EXT. DESERT - MORNING - 1870
SILENCE. Vast emptiness. The burnt-orange
panorama slowly sweeps from right to left, punctuated by majestic
mesas (Monument Valley). An ant of a lone figure in the deep distance
pans into view from the right. His compressed image shimmers in
the baking heat.
He works intently on a device in front of him while surrounded
by an untidy assortment of miniature chemical bottles, tools,
and scattered bits of paper. This is fair-haired PECOS PETE, who
wears a crumpled hat with a bullet hole in it, tattered fringe
jacket, ripped chaps, torn trousers, well-worn gun and belt, boots
that are coming apart, and rusty spurs.
Pecos searches his pockets for something he can't find, then frantically scrabbles amongst the paraphernalia in the dusty, red soil around him until he locates a small vial.
Carefully handling the vial, he holds it up for inspection, puffs off the dust, prises out the tiny cork and delicately pours part of the contents into an opening in the device. He absently replaces the cork and lays the vial carefully in the dirt by his side while his full attention is focused on the opening. Smoke and sparks erupt and sputter from the device.
Pecos SCRAMBLES to his feet, steps on the fringes of his jacket and FALLS flat on his face, sending bottles flying. His gun buries itself in the sand. He recovers and runs towards CAMERA, holding his hat, as device EXPLODES LOUDLY, sending him FLYING. He sprawls in the dirt CU, spits dust, shakes his head and rolls his eyeballs.
He licks his lips, frowns, then fingers the smudgy, blackened earth in front of his nose and sniffs it...his eyes light up.
He passes out.
INT. PLUSH OFFICE - DAY - (1870)
The stocky robber baron HARLAN MCALLISTER sits at his commanding
desk holding a sheaf of papers. His nameplate made of a golden
spike glints on the desktop, while painted backwards on the large
window behind him is: GREAT EASTERN RAILROAD. Opposite McAllister
sits JAKE WINSLOW.
Harlan dismisses Jake with an exuberant wave of his hand and ponders the papers in front of him. He gets up, turns, and gazes out his window to the streets below. He takes out his gold pocket watch, flips it open, and studies it with considerable interest while he caresses it with his thumb. He eventually snaps it shut and returns his gaze out the window as his hands clasp behind him and toy with the watch.
The door opens quickly and the mousey but efficient MISS WELLINGTON hurries in.
McAllister turns to face her.
Miss Wellington hurries out. McAllister sits down, places the watch carefully on the desk and gives it a spin.
EXT. EQUALITY - STREET - DAY
MICK CASKEY, a tall, salty-looking gunman rides into town and
reins in his horse at the front of the Silver Dollar Saloon. He
dismounts and hitches the animal.
INT. SILVER DOLLAR SALOON
A long, mirrored, richly-carved mahogany bar decorated with inlaid
silver dollars runs along the left wall of the saloon. A piano
faces the rear wall. SPARKY, the bartender, cleans glasses. The
place is empty. Caskey ambles in and walks to the bar as Sparky
looks up and nods. Caskey weighs him up. He reaches in his coat
and tosses a fat envelope on the bar. Sparky eyes him, then the
packet. He picks it up and rifles through a wad of notes then
raises his eyebrows and looks at Caskey.
EXT. FIELD BESIDE TANDOORI INDIAN RESERVATION
- DAY
INDIAN FARMER squats and sifts dark, smudgy, lifeless dirt through
his fingers. He chucks away the remaining muck in disgust, stands
up, looks to the sky and scowls.
INT. MCALLISTER'S OFFICE - DAY
CASKEY faces McAllister, who leans on his desk.
McAllister waves him out of the office,
then smiles smugly and slaps his desk triumphantly.
EXT. TANDOORI RESERVATION - DAY
The Indian Farmer, the CHIEF, and several ELDERS and BRAVES, one
of them RED DOG, sit in front of the Chief's teepee.
Heads nod, they all agree.
They all look to the Chief, who stands up.
An argument breaks out. They squabble in the distance as two of the young Braves break away from the group and storm off to their teepees.
EXT. MURPHY'S GULCH - DAY
Caskey is with six capable-looking armed men.
He signals to the others and they mount
and ride off.
EXT. WOODED STREAM POOL - AFTERNOON
Three INDIAN GIRLS bathe gaily and splash each other. It is a
perfect day. Birds twitter. The girls are alone. Gunbelts are
quietly unfastened and laid on the ground. The birds go quiet,
the girls are alerted and instinctively cover their breasts. They
look wildly in all directions.
Half a dozen MEN attack them from O.S. SPLASHING into the water
clumsily. The girls SCREAM and try to fight them off. The men
wrestle with the girls impotently in the deep water as one of
the girls suddenly looks beyond her captor. He freezes, then they
all freeze and spin around.
WHAT THEY SEE. A RIDER dismounts 50 yards away and walks downhill
rapidly towards them. This is BLACK BART. He is tall and swarthy,
with black hair and dark eyes, and sports a magnificent BLACK
HANDLEBAR MUSTACHE with sideburns.
He wears a long, CAPED BLACK DUSTER, black flat-topped gambler's
hat ringed with silver conchos, black shirt, trousers and boots.
His spurs are silver and perfect. On his left hand he wears a
black glove with the fingertips sliced off. Black Bart is FRIGHTENING
and DEADLY. A GUNFIGHTER.
The men desperately try to gain dry ground and their weapons,
abandoning the girls. The men scramble for their guns while Bart
halts and waits for them to hook on their rigs. As the belts go
on, the men relax...assured in their number.
The men chuckle and look at each other, amused.
Black Bart shakes his head. The men laugh nervously. This is suddenly not funny.
Bart slowly pulls open the right side of his duster and tucks it behind his revolver, revealing a belly gun stuck into his belt, then lets his hands fall free, poised to strike.
The men falter, and eye each other nervously.
One makes the barest motion to draw as they all react. In a blinding
instant, Bart's revolvers whip out of their nests and FIRE repeatedly.
Two men are immediately sent FLYING backwards into the water,
SPLASH!
RAPID INTERCUTS of fast action between surviving men and Bart
as guns blaze, smoke and ear-splitting EXPLOSIONS fill the air,
Bart's eyes FLARE in deadly concentration, men spin, fly, and
CATAPULT in all directions as they are hit, FIRING as they go
down, kicking up dust, hats and guns SAILING lazily in the air
as remaining men TUMBLE down river bank and splash into the water
in a heap.
Two dozen booming, crashing shots are loosed off in seconds. Bart is left standing, untouched, in the stillness and finality of death. He holsters his gun with a solid THWACK.
The leisurely flowing stream claims blood
and tugs gently at loose clothing from the dead men as Bart approaches
them. The girls scurry for their clothes in the background and
rapidly get dressed as Bart checks the bodies. The girls smile
at him, relieved. One of the girls is very pregnant. This is FALLEN
LEAF. She walks up to Bart and hugs him.
EXT. PLAINS -AFTERNOON
WIDE SHOT of small, but prosperous western town in the distance,
and a sign in the foreground. The sign reads: EQUALITY - POPULATION
216.
ECHOING GUNSHOT (O.S.) transforms "216" to "210,"
followed by the THWACK of a gun slamming home.
INT. ROSIE'S FUNHOUSE - PARLOUR - AFTERNOON
ROSIE, a fresh-faced, curvy young blonde in petticoats, sits on
her luxurious setee surrounded by sparse Victorian elegance and
cradles Pete's filthy head in her lap as he groans.
KATE, one of Rosie's girls, sashays down the staircase and sees Pecos in Rosie's arms. Her hands fly to her cheeks.
Kate rushes over to Pecos and kneels by his side. The girls exchange exasperated glances.
Pecos grins, looks from Kate to Rosie and back again. The girls smile at each other and shake their heads in disbelief. Rosie abruptly slips out from under Pecos' head, which thumps on the cushion, and gets up. Pecos yelps.
Kate and Rosie help Pecos off the setee. He hobbles up the stairs with his arms around both girls' shoulders for support.
They reach the top of the stairs and proceed along the landing.
Rosie opens a door and the three of them disappear into the room with Pecos still talking. Door slams shut.
EXT. PLAINS - AFTERNOON
Tranquil scene as buckboard in distance slowly approaches. It
is handled expertly by buxom, strawberry-blonde, 45-ish WOMAN
in pigtails who bounces along on the seat. This is BEA.
Bea races away towards town, past newly-revised
sign.
EXT. ROSIE'S FUNHOUSE
Bea hits the brake and skids to a halt, throwing up dust. She clambers out, ties up her horses, and grabs a carpetbag from the back of the buckboard. An upstairs window opens and Rosie pops out her head.
Rosie disappears as Bea mounts the steps
and opens the front door with gusto.
INT. ROSIE'S FUNHOUSE
Rosie clatters down the stairs almost too fast. Bea drops her
bag and barely withstands the force of Rosie as she flings herself
into Bea's arms.
Bea raises her eyebrows.
They climb the stairs arm-in-arm. When they get to the top, Bea shouts.
Bea throws open the door and bounces in.
Rosie follows her, radiant.
INT. ROSIE'S FUNHOUSE - BEDROOM
Pecos and Kate are fully dressed and waiting.
Pecos walks over and hugs Bea.
Bea shoots an approving glance at Rosie and smiles. Bea looks up at Pecos, still in his embrace.
Bea smiles, walks over to Kate and hugs her.
They all laugh.
Pecos looks embarrassed and the two girls' eyes light up.
Bea trundles out of the room.
INT. ROSIE'S FUNHOUSE - STAIRCASE
Bea descends the stairs dreamily, talking to herself.
EXT. ROSIE'S FUNHOUSE
Bea walks out the front door, smiling. Giggling is heard from
the room upstairs as Bea cocks a gleeful glance their way.
EXT. MURPHY'S GULCH - SUNDOWN
Caskey is agitated, and paces back and forth. He takes out his
gold pocket watch, flips open the lid and looks at it. He scans
the horizon and pauses. He makes a decision, snaps the watch shut,
gets on his horse and rides off.
EXT. TANDOORI RESERVATION - SUNDOWN
Red Dog and a dozen young Tandoori men sneak amongst nervous horses
in the tribe's corral. They quietly lead their chargers away on
foot, then mount and ride off in silence.
