Script Synopsis of 6-Nitros

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TITLE: 6-NITROS                   READER: R. Vance

AUTHORS: Mike Teitelbaum
          H. Schneider            LOCALE: Baltimore/N.Y. 

FORM: Screenplay/117              BUDGET: Medium

FACT/FICTION: Fiction             GENRE: Drama/comedy

CIRCA: Present

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LOG LINE:

A plot by two retirees to assassinate a charismatic dictator
goes comically awry.

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COMMENTS SUMMARY:

The premise is fresh and engaging -- a bittersweet comedy that reminds us of "ON GOLDEN POND." We empathize with the elderly forced to live in an institution and with the lead character as he proves that his life still has worth. The writers keep a smart balance between the comedy, the development of the plot to kill the dictator and the emotional elements. The likable and well-drawn characters draw us into the story and give it color and style. 6 - NITROS is worth strong consideration for television or cable.

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                        EXCELLENT    GOOD   FAIR   POOR

PREMISE                   X

STORYLINE                    X

CHARACTERIZATION               X

DIALOGUE                    X

STRUCTURE                       X

SETTING                  X

OVERALL WRITING ABILITY    X

PROJECT RECOMMENDATION:         MARKET FOR TELEVISION/CABLE                                   PRODUCTION

WRITER RECOMMENDATION:           SOLICIT ADDITIONAL PROJECTS

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SYNOPSIS:

Two teenaged drag racers storm down the street. One of them, driven by Max Bigelow's grandson, EDDY BIGELOW, fails to make the curve and plows through the yard of the retirement home, scattering the elderly residents. MAX BIGELOW, a retired chemist, is particularly shaken and is carried to his room by the nursing staff. His friend, DORA MITCHELL, a retired seamstress, tries to comfort him, but the accident and knowledge that one of his grandsons was at the wheel has left Max in a sour mood.

In the activity room, Max, Dora and the other residents watch a newscast which tells them that terrorists are planning to blow up the Statue of Liberty. Max becomes upset and turns off the TV. He is frustrated with the meaningless nature of old age, he yearns to do something important. The next day, Max's son, RALPH, arrives for a visit, along with MURIEL, Ralph's wife, and DAVID and Eddy, Ralph's sons. There is an acrimonious confrontation between Max and Ralph, because Ralph pressured Max into selling his home when Max's wife died.

Danny asks Max for help in designing a science experiment. Max, who was just switched to nitroglycerine skin patches for his angina, suggests killing rats with skin patches. Danny is gung ho for the project.

In Sandustan, COLONEL GARRATA, the Sandustan leader and suspected drug trafficker, is attending the Fourth of July celebration at the U.S. Embassy. Outside, a bomb explodes and kills several demonstrators. GARRATA accuses the C.I.A. of planting the bomb and announces his intention to speak to the United Nations about U.S. aggressions. Max watches the news coverage and gets an idea: he's going to kill Garrata with a digitalis skin patch that he will design. Max shares his idea with Dora who is, of course, very surprised and opposed at first. But Max explains how he feels: empowered by even thinking of it and how killing Garrata would stop a huge quantity of drugs from entering the country and poisoning American kids. Dora, knowing that her granddaughter, Karen, had been hooked on drugs, warms up to the idea.

Max writes to the Sandustan Embassy and secures an invitation to hear Garrata speak to the United Nations.

Max and Dora begin implementing their plan - to manufacture a military shirt soaked in the digitalis mix, which they will give to Garrata as a gift. But they rouse the curiosity of DAVID WELLMAN and WILLIAM RANDALL, two other residents of the home, who warn the nursing staff that something bad is afoot. When Max steals a quantity of digitalis tablets, the nursing staff, headed by NURSE DONOVAN, a drill sergeant in drag, cracks down. Max, though, conceals the poison in his aftershave bottle, and Donovan fails to discover it. Meanwhile, Dora sews together the shirt meant for Garrata.

Their preparations complete, Max and Dora leave on a train for New York. Their departure does not go unnoticed. Donovan believes they may have a suicide pact. Ralph thinks they are eloping.

While Max and Dora enjoy the trip to New York, Ralph and Dora's daughter, JUDY, discover their destination and head out after them. At the same time, Danny, Eddy and Karen, head for New York in Eddy's souped-up Chevy to warn Max that Ralph and Judy are hot on their trail.

After some difficulty with muggers, Max and Dora reach the Waldorf Astoria only to find that instead of two separate rooms, they have been booked into a suite, and that Danny, Eddy and Karen have found them.

Max and Dora leave the grandchildren in the suite and head off on their mission. But Max forgets his nitro tablets, and the kids hurry after them. Ralph and Judy arrive at the hotel just as Max and Dora hop a cab for the United Nations. Ralph and Judy reach no one in the room, but are able to deduce that they are on the trail of the right old couple. They, too, head for the U.N.

Max and Dora reach the U.N. only to learn that they have arrived too late to gain entrance. Max is discouraged, but Dora runs in front of Garrata's motorcade as it leaves the U.N., and after some confusion, manages to show their invitation to the head of security. Garrata invites Max and Dora to join him, but by this time the kids have arrived and Max and Dora ride with them at the back of the motorcade.

Max and Dora arrive at the Sandustani consulate and are able to deliver the shirt. Their pleasure abruptly stops when they discover that they are to be used in a plot being hatched by MAJOR LUK MOMSA and SHAD BOK, two of Garrata's underlings, to kill Garrata. Momsa and Bok are the ones actually responsible for the drug traffic. To undue their mistake, Max and Dora must retrieve the shirt. Using Max's credit card, Max and Dora escape from a closet and expose the plot to the innocent Garrata. Garrata forces Momsa to accept the deadly shirt in his stead.

With his plot discovered, Momsa persuades Bok to shoot Garrata at the banquet.

The banquet begins. Momsa returns wearing the shirt - it scintillates with gold braid. Danny, carrying Max's nitro tablets, talks his way into the banquet hall. In front of the gathering, Garrata tells Momsa that the shirt is poisoned, and says that Momsa may remove it if he will confess to his and Shad Bok's involvement in the drug smuggling. Luk is about to confess when his perspiration activates the poison, and he falls over. Trying to escape, Bok points his gun at Garrata, but Danny deflects the bullet so that it just strikes Garrata in the shoulder. Danny leaps over tables and hustles Max and Dora out of the room.

Ralph and Judy arrive outside the consulate and find Eddy and Karen waiting by the Chevy. Within moments, Max, Dora and Danny are swept out with the rest of the crowd pouring out of the consulate, and the family is reunited. Later, Garrata and the American President reconcile their differences, and Max, Dora and Danny are awarded presidential medals for their bravery.

Max and Dora are set to be married at the retirement home, and Garrata sends them as his wedding gift a huge, framed portrait of himself wearing Dora's magnificent shirt. As they walk down the aisle, Max tells Dora about a new idea to assassinate another of the world's arch villains.

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COMMENTS:

"6 - Nitros" is an ambitious tale that reveals the loss of self respect which occurs when one is taken from familiar surroundings and is placed in a retirement home to await death. The comedic aspects of two retirees deciding to oppose the system and to demonstrate that their lives are not yet over pleasingly reveals the bleak future that many senior citizens face.

The premise of "6 - Nitros" is fresh and engaging. Although more time might be spent further developing the relationship between Max and Dora, the mixing of the grandchildren with the plot makes this more of a family fare.

I liked the premise and I liked Max. His quest reminds me of some of Jimmy Stewart's roles. Despite being put down by his son, by the nursing staff and by envious co-residents of the retirement home, Max retains his sense of humor and is determined to prove that his life is still worth something.

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Hey, Mike, I heard Milton Berle made on offer on this one.  I want to read the entire script.  Send me a copy.