*For Introduction with submission guidelines go to April 4.
*Heywood Gould is the author of 9 screenplays including “Rolling Thunder”, “Fort Apache, The Bronx”, “Boys From Brazil” and “Cocktail.”
CONEY ISLAND BLUEFISH
By Heywood Gould
ACT FOUR (CONT)
A FOOTBALL
flies across the field. Burke runs under it and sprints for the goal line, but Billy Lyons comes out of nowhere, knocks him down and grabs his flag.It’s the big game, NYPD versus NYFD and the field is packed. On the Fireman side the crowd cheers wildly.
ON THE POLICE SIDELINE
Putts screams for a penalty.
PUTTS
Personal foul. This is flag
football, you can’t grab the
man.
BILLY
Next thing you’re gonna be
sayin’ we gotta wear leotards.
The fire rooters screams derisively. Putts calls a time-out.
IN A RICKETY GRANDSTAND
Keats and Nieves are watching.
NIEVES
Good job holding onto the
ball.
KEATS
I told you, Jerry’s a tough
kid. He stepped up big time
on that cocaine bust.
NIEVES
That was bizarre. Precinct
cops nail a guy the feds
couldn’t get. Did you guys
get somethin’ off an
informant?
KEATS
No, it was an accident. They
were in there on that assault
case. Zazulich, the Russian
girl, sussed it out and played
it by ear. Unbelievable, huh?
NIEVES
Unbelievable as in I don’t
believe it.
ON THE SIDELINE
Lena and Olga watch the game and gossip about the cops.
OLGA
Jerry’s waiting for his
divorce to be final, then
we’re gonna move in.
LENA
Derek is very graceful.
OLGA
He’s a sweetie. I think he
likes you.
LENA
And Third doesn’t socialize?
OLGA
Third is very married. Three
kids and wife who watches
him like a hawk.
LENA
(casual)
And the Lieutenant.
OLGA
Keats? Sad story. His wife
died a coupla years ago. The
kids blamed him for not
retiring and taking her away
somewhere. They don’t talk to
him. He’s alone.
Lena looks at Keats with great sympathy
LENA
He has a beautiful expression.
Full of suffering, but very
beautiful.
ON THE FIELD
Bagels repels the pass rush again as Derek completes a pass to Third. Then he turns and pleads to Putts.
BAGELS
I’m dyin’ here. Give me a
blow.
PUTTS
You’re stayin’ in until we
score
.
Putts turns to Vulvani who hasn’t clue what he’s talking about.
PUTTS (cont’d)
Y’see that’s what I mean by
evaluating talent. This man
never lifted anything heavier
than a knish in his life, but
I spotted him right away.
Vulvani has a handful of BLUE JERSEYS with CONEY ISLAND BLUEFISH emblazoned on the back and a large BLUE FISH fish with shark like teeth on the front. He approaches Daniella and Josephine, who are cheering “Go Dad. Go Bluefish..”
VULVANI
Here girls, take. Don’t worry
I’m the sponsor. I am the
best booster. Next week…
caps.
IN THE HUDDLE
Bagels is throwing up. The men push him out of the huddle.
CONTI
Gimme the ball, Lemme do
somethin’ heroic for my
girls.
DEREK
Alright, let’s run the hook
and ladder.
SLOAN
He can’t run, he took a
bullet in his leg.
CONTI
Just clear these smoke eaters
out, I’ll make it.
ON THE SIDELINE
Olga teaches Lena and the Conti girls a quick cheer.
OLGA
Hit ‘em high/Hit ‘em low/
Rock ‘em Bluefish/ Go go
go…
THE HUDDLE
breaks. Sloan and Conti bicker as they line up.
SLOAN
Why does everything have to
revolve around you?
CONTI
I’m goin’ through a difficult
divorce. I have self esteem
issues, loyalty, commitment.
You think my best friend
would want to help…
SLOAN
Of course, somehow this
becomes my fault.
DEREK
Hike!
A charging FIREMAN knocks Sloan down, but he gets up and sprints downfield, Conti laboring behind him.
DEREK (cont’d)
Donnie!
Sloan turns just in time for the ball to thump into his chest. A FIREMAN comes in hot pursuit, but Third levels him with a vicious block. Then Conti, runs up.
CONTI
Donnie, here!
Sloan laterals the ball to Conti and is knocked face first into the mud by Billy Lyons, who then takes off after Conti. Everybody stands and urges Conti on as Billy gains on him. Sloan staggers downfield, screaming:
SLOAN
Run…
Conti’s knee buckles, but he makes it into the end zone with a broad smile as Sloan comes up behind him, shouting
SLOAN (cont’d)
Touchdown!
The two hi five, victoriously.
FREEZE ON SLOAN AND CONTI
THE END
CONEY ISLAND BLUEFISH By Heywood Gould
I pitched a show about how cops deal with the new ethnically diverse New York.
The executives looked up from their blackberries…
Thought Coney Island–home to refugees from the former Soviet Empire a burgeoning Mexican population, Indians, Pakistanis, Hasidim, not to mention retired garment workers, Mafia holdouts, yuppies, hipsters and health nuts who want to be by the sea–would be a good arena.
The executives leaned forward in their chairs—a good sign.
Police precincts field sports teams that play other city departments and go to a state championship every year.
The executives had never heard of that.
“Great hook,” someone said.
I wrote the script. Joy was unconfined. We were on our way.
Then it was bounced down from the “upstairs.”
The verdict:
“Is he kidding?”
Enjoy
Best,
Heywood
Our first script was EMPIRES OF CRIME. Seven years in development was a six part mini-series commissioned by a broadcast network and later reacquired by a cable station.
Click on EMPRIES OF CRIME link below for the entire script.
The story is about the founders of Organized Crime, Meyer Lansky, and “Lucky” Luciano, their fifty year partnership and the empire they created. Their friendships and families, lives and loves. It is also about their implacable enemy Thomas Dewey, a young Republican attorney who built a political career prosecuting the Mob that propelled him to the NY Governor’s Mansion and almost to the White House.