On The Waterfront

by Budd Schulberg

FADE IN

EXT�ESTABLISHING SHOT�WATERFRONT�NIGHT

Shooting toward a small building (Hoboken Yacht Club) set upon a wharf floating about twenty-five yards off shore. A long, narrow gangplank leads from the wharf to the shore, and on either side of the wharf are large ocean liners which are being unloaded by arc light. In the B.G. is the glittering New York skyline. A great liner, blazing with light, is headed down river. A ferry chugs across to Manhattan. There is a counterpoint of ships' whistles, some shrill, others hauntingly muted.

CLOSER SHOT�SMALL BUILDING�ON WHARF�NIGHT

It is the office of the longshoremen's local for this section of waterfront. Coming along the gangplank toward the shore is an isolated figure. He is TERRY MALLOY, a wiry, jaunty, waterfront hanger-on in his late twenties. He wears a turtleneck sweater, a windbreaker and a cap. He whistles a familiar Irish song.

A SERIES OF WALKING SHOTS�TERRY MALLOY�WATERFRONT�NIGHT

Reaching the shore and turning away from the union office. Passing the burned-out piers. Turning up a waterfront tenement street lit by a dim street lamp that throws an eerie beam. He is holding something inside his jacket but we cannot see what it is.

NOTE: MAIN TITLES TO BE SUPERIMPOSED OVER THIS SERIES OF SHOTS

EXT�WATERFRONT STREET�NIGHT

Terry walks along until he reaches an ancient tenement where he stops, hesitates, looks up toward the top of the building, and putting his fingers to his mouth lets out a shrill, effective whistle that echoes up the quiet street. Then he cups his hands to his mouth and shouts:

MEDIUM SHOT�TENEMENT WINDOW�NIGHT

The window of a third-story room, from Terry's POV. JOEY DOYLE, a youthful, rather sensitive and clean-cut Irish boy, pokes his head out the window.

REVERSE ANGLE�WATERFRONT STREET�NIGHT

He reaches into his windbreaker in a gesture associated with drawing a gun from a shoulder holster. But instead he draws out a live racing pigeon. As he does so the bird makes an effort to escape and flaps its wings, but Terry subdues it expertly and holds it up for Joey to see.

CLOSE�ON JOEY AT WINDOW�NIGHT

There is a fire escape in front of it.

Joey closes the window and turns away.

EXT�MEDIUM CLOSE�TENEMENT�ON TERRY �NIGHT

Tensely, as if going through something he wishes he could avoid, Terry looks in the direction of the tenement stoop and nods. Now for the first time we see two men standing there under the doorway so that Joey was unable to see them from his window. When Terry nods they enter the tenement hallway; he takes a few steps forward so as to be out of sight from Joey's widow. Then Terry raises the pigeon into the air and, inexplicably, releases it. As it wings out of sight he turns and starts up the street in the direction from which he came, walking crabwise as if trying to see the effect of what he has just done. A soddenly drunk, one-armed longshoreman, MUTT MURPHY, staggers toward him, singing in a hoarse voice... .

With a certain battered dignity, Mutt moves off, picking up his song, "Tippi-tippi-tan, tippi-tan... ." Terry takes an anxious glance back toward the tenement.

EXT�TENEMENT ROOFTOP�NIGHT

In the B.G. on the far shore is the New York skyline. In the M.G. a ship is being unloaded on this side of the river. In the F.G. is a coop of racing pigeons. Joey comes out on the roof and looks around. The door f rom the tenement stairway creaks open and Joey turns.

There is no answer. Joey is surprised.

Two men step out upon the roof, their faces hidden in shadows. Joey looks startled and retreats afew steps.

The two men (BARNEY and SPECS) advance, silently.

CLOSE SHOT�JOEY�ROOFTOP�NIGHT

Now he realizes the intentions of the two men. He looks around for some means of escape.

MEDIUM CLOSE�BARNEY AND SPECS�ROOFTOP�NIGHT

From Joey's angle. Moving in.

MEDIUM CLOSE�JOEY�ROOFTOP�NIGHT

He makes a wild dash for the fire escape which leads him to the roof. But when he reaches it, another goon, SLIM, appears, cutting off this escape.

LONG SHOT�ROOFTOP�NIGHT

Joey turns and runs along the edge of the roof, the illuminated skyline in the B.G. He disappears from view as if he has jumped o ff the roof.

MEDIUM SHOT�LOWER ROOFTOP LEVEL�NIGHT

This rooftop is one floor lower than the rooftops on either side of it, forming a trough between the two and providing no further avenue of escape for Joey. As Joey looks around desperately, Barney appears on upper level and another goon, SONNY, appears on the other. Now Joey is trapped between them. As they move forward he retreats backward toward the edge of the roof.

The assailants close in silently. Joey gestures them on.

The goons edge in still closer, poker-faced, knowing they have him.

EXT�FRIENDLY BAR�NIGHT An old-fashioned corner saloon with swinging doors. Standing on the corner, fl anked by a goon aptly named the TRUCK is CHARLEY, THE GENT, Terry's older brother, rather handsome if a little too smooth, in his late thirties, a snappy dresser in his camel hair coat and snap brim hat. He is quick-witted and affable, more politician than mobster. Terry enters to him.

There is a short, shrill, almost human cry of a boat whistle. It changes slightly in pitch and we are hearing an actual cry.

CLOSE SHOT�BODY OF JOEY

Hurtling off roof, with a bloodcurdling shriek.

INT�CLOSE SHOT�WOMAN AT WINDOW (MRS. COLLINS)

She screams.

EXT�FRIENDLY BAR�FAVORING TERRY�NIGHT

Worried as he begins to wonder what happened.

Terry stares at him. Longshoremen come running out of the bar toward the sound of the scream. Terry has to struggle not to be carried along with them. He works his way toward Charley, standing on the curb with Truck, calmly watching the Friendly Bar customers excitedly running past him. (Calls and commotion in the distance O.S.)

Truck winks at Charley significantly. Terry catches the meaning and is horrified.

Terry looks at Truck, stricken.

Charley looks at him, slightly concerned, and goes in with Truck. Terry watches the longshoremen hurrying past him, in the direction of�

EXT�LANDING BELOW TENEMENT ROOF�NIGHT

Forming a circle around Joey are KAYO NOLAN, a hard little nut of a man; TOMMY COLLINS, a young longshoreman friend of Joey's; LUKE, a giant Negro; MOOSE, a good-natured, hulking longshoreman; and others. The shot favors POP DOYLE, a short , stocky man with a small potbelly.

SHOT OF ONLOOKERS�ROOFTOP�NIGHT

Including a hard-faced longshoreman, a careworn woman in her middle thirties (Mrs. Collins) and Mutt.

FATHER BARRY, a lean, tough, West Side priest, climbs a wooden fence and approaches the crowd.

MEDIUM SHOT�MRS. COLLINS, MUTT�ROOFTOP�NIGHT

CLOSE ON BODY OF JOEY�TENEMENT LANDING�NIGHT

Father Barry prays. A police sergeant turns to Pop.

Pop stands silently, choked with grief.

CLOSE�ON EDIE�TENEMENT LANDING�NIGHT

Joey's sister, a fresh-faced, sensitive young Irish girl who has been kneeling over the body. She looks up and around at the Father in bitter grief.

She turns from him angrily, toward the covered form of Joey.

CLOSE SHOT�FATHER BARRY

Father Barry stands there jolted and troubled.

Father Barry nods. Thinking hard.

DISSOLVE

INT�FRIENDLY BAR�NIGHT

The atmosphere is the sharpest possible contrast to the scene above. It is a rough waterfront bar full of half-gassed longshoremen and pistol boys. They are all watching a fight on TV above thebar, and there is much hoarse laughter and ad lib jokes at the fight. The only one not watching is Terry, who sits at a table by himself staring at a half-finished glass of beer. Mutt is wandering around in the B.G.

Terry looks off and sees�

MEDIUM SHOT�BARNEY AND SPECS�AT BAR�NIGHT

Unconcernedly drinking and enjoying the fight. SPECS Come on over and have a shot. Still disturbed and preoccupied, Terry shakes his head and goes on through the bar toward the back room. Others call to him but he keeps going.

INT�BACK ROOM OF BAR�NIGHT

A partition separates this room from the main bar, and a small corner of the bar extends through the partition. On the wall are old fight posters and some pictures of fighters, ball players and horses. At a table, flanked by Charley and a tall, muscular bodyguard, SONNY, is JOHNNY FRIENDLY. He is not tough in a conventional way, but with a sinister intent, a humorless sense of domination that is really dangerous. The boxing match can be seen on a smaller TV set.

JOCKO, the bartender, pokes his head through the archway behind the bar.

As Johnny finishes off a bottle of beer, BIG MAC, the bullnecked hiring boss, comes up to the table with a thick roll of bills.

puts on glasses, incongruous on his beefy face

--twenty-six seventy-three.

Terry enters during the above and sits at the bar, brooding. Johnny is glad to see him.

As Johnny talks he holds on to Terry, and fondles him casually. MORGAN, a big-eared, large-nosed little weasel of a man, pokes his head in the door as if he were waiting just outside.