Scene 1—“Meet Mr. Green”
(Fade from black into film. Camera follows the butler around the house from the backside and around waist level looking up at him. Play credits over the butler’s movements. This intro should last about 30 seconds. The
Mr. Green: Thank you.
Mr. Green: Again, thank you.
(
Mrs. Boddy: Mr. Green, how are you?
Mr. Green: I’m fine, thank you. Lovely place you’ve got.
Mrs. Boddy: Thank you.
Mr. Green: I dream of having a house like this someday.
Mr. Boddy: (putting his hand on Mr. Green’s shoulder) Ah, now that dream depends solely on how much you work in life, and at the rate you work, Mr. Green, …dreams don’t come true.
(The camera switches to a close-up of Mr. Green’s face, which changes slowly from a normal friendly expression to a far more sinister, and offended look. The “insult” music plays, which leads into the title screen. “It Don’t Mean a Thing” is played during the title screen and continues on into the next scene. The screen then flashes white and then changes to the next scene. )
Scene 2—“The Party”
(Camera films the following swing dance while “It Don’t Mean a Thing” plays in the background. The camera shows Mr. and Mrs. Boddy dancing, and it also shows as many other couples as it can. As many couples as possible should be swing dancing now. The song lasts 1 minute from the end of the title screen to the end of the song. Everyone naturally continue talking amongst each other like in a real party. Zoom in on Mr. and Mrs. Boddy.)
Mrs. Boddy: Dear, you’re hosting a wonderful party.
Mr. Boddy: I know. I’ve worked hard on this.
(The camera switches to the butler who is standing against a wall very respectfully. He obviously rolls his eyes as if to say, “Right…You didn’t work at all on this party…I did it all.” The camera switches to a circle of friends: Mr. Green, Colonel Mustard, and Professor Plum.)
Mr. Green: I don’t know what has changed Mr. Boddy lately. He seems very rude today. Wouldn’t you agree, Colonel?
(The camera switches to Miss Scarlett talking with Miss Peacock and Miss White. The shot is a somewhat long-distance shot. The camera then switches back to the trio.)
Prof. Plum: Mrs. Boddy didn’t make an ounce of this food. It was all made by Mrs. Lew, the cook around here. Look, there she is now.
(The camera switches to a shot of Miss Scarlett walking up toward the two friends.)
Miss Scarlett: Have either of you seen Colonel Mustard? He said he was getting me a drink.
Prof. Plum: I don’t think he’s still available, Miss Scarlett. He might be a while.
Mr. Green: In the absence of Colonel Mustard, would you care to dance with me?
Miss Scarlett: I would love to.
(Mr. Green and Miss Scarlett walk off leaving only Professor Plum in the camera. He shrugs then walks off out of the camera screen. The camera then switches to Professor Plum walking toward Mr. Boddy who is talking with his wife.)
Prof. Plum: Excuse me sir, where is the restroom?
Mr. Boddy: Have you been pigging out already? You wouldn’t need the restroom if you weren’t eating so much. (Long pause…the camera switches to Professor Plum who stands there waiting in the exact same posture that he asked the question in…after a little pause the camera switches back to Mr. Boddy.) Down the hall, third door on the right.
Professor Plum: Thank you
(The camera follows Professor Plum down the hall in front of him looking up at him as he looks as though he is deeply insulted. The same music plays now as it did when Mr. Green was insulted back in Scene 1. From now on we shall call this particular music the “Insult music.”)
Scene 3—“The Garden”
(The previous scene fades to black, then fades back in as Mr. and Mrs. Boddy walk around a garden, romantic moonlit evening etc. (any ideas as to where this could be? maybe we could just film them around mill on the river) the camera shot first showing a general shot of the pair carrying on about various party gossip, btw, add-libbing strongly encouraged, before leading into the following conversation…which is then viewed as though someone were peering out of a tree/bush)
Mr. Boddy: Lovely evening was it not Roberta?
(Mrs. Boddy I might add is walking in a rather tipsy manner, hinting at the amount of adult beverages consumed earlier that evening…)
Mrs. Boddy: Indeed, though I fear I may have had a bit much to drink, perhaps Ms. Lew forgot to ease up as I asked her to… You know, I wonder about that woman, she never seems to remember half the things I tell her, like those lemon bars she had out tonight, goodness knows how many times I’ve told her to never forget the powdered sugar…
Mr. Boddy (cutting in): Worry no more over it dear, I’ll have her taken care of in the morning, but come, we must be getting back to our guests….
The camera fades into black as the two walk back inside the door.
Scene 4—“The Library”
The camera fades back into view, following Col. Mustard, with a small plate of desserts, down the hallway. He’s humming or whistling nonchalantly…not a care in the world….and as he is walking a sudden loud burst of laughter breaks through the silence, making the Col. Jump. The sound came from behind a door next to him.
The camera cuts from its previous view of the Colonel opening the door, to a new view from the crack in the doorway, to show that there are two women – Mrs. Peacock and Mrs. White – in the room (which is the library), who caused the noise. And now the conversation between the two……
White: Really, Petunia, you have to learn to control your laugh. It’s obnoxiously loud (giggle, giggle)
Petunia i.e. Peacock: Gasp! (Suddenly soap opera-ish, over-dramatic, flailing her boa – by the way we need a feather boa for peacock) Well…. (“Trying not to sob”, playing the victim, sniffles etc.) I can’t (sniffle) help it (sniff). You know very well that (sniff) being the middle child of the family I was (sniffle) deprived of all of the attention that I so desperately craved from our parents. You…(accusing finger) the OLDEST…and then our youngest…the bright, the funny, the CUTE Roberta…know very well that the only reason I ever laugh so loud is because our parents never gave me any attention! And they still don’t! Now that Roberta Boddy is our multi-millionaire sister and you have all of your good looks…I’ve got NOTHING!
White: (sympathetic) Sigh, Petunia, I know that it was hard for you as a child and I’m sorry. You couldn’t help that Roberta and I were prettier, smarter, and more likable than you. But I don’t think that that should ever have to come between us. You know that I would never mean you harm…it’s just that your laugh is absolutely horrid.
Petunia: (suddenly feeling better) Oh, Catrina, do you really mean that?
White: Absolutely.
Petunia: Oh, wow! You are just (sniffle) the greatest sister I could ever wish for! (Sincerely, even though any normal person would say that sarcastically)
White: Ah, yes. Well, I can’t help it. And you are…a….nice person too.
Petunia: (sniffle) how kind of you! (Again, sincere)
White: Anyway, back to where we were before.
Petunia: Right.
White: So while I was eavesdropping on Roberta working at the office this morning, I overheard that she was working out the details of her will. She is going to meet with her lawyer tomorrow.
Petunia: And….?
White: Well…there is good news and bad news.
Petunia just stares on eagerly
White: The good news is that I inherit the
Petunia gasps excitedly.
White: The bad news is that…she wants her… (With distaste) husband John….to get the rest.
Petunia: WHAT?! What right does HE have to our sister’s riches? Everyone knows that John Boddy is a deadbeat who married our sister for her money!! AND we’ve obviously known her for MUCH longer than he has! This is so ridiculous! (All flustered)
White: Tsk, tsk, tsk, Petunia, Petunia. (sneakily) You silly ignorant girl. (Dramatic pause) You don’t see...that there is a way that John won’t get our sister’s money.
Petunia: What?
White: He won’t get it. We could make sure that he is...well, not around...to claim the inheritance.
Petunia: (evil cackle)
The door closes and the camera fades into black.
Scene 5—“The Dining Room”
(The scene opens, again, on Mustard, who still has a plate of desserts, and looks a little flustered. He walks over to Scarlet and
Scarlet: Mustard, how nice of you to join us...
Mustard: There’s some right next to you on the table.
(
Mustard: Oh look, there’s Mr. Boddy.
Scarlet: Ugh, I hate that man.
Mustard: Really? (Suddenly curious) Why do you hate him so much?
Scarlet: (Sigh, dramatic pause. Scarlet motions them to come in closer. The camera clicks to a very close shot of her). He killed....my dog. My cocker spaniel. Sophie.
Scarlet: Yes.
Mustard: NO!
Scarlet: Yes. It was a cold January evening and I was coming here to the Boddy mansion for a party. I had Sophie with me. And as I was about to walk up, Sophie got off her leash and went into the road. All of the sudden came John Boddy’s massive vintage Model A and before you know it....Sophie became flatter than a Bisquick pancake. (Suddenly very sad, almost sobbing) It was... (Dramatic pause)… tragic.
Scarlet: Yes!
Mustard: No!
Scarlet: No! I mean, yes! It was all very sad. And the worst part? He wouldn’t even apologize. And that makes me.....very.....angry. (A sudden fierce look of rage and redness) You know, I would marry the man who KILLS Mr. Boddy. I would. I would.
Mustard and
Scene 6—“Closing the Party”
(The camera shows Mr. and Mrs. Boddy drinking their drinks together, then switches to a shot of Scarlet and Mustard walking up to Mr. Boddy.)
Colonel Mustard: Thank you for the wonderful party Mr. Boddy, but we really must go now. Thank you for inviting us.
Mrs. Boddy: Thank you for coming.
Miss Scarlett: So long.
(The camera shows the mass of the party, and then Mustard and Scarlett walk past the camera’s view. Then the camera fades into a view with two less people, and a few seconds later does it again. Two people keep disappearing until there is no one left in the room. Finally, the butler walks past the camera and the camera fades to all black while it is on the butler’s suit.)
Scene 7—“Weapons Vending”
(The murderer, which is in reality___________, walks along the side of a building sneakily. He is in a long robe so that he is not revealed. He is silent, and none of his features are ever shown. He walks along the edge of a sketchy warehouse stealthily and somewhat slowly. The lights are off except for a faint light which is not seen on screen but is enough so that the viewer can see a person walking along. The camera shows a door, and a sign next to the door that says, “Emma’s.” The mysterious man walks up to the door, and knocks. After about ten seconds, the door opens, and Emma pops her head out. Two seconds after Emma opens the door, the basement door opens and two people are heard walking down the stairs and talking to each other. Here’s what they say.)
Woman: Bye.
Man: I’ll see you tomorrow.
Woman: At noon?
Man: At noon.
Woman: Thanks for coming.
Man: Bye.
(Emma pulls the man through the door as soon as she hears the two people, and closes the door as soon as the man is in. The camera switches views into the interior of the unfinished part of Brennan’s basement. Here we see the side view of the man coming in the door, and as he progresses away from the door, the camera becomes behind the man. The man walks around the room and finds a shelf with all sorts of weapons on it. He opens his wallet, and puts some money on the shelf, picks up something on the shelf which is not seen by the viewer because the camera is now focused on Emma, and puts it in a brown paper bag. He then pockets the brown paper bag while he is walking away. While he is walking away, he waves to Emma, who waves back. The camera then shows the man leaving the store. There has been eerie music going on throughout this entire scene. The music stops completely once the door shuts and then about 5 seconds later two policemen or detectives come charging into the room with their handguns trained on Emma. The camera shows her gasp, and then put her hands up.)
Detective A: Don’t move lady. We’re the police. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, the state appoints one for you free of charge if you wish.
(Detective B walks over to Emma and handcuffs her behind the back, then leads her back out the door. Detective A then starts to walk through the room and comes upon the shelf with all of the weapons in it. He starts to put them in a bag one at a time.)
Scene 8—“Two Crooks”
(The camera should show a shot of the Boddy mansion from the front right side. A man dressed in all black and like a crook should walk out from behind the camera and be seen by the camera on the camera’s left side. The camera’s view should be half house, and half yard. There is some movement in the brush on the other side of the mansion, but the man takes no note of it. He begins to walk towards the mansion. The camera fades directly from that shot to a shot from the man on the other side of the mansion, moving steadily towards the mansion’s left side. Each crook gets closer without realizing that the other is there. This is shown by a front shot of the mansion and each man moving towards their respective sides.)
(The camera then moves inside the house looking at a window. One of the crooks comes and opens the window and crawls through it. The camera then follows him through the bowels of the house as he goes up to the master bedroom. The camera shows him stop and then the master bedroom door opens and out comes the first crook. The first crook then chases the onlooker downstairs, and finally tackles him to the ground.)
Crook who did the murder: If you tell anyone that I was here tonight, I will personally kill all of your family, and then I will kill you. You got that?
Crook who saw it: Yes.
Crook who did the murder: Now you will do as I say, and you will not betray me, or else…your family.
(Fade to black)
Scene 9—“The News Turns to a Chase”
(Fade into a news show)
News Anchor: In a sudden change of events, the well known multimillionaire, Mr. Boddy, was killed in his mansion last night.
(The camera changes to a view of the mansion.)
News Anchor: Our news teams were unable to question authorities about the suspect, or how he was murdered, because the perimeter was secured by police in the middle of the night. A very distraught Mrs. Boddy made the call in the morning when she realized that her husband would not wake up. Police…
(The camera changes to a view of Scarlett watching the news aghast.)
Scarlett: Oh dear. What if they suspect me because of what I said about him last night?
News Anchor: (meanwhile) will be at the crime scene all morning.
(The camera switches back to the news anchor. Someone off screen hands the news anchor a piece of paper.)
News Anchor: An update about the Boddy murder has just come in. Apparently, there was a witness to the crime who saw the murderer come out of the Boddy mansion. This man was also at Mr. Boddy’s party last night. A distinguished guest, Mr.… (The TV suddenly shuts off.)
Scarlett: Hey!
(The camera shows the back door close slowly from the inside without showing any arm or hand or body of the person that just left. “Jazz Police” starts playing. The camera switches back to Scarlett who has a look of fear on her face because she heard the sound of the door closing. Scarlett runs to a phone, and dials 911.)
Scarlett: Hello? Someone was just in my home, and they ran out the back door.
(Camera switches to a view of a hand held radio or a CB radio (Mike has one) and on the radio it says…)
Radio: We have a forced entry at
Detective A: (In his car) I’m on it.
(Show an official looking car pulling out into the street, then switch to a view from the backseat of that car with both detectives in the front seats. Show the car driving for a little while. The car gets to the street and starts to slow down. Then it sees a person running along the road.)
Detective B: There he is. He’s running into the woods. Stop the car!
(They stop the car and both of them get out and start to chase after the man that is running away. Show some footage of each person running through the woods, and through the streets. Finally, the running man is tackled. It is Colonel Mustard.)
Detective A: Colonel Mustard!
Detective B: Come with us Colonel.
(Music ends.)
Scene 10—“Captain Brown”
(The cop car drives along with Colonel Mustard in the back, and then the car comes up next to a man driving very dunk. The Drunk parks, and then walks across the street holding a bottle. The cop car stops, and Detective B gets out. He walks up to the man. It is Captain Brown, severely drunk.)
Detective B: Sir, please put your hands up. (The cop takes out a Breathalyzer testing tube. This consists of a rubber or metal tubing about three or four inches with a straw hanging out of the top.) Breathe into this.
(Captain Brown walks over to the Breathalyzer very drunkenly. He breathes on it, and then a few seconds later, after looking at the Breathalyzer the cop says…)
Detective B: Come with us. (The cop leads him into the back seat of the car. Captain Brown looks at Colonel Mustard with shock. Colonel Mustard looks at Captain Brown with fear. The cop car drives off, and the screen fades to black.)
Scene 11-“Criminal Lineup”
(Cop A and Scarlett are walking up to the police station together.)
Cop A: Now you’re sure you caught sight of the intruder?
Scarlett: Yes, I saw the backside as they were running away.
Cop A: Come on in then. And we’ll show you who we have.
(They walk in a door.)
(The camera pans across the three people caught by the cops: Emma, Captain Brown, and Colonel Mustard.)
Scarlett: Mustard! How did you get here?
Mustard: Scarlett, I... (Suddenly starts stammering and can’t get out another word.)
Scarlett: (after a while of Mustard’s stammering.) I rescind my charges, and I’ll vouch for Colonel Mustard.
Cop A: All right. Colonel Mustard, you’re free to go.
(Fade to black.)
Scene 12-“The Lawyer’s Visit”
(The lawyer is sitting behind her desk flipping through papers. The camera switches to a view of the door, where Mrs. Boddy walks in with a folder of papers in her hands. Camera switches back to lawyer.)
Lawyer: Oh, come in Mrs. Boddy.
(Mrs. Boddy takes a seat at the other side of a desk.)
Lawyer: All right, I’ve got some good news, and I’ve got some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?
Mrs. Boddy: Let me hear the good news.
Lawyer: The good news is that our investigation team was able to collect samples from your house which might tell who the murderer is. The bad news is that investigation teams have found multiple samples in the house which date to the middle of that night, meaning that this murder could have taken place by the hands of multiple people, making them more organized, and probably, they do not live in an area which we could find them and bring them to justice.
(Mrs. Boddy nods after the camera switches to her.)
Lawyer: The other news, if I may see those papers, (he beckons at the folder which Mrs. Boddy is holding) is that with the absence of your husband, (the camera switches to a view of a paper on the lawyer’s desk) he does not receive an inheritance after you die. (The lawyer crosses off John Boddy’s name from the will that is before him.)
(The camera switches to a view of another lawyer at the door. He walks in, puts a piece of paper on the lawyer’s desk, and immediately walks out. The lawyer scans the paper, and then looks into Mrs. Boddy’s eyes.)
Lawyer: Mrs. Boddy, (long pause), the fingerprint tests are in. (Another long pause) A certain Captain Brown and your friend Colonel Mustard are being arrested as we speak.
(The camera shows Mrs. Boddy’s horrified face, and then fades to black while some eerie music plays.)
Scene 13-“The News”
(Fade from black into the television program.)
News Anchor: An update from the crime scene at the Boddy mansion tells us that there are two men who are to be arrested for this crime. Colonel Mustard, a friend of Mrs. Boddy’s since high school, was put into a high security prison for 20 years for the murder of Mr. Boddy. Colonel Mustard claims that he heard of an assassination attempt that night, and he broke in to try and head off the assassin, but was too late. According to Colonel Mustard, the assassin was a Captain Brown, appropriately named due to his vigilance in wearing brown clothing. Captain Brown met Mr. Boddy on the streets of
(Fade into the credits after the camera zooms right into the TV.)
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