishop, Jenny doesn’t seem to understand…what I need.
With that, Kelly turns on his heels and heads out the door. Jenny watches him, frustrated, then walks out of the room.
4.
Marla just stands there.
MARLA
Youth is definitely wasted on the young.
EXT. SPYDER SURFBOARDS WAREHOUSE – DAY
Establish a view of the building.
INT. SPYDER SURFBOARDS WAREHOUSE – DAY
Gray concrete and rows of surfboards surround an unenclosed office area.
Standing next to a row of newly carved surfboards, each bearing the distinctive “spyder” logo, are LUKE CHAPIN, about 20 years old, a handsome sprocking cat with wild hair and various Gen X piercings and tattoos. He is a good-looking fellow, but very edgy, always moving, ready to pounce.
He is engaged in a heated conversation with his father, DENNIS CHAPIN, late 50s, still healthy and tanned; a champion surfer in his own time.
DENNIS
No. How many times do I have to repeat myself?
No, Luke.
LUKE
You ungrateful son of a—
Dennis just stares him down, and Luke does not say it.
LUKE (cont’d)
Take care of business.
DENNIS
I s’pose the guy from Body Glove was out of his mind,
he was…
Dennis trails off, not saying what is on his mind.
LUKE
Oh yeah, don’t say it, that might make it true.
DENNIS
I never said a word.
5.
LUKE
You never had to. I doubt that “Smokin’ Joe”
even existed. Always somebody, never me. Just
adopt the bitch.
DENNIS
Get the hell outta here, Luke. Yer gonna do what
yer gonna do, right or wrong.
Luke just grabs his surfboard and leaves.
EXT. SPYDER SURFBOARDS WAREHOUSE – DAY
Luke stops, puts the board against the wall, reaches into his pocket, pulls out some tablets, pops one, swallows it, then lets it hit him. He closes his eyes, concentrating, trying to get ahold of himself.
LUKE
(to himself)
Bastard’s boards wouldn’t sell north of Playa
if it wasn’t for me.
After a little while, he picks up the board, and heads to his car, a souped-up ’62 Chevy. Luke affixes the board to the car, gets inside, guns the engine—heavy metal MUSIC immediately pounds from the speakers--and ROARS out of the parking lot.
The door to the warehouse opens, and Dennis peeks out, shaking his head at the sight of Luke peeling out at high speed.
EXT. PARKING LOT – SURF BREAK – SUNSET
Kelly’s Cherokee pulls into the almost-empty parking lot.
The beautiful Pacific Ocean stretches below him, the sun setting in the west, creating a magnificent golden glow.
The Cherokee pulls right next to Luke’s ’62 Chevy. Luke sits on the hood of the car, deep in thought, retrospectively staring out at the ocean. He turns, sees the Cherokee, and lets out a small sign of recognition.
The Cherokees’ engine stops, Kelly gets out, and goes to sit right next to Luke. For a few moments, nary a word is spoken. The two handsome young men stare out at the ocean, the SOUND of the waves crashing below.
Out beyond the horizon, however, lies something ominous. A large, dark cloud just begins to hover in the distance, and a far-off THUNDER CLAP is heard.
6.
Luke and Kelly are old friends, but they have not been close for some time. Now, both of them are facing personal problems, albeit of differing natures. Awkward silence exists between the two of them at first, and there shall be tension in their words throughout the conversation, which begins as small talk. As the conversation develops, the tension shall remain, but their true friendship shall begin to peek through the layers of ill feelings.
LUKE
What the hell is that?
They stare out at the on-coming storm.
KELLY
Jesus, that’s bizarre.
LUKE
Weird coastal system.
KELLY
I guess.
Kelly diverts his attention from the storm, and his crest-fallen expression gives away his unhappy mood.
LUKE
Girl problems?
KELLY
Uh-huh. Dad problems?
LUKE
The son of a bitch always wished you were his
son instead.
Luke pulls out a joint, lights it, and puffs away.
Kelly just stares at him disapprovingly.
LUKE (cont’d)
Save it, Golden Boy. Go do some sit-ups. Just
like my old man.
KELLY
He really did a number on you, huh?
7.
LUKE
Hey, man, you saw it. He never had a real
emotion in his life.
KELLY
That’s not what your Mom said.
LUKE
(suddenly furious)
Leave her out of this.
(he regains his composure)
I think all that old surfer legend stuff is bullshit.
KELLY
C’mon, man…
LUKE
No. It all came so…easy…so damn easy for you, Kelly.
My old man, he looks at you…
Luke drifts off, but the unspoken words are that Dennis wishes Kelly was his son, and Luke knows it. Kelly stares at him, then stares off at the ocean. He understands this strange dichotomy, and knows it is the reason he and Luke are not as close anymore.
LUKE (cont’d)
Nothin’ I ever did was good enough.
KELLY
So what was I supposed to do about it, Luke? Huh?
LUKE
I’m one of the best surfers in the world, but I—I may
be a screw-up, man, but in the water nobody messes
with me, unless they wanna get eaten alive.
KELLY
I know how to mess with you.
LUKE
You’re different, man. I don’t know how to explain
what you’re about out there.
Kelly grins.
KELLY
Details?
8.
LUKE
It’s like, man, ya stay small. Nobody sees ya comin’,
then boom, you just…appear…all happy and shit…
and that’s how you win!
Luke drifts into a darker place.
LUKE
(continuing)
A long time ago I realized life was just…I just
knew I wasn’t gonna get what I wanted the way you do. I knew I had to fight.
What’s the use? Ya know, what’s the use?
KELLY
Now you’re talkin’ crazy again.
Luke and Kelly reflect on the ocean; way out in the water…
A dolphin splashes.
A few surfers negotiate the late afternoon waves.
Some STRAGGLERS walk past.
STRAGGLER 1
That’s Kelly Malloy, and Luke whats-his-name?
(then)
You’re epic, Kelly.
KELLY
Hey, yeah.
STRAGGLER 2
(barely heard)
Gimme a hit, Lucas.
LUKE
You ever think it was gonna be like this?
Kelly says nothing.
Luke looks at Kelly.
9.
KELLY
I’m sorry about--.
Luke seems to be off in his own zone, reflecting without hearing Kelly.
LUKE
The old man drove her crazy.
KELLY
Your Mom? Connie?
LUKE
(not hearing Kelly)
She couldn’t stand up to him. She didn’t know how.
Everything always had to be so…nothing was good
enough. And I…
Luke stops, tries to compose himself, holding back his emotions. This is the closest he
gets to revealing himself. There is pain deep inside, and he hides it with drugs and
attitude, and even now with Kelly there is a wall built up. Nobody can penetrate.
Nobody can see what is really driving him.
LUKE (cont’d)
I couldn’t protect her. I learned how to protect
myself from the bastard, but I was too young when
she..
(pause)
Hey, dude, I’m sorry about, you know, it’s just that—
KELLY
Don’t sweat it.
Luke looks at Kelly.
LUKE
I’m a fuck-up. At least I know I’m a fuck-up.
Everybody’s good at somethin’.
KELLY
That’s horseshit, man. That’s an excuse.
LUKE
Whatev.
They stare out a little longer.
10.
LUKE
(continuing)
You wanna ride up together?
The tension is broken somewhat.
KELLY
No drugs?
Luke just looks at him. He smiles.
Out on the ocean, the storm gets bigger and closer. A THUNDER CLAP reverberates across the water.
EXT. 101ST AND WILMINGTON – LOS ANGELES – NIGHT
A bad neighborhood after dark, and the drug element is in its element.
A few DEALERS prowl the streets. Cars come up, sniffing out drugs.
A HOOKER works her stretch of sidewalk. SIRENS wail in the b.g.
Luke’s ’62 Chevy pulls up to the dealer.
DEALER
Well, if it isn’t Brian Wilson.
INT. LUKE’S ’62 CHEVY (STOPPED) – NIGHT
Luke makes sex with a barfly. Heavy metal MUSIC plays on the stereo.
Luke takes time out just long enough to sniff some cocaine.
INT. KELLY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Kelly snoozes. Next to his bed is a stairmaster. The phone RINGS.
KELLY
Yeah.
JENNY (V.O.)
(on phone)
Kelly.
KELLY
Jenny. What time is it?
11.
JENNY (V.O.)
(on phone)
I think I’m pregnant.
Long pause.
JENNY (V.O.)
(on phone)
Are you there?
KELLY
Who’s the father?
JENNY (V.O.)
(on phone)
You know who the father is.
KELLY
Do I? Do I really?
JENNY (V.O.)
(on phone)
Kelly, your a cold-hearted bastard.
She hangs up.
Kelly just lies there, the phone in his hands, staring at the ceiling.
INT. JENNY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Jenny sits on her bed in the darkened room, crying softly.
The phone RINGS.
She looks at it. The caller i.d. flashes Kelly’s number, and Jenny decides not to answer it.
KELLY’S VOICE
(answering machine)
I know you’re there, Jenny. It’s just as well, I don’t
have all night to argue. Just make the appointment, I’ll
pay for it.
Jenny picks up.
12.
JENNY
Will you at least go with me?
.
KELLY (V.O.)
(on phone;
long pause)
Yeah.
The phone clicks. She gets up and looks out the window at the moonlit ocean, the SOUND of waves gently lapping ashore.
The phone RINGS again. Again, caller i.d. indicates Kelly’s number, and again she lets the machine pick up.
KELLY’S VOICE
(on machine)
Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted the way
I did. We both need time to figure this out. I’m
there for you, and I’ll call you when I get home from
the contest on Sunday.
Kelly hangs up, and Jenny just stares out her window.
EXT. BEACH – DAWN
The sun barely starts to peek over the horizon.
DISK JOCKEY (V.O.)
(on radio)
…another perfect day in paradise, highs in the
90s expected, a little hotter in the valleys, over
a hundred in the desert. There’s a weather pattern
developing out in the ocean, though, so an unusual
small crafts advisory for this time of year’s been issued,
but it shouldn’t be on-shore for a couple days at least.
EXT. KELLY’S HOUSE – DAWN
Kelly lives in a pleasant beachside neighborhood in Hermosa.
Nobody else is stirring yet.
Kelly notices Luke’s Chevy. He quietly shuts his door.
13.
Kelly walks to the car, looks inside, and sees Luke curled up in the fetal position. Kelly POUNDS on the window, and Luke wakens from his slumber like a woolly mammoth coming to after hibernating for the winter.
KELLY
Christ. Loaded again.
Luke unlocks the door, and Kelly is taken aback by the stench.
KELLY (cont’d)
Jesus, man, you stink.
EXT./INT. KELLY’S CHEROKEE (MOVING – PAC. COAST HWY.) - MORNING
Kelly drives, a pissed-off look on his face. Luke snores, then moves a little, still asleep. Kelly grimaces from the stench and rolls the window down some more.
The vehicle passes a sign riding “MALIBU 10.”
Kelly looks at Luke, then at a copy of Surfing magazine. The cover displays Luke and reads, “LUKE CHAPIN. IS THIS SURFING’S NEXT CHAMPION?”
Luke finally wakes up, and sees the magazine.
LUKE
This the latest edition?
KELLY
What were you on all night?
LUKE
Breakfast of champions.
EXT. PLATEAU (MALIBU BEACH) – MORNING
Overlooking the bluffs, establish a view of the Malibu Strand, and the blue, early-morning ocean stretched out below.
Kelly is completely organized; a small picnic basket with nutritious food, coffee and
juice; his shorts, his board, everything is in order. He is a man preparing to go to his job.
Luke is haphazard, unshaven, his hair a mess, pulling on his wetsuit, struggling for equilibrium.
14.
EXT. THE SURF – MORNING
Perfect three-to-six footers.
MUSIC begins, something modern and uplifting.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
Luke and Kelly negotiate the waves expertly.
They practice different cuts and curls.
They try to outdo each other.
SURFERS, in and out of the water, stop to check out the champions.
SURFER
That’s Malone and Chapin. Epic.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
Now, the waters are more crowded, and Kelly motions to Luke to bring it on in.
Luke nods, and they paddle ashore.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
Kelly and Luke carry their belongings towards the parking lot, walking in the still-cool sand, while surfers recognize them and show signs of recognition and respect.
Kelly acknowledges this, but Luke is indifferent.
MUSIC ends.
EXT. PARKING LOT – DAY
Kelly and Luke change, when they are approached by RATSO and CHUY, two menacing-looking local surfers with battered boards and torn wetsuits.
RATSO
Well, well, well, whaddawe got here?
CHUY
A coupla faggots.
15.
Kelly and Luke just look at each other and roll their eyes. This kind of thing happens every so often, and is a natural by-product of fame in the most territorial of sports.
LUKE
(to Kelly; softly)
We can take these punks.
Kelly eyes the situation without appearing too obvious.
KELLY
Check it out “John Wayne”.
Luke, out of the corner of his eyes, sees that the toughs are backed up by a group of skulking, longhaired locals.
RATSO
We’re talkin’ to you, pretty boy.
KELLY
What’s the problem? We’re just leavin’.
RATSO
Oh, I know you’re leavin’, and you ain’t comin’ back,
neither.
CHUY
This is our surf.
KELLY
You know somethin’, you’re right, and that’s why
we’re leavin’. Right, Luke?
LUKE
Right.
Luke turns as if to board the Cherokee, and it appears they have avoided a fight.
Then, Luke turns and lays Chuy out with a heavy-duty right.
Kelly does the same to Ratso, and then the two get into a regular “pier six” brawl with the rest of these reprobates.
At first the fight is going evenly, with Kelly and Luke taking advantage of the surprise element to get a few licks in, but when Ratso and Chuy recover, they enter the fracas with a vengeance, and after a few strategic kicks and punches, things are beginning to look bad for our heroes.
16.
Suddenly, CLIFF CARSON, late 50s, long hair, ripped and tanned, a tough, grizzled beach legend, enters the fray and starts pulling everybody off each other.
CLIFF
Stop it. Goddamn it Ratso, you dumbass, get the hell
outta here.
This guy has some serious pull, because as soon as everybody sees him, they lay off.
Ratso lets go of Kelly.
RATSO
Cliff, man. You of all people know these guys are raw.
They got no respect for this beach.
CLIFF
It ain’t about knockin’ heads, Ratso. Now get
outta here before I knock yours.
Ratso just collects his board, and takes off, staring back at Luke and Kelly with a look of--not really hatred--contempt.
Kelly and Luke just stare at this rough ‘n’ tumble old dude.
CLIFF (cont’d)
You fellas’ got cut up a little.
Cliff heads off, and Luke and Kelly just stand there.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Well, just don’t stand there.
Luke and Kelly look at each other, then follow.
EXT. PARKING LOT – DAY
Ratso stares at Kelly and Luke leaving with Cliff. When they are out of sight, he goes
to Kelly’s car, produces a large knife, and destroys all of his tires.
EXT. CLIFF’S HOUSE – DAY
Cliff leads Luke and Kelly to his beach house, not far from where the incident took
place.
17.
INT. CLIFF’S GARAGE – DAY
Cliff enters, and they follow.
Cliff’s son, CAREY CARSON, mid-30s, a good-looking, rugged guy like his dad, is
restoring a vintage Jacobs longboard. He looks up.
CAREY
Hey, Cliff.
CLIFF
How’s the Jacobs’ comin’ along, Carey?
CAREY
Almost there.
CLIFF
This here’s Kelly Malloy and Luke Chapin. They ran
into Ratso and his gang.
KELLY
You know who we are?
CAREY
Of course we know who you are. It’s an honor.
Everybody shakes hands.
KELLY
Man, that’s a sweet Jacobs longboard.
CAREY
Vintage.
KELLY
You mind if I take a look at it.
CAREY
Be my guest.
Kelly takes the board and gets the feel of it. As he does so, something strange happens.
The mood changes. Cliff and Carey have odd looks on their faces. MUSIC plays,
something mysterious.
While Kelly examines the board, a series of black-and-white subliminal flashcuts takes place. Almost imperceptible visions of Kelly surfing on the Jacobs longboard, like
18.
long-lost memory cells deep within Kelly’s soul. These flashcuts go back and forth, alternating lightning speed between the view of Kelly in Cliff’s garage, and Kelly riding some distant wave in his mind.
LUKE
Hey man, you look like you just saw a ghost.
The flashcuts end abruptly, and Cliff and Carey LAUGH just a little too loud at Luke’s remark.
CLIFF
Max rode this one.
LUKE
Whose Max?
CLIFF
You know Max, don’t’cha Luke? He was a legend
around these parts, years ago.
LUKE
Never hearda the dude.
Cliff points out various vintage boards hanging in the garage, and Kelly, more than Luke, admires them.
CAREY
You guys’ in the contest this weekend?
LUKE
We’re gonna smoke that contest.
CLIFF
Enough jawin’. I told you fellas I’d clean up those cuts, so come with me.
CAREY
Hey, wait a minute. Were havin’ a barbeque tonight. Why don’t you stick around after I get those cuts bandaged up?
KELLY
No, thanks.
Kelly looks at Luke.
19.
KELLY
(continuing;
discreetly)
This place is a little spooky.
LUKE
Yeah.
They follow Cliff, and Kelly just shakes his head.
EXT. PARKING LOT – DAY
Kelly and Luke, bandaged, take a look at four flat tires. They just look at each other.
EXT. CLIFF’S HOUSE – DAY
Kelly and Luke stand staring at the door, which opens, and Cliff looks at them as if he knew they would be back.
KELLY
About staying here, Cliff…
RING. RING. RING.
In the b.g., the SOUNDS of ‘60s surf MUSIC and partying are heard.
INT. JENNY’S BEDROOM – SUNSET
Jenny sits, listening to the phone RING. Caller i.d. indicates Kelly’s cell phone number. She cries, but does not answer it.
INT. CLIFF’S KITCHEN – SUNSET
Kelly listens to the RINGING on the other end of the line on his cell phone. No answer, so he hangs up in frustration.
In the b.g. are all the party SOUNDS, and a couple of hot surfer babes are chitchatting next to the refrigerator.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – SUNSET
Luke sits with two very hot numbers, knocking back shots of whiskey.
Cliff stands, overlooking the ocean, talking with an older buddy, but all the while
observing Luke’s drinking pattern.
20.
Carey stands in another part of the yard, trading surfing stories with a few friends, male and female.
A BIG BLACK DUDE in a chef’s hat and a shirt that reads “ALOHA SPIRIT” works the chickens, ribs, hamburgers, and hot dogs on the barbecue like Da Vinci wielding a paintbrush.
Carey breaks away from his group, and pulls a chair around so he sits opposite Luke, who lights up a cigarette.
CAREY
Is your dad still shaping your boards?
LUKE
(agitated)
Not for long.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – LATER
The mood is mellow, and everybody is finishing up their dinner.
Luke is pretty far-gone on alcohol, making time with his surf chick.
Over in the corner, standing by himself and staring out at the blue Pacific, Kelly is in a reflective, soul-searching mood. He stands next to an old tree, which has been deformed due to a fire.
Cliff walks up to him and offers him a beer, which he accepts.
CLIFF
Whatcha thinkin’?
KELLY
My girlfriend. The contest. Tax write-offs.
CLIFF
You guys earn a pretty good livin’ nowadays, ` don’t’cha?
KELLY
Sure.
CLIFF
Have you ever heard of the “Aloha Spirit?”
21.
KELLY
I don’t know. Maybe.
CLIFF
You will. You professionals need to know more
about it, ‘cause it ain’t about money.
At this moment, almost as if pulled by a magnetic force, Luke has pulled himself away
from his whiskey and his women to wander into this conversation. The same eerie
MUSIC that played when Kelly held the vintage surfboard plays. Something is going
on here, and it looks as if Cliff knows something Kelly and Luke do not.
LUKE
So how are we s’posed to make a livin’, Kahuna?
Cliff proudly displays the winner’s patches on the sleeve of his red “championship”
jacket emblazoned with the words “MALIBU SURF RIDER’S CLUB.”
CLIFF
You see these? This is the most I ever won surfing,
and I’ll bet I got more satisfaction out of it than all
the marketing dollars either of you have ever earned.
LUKE
(sarcastically)
Hey, that’s impressive. I’ll bet—
Kelly shuts him up with a wave of the hand.
KELLY
What’s the Malibu Surf Rider’s Club?
CLIFF
Was. Now it’s only a memory. For some of us, it’s
still a state of mind. The way it was.
Cliff has Kelly and Luke’s attention.
CLIFF (cont’d)
In nineteen sixty-two we finally beat our archrivals,
Wind ‘n’ Sea. These two surfers, Smokin’ Joe and
Max, they joined our club at the last minute. They
were great surfers. They were what surfing’s all
about, man. Brotherhood, friendship.
Kelly and Luke look at each other, as if Cliff is talking about them.
22.
CLIFF (cont’d)
This old tree’s got more soul than most surfers
have today, there all in it for money anyway.
This tree was partially burned that summer of sixty-
two. Oh man, do I remember sixty-two! The ocean
swallowed up Max. Smokin’ Joe passed away last
week.
Cliff starts to cry. Kelly understands what Cliff is trying to say, but Luke is indifferent,
heading back to the party.
LUKE
The good old days. It’s always better in the good
old days. Maybe these are the good old days.
Kelly pats Cliff on the back, then starts to walk away.
Kelly glances at Luke, who has grabbed a chick and is making out with her.
Kelly leaves, leaving Cliff to look at the old, deformed tree and think. There is that
MUSIC again. Something is odd, not quite right, but what?
INT. CLIFF’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
Kelly sits by himself, staring out the window at a moonlit sky, when Luke, Cliff and
several of his surf buds scamper by.
KELLY
Where are you goin’?
LUKE
Surfin’.
EXT. COTTON ESTATE – NIGHT
Cliff’s car pulls up, very quietly, to a guard chain that leads onto a private road.
INT. CLIFF’S CAR – NIGHT
Kelly and Luke sit in the backseat. Several other surfers are in the car.
KELLY
Where are we?
23.
CLIFF
This is the old Cotton Estate. It’s private property,
daddio, but out beyond the point is the best surfing
this side of San Clemente.
KELLY
Yeah, I’ve heard of it. So what’s up with this?
You gonna sneak onto private property and surf
at night?
CLIFF
You got it.
EXT. CLIFF’S CAR – NIGHT
The car stops. One of Cliff’s buddies gets out and lifts the guard chain. Cliff’s car
coasts under.
The car drives up the side entrance track, and Cliff parks the car under a large bush that
provides camouflage.
Everybody gets out and grabs their boards.
Luke enthusiastically grabs his board and starts to head out. He notices that Kelly is
hesitant.
LUKE
Come on, man.
KELLY
No way, Luke. It’s dangerous.
LUKE
So what?
With that, Luke is off.
EXT. BEACH – NIGHT
The guys’ are having a rip-roaring good time, surfing by the light of the moon.
Luke has his shorts down around his knees, riding the waves bareass.
Kelly observes, smiling. Cliff comes off the water
24.
CLIFF
Worried about gettin’ hurt.
KELLY
Sure. So should Luke.
CLIFF
Luke’s got more of the Aloha Spirit than you have,
kid. Besides, night surfin’s not the dangerous
thing about surfin’ the Cotton beach.
KELLY
What is?
SHOT!
A shotgun blast pierces the night air.
CLIFF
That is.
The surfer’s scramble out of the water and make their way to the beach as fast as they
can.
Another BLAST is heard.
CLIFF
That’s old Carney, the guard. He hates surfers.
Cliff turns toward where the shots are coming from.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Hey, Carney, over here.
CARNEY (O.S.)
Is that you, Carson? What do I gotta do to get rid
of you?
CLIFF
Learn to shoot.
Everybody LAUGHS and scrambles out of there, surfboards in tow, grabbing clothes
along the way.
Police SIRENS wail in the b.g.
25.
EXT. CLIFF’S CAR – NIGHT
Everybody scrambles into the car, the boards are fastened as best they can, the guys
jump in, Cliff GUNS the engine, and they make haste out of there.
EXT. COTTON ESTATE – NIGHT
Cliff’s vehicle SKIDS onto P.C.H. and gets out, just as the police car flies past them to
check out the call.
INT. CLIFF’S CAR – NIGHT
Everybody just LAUGHS, turning to see the police car, sirens WAILING, lights
flashing, drive past them.
CLIFF
Now that’s the Aloha Spirit!
INT. CLIFF’S LIVING ROOM – DAWN
Various people are sprawled in various stages of undress, sleeping on the couch, in the
lounge chairs, and on the floor.
Kelly walks down the stairs, negotiating his way over a few comatose, snoring people,
then spots Luke, sleeping with a blanket over him.
He nudges Luke with his feet.
KELLY
You comin’.
Luke looks around and gets his bearings.
LUKE
Oh yeah, sure.
Luke gets up. He is nude, and so is the girl who had been hidden under his blanket.
EXT. THE SURF - MORNING
Perfect four-to-six foot waves are breaking just right.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – MORNING
Kelly and Luke head out to practice some more.
26.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
Kelly and Luke continue to work on their moves.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – LATER
The guys head on shore.
LUKE
That old dude Cliff’s a trip.
KELLY
I can’t remember, but I must’ve met him before
some time.
LUKE
Hey, dude, you ain’t met him, he’s met us!
KELLY
Right on!
The two exchange high-fives. They are full of bravado, both of them ready to enter
their element, a world in which people know all about who they are, while they have
little reason to care who they are.
LUKE
Catch some lunch, then do an afternoon set?
KELLY
Gotta get back.
LUKE
Get back? Look at the waves.
They stare out at perfect six-footers.
KELLY
Sweet, bro, but I got chick duty.
He starts to leaves, and Luke just stares at him. His jaw tightens, he tries to hold back,
but discretion is not part of his make-up. As if drawn by some Shakespearean irony,
he just cannot help opening his big trap.
LUKE
Jenny’s got you wrapped so tight you can’t breathe.
27.
Kelly stops dead in his tracks. Patience, he seems to be saying to himself. Let it pass.
He, too, is confrontational, and he turns on Luke.
KELLY
We couldn’t just practice surfing, could we? No, you
gotta make me lay it all out.
LUKE
Lay it out, bro.
KELLY
She’s got more stability in her little finger than…
She’s good for me.
LUKE
Bro, you couldn’t pull a pin out of your ass with a
tractor. You used to be…
KELLY
We ain’t livin’ in “used to be,” man!
He pauses.
KELLY (cont’d)
You are so stupid, dude. You’ve got all these demons,
all that stuff.
LUKE
Here it comes. “You can’t hide behind drugs, Luke.”
KELLY
You can’t. You gotta deal with life, and Jenny
helps me do that.
He stops to consider that he may be hypocritical, preaching to Luke about his lifestyle,
but is he willing to “do the right thing” regarding his girlfriend?
LUKE
Are you there?
KELLY
What?
28.
LUKE
One minute you were preachin’ to me, just like
you always did. The next minute…
KELLY
Life ain’t a bowl of cherries.
Kelly turns to leave, and Luke looks at him.
LUKE
(to himself)
“Life ain’t a bowl of cherries.” Brilliant. Always gotta
have the last word. “Life ain’t a bowl of cherries.”
He calls out to Kelly, who does not respond.
LUKE (con’d)
Hey, life ain’t a bowl of cherries.
Off in the distance, a THUNDER CLAP is heard. The weather system is a little closer.
INT. GAS STATION – DAY
Kelly stands at the counter while the STATION OWNER tabulates his bill.
STATION OWNER
Four tires, a tank of gas, two sandwiches and a
six-pack of coke. Parts and labor. Uh, yeah. Three
hundred thirty-one seventy-six.
Kelly hands him a credit card.
KELLY
Charge it.
EXT. PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY – MALIBU – DAY
Kelly’s vehicle cruises the Coast Highway.
EXT. FREE CLINIC – DAY
Kelly’s vehicle pulls up to the parking lot. Kelly gets out, and opens the door for Jenny,
who also exits the car. They head towards the clinic. Kelly looks at a woman exiting the clinic, looking sad.
29.
INT. FREE CLINIC – DAY
Kelly and Jenny sit in silence in a room, along with several other women, all quiet with drawn faces. The other women are alone, except for one who is with her mother, and another who is with her boyfriend. The boyfriend looks like he would rather be anywhere in the entire world but this place.
Kelly stares at his surroundings. He would rather be anyplace else in the world right now.
A NURSE sticks her head through the door and BARKS out in a passionless voice.
NURSE
Jenny Bishop.
Jenny gets up and approaches. Kelly tentatively follows.
NURSE (cont’d)
And you are?
KELLY
Kelly Malloy.
The nurse looks annoyed.
NURSE
Relationship?
KELLY
What?
“Nurse Ratchet” has about as much empathy as a Gestapo officer.
JENNY
He’s my boyfriend.
NURSE
Uhhh…
She ushers Jenny through the door, which closes right in Kelly’s face. Kelly looks at the others in the room, staring at him, and does his very best to try to be about one inch tall, and return to his seat.
30.
EXT. FREE CLINIC – DAY
Jenny and Kelly emerge from this “house of horrors”. She is moving fast, and Kelly has to almost run in order to keep up.
KELLY
Wait a minute.
JENNY
What?
KELLY
Just wait a minute.
JENNY
What?
Kelly grabs her and stops her.
KELLY
I said wait a minute.
JENNY
What’s the matter?
KELLY
Are you pregnant or not?
JENNY
Yes. The nurse said it’s best to get the abortion
over with. I told I’ll be back in a couple days and
that’s what I’m gonna do. You don’t have to be
here, I know you’ve got a contest, so…go to your contest.
KELLY
Jen, look, I’m not ready for this.
JENNY
You’re not ready? Oh, well excuse me.
KELLY
Look, I don’t know. Let’s wait until after the
contest.
31.
JENNY
No. I’m getting this over with in a few days,
I don’t care about your stupid contest, just leave.
With that, Jenny goes to the car.
Kelly stands in the parking lot—mortified. Finally, he goes to the car, opens the door for Jenny, she gets in, Kelly gets in, and they drive off, stone-faced.
EXT. LUNADA BAY – PALOS VERDES ESTATES – DUSK
Kelly stands at the railing overlooking the beautiful scenic strand that stretches from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Malibu. The South Bay cities of Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan twinkle with early-evening lights, and beyond that is Torrance, and further beyond that the expanse of the L.A.Basin, with the skyscrapers of downtown off in the b.g., framed by the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains.
Couples pass nearby, obviously in love, intoxicated by the romantic setting, and the more idyllic the setting, the sadder Kelly feels. Finally, he just breaks down and cries.
Kelly stares out across Santa Monica Bay, and there is Malibu.
It is the end of a perfect, blue-sky day, except that off in the distance, out beyond the
horizon, the sound of THUNDER crackles. Kelly stares at it, and there, miles off-shore,
is the beginning of that weird weather system. Dark clouds begin to form, and the
sound of THUNDER continues to be heard. Kelly’s face reflects the fact that it is
strange to see this kind of weather system this time of year.
Kelly checks out the bay, which is still bathed in sunshine.
Focus in on Malibu, which gets closer and closer and closer until…
EXT. MALIBU BEACH - MORNING
Out on the horizon, the weather system is larger. It is getting closer to shore, and
strange THUNDER CLAPS are heard.
Now, arrive at the beach, which hums with activity in preparation for the contest.
A sign reads, ‘WEST COAST PRO-AM CHAMPIONSHIPS.”
Various championship banners hang all over the place.
Scaffolding has been erected to accommodate an expected large crowd.
Beyond the beach can be seen a Jack In the Box and a liquor store.
32.
Contestants in wetsuits carry their boards.
P.A. ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(on microphone)
Beautiful Surfrider Beach in Malibu, California
welcomes you to the West Coast Pro-Am
Championships. It looks like we might experience
some weather today, folks, but that’s not
going to stop us from seeing great surfing.
The storm gets closer, and the THUNDER CLAPS are louder.
MONTAGE OF ACTION:
Various cuts of the competitors negotiating the waves.
The crowd ROARS with approval, and also GROANS with disappointment, depending
upon the fate of the contestants.
Kelly and Luke ride the waves beautifully.
The P.A. ANNOUNCER comments and announces the scores.
As the heat progresses, Kelly and Luke resume the easygoing camaraderie of their
childhood, each one-upping the other in good-humored, Ali-style banter.
The two are surfing with a joy de vivre not previously seen, eschewing the use of their
normal tactics in favor of a straightforward style, letting the chips fall where they may.
P.A. ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
Malloy and Chapin are taking a decidedly
different approach today. The usual stunts and
maneuvers are out the window, in favor of a
more relaxed style. I don’t know what’s gotten
into them, but it seems to be working.
It’s a four-man first round of main events (these two do not have to surf the
preliminaries). They are on either side of the bracket, and in order for them to win,
they both have to win all their heats.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
1. Kelly rides the surf.
2. Luke rides the surf.
3. A competitor shoots the curl.
4. Kelly looks relaxed as he negotiates the waves.
33.
5. Luke LAUGHS while making a turn look easy.
MONTAGE OF SHOTS:
It gets down to the man-on-man heats, with Kelly blowing doors on all who come his
way.
Luke has some trouble in his heats and looks as though he may get beaten by another
surfer, but at the last minute that surfer drops in on Luke and gets called for
interference.
P.A. ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(on loudspeaker)
That’s interference on Harkley.
Pretty girls in bikinis stare out at Kelly and Luke in the water.
Tanned beachboys do the same.
Both men and women covet something that these two have, in their own way.
It’s been a long day, and both Kelly and Luke are tired. They joke around, lying on
their bellies on the floating boards.
LUKE
(Ali-speak)
I pity the fool who thinks he can take me.
KELLY
Prepare to get taken.
In the finals, Kelly and Luke are ripping, each pushing each other to the limit, wave for wave.
The storm is bigger, approaching the shore like a gray giant, almost lifelike in its ominous, dark approach, THUNDER CLAPS crackling in crisp, hair-raising electric spears.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
A longboarder has moved into the contest area.
34.
P.A. ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(on loudspeaker)
Surfer, please move to the north of the area.
The storm is not ominous anymore. It is downright dangerous.
Luke and Kelly paddle out for the set that is coming in.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
An electrical current seems to emanate the very existence of the beach.
P.A. ANNOUNCER (V.O. cont’d)
(on loudspeaker)
There is…
The p.a. announcer is talking to himself now. The loudspeaker has gone dead.
P.A. ANNOUNCER (cont’d)
…a set out back.
All along the beach, radios go dead.
EXT. THE SURF - DAY
The surfer, on a classic longboard, seemingly comes from nowhere, in full trim, hanging 10 across a wave and beelining for the astounded Kelly and Luke, who turn to take off, but they are caught inside. The logger does a drop knee bottom turn and runs to the nose just as Luke and Kelly are sinking (“duckdiving”) under the wave.
The storm furiously approaches, huge THUNDER CLAPS permeating the ocean
surface, and the clouds appear now to be the gaping maw of some evil place.
Right in front of Kelly and Luke, seemingly driven by the power of the storm itself, his
face contorted in a wild, demonic grin, moving at mach speed with his hair on fire, is
56-year old CHOWDERHEAD.
It is apparent this is no ordinary duckdive. From underneath the water’s surface, brilliant shafts of light descend like Heavenly spears, encircling the two surfers and their boards with laser beam accuracy.
The lights streak under the water like heat-seeking missiles fixed on the precise location of their targets, 36 spears of light encircling Kelly and Luke in a kaleidoscope of wild, knife-like thrusts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
35.
From the murky depths, silhouettes of the two surfers are seen. It is as if the two are in the middle of a 10.0 magnitude earthquake, the sonic booms rumbling and shaking, ushering in some kind of metaphysical change, reflected in a fuzzy iris that bathes the scene in a soft, eerie glow.
The scene shifts to black-and-white.
When Kelly and Luke surface, fighting for air on the other side of the wave, they both look at each other as if to say, “That was close.”
They are both a bit shaken and dizzy, as if hit by a Mac truck.
They turn to see who almost hit them, and see Chowderhead, only now he appears much younger.
Luke is nauseous as if from vertigo, and throws up. An amazing change continues to play out, not readily apparent at first, but as the two gather themselves, they become
aware of a weird, twi-light zone effect.
The traumatic underwater experience is replaced by a serene, quiet seagull’s YAWK, and the sea breeze gently caresses the ocean’s surface.
From Kelly and Luke’s p.o.v., the beach looks the same—yet different. Wait a minute.
What is going on here? The scaffolding is gone. So is the Jack In the Box, and the liquor store. Gone are the stacked houses on the cliffs above. They are replaced by empty cliffs, and a shack on the beach that was not there before. The crowd is still here, but…wait a second. That is not the same crowd. It is smaller, now only about 25 people. What in the world…?
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
The small gathering is CHEERING. What are they cheering for?
INTERCUT/THE SURF AND MALIBU BEACH
Luke and Kelly cannot comprehending what is happening. The people are cheering the errant surfboarder who almost ran them down. He hangs 10 across a perfect, uncrowded wave. The scene shifts from black-and-white to a nostalgic, fuzzy color.
Luke and Kelly are so shaken up that they temporarily lose all their surfing skills, their bodies reduced to jelly, their minds filled with wild, incoherent thoughts. Dizzily, they paddle in like beginners trying to learn how to surf on belly boards. When they catch a wave (or the wave catches them), they almost drown, and wash up on the beach. The crowd, which stands under a banner reading “MALIBU SURFRIDERS ASSOCIATION,” sees what is happening.
36.
22-year CHOWDERHEAD sees the boys in trouble and paddles in to help, and some of the others run over, as well. Yes, this is the same guy who was hanging 10 and forced Kelly and Luke to duckdive, but now he is young, and he no longer has that hell-bent-for-leather expression on his face.
When the people drag Kelly and Luke ashore, they get a load of their wetsuits and short performance boards, and various jokes are heard about their “innertube suits” and “mini-boards.”
CHOWDERHEAD
Are you guys’ drunk or something?
Kelly and Luke do not respond.
VOICE (O.S.)
Should I call an ambulance?
KELLY
No, no, we’re all right. No need for an ambulance.
CHOWDERHEAD
Hey, man, what were you thinkin’ out there? Didn’t
you see me?
. LUKE
(angrily)
Not see you? We’re the ones you shoulda been lookin’
out for. We’re in the finals.
CHOWDERHEAD
You’re not even in the contest. I was riding for
number one.
VOICE (O.S.)
Good run, too, Chowder.
LUKE
I never seen you before, I—
Kelly grabs hold of Luke and shuts him up.
KELLY
Look around.
Luke stares at his surroundings, but it is all still too much of a shock to his system.
37.
KELLY (cont’d)
(to Chowderhead)
Don’t you know us? Kelly Malloy and Luke…?
Instinctively, Kelly knows the answer is no. He has no idea what is going on, but like the survivor of an airplane crash, he realizes he must stay alert, sober and in control if he is going to get them out of this.
Chowderhead just stares at him, as do the others in the group.
LUKE
Gimme a break. Surfing magazine—
Kelly puts his hand on Luke’s shoulder to shut him up.
KELLY
Forget it, Luke.
LUKE
Whaddayea mean, these fools don’t…
KELLY
(forceful but in control)
Forget it!
CHOWDERHEAD
(to himself)
Surfing magazine?
Luke and Kelly just look at each other and shake their head.
LUKE
Well, anyway, we’ll be seein’ ya.
Luke and Kelly gather themselves and start up toward the cliffs.
KELLY
What’s goin’ on?
LUKE
Damned if I know.
They pass a couple of beachcomers with a radio going. The Everly Brothers “Bye, Bye Love” plays.
A little further up the beach, another radio is on.
38.
RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(on radio)
…Kennedy’s advisors have urged a cautious approach
in dealing with the Cuban President since the Bay of Pigs incident.
Kelly spots a garbage can, and goes to it, rummaging around.
LUKE
What the hell you doing? I got money, you don’t need
to rummage for food like a homeless person.
Kelly looks at him for a second, then runs to another garbage can.
LUKE (cont’d)
(to himself)
You crazy, Kelly?
Kelly pulls some items out of the garbage can. A Coca-Cola bottle, the old style. An old-style Budweiser can. A crumpled up newspaper.
It is the Los Angeles Times sports section. Kelly looks at it feverishly. His face goes ashen when he sees what he hoped against hope he would not see.
The headline reads “Angels reach first place at mid-way point.” Next to that is a photo of Bo Belinsky, wearing an old Angels cap with the L.A. logo.
Below that is a photo of Sandy Koufax, next to a headline reading “Mysterious arm ailment hampers Koufax.”
Then, the kicker: The date reads July 5, 1962.
Kelly lets out a SCREAM.
Luke rushes to him.
LUKE
Are you out of your mind?
KELLY
Yes.
He points to the date on the paper, and Luke reads it.
LUKE
Jesus, what an old newspaper.
39.
KELLY
That crack’s really messed you up, baby. We’ve
gone back…
LUKE
Yeah, we’ve gone where? The crack’s screwed
up my e.s.p., too, bro.
KELLY
Explain…this!
Kelly gestures towards the beach, which one second had scaffolds and a couple thousand people, and then all the people from the contest are replaced by the small gathering checking out the the Malibu Surfriders Association.
KELLY (cont’d)
Where’s that Jack In the Box that was up there?
The houses on the cliff are gone. Look at the
way people are dressed.
LUKE
It’s some kinda joke. Or maybe that dealer sold
me some bad stuff. I don’t care any more, let’s
just get out of here.
EXT. THE STAIRS (MALIBU, CALIFORNIA) – 1962 – DAY
Kelly and Luke navigate the stairs. Two girls in Annette Funicello-style hairdos and early ‘60s bikinis pass them, and they giggle when they get a load of Kelly and Luke’s surf wear.
EXT. PARKING LOT – DAY
The cars are all old. The cars passing on nearby Pacific Coast Highway are old. A very, very, very old, perhaps senile man, sits on a nearby bench. Kelly approaches him.
KELLY
Excuse me, sir, can you tell me who the President
of the United States is?
OLD MAN
Do I look senile to you?
KELLY
Please, sir, it’s important.
40.
OLD MAN
I’m a Hoover man and always will be.
Kelly stares at him.
KELLY
Never mind.
Luke looks around.
LUKE
Jesus, Kelly, the car’s gone.
KELLY
I’m waitin’ for Allen Funt, but I’m afraid it’s
gonna be Rod Serling.
LUKE
I don’t know what your talkin’ about, but all
my money’s in the car.
KELLY
Dude, so was mine. Sit down.
Luke looks at him funny, but now Kelly shows parental patience. He motions to the bench where the old man sits. Luke stares at the bench, then back at Kelly. Kelly gives him a half-smile, as if to say, “Humor me.” Luke sits, and Kelly joins him. The old man scoots over to make a little more room.
KELLY (cont’d)
Just bear with me.
Kelly tries to gather his thoughts.
LUKE
Speak.
KELLY
Luke, I know this sounds…nuts. I don’t
know how else to say this. It’s nineteen sixty-two.
The old man stares at Kelly.
OLD MAN
Well aren’t you the bright one?
41.
KELLY
We have no money, no clothes, no car, and
I think we’ve gone back in time.
LUKE
I hate it when that happens.
KELLY
Stop screwin’ around, Luke. I’m serious.
LUKE
Yeah. And I’m Michael J. Fox. We just need
a flux capacitor.
Up the stairs appears Cliff, only now he is a young man. Luke and Kelly stare at him, then at each other, then at Cliff.
KELLY/LUKE
Cliff?
CLIFF
You fellas know me?
KELLY
Yeah, man, we were at your house last—
LUKE
(to himself, absorbing situation)
No way.
KELLY
We know of you. You’re reputation precedes
you.
Cliff smiles warmly.
CLIFF
I didn’t catch your name.
Kelly thinks fast, then spots a liquor store down the highway, Joe and Max’s.
KELLY
I’m Max, this is Joe.
LUKE
Joe?
42.
Kelly punches him in the stomach, all the while smiling at Cliff.
LUKE
Yeah, Joe, that’s me.
Just then Chowderhead appears, a couple of beach babes in tow.
CHOWDERHEAD
Hey, guys, feelin’ better?
KELLY
Yeah, yeah. Listen, do you mind givin’ us a
ride?
CHOWDERHEAD
Where?
KELLY
Hermosa?
CHOWDERHEAD
Hermosa? I would if I could, but besides my
woody’s too small to fit you in. Sorry.
CLIFF
You’re welcome to come to my house ‘til you
get a ride. It’s right up that cliff.
He points, and sure as heck there is the same house that Kelly and Luke were at the “night before.”
INT. CLIFF’S LIVING ROOM – DAY
The house is now brand new.
Cliff shows Luke and Kelly around, but they are like monkeys staring at a red rubber ball.
Luke spots the newspaper and grabs it.
The L.A. Times front page headline reads, “U.S. supports French Algeria policy.” Next to that is a photo of Charles de Gaulle, and up above is the date: July 5, 1962.
Kelly walks, zombie-like, into the kitchen.
43.
INT. CLIFF’S KITCHEN – DAY
Kelly enters, and spots a calendar on the wall.
CLIFF (O.S.)
Max, help yourself to some water. I’m sure Joe would
like some, too.
INT. CLIFF’S LIVING ROOM – DAY
Luke sits on the couch, his mouth open. Kelly enters and gives him a glass of water.
Cliff turns on the t.v., which takes about 20 seconds to come on. He manually switches stations until he gets ahold of a grainy, black-and-white Dodgers broadcast.
VIN SCULLY (V.O.)
(on t.v.)
…brought to you by Union Seventy-Six. Also brought
to you by Farmer John. Eastern most in quality,
western most in flavor.
If you’re just tuning in, well then, pull up a chair.
Tommy Davis leads off for the Dodgers, big Frank
Howard on deck.
Kelly looks at the Dodger game. The players are wearing baggy, flannel uniforms.
He stares out at the Pacific—at least some things do not change—then checks the house out some more.
KELLY
Can I use your phone?
CLIFF
Go ahead.
Kelly dials the rotary phone, but his call does not go through.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Where you calling?
KELLY
Hermosa. Same area code, right? Three one oh.
CLIFF
Two one three.
44.
KELLY
That’s right.
He dials.
MAN (V.O.)
(on phone)
Hello.
KELLY
Is Jenny there?
MAN (V.O.)
You got the wrong number?
Kelly hangs up.
KELLY
(to Luke)
You’re Dad’s number? Three seven two, seven two
what?
LUKE
Six six.
Kelly dials, but gets only an operator’s sterile announcement that the number is disconnected.
CLIFF
Say, you don’t have to worry about nothin’. You can
stay here.
Luke looks at him kind of funny.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Oh, no, it’s not like that, believe me. My dad’s
out of town. He’s an actor . You probably heard
of him, Carey Carson.
LUKE
Jesus, Carey Carson. He was in that surfing movie,
Hot Dogs. I loved that movie.
45.
CLIFF
How’d you know about that? He just finished
the screenplay, wrote it himself, but nobody wants
to touch it.
LUKE
It won’t come out until nineteen sixty-five.
CLIFF
What are you talking about?
KELLY
Never mind, Cliff. Believe me, you don’t wanna know.
Here’s the thing, man. We need your help. I know
you think we’re from another world—well, the truth is
we are—from—the East Coast, but—we ran out of
money, and we don’t have a car, and the place we were
gonna stay at in Hermosa Beach isn’t there any more,
the people aren’t there any more, and—
LUKE
Our clothes were stolen.
KELLY
And, and if we could stay here a little while
we’ll re-pay you—
CLIFF
‘Nuf said. You can stay here like I said. Besides, you
guys looked like you need somebody to work with you
on your surfing. That’s understandable, being from the
Easy Coast and all. I’m the cat’s pajamas, daddio.
I’ll teach you what you need to get started.
Kelly and Luke just stare at each other, then fix a stare on Cliff.
CLIFF (cont’d)
What? What’d I say?
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – SUNSET
Talk about déjà vu all over again! It’s a party, only 1962 style, just like the one Kelly and Luke attended last night, 38 years from now.
In attendance are all the members of the Malibu Surfriders Association, a cool collection of hepcats: Chowderhead, Cliff, DENNIS, STEVE, DONO, and many others.
46.
DENNIS
The guy was gone.
DONO
Out there.
STEVE
A Yader spoon? An eight-six?
DONO
Can you cut back on those things?
STEVE
Stylishly.
DENNIS
Those things Velzy makes look like a sausage.
I wouldn’t ride one.
DONO
Who cares if it cuts back?
DENNIS
Style points.
STEVE
Style points my ass.
Steve turns around and displays a bare ass to his two non-plussed buds.
CLIFF’S BACKYARD – SAME TIME
One thing never seems to change. Girls. Where you find surfers, you find nice-looking girls, and this party is no exception. CRYSTAL, BLAKE and CHLOE check out a tiny, pretty little blonde, SANDY, one of the youngest girls there.
CRYSTAL
She’s a midget.
BLAKE
A midget girl.
CHLOE
That makes her a…”gidget.”
Sandy hears them.
47.
SANDY
I’m not a gidget.
CRSYTAL
What are you then?
Sandy just walks away.
BLAKE
You check out those new guys?
CRYSTAL
Very weird.
CHLOE
Very cute.
Cliff has an old drum kit, and he BANGS on it to get everybody’s attention.
CLIFF
Well, I’m glad to see you’re all still alive
just one day after the Fourth of July bash.
VOICES
Party…Yeah…
CLIFF
Anyway, this little impromtu gathering
is in honor of a coupla guys…they might
not be “moon doggies” yet, but we’ll teach
‘em the ropes.
(laughter)
Chowder almost killed ‘em today.
DONO
Chowder’s almost killed everybody here at
one time or another.
LAUGHTER while Chowder appears to get angry at Dono and strike him, then just eases off.
CLIFF
Yeah, well, Chowder’s just…Chowder. I digress.
Max and Joe, the Malibu Surfriders welcome you.
48.
SHOUTS of greeting and gestures of friendship are offered to Kelly and Luke. Suddenly, Chowder shows up behind them and pours beer on their heads.
CHOWDER
Now that’s a welcome.
MUSIC begins, girls and guys dance, and the party swings into full gear.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – LATER
Sandy wanders around, trying to get attention, but she is smaller and younger than most of the people here. Then, she sees Luke. This guy is different. She approaches him.
SANDY
I’ve never seen earrings on a guy before.
LUKE
Oh, yeah, well it’s in style where I come from.
SANDY
Where is that, exactly?
Luke stares out at the ocean. From his p.o.v., one can see Santa Monica Bay, and the coastal strand that extends to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Just before that is Hermosa Beach.
LUKE
Uh, I’m from southeast of here. As the crow flies.
SANDY
Southeasst? I heard you from the East Coast. Oh, I
guess you’re from Florida, then. I’m Sandy.
LUKE
Yeah, Sandy, uh-huh, right, yeah.
Luke drains a beer.
SANDY
Are you gonna tell me your name?
LUKE
Luke—Joe.
SANDY
Luke Joe?
49.
LUKE
No. Look, I’m Joe. See.
SANDY
Look where?
LUKE
Look—Joe, it’s Joe, okay.
SANDY
You don’t have to get testy.
LUKE
Sorry. Say, you wouldn’t know where I could
find some stuff, you know?
SANDY
What kind of stuff?
LUKE
Stuff. Do I gotta spell it out for ya? Drugs.
SANDY
(shocked)
Like marijuana?
LUKE
I was thinkin’ somethin’ stronger.
SANDY
(puzzled)
What’s stronger than devil weed?
LUKE
Never mind, kid.
SANDY
I’m not a kid.
LUKE
Yeah, okay.
A few moments of awkward silence passes.
50.
SANDY
I’ve never seen tattoos like this before.
(quietly)
Uh, these guys are really cool, but there’s some bad
element at the beach. They might think you’re, you
know, queer.
(alarmed)
You’re not, are you?
LUKE
I might be a lotta things, little sister, but that ain’t
one of ‘em.
SANDY
Thank goodness. I mean, it’s good we met.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – LATER
Cliff and his buddies, including Chowderhead, question Kelly. Off to the side, it looks like Sandy and Luke are hitting it off.
DONO
What kind of surfin’ do they do on the East Coast?
STEVE
They dodge icebergs.
KELLY
Uh, you know, it’s—different.
DENNIS
It ain’t surfin’.
DONO
California’s the only place for real surfin’.
CLIFF
And Hawaii.
DONO
And Hawaii. The “Aloha Spirit.”
Cliff looks a little sad.
51.
KELLY
(to Dono)
Anything wrong?
DONO
Aww, mopehead always gets depressed whenever
we talk about the “Aloha Spirit.”
Kelly just shrugs, not understanding.
DONO (cont’d)
A few years back we all went to Hawaii for
a “surf safari.” That’s where the “Aloha
Spirit” lives, daddio. Only, when we came
back, Cliff was all excited, he’d discovered
what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
KELLY
Which was?
Dono looks at him as if he is from Mars.
DONO
Surf. Can you dig that?
KELLY
Yeah, man, believe it or not I can. So what’s
the problem?
CLIFF
The problem is my old man. He thinks surfing’s
a waste of time. He thinks I’m just wastin’ my
life. He’s got his thing, he’s a successful actor.
Look at this house, man, he’s got it made, but he
won’t cut me any slack. Can you believe that, a
father and son not getting’ along?
Kelly looks over at Luke.
KELLY
Yeah. Yeah, I can.
CLIFF
He just doesn’t understand.
52.
Luke looks over and catches Kelly’s eye, and the unspoken bond grows stronger.
They all look at Luke, who turns and smiles at Sandy.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Chowderhead, it looks like your little sister’s giving
Luke there a little extra welcome. Anyway, daddio, I
just want you to know, I know you guys are beginners,
it’s cool breeze. Surfing’s like, man, once it’s in your
blood you don’t wanna do nothin’ else.
CHOWDERHEAD
Cliff, you actually don’t do anything else.
LAUGHTER.
CLIFF
Well, you guys will understand when you finally learn
how to stand up on the board. Only a surfer knows the
feeling.
KELLY
(wry smile)
I can’t wait.
CLIFF
The night is still young. We got a ritual after parties,
and you’re comin’ along.
The fellas head off to get ready for their “ritual,” and Luke just stares at Kelly.
LUKE
(sarcastically)
Gee, I wonder what the “ritual” is.
EXT. BEACH - NIGHT
Cliff stares at Luke and Kelly, hiding behind a palm tree.
CLIFF
It’s best that you stay where you are.
LUKE
We know, Cliff. We know.
53.
EXT. BEACH – LATER
The guys surf under the moon.
Kelly stares up at something.
KELLY
That guy must be the worst shot in the world.
LUKE
Thirty-eight years of practice.
BOOM.
Sure as heck, they are at the Cotton Estate, and the guard, Carney is still (before) there, shooting and missing.
Luke and Kelly observe everybody scrambling out of the water.
CLIFF
Hurry up, it’s—
KELLY
Carney, the guard.
Cliff stops.
CLIFF
How did you know?
BOOM. A shot misses fairly close.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Never mind, let’s go.
EXT. COTTON ESTATE – NIGHT
Cliff’s vehicle SKIDS out, just past a police car, SIRENS blaring.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
Cliff, Chowderhead, and Sandy stand, staring out at the ocean. Their mouths are open, hanging halfway to the ground.
54.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
Kelly and Luke, on their boards, put on a surfing clinic.
MONTAGE OF SURFING ACTION:
MUSIC plays, something exciting and fast-paced.
Luke and Kelly work the surf like the pros they are.
The surf club people stare out at them in awe.
Cut left. Cut right. Ride the curl.
Nosedive. Hot dogging. Quasimodos.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
MUSIC ends.
Luke and Kelly walk ashore, right past Cliff, Chowder and Sandy.
LUKE
(without stopping)
Now we know what you meant about standing
up on the board.
Face!
Cliff turns to Chowderhead.
CLIFF
I never seen boards like that, daddio, but I know
one thing - we got two new members.
CHOWDERHEAD
Wind ‘n’ Sea won’t know what hit ‘em.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – NIGHT
An informal little get-together, a nightly ritual, takes place. There are not as many people as last night. The MUSIC and the mood is mellow.
Kelly looks as if he has had a great weight lifted from his shoulders, sitting there sipping a beer with Cliff.
55.
Sandy and Luke are getting friendlier and friendlier.
CLIFF
Luke seems to have a way with the ladies.
KELLY
He’s always been like that.
CLIFF
You gotta girl?
KELLY
Yeah. Back…home.
CLIFF
Miss her?
KELLY
You know, Cliff, I love her, but it’s complicated.
You wanna know something?
(pause)
The last coupla days…they’ve been the happiest
I’ve had since…
A tiny tear wells in his eyes, and Cliff hugs him. Kelly hugs Cliff, and holds the tears back.
Luke’s actions around Sandy are not the same as he acted before. He is playful, innocent, full of joy. He is attracted to Sandy, and what they have going on is a definite man-woman chemistry, but it is different.
INT. CLIFF’S GUEST BEDROOM – DAWN
The sun just peeks over the horizon out the window, and the clock reads 5:03 a.m.
Luke and Kelly sleep—alone—in single beds, when suddenly Cliff’s rousing APACHE CALL punctures the still air.
CLIFF (O.S.)
Surf’s up!
Kelly is up, alert and ready to go. Luke barely moves, mumbling to himself.
KELLY
Welcome to the straight ‘n’ narrow, par’dner.
56.
EXT. CLIFF’S NOMAD – DAWN
Chowderhead, Kelly, Cliff and Luke hop in the vehicle, ready for dawn patrol.
MONTAGE OF SHOTS:
Everybody has a great time, LAUGHING and playing and sandboarding.
Luke and Kelly easily assimilate into the fun-loving group of characters that make up the eclectic Malibu Surfriders Association.
INT. CLIFF’S CAR – DAY
The guys LAUGH it up on their way to a surfing destination.
CLIFF
This place is kind of...a government secret.
EXT. CLIFF’S CAR – DAY
The car whizzes past a sign that reads, “CAMP PENDLETON. UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.”
EXT. BEACH – DAY
The guys surf the break when a group of Marines approaches.
Everybody runs off, and Cliff appears, dressed like Napoleon. He confronts the Marines.
CLIFF
A duel.
The Marines just stare at him, then LAUGH.
EXT. INTERSTATE 5 – DAY
A sign reads, “SAN DIEGO 8. TIJUANA 19.”
Rock MUSIC plays, the kind of 1960s tune that captures the spirit of freedom.
Cliff’s vehicle zooms down the highway towards Mexico. Surfboards are attached.
INT. CLIFF’S VEHICLE – DAY
Luke, Kelly, Cliff, and Chowder sit, enjoying the freedom of it all.
57.
Both men stare out the window, and they seem finally at peace with themselves.
EXT. BORDER CROSSING – DAY
The crossing into Mexico disappears as the car departs into Tijuana.
EXT./INT. CLIFF’S CAR – MEXICO (MOVING) – DAY
Luke and Kelly look relaxed. Everybody’s shirts are unbuttoned, exposing tanned chests. They swig cervezas.
A surf TUNE plays on the radio, and the guys’ sing along, while the car speeds down the open, rural road.
EXT./INT. CLIFF’S CAR (MOVING) - LATER
Some of the guys are dozing off.
EXT. RODEO STADIUM – DUSK
They sit on the hood of the car, staring at rodeo riders bucking their horses.
MUSIC begins, the kind of mellow tune that captures a sense of change.
EXT. VILLAGE MARKET – DAY
Cliff buys tequila from an old man while various locals look at him.
EXT. DIRT SIDEWALK – NIGHT
The guys walk down a dirt sidewalk, a little drunk, swigging tequila, passing locals.
INT. FLOPHOUSE ROOM – NIGHT
The fellas sleep on flea-bitten beds.
DREAM SEQUENCE:
1. Kelly’s dream is of Jenny giving birth.
2. Cliff dreams of his father shaping surfboards.
3. A bullfight takes place in a packed stadium. The bull snorts and paws, then begins its charge. The bullfighter is none other than Cliff, and he deftly passes the animal past his red cape, while the crowd chants “Ole.” Cliff bows to their APPLAUSE.
58.
4. Soft, angelic. Beautiful senoritas bathe Chowder in a luxurious bath.
EXT SEASIDE CLIFFS – DUSK
A diver stands perched on the rocks, ready to dive.
The guys stand near the cliffs, watching divers perilously slicing into the water below.
EXT. CLIFF’S VEHICLE – OPEN MEXICAN HIGHWAY – DUSK
While the sun sets in the west, Cliff’s car makes its journey deeper into the heart of
Mexico.
Cliff drives on a one-lane road, and he looks around, realizing that somehow he has driven off the main highway and is off the beaten path.
The road becomes bumpy. It is gravel now. Cliff comes to a fork in the road.
He stops and looks. There are no signs.
CLIFF
When you reach the fork in the road, take it.
He starts to go right, then at the last minute changes his mind and goes left.
At first, this seems like a bad idea. The road gets worse and worse. Huge bumps knock the car around, water spraying from the ditches. This goes on for awhile, until Cliff looks at something ahead. What is it?
Lights. He keeps going toward the lights. Civilization.
MUSIC emanates from a shack-like building, set in a clearing with a dirt road leading to it.
They all approach.
INT. BAR – NIGHT
The guys’ enter, and they are met by the MUSIC coming from the jukebox.
Girls, surprisingly attractive, and a few locals, mingle about.
Cliff sidles up to Kelly.
59.
CLIFF
Hey, man, you gotta stay loose in a place like
this, if you don’t wanna get us killed.
KELLY
I’m just thinkin’ about Jenny.
LUKE
Hey, Max, that’s cool.
CHOWDERHEAD
That’s right, knucklehead. You ain’t doin’ anything
here either.
LUKE
Is that right?
CHOWDERHEAD
Yeah, that’s right. You ain’t bringin’ nothin’ back
to my little sister.
LUKE
Does that mean I can, uh, you know—uh, with Sandy?
CHOWDERHEAD
Hell, no. You can’t even think about it. But you
still can’t bring nothin’ back to my little sister.
They head to the bar.
A couple of girls approach Chowderhead and Cliff, and they begin the “mating ritual.”
INT. BAR – LATER
The SOUND of a crowd draws Kelly and Luke to a back room.
INT. COCKFIGHTING RING – NIGHT
Two roosters peck at each other in a bloody, merciless ritual.
A small gathering of drunken Mexicans cheer, curse, rant and rave.
A DRAG QUEEN enters the ring in between rounds.
He/she is the hit of the party, and everybody WHOOPS it up. The drag queen “flashes” the crowd. One MACHO MAN takes exception.
60.
MACHO MAN
Maricon!
The crowd BOOS him.
MACHO MAN
(continuing;
in Spanish)
You defile mothers.
DRAG QUEEN
(in Spanish)
You and you mother complex.
A MAN in a cowboy hat yells out.
MAN
(in Spanish)
You macho men and your old ways.
MACHO MAN
(in Spanish)
You’re all a bunch of maricons.
Suddenly, to Kelly and Luke’s amusement, the roosters are back in the rings, the drag queen disappears into the crowd, and the bloody fighting continues, amid SHOUTING and drinking.
INT. COCKFIGHTING RING – LATER
Kelly and Luke watch with morbid fascination while the roosters tear each other apart.
A THIEF sneaks up behind Kelly and tries to pick his pocket, but Kelly catches him.
KELLY
Get outta here.
The thief pulls a knife on him.
KELLY
(continuing)
Hey, man, whatever.
The man swipes at him, and Kelly avoids it.
Suddenly, all eyes are on him.
61.
THIEF
Gringo, I cut you up.
Again he swipes at Kelly, and Kelly jumps out of the way.
Then, two LOCALS grab Kelly and hold him.
The man with the knife holds it up and begins to approach, ready to do some damage.
Luke punches him, and Kelly escapes.
INT. WHOREHOUSE BAR – NIGHT
Cliff and Chowderhead knock back whiskey, girls on each side of them, when suddenly the door to the cockfighting room bursts open and a man comes flying out, landing on his ass.
From their p.o.v., Kelly and Luke race out of there.
CHOWDERHEAD
Oh, shit.
CLIFF
Oh, shit.
The two men quickly follow Kelly and Luke out of the bar.
EXT. BAR – NIGHT
Kelly, Luke, Cliff, and Chowder get in their car, GUN the motor, and in a cloud of smoke drive out of there, just as a gang of angry Mexicans exits the bar.
EXT. MEXICAN COUNTRSIDE – DAY
Rock MUSIC plays, the kind that captures the spirit of the open road.
The auto rides like the wind.
EXT. RESTAURANT – NIGHT
The gang wanders along a dusty Mexican street.
There are no sidewalks, the town is dirty, and various SIDWALK BARKERS and VENDORS ply their wares, SHOUTING out to them to buy something, or enter their establishment. Very low rent.
62.
They all hear a jazz band PLAY in front of a bar down the street. They decide to check it out, so they all wander down to where the band plays.
EXT. STREET – NIGHT
Barkers YELL at them to come in this place or that place. They listen to the band for a little while.
CHOWDERHEAD
I think somebody put something in my drink
in that restaurant.
They LAUGH.
KELLY
Now it’s you guys who need to loosen up.
EXT. BAR – NIGHT
From Chowderhead’s p.o.v.
BARKER 1 slowmotions for them to come inside. The band enters the bar, and they follow as if in a trance, hypnotized by the MUSIC.
CLIFF
Cervezas, por favor.
Cold cervezas appear instantly, and they drink them. The MUSIC and the VOICES in the bar have a distant, echo quality.
CLIFF (cont’d)
One more for the road, amigo.
Another cold beer appears, and he drinks it.
They get up and walk out the door.
EXT. STREET – NIGHT
Still from Chowderhead’s p.o.v.
they head back to the restaurant, when BARKER 2 calls for them to come to a different bar.
They notice another jazz band PLAYING in front of that bar.
63.
He walks towards them, Barker 2 talking inaudibly to them as he sidles alongside, looking up, a ghoulish smile on Barker 2’s swarthy face.
The same routine occurs: The jazz band enters the bar, followed by the guys.
EXT. STREET – LATER
Now Chowderhead is really out of it, the peyote that somebody dropped unsuspectingly in his beer starting to kick in. He staggers out of the bar.
Everything becomes a blur, SOUND taking on a strange, eerie quality—a peyote high.
BARKERS are everywhere, strangely distorted, as if in a funhouse mirror, seemingly standing sideways, motioning, beckoning, YELLING, enticing.
GHOULS appear, WOMEN with painted red lips and obscene mascara and exaggerated eyelashes.
Chowder enters a “real-life” Twi-Light Zone of carnival-like HUMAN ANIMALS, carnivorously fighting to get all they can out of him.
The mixture of sound: MUSIC, barkers, women, LAGHTER—it all reaches a CRESCENDO PITCH, and then—nothing.
FADE TO BLACK:
BIG-BUSTED BLONDE (V.O.)
Chowderhead. Chowderhead. I make you great
Yanqui bullfighter.
FADE IN:
INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
Chowder awakens, nude, lying in a bed in a shabby, dusty room.
A small re-printed likeness of Jesus Christ on the wall catches his eye. He looks at the sweet Jesus face. Could it be…?
The room has a reddish quality to it, the dust accentuated by the sunlight streaming through the torn curtains covering the window.
A BIG-BUSTED BLONDE, Mexican, in a tight, low-cut dress, sits beside him on the bed, smiling.
64.
BIG-BUSTED BLONDE
Chowder. Wake up, Chowderhead.
CHOWDERHEAD
What day is it?
BIG-BUSTED BLONDE
Sunday.
CHOWDERHEAD
What happened to the end of Friday? And Saturday?
She just LAUGHS as if Chowder has said the funniest thing of all times.
CHOWDERHEAD
(continuing)
This is it. I have definitely, absolutely drank
tequila for the last time. Ever.
He stares at the Christ likeness.
CHOWDERHEAD
(continuing)
I mean it.
CLIFF (O.S.)
CHOWDERHEAD! HEY, CHOWDER!
Chowder goes to the window, and there on the street below is Kelly, Cliff and Luke.
CHOWDERHEAD
Up here.
EXT. CLIFF’S NOMAD – DAY
The guys get ready to enter the vehicle.
CHOWDERHEAD
You got no idea what that stuff does to your
head.
LUKE
(sarcastic)
I can only imagine.
65.
CHOWDERHEAD
Well, stay off it, Joe.
KELLY
Yeah, Joe.
LUKE
(he means it)
Yeah. I hear ya.
EXT. MEXICAN BEACH – MORNING
The guys stand, boards in hand, staring out at a glassy ocean. No surf.
KELLY
Ya know, Cliff, this has been the strangest road trip
of my life, but I just don’t think surfing’s meant
to be part of it.
CLIFF
Black’s Beach.
EXT. CLIFF’S NOMAD – MORNING
The car tools on the highway near San Diego, Dick Dale and the Deltones on the radio.
LUKE (O.S.)
Pulp Fiction.
CHOWDERHEAD (O.S.)
Pulp what?
KELLY (O.S.)
Never mind, Chowderhead.
LUKE
You know, I don’t know if this whole thing’s a
message of some kind, or what the hell it is. I do
know I learned my lesson.
KELLY
Ya think?
LUKE
Absolutely.
66.
CLIFF
And what’s that?
LUKE
Cliff, baby, I think it’s something that’ll come
to me some time, but for now I just don’t comprehend
it.
CHOWDERHEAD
You guys are weird. Always talkin’ in riddles,
and metaphors.
CLIFF
Riddles and metaphors. Cliff, you’re developin’
a vocabulary.
CHOWDERHEAD
Hey, I went to City College two semesters.
CLIFF
Well excuse me.
Chowder just stares out the window.
KELLY
Cliff, some day…some day Joe and I, we want to explain…
ourselves.
CLIFF
What do you mean, “explain yourselves?”
LUKE
Forget it. Max.
CLIFF
There’s definitely somethin’ yer not tellin’ me.
LUKE
Cliff, there’s just some weirdness, but when we figure
out what it is--
KELLY
You wouldn’t believe us.
CLIFF
Try me.
67.
There is a pause.
LUKE
Well, there was this surfing contest.
Kelly just stares at him, as if to say, “no way.”
KELLY
Don’t go there, Joe.
CLIFF
Go where?
KELLY
Cliff, like I say—
CLIFF
What? What?
Chowder just stares at them.
CHOWDERHEAD
You guys are nutcases.
Luke and Kelly just stare at each other, then LAUGH.
Cliff looks at Chowder, and vice versa. Then they LAUGH, too.
MONTAGE OF ACTION:
The crew has a fun session at Black’s Beach. The similarities between classic longboarders, and the hot dogging antics of Kelly and Luke, are accentuated.
Cliff and his guys look amazed as they observe Kelly and Luke on their “belly boards” as they call them.
EXT. BLACK’S BEACH - DAY
Luke discovers a gold St. Christopher’s medal in the sand and picks it up. Cliff observes him.
CLIFF
That’s a St. Christopher’s medal, man.
LUKE
Yeah?
68.
CLIFF
St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. It’s a sign
of good luck.
LUKE
Cool.
Kelly observes something out on the water.
A single surfer, ALAN DAYE, negotiates the waves like butter. He has all the moves.
After finishing a beautiful set, Daye brings it on in. He is no more than 15.
KELLY
Hey, kid.
Day turns.
DAYE
Yeah.
KELLY
You gotta helluva cutback.
DAYE
(brightening)
Thanks.
KELLY
My name’s…Max.
DAYE
Alan Daye.
KELLY
You know, I’ve not seen anybody, uh, from around
here, who can cutback like that. I mean, not
on a longboard.
DAYE
What do you mean?
KELLY
I mean…what do I mean? If you had a lighter
board you could really be something.
69.
DAYE
A lighter board, huh?
KELLY
Surfboard shapers are changing the way they
make boards, kid. In a few years everyone’ll
be using shortboards. You could really dominate
on a shorter, lighter board. Hey, come on out
with me for a set, let me show you a few things.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
Kelly mentors Daye on the fine points of riding, footwork and cutbacks.
EXT. BLACK’S BEACH PARKING LOT - DAY
The crew gets ready to board the Nomad.
Daye departs.
DAYE
See ya, Max. Thanks, that really helped.
KELLY
Look me up at Malibu.
DAYE
Will do.
EXT./INT. CLIFF’S NOMAD – PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY – MALIBU - DAY
Cliff pulls up to a stoplight. The “woody” next to them is driven by CHEATER-FIVE, a member of the Wind ‘n’ Sea Surf Club. Next to him in the front is PAGO, and in the backseat is a menacing-looking Hawaiian with a puka shell necklace and a Wind ‘n’ Sea jacket, BARRY KANAIAPUNI.
CHEATER-FIVE
Hey, Cliff, that old beater got anything in it?
CLIFF
Enough to wax your tail.
CHEATER-FIVE
You’re on.
70.
CHOWDERHEAD
I recognize that guy in the back. Jesus, man, that’s Barry
Kanaipuni.
KELLY
I’ve heard of him.
CHOWDERHEAD
Big-timer, from Hawaii.
The two cars REV their engines, waiting for the light to turn green.
When it does, they SCREECH out, leaving a cloud of smoke, oil and burning rubber.
The two cars race, turn a corner, and then Cliff spots a police car up ahead.
Cliff pulls off to a side street, and the other car pulls away, its occupants JEERING him.
The police car is parked on the side of the road, but the cop is not in the car, so Cheater-Five gets away scot-free.
EXT. CLIFF’S HOUSE – SUNSET
As the Nomad pulls up to the driveway, Sandy stands out front, wearing a sexy little summer dress and a big smile.
CLIFF
Hey, Sandy.
SANDY
Hi.
(to Chowderhead)
Mom and Dad want you home for dinner tonight.
The guys give Chowderhead the business about having his kid sister sent by his parents to track him down.
SANDY
(to Luke)
Hi, Joe.
LUKE
Hi.
Now the guys shift their razzing to Luke, who gets red-faced but smiles.
71.
He and Sandy go off to the side to “talk.”
EXT. HILLSIDE – SUNSET
Up above Cliff’s house, Sandy and Luke walk along a ridgecrest, the awesome expanse of coast and ocean spread out below them with the sun setting in the west.
SANDY
You wanna go back to Cliff’s?
LUKE
I’d kinda like to be alone with you.
SANDY
Nobody’s there right now, Joe.
LUKE
Look, Sandy, I gotta tell you something.
Sandy just looks at him.
LUKE (cont’d)
I’m dyin’ to tell somebody. I tried in
the car, but Max woudn’t let me.
(gathers himself)
There was this storm. I, we—we were in
a surfing contest, only it was—in another—
it was another time. There was a big storm,
and we caught a wave, and your brother was
riding it, only it wasn’t really him. It was
him, but…
Sandy stares at him with a strange smile.
LUKE (cont’d)
I’m really…my…
SANDY
I love you, Joe.
Luke just stares at her. This wholesome young girl would not have appealed to him in his “old life,” where coke whores threw themselves at him for drugs. If he did pay any attention to a girl like Sandy, it would have been for the thrill of “scoring” on some poor, innocent young thing. But now, in this place…
72.
LUKE
Sandy, my real name’s Luke Chapin. I’m a
professional surfer from the future. Max is really
Kelly Malloy. He’s the only guy can blow doors
on me. In the year two thousand, we were transported
back in time to now, and we don’t know how
to get back.
Sandy just looks at Luke in utter amazement. Then she starts to LAUGH, and she just cannot stop.
Luke stares at her and shrugs. What did he expect?
SANDY
Come with me.
She leads him by the hand.
EXT. THE SURF – SUNSET
Every once in a while, the forces of nature combine to create the perfect setting, and this is one of those times. The setting sun, the beach, and cliffs are all set off against the sight of the water, where a red tide creates a phosphorescent glow. The water shimmers and creates an overwhelmingly romantic atmosphere.
In the middle of this, Sandy and Luke swim and frolic and kiss. It seems as if they are the only people in this perfect world.
LUKE
Sandy, my whole life’s been such a disaster, until
I met you.
SANDY
Do you really mean that?
LUKE
You know, what you said before.
SANDY
I love you, Joe.
LUKE
I love you, too.
Luke means it. They kiss passionately.
73.
EXT. THIRD POINT – DAY
Cliff addresses the entire Malibu Surfriders Association. There are many new faces, most of whom have not yet met Kelly and Luke, much less seen them surf.
CLIFF
Thanks for all of you comin’ on short notice,
but we’ve got an emergency situation. Yesterday
we saw Cheater-Five and he had Barry Kanaipuni
in the back seat. Barry ain’t here by coincidence—
that guy never strays from North Shore. He’s a
ringer.
PHIL speaks up.
PHIL
If he’s Wind ‘n’ Sea’s ringer, we gotta get a ringer.
I’m tired of losing to those guys.
CLIFF
I think we got two.
PHIL
Who?
CLIFF
Kelly and Luke.
General LAUGHTER.
Phil
No offense, but can these guys even surf?
Luke looks at Kelly.
LUKE
Max, can we surf?
Kelly just looks at Luke, then they both just look at Phil.
Phil looks very skeptical.
EXT. THIRD POINT – LATER
Phil’s face is no longer skeptical. He looks amazed, and excited.
74.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
Kelly and Luke are blowing everybody’s minds with their surfing skills...
EXT. PIER – DAY
Cheater-Five and RASCAL, another Wind ‘n’ Sea member, observe Luke and Kelly through binoculars.
CHEATER-FIVE
Who are those guys?
He looks at Rascal.
CHEATER-FIVE (cont’d)
You know what we have to do!
Rascal nods solemnly.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – DAY
Luke gives Sandy the St. Christopher’s medal.
SANDY
Does this mean we’re going steady?
LUKE
I guess. Yeah, it does.
They hug and kiss.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH – DAY
A beach party rages, all the boys and their girls. Everybody seems to be pared with a babe, except Kelly. Cliff approaches him.
CLIFF
You miss your girl, don’t ya?
Kelly just looks out at the sea, then nods his head, yes. Cliff pats him on the back and walks away.
Chowderhead runs in the water with his Levis on.
Weenies roast on an open barbecue.
75.
EXT. THE HILL – NIGHT
Everybody engages in ice races on the grassy knoll.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
They run in heats, everybody having fun. It comes down to Chowderhead, now dressed in full “Red Baron” goggles and leather jacket, and Luke, in the finals, with Kelly acting as starter. Suddenly, Chowderhead sees the St. Christopher’s on Sandy, and this pisses him off.
INTERCUT with these are shots of mysterious figures moving about outside Cliff’s house.
KELLY
Ready, set, go.
Chowderhead bumps into Luke, causing him to crash.
The mysterious figures are lighting a fire.
Sandy runs to Luke.
Chowderhead pounds his chest like Tarzan, then strides over to Luke.
SANDY
Why’d you push him?
CHOWDERHEAD
Why’re you wearing that medal?
LUKE
That’s none a your business.
Chowderhead just looks at him, then walks away.
The mysterious figures are lighting more fires in Cliff’s backyard, in the storage area where he keeps his surfboards.
CLIFF
Joe, you sure are lucky you’re new in town, and
that Chowderhead likes you. He nearly killed the
last guy who went out with his sister.
Luke stares up the cliff.
76.
LUKE’S P.O.V.
Flames are seen above the ridge.
BACK TO SCENE
LUKE
That sure looks like it’s near your house, Cliff.
EXT. CLIFF’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Smoke emanates from the backyard as the Nomad pulls up, and everybody scurries out.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – NIGHT
Fire comes from the shed, and the tree (the burnt tree the boys saw in modern day), is on fire.
Luke is the first on the scene. He gets the garden hose out and begins to spray—to no avail.
Then he dashes, without regard to his own safety, into the shed.
INT. SHED – NIGHT
Into the burning, smoky hole goes Luke. The fire spreads, and pieces of wood fall. It is
very dangerous.
CLIFF (O.S.)
Luke, get out of there. It’s not worth it.
Luke pays no heed. He moves further into the smoke, quickly escalating towards inferno stage, and manages to locate Cliff’s boards. He grabs them, and brings them out, ignoring his and Kelly’s equipment.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – NIGHT
Kelly is beside himself.
KELLY
You’re gonna kill yourself over a surfboard.
Kelly then does the same thing, rushing in.
A short while later, they both emerge with Cliff’s boards.
77.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – NIGHT
FIREMEN clean up after putting out the fire.
FIREMAN 1
This doesn’t just happen.
Cliff, Luke and Kelly stare at each other.
FIREMAN 2
Look at this.
They all rush over and see a gas can.
CLIFF
Cheater-Five.
FIREMAN 1
Who?
CLIFF
Our rival. He did this.
FIREMAN 1
Do you have proof?
Cliff just shakes his head.
FIREMAN 1 (cont’d)
We need proof, son.
Cliff nods at Luke.
CLIFF
If it wasn’t for “Smokin’ Joe” here, it coulda been
a lot worse.
FIREMAN 1
That’s pretty brave of ya, Joe. Why’d ya do it?
Luke just stares off.
LUKE
I don’t know. I really don’t.
Everybody just pats him on the back.
78.
EXT. CLIFF’S BACKYARD – DAY
Cliff, Luke and Kelly sift through the rubble.
CLIFF
You’re boards are toast.
KELLY
What are we gonna ride?
CLIFF
Come on, let’s go.
EXT. HAP JACOBS SURFBOARD FACTORY – LOS ANGELES (VENICE) – DAY
Cliff leads Kelly and Luke out of his Nomad.
CLIFF
Hap Jacobs is the best longboard shaper around,
and a helluva surfer in his own right.
LUKE
We know, the man’s a legend.
Cliff stops.
CLIFF
Well, I wouldn’t go that far.
Kelly punches Luke in the ribs to shut him up.
KELLY
He means he’s—uh—
Kelly cannot think what to say.
CLIFF
You guys are a coupla weirdos, ya know that?
They enter the factory.
INT. HAP JACOBS SURFBOARD WAREHOUSE – DAY
Boards are stacked up, and the place looks much like Dennis Chapin’s 2000 surfboard place.
79.
HAP JACOBS, 20s, tanned and good-looking, works on a board when he spots Cliff.
HAP
Cliffie, baby.
CLIFF
Hap, how ya doin’? I brought along a coupla
newcomers. This is “Smokin’ Joe” and Max.
HAP
“Smokin’ Joe”?
CLIFF
My house and my boards woulda burned in a fire
last night if it wasn’t for these guys. They lost their
boards, so we need new ones.
HAP
How’d the fire start?
CLIFF
I think it was Cheater-Five.
HAP
Wouldn’t surprise me. You guys any good? I
never heard of ya.
CLIFF
Happy, these guys are great, real artists.
HAP
You ain’t hot doggers, are ya? I can’t stand these
new guys, and they all want their boards for free.
What’s the world comin’ to? Next thing ya know,
surfers’ll wanna get paid.
Kelly and Luke just stare at each other.
CLIFF
No, man, these guys are just travelin’ from the East
Coast, but we need a board for the contest. We’re
gonna take Wind `n’ Sea this year.
HAP
Sure, Cliff, friends of yours are friends of mine,
lemme fix ya up.
80.
INT. BACK ROOM – DAY
Hap leads the fellas into a room with team boards.
HAP (cont’d)
These are the best I’ve got. If you’re half
as good as Cliff says you are, you’ll give
Wind’n’Sea what for.
EXT. PARKING LOT – MALIBU BEACH - DAY
The car pulls up with new boards on top.
Cliff looks out.
CLIFF’S P.O.V.
The waves are perfect three-to-six footers.
BACK TO SCENE
Cliff turns to Luke and Kelly, but they already run past him for the surf.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
The whole surf club is out there, when Luke and Kelly hit the water in these new longboards.
EXT. THE SURF – LATER
Kelly takes off on a perfect five-footer and run to the nose, hanging 10 all the way.
Everybody HOOTS and HOLLERS.
EXT. THE SURF – LATER
Luke follows suit, breaking his fins free and pulling off a 360, then runs to the nose and hangs heels.
MONTAGE OF SHOTS:
It is obvious these boys can ride anything.
They do aerials and actual shortboard maneuvers on these longer boards, all to the CHEERING of the others.
81.
INT. CLIFF’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
Cliff reads the L.A. Times.
CLIFF
You guys like baseball?
KELLY
Yeah. I love baseball.
CLIFF
Could be a Dodger-Angel World Series?
KELLY
I don’t think so.
CLIFF
Whaddaya mean? The Dodgers are in first place.
When Koufax comes back the Giants’ll never catch
‘em. Plus I like these pitchers on the Angels—Chance
and Belinsky. I’m gonna send in for Series tickets,
all seven at Chavez Ravine.
KELLY
Save your dough.
CLIFF
You know something I don’t know, oh wise one?
Cliff puts his fingers together on his knees and mocks Kelly, HUMMING as if he is a yoga master with mystical powers.
KELLY
Maybe. You know any bookies?
CLIFF
Boots McGillicuddy in Santa Monica.
KELLY
Call up Boots and tell him to put everything you
have on the Giants and the Yankees, and the Yanks
to win the Series in seven. While you’re at it, if there’s
a line yet, get the early money on Southern Cal for the
national championship in college football, and Green
Bay’ll win in the pros.
82.
CLIFF
Yeah, right.
KELLY
Suit yourself.
Kelly picks up the front page. A photo of Fidel Castro dominates the paper.
CLIFF
Any other advice?
KELLY
Castro and Cuba, this coming October…
Kelly trails off, and he and Luke exchange glances.
CLIFF
What about this October? The Yanks and Giants in
the Series, yeah, right.
KELLY
You think Kennedy’ll get re-elected?
CLIFF
Hell, no. Nixon’ll beat him in sixty-four.
KELLY
Nixon’s running for Governor, right?
CLIFF
He’ll beat Brown, then he’ll run for President.
KELLY
Don’t count on it.
CLIFF
How do you know?
LUKE
Yeah, Max, how do you know?
KELLY
Just…a hunch.
83.
INT. GUEST BEDROOM – NIGHT
Luke and Kelly confer.
LUKE
You really know all that stuff?
KELLY
You remember when we were kids? My old man
gave me the “Baseball Encyclopedia”. Man, I loved
that book. I was a total sports nut.
LUKE
Yeah, I remember, but what about the other stuff?
Kennedy, and Castro, and Nixon and all that?
KELLY
Dude, I made straight A’s at Mira Costa while you
were smokin’ weed behind the tennis courts. Christ,
that stuff is elemental history.
LUKE
Jesus, man, if I’da known that stuff was important
I’da paid attention. Is it important?
KELLY
Those drugs musta given you a permanent case
of the dumbass. Think! I know the future. We
can bet on sporting events, political elections.
How about stocks? We put money on stocks like—
LUKE
Microsoft.
KELLY
Not invented yet. I.B.M. Let’s make a list. Man,
I gotta warn Kennedy.
LUKE
Wait. We can’t change history, dude. You go around
trying to tell anybody some guys’ gonna blow J.F.K.
away, there’ll be cats in suits and dark glasses over
here haulin’ your ass away. No, man.
KELLY
What then?
84.
LUKE
I think our screwin’ up history could have bad
consequences. On the other hand…
KELLY
Yeah.
LUKE
I don’t see any reason why we can’t profit from it.
EXT. GUEST BEDROOM – LATER
Kelly has a long list, microwave ovens, floppy discs, the Internet, remote control, cable t.v., “smart bombs,” headphones, answering machines, etc.
Luke stares at an empty page.
KELLY
You really got that dumbass, man.
Luke concentrates, while Kelly writes.
KELLY (cont’d)
You’re gonna be the wealthiest dumbass this side
of “Beavis and Butthead”.
LUKE
“Beavis and Butthead”.
He writes that down.
KELLY
Ignorance is bliss.
EXT. CRAZY HORSE BAR – NIGHT
Cliff, Chowderhead and Luke sit on the stools. Surf memorabilia hangs about this place, cool TUNES filter through the juke box, pretty girls move about the sawdust-covered floor, and some dance out back.
CHOWDERHEAD
I s’pose Luke’s with Sandy again.
CLIFF
You better get used to it, big guy.
85.
CHOWDERHEAD
I don’t mind, I guess. I just have to get used to
my sister going with a guy who wears an earring
and has tattoos.
KELLY
The times, they are a-changin’.
Suddenly, Kelly stares at the back of a beautiful girl.
KELLY (cont’d)
Jenny!
Kelly gets up—he is a bit tipsy—walks over to her and taps her on the shoulder. The JENNIE LOOK-ALIKE turns around. She is stunning, but not Jennie.
JENNIE LOOK-ALIKE
Can I help you?
KELLY
Sorry. I thought you were somebody else.
Kelly turns away, and the girl looks at him as if to say, “I could be anybody you want.”
Kelly goes and sits on some stairs, when another YOUNG LOVELY approaches him.
YOUNG LOVELY
Want some company?
KELLY
No, thanks. I’m just thinkin’ about my girlfriend back home.
YOUNG LOVELY
Oh, that’s sweet. Well, listen, she’s not here, but I am.
She starts to kiss Kelly, who responds, then pushes her away.
She leaves.
YOUNG LOVELY (cont’d)
You don’t know what your missing.
Luke appears.
LUKE
Dude, that chick was hot.
86.
KELLY
I thought you were with Sandy.
LUKE
I thought my bro needed my company.
They give each other the bro bra handshake. Sandy is standing off to the side.
LUKE (cont’d)
Listen, Max, I don’t know what’s happening, but
you gotta give up on that—on Jenny, I mean—we
don’t know why we’re here but it’s real, and I don’t
think it’s gonna change.
KELLY
There’s something I got to tell you.
(pause)
A few days before the contest, Jenny went to get
a blood test. She was pregnant.
LUKE
Oh, man.
KELLY
Man, I think she’s gonna have an abortion. Luke,
Christ, that’s my kid. I mean, where are we?
Where’s Jenny, and my kid, our folks, our friends?
Do they exist?
Luke just looks at him, obviously without answers.
KELLY (cont’d)
What’s real, dude? Is now real, or is it then?
I can’t go on like this, I gotta get get back. I
gotta stop her from having an abortion. I just gotta.
LUKE
I’m sorry, man. I really am.
Kelly looks ready to cry.
KELLY
I gotta stop kidding myself. This is no dream,
and neither one of us is ever going back.
87.
SANDY (O.S.)
(angrily)
My boyfriend’s the best surfer around here, and he’s
gonna smoke you. That’s who he is. “Smokin’ Joe”.
Kelly and Luke turn to see Rascal and some other Wind `n’ Sea member harass Sandy. Luke is in there in a flash, followed by Kelly, wiping the tears from his face.
LUKE
You gotta problem, pal.
RASCAL
Well, if it isn’t “Smokin’ Joe”.
(looking at Sandy)
Rockin’ the cradle, huh?
BOOM!
Luke unloads on Rascal. Cheater-Five emerges, and tries to throw on Luke, but Kelly knocks him off.
Chowderhead and Cliff enter the fray, and a full-on brawl ensues.
EXT. CRAZY HORSE SALOON – NIGHT
Police cars arrive, amid SIRENS. Chowderhead, Cliff, Sandy and Luke manage to escape the scene, but Kelly emerges from the bar right into the COPS.
COP
Okay, fella, hands up.
Jenny’s look-a-like emerges at that moment.
JENNY LOOK-A-LIKE
Oh, honey, let the nice policemen do their job.
COP
This one with you, miss?
JENNY LOOK-A-LIKE
Yes, officer. My husband. Come on dear.
She leads Kelly by the hand to her nearby Corvette.
KELLY
Thank you, Miss…
88.
JENNY LOOK-A-LIKE
Miss “Whoever you want me to be.”
Kelly hesitates.
KELLY
You only live once.
They embrace and begin a long, passionate kiss. Finally, the girl opens her door, Kelly gets in, she gets on the driver’s side, and the Corvette SCREECHES out of there.
INT. CHEATER-FIVE’S LIVING ROOM – DAY
Cheater-Five, Pago, Barry, Rascal and other members of the Wind `n’ Sea club sit around. Rascal has a bandage on his head.
RASCAL
I’m tellin’ you, it was a sucker punch.
CHEATER-FIVE
You just got yer ass wupped, that’s all.
There is a KNOCK at the door. Cheater-Five goes to answer it, and a DELIVERY BOY wearing a uniform is there with a box of doughnuts.
DELIVERY BOY
Are you Cheater-Five?
CHEATER-FIVE
Who wants to know?
DELIVERY BOY
Doughnuts. From the Malibu Surf Riders Association.
Cheater-Five grabs them.
CHEATER-FIVE
What’s this, a trick? I ain’t payin’ for these.
DELIVERY BOY
No, they’re paid for.
Cheater-Five closes the door in his face.
DELIVERY BOY (O.S. cont’d)
But a tip would be…nice.
89.
Cheater-Five brings the doughnuts it, opens it cautiously, and looks at them.
RASCAL
Are they rigged?
A note is inside, and Cheater-Five looks at it.
CHEATER-FIVE
I dunno. “Dear Wind ‘n’ Sea, sorry about the fight.
These doughnuts are a peace offering. Malibu Surfriders
Association.”
They stare at the doughnuts, trying to figure out what could be wrong with them. Then, Barry just grabs one and starts eating.
BARRY
Tastes good.
They all dig in.
INT. CHEATER-FIVE’S LIVING ROOM – LATER
The box is empty, and the guys look stuffed. Another KNOCK on the door. Cheater-Five goes, and the delivery boy is there again.
CHEATER-FIVE
Now what?
The delivery boy hands him an envelope.
DELIVERY BOY
Letter from the Malibu Surfriders Association.
He hands the envelope to Cheater-Five and leaves. The SOUND of his car engine is heard, indicating he is gone, as Cheater opens the envelope. He stares at it a few seconds, then a look of horror takes over his face. Then he turns green, and goes outside to vomit.
Rascal grabs the envelope, and stares at a photo.
THE PHOTO: Cliff, Chowder, Dono, Steve, Luke, and Kelly are giving a b.a. to the camera, but stuffed in their buttholes are doughnuts.
RASCAL
Those bastards.
90.
He suddenly looks sick.
Barry comes by, looks at the photo, and shrugs.
BARRY
They still tasted pretty good.
EXT. CHEATER-FIVE’S HOUSE – DAY
VOMIT SOUNDS are heard.
EXT. THE SURF – DAWN
Kelly has been out on the line-up for an hour, and the look on his face tells the story. He misses Jenny. His love for surfing is the only thing he has left.
EXT. THIRD POINT – DAWN
Sandy and Luke walk up.
SANDY
Max is lonely.
LUKE
He misses Jenny.
SANDY
Poor guy. Why doesn’t he send for her? Cliff and the
guys could help with costs.
LUKE
She’s a long way away, Sandy. No, the only thing he’s
got is the surf.
LUKE’S P.O.V.
Kelly just rips the break.
BACK TO SCENE
LUKE (cont’d)
He’s the best of the best, because he knows
what he wants. If you know what you want but
you can’t have it…
This is pretty weird. Now things are reversed.
91.
Luke looks at Sandy. He has her, he has what he has always needed, even if he did not know it.
LUKE
(continuing)
And I can’t help my best friend.
Luke looks like he could cry. He would cry if he were that kind of guy, but he holds it back. Sandy sees his frustration and hugs him.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH PARKING LOT – MORNING
Driving up from P.C.H. are the beat-up Woodies and hopped-up ’62 Chevys of the notorious Wind `n’ Sea Surf Club. The motorcade slowly enters the parking lot like a funeral procession. There is Cheater-Five, Rascal, and all the rest, and they get out of their cars.
Cliff sees them.
CLIFF
Enjoy those glaazed doughnuts, Cheater.
Cheater just gives him a dirty look.
The last car parks, and out of it steps “Spyder” Chapin.
Look closely. It is Luke’s father, and he is a stud!
Luke sees him, and he looks like he has seen a ghost.
LUKE
Dad!
Luke looks around to see if anybody heard what he said. Nobody has.
At that point, a THUNDER CLAP crackles in the distance. Luke looks, and a large, black cloud begins to form on the horizon.
EXT. THIRD POINT – MORNING
The Malibu Surf Association is assembled, and they are a relaxed lot—tan, toned bodies, applying paraffin wax to their boards, the scent of plumeria in the air. They observe the Wind `n’ Sea people approaching, and their demeanor stiffens.
VOICE 1 (O.S.)
These guys started the fire at Cliff’s.
92.
VOICE 2 (O.S.)
They were hassling Sandy at the Crazy Horse.
Reveal Chowderhead, gritting his teeth.
CHOWDERHEAD
This is war.
The tables are all set up—judges, notebooks, cards.
Wind `n’ Sea heads out wearing the coveted red championship jackets with their logos on them, indicating the titles they hold for 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1961.
They walk just like they drive, in a row, like a funeral procession. They look like gangmembers, but instead of guns and knives they carry surfboards.
They arrive at the table, and Cheater-Five addresses Cliff.
CHEATER-FIVE
Ready to get your tail waxed again, rich boy?
CLIFF
Not this year, Cheater.
CHEATER-FIVE
You wish. You’ll be cryin’ back to your old man
just like you always do.
CLIFF
We got a surprise for you, Cheater.
CHEATER-FIVE
I know about your new meat. They ain’t nuthin’.
CLIFF
We’ll see.
An ominous THUNDER CLAP explodes in the distance.
CLIFF (cont’d)
Jesus.
The storm has built up considerably and looks to be headed straight towards the beach.
93.
EXT. THE SURF - MORNING
Barry and Chowderhead draw the first heat, and Barry just kills him.
EXT. THIRD POINT – MORNING
Wind `n’ Sea GLOATS, while Malibu Surf GROANS.
EXT. THE SURF – MORNING
Wind `n’ Sea performs some illegal tactics, and wins another heat.
MONTAGE OF SHOTS:
Four more heats, evenly divided.
Then, Kelly SMOKES NICO.
The Malibu Surfers finally have something to SHOUT about, and Wind `n’ Sea is momentarily stunned.
Luke vs. Cheater-Five, and Luke runs rings around him.
LUKE
Light that fire, dickwad.
Luke and Kelly hold back, not doing airs, conforming to the waves, following clean lines and respecting the ocean.
EXT. THIRD POINT – MORNING
There is definite love between Luke and Sandy, standing there, and Kelly strides up.
SANDY
Cliff has never been in the finals. This means
a lot to him.
EXT. THE SURF – MORNING
Cliff vs. Pago, and Cliff wins!
EXT. THE SURF - LATER
Now Luke faces off against Dennis, and in a well-battled heat, Dennis wins by a nose.
94.
EXT. THIRD POINT – MORNING
Dennis approaches Luke.
DENNIS
Hey, man, great run.
LUKE
Man, you really were smokin’.
DENNIS
Yer “Smokin’ Joe”, man, not me. I think you coulda taken
me, I think I was lucky.
LUKE
Yeah, well, I don’t know about that. You seem like a cool dude, what are you doin’ with that motley crew.
Dennis just shakes his head.
LUKE (cont’d)
You wanna join us?
DENNIS
Maybe.
They shake on it.
The THUNDER CLAPS are resounding now. Dennis and Luke look and see the storm, which is almost right on top of them.
LUKE
Say, man, I really mean it.
DENNIS
Mean what?
LUKE
That you’re a cool dude…daddio.
MONTAGE OF SHOTS:
PAGO, Cheater-Five, Cliff and Luke square off.
Luke wins the first heat, Cheater-Five in second, Cliff third.
95.
Only first and second advance to the finals.
Luke sees a set coming, as does Cheater-Five.
Cheater-Five turns to take off, and he does a drop-knee bottom turn and runs to the nose
hanging 10.
Luke turns around on the shoulder and drops in on Cheater, causing him to straighten off.
Now, Luke, realizing he is out of the finals, blows minds by busting an air, doing a 360, and carves a roundhouse cutback.
EXT. THIRD POINT – DAY
Luke just walks the beach. The spectators give him a huge OVATION.
Cliff is stoked. He is in the finals. The pressure is on Kelly.
CHOWDERHEAD
I really want to wear those red jackets, man.
Kelly nods. He looks and sees the storm, the THUNDER CLAPS drowning out the sound of the ocean, and rain pellets begin to spray the beach like machine-gun fire.
The rest of the crew has some doubts.
KELLY
You can count on me.
EXT. THE SURF – DAY
Kelly and Chowderhead square off with Nico and Barry.
Kelly paddles out and catches a clean wave, drawing classic lines across the glassy face.
Barry follows him with some true Hawaiian-style longboard surfing.
This is going to be a close heat.
EXT. THE SURF – LATER
The real battle is for first and second. There is a lull between waves and Kelly, Nico and Chowderhead sit out the back. Barry paddles out.
96.
EXT. THE SURF – LATER
Chowderhead scratches for an outside set. As he takes off, Nico sneaks around outside of him, dropping in for an interference.
Kelly is about to sink under a wave, but he manages to turn himself around and re-appear in front of the whitewater—standing!
Nico never sees him until Kelly comes up from behind and flips the Brazilian off his board.
Chowderhead does not even know what has occurred behind him and he catches a great ride to the beach amid CHEERS.
EXT. THE SURF – LATER
More waves are caught, and Kelly and Barry, with begrudging respect for each other’s talents, advance to the final.
The rain pounds on the surf and the beach. The thunder EXPLODES, and the sky is black.
EXT. THIRD POINT – DAY
Radios go out. People look for cover. Up on the hill, lights go out in houses as the electricity goes out. People try to start their cars, but the engines will not turn over.
The final is going to high tension.
Luke approaches Kelly.
LUKE
Good luck. Max.
KELLY
Hey, Joe, that was the best exhibition I’ve ever seen.
LUKE
What goes around comes around.
KELLY
(glancing at Dennis)
Is that who I think it is?
Luke just nods his head, yes.
97.
KELLY (cont’d)
Unbelievable. Bro, I think I know why all this
happened. Finally.
He stares at the gathering storm.
KELLY (cont’d)
Something’s up, man.
LUKE
No doubt.
EXT. THIRD POINT – LATER
Luke and Sandy CHEER.
They then kiss, and Chowderhead moves to interject, but Dono pulls him aside.
DONO
Let go.
MONTAGE OF ACTION:
Kelly puts out all the stops.
Cliff and Barry get great waves.
So does Dennis.
The heat is very close, with only a few minutes left in the final, it is a three-way tie for first place—Barry, Kelly, Cliff and Dennis.
Kelly paddles out with Barry.
Dennis drops into a perfect peeler, hanging 10 on the nose.
Between Kelly and Dennis, Barry strokes madly to drop in on him, but Dennis cuts him off.
EXT. THIRD POINT – DAY
Barry comes up cursing.
DENNIS
To be beaten with honor is better than to win
through dishonor.
98.
Dennis just smiles.
EXT. THIRD POINT – LATER
Cliff glides across the wave face, perched gracefully on the nose of his board, as Kelly paddles out. Cliff flashes a huge grin.
Now, the storm is so black, and so loud, as to virtually eclipse the surfers. A giant THUNDER CLAP rattles the very soul of the ocean.
Out of nowhere a huge six-foot set comes. A shadow of loneliness passes over Kelly’s face as the water approaches. Kelly strokes furiously in hopes of catching the massive wall of water, but it is of no avail.
The wave breaks farther out than he can paddle.
Kelly looks into the pit of the wave, and deep inside he sees Cliff, streaking through the pit. They lock eyes, exchange an unspoken bond.
Kelly begins his duckdive.
THUNDER CLAP…
FADE TO BLACK:
IRIS IN ON
Kelly’s face.
He lies flat on his back, there is a small cut above his eye.
A crowd surrounds him. The scene shifts to brilliant color.
VOICE (O.S.)
Give him room.
EXT. MALIBU BEACH (PRESENT DAY) – DAY
A LIFEGUARD hovers over Kelly.
LIFEGUARD
Sit up, Kelly.
KELLY
Where’s Joe?
99.
LIFEGUARD
Who?
KELLY
I mean Luke?
LIFEGUARD
You both went under the wave, but you were the only
one who came up.
KELLY
NOOOOOOO!
LIFEGUARD
Sorry, man.
Suddenly, Jenny tries to break through the crowd.
KELLY
Let her in. Let her in.
Jenny rushes to Kelly, and they embrace and kiss.
KELLY (cont’d)
Luke’s gone. Luke’s gone.
JENNY
I know, baby.
They cry, hug, kiss.
KELLY
I love you. I missed you.
JENNY
Missed me? I was never gone.
KELLY
I was.
Jenny just stares at him—amazed—then hugs him and kisses him for all she is worth.
KELLY (cont’d)
I’m so sorry. I want to start over. I want children
with you.
100.
JENNY
I went to the clinic.
Kelly looks at her, a look of horror on his face.
JENNY (cont’d)
I’m pregnant.
Kelly stares at her.
KELLY
Am pregnant.
JENNY
I walked right in, then walked right out.
Kelly looks at her in amazement, then breaks into a big smile, then hugs
and kisses her.
They hug and both of them cry, and then kiss.
EXT. PARKING LOT – DAY
Ambulances and police cars pull out of the parking lot.
Kelly holds his first place trophy, and loads his car with Jenny.
Kelly looks and sees a surf shop. Instinctively, Kelly enters it.
JENNY
Kelly?
INT. SURF SHOP – DAY
Various LOCALS recognize Kelly.
LOCALS
It’s Kelly Malloy. Hey, that’s Kelly Malloy.
Hey, Kelly?
Kelly moves past them to the book section.
JON, the owner, sees him from behind the cash register.
101.
JON
Hey, Kelly. Hey, Jen.
Jen has just entered the store.
Kelly finds a big, blue book, “The History of Surfing.” He turns to a page, counting them down, looking for something. He turns pages until he finds it.
INSERT THE PAGES
“Surf clubs.”
Grainy, black-and-white photos from the 1950s and ‘60s. He turns the page until he sees it. An old photo of Cliff, Chowderhead and Luke.
JENNY (O.S.)
Kelly, can we go?
BACK TO SCENE
Kelly looks up, smiles, puts the book back, grabs Jenny and they depart.
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY
A limo pulls up on P.C.H., HONKING its horn.
Kelly and Jenny look up.
The window rolls down, and a faint voice from within calls out.
VOICE
Kelly, Kelly.
KELLY
I’m sorry, do I know you?
The LADY is 54 years old and looks very familiar. She is Sandy, and she wears the St. Christopher’s medal.
LADY
I don’t believe so, but my husband told me to be
here on this day, at this time, and give this to Kelly
Malloy. Are you he?
KELLY
Yeah, I’m him.
102.
LADY
Well, here you go son. I almost missed you. The traffic
was terrible.
She hands Kelly a box.
LADY (cont’d)
Enjoy yourself, honey. You deserve it.
KELLY
Who are you?
The lady just smiles.
LADY
Let’s just say that we have a lot in common.
KELLY
What happened?
LADY
What do you mean?
KELLY
I think you know what I mean.
LADY
I don’t know. I was told to be here, but I really
don’t t know any more than that.
I do think you will find what you’re looking for,
within yourself.
The lady just smiles.
Kelly smiles back.
Jenny intervenes.
JENNY
Excuse me, but am I missing something here?
The limo takes off as mysteriously as it arrived.
JENNY
What’s happening, Kelly? Who was that lady?
103.
KELLY
Jenny, I don’t think I have the answer, except
to say that I know I love you.
Jenny is touched, and they hug each other. They both stare out at the surfers riding waves, the beautiful coastline, and reflect.
Jenny and Kelly sit on the tailgate of his Jeep Cherokee, and open the box.
In it is a letter. The letter reads:
“Dear Kelly,
If you are reading this, it means I must have passed on. It’s okay, I had a good life, I had a great life, thanks to you…”
SERIES OF SHOTS:
Throughout the following series of shots, Luke’s v.o. is heard.
Kelly finds a key, an extra large sized “MALIBU SURFING ASSOCIATION” red championship jacket with “Max” embroidered on it, along with the championship years, 1962-66.
He and Jenny drive to the bus station.
They find the locker.
In it are stacks of stocks and bonds, wealth beyond their belief.
Kelly and Jenny embrace.
LUKE (V.O.)
Your list allowed Sandy and me to live quite comfortably.
Now, I want to pass along some advice. It’s really the
same advice you gave me, but you’ll need it living in
the modern world again, old buddy.
Value you friendships and those you love, and dedicate
yourself to them with as much vigor as you would the
surf. Surfing is a part of life of your life and always should
be. Don’t let your profession cloud the reasons why you
surf in the first place. Never forget your stoke, the true
meaning of Aloha, or the beauty of unconditional love.
104.
Take a good look at Jenny, and know that she sees in you
all that is good and right. Love her back.
In this envelope you will find a key.
Take it to the bus station in Seal Beach. You know,
the locker’s where we smoked our first cigarette on
the way to the state championships in San Diego back
in ninety-two. You will find the locker with the same
number as the key. Open it. By the way, your disappearance
has become a piece of folklore in Malibu. ‘Max the
Magician’ doing a disappearing act.
Of course, we won. Cliff rode that wave all the way
to the beach and didn’t back off the nose until he reached the sand. We held onto the title until sixty-six, then the club split up.
Aloha, Luke.”
INT. BUS STATION LOCKERS – DAY
Kelly holds the letter and the stocks in front of the opened locker.
KELLY
I told you I want children with you.
Jenny just stares out at the water some more.
KELLY (con’d)
I want the baby, Jenny. I want it so much.
JENNY
Do you really mean that?
KELLY
More than anything else in the whole world.
There’s something else I want, too.
Jenny just looks at him.
KELLY (cont’d)
Will you marry me?
JENNY
Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
105.
She jumps all over Kelly, almost hurting him she is so enthusiastic and happy. They hug and kiss.
THE END.
ROLL CREDITS.
FADE OUT
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to re-live it.”
—George Santayana
About Steven
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (1994-2013)
POLITICAL COLUMNIST – WorldNetDaily, Washington, D.C.
SPORTS COLUMNIST - San...
Connections
Causes Steven Travers Supports
Conservative, Christian, USC, American patriotism
Steven’s Favorite Books
The Holy Bible; Plato’s Republic; Sun-tsu’s Art of War’ Machiavelli’s The Prince; William Shakesepeare’s Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth; Dostoeyevsky’s Brothers...