INT. GINO AND MEASLE'S APT. - DAY We are in the large kitchen of what appears to be a good sized apartment. Moby Grape is blasting on the stereo. CATHY, Measles's live-in girl friend is preparing the spaghetti dinner that we heard about earlier. She is an average looking twenty year old with long straight black hair and bangs. She wears an indian print dress that goes to the floor. She's quick to smile and has a quick mind. With her, seated at a formica kitchen table is SAM. He is also in his early twenties with long thick wavy blonde hair that spills over his shoulders and a full moustache. His hair is clean and shiny, obviously an object of pride. He is busy constructing a long thin pipe out of tin foil. (to Cathy)
(draining the noodles)
(holding up the pipe for inspection)
(stirring the sauce)
Someone in the b.g. is banging on the door. Sam looks up. (loudly but unconcerned)
We hear the door open and the sound of Jon, the dog, running in. He bursts into the kitchen. Both Cathy and Sam recognize him and call him by name. He runs up to both of them and nuzzles them. RON and CHRIS walk in all smiles. Everyone knows each other. The boys shake hands and Cathy gives them each a kiss. They all bring each other up to date on their adventures, and we find out the Sam is working for the legendary Family Dog, the group responsible for putting on weekly concerts and lightshows at the Avalon Ballroom. RON and CHRIS are eager to go to the show tonight. (to the boys)
He unfolds another piece of tin foil to reveal some white powder.
RON and CHRIS speak at the same time.
Suddenly, it's as if we are inside a Bedouin tent. The entire ceiling of the room is hidden by billowing near eastern tapestries. Oddly enough, the windows of the room are down at floor level. The view out the windows allows us to see that we a few floors off the street, probably in an attic apartment. Large cushions and pillows strewn around the floor. On the far side of the room, on the floor, is a double bed mattress. It too is covered in an exotic print. Sam grabs an ashtray off of a low table and sits down cross legged on a Persian rug. CHRIS and RON follow suit. Sam lays the tin foil of DMT on the floor and scoops some into the bowl of the makeshift pipe. An early bootleg instrumental EP by Country Joe and the Fish is playing on the stereo in the room. They all pass the pipe, taking long deeply inhaled tokes. Sam leans over and puts another album on the stereo. It's the first album of the notorious 13th Floor Elevators. The music is weirdly pulsating, almost spooky, threatening. As the DMT starts to hit, RON and CHRIS look at each other and chuckle. Their PUPILS dilate so completely that there is no color in their irises. CHRIS turns and looks out the window in slow motion. Everything slows way down. Everyone moves in graceful ballet motions. POV CHRIS  Out the window, we see downtown San Francisco and, in the distance, the Bay Bridge. It's a beautiful sunny day. Suddenly, the sky above the city and the bridge shatter as if they were glass. The million fragments stay in place for a second, and then they start to move toward the center of the frame. As they squeeze slowly together, they take on the form of a huge wide winged bird which proceeds to fly gracefully out over the bay to the hills beyond. A brilliant flash of white light fills the screen, and then we are back in the room. ANGLE ON CHRIS He is obviously taken back a little by his vision. He looks from side to side without turning his head. Then, slowly, he turns his head and looks at RON who is still seated next to him. As soon as RON sees his face, he breaks out laughing. CHRIS looks at him like, "Whoa! What happened?" Then he, too, laughs. (to Sam)
They all laugh as we go back to an ANGLE ON THE WINDOW - TIME LAPSE SHOT We watch the skyline as it slips from afternoon into evening and then night. We slowly slip through the window and hang suspended over the jewel-like city lights of the city. Then we hear voices. (b.g.)
CUT TO: KITCHEN TABLE - NIGHT Gino, Measles, Cathy, RON, and CHRIS are sitting around the table eating spaghetti. Everyone, that is, except RON and CHRIS. RON is examining each noodle before he eats it. CHRIS is sitting back in his chair watching RON. Measles is woofing down the last morsels on his plate. CHRIS smiles - totally content, eyes bright and alert. (responding to Cathy)
Measles stands up, taking his plate over to the sink and rinsing it off.
Measles kisses her, then stands up very erect and performs some kind of convoluted salute.
CUT TO: LOBBY - AVALON BALLROOM - NIGHT  The lobby is a large high ceilinged room in the old Victorian style. It is crowded with young people coming in for the concert. The crowd is made up of the same colorfully dressed types that we saw earlier on Haight Street. Sam is standing by the ticket counter, scanning the crowd. Measles, RON, and CHRIS enter and cross the lobbing, talking amongst themselves. Sam spots them, waves and directs them past the counter and into the main ballroom. He talks quickly as they move through the crowd.
CHRIS and RON start to thank Sam, but suddenly they are in the main ballroom. The place is packed. The music is loud. Strobe lights are flashing across faces. Sam turns and disappears. Measles grabs RON by the arm who in turn grabs CHRIS, and they swim through the flickering faces in the crowd. Smiles are everywhere. Everyone is genuinely happy to see everyone else. They've been given the chance to be happy and love each other. You can see the joy and relief on their faces. The music is too loud to talk. The room is very large with a thirty foot high ceiling. The band is up on a quarter round stage tucked in a corner on the far side of the room. A cinemascope, multi-colored, ever-changing light show fills the walls around the band. The light show is made up of slides, old movies, liquid overhead projectors, pulsing to the music, overwhelming the crowd. It's a kaleidoscopic dream scape of famous faces, cellular amoebas, nude bodies, outdoor landscapes, geometric figures - shifting - always shifting - never repeating - never staying the same. In front of the stage, there are rows and rows of people just sitting on the floor watching the band. Our boys come across the dance floor and stop at the outer most fringes of the seated crowd. CHRIS gets a slightly puzzled look on his face. He looks around as someone would do who hears their name called. Finally, he focuses on a YOUNG MAN seated on the floor about five rows from the stage. We see him from behind. Suddenly, he sits up straight and cocks his head like a dog listening to an inaudible high pitched whistle. Then he turns around quickly and looks straight at CHRIS. ANGLE ON BOTH They look at each other for a second with questioning looks. CHRIS smiles in a disbelieving fashion and raises his hand in a wave. The other man smiles, waves, and turns back to the band as if nothing too unusual has happened. RON watches the exchange.
CHRIS looks at RON, then at the man, then back to RON. He shakes his head. They both smile at each other. The band comes to the end of a song. No one really applauds, but it's obvious that the crowd is happy with the band. A portly man with long grey hair and a thick beard comes out on stage. The lightshow stops.
 Morrison and the rest of the band run onto the stage and explode into "Break On Through To The Other Side" The walls around them break into a wall of flame. Their energy is so intense that it rocks the crowd backward. A wave goes through the crowd like wind through a field of wheat, starting with those nearest the stage and rippling outward. It's electrifying. When the wave reaches the POV RON AND CHRIS THE CAMERA FALLS BACKWARD IN SLOW MOTION DISSOLVE TO: A SERIES OF DISSOLVES The rest of the concert is a blur, as we go through a medley of songs from the Door's first album, ending with "Light My Fire". What we see in the faces of the crows is ecstasy, exhilaration, and cathartic release. Everyone is included in the experience. There is no hostility, no posturing, no one trying to be cooler than the next. Everyone joins in like soft mad children. DISSOLVE TO: ANGLE ON RON AND CHRIS CHRIS is lying flat on his back on the hardwood floor. RON is dancing with a young girl. MEASLES comes walking up. He gives something to RON and then to CHRIS. They talk but we can barely hear them.
Measles leans down. (leaning down to him)
CHRIS pops a tablet in his mouth and swallows. He stands up and yells in Measles' ear.
CUT TO: STREET OUTSIDE AVALON - NIGHT The three boys come out and start walking down the sidewalk. Measles heads for his car - a beat up white 1951 Ford.
It's the kind of San Francisco night when the fog comes in suddenly in thick clouds over the nearest hill, dissolves, and then comes again - thick, enveloping, moody. It's obviously chilly. CHRIS is wearing a light green rip stop air force jacket. Measles is draped in his dark blue pea coat. RON has traded his corduroy sport coat for a brown leather aviator jacket. They head off down the street. DISSOLVE TO: NORTH BEACH STREET - NIGHT They are in the Beat section of North Beach. Walking past the crowded coffee shops and jazz clubs. Measles is turning as he walks, slowly waving his hands in front of himself as if parting curtains, swimming through the fog.
They all stop and look down. CHRIS and RON stare at Measles with large pupils - deadpan. He looks at them, back to the sidewalk, and back at them.
POV MEASLES We see an astrological sign (Sagittarius) in the shape of an arrow glowing neon pink on the sidewalk. It slowly disappears and is replaced by one just like it ten feet further up the sidewalk. (b.g.)
(b.g.)
(b.g.)
CHRIS and RON laugh in the b.g. (b.g.)
ANGLE ON MEASLES He doesn't register the remark. He is absorbed.
He starts down the street after the sign. He stops and looks back to the other two. (wide-eyed, mystified, possessed by the moment)
CHRIS starts laughing and pulls on RON's jacket, urging him to come along. CLOSE ON RON The fog suddenly gets pea soup thick. It swirls around his face. His dark hair falls across his forehead. His glasses fog up. He impersonates Measles voice exactly.
DISSOLVE TO: A SERIES OF SHOTS 
We watch as the three young men follow the sign through the city. The first place it takes them is the topless
bar area of north beach. The neon signs and sleazy pitchmen along the avenue seem exceedingly loud and garish -
leering, sweaty, greasy. The boys follow the sign into one particular bar. There, on the stage, is a stripper
with enormous fake breasts. The camera ZOOMS in and the tits fill the screen in slow motion.Next we see them in China Town. Oriental whores, enigmatic old men, threatening tong boys, skinning dogs hanging from meat hooks in shops. Chinese neon lettering in saturated color. Still, undaunted, Measles follows the glowing symbol -- into a peculiar three story apartment complex where all the apartments face a central courtyard. They walk past scene after scene of middle class Americans in their living rooms, stopping finally in front of one apartment where both the door and the drapes are open. Inside, an enormous fat man sits in an overstuffed chair with a beer in one hand and a tiny poodle in the other. He is watching the late news on t.v.. Vietnamese children run screaming from exploding napalm.  They pass through neighborhood after neighborhood, finally ending up at Coit Tower just as the sun is coming up. For some unknown reason, they are creeping comically up to the crest of a grassy hill, as if they are sneaking up on something, Measles still following the now fading symbol. (whispering)
RON yawns, starting to come down. They creep to the top of the rise. CUT TO: POV ALL THREE As they top the very crest, suddenly a huge barn owl, all white on his underside, silently swoops up in front of their startled faces and hangs there for a quivering second, staring right at them. With a soundless flap of his wings, he cartwheels away from them and is gone. To a man, they collapse on the grass. In the distance, the bay and the Golden Gate bridge glisten in the early morning sun. They all look at each other, speechless.  They look like the boys of summer, high on a grassy hilltop, under a sunny blue sky. From an apartment below, music plays. It's "Expecting to Fly" by Buffalo Springfield. Someone else has been up all night. CHRIS turns to RON. The serene look on his face is one of someone who has finally found their place in the scheme of things. It's the definition of beatitude. (to RON)
RON just smiles from ear to ear, as the music below grows louder and seques into "Rock 'n Roll Woman". CUT TO: SERIES OF SHOTS The music continues as we watch as RON, CHRIS, and Jon, the dog appear at their new apartment on the corner of Clayton and Waller, one block off of Haight Street. As before, the streets are teeming with young people. As the old tenants are moving out, RON and CHRIS move in. It's a large gracious apartment on the top floor of an older three story building. The apartment covers the entire upstairs of the building and is mostly already furnished - with beds and a particularly large and beautiful antique oak table in the dining room which also houses a large fireplace. With the song still playing, we see them enter a crowded shop front on Stanyan Street. The sign on the window reads, "Free Job Clinic". Inside, the place is crowded with people, rushing in and out. RON and CHRIS talk to long haired man in his early thirties who wears a top hat a la the Mad Hatter. There are papers all over his desk. Next, we see a montage cut to the music of them settling into their new life - during the day, hauling people's belonging and junk from one place to the next, up and down the crazy quilt hills of the city - during the night, partying with the folks over at Measles' or having those same friends over to their apartment - fixing dinner, getting stoned, laughing, talking - talking of the new world, the new way - reading from texts like "The Way of Life by Lao Tzu" or "The Four Quartets" by T.S. Eliot while the fire burns in the hearth. Life is good. As the song ends, we - CUT TO: FREE JOB CLINIC - DAY RON and CHRIS are stepping up to the desk of the man who gave them their first job. The place is still mobbed.
(pointing across the room)
As RON and CHRIS turn to see who it is that needs help, they both shout out in unison.
A tall, thin, young man with long black hair cut like somebody in a heavy metal band from the eighties looks up. He has the perfect face for the job. High cheekbones, pouty lips, long eyelashes. His levis are so tight that they're about to pop. He recognizes our boys and smiles wide.
They all start to walk outside.
CUT TO: INT. MILK TRUCK - DAY They truck is crammed with rock and roll equipment and rock and rollers. They are coming up the hill into Berkeley. The other members of the band have the same proto-type heavy metal look as John - long teased up hair and skin tight clothes. Jon, the dog, sits on top of one of the amplifiers. John is still talking.
Further up the hill now, they take a right hand turn and head up toward Telegraph Ave. which is two blocks away. Two student-looking types come running down the hill past them at full speed.
We hear the sound of people shouting angrily in the b.g. CHRIS turns left onto - TELEGRAPH and suddenly they are in the middle of a full scale riot. Thousands of college students are running down the street right at them. Behind the sea of screaming, running students we can see a phalanx of riot suited police chasing them. The mob sweeps around the truck. Some students stop to throw bottles and rocks at the cops. Tear gas canisters land near-by. "Get the fuck out of Viet-Nam, now!!! "Eat, shit, pigs!!" A tear gas canister bounces off the windshield, cracking it. CHRIS ducks and rips the wheel to the right, going up a side street, almost hitting a girl holding a placard.
A young man, running with the mob, jumps onto the milk truck at the open door on the passenger side. He hangs on to the outside of the truck. He is bleeding profusely from the left side of his head, blood coursing down his face. The dog starts barking at him. (yelling at CHRIS)
 CHRIS looks out his open door back to Telegraph. It's ugly. A pitched street battle. He sees a girl that he almost hit get clobbered in the head with a tear gas canister. She goes down. He looks back into the truck. (somewhat calmer, but in a state of disbelief)
His voice echoes on the soundtrack and we - CUT TO: INT. APARTMENT - DAY CHRIS is sitting at the oak dining room table, talking on the phone. His hair is noticeably longer. He is growing a moustache.
In the middle of his last statement we - CUT TO: INT. PASSENGER JET - DAY ANGLE ON JERRY AND HER SON BILLY Billy is a four year old cherub with a thick head of straight black hair and blue eyes. He's irresistible. Full of love and joy. He's on an adventure.
(leaning over and straightening his hair)
An older lady sitting next to them leans over.
Billy gets an apprehensive look on his face, but fortunately the lady doesn't carry out her threat. CUT TO: AIRPORT GATE - DAY CHRIS and Jon are waiting at the gate as Gerry and Billy come through. GERRY'S POV CHRIS is tan and healthy looking. His hair is longer and he now definitely has a moustache. His levis are ripped at one knee. He has a small hoop earring in his left ear. People give him strange looks. Everyone around them is so straight in appearance that he really stands out. ANGLE ON ALL CHRIS and Gerry rush together and embrace. Jon gets excited and licks Billy's face like an ice cream cone. Billy laughs and hugs Jon. CHRIS reaches down and lifts Billy up with one hand. The lady who was so friendly on the plane walks by, sees who Gerry is with, and gives her a cold, disapproving stare. CHRIS doesn't notice. They turn and start walking to the baggage area. CUT TO: INT. MILK TRUCK - DAY They are traveling along the edge of Golden Gate Park. It's a rare sunny summer day in the city. (talking over the engine)
He pulls up and parks. He gets out without closing his door and comes around to the passenger side.
Gerry looks into the back of the truck and then to him.
He looks at her with a small smile.
She looks at him as if to say, "Are you serious?". He just smiles and lets it sink in.
He offers his hand, and she steps down from the truck, smiling, hoping that it's all not just a dream. TRACKING SHOT FOLLOWS They all walk into the park and over a near-by hill. POV GROUP AND CONT. TRACKING There, on the rolling meadows of the park, we see thousands of young people lying in the sun, walking, playing guitars and bongos, eating basket lunches, and, most of all, smoking weed in an assortment of joints, pipes, hookahs, and other strange contraptions. Here and there colorful banners fly in the breeze. CHRIS and his new family thread their way through the friendly crowd. Finally, they find their friends. RON is there with the whole crew from Measles' house. They are all doing their part to make the smoke-in a success. Everybody but Cathy immediately recognizes Gerry and Billy. There are hugs all around, and someone passes Gerry a joint. It's a warm day and everyone is stripped down as much as possible. Some girls go topless. Somewhere nearby a radio is playing "She Has Funny Cars" by the Airplane. The music gets louder as CHRIS and Gerry and their friends lie back and enjoy the afternoon. Suddenly, the music slows down in a warped fashion as if someone is putting their finger and the turntable, and we hear Darrell's voice.
CUT TO: INT. DARRELL'S MAROON VOLKWAGEN BUS - DAY Darrell smacks an eight track tape machine under his dash with the heel of his hand. The music is still weird. He smacks it again. It starts playing properly. Outside the windshield we see that he is driving on the same highway that RON and CHRIS took to San Francisco. ANGLE OUT DRIVER'S WINDOW At that moment, a white Cadillac convertible as big as a yacht pulls up along side. Slagge is driving. In the passenger seat is Anne, her tight skirt hiked way up on her thighs. Her pretty breasts hanging free under an open silk blouse. She and Slagge wear very dark sunglasses. She holds up a hand written sign - "Stopping for gas" The Caddy passes us and speeds ahead. EXT. GAS STATION - DAY By happenstance, they pull into the same gas station that we saw earlier. The same boy comes out to pump the gas, followed by the same large bully. Darrell gets out to stretch his legs. He is dressed in the same preppie-type clothes as before, but his hair has gotten a tiny bit longer. He walks around to talk to Slagge but is interrupted by the bully in the baseball hat.
Darrell looks up and immediately recognizes the type. He pulls some sunglasses from his shirt pocket and puts them on, feeling fairly safe with his straight appearance. But obviously, not that safe.
The bully looks at the VW and then at Darrell's suspiciously uncut hair.
Darrell starts to get worried.
At this point, Slagge gets out of the Caddy and walks over to the man. He dwarfs him. Puts himself between the man and Darrell so Darrell can't see what he is doing. Darrell fades back into his VW. Slagge looks around to see if anybody else is watching and then leans in close to the bully with a serious look. CLOSE ANGLE ON SLAGGE AND BULLY Slagge takes his wallet out of his pocket and flashes a badge at the man. He puts the wallet back before the guy can really look at it. He turns so that the man can see that he is wearing a shoulder holster under his white sportcoat. (believably serious)
The man stares wide-eyed as Anne walks up. His eyes rivet to her breasts.
He pats the man on the shoulder condescendingly. His eyes dance.
The bully stares at them, not really knowing what to think. The boy is finishing fueling the cars. Darrell is back in his van. Slagge puts his arm around the man's shoulders and steers him over to the driver's side of the Caddy. (confidingly, true sorrow on his face)
The boy comes up and tells Slagge what he owes. Slagge gives him a twenty and tells him to keep the change. He climbs into the Caddy and fires it up. Anne climbs back in. (in his best John Wayne)
He shoots his eyebrows up and down like Groucho Marx and hits the accelerator, ripping out of the station, spitting dust and gravel in his wake. CUT TO: CHRIS'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Gerry is looking into a darkened bedroom at Billy who is fast asleep in his bed. She closes the door and walks down the hall to the dining room. DINING ROOM CHRIS sits at the dining room table watching the logs burn in the fireplace. Outside the bay windows of the room, we can see thick fog drifting by. The only light comes from the fireplace. Gerry comes in and sits on his lap, nuzzling against him.
CHRIS pulls two tablets from his shirt pocket, hands one to Gerry, and pops the other into his mouth. She smiles and swallows hers. Then she gets up, walks over to the stereo, and puts on Getz/Gilberto. She comes back over and sits again on his lap. They caress gently and slowly begin to kiss, letting the passion build leisurely, waiting for the acid to kick in. CHRIS unbuttons her blouse, pausing between each button. When he has them all undone, he opens her blouse, revealing one full pendulant breast with one perfectly erect nipple. C.U. ON BREAST CHRIS's hand and face come into frame. He gently lifts her breast and takes the nipple tenderly between his teeth. We hear Gerry's intake of breath and then a quiet moan. Her hands eventually come into frame and lift his face up to hers. ANGLE ON BOTH Now they kiss long and deep, Gerry being the more aggressive, her tongue probing deeply, her breathing becoming faster and heavier. She's rushing on the acid. She pulls back reluctantly. (grabbing his shirt at the shoulders to steady herself, breathing through her mouth)
(biting her on the neck)
Her eyes close as he hits just the right spot. Her head falls back, giving him complete access to her neck. Her whole body shivers and jumps as if a bolt of electricity went through her. She moans more loudly. She comes forward and her eyes open, pupils dilated, a smile of animal passion on her lips.
CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT ANGLE ON GERRY She is bending over a nightstand by the bed lighting a candle, stripped to the waist. Her skin glistens slightly with sweat. Carrivaggio lighting. ANGLE ON ROOM The room is empty except for the metal frame bed and nightstand. Blonde hardwood floors. Tall ceiling. Bay windows with a Captain's seat. Off, white plaster walls. Fog rolls by outside. The candle light flickers, throwing moving shadows across the walls. CHRIS lies on his side on the bed, facing Gerry. He is naked, his body golden in the candle light. He leans on his elbow watching Gerry as she finishes undressing. POV CHRIS Gerry slips out of her pants, revealing her whole self. She stands there for a second, letting CHRIS see. She then steps forward and comes up onto the bed, kneeling next to him, looking down. ANGLE ON BED Gerry's back is to us. She is still kneeling. She bends over and takes CHRIS in her mouth. We see after shadows as she bends forward. Her back conceals the actual act. Now it's CHRIS's turn to moan. A SERIES OF DISSOLVES As they make love in one position after another, each one double exposed over the next, building in intensity, triple exposed, quadruple exposed. A constant layering of archetypal sexual positions. They are Gerry and CHRIS and, at the same time, every two humans who ever made love. They are lost in it. An open sea of sexuality. POV CHRIS Gerry is on top, looking down. Her face begins to change, ever so slowly. Her hair turns darker and curlier, ] and suddenly she looks like someone from ancient Greece. She changes again and looks like an american indian. She changes again and again - too fast now to pick out particular cultures. She becomes everywoman. POV GERRY A similar thing is happening to CHRIS, whose head is lying peacefully on the pillow. A beard appears and then disappears. His eyes seem for the fleeting second to be those of an asian man. Suddenly, there is a primal wolfish cast to his features. That leaves and he looks like a prince out of a fairy tale. The last look lingers and then fades away. ANGLE ON BOTH Gerry leans over and kisses him deeply. The passion rises and they are off again. We hear laughter and Measles yelling.
CUT TO: INT. ATTIC ROOM - NIGHT ANGLE ON MEASLES He's laughing. Happy and high. Smoking a joint. He is sitting at a table with a dozen other young people. We don't recognize anybody. Everyone is enjoying the party. The Rolling Stones "Aftermath" album is blasting on the stereo.
ANGLE ON ROOM It's a long narrow room with an attic window at the end. The party goers are sitting around a long narrow table which is suspended from the ceiling by ropes and hangs fifteen inches off the floor. Everyone sits on pillows. The table swings slightly back and forth. HOWIE ENTERS THE ROOM WITH RON They both come and sit by Measles. As RON sits down, the person on each side of him passes him a joint. He already has one in his mouth. He crosses his hands over his chest passing the two joints along. CLOSER ANGLE ON THE THREE OF THEM (to Howie)
Howie takes a toke on a joint.
As Howie and Measles talk, RON gets a preoccupied look on his face. His forehead wrinkles up. He looks around the room and sees a cute girl with very short dark hair looking right at him, with a stunned look on her face. (still talking to Howie)
Measles tries to hand a joint to RON, but he is oblivious to it. He is staring at the girl. (to RON)
The girl is smiling now in wonder. Measles and Howie (who is now listening in) are intrigued. (excited, whispering now)
(to RON)
RON is not really listening to them. He and the girl stand up at the same time. RON walks over to her, without saying anything, takes her hand, and they leave the room. ANGLE ON STAIRS LEADING TO THE OUTSIDE RON and the girl walk down the stairs side by side, not talking. Someone is banging on the front door. When they reach the bottom of the stairs RON opens the door. Darrell, Slagge, and Anne come bustling in, yelling in surprise and pleasure to see RON. (to RON)
He hugs RON who smiles faintly and from far, far away.
The three new arrivals figure that RON is blasted on acid. They look at each other knowingly. (more gently now)
As RON and the girl leave, we hear RON speaking almost to himself.
Darrell and Slagge chuckle.
TRACKING SHOT FOLLOWS as they start climbing the stairs.
ANGLE ON PARTY ROOM Darrell, Slagge, and Anne enter. Measles jumps up immediately and starts doing a little dance, hands fluttering in the air, as he recognizes his friends. He collects joints from around the table and hands one to each of the newcomers, while calling their names affectionately. Slagge declines his joint. (to Measles)
He dances over to the stereo and turns it up. ANGLE ON MEASLES He turns back to his friends, genuinely happy to see them.
With his dancing long red curls and his floppy clothes he looks a little like Bozo the clown. CUT TO: INT RON AND CHRIS'S APARTMENT - NIGHT RON and the dark-haired girl climb the last steps into the long hallway of the apartment that leads to the bedrooms. The dying flames in the fireplace flicker at the end of the hallway. RON takes her into his bedroom without bothering to turn on the light. They sit on the edge of his bed, facing each other. In the b.g. we can hear Gerry building toward another climax. Her voice is pure sexual joy. RON takes both of the girl's hands in his. The only light comes from the street lamp outside an uncurtained window. They look at each other for a minute, then RON leans forward slowly until his forehead is resting lightly against hers. They remain there, still and peaceful and calm. We still hear Gerry in the b.g. LONG DISSOLVE TO: INT. CHRIS AND RON'S APARTMENT - DAY Little Billy sits at the dining room table eating cereal. The phone is ringing on a table over by the bay window. Gerry comes in. She looks radiant. She tousles Billy's hair as she passes, walks over, and picks up the phone. Jon lies under the table, eating what Billy drops.
POV GERRY She is looking into a very large living room area, empty of furniture. Large bay windows run along the whole wall, opening the area to the daylight.
ANGLE ON DINING ROOM CHRIS comes walking in. He is barefoot and wearing only levis. His hair is disheveled. He looks a little fried from the previous evening, but happy. He sits down next to Billy with a spoon and starts eating out of Billy's bowl. Jon comes out from under the table.
Gerry motions for him to be quiet so she can talk. She gives CHRIS a look. Billy turns back to CHRIS who is making a weird face and letting cereal drool out of his mouth back onto the table. Billy laughs wildly. Jon licks the cereal off the table.
RON and his girl come into the room and then walk into the kitchen. They are almost glued to each other's side. CHRIS starts rough housing with Jon. (from the kitchen)
Sally is shy. She says hello but stays close to RON. We see them in the kitchen making coffee and kissing. Gerry is still on the phone.
(to RON)
ANGLE ON RON AND SALLY RON is putting a pot of water on the old gas stove. (to CHRIS)
She looks at him with raised eyebrows. (to CHRIS)
The telepathy between them has apparently faded. RON just looks at Chris - smiles and shrugs, mystified CUT TO: EXT. HAIGHT STREET - DAY CHRIS comes walking down Clayton to the main drag. The street is packed with people and cars. Jon trots along at his side. They thread their way through the crowd. Straight people view the scene from the safety of their cars - windows up, doors locked. They stare open mouthed at what they view as the exotic, weird "hippies". The Haight has become a tourist attraction He turns the corner and walks along with the crowd. Sixteen year old kids lean up against the buildings. (hawking his wares)
CHRIS is happy. The people around him are more colorful than ever. He stops briefly in an old Russian bakery and buys a pastry. Coming out of the bakery, he runs into Gino. (recognizing CHRIS)
They continue to walk in the same direction. Music blares out from various second story windows above the street. There is a party going on in one. CHRIS looks up and sees a young man leaning out a window, laughing. The man sees him and drops a smoking joint down to him. CHRIS catches it, waves, takes a hit, and walks on. (weaving in and out of the crowd)
TRACKING SHOT FOLLOWS CHRIS He turns on Clayton and walks down the hill toward the Panhandle, two blocks away. We can hear live music now and see a crowd forming in the trees of the park. As he passes Howie's place, he looks up and sees a figure in the upper window. (yelling up at the window)
ANGLE ON BOTH The man at the window turns and looks out. It's Emmett. Their eyes meet and they both instantly recognize a kindred spirit - a similar energy. Emmett smiles. Howie sticks his head out the window. In the b.g., up on Haight Street, a troop of Hell's Angels roar by on their bikes (yelling down at CHRIS)
(yelling up at the window)
TRACKING SHOT FOLLOW CHRIS He waves and heads down the street. Arriving at the Panhandle, he sees a crowd of two hundred people standing, sitting, milling about. The all-girl band is playing up a storm on the back of a flat bed truck. They are singing about some gypsy boy and how they would like to have his baby. CHRIS chuckles and scans the crowd. He sees Darrell and Slagge leaning up against a huge eucalyptus tree. Just as he is about to start in their direction, someone calls his name. He looks around and sees Frank, the peyote dealer, seated on a navajo blanket with a woman and a small baby. Frank waves and calls him over. The band comes to the end of their song and leaves the stage to hearty applause. CHRIS sits down on the blanket. He and Frank shake hands. The older man introduces CHRIS to his lady and baby. In the b.g. some roadies come up on stage and set up the equipment for a new band.
ANGLE ON SCENE A black man comes up on the flatbed and straps on a white Stratocaster upside down and left-handed. He is dressed in a fancy old military parade jacket, tight pants, and high boots. His boots are wrapped in animal skins. Feathers and beads hang off of him everywhere.
 Jimi Hendrix and the Experience break into "Purple Haze". At the first three chords every face in the crowd turns to the flatbed. This is something shockingly new. Never been heard before. The crowd immediately realizes that this is the music they've been waiting for, without even knowing it, ever since they turned on . This is their music. The applause and shouts of recognition roar up out of the crowd. Hendrix is surprised at the immediate appreciation. He smiles and pours it on. ANGLE ON MAP IN CHRIS'S HANDS The music continues as we examine the map and - DISSOLVE TO: EXT. COUNTRY HIGHWAY - DAY "Purple Haze" continues as we watch the milk truck cruise through the beautiful countryside of northern California. INT. TRUCK - DAY RON, Sally, CHRIS, Gerry, Billy, and Jon bounce along the two-lane country road. They talk and laugh, but we can't hear them - only the music. After a couple of dissolving shots showing the beautiful scenery, they pull up to their destination.  EXT. LARGE FARMHOUSE - DAY The sprawling old farm house sits on top of a grassy hill overlooking nearby hills and small valleys. In the distance, in back of the house, we see a couple of tee-pees and a large geodesic dome. A new wing is being built onto the farm house. A crew of long-haired young men are hard at work. The sound of electric saws cuts through the soundtrack and music comes to an end. The milk truck pulls up by the house, stops, and everyone piles out. ANGLE ON NEW WING Frank, stripped to the waist and holding a hammer, is standing on the rafters on the unfinished roof. He sees the new arrivals, waves, swings down, and comes walking briskly over to CHRIS. Frank, in his mid-thirties, is easily the oldest man there. He and CHRIS shake hands, as does RON, and introductions are made all around.
RON and CHRIS look at each other and then to the unfinished structure.
ANGLE ON GERRY She turns to CHRIS, smiling, stands on her tip toes, and gives him a kiss.
CHRIS laughs.
DISSOLVE TO: CLOSE ANGLE ON NEW WING OF THE HOUSE A young man with long blonde hair in a pony tail yells from the rafters.
As Frank instructs RON and CHRIS as to how they can help, someone inside the house puts on Henrix's first album. The needle jumps on the record and the music blasts out through an open window. A SERIES OF SHOTS We watch RON and CHRIS get into the swing of things - carrying lumber, cutting boards to length with a hand saw, whatever. CUT TO: EXT. COUNTRY SIDE - DAY We follow Gerry, Sally, Billy, and Jon as they walk down the path. It takes them through a stand of old oak trees and knee high grass. They come around a corner and see the river. At the same time, we hear the sound of female voices and children playing. POV GERRY AND SALLY The path leads down to the slow moving river. Lying on the grass at the river's edge are a half a dozen young women. None over twenty-five. None with any clothes on. They lie leisurely on the grass, talking amongst themselves, watching the children playing in the water, soaking up the sun, passing a joint. ANGLE ON THE RIVER'S EDGE Gerry and Sally approach and introduce themselves. They are met with openness and acceptance like sisters. One of the girls passes Gerry the joint. Just off to the side is a low wide wooden structure that looks like a small cabin. ANGLE ON WATER Four kids, two boys and two girls, none over five, play in the shallow water, laughing and splashing. They are also nude. ANGLE ON BILLY He is excited.
ANGLE ON BOTH Gerry is already undressing.
WIDE ANGLE OF SCENE Billy strips down and runs into the water with the other kids. Jon follows him in. In the distance, we can hear music from the house. One of the women walks into the river and starts swimming strongly against the current. The women are young and fit. The children happy. The sun shining. CUT TO: EXT. WING OF THE HOUSE - LATER IN THE DAY In the b.g., the sun is setting. The entire wing has now been sheeted in plywood, and the men are rolling on the black tar paper that goes under the shingling. We see the women and children coming up from the river, wrapped in towels and chemises. The children run ahead with Jon who chases them, barking. ANGLE ON ROOF OF HOUSE Frank and CHRIS are laying down the last strip of black paper across the peak of the roof. RON and two other young men proceed to nail it down. Frank cuts off the excess and then stands back to survey their work. He pulls a joint out of his carpenter's bags and lights it. The other men finish tacking the piece down. When they are done, they all sit or stand in a circle and pass the joint, watching the sun go down. CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN OF HOUSE - NIGHT The scene is lit with kerosene lamps - the old fashioned kind. Two women bustle around the large wood burning cook stove, tending the meal. Along one wall, a long wooden table is set for dinner. More than a dozen places are set. The men come in from the outside. People mingle around - men putting away tools and washing in the sink. The kids run in and out of everyone's legs. The women set the table. As if in a well choreographed dance, people move in and around each other, and suddenly, everyone is seated at the table. They all grow quiet. The residents of the house hold each other's hands. RON, CHRIS, and their ladies are slightly surprised at the ritual, but quickly join in. PANNING SHOT The camera moves along the table, examining the silent faces of the young people as they pause in a communal spirit before they eat. As we observe one after another, we see men and women in their late teens and early twenties. They are not strangers. They are not weirdoes. Most have recently dropped out of some university somewhere. They are well educated, middle class, American kids who are striking out in a different direction. Hoping to find a life more meaningful than the one they've left behind. As we see them now, with the perspective of history, they don't look radical at all. A couple of men have long hair, but most don't look much different than young college kids today. We also realize that even the children have grown quiet. The silence does not last long. Naturally, without anyone having to say anything, they break the circle of hands and begin to talk and pass the food around. DISSOLVE TO: C.U. ON BILLY He is leaning over his plate, wolfing down the last of his dinner. He takes a piece of bread and sops up the last drops of gravy. He leans back and is about to put this last bite in his mouth when something makes him look to the side. Jon is staring at him with laser-like concentration, ears forward, head cocked slightly to the side. ANGLE ON WHOLE TABLE As Billy looks around to see if anyone is watching him, the young blonde man we saw earlier gets up from the table. Billy tosses Jon the piece of bread. The dog catches it before it reaches the ground. The blonde boy walks toward the outside door. His name is Dennis. (to the table in general)
Other people get up and start clearing the table. As Dennis closes the door, we - CUT TO: EXT. RIVER'S EDGE - NIGHT The moon is full over the river. The water shines silver in its light. Smoke rises from a chimney on the roof of the low, wide, wooden structure. We hear crickets and night birds and frogs. CUT TO: INT. SUANA BUILDING - NIGHT Dennis sits naked on a wooden bench in front of a wood burning stove which is surrounded by a wire cage of river rocks. He is putting some wood into the stove which is already red hot where it meets the stove pipe. The low ceilinged room is lit by one candle. It's a sauna with red wood benches placed at different heights. Sweat runs off Dennis' body. The door opens and a half of a dozen people, including RON, CHRIS, Sally, and Gerry come in. The door is low, and they have to stoop to get through. One pretty brunette about eighteen years old comes over and sits next to Dennis. She kisses him on the neck and then stretches out languidly on the bench behind him. She, like everyone else, is naked. Dennis picks up a large jug of water at his side and sprinkles the rocks around the stove. A cloud of steam fills the room. DISSOLVE TO: ANGLE ON RON his head lies across Sally's lap. He isn't wearing his glasses. His hair is wet and slicked back - his hawk-like face, totally relaxed. (quietly to Sally)
ANGLE ON RON AND SALLY In the background CHRIS is pouring water over his head from the jug. He then throws some on the hot rocks, creating more steam. (almost whispering - stroking his forehead)
Sally bends over and kisses him full on the lips. (still whispering)
She kisses him again. The kiss lingers and deepens as the steam from the rocks once again obscures the scene. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. RIVER'S EDGE - NIGHT RON and CHRIS lie on the grass, wisps of steam rising from their bodies. Sally and Gerry are walking into the river. They are all still naked. The girls stop when the river reaches their upper thighs. Jon lies by CHRIS. CLOSE ANGLE ON CHRIS In the b.g. someone is again playing the Hendix album up at the house."The Wind Cries Mary" drifts across the night. (looking at the girls in the river)
(lying back, looking up at the stars)
(looking at the girls in the river)
CLOSE ANGLE ON SALLY AND GERRY They stand in the water under the full moon light. Gerry scoops up water in her palms and pours it down Sally's back. Their skin glistens with moisture. (cont. in b.g. in an almost disbelieving tone)
(b.g.)
As we watch Gerry and Sally, we hear Ginger, Gerry's twin. Her voice is deep with pleasure. (b.g.)
CUT TO: C.U. OF GINGER'S ARM UNDER A HARSH LIGHT Her arm is tied off with surgical tubing, causing the veins just below her inner elbow to bulge out. Stuck in the most prominent vein is a needle. Guy's hand is slowly injecting the contents into her arm. He is laughing softly. (Click here to go to Act III) For More Stories About Jerome Click Here Author's e-mail Home |