TEE NTTLIGET ZONE Season One "Tittre Enough at Lagt" Beleplay by ROD SERLTNG Air Date: Novenber 20, 1959
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TEE NTTLIGET ZONE Season One "Tittre Enough at Lagt" Beleplay by ROD SERLTNG Air Date: Novenber 20, 1959 1. standard opening shot of the sky...the various nebulae and planet bociies stand out in sharp, sparkling rel-ief . The CAMERAhas begun to PAN DowN until- it passes the horizon and iS f}ush on the OPENINGSHOT OF THE PLAY. 2 . INT. S!{AIJL BtrlrK [DAy] LONG Ar.rcLE SEOT LOOKTNG ltp Through high windows following the beams of sunright until we're looking eye lever across the bank from the front door. Three tel-rers' windows on the left, bank officers' desks on the right, safe deposit vaults at the far end opposite the front door, flanking the president's office. CAI4ERAPANS left until we're shooting toward the first telLer's wj-ndow with the littre sign underneath the barred partj-tion which reads: "Henry Bemis, Te1ler." DOLLY IN CLOSERuntit we're shooting over the partition down on him. He's a rotund, squat, plain-faced littre man in his fifties with enormouslv thiCk glasses which are obvlouslv en 'intcor:l oart of his 1' At this momenthe's makinsvcf,:";:l';3i":ffi:;ofi:':';"i'XinHi" lap is a big heavy book open about halfway. As he counts out the change he looks down at the book, chuckles, wets his fingers to separate bills, then wets them again to turn the page of the book. He finishes counting out the monev. BEMIS Mrs. Chesters, have you ever read David Copperfield? t{oldAN (grumpity) How's that? BEMTS Wonderful bookl Here's this poor TlttTe-TeIIah whose father his passed on and his mother has married a miserable man named Murdstone. And Murdstone has this sister Jane- wordAlr (Iooks up from the change he's given her to glare at him) Mr. Bemisl You short-changed me again. You own me one more dollar. See? There's twenty-four here. I should have twentv-five. Bemis peers myopicaily over toward the money, sorts it, then realizes his mistake. BEMIS .l-crril^llr,t q.rrr\/ Ttm uvrrJ. rT fl'rnrrrrhl-u^r'vqYrrL J-lraraLrtsr= were five ones there and there are only four. (MORE) L. Bn{IS (CONT'D) (he hands her another bill ) I'm really sorry, Mrs. Chesters. (then smiling) There's another character in the story named Macawber. Mr. Macawber. He's always being taken to debtors' prison- The woman grunts again, turns her back and starts to waLk away. BEMrS (CO!{T'D) (call-s after her) There's a wonderful woman in it too named Peggoty. She's David's nurse- 3. l'!ed. close shot Benis He sighs deeply, cl-oses the cage drawer, goes back to poring over the book. 4. !!ed. cloee shot pagle of book As seen from over his shoulder. A shadow crosses it. Bemis switches the book so that it's back in the light. Again the shaCow crosses it. This time Bemis looks up. 5. Angle shot looking up torard !{r. Carsville's face This is the president of the bank, a little martinet of a man with a perpetually suspicious glint in his eye. Fasticiious, insufferably correct, anci about as warm as an ice tray. 5. Ttro shot Carsville and Benis CARSVTI.I.E I wonder if I might see you in my office, Mr. Bemis? BEMIS (gulps ) Why. .why certainly, Mr. Carsville. (he rises, smiles diffidently, gulps agarn ) I don't suppose you ever read David Copperfield, did you, Mr. CarsVIfle? CARSVILIJE ( icily) No, Mr. Bemis, I have notl Now if you'11 be good enougfiE-accompany me? Bemis, with trepidation, puts down the book and starts to follow the bank president past the other two tel-lers, who immediately busy themseLves at their jobs. 7. Angle shot looking dorn at Benis As he walks toward the office. NARRATOR'S VOTCE The time is the day after tomorrow; the place is anywhere so long as it can accommodate a bank, a main street, and a library - along with a myopic littl-e man named Henry Bemis who has only one passion in life and that is ! a L\J I-^ YC1\:^,.1 (a pause) Mr. Henry Bemis conspired against by brow-beaters and hen-peckers and by clocks whose hands waggle disapprovingly at him and always disallow the moments he'd love to use to read what he would. (a pause) In a moment from now, however, Mr. Bemis will- have his chance to read in a world much different than the one he knows a world without clocks or bank presidents; a world for that matter, without anyone ! 8. !ded. cloee shot door to president's office As the two men arrive. Carsville opens the door, motions Bemis in, then squares his sma1l shoulders, goes in behind him, and sl-ams the door. CUT TO BLACK: OPENING BILLBOARD--FIRST COMMERCIAI--FADEON: 9 . rN:r. ceRs\[Lr.E ' s oFFrcE IDAY] The bank president sits behind a giant, extravagantly neat desk where everything is in carefully placed piles. In front of him stands little Henry Bemis, his hands folded in front of him. CARSVILI.E Now, Mr. Bemis, I shall come to the point of our interview. f shall arrive via the following route which is namely: what constitutes an efficient member of this organization. Y:-z - a bank teller who knows his job and performs it, i.e., an organization man who functions within an organizationl You, Mr. Bemis, do not function within the organization. You are neither an efficient bank teller nor a proficient employee. You are a reader, Mr. Bemis. BEMIS A reader, sir? CERS\,IIII.E A reader. A reader of books. Of magazines. Periodicals. Newspapers. Pamphlets. Brochures. Catalogues. Advertisements. Tracts. Ad infinitum! When you're waiting on customers you have a book in your Iap. When you're making the daily ta1ly sheets, one eye is on a printed page. I see you constantly going down into the vault downstairs during your lunch hour. Do you know how I became president of this bank, Mr. Bemis? I was a tefler once myself, you know. Thirteen years a telIer, f'm proud to say. Became a bank president because I would spend my lunch hour in the following manner. Five minutes sandwich. Two minutes miIk. One minute cookie. Fifty-two minutes spent learning of banking and finance. Practicing adding up figures. Subtracting. Dividing. Compounding interest. And after twenty-one years passing through the ranks you know how I wound up? Bemis shakes his head miserably. CARS\r1IIJLE(CONT'D) I wound up as president of the bank. (he drums his fingers on the desk) Ultimatum, Mr. Bemis. You will- henceforth devote your time to your job and forget reading - or you'Il find yourself outdoors on a park bench reading from morning to night for want of having a jobl Do I make 'l mrzqol f norfoni- rz el oarl BEMIS (nods humbly) Yes, sir, you do. It's just that- CARSI\'IILIJE ( impatiently) Just that what, Bemj-s? Make it quick and then get back to your cage. BEMIS (forlornl-y, softl-y) T!f ^ -:..^r mrz wifa rioesntt IL > JUJL -L-i-LIrdL...rrty w1ls u\ allow me to read at home. When I come home at night and pick up the paper, she yanks it out of my hand. After dinner when I try to look at a (MORE) BBdrs (coNT'D) magazine/ she hides them. It's gotten so that...I fj-nd myself trying to read the labels on condiment bottles on the dinner tabl-e. Now she won't even let me use catsup. eARWILLE Unasked I give you my reaction to this. Your wife is an amazingly bright woman. I remember last November you spent the better part of the days reading campaign buttons on customer's lapels. You'11 recalI, Mr. Bemis, the young woman who took considerable offense at this and tried to hit vou with the umbrella. BEMIS (unhappily) I remember that very welI, Mr. Carsville. She never gave me a chance to teil her that I was only looking at who she was voti-nq for. cARSr\rl[tLE (rises and turns his back, folds his hands behi-nd him) Good day, Mr. Bemis. BEI{IS ( sighs ) Good day, Mr. Carsville. 10. Track shot As he turns and starts toward the door. He pauses momentarily by a tabl-e near the door that has some magazines on it. He tilts his head so that he can read the cover of one of the magazines. 11. Different angle I'lr. Carsville Who looks over his shoulder, clears his throat warningly. Bemis hurriedly takes his eyes a€€ +ha mrn=oinos. (J!l. Llltj ILIO,Va4rlrsJ, Jrrrrreesm'i Ies aq !rsLrvIiJ-f le trv^tsir:k. and t.hen hUffieS out of the office. DISSOLVE TO: L2. nrr. BEMIS l.rvrNc ROOM IDAYI SLOWPAN SHOTACROSS THE ROOM,which is small, tidy' and antisepticaliy unattractive, as if furnished by a woman yoga whose basic tenant of living is self-denial-. The CAI4ERAWINDS UP ITS PAN on a shot of Mr. Bemj-s sitting in the corner of the room with a newspaper. His wife'S voice pierces the quiet. EELTN'S \IOICE Henrv? HEN-RY? Bemis puts the paper down and forces a smile. BEMIS Yes, dear, I'm in the living room. 13. Et1l ehot tlre roon As Helen enters. This is a woman in severe clothes and severe shoes and a severe face. She strides purposefully over to Henry, back hands the paper out of his hands.