Sykes and the Woman That Made Him screenplay

Back to Part 5

FOURTEEN: IN WHICH potent appeals are made to our hero's passion and pity, while a clock ticks inexorably onward and the happiness of the world dangles by a thread ...

(a heart-pounding, pulse-popping fusillade of action and suspense)

FADE IN:

EXT. FIELD - NIGHT

Elizabeth is standing in the middle of an open field. The first stars are beginning to shine. From behind a row of distant trees, a silvery light is glowing: the moon, still hidden, is rising.

Elizabeth looks particularly beautiful. She is wearing her long mink coat. Shafts of white light, coming from somewhere just off-screen, touch her face and hair softly and perfectly.

Her speech is passionate and alive; her gestures are grand, dramatic -- but always in complete control. She is, at this moment, the perfect match for Diamond Jim.

	ELIZABETH
	(shouting; as if to the heavens themselves)
	I'm sorry, my Sucker-Sykes ... !! That's what you'd like to hear me say -- isn't it... ?! But sorry for what...?! For seeing you -- And wanting you -- And knowing that you were someone special -- And doing something about it. .. ?? Bullshit!! I'm not sorry for that! Because if it wasn't for me, my Sucker-Sykes, you would have never discovered how big of a sucker you really are! All that's happened to you, Chump, is that you've had your eyes opened up ... And if I'm responsible for that -- Then that makes me happy and proud -- Not sorry!
	(a beat)
	And now if you want to hear something else that might shock you -- That might throw you into another self-pitying catatonic rage-- Hold on tight --

The CAMERA WIDENS now, and we can see that Elizabeth is not alone in the open field. Aames is standing nearby, his hands gripping tightly the arms of two huge men. The men are handcuffed together; their clothes are tom, their faces bloody and bruised -- as if they had just been taken prisoner after a tremendous battle. They are the two enormous and hulking bodyguards that Sykes was su.nposed to have killed when he clubbed them with P. P. Peoria's gold handled walking-stick.

Aames shoves the two men and they stumble forward toward Elizabeth and into the slanting white light that is coming from a pair of large arc lights. A battery of television cameras is photographing the scene -- photographing Elizabeth as she speaks:

	ELIZABETH
	You're innocent, my Sucker-Sykes! You never killed anybody!

INT. THE HEXAGON BUILDING - NIGHT

Inside the huge laboratory, Lastie and the other old people are gathered around a third 1940s-style television set. On its tiny circular screen. we can see Elizabeth and the two bodyguards.

Lastie and the others, watching, are gasping in surprise. Quickly, excitedly, they drag the television across the laboratory and set it right next to Sykes' brass bed as Elizabeth's voice --loud and clear and strong -- continues:

	ELIZABETH
	(from the television)
	If these men are dead, how can they be alive and standing by my side ... ? You're not a murderer, my Sucker-Sykes ... You're a fool.

And as Sykes turns toward her voice, Lastie pushes a button atop the set and Elizabeth suddenly appears as a full sized three-dimensional image floating in the space over the television.

The old people gather around to watch also. Sykes in his bed is now completely surrounded -- by Lastie and the others; by the hologram of the band of old men dragging their giant plug steadily closer to Boulder Dam; by the Grandfather's clock ticking off the minutes 'till twelve o'clock; by Will-Hook as he scrambles upward toward the top of the Empire State Building; and now -- completing the circle around the bed -- by Elizabeth as she continues, building now in passion and energy:

	ELIZABETH
	... But that's not so bad -- Look at me standing out here and making a fool out of myself -- So what!! Who in the Hell cares who I love or who I don't love ... ? That's right!! I said I love ya, my Sucker- Sykes ... !! And I'm not afraid ta yell it out again just as loud as can be -- for all the world ta hear -- I LOVE YOU, MY SUCKER-SYKES!!
	(turns in a pirouette)
	I love ya.

She is smiling broadly now, enjoying her own energy, her freedom, her outburst. And the old people gathered around near Sykes are smiling and tittering.

	ELIZABETH
	(beginning to strut)
	There -- I said it. .. A woman's got ta do what she's got ta do!

She points a finger outward now, directly toward the camera that is photographing her. Her three-dimensional image, floating there in Lastie's laboratory, is pointing its finger directly at Sykes who is motionless in his bed, watching.

	ELIZABETH
	And if you don't do anything about it, chump -- then you really are a fool -- 'Cause we could be "hot shit" together, Jake -- And I mean somethin' special -- A sparkling diamond on the end of a rainbow --

Suddenly there is a loud gasp from several of the old people around the bed. Lastie whirls, sees what they are reacting to: Will-Hook -- ten stories from the top now -- is slipping, beginning to lean out terrifyingly backward into space.

Lastie stabs a button on Elizabeth's television, cutting off her sound, leaving her mute image to continue its passionate appeal, but unheeded now as Lastie and the others focus on the image of the old Indian, swaying desperately, frighteningly, out into the void.

A long, heart-stopping moment. .. Then -- as if summoning up incredible reserves of strength - Will-Hook screams -- a blood curdling war-cry-- lunges out, and grasps another hand-hold. The suction cup finds a smooth spot on the sheer wall and holds fast.

The old people cheer in joy and relief. Will-Hook, grinning and trembling from his exertion, reaches down into a pouch that dangles from his belt, retrieves a pint bottle of Red-Eye, and takes a long, thankful slug.

But as his still trembling hand goes to replace the bottle in its pouch, it slides between his fingers and plummets down -- down ninety-five stories to the sidewalk below.

The bottle smashes, splatters on the pavement right at the feet of a passerby who whirls angrily, stares up the face of the towering building, then gapes in astonishment as he spots the tiny figure of Will-Hook perched near the top.

As Lastie and the old people watch in dismay, a crowd begins to form now on the street, and Will-Hook - clearly visible in the glare of the spotlights that bathe the top of the Empire State Building at night -- begins to climb again -- desperately now, faster than it seems he possibly can -- toward the still distant top and its broadcasting tower.

Lastie looks over to the hologram that floats on the other side of the Grandfather's clock: the band of men approaching Boulder Dam. They are just outside the giant power station now. Still unseen by the guards who patrol the area, they drag their cable and its giant plug inside.

The Grandfather's clock ticks on -- eight minutes 'till midnight.

Lastie turns, his eyes framing a sad and fervent appeal to Sykes.

And Sykes -- surrounded by the images, and by the old people who now turn toward him also, their eyes begging him for help -- begins very slowly to draw his knees up -- to draw himself tighter and tighter into a ball.

His eyes dart back and forth - to the image of Elizabeth, still silently pleading -- to Lastie, on the other side of the bed, and the old people all around him -- all pleading for Sykes' help.

Silently -- like a little child -- Sykes begins to rock slowly, forward and back ... forward and back ...

Inside the power station at Boulder Dam, floating there in the air at the end of Sykes' bed, the images of the old men plug their giant cable into a huge, perfectly matching socket.

Four minutes to go: the switch at Lastie's laboratory begins to spark and glow with power -- alive now -- ready to go -- waiting only for Lastie's hand to throw the switch -- to activate the giant coils and bring the happiness machine up to full power -- and, during those ten long minutes that it will take to reach its operating power, to throw the world into blackness and fear and confusion.

Will-Hook is scrambling madly upwards -- almost to the top now. A police helicopter roars into the picture. And just below the Indian, a tiny window in the observation tower is forced open and a policeman with a rope tied around his waist begins to climb outside.

Two minutes to go: Inside the laboratory, a strange contraption that resembles a television camera descends from the ceiling at the end of a long cable. It is aimed directly at Sykes, who is still rocking back and forth, still silent.

Atop the Empire State Building, as Lastie and the old people watch, breathless with fear, Will-Hook puts on a last burst of speed. The helicopter is close now, and another policeman is descending from it at the end of a rope -- his descent matching perfectly the descent of the camera over Sykes' head.

Will-Hook reaches the top, grabs the electrical apparatus from its sling on his back and plugs it into the metal mast of the transmitter's antenna.

Lastie turns, his hand on the switch, looking at Sykes. All the old people are watching Sykes now.

The clock begins to strike.

And softly -- almost inaudibly beneath the sound of the clock's chime -- Sykes is whispering:

	SYKES
	I'll talk ... I'll talk to ya ... I'll talk ta everybody ...

Lastie throws the switch.

FIFTEEN: IN WHICH the Man in the Moon tells all ...

(a lunar lament with cosmic consequences)

EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - NIGHT

As Will-Hook -- clinging to his tiny perch at the base of the antenna watches: all the lights of the city below fade instantly into darkness. The hovering helicopter, plunged also into darkness, speeds away to avoid colliding with the now almost invisible tower. The policeman below slips in the darkness, dangles by his rope, then is pulled inside to safety. And in the black canyons below, the sounds of thousands of car horns echo and blend -- as if into a vast shout of panic and confusion.

And above the horizon -- startlingly bright as it floats over the vast and darkened city -- the full moon shines with Sykes' face.

Will-Hook smiles and listens to the voice inside his mouth that begins, now, softly to speak:

	SYKES
	(slowly at first and sad; as sad as only a child can sometimes be ... )
	If ya want ta talk about bein' little ... I'll talk about bein' little ... And of bein' about twelve or thirteen or so ... And of bein' all alone and lonely in this world ...

Will-Hook's smile has faded now, as he listens there high above the darkened city, and sees the sadness on Sykes' face as it floats ghostlike in the sky. And below, the sounds of the car horns and chaos are fading -- slowly, very slowly -- as if more and more people were beginning to listen also to the tiny and familiar voice:

SYKES

... And sellin' balloons at a parade somewhere where it was cold and it was winter ... And meetin' this other little boy about my same age whose father owned all the balloons that I was sellin' ... And he weren't too rich -- and his Mamma was real nice and a little heavy-set. .. And after the parade was over, they put me in the back of their wooden-sided station wagon and carted me off to their house for lunch... And it was so clean there -- And it smelled so good -- And we had tuna fish casserole and Coca-Cola -- And it started ta snow outside... And they said ta me -- "Please don't go ..." They didn't say "home" - 'cause they speculated that I didn't have no home ta call my own ta go home to ... And so I didn't.. And night-time came -- and the sheets were crisp and white -- and I felt so dirty slidin' myself in between 'em -- but I didn't care -- 'cause I couldn't help it -- And I couldn't sleep at all, not one bit, that whole night -- 'cause I was feelin' so cozy ...

Will-Hook is leaning back against the antenna, his arms wrapped around a pole to keep himself from falling. The moon is large and bright as it carries Sykes' face out over the darkened towers of the New York skyline. And from far below, the sounds of the car horns have faded as the still city listens to Sykes' quiet voice. Will-hook listens, too, as if enchanted, and closes his eyes.

And the CAMERA PANS A WAY from the old Indian atop the tower, until the moon is alone now, in the frame. And Sykes continues, softly and hypnotically, to speak:

	SYKES
	Then along about when it was real late - and my bedroom door was open just a crack -- I looked up -- and seen his Mamma standin' there in the hallway -- naked as the day she was born -- by the bathroom door --lookin' straight down the way ta where I was ...

The CAMERA PULLS BACK, PANS SLIGHTLY, and we realize that we are no longer high above New York, but are now, instead:

EXT. BOULDER DAM - NIGHT

The moon with Sykes' face skims just above the trees, along the ridge that overlooks the vastness of Boulder Dam.

In the foreground, FOUR GUARDS are standing near the cable that the old men dragged here -- the cable that is now glowing with power as it sends its currents North to Lastie' s laboratory.

But the guards are making no move to cut the cable or to trace it in either direction. They, like Will-Hook, are listening in total fascination to the voice that is coming from inside the mouths of three of the guards (the fourth, with no fillings in his teeth, has to lean in close in order to listen) -- and watching now, as the Man in the Moon floats above the trees and continues to speak:

SYKES

Then a good long time went by when I realized that her husband was standin' there close-up behind her -- And she was bent over -- just a tate, now ... And I started shakin' ta myself -- And she stayed that same way -- Starin' at me -- not movin' -- not one bit -- with him behind her movin' back an' forth and up an' down again and again -- and again... And then he was gone -- And she stood up straight -- And she started feelin' herself all over -- And she started makin' all kinds of faces now -- and breathin' -- real heavy now -- And moanin' ... Then she reached out - and opened up the bathroom door and without goin' in it -- slammed it shut again ... And the hallway turned dark and I couldn't see her no more -- And I was shakin' some more -- And I took the covers offa me -- and just layed there on my back with everything about me pointing Heavenward ...

One by one, the guards have squatted down onto the ground, listening, watching Sykes' face, totally absorbed -- with no thought at all of doing anything about the strange cable that glows steadily brighter as it sends its power North.

The CAMERA MOVES again 'till the moon FILLS THE FRAME, as Sykes continues:

	SYKES
	And my eyes were closed and she slipped on top of me and we was so silent and still you coulda heard a pin drop... And then I reached up and touched her bosom and brought it down ta where my mouth was and I began ta cry ... And I began pretendin' ta myself that she was my Mamma -- instead of that fella's Mamma who was snoozin' by my side ...

The CAMERA PULLS BACK; we are now:

EXT. FIELD - NIGHT

Aames and the two huge and handcuffed bodyguards are sitting in the open field, watching the moon and listening to Sykes'voice.

And grouped around their television camera, the TECHNICIANS and cameramen are sitting or squatting also, listening -- almost as if hypnotized -- to Sykes' story.

Only Elizabeth is standing -- there in the middle of the field, in the silvery, slightly shimmering light, listening. And if it seemed, earlier, as if Elizabeth were shouting her love to the heavens, then it must surely seem, now, that the heavens themselves are answering her:

	SYKES
	... and pretendin' that I didn't have ta stomp my feet -- or tell no dirty stories -- Or sport a diamond in my front tooth -- or nothin' -- for her ta love me ... 'Cause she just plain old loved me --loved me ... 'Cause I was her son ...
	(a long, sad beat)
	And then it was over -- And the next momin' -- early -- before breakfast even -- I left that house ...
	(a longer, even sadder, beat)
	And that's the closest I can ever remember comin' ta ever bein' loved ...

INT. THE HEXAGON BUILDING - NIGHT

Sykes is sitting on the brass bed, just as we last saw him. His knees are still drawn up to his chest. He is looking into the lens of Lastie's camera and smiling -- the saddest smile in the world.

A long moment passes, then his smile twists just barely perceptibly with irony:

	SYKES
	Fact is: the Man in the Moon is lonely ...
	(a beat)
	The Man in the Moon is sad ...

And somehow these words -- the speaking of these words - the articulation of the idea itself -- lift the veil of sadness from Sykes' eyes. It is as though he understands something for the first time -- something he has never understood before ...

But as Sykes pauses to let this thought fill him, the air inside the laboratory begins to glow with an intense and bright powder-blue light. The massive coils that ring the laboratory are fully charged now -- pulsing with inconceivable power.

All around Sykes, the old people are dancing with joy -- with success -- with total, unabashed happiness.

SERIES OF SHOTS

In the field: In the moonlight, the blue glow spreads through the air, touches Aames and the bodyguards, touches the technicians and cameramen, touches Elizabeth... And all of them smile ...

Just above Boulder Dam: The blue glow spreads across the sky, and the four guards grin with happiness ...

High above New York City: The blue glow lights the air, touches Will-hook on his lofty perch, brings to his face the biggest, happiest smile of all ...

And from high above the Earth: As if from the point of view of the moon, itself -- the blue glow spreads and circles the globe. The entire planet Earth shines with a soft powder-blue light...

The CAMERA TURNS now, from its vantage point out in space ... The moon ENTERS FRAME... Sykes' face -- also touched by the blue light -- is moving violently... It is as if he were shaking his head back and forth -- trying with all his power to avoid the effects of Lastie' s machine -- trying not to be changed by the blue glow ... But it's no use. A large, warm, sweet smile spreads across Sykes' face. The Man in the Moon isn't sad anymore. And when he speaks now, it is with a voice that is gentle and filled with joy:

	SYKES
	Oh, shit. .. I feel happy ... For the second time in my Goddamned life, I feel happy ... Wouldn't ya know ... ? Just as I was startin' ta feel happy feelin' sad... Just as I was startin' ta figure it out all by myself why I felt so sad -- so I wouldn't have ta feel so sad no more - and I could make my own self feel happy... I get made happy in some other way!

Sykes' face turns in profile for a moment, as if he were speaking to someone standing next to him -- outside the range of the camera that is broadcasting his image onto the moon:

	SYKES
	(laughing)
	That's not fair, Mr. Lastie MoJoe ... Nobody has got the right ta take my own happiness or sadness or whatever away from me and give me this fake stuff... A man's got ta huff and puff his own mighty cloud of joy -- otherwise it don't mean nothin'.

Sykes' face -- still grinning with happiness -- turns back to face the camera -- as if to look out at the Earth, itself, there from his vantage point on the moon:

	SYKES
	And a man's got ta be who he's got ta be ... Not what some other chump is, chump!
	(he starts to laugh and laugh)
	Shit ... Look at ya all out there buyin' diamond-studded diamonds just because some fool tells ya that they're it..! And thinkin' now, because ya got some, that you're somethin' more than special,..
	(he winks and his voice drops to a happy whisper)
	Well,now, I'm gonna let ya in on a little private secret of mine ... Somethin' I ain't never told a livin' soul before ...
	(he laughs, and his hand appears, pointing to the diamond in his tooth)
	This ain't no real diamond.
	(he pops it right out of his tooth!)
	It's a fake, Jake!

A beat; his face grins out from the moon now, for the first time without its sparkling diamond -- with just a little hole there in his tooth ...

	SYKES
	A piece of glass or plastic or somethin' that I slipped on there ta fill up the hole that was there so's I wouldn't look like no ordinary gutter-bum or nothin' ...
	(he laughs)
	It's the truth... How about that ... ? And as long as we're on the subject of the truth ... I got ta tell Elizabeth, if she's out there listenin' ...
	(he laughs again; gleeful, filled with mischief)
	... that I got myself a hard-on THIS BIG for ya, sweetcakes ...

His hands, held up in front of his face to show her how big, exactly span the width of the moon.

	SYKES
	And I'm not talkin' about a used-ta-be kinda hard-on -- I'm talkin' about a right-now kinda hard-on ...
	(a big, big smile)
	You're damned straight I do!

The CAMERA PULLS BACK now, and we see Sykes' face grinning there on the moon from the point of view of Elizabeth, standing in the open field, grinning up at Sykes' face with a smile that matches his own.

	SYKES
	And if you're still interested in testin' it out some -- why don't you just metriculate your ass on up here ta the North Pole ta fetch me! 'Cause I'm tellin' ya, Honey, with both of us participatin' with all of our might -- you're right - we'd be nothin' but hot shit together -- And HAPPY -- You bet your ass we'd be happy -- And I'm talkin' about happy -- happy - I'm not talkin' about this machine kinda happy --
	(a big grin)
	I'm talkin' about happy!

But as Sykes continues to talk -- to grin and laugh with joy -- a sudden and surprising change takes place: the blue glow that fills the sky, that touches the faces of Elizabeth in the field and Sykes on the moon, quickly fades and disappears.

In the field: Aames, the bodyguards, the cameramen and technicians -- all begin to stir now -- to look around in confusion - as if a spell had been broken... Their grins have faded with the fading of the blue light -- all but Elizabeth's grin, that is ... She and Sykes (his face still shining out from the moon) seem oblivious to the change ...

Above Boulder Dam: The blue glow fades, and the four guards frown, then seem to notice -- as if for the first time -- that mysterious cable that leads toward the power plant. They leap to their feet and begin to trace the cable ...

And high above New York City: Will-Hook's smile disappears and in the shock of the change he almost loses his balance and falls. As he scrambles back up to his perch, the sounds of thousands of car horns begin to echo again from the black canyons below... The noises become louder and louder -- angrier, more hostile -- as the blue light disappears over the horizon and the city returns to its normal self ...

And through it all, Sykes -- his own face no longer' glowing with blue light -- continues to grin and laugh and shout with happiness -- as if he were totally unaffected by the change that is taking place ...

	SYKES
	I'm talkin' about the kinda happy that I've never been -- that I've only heard about -- but that I feel like now -- The kinda happy, that makes ya want ta twist an' shout with joy -- An' do a high-steppin' stomp -- and SCREAM ... !!

He yells out -- a whoop of purest joy that is almost buried now, beneath the car horns and sirens -- the angry noises from the city below... And then -- as Sykes is screaming and laughing with the very purest of joy -- all the lights of the city come back on. Sykes' whoop of joy fades and is lost beneath the noises of the city's angry chaos ...

And his face disappears from the moon.

INT. THE HEXAGON BUILDING - NIGHT

Inside Lastie's laboratory, Sykes is screaming with happiness. Then suddenly he turns, away from the camera that had been broadcasting his face onto the moon.

In confusion now, Sykes looks at the old people in the laboratory. They are all clustered together now, sobbing and sniffling and crying.

	SYKES
	(still happy; but baffled now, too)
	Hey -- what the Hell's goin' on over there...?! You put away them handkerchiefs of yours -- You're supposed ta be happy!

The cluster of old people breaks apart now, and through the opening we can see Lastie. He is sitting in his favorite chair. A cup of tea rests on the table beside him. He seems suddenly, terribly, old. His voice is weak and faint as he looks up at Sykes and forces a sweet smile despite his tears:

	LASTIE
	I'm happy that you're happy, son ... But I'm not very happy ...

	SYKES
	(climbing out of the bed)
	What're you talkin' about that you're not happy ... ? Of course you're happy -- everybody's happy!

	LASTIE
	No, they're not, son ... Not anymore ... Not everybody ...

	SYKES
	You mean I'm makin' my own self happy by myself ... ? That that happiness machine of yours busted down an' broke...?

	LASTIE
	Not quite, son ... I turned it off myself ...

A long moment as the realization of what Lastie said sinks in fully. Sykes stops, looks at the other old people crying, at the huge coils - no longer glowing with power -- and at the switch -- open now, no longer sparking with energy ...

	SYKES
	(perplexed; petulant)
	Well, then ... I ain't happy no more.

	LASTIE
	And as you so wisely said -- and as it should be -- it's your decision: To be happy or not to be happy ...

A long moment. Lastie seems frighteningly weak and frail and old. He looks lovingly at Sykes ... at the old people who surround him ... at his laboratory ...

His tears are gone now, and his voice is very faint and very gentle:

	LASTIE
	And how long does it take to travel from A to B...?
	(a beat; answering his own question with a sweet, sweet smile)
	As long as it takes ... And if you're tired, it sometimes takes even longer... And if you're terribly sad, you might not ever get there ... And even if you are there, you might not even know it. .. And what about if when you get there, you find that you still have further to go, but you don't have the strength to continue on ... 1
	(a beat)
	Then you stop where you are and you look around and you say, "Adieu" ...

All the old people are crying now. Lastie looks at them all. He speaks to Sykes, at last, but his words are really for all his old friends and associates -- to give them strength ... and make them understand that it hasn't all been a waste .. .it hasn't all been in vain ...

LASTIE

... But that's okay, and fine and dandy, because I feel I've accomplished what I set out to do with my life ... Because at least people know now that my "Buck-and-Wing Effect" exists ... And maybe in an emergency sometime - when all other avenues of communication have failed -- as an alternative to total destruction -- in order to give people a short reprieve and time to think -- my happiness machine might be of some use ...

His eyes travel for a last and loving time across the faces of the old people -- the pilot, and the two strong men who carried the torch, and all the others -- rekindling there the faint and magic light of hope ...

	LASTIE
	... And just that thought makes me more than pleased. .. And allows me to feel that I have not lived my life in vain ...

His eyes come to rest again, and for the last time, on Sykes.

	LASTIE
	(even weaker now)
	You are quite special, you know, Diamond Jim ... And I want you to know that I've enjoyed being your friend... And I hope you've enjoyed being mine ...

Sykes kneels by Lastie's chair. He is crying now, too -- really crying.

	SYKES
	And I just want you to know... before you die ... Mr. Lastie MoJoe... That if I had a Mamma... And when I think of her in my head... I'll always think of her as being you ...

And Lastie's face becomes a peaceful smile, and he closes his eyes.

DISSOLVE TO:

SIXTEEN: IN WHICH all ends, after all, as it must end == happily ...

(tappin' and poppin' and burstin , with joy)

EXT. THE NORTH POLE - DAY

The CAMERA DRAWS BACK -- higher and higher - above Lastie's laboratory -- a huge black hexagon in the middle of a field of ice ... Snow is falling ...

The laboratory dwindles as the CAMERA CONTINUES TO RISE, then a motor sound approaches and a wind begins to stir, and first one, then another large military style helicopter glides into frame and begins to descend, through the drifting veils of snow, down toward the laboratory ...

And from off-screen, quietly and gently, Sykes' voice begins to speak:

	SYKES'S VOICE
	And then that was that ...
	(a beat)
	And then some government people came on up ta the North Pole, and took a look around, and said to themselves, :Yep ... In an emergency, . this sure would be a hell of a gadget ta have hold of ... Sort of as a 'Just-in-Case' button -- for them that needed it -- ta have next ta that other button ... " So they made a deal -- and they gave us a little plaque -- sayin' how Mr. Lastie MoJoe was a real hero and everything -- and then the President of the United States and everybody came ta his funeral. ..

The helicopters and Lastie's laboratory are tiny black specks, lost in the whiteness and we:

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. CEMETERY - DAY

The large, elegant cemetery that we saw at the beginning of the film is filled again with a crowd of people:

Off to one side -- surrounded by a group of Secret Service MEN -- his hat in his hand as he watches Lastie' s coffm being lowered into the ground -- we see the PRESIDENT of the United States.

And by his side, an AIDE stands, quietly and reverently, holding in his hand a little black box, on which we can see two buttons. One of them is a fiery, angry red; the other -- labelled "Buck-and-Wing" -- is a bright, powder-blue.

The CAMERA MOVES, GLIDES FORWARD through the crowds of people who surround the grave:

The little group of identically dressed bright young executives (each of them has only a small, round hole in his front tooth now} ...

P.P. Peoria (his dream of eternal life gone now, along with Lastie) surrounded by his gaggle of gorgeous "Just-in-Case" Girls, and Charles, his old and faithful retainer ...

Closer to the grave now: Lastie's band of associates -- old and brave and sad -- and Will-Hook -- the saddest and bravest of all ...

And among the old people, surrounded by their tears and sweet words of consolation, we see Sykes and Elizabeth... From off-screen, narrating the scene, Sykes'voice continues:

SYKES'S VOICE

... And I was there with my new girl friend -- and everybody was wantin' ta pat my back and, for a moment or two there, it was like God pinched my heart... But I didn't cry ... 'Cause I knew that my Mamma -- (That's what I'll always and forever think of Mr. Lastie MoJoe as) -- had already done what he had ta do. .. and would be real happy and proud ta know that his Buck-and-Wing Effect would live on -- and last forever ...

We see the massive granite stone that marks Lastie's grave now. The CAMERA MOVES CLOSER until the little statue atop the column FILLS THE FRAME:

An old man in tap shoes, with his hands spread wide, dancing, and smiling with joy ...

	SYKES'S VOICE
	... And then the next thing I knew, I was in a room filled up with what seemed ta me a million helium balloons ... And she was laughin' and callin' out my name -- and I couldn't find her ...

From off-screen -- quietly at first -- we can hear a balloon pop ... then another. .. and another ...

And as they pop, the screen begins to darken: POP -- a little darker ... POP -- and darker still ...

	SYKES'S VOICE
	... But l kept on tryin' with all my might -- 'Cause I knew when I did that it surely would be something special...
	(a long beat; as the last light fades)
	... And I wasn't lonely any more ...

In the darkness now, a spotlight is turned on. It illuminates, standing there exactly where the statue of the old man tap dancing had been, Lastie himself.

Again: the sound of a balloon popping: and he does a little tap step ... POP: and he does another ... a "buck-and-wing" ...

CREDITS ROLL UP as Lastie continues to dance -- sweetly and gently and perfectly radiant with joy.

The End

Afterword