In celebration of the holiday that should be, May 16th,National Classic Movie Day, we join Rick at Classic Film & TV Café who is hosting a one-day blogathon called My Favorite Classic Movie.
It's never been easy for me to narrow my favorite classic film down to one, but for today my entry is The Best Years of Our Lives, because I guess if my arm were twisted to name a title, this would have to be it. So here is my tribute. Since I've already blogged about this film here, instead I'm posting a one-act play about one fan's obsession with this particular movie.
(The following script is copyrighted by Jacqueline T. Lynch, and any use is prohibited. For inquiries on purchasing scripts or performance rights, email me at JacquelineTLynch@gmail.com.)
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RELIVING THE BEST YEARS
Cast of Characters:
Jane: A
woman about 45 years old. She is in a state of almost trance-like
exhaustion at the beginning of the play. However, she slowly
reawakens by the end, comforted and healed by her habit of using an old movie as a crutch.
Bobby: Her
younger brother, about 35. He is likeable, easy-going,
well-meaning, but ineffectual and inevitably
irrelevant. He has begun to notice this
himself.
TIME:
The late 1990s.
SETTING:
JANE’s upstairs bedroom in her parents’ house. The play can be done with a minimalist set to suggest her room, but if using a full set, a twin bed is situated DR, the door leading out the hall is UR, a dresser is against the wall up center, a closet UL, with perhaps a desk or small bookcase DL. Towards down center there is a television on a small stand or table with a VCR connected to it. The screen is not seen by the audience, but the television is on. The sound is too low to hear.
AT RISE: JANE is sits on the end of the bed, quite still, watching a film. She wears a black dress, shoes, holding a
black handbag in her lap, as well as a presentation American flag folded into a
triangle. She has just returned from her
father’s funeral. She is exhausted. She also holds two remotes, one for the TV
and one for the VCR. She looks blankly at the screen as if shell shocked,
however she is quite alert. She does not
react when her brother enters, but she knows he is there.
BOBBY
(Opens her door slowly after a
brief, soft knock. He sticks his head
in.)
Jane?
(JANE does not speak, but cocks her
head slightly.)
BOBBY
(Steps in, leaving the door
open. He looks all around the room, and finally, at JANE. He speaks as if on eggshells.)
I
wondered where you went. Sure has been a
long time since I’ve been up here.
Wow. Your room is just the
same. Well, you’ve got yourself a TV in
here. Or did you have that when I left
home? I don’t remember. What’s that you’re watching?
JANE
(In a tired, yet completely serene
voice)
The
Best Years...of Our Lives.
BOBBY
Oh,
that’s a real old one, huh? (With barely disguised repugnance.) Black and
white.
JANE
Nineteen forty-six. Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Dana
Andrews, Harold Russell. William Wyler
directed it.
BOBBY
(Pleasantly.)
Well,
I guess you’d know. You’re the old movie
expert. It sure was a nice day, wasn’t
it? We couldn’t have had a better day
for the funeral.
(He walks downstage and facing the
audience, appears as if he is looking out a window.)
All
the kids are playing out on the front lawn.
Digging up your grass, though. I
had no idea all the cousins would show up today. I mean, I knew some of them would, but I haven’t
seen George, or Steve, or Lori since … I don’t know when.
JANE
They
came for Mom’s funeral, five years ago.
BOBBY
Did
they? I don't remember. Julia and her daughter came all the way from Florida, did you know
that? Sure was nice of them. I thought I was coming a long way, from Ohio. Isn’t this a nice day, though?
JANE
(She takes her gaze off the screen
and looks out towards the audience as if looking out the windows of her room. She takes a deep breath.)
Yes. That air is wonderful. This is the first, real spring day. Spring has been so late this year.
BOBBY
You
must be really tired. You’ve had so much
to do. All the arrangements. And taking care of Dad for so long. You’ve really earned a rest, Janie. It’s a shame Charlene had to drag everybody
back to the house like this. Still the bossy
big sister. I think she’s sending Steve
and Uncle Jimmy for out for beer. She sure does love to
take over. Anyway, I’m sorry you’ve got
a house full of people when you’d probably rather be alone.
JANE
Would
you like this?
BOBBY
What?
JANE
(Holding out the flag.)
This. You can have it if you like.
BOBBY
You
don’t want it? You should take it.
JANE
You
can have it, Bobby. Take it.
(BOBBY approaches her, anxiously. He looks at the flag in her outstretched hands.)
JANE
It
won’t bite you.
BOBBY
(Feeling foolish, he takes the flag
and steps down center again, appearing awkward as if he does not really know what
to do with it.)
Thanks. It was nice you arranging this…flag
thing. Dad probably would have liked
it. I don’t know much about his time in
the war, though. Do you?
JANE
I
know some things. He was in Italy. I know from Mom more than Dad. He never talked much about it.
BOBBY
He
never talked much about anything. I
always felt, I came along so late, he just wasn’t into kids
anymore, if he ever was. He was fifty when I was
born. Well, you took good care of them
both, Jane.
JANE
Do
you think Teresa Wright would have put Myrna Loy and Fredric March in a nursing
home?
BOBBY
(Not comprehending.)
Whoever she is, I
don’t think it’s up to Teresa Wright whether or not Myrna Loy and Fredric March
go to a nursing home. I’m pretty sure
she can’t go around putting people in nursing homes.
JANE
She’s
their daughter.
BOBBY
Oh,
the movie. You mean, would her character
have put her parents in a nursing home?
I don’t know, why not?
JANE
I
always wondered. Sometimes I’d think
yes, other times, no.
BOBBY
Well…I
think you did wonderful by Mom and Dad. I
mean that. Nobody could’ve done better, keeping them at home. I guess I wasn’t much help. Of course, I couldn’t really do much long
distance, could I?
JANE
Sometimes
I think I know them better than anybody in real life. I suppose that comes from seeing the movie so
much. I can imagine any number of
scenarios for Fred and Peggy in their future life, after the movie ends, I
mean, and Wilma and Homer, and Al and Millie.
But, I can’t see myself five years down the road. Isn’t that funny?
(Dubiously.)
It’s
your favorite movie, huh?
JANE
Oh, yes. Any time I need a little help, out comes that
video. When I lost my job last year, the
first thing I did was come home and put it on.
When I got into the fender-bender three years
ago, Best Years of our Lives. You just
can’t come home from spending nine hours in the emergency room waiting for some
doctor to put your arm in sling, and not
find a little comfort somewhere. When
Mom was diagnosed, it was back to Myrna Loy.
When Dad had his last operation, Fredric March and Harold Russell sat up
all night with me.
BOBBY
(Sits on her bed, still holding the
flag in his lap.)
An
old movie gives you that much comfort?
JANE
Some
people drink. Some people do drugs. I watch the The Best Years of Our Lives.
BOBBY
(Chuckling, feeling at ease enough
to put the flag on her bed, though occasionally still sneaking looks at it.)
Well,
I’m glad you’ve got a sense of humor about it.
JANE
I’ve
loved it since I first saw it, and felt that way ever since. I’ll bet you don’t remember when I first saw
that movie, do you?
BOBBY
No,
why? Should I?
JANE
I
was seventeen years old, and you were seven.
I saw it only by accident. I used
to work at the drug store after school.
In fact, I used to pretend it was the drug store where Dana Andrews
worked.
BOBBY
Who’s
he?
JANE
In
the movie. But, I got out early from
school that day because I had a tooth pulled, so instead of taking the bus down
to my job at the drug store after high school that afternoon, I got to stay
home. Mom let me lie on the couch and
watch the TV. It was a day just like
this, early spring. She was waxing the
wood floors. The smell of the polish and
the spring breeze coming through the curtains.
BOBBY
I
remember when she used to wax the floors.
I almost killed myself once in socks.
Slid right into the radiator. I
still have the scar on my knee.
JANE
Channel
30 had a movie every afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00. Back when we only got three channels. And no remote controls. Now I've got two, one for the TV, one for the VCR. Life has become very complicated. They showed The Best Years of Our Lives
that day. Only, it’s a long movie. And they had
to fit in all the commercials, too. So,
what they did, is they put half the movie on Thursday, when I was home, and put
the second half on Friday. But, I wasn’t
going to get to stay home on Friday. I
had to go back to school and back to my after school job. Do you
remember?
BOBBY
Remember what?
JANE
(Chuckles)
I asked you to watch the rest of the movie for me when you
came home from school. I think you were
in the first grade at the time. I wanted
you to tell me how it ended. I gave you
a quarter to watch the movie for me.
BOBBY
(Laughs)
I don’t remember. Did
I watch it for you?
JANE
Oh, you gave me a full report when I came home from
work. You said, “The big Easter egg was
on the beach, and the two tiny ladies came out of the box, and they were
friends with the big bug.”
BOBBY
Huh?
JANE
Yes, that’s what I said.
And you said, “The big bug wanted the Easter egg back because it was
his, and the jungle people were mad, and the two tiny ladies sang songs and
were very sad about the egg, because it belonged to the bug and the men should
give it back. But even though they were
mad, the bug still helped when Godzilla pulled down all the power lines and the
people ran away screaming because they were all a-scared.”
BOBBY
Godzilla?
JANE
You were watching the wrong channel. You gave me a movie review of Godzilla
Versus Mothra. Only three channels to pick from and you got the wrong one.
(They
both laugh.)
BOBBY
I
guess I owe you a quarter.
JANE
You had nightmares and I felt
kind of bad. It was too much responsibility for such a little boy.
BOBBY
(He gestures to the video box.)
I
guess you eventually saw the end of the movie.
JANE
Oh,
long before it came out on video. It was
on a couple years afterward, after I had graduated from high school. It was on the late, late show, and I had to
practically beg Dad to let me stay up and watch it, which he did not want to do
because he was afraid the sound of the TV would keep him up all night, but Mom said, “Oh,
let her. She could be out all night
doing Lord knows what, but here she just wants to watch a harmless old movie in
our living room.”
BOBBY
That
was nice, Ma sticking up for you.
JANE
Yeah,
but the way she said it made me feel like there was something wrong with me for
not staying out all night doing Lord knows what. I thought of that all the while I watched the
movie, with the sound very low, sitting right in front of the TV so I could
hear it, and all the lights turned off in the living room.
BOBBY
You
were a good kid, that’s all. You were a
good daughter to them.
JANE
Did
they know that when they let me stay up for the movie? (As she speaks, she notices the flag on the bed between them and puts it back on his lap.) Did they think then, “Ah, this one will stay
home with us when we are old and take care of us, and never try to have a life
of her own.”
BOBBY
(Uncomfortable.)
Just
forget it, Jane, it’s done. So, what are
you going to do now?
I
saw the end of the movie, and the national anthem, and then the sign off and
the test pattern. Then I just sat in the
dark for a while feeling empty inside that it was all over. There was no re-winding then. It was over, and you didn’t see it again for
years.
BOBBY
(As if a sudden sense of desperation comes over him, he breaks her reverie with fast speech and quick looks to the open doorway, the window, his watch, but trying to avoid looking at her or the flag.)
I
guess I’d better get back to our company.
I haven’t seen the cousins in ages.
I really should visit with them before I go back on the flight tonight.
JANE
What
airline?
BOBBY
Delta.
JANE
I’m
going United.
BOBBY
What? What do you mean?
JANE
Fred
Derry took the ATC flight to Boone
City. They all flew in the nose of the bomber, him,
Homer and Al.
BOBBY
(Angrily.)
Knock
it off, Jane. Can’t you stop talking
about that stupid move? It’s just a
movie. (With disgust.) Black and white.
JANE
I
know.
(She pops the cassette out and hands
it to him.)
You
want it?
BOBBY
No,
I don’t want it! Why would I want
it? I don’t want the flag, either, to
tell you the truth. I just want to get
out of here. I’m sorry. You’re just creeping me out a little.
JANE
Sorry.
(Stands,
tosses the cassette to him.)
I’ve
never flown in a plane before. It’ll be
my first time.
BOBBY
What,
are you really going somewhere?
JANE
Tonight. I’m flying to Sacramento, California. I have new job there.
BOBBY
Well...that’s...great. I’m...glad for you. But why... (Double take) Tonight?!
JANE
My
boss at the insurance company left before all the downsizing, and he’s with
another firm out there. We’ve been in
touch, and he got me the job.
(She pulls out a suitcase from the
closet.)
I’d
better put this on the porch. My cab is
supposed to come at 3:30.
BOBBY
Jane! This is crazy! You can’t leave. You’ve got a house full of people.
JANE
(Deadpan, as if delivering a punch line.)
I
used to be afraid they’d put that on my headstone. Isn’t it funny--Charlene, none of them have
any idea they’ve come to my going away party.
BOBBY
Jane,
this is crazy.
JANE
No
it’s not. It’s not even impulsive,
because I’ve planned it for a long time.
I wish I could be impulsive, but I have a habit of writing everything
I’m going to do on the calendar. I can
never take myself by surprise. Even my
impulsiveness is scheduled. I suppose
that’s why Dave wanted me with him in his new firm. I supposed that’s why Mom and Dad could count
on me. I suppose that’s why you and
Charlene never came home, except to party after the funerals. You knew everything was being handled.
BOBBY
That’s
not fair. We have families, we have our own lives.
JANE
Now
you can have my life. I meant it, you
know. You can have the movie, and the
flag, and everything you see. The
house. You and Charlene. It’s all yours.
BOBBY
Jane,
listen, nobody wants to take anything from you….
JANE
Legally. You’ll find a copy of Dad’s will on his
dresser. You and our big sister Charlene
are inheriting everything equally. I
explained how I felt about it all to Dad, and he agreed to do it the way I wanted. He really was a great guy, you know. It’s a shame you never really got to know
him. Now that you and Charlene are going
to share everything, you’d better learn to start getting along. Oh, and Aunt Doris is the executrix, but she
doesn’t drive anymore, and does not really see too well, so you and Charlene
will have to pretty much do everything.
BOBBY
(Stands, as if in panic.)
This
is crazy! What about you?
JANE
First
thing I’m going to do when I get set up in my new apartment is get a DVD
player. Did you know that with a DVD you
don’t have to re-wind? You just stop,
and push a button to start the movie again, from anywhere in the
film. You can just keep going, from
wherever you are. Or wherever you want to be.
(Looks out the window.)
My
cab’s here. When Fred and Al were going
home in the cab, Al was nervous and told him that he felt like he was hitting a
beachhead. I don’t feel that way at
all. I feel like Teresa Wright at the
end of the movie.
BOBBY
Jane….
JANE
(Tosses him both remote controls.
Firmly, almost angrily.)
And
I’m never going to re-wind any of it again.
I’m only moving forward now.
(JANE stares him down, picks up her
suitcase, and exits. BOBBY sits slowly down on the bed, with the remote, the
cassette, and the flag in his arms.)
(BLACKOUT)
