REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE
A Short Film by Rick Parets
Special thanks to Joe Zonies
Spring 1986
BLACK
The SOUND of heavy breathing and footsteps of a RUNNING MAN are heard throughout the title sequence.
FADE IN:
EXT. DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – DAY
At a busy street, in the center of the city, on the corner, ACROSS THE STREET stands a PHONE BOOTH. The MAN, carrying a briefcase, comes running into the frame and enters the phone booth. He opens the briefcase, turns some pages of a book, seemingly finding his place. He picks up the phone, dials a number, says something into the receiver and quickly hangs up. He pulls out a pen from his jacket and with a triumphant flair crosses something out in the book. He closes his briefcase, obviously happier after this phone call and runs out the other side of frame.
CUT TO:
TITLES
CUT TO:
EXT. DESERT – DAY
A torrid sun burning high in the sky causes heat waves to rise off the sand in a completely desolate desert region. Standing out like a sore thumb in the midst of this vast nothingness is a phone booth. The man comes into frame and runs into the phone booth. He swings his briefcase up onto the shelf of the booth, opens the case, turns some pages, looks intently at the book, places a call and hangs up quickly. Searching through his jacket, he finds his pen, scratches out a line in the book and exits the booth. He is obviously pleased with the outcome of the call and runs out of frame.
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TITLES
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EXT. MOUNTAINS – DAY
The mountains rise majestically in the background as their snow capped peaks shine against a beautiful blue sky. At the foot of this alpine realm, sits a phone booth where the man comes into frame and enters the phone booth. He picks up his knee and precariously balances his briefcase upon it. As he opens the case, he starts to lose his balance, but hops on his other foot to try and right himself. Leaning into a corner of the booth, he skims through the book. He finds his place, makes a quick call and hangs up. Unable to reach his pen pocket, he finds another one in the briefcase and makes a mark in the book. He lowers his knee, closes the case, exits the booth, and clicks his heels in mid-air and runs out of frame.
CUT TO:
TITLES
EXT. BEACH – DAY
It’s a gorgeous sunny day at the beach. The waves crash onto the shore, as enthusiastic sun worshippers take in their daily rays. Almost lost in all of this activity is a phone booth, obscured by some palm tress. The man runs into frame and skids into the booth. Without missing a beat, he has the briefcase open in a flash, finds his page, places a call and hangs up the receiver. He locates his pen, checks off the page and closes the case. He merges from the booth and jubilantly raises his fist into the air and runs out of frame.
CUT TO:
EXT. DESERTED PARKING LOT – DAY
In a somewhat run down neighborhood, a phone booth stands in a deserted parking lot, overlooking the city. The man comes into frame, but this time freezes and the sound of running stops for the first time. A full-bodied vibrant WOMAN in her mid-fifties occupies the phone booth. She’s holding a bag of groceries in one hand and with the other constantly picking pieces of food up out of the bag. After quickly inspecting each item, she devours them with great relish. Somehow she manages to shoulder cradle the receiver and talk and gesture emphatically at the same time. She’s had a great deal of practice. The man looks at his watch and crosses his arms in disappointment. He has no time for this at all.
MAN
(muttering through his teeth)
Merde au baton!
In a decisive move he approaches the phone booth and knocks on the door. The woman spins around and has the door open in a split second, the receiver cradled in her stomach.
WOMAN
(admonishingly)
Do you mind, I’m talking to Myrna. I’m talking to Myrna.
She’s reprimanded him like her five-year old son. That being settled, she returns to Myrna and tries to close the door with her foot.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Oh, I don’t know how she can stand the humidity. The last time
we were there, Harry developed that horrible glandular problem
and he couldn’t stop sweating. Oy, what a mess, he was dripping
like a leaky faucet… and at dinner, the waiter kept bringing all
these napkins…. What? Oh I had the Oysters Flamingo and
Harry had the Beef Wellington with sautéed mushrooms. Of course
I told him, but you know my Harry…. Well it didn’t take long.
right after the first mushroom, the sneezing started. Myrna, I
have to tell you, I was mortified, yeccchh…. All that sweat and
nasal mucous all over the table, it was simply the worst.
CUT TO:
The man stands patiently at the booth attempting to wait, nervously tapping his foot. He crosses his arms again and then not being able to stand it any longer, knocks on the phone booth door. The woman spins around and the door swings open.
CUT TO:
WOMAN
(continuing)
I told you, I’m talking to Myrna. Now don’t bother me!
MAN
Well, it’s an emer……..
The phone booth door is slammed in his face. The man checks his watch, the ticking deafening. Without hesitating, he pushes his way into the phone booth, squashing the woman into the corner and her face into the bag of groceries, causing her to drop the receiver. The man grabs the phone.
MAN
(continuing)
Myrna, she’ll have to call you back, this is an emergency.
He hangs up the phone, opens his briefcase, finds his place and dials a number as he waits for an answer.
WOMAN
You know Myrna is not going to like this. I hung up on
her once, by mistake of course, but she was so mad, that
when it was her turn to ask the girls over for lunch, I wasn’t
invited and if you think that I’m going to have to go………..
She’s stopped by a halting gesture from the man; someone has answered his phone call. After a dramatic pause, the man breathes heavily into the phone. He quickly hangs up, takes the pen out of his pocket, crosses something out in his book and turns to the woman with a newly revitalized look. The woman looks on totally horrified, then as if telling a secret, she whispers………….
WOMAN
(continuing)
Bronchitis!
MAN
(startled)
Excuse me?
WOMAN
(presumptuously)
What terrible bronchitis. You know my Harry has a long
history of bronchial problems. He would cough up phlegm,
ooh, it was so long and stringy and……..
MAN
(impatiently)
Well, that sounds like a really nice story, but I’ve got to
Go. So now if you’ll excuse me.
WOMAN
You should really have someone look at that, darling.
She talks on in a motherly drone, the man begins to edge his way out of the phone booth, but realizes that the door won’t open with both of them in the booth, as panic begins to rear its ugly head.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Honey, how long have you had that? You know if I remember
Correctly, I think I have something right here…..
She hands him the shopping bag and begins to search in her pocket book.
WOMAN
(continuing)
That’s funny, I could swear it was in here somewhere.
She dumps the contents of her pocketbook onto the phone booth shelf. It’s a walking medicine cabinet of prescriptive drugs, ointments and atomizers.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Oh, here it is……….
She turns around brandishing an atomizer. The man who had been struggling with the door, anxiously turns back to face the woman.
WOMAN
(patronizing tone)
The airplane comes from the doctor’s store, don’t be afraid,
open up the hangar door.
The atomizer as the “airplane”, with full engine sounds, flies in as the man cringes in the corner of the booth.
MAN
No lady, really that’s okay. You don’t understand. No, no, lady
please, no lady………
The last becomes a mumbled plea as she grabs his face.
WOMAN
Now, now, be a good boy and open wide!
Her hand squeezes his mouth open, as she sprays missing his mouth, but hitting him directly in the eyes. She is relentless as the spray comes from all angles, hitting him in the ears, nose and hair, in fact everywhere but the mouth. Finally, the seemingly drowning man looks up and surrenders.
MAN
Okay lady, you win….. Here!
He opens his mouth wide, and as she hits the mark, the man doubles over in a severe coughing fit.
WOMAN
Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?
MAN
(disgustedly)
Can I please go now?
He attempts to hand back her grocery bag, but the woman will have none of it.
WOMAN
No, no, no!
She turns back to the medicines on the shelf and starts to hand him bottles of pills, ointments, etc..
WOMAN
(continuing)
Now, let’s see, ahh, erythromycin, tetracycline, vitamin C, vitamin D
Penicillin, vapo-rub……
Camera zooms in for an extreme close-up on THE WOMAN’S LIPS. They’re flapping unmercifully, the sound of her voice transforming into a CACOPHONY OF GRATING NOISE. The man, quivering in terror is desperately trying to escape from the phone booth. From ANOTHER ANGLE OUTSIDE THE PHONE BOOTH, his struggle begins to become a bizarre waltz, as the man searches for avenues of escape. Their bodies contort into various positions as the MUSIC rises in accompaniment to this eerie dance. Finally the man burst from the booth, falling to the ground. As he rolls over onto his back, his knee has started to bleed and the woman leans out of the booth.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Oh honey, wait right there. I have just the thing for that.
She turns back into the phone booth and starts going through her medicine again.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Let’s see, medicated gauze pads, iodine…….
Behind her, the man finally has his chance to escape and does, as he limps away, muttering to himself.
WOMAN
(continuing)
I think the best thing for you is to………
She turns around to find an empty street. She then notices his briefcase on the floor of the phone booth and reaches down to grab it.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Hey honey, wait a minute, you forgot your briefcase!
As she waves the briefcase, it opens dropping the contents to the ground, only to reveal a public phone book, “The White Pages”. She picks up the phone booth, and sees that every name up to Goldblatt has been crossed out. She reenters the booth, opens up the book, inserts some coins into the phone and dials a number.
WOMAN
(continuing)
Hello……. (HEAVY BREATHING)
She crosses out a number and with a newly found gusto, exits the phone booth and begins to run out of frame. Fading to black, the sound of HEAVY BREATHING and the FOOTSTEPS of a RUNNING WOMAN are heard.
FADE TO BLACK:
