BEDROOM. Spencer carlin . DAY
Blonde, somewhat fragile, intelligent in expression. She is
putting on make-up with intense concentration and
appreciation, applying lipstick and eye make-up.
. She is standing before the full-length mirror in her bedroom doing her make-up. She overdoes it in the style of the time: rosebud mouth and so forth.
,
The bedroom itself is a second-story bedroom in a lower-
class frame house in West Dallas, Texas. The neighbourhood
is low income. Though the room reveals its shabby
surroundings, it also reveals an attempt by Spencer to fix it
up. Small and corny objects d'art are all over the tops of
the bureaus, vanity tables, etc. (Little glass figurines and
porcelain statuettes and the like.)
Spencer finishes admiring herself. She walks from the mirror
and moves slowly across the room, until she reaches the screened window on the opposite wall. The shade is up. There are no curtains. She looks out the window, looking down,
BEDROOM. Spencer P.O.V.
Over her shoulder, we see the driveway leading to the garage
connected to the house. There is an old car parked in the
driveway, its windows open. We see a girl walking up the
driveway, somewhat furtively. she is a rather dapper fellow,
dressed in a dark suit with a vest, a white collar, and a
straw boater. It is Ashley Davies. Obviously, she is about
to steal the car. she looks it over, checking around her to
make sure no passers-by are coming. she peers inside the
front window to see if the keys are in the ignition. she
studies the dashboard. Spencer continues watching, silently.
Finally she calls out.
Spencer
Hey, you! What you doin' with my
mama's car?
DRIVEWAY.
Ashley, startled, jumps and looks to see who has caught her.
Obviously frightened, she looks up and her face freezes at
what she sees.
WINDOW. Ashley's P.O.V. day
We now see what she is looking at: at the open window,
revealed from the waist up, is the naked Spencer. She looks
down, an impudent half-smile on her face. She doesn't move
or make any attempt to cover herself
-- whose face changes from astonishment to an answering
smile of impudence. (Seeing what she has, she realizes that
this girl is clearly not going to scream for the police.
Already they are in a little game instigated by spencer,
sizing each other up, competing in a kind of playful
arrogance. Before they speak, they have become
co-conspirators.)
Spencer
Wait there!
BEDROOM.
Running from the window, she flings open a closet and grabs
a dress, and shoes. She slips on the shoes, and flings the
dress on, running out the door as she does.
. As she runs down the stairs she buttons up the dress.
DRIVEWAY. DAY.
She flies out the door, slamming it behind her, runs off the
Porch and continues quickly into
the driveway. Four feet away from Ashley, she stops on a
dime. They stand there, looking at each other, smiling the
same challenge. For a few seconds, no one speaks, then:
Spencer
(putting her on)
Ain't you ashamed? Tryin' to steal
an old lady's automobile.
Ashley
(with the same put-on)
I been thinkin' about buyin' me one.
Spencer
Bull. You ain't got money for
dinner, let alone buy no car.
Ashley
(still the battle of
wits going on)
Now I got enough money for cokes,
and since it don't look like you're
gonna invite me inside--
Spencer
You'd steal the dining room table
if I did.
Ashley
(she moves from her spot)
Come to town with me, then. How'd
that be?
Spencer
(starting to walk
onto the sidewalk)
Goin' to work anyway.
It is a hot Texas afternoon, all white light and glare. As they walk the block to town in this, their manner of mutual impudence is still pervading.
Ashley
Goin' to work, huh? What do you do?
Spencer
None of your business.
Ashley
(pretending to give
it serious thought)
I bet you're a...movie star!
(thinks)
No...A lady mechanic?...No...A
maid?--
Spencer
(really offended by that)
What do you think I am?
Ashley
(right on the nose)
A waitress.
Spencer
(slightly startled by
her accuracy, anxious
to get back now that
she is temporarily
one-up)
What line of work are you in? When
you're not stealin' cars?
Ashley
(mysteriously)
I tell you, I'm lookin' for suitable
employment right at the moment.
Spencer
What did you do before?
Ashley
(coolly, knowing its effect)
I was in State Prison.
Spencer
State Prison?
(she shows her surprise)
Ashley
Yeah.
Spencer
(herself again)
Guess some little old lady wasn't
so nice.
Ashley
(tough)
It was armed robbery.
Spencer
(sarcastically)
My, my, the things that turn up in
the driveway these days.
MAIN STREET. DAY.
--a small-town street of barber shops, cafes, groceries, etc.
At the moment, it is deserted. They continue walking down
the empty street. Ashley looks the place over. Tracking.
Ashley
What do y'all do for a good time
around here, listen to the grass
grow?
Spencer
Guess you had a lot more fun up at
State Prison, huh?
Ashley laughs, enjoying her repartee. They continue walking.
At a hydrant, Ashley stops.
Ashley
(showing off, but seriously)
See this foot?
(pointing at her
right foot)
I chopped two toes off of it. With
an axe.
Spencer
(shocked)
What? Why?
Ashley
To get off the damn work detail,
that's why.
(stopping)
Want to see?
Spencer
(a lady of some sensitivity)
No!...
(turning a cute)
I surely don't intend to stand here
and look at your dirty feet in the
middle of Main Street.
They continue walking in silence past a few stores, each
planning what next to say.
Spencer
girl, did you really do that?
Ashley
Yeah.
Spencer
You must be crazy.
EXT. GAS STATION. DAY.
Gas station up the block. Spencer and Ashley are seen leaning
against the soft drink chest, their profiles silhouetted by
the bright sun. They are drinking cokes. As they begin to
talk,. Ashley takes off
her hat and rubs the cold coke bottle across her forehead.
Spencer watches her.
Spencer
What's it like?
Ashley
Prison?
Spencer
(very interested)
No, armed robbery.
Ashley
(she thinks it a silly question)
It's...I don't know...it isn't like
anything.
Spencer
(thinking she's heard
proof that she's a liar)
Hah! I knew you never robbed bo
place, you faker.
ashley
(challenged)
Oh, yeah?
(studies her, then
makes up her mind to
show her)
Gun. Day. she reaches in her jacket and pulls
out a gun.
STREET.
Spencer looking at it with fascination. The weapon has an immediate effect on her. She touches it in a manner almost sexual, full of repressed excitement.
spencer
(goading her on)
Yeah, well you got one all right, I
guess...but you wouldn't have the
gumption to use it.
7.
ashley
(picking up the
challenge, proving herself)
You just keep your eyes open.
LITTLE GROCERY STORE ACROSS THE STREET. DAY.
ashley goes into the little store. Spencer remain outside
watching. For a minute nothing happens. she can
barely see what is going on in the store. Then ashley comes
out, walking slowly. In one hand she holds the gun, in the
other a fistful of money. she gets halfway, to spencer and
smiles broadly at her, a smile of charm and personality.
She smiles back. The moment is intense, as if a spark has
jumped from one to the other. Their relationship, which
began the minute spencer spotted her in the driveway, has now
really begun. ashley has shown her stuff and spencer is
"turned on."
Suddenly the old man who runs the grocery store comes
running out into the street, completely dumbfounded. He
stands there and says nothing, yet his mouth moves in silent
protest. ashley points the gun above him and fires.
. The old man, terrified, runs back into the store as
fast as he can, ashley quickly grabs spencer's hand. And they walk away
STORE. AT THE EDGE OF TOWN. DAY.
A car is parked at the back of the store. As soon as they
reach it, ashley motions and spencer gets in. ashley runs to
the front, lifts up the hood and crosses the wires to make
it start. As she stands back, spencer calls to her:
spencer
Hey, what's your name, anyway?
ashley
(she slams the hood)
Ashley davies.
sHe runs over to the door, opens it, shoves her over, and
starts up the engine. The entire sequence is played at an
incredible rapid pace.
8.
BONNIE
(loud, to make
herself heard over
the gunning motor)
Hi, I'm Spencer carlin . Please to
meet you.
ROAD. DAY.
VROOM! The car zooms off down the road, doing 90. The fast
country breakdown music starts up on the sound track, going
just as fast as the car.
CAR. DAY.
The car, still speeding, further down the road. ashley is driving, spencer is all over her, biting her ear,ruffling her hair, running her hands all over her--in short, making passionate love to her while she drives. The thrill of the robbery and the escape has turned her on sexually.
. DAY.
. The car starts to go crazy in a comical fashion, just what is happening to the driver controlling it. The
car swerves all over the road. The car comes to a sudden
halt. The car starts again. It swerves this time almost
right off the road before it straightens out. It jumps and
jerks. Another car comes down the road the other way and
ashley's car swerves so much as to make the guy drive
right off the road into the dirt. It is almost Mack Sennett
stuff, but not quite that much.
. CAR. Ashley and spencer.
spencer grabs the wheel and turns it sharply.
CAR. DAY.
It hairpins off the road onto a shoulder beneath some trees.
CAR. spencer AND Ashley DAY.
--still settling to a stop. spencer and ashley appear to be
necking heavily now, punctuated by spencers's squeals of
passion as she squirms and hops about like a flea, trying to
get to ashley. The floor gear-shift is keeping their bodies
apart, however. In exasperation, spencer takes the gear
shift and shoves it forward out of their way. She plunges
onto ashley, burying her from view.
9.
spencer
(kissing, biting)
...You ready?...
ashley
(muffled, laughing)
...Hey, wait...
spencer
(giggling herself)
Aren't you ready? Well, get ready!
Spencer has obviously touched her. With savage coquetry she
tears into her clothes and ashley.
spencer
(muffled)
C'mon, honey, c'mon, gril...let's
go...let's...
ashley
(muffled)
Hey...hey, wait a minute...quit
that now, cut it out.
(sharply)
I said, cut it out!
she shoves her rudely away, slamming her into the far car
door. Suddenly it looks as if they've been fighting. Both
unbuttoned and unglued, they stare silently at one another,
breathing heavily. ashley gets out of the car, clearly
shaken. Despite the fact that she may have encountered this
situation many times before, it's one that no twenty-one-
year-old girl in 1932 is sophisticated enough to dismiss
easily with bravado.
spencer remains seated in the car. She seems terribly
vulnerable. She fumbles about for a cigarette, too confused
to figure out what didn't happen. ashley turns back and
reaches through the car window from the driver's side,
lighting it for her. BONNIE casts CLYDE a fishy stare, then
accepts the light.
CLYDE
(trying to be casual,
even insouciant)
Look, I don't do that. It's not
that I can't--
(his voice cracks,
the match burns his
fingers, and he bangs
his head onto roof of
car, and he goes
right on)
--it's just that I don't see no
percentage in it.
(MORE)
10.
ashley (CONT'D)
I mean there's nothin' wrong with
me, I don't like boys.
spencer doesn't know what she thinks, and ashley is trying to
gauge her reaction--whether she feels rejected or repelled.
In fact, it's both--along with a little latent fascination.
spencer
(finally, spitting
out smoke)
Boy...boy...boy...
CLYDE
(a little annoyed)
Boy, what?
spencer
Your advertising is dandy. Folks'd
just never guess you don't have a
thing to sell.
(a little afraid)
You better take me home, now.
ashley
(getting back into car)
Wait!
spencer
Don't touch me!
She gets out of car, leaving ashley draped across the front
seat, reaching after her.
ashley
(almost shouting)
If all you want's,
then get on back to West Dallas and
stay there the rest of your life!
This stops her. Now ashley pours it on, with an almost
maniacal exuberance that becomes more controlled as she gets
control of spencer.
spencer
But you're worth more'n that, a lot
more, and you know it, and that's
why you come along with me. You
could find a lover on every
corner in town and it doesn't make
a damn to them whether you're
waiting on tables or picking
cotton, so long as you cooperate.
But it does make a damn to me!
11.
Spencer
(turning, intrigued)
Why?
ashley
Why? Because you're different!
You're like me and you want
different things.
spencer is hooked now.
ashley
(continuing)
You and me travelin' together, we
could cut clean acrost this state,
and Kansas, too, and maybe dip into
Oklahoma, and Missouri or whatnot,
and catch ourselves highpockets and
a highheeled ol' time. We can be
somethin' we could never be alone.
I'll show you...when we walk into
the Adolphus Hotel in San Antone',
you wearin' a silk dress, they'll
be waitin' on you and believe me,
sugar, they're gonna know your last
name.
she stops, having begun to woo her to something more intense
than a casual, physical coupling.
spencer
When'd you figure that all out?
ashley
First time I saw you.
spencer
How come?
ashley
(intensely, with real honesty)
'Cause you may be the best damn
girl in Texas.
spencer
Who are you, anyway?