Fans Script : Rock and Chips – Final Part 4

Fans Script: ROCK AND CHIPS -North by North London-

By Martin Fryer

Based on characters created by John Sullivan

Continued from yesterday

EXT. NIGHT THE RITZ PICTURE HOUSE

External shot of the picture house at night, young Raymond is bringing in the portable billboard.

INT. NIGHT. THE RITZ PICTURE HOUSE

Joanie and Reanie and are in the staff cloak room putting on their coats.

REANIE. If I were you I’d tell Reg, let him sort him out.

JOAN. Oh leave it out Reane.

REANIE. Well what does this fella want with Freddy?

JOAN. I dunno but nothing good that’s for sure.

REANIE. And you really don’t know where he is?

JOAN. No course I don’t.

REANIE. Look it’s not my place to ask and usually I wouldn’t but you’re my best mate and I’m worried about ya, are them rumours about you and Freddy true?

JOAN. (flustered at the question) No, I told ya, we just….got on. Anyway I’m not like that.

REANIE. What about Guissepe?

JOAN. He was just a friend, Rean, you know that.

REANIE. Well the Italian Stallion wasn’t been very friendly that night he tried to force himself on you in the back of his car.

JOAN. And that’s why I can’t tell Reg, you know how he over reacts, look at the state he left him in.

REANIE. Well from what you’ve told me it don’t sound like this fella is going to let it drop until he gets what he wants.

JOAN. I’ve got a number.

REANIE. What number?

JOAN. Before Freddy left he gave me a number.

REANIE. Problem solved then, girl. Give the number to this bastard who’s hassling ya and he’ll leave you alone.

JOAN. I can’t do that can I, if he traces Freddy he might hurt him, or worse.

REANIE. You’ve still got feelings for him haven’t you, Joan.

JOAN. No I just……oh I don’t know but I don’t wanna see him get hurt.

REANIE. There is another option.

JOAN. Which is?

REANIE. Give him a call, get him to come and sort his own mess out.

JOAN. Me and Reg have been getting on alright, I don’t want, I don’t want……

REANIE. You don’t want to fall in love with Freddy the Frog again?

JOAN. I don’t wanna go through all that again, I don’t want anyone upset, I’ve got little Rodney to think about now.

REANIE. Phone Freddy Joan, if you don’t, you could regret it.

JOAN. And if I do I could regret it.

We focus on Joans face as she agonises over the decision.

INT. DAY. THE TROTTERS FLAT.

Joan is sitting at the table doing her make-up. Grandad is in the chair watching the news.

GRANDAD. You got work today Joanie, love?

JOAN. Yeah, just a couple of hours at the town hall then im at the flicks tonight.

GRANDAD. Will you be home for dinner?

JOAN. Yeah should be.

GRANDAD. There’s a nice leg of pork in the fridge

JOAN. Is that your way of telling me you would like pork for dinner, Ted?

GRANDAD. Well, yeah.

She smiles.

Del enters from the bedroom.

DEL. You working on a Saturday, mum?

JOAN. Yeah, we can’t all stay in bed till Grandstand, like your father.

DEL. Yeah he’s a lazy git ain’t he, I’m not gonna be like that when I’m his age, I’m gonna be wheeling and dealing, I’ll be a millionaire one day you know, mum.

JOAN. I know you will darlin’. You won’t forget your old mum when your rich will ya son?

DEL. Course I won’t, you’ll have the best things money can buy, you’ll be able to say goodbye to all that second hand clobber for a start, yeah, all your gear will come from the finest of tailors.

JOAN. Oh Saville Row?

DEL. Well yeah if you like, and you granddad, you can say goodbye to black and white and hello to glorious technicolour.

GRANDAD. What’s glorious technicolour?

DEL. It’s colour telly innit.

GRANDAD. Colour telly! What will they think of next?

Reg enters in his pyjama bottoms and a vest.

REG. What’s all the noise about?

GRANDAD. Dels getting me a colour telly.

REG. You’ve already got a colour telly, look it’s mahogany.

GRANDAD. Yeah but the pictures not colour is it?

REG. You filling these twos head’s with your fantasy’s again?

DEL. Nothing wrong with dreaming, dad.

JOAN. That’s right, my mum said to me on her deathbed, you’ve got to have a dream, Joanie. And she was right, you have got to have a dream, don’t let no one tell you different, Del.

REG. (sarcastic) Well ain’t that lovely, speaking of death beds, I’m now going back to mine, so keep the row down.

EXT. NIGHT THE PICTURE HOUSE.

We see the picture house then we pan back to see the older and younger man are waiting in the car for Joan.

OLDER MAN. Im done with messing around, boy. We get answers tonight.

YOUNGER MAN. What if they’re not the right answers?

OLDER MAN. Then the old man gets it, and if I still don’t get what I want, the son gets it, and if the silly cow is stupid enough to keep her mouth shut after all that, she’ll get it.

YOUNGER MAN. What if she’s telling the truth and she really don’t know where Freddy is?

OLDER MAN. Then she’s in trouble cos she’s the only lead of got, and I’ll pull tight on it if I have to, you know what I mean, boy?

Just then the back door opens, the two men swing round in time to see Joan shutting the door.

JOAN.(attempting to be assertive but clearly very nervous) Drive.

OLDER MAN. Come to your senses have you, love?

JOAN. Do you wanna hear what I’ve got to say or not?

OLDER MAN. Certainly I do.

JOAN. Then drive away from here.

OLDER MAN. You’re the boss.

The car pulls away.

EXT. NIGHT. THE DOCKS

We see the car pull into shot and come to a stop near the rivers edge. The area is deserted and a low smog hangs in the air.

OLDER MAN. So what are we doing here then?

JOAN. Get out

OLDER MAN. (to younger man) you wait here.

Joan and the older man get out and go to the back of the car where they face each other.

OLDER MAN. Come on then Mrs Trotter, tell me what I want to know.

JOAN. Freddy Robdal moved away from the area almost a year ago.

OLDER MAN. This I already know.

JOAN. Before he left we had……a thing, I loved him and part of me always will, but I love my family more, especially my boys and I will not see them hurt.

OLDER MAN. Carry on.

JOAN. When he left he offered to tell me where he was going but I turned him down, too tempting I suppose, if I’d have known where he was I’d always be wondering what he’s doing or who’s he’s with, I wanted to try and forget about him.

OLDER MAN. You are breaking my heart.

JOAN. He gave me something before he went (she takes a piece of paper from her purse) his number, he said if I ever needed anything to give him a ring, I tried to throw it away but he handed it back to me and made me promise on our…….on Rodneys life I would keep it just in case.

OLDER MAN. It’s a start, give it to me.

JOAN. You have to understand that family comes first, my family and that’s why I’m doing this….

She goes to hand it over but then screws it up and throws it in the river.

OLDER MAN. You stupid, stupid bitch.

JOAN. You can do what you want to me but you leave my family out of it, it’s me who stopped you finding Freddy, me.

The older man scowls and grabs Joan roughly by the arm.

VOICE (out of shot) You don’t wanna do that, cocker.

Freddy Robdal walks out of the smog.

JOAN. Freddy!

The older man lets Joan go and pushes her to the ground. As Freddy walks past the passenger side of the car, the younger man gets out. Freddy hasn’t seen him.

OLDER MAN. You’re a difficult man to track down.

FREDDY. Do I know you?

OLDER MAN. I don’t know but your going to wish you didn’t, boy.

FREDDY. Harry Gilbert isn’t it?

OLDER MAN. Right first time Freddy, well done.

FREDDY. You run the florist on Islington high street

OLDER MAN. Bravo.

FREDDY. Well I say florist, most of your profits come from the illegal bookmakers out the back though don’t it, Harry?

OLDER MAN. Funny you should mention that Freddy, because my profits are what I wanted to see you about. You see, they’ve taken a bit of a hit recently.

FREDDY. I’m gutted for you.

OLDER MAN. Not as gutted as me old son, imagine how you’d feel if you came home one night and found some bastard had blown your safe into tiny little pieces and made off with all your cash. What would you do?

FREDDY. I’d probably go looking for me.

OLDER MAN. Spot on, and here I am. I expect you’ll be telling me you had nothing to do with it?

FREDDY. No. I done it. I even drank the last of your milk on the way out.

OLDER MAN. Why?

FREDDY. I was thirsty.

OLDER MAN. No I mean why me?

FREDDY. It’s nothing personal; it’s what I do. I’m sure you understand, one criminal to another.

OLDER MAN. Oh I do Freddy, I do, I’m still going to get him to cut you up though.

The older man motions to the younger man, who has drawn his knife.

FREDDY. I think you should think about this before you do something you might regret.

As Freddy finishes speaking we hear the distant noise a motorcycle travelling at speed, it comes into shot as it careers around the corner, we can again hear the rider shouting that it has no breaks. Freddy moves but it hit’s the younger man and sends him into the car and knocks him out.

The rider gets up and dusts himself off.

FREDDY. Are you alright?

MAN. Yeah, yeah I think so, what about your mate?

FREDDY. He’s alright, he can sleep it off, go on you get out of here before the old bill get involved.

MAN. Im sorry about ya motor, I only bought the bike tonight, I didn’t know it was knackered.

With that he runs off, every now and then looking back at the wreckage of the bike.

FREDDY. That’s a nasty dent he’s left there.

OLDER MAN. (trying to be friendlier now his back up is out cold) I’ll get it fixed.

FREDDY. Can you get this fixed as well?

As the older man goes to ask ‘what’? Freddy punches him in the face and knocks him to the ground. He goes over to him and picks him up by the lapels, as he is about to hit him again Joan stops him.

JOAN. Freddy, no.

Freddy lets go.

FREDDY. I think you better get back in your car while you still can.

OLDER MAN. I think you might be right.

Freddy walks with the man over to the car. The younger man is coming around.

OLDER MAN. (to younger man) get in

YOUNGER MAN. But….

OLDER MAN. Just get in.

They both get in. Freddy goes over to the driver side and stops the older man from closing the door. He takes a wad of notes from his pocket.

FREDDY. This is half of what was taken from your safe. I reckon that makes us even. I’ll make it known your gaff is off limits BUT, know this, it’s only because of her your not doing the backstroke with a broken neck, if you ever go near ANY of the Trotters again you won’t have so much trouble finding me next time, I promise you that, cocker.

OLDER MAN. In the scheme of things that seems a fail deal.

FREDDY. Now get out of here.

He slams the door and they drive off over the broken bike. Freddy turns to Joan.

FREDDY. Why didn’t you call me and tell me you we’re in trouble?

JOANIE. I didn’t want you to get hurt and I didn’t want to go through all…….that, again. What are you doing here Freddy?

FREDDY. Following you.

JOANIE. I don’t understand.

FREDDY. I can’t let it go Joan, I moved away because I couldn’t have you but I can’t stop thinking about you. Every now and then I sit in my car out side your work, outside the flat, outside anywhere I think you might be, just so I can see you. Stupid I know.

JOAN. It’s not stupid.

FREDDY. No?

JOAN. No. you’ve got to stop it though, you know the situation.

FREDDY. Yeah, I know the situation, come on, I’ll give you a lift home, Reg will be wondering where you’ve got to.

JOAN. Huh!

EXT NIGHT. OUTSIDE THE SIR WALTER RALEIGH HOUSE

Freddy’s jaguar pulls up.

JOANIE. So you’ve been living in North London?

FREDDY. Yeah, I’m moving on again soon though.

JOANIE. Another job I suppose?

FREDDY. Yeah, this ones going to be golden.

JOANIE.(smiling) I don’t wanna know, Freddy.

FREDDY. Its probably best you don’t. So, You haven’t got my number anymore then.

JOAN. No

FREDDY. And I’ll be changing it when I move.

JOAN. I expect you will.

FREDDY. Do you want…..

JOAN. Thank you for tonight Freddy.

FREDDY. My pleasure.

JOAN. I better get in.

FREDDY. Yeah.

She gives him a kiss on the cheek and goes to get out.

FREDDY. Joan.

JOAN. Yeah?

FREDDY. How’s Rodney?

JOAN. He’s very well thank you.

FREDDY. Good.

JOAN. He looks like his dad.

With that she smiles at Freddy, shuts the door and leaves.

FREDDY(smiling). ‘triffic.

***THE END***

Other Pukka Posts:

1. Fans Script : Rock and Chips – Part 3
2. Fans Script : Rock and Chips – Part 2
3. Fans Script : Rock and Chips – Part 1
4. Who’s Who for Rock ‘n’ Chips
5. It’s in the detail: Rock & Chips