Blackthorne--Scene Twenty-Four

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Blackthorne

Cinemagenic Twenty-Four

Shave & a Haircut

“The best reason I can think of for not running for President,

is that I’d have to shave twice a day.”--Adlai Stevenson.

1(sound cue) harmonica lullaby.

2(medium two-shot)

--Barber: I’m Barnes, what’s your pleasure?

--Hunter: I’m Buck, a shave & a haircut would be much

appreciated. 

3(medium shot) Barnes checks a red kettle on a pot bellied stove 

behind them; it’s steaming. He is a tall man with wide shoulders

and large hands, with an erect posture, balding with a shiny pate,

wearing a thick salt & pepper mustache with mutton chops, a short

white barber’s jacket & an orange bow tie. 

4(medium close-up) Barnes lays out three chrome pairs of scissors,

and two straight razors--then commenced to strop a thick leather

strap.

5(sound cue) the sound of a straight razor blade slapping against

the scarred leather. 

6(medium close-up) Buck props up the Sharps against a small table,

still within reach, then thumps his black hat on a sideboard; part of

a china cabinet with a marvelous collection of pocket watches in it.

--Buck: kind of warm in here with that stove--mind if I open the door

a mite?

7(close-up) 

--Barnes: sure, kick her open, it’s a fine morning.

8(sound cue) piano & violin. 

9(medium shot) Buck opens the door as the two cow bells

clang.

10(close-up) Buck whistles shrilly. 

11(medium wide shot) Cheewa slides silently into the shop, & lies

down under the table, watching the street.

12(two shot)

--Barnes: I don’t hold much with dogs in my shop, mister.

--Buck: he’ll mind his manners; he won’t mess up your sawdust

none.

13(hold the two-shot) angle on the barber over Buck’s shoulder;

--Barnes: what if another customer comes in?

--Buck: he never bites unless I tell him to.

14(mediuim close-up) Cheewa curls up a lip & growls.

15(close-up) Barnes setting his jaw in resignation.

16(medium two-shot) Barnes latches a barber’s striped apron

around Buck’s neck, then pours out hot water from the red

kettle into a brown ceramic bowl; dips then wrings out a

steaming cloth.

17(sound cue) banjo & accordion.

18(tight two-shot) Buck closes his eyes as the barber places

the steaming cloth on his face.

--Barnes: I don’t like dogs.

--Buck: don’t tell him that--he’s very sensitive. 

19(medium two-shot) Barnes begins trimming Buck’s long 

thick hair with a shiny pair of scissors.

--Barnes: what was all that shooting about, up the street

a while ago?

20(medium close-up) Barnes is massaging Buck’s face through

the hot towel;

--Buck: couple of fellas took to scuffling over one of the ladies

at the CHINA DOLL.

21(tight two-shot) Barnes lifts off the hot towel, & Buck’s

beard is sparkling & steaming.

--Barnes: anyone get hurt?

--Buck: one of the bully guards got himself shot.

22(medium two-shot) the barber picks up two pairs of scissors

& returns to cutting hair.

23(sound cue) scissors snipping & clacking:

--Barnes: which one?

--Buck: the big ugly one.

24(tight two shot) angle on

--Barnes: Ramos? I hope to hell it was Ramos.

--Buck: we didn’t get around to exchanging handles.

25(sound cue) blues guitar double slide.

26(wide two-shot)

--Barnes; so you were there? did you get in on any of

the shooting.

--Buck: I was there.

27( open up wide shot) cut to angle behind the men, with

the black dog still watching the street:

--Barnes: I heard some glass shattering before the shots;

damn place is a chamber of horrors, it ought be torched.

--Buck: did you say chamber of whores?

--Barnes chuckles.

--Buck: I been in worse.

28(sound cue) saloon piano.

29(close-up)

--Barnes: couple of men a week get killed or crippled

in that pusshole.

30(close-up)

--Buck: doesn’t this chickenshit town still have a sheriff?

31(sound cue) soft guitar strumming.

32(medium two-shot)

--Barnes: oh yeah, we got ourselves a sheriff, Joe Hopp--

wears a tin badge, has a deputy, locks drunks up in his

jail & everything.

33(cut to medium wide shot) Barnes is silent, trimming now

on Buck’s skunk-striped beard.

--Buck: but?

34(medium close-up)

--Barnes: but nothing, it is Cash Bronson that runs this town.

Joe Hopp is very aware of the dozen gunslingers Bronson

employs--& if he ever meddled into the goings-on at the

CHINA DOLL, Bronson would squash him like a cockroach,

wiping his brains off the boot like it was cow shit. 

35( two-shot) angle on

--Buck: so Bronson makes the law here?

--Barnes: I didn’t say that; it has nothing to do with the law--

it has everything to do with the power. 

36(close-up) 

--Buck: what the fuck--there’s a Bronson in every town. 

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at dVerse Poets OLN134

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