Lesson 16

[Connie Hood]

Lesson 16: OUTLINE OF ACTIONS – CONNIE HOOD

This is not an “action movie” but it does have action in some of the dramatic scenes. I’m a historical fiction writer – use real people in creative stories.

BARNSTORMERS

LOGLINE: An unlikely group of real people mix their fortunes in the world of 1920s aviation, bootlegging, and a circus in town.

ACT I

OPEN FIELD – MORNING

CLIFFORD flies in to meet MITCHELL, his handler/boss for a new government agency, the FBI. Clips the stone wall, and crash lands the plane. Walks toward a Michigan farmhouse.

BACK ROOM OF BANK, 1931

CLARA MITCHELL works at the bank as a calculator, processing deposits into error free records. Also manages the women’s side of the bank, where females can have accounts.

EXTERIOR, 1930s TOWN, EARLY MORNING

The CIRCUS PARADE comes through. Whole town turns out.

EXTERIOR, CONT.

A Cadillac roadster, V16 or similar, is parked off to one side. CLARA meets JOHNNY, a 14-year-old boy admiring the roadster. Grubby little kid. He claims to be a trapeze performer.

BANK, WOMEN’S SIDE TELLER CAGES

CLARA cashes paychecks for “the gals.” The women are fully dressed, a bit garish, homemade? They invite her to the show.

BANK, BACK ROOM

A male teller comes to the back room to brag about his new client at the bank. “You should see his Cadillac!”

TOWNHOUSE

CLARA dinner with father MITCHELL is an IRS (Federal) revenue auditor (Prohibition) located in GRAND RAPIDS. He is investigating the flow of booze from Windsor, ONT to Detroit, MI. She is curious about the flow of cash from the circus.

CIRCUS TENT, RINGS

CLARA attends circus with family. She laughs at BORKO. “I like the clowns best.”

CIRCUS TENTS, LATE EVENING

Performers and riggers backstage, sharing bottles of homemade rakia and slivovitz. Polyglot of Slavic and Balkan language. Jokes physical and verbal.

JOHNNY mimics BORKO, who is absent. They don’t like him.

BANK, MORNING

BORKO asks to see the bank president regarding investments. Wants to buy a sizeable farm near the river. Detroit is a bootlegging hub. Bootleggers bring in Canadian whiskey, English gin.

BANK, LATER MORNING

Two GALS show up at bank. Heavy Eastern European accents – Sasha, Milena. CLARA offers to show them “around town.” GALS suggest they go dancing.

CIRCUS BACKSTAGE DRESSING ROOMS

CLARA shows up in a plain navy dress, lace collar. The GALS pull down a collection of slinky, fringed dresses. She finds one that fits. They pull up her hair, put on a headband/fascinator.

SPEAKEASY

GALS order cocktails. Men hover around.

CLIFFORD asks CLARA to dance. No talking. Just look into each other’s eyes, then separate.

ACT II A – RISING ACTION

There is an airshow outside of town. CLARA attends with the GALS and Johnny. The aerobatics show is seen as direct competition of the circus.

AIRFIELD – JULY 4 MIDDAY

CLIFFORD pilots the Lincoln Page open cockpit biplane. His brother LEO walks the wings. Struggles to get back into cockpit due to force of propellor blowback. Nearly blown off. CROWD goes wild.

JOHNNY and others talk about flying. CLARA is terrified of heights. “How is that possible?”

“Just breathe, look around you… don’t let go. Don’t ever look down.”

After the aerobatic routine, CLIFFORD spots CLARA in the crowd with the circus people. Canvas jacket, goggles up, filthy face covered with grit from engine draft.

AMBASSADOR BRIDGE – JULY 4 MIDDAY

BORKO drives across the Canadian border to pick up a load of Canadian whiskey and English gin. Meets with Purple Gang handlers.

BANK

BORKO brings another very large bag of cash into the bank.

BANK TELLER talking about cars. BORKO invites him out to dinner, says he knows a way for the BANK TELLER to get a nice car.

RESTAURANT – Purple Gang private club possible purple drapes etc. in the décor?

BORKO and BANK TELLER. Both have been drinking a lot of Canadian whiskey. BORKO speaks Italian with the proprietors. (his handlers)

BANK TELLER doesn’t want to join their transportation company ( bootlegging )operation.

RIVERFRONT WAREHOUSE –LATE THAT NIGHT

BORKO persuades banker to accept a car (hot, repainted, switched license plates) to help with “transportation.” Two Purple Gang operatives participate.

BANK, NEXT MORNING

CLIFFORD enters bank, asks to see CLARA. “Our calculators don’t consort with male clients.

Writes her a note, invites her to dinner, French restaurant. She accepts.

BANK OFFICES

Bank president reported the big deposit to Mitchell and BORKO’s request to buy an isolated run-down farm for too much money.

CIRCUS TRAIN CAR

BORKO also decides to court the pretty local. Maybe she’d be a good farmwife for him. She’s fun, dances, and loved his act. She works at the bank and is very smart, honest. Great cover for him. She declines his invitation. Smart but stuck-up.

He invites her to his train car with the GALS. Several knives on wall. He demonstrates knife throwing act that he used to do, tosses perfect outline of a person into the board. Maybe you would like to volunteer one night? The GALS laugh nervously. BORKO then tosses into the “Wheel of Death.” Once again an error free outline.

DETROIT HOTEL

CLIFFORD AND MITCHELL discuss their work, the messy implementation of prohibition. Issues of moral ambiguity, chasing moles in police and judiciary, people on the take. Mitchell’s daughter, Clara and her role as an informer. Mitchell has contacted IRS in Washington, concerned about Clara’s involvement.

CLIFFORD:

“You mean you want me to follow some Balkan circus around when we have millions of Americans we can arrest for booze? Pour me another.”

“My daughter is involved in the investigation. I wish she weren’t but she spotted the funny numbers and she won’t quit.”

II.B – RISE TO CLIMAX

OUTSIDE, NEAR FARMS – MIDDAY

Clifford takes Clara up in the airplane, against her better judgement. They have a great time.

BANK, FRIDAY THAT WEEK

Robbery in progress. The teller/manager confronts them. They want to know who spilled the beans about the irregular money. Kidnap him. He protests that it must have been one of the calculators, mentions Clara. “Her reports are always perfect. She’s perfect.” Clara and the other women have left out the back, into a stand of maple trees.

CIRCUS GROUNDS

Strangers showing up in worker uniforms, local cops and Feds.

GRAND RAPIDS FARMHOUSE

MITCHELL, IRS meeting with FBI, CLIFFORD and others. MITCHELL thinks things are “coming to a head” in Detroit. Suggests they get on a train.

CLIFFORD:

Let’s take my plane. CLIFFORD misses the rendezvous; the propellor falls off. He has to fly, land, find the propellor, and reattach it. Very late for meeting.

CIRCUS TENT

BORKO invites GALS for a meeting, but CLARA is the only guest. His intent is to propose to her – plenty of money, no need to work, “just see that my farm is kept nice. I love it here.”

CLARA declines.

OUTSIDE, NEAR FARMS – MIDDAY

CLIFFORD teaches CLARA how to fly the airplane. “Take it up, fly straight, put it down.” She’s very agitated, but succeeds. He kisses her.

DETROIT RIVER

LOCAL POLICE find a body in the Detroit river. The warehouse is visible. CLIFFORD uses dental records to identify the BANK TELLER. Also notes that the rope used to bind the victim is similar to the rope used on circus tents.

“I’d rather smell a dead guy than garlic on some Eyetalian’s breath.”

CIRCUS TENT

CLARA hears yipping coming from the Bigtop. Steps inside to help the animal. It is trapped on the high wire platform, and if it falls it will be certain death. BORKO steps out.

She wants to go get help – feels a knife at her back.

“You have to go up … now!”

“Now, walk across!”

JOHNNY also heard the barking. Enters the tent as she is walking, terrified. He spots her. Just look forward one step at a time.

She picks up the dog and faces the ladder again.

BORKO takes the dog from her. When she descends, BORKO hands her the dog, limp and silent, broken neck.

CIRCUS TENT, EXT.

CLIFFORD shows up late that night. CLARA not at circus. JOHNNY talks to him. CLIFFORD plans an FBI raid on the circus – liquor transports and tax evasion.

ACT III

DETROIT HOTEL

CLIFFORD AND MITCHELL How can we tell law enforcement from criminals? What line will you/will you not cross? What if a law is impractical, wrong?

CIRCUS TENT, MORNING REHEARSAL

JOHNNY seriously injured when he falls from the trapeze. Somehow the equipment rigging is off balance. The company is deeply upset. BORKO – Hey, I’m a clown. At least I don’t swing from ropes. That’s dangerous.

CIRCUS EXTERIOR

BORKO asked CLIFFORD to meet. “Maybe we should put your aerobatic show with our show? An entertainment monopoly – the greatest show. “

BORKO suspects CLIFFORD is a possible FED, but he’s dealt with that before. He tries to bribe CLIFFORD.

GALS circle around CLARA. They know BORKO plans to kill her.

BORKO also owns all of them. Without the circus, they will be trafficked, illegal Balkan immigrants, no papers. U.S. quota on Slavs is filled.

CLARA shocked to see CLIFFORD confront BORKO. CLIFFORD is armed.

BORKO pulls a knife on CLIFFORD. CLIFFORD not afraid of BORKO or his knives. CLIFFORD has butchered hogs, and opened up corpses in medical school. Cuts BORKO across wrist and shoulder. BORKO charges after him.

ROAD

CLIFFORD and CLARA in Model T (35-40 MPH top speed).

BORKO in Cadillac Roadster (60-80 MPH top speed) He drives with one hand, shoulder and wrist bleeding. CLIFFORD and CLARA appear and disappear, overland, side roads, creek bed. Roadster can’t maneuver in tight spaces. Very fast on roads.

FIELD

Clifford’s plane sits in the middle of the field. CLIFFORD runs to start the propellor (crank) and CLARA puts on her helmet, checks gauges. As she begins to taxi, BORKO grabs the wing and hoists himself up. CLIFFORD climbs out of cockpit, BORKO on wing, ready to attack, moves from strut to strut. Wind in BORKO’S eyes, CLIFFORD is goggled. BORKO catches his foot in the rope used for the aerobatics. Trips, slips off the wing, hanging by the foot/waist. CLIFFORD climbs into cockpit.

CLARA tips wings back and forth (turning yoke), sets plane down in park in front of City Hall. BORKO bounces, injured, taken into custody.

HOSPITAL

BORKO in full body cast, chained to the iron hospital bed.

Clifford and Clara were married for 71 years. After Clifford’s death, the GALS Sasha and Milena gather at the old house. (the real house is on National Register) Clara’s sons have left strict instructions for tea with little sandwiches. They leave to watch a football game.

“Would you girls like a cocktail? I know where they keep it.”