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THE MUD BOWL byKenneth WhiteKenneth White1108 Wellesley AvenueModesto, CA 95350-5044(209) 567-0600Ken1White@aol.com 
 
1 FADE IN: EXT. LOS ANGELES - STREET CORNER - PRE-DAWNSoftly but distinctly, someone SINGS. Fighting it are theSOUNDS of a city coming to life. The song is abruptly CUTOFF.RECORDING ENGINEER (O.S.)(over the PA) Last take. Put your heart into it,Haggerty.A little GRUMBLING, then the song resumes.A pile of "LA Times" is thrown inside a paper rack. Theglass front slams shut to reveal the front page. It's November 23
rd 
, 1973 - Thanksgiving Day.MICHAEL HAGGERTY staggers out the recording studio door.He's a little drunk. He SINGS to himself. It's the sameVOICE we heard earlier. He picks up the song where itended off-screen. He tosses a master audiotape box intothe air.The white box floats through the air. As it falls toward Michael's waiting hands, a beefy HAND grabs the box.Michael stops singing and turns to confront . . . DON LAIDLAW, his best friend. Don wears a Stanford letterman's jacket and baseball hat. Michael smiles as heturns the bill up on Don's hat, then yanks the tape awayand . . .A scarred HAND reaches from behind and grips Michael's wrist. LOAN SHARK (O.S.) Leaving town, big time?The LOAN SHARK is flanked by a huge Neanderthal WISEGUY, who covers Don. Don's body tenses. LOAN SHARK And a little unfinished business?Michael glances at Don, then does a slow burn on theShark's hand. LOAN SHARK Should know better.The Shark lets go and steps back.
 
2 LOAN SHARK  We're not playing kid's games, shit–Michael drops the tape, distracting the Shark for a moment.Then kicks the guy square in the nuts. LOAN SHARK –head!The Shark drops to his knees. Before the Wiseguy can act, Don thrusts a right elbow into his solar plexus. The Wiseguy staggers in pain. Don lands a hard left on the Wiseguy's jaw. The Wiseguyfalls on his butt next to the dazed Shark.MICHAELHad enough, girls?The Shark leaps to his feet and charges Michael, slashing with a knife. The tip of the knife slices Michael's leftcheek. Michael falls back and SLAMS into the iron gates ofa pawn shop doorway. He touches the wound and sees blood. Don whacks the back of the Shark's neck. The man crumplesto the ground.The Wiseguy gets up. Don doesn't see him. He charges.Michael runs toward the Wiseguy to head him off.Out of nowhere, a CAR races toward the group of men. Don swivels to face the onrushing Wiseguy. He braces forthe collision.Just then, the Wiseguy belly flops. He cuts an onrushingMichael at the knees and sends him flying through the air.Michael slams into Don, knocking him backward and into thestreet.The car's headlights wash across Don. He covers his head.The car's head lamp rips into the side of Don's head. Thelight explodes in a thunderous POP, echoed by a sickeningTHUD. Don ricochets off the car. The car ROARS away. Don falls backward and cracks the back of his head on thecurb. He lies unconscious. A pool of blood runs from hishead to the audiotape box, still lying where Michaeldropped it.There is the sound of RUNNING as two SHADOWS flicker across Don's body and against the building walls. A beat, then a third SHADOW, stops. A bloody hand picks up the audiotape.And we hear the sound of more RUNNING.
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