MRS T. (THOMAS.): Aged 59.   Medium height and build. Randy’s mother.

JUNE HOLLIDAY: Aged 22.   Tall, medium built.

MARGIE SUMNERS: Aged 26.   Tall, plumpish.   Barmaid.

BILL WILLIAMS: Aged 29.   Short and stocky.   U.S. Corporal.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON: Aged 16.   Tall, thin, U.S. Private.   Mrs T’s boarder.

WENDY HEINZE: Aged 20.   Tall, but shapely.

PEGGY: Second barmaid.

1ST AUSSIE DRINKER

2ND AUSSIE DRINKER

DAVO ROSS: Taxi driver.

DRINKER: Demanding drink; heckling Randy.

1ST AUSSIE SOLDIER

U.S. M.P.

EXTRAS:
other drinkers at pub; 2 U.S. marines in fight scenes act
one; people in streets of Brisbane; people in back yard of pub; Aussie who dances with Wendy; other couples dancing; two GIs in fight scene, Act 3; 2nd Aussie soldier in fight in act three.

INTERIOR SETS

MRS THOMAS’S HOUSE
— living room
— kitchen
— Randy’s bedroom
— front hallway

MARGIE SUMNERS’S PUB
— public bar area
— dancing area

BACK SEAT OF TAXI

EXTERIOR LOCATIONS
STREETS OF BRISBANE
— outside

MRS T.’s house
— outside

JUNE HOLLIDAY’s beauty salon
— on the way to

MARGIE SUMNERS’s pub
— outside the U.S CLUB

BACK YARD OF MARGIE SUMNERS’S PUB

TEASER:

FADE IN:
INT. MARGIE SUMNERS’S PUB, PUBLIC BAR — LATE AFTERNOON
— BRISBANE, MONDAY NOVEMBER 2, 1942

The head barmaid, MARGIE SUMNERS, a tallish woman in her mid twenties; is standing at the bar peering into the crowd of drinkers sitting at a number of tables.

From time to time people come over and she serves them with drinks.

MARGIE SUMNERS is by nature cynical and sarcastic, and not
above using the war to her own advantage.

Most of the drinkers have U.S. Army uniforms, but a few have Aussie or English uniforms, or are dressed as civilians.

RANDY THOMAS is sitting by himself at the table on the right.   Randy is a tallish man of around twenty-five, who is muscular, but is developing a bit of a paunch.   He is war-weary and has developed an unreasonable hatred of the Americans in Brisbane.

BILL WILLIAMS, dressed in U.S. uniform, is sitting at another table with WENDY HEINZ and JUNE HOLLIDAY.   Williams is shortish and squat from too much of the easy life since coming to Australia.

Wendy is gorgeous, but an airhead.

June is pretty and the smart one of the group.   She is kind by nature, but like the others will do almost anything to get through the war.

Williams has an empty beer glass in front of him, and the two women are sipping fancy mixed drinks.

RANDY THOMAS
Come on Margie!   How about a beer over here for a change?

Margie looks up from where she is serving an R.A.A.F. airman at the bar.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Hold your horses, Randy.   You’ll have to wait your turn like everybody else.

RANDY THOMAS
But I’ve been waiting for over forty minutes now!   How many more can there be in line ahead of me?

MARGIE SUMNERS
I told you, wait your bloody turn.

INT. PUBLIC BAR — TEN MINUTES LATER

RANDY THOMAS
Come on, how about a beer, Marg?

MARGIE SUMNERS (Angry.)
Wait your bloody turn.

BILL WILLIAMS (Shouting.)
How about a beer over here, honey?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Sure thing, coming right up.

Margie leans down under the counter for a glass, then pulls a beer.

She opens the counter and steps out into the bar carrying the beer glass.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, about bloody time.

Margie walks straight past Randy and gives the glass of beer to Williams.

He takes an Australian pound note from his shirt pocket and hands the note over.

BILL WILLIAMS
Buy yourself a drink out of that too, honey.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Thanks.   Don’t mind if I do.

She picks up Williams’ empty glass, and then looks at the women whose glasses are still half full.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Are you two all right?

BILL WILLIAMS
I’ll say they are.

He reaches out to give them both a gentle squeeze on the rump.

Wendy squeals, then giggles; June glares at him then looks toward Margie.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Yes, thanks.

Margie turns and walks back to the counter.

She makes change at the cash register, then walks back over to Williams and hands him his change, which she he pockets.

RANDY THOMAS
For God’s sake Marg!   What about me?

MARGIE SUMNERS
How many times do I have to tell you?   Wait your bloody turn!

BILL WILLIAMS (Turning in his seat.)
What’s the problem pal?   Having trouble getting a drink?

RANDY THOMAS
You’re not far wrong.

BILL WILLIAMS (To Margie.)
A beer for my pal, honey.
(To Randy.)
Why don’t you come and join us?   There’s plenty of room over here.

Randy stands and walks over and sits next to June as Margie walks out of SHOT to the left.

BILL WILLIAMS
Hi, I’m Bill Williams.

He holds out his right hand and Randy shakes it across the table.

RANDY THOMAS (Puzzled.)
William Williams?

BILL WILLIAMS
Don’t blame me. It was my parents’ idea.   I didn’t even know about it until it was too late to make a fuss.

RANDY THOMAS
I’m Randy Thomas.

WENDY HEINZE (Smirking.)
So you’re Randy, are you?

RANDY THOMAS
Maybe you’d like to stay around and find out.

Wendy and Williams laugh raucously; June and Randy smile.

BILL WILLIAMS
That was a good joke, buddy.

RANDY THOMAS
So who was joking?

June elbows Williams lightly in the ribs.

BILL WILLIAMS
Oh yeah, and this is June.
(Pointing at June.)

JUNE HOLLIDAY
June Holliday.

RANDY THOMAS
How do you do?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh not too badly.

BILL WILLIAMS (Turning toward Wendy.)
And this….

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t tell me, let me guess…
(Half a beat.)
This is your July holiday, right?

They all laugh, except Wendy, who looks puzzled.

WENDY HEINZE
I don’t get it?

BILL WILLIAMS (To Wendy.)
It was just a little joke, honey.

WENDY HEINZE (Uncertain.)
Oh.

She gives a very phoney sounding giggle.

BILL WILLIAMS (To Randy.)
Actually she’s Wendy Heinz.

WENDY HEINZE (To Randy.)
How do you do?

RANDY THOMAS
I stay around and you might find out.

Williams laughs.   Wendy looks uncertain, but follows Williams’ lead and laughs a little too loudly.

Margie walks back into SHOT from the left, carrying a beer, which she hands to Randy.

BILL WILLIAMS
My shout, buddy.

He takes a ten-shilling note from his shirt pocket and hands the note to Margie.

BILL WILLIAMS
Keep the change, honey.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Gee thanks.

Margie gives Randy a dirty look, and then walks out of SHOT to the left.

BILL WILLIAMS (To Randy.)
Drink up pal, there’s plenty more where that came from.

INT. PUBLIC BAR — TEN MINUTES LATER

BILL WILLIAMS (To Randy.)
I guess you Aussies must resent us Yanks coming over to your country, drinking all your beer, and taking all your women off you?

RANDY THOMAS
You aren’t taking all our women off us, sport.   You’re just sorting them out for us.

Wendy jumps to her feet.

WENDY HEINZE (Shouting.)
Did you hear that, Yank?   If you were any kind of a man at all, you’d tear his balls off and make him eat them…!
(Half a beat.)
Go on Yank, kick his guts in!

Williams jumps to his feet and runs around the table to throw a punch at Randy.

Randy avoids the blow and belts Williams in the face.

Williams staggers, but stays on his feet.

Wendy and June back out of the way quickly.

Williams glances a blow off Randy’s cheek, but Randy fells Williams with a blow to the stomach, followed by one to the face.

AUSSIE DRINKER (Shouting.)
Fight!   Fight!

A number of chairs are pushed back, as people jump to their feet to join in the fight.

Two U.S. marines race across toward Randy, who fells one of the marines with a blow to the face.

Then Randy is knocked off his feet by the other marine.

Randy stands again and is hit twice in the face by the marine, but wards off a third blow and fells the marine with two sharp blows to the face.

Margie appears in SHOT from the left, as there is the SOUND OF OTHER CHAIRS BEING PUSHED BACK.

Margie turns to face the drinkers.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Shouting.)
If anyone else comes over here, I’ll call the cops!   This is a respectable place.   We don’t want any trouble here.

AUSSIE DRINKER
Oh Margie!   You’re such a party-pooper!

Wendy sneaks up behind Randy and clubs him on the back of the head with one of her shoes.   He falls to his knees.

Wendy raises her arm to hit Randy again, when June runs over and belts Wendy in the face.

Wendy grunts and collapses to the floor.

June helps Randy, who is still groggy, to his feet.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Here, I’ll give you a hand.

She takes him by one shoulder and they walk out of SHOT together to the LHS.

EXT. OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC BAR — DAY
June & Randy walk out, with Randy staggering and almost falling.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Just lean on me.
(He does as suggested.)
And don’t take any liberties.

RANDY THOMAS
Spoil sport.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Which way?

Randy points and they start off in that direction.

FADE OUT:

END OF TEASER:

ACT ONE:

FADE IN:
INT. THOMASES’S HOME — DAY — LIVING ROOM

MRS T. is sitting in an armchair on the LHS.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON, a very young-looking GI in uniform, is sitting in the middle of the sofa.   On a coffee table in front of the sofa sits a teapot on a tray, along with a plate of sweet biscuits.

Dwight and Mrs T are each nursing a cup of tea and a saucer.

A paper bag of knitting sits on the floor at Mrs T’s feet.

Mrs T is a kindly woman although uneducated, who tries her best to make Randy act more reasonably toward the Americans.

Dwight is a war-struck teenager who joined under-aged to get a chance to fight, thinking it is all a bit of a game.   Although the opposite of Randy, Dwight soon starts to hero-worship the older man.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, Mrs Thomas.

MRS T.
Anything for the war effort dear.   If we can’t help our allies, who can we help?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Thanks anyway.   I know there are a lot of people who don’t feel that way.

MRS T.
Well, we can’t have you boys all living permanently out in tents on the Gabba now can we?   It must be hard enough for you all being uprooted from your homeland and dumped together in the thousands in a new country.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yeah it is, Mrs Thomas…
(Half a beat.)
To be quite frank about it, this is the first time I’ve ever been away from home.

MRS T.
Then you still live with your parents?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
With my mom.   My parents separated nine years ago.

MRS T.
Oh I’m sorry…
(Half a beat.)
Didn’t you ever camp out in the boy scouts or in any overnight camps at school?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, not a one.

MRS T.
Then it really must be a struggle for you to accustom yourself to life down under?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, yes and no.   It seems a little strange to be away from home; away from America for the first time ever.   But at the same time it is great to be able to see a bit of the world for a change…
(Half a beat.)
Not that I’m really looking forward to France or New Guinea right at the moment.

MRS T.
Is that liable to happen any time now?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I don’t really know…
(Half a beat.)
I don’t think so.   I think we’re meant to act as a sort of rear-guard in case the Japanese decide to make another attack on Darwin; to stop them from sweeping down across Australia.   If they do manage to capture the Northern Territory.

MRS T.
But the attack on Darwin was nearly a year ago and there hasn’t been any hint of a recurrence.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Still you never can tell.   They could be just waiting till we aren’t looking, to have another go at it.

Mrs T has finished her tea, and reaches to pick up her knitting.

She takes it from the bag, and goes on knitting while talking.

MRS T.
Then you could be in Brisbane for quite some time yet?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
For years, if the war doesn’t end quickly.

MRS T.
Then it’s a good thing you didn’t move into a boarding house.   I hear that some of them are really fleecing you GIs; charging two or three times the normal rate.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
A lot more in some cases; up to eight or even ten times their normal charge.

MRS T.
My God that’s disgusting!   Isn’t it bad enough having to live through this war; never knowing when your son, husband or brother might be killed, without all of this profiteering on the side?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I guess it’s just human nature to want to get something good out of a bad situation.

MRS T.
Well, it’s disgusting if you ask me.   Here we are supposedly your allies, and yet we fleece you for all you’re worth, never knowing when you might be called away to get killed in combat.
(Shaking head.)
How do they do it?   I wonder how they could live with themselves, if they fleeced some poor boy and then read his name in the death notices a week later?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I guess he wouldn’t need it himself then, anyway.

MRS T.
That’s not the point.   If we treat out own allies like that, what will we do to the Germans and the Japanese when we win the war?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
They’re the enemy.   Why worry about them?

MRS T.
They’re human beings too.   Never forget that, love.   It’s the leaders who are to blame for all this stupidity.   Not the common German or Japanese soldiers.   They’re only doing their patriotic duty, the same as our boys are.

There is a moment’s silence while Mrs T knits.

MRS T.
I’m just glad to be able to help one of our allies not to be fleeced.   I just wish I had room to billet more of you.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
That’s okay.   Every one helps and there are thousands of Aussie families who have offered to take in one or more of our boys.

MRS T.
Well, that’s good to hear.   It helps to make up to some degree for what other Australians are doing to your people.

Dwight finishes his tea, and standing, carries his cup over and places it on the tray, then walks back to the sofa and sits again.

MRS T.
I’d offer you something stronger to drink, but Randy is down to his last two bottles of beer.   And I’m not certain how he would react if I gave you any of it.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
That’s okay Mrs Thomas, I don’t drink anyway.

MRS T. (Surprised.)
Really?   But Randy always says that all you Americans drink.
Dwight laughs for a moment.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Maybe I will after I turn eighteen….

He stops and looks embarrassed.

MRS T. (Surprised.)
But don’t you have to be eighteen to enlist in the United States?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Embarrassed.)
Well, er, in theory you do…
(Half a beat.)
But in America they are so desperate for recruits, that as long as you claim to be over eighteen, they’ll never challenge your age.

MRS T. (Shocked.)
What do the parents in your country say to that?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Usually nothing.   Most of them are too keen to get a war hero in the family, even a dead war hero, to complain…
(Half a beat.)
And there are thousands of people in America each year who simply disappear.   So a lot of parents don’t even know their son has enlisted.

MRS T.
But there must be some parents in America who care enough for their sons’ lives to complain, surely!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Oh yes, a few do, and the army always releases their sons in those cases.   But otherwise if you’re from Al to F10 and you want to enlist, then you’re as old as you say you are in the U.S.A.

MRS T.
Well, how old are you, love!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I celebrated my sixteenth birthday a month ago.

MRS T.
My God!

FRONT DOOR OPENS RHS of SHOT and Randy and June walk into SHOT from the right.

Randy is still a little groggy, but is now able to walk without help.

Randy sits on the RHS of the sofa; June on the left, with Dwight between them.

MRS T.
Oh Randy!   You haven’t been drinking too much again, have you?

RANDY THOMAS
How can I drink too much on only one glass of beer?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
It depends how big the glass is.

MRS T. (To Randy.)
You don’t really expect me to believe that you went down to the hotel just for one drink, do you?

RANDY THOMAS
No, I went down there to have twenty or thirty beers.   But there were so many bloody Yanks there, that all I ended up with was the one drink…
(Half a beat.)
With the beer rationing they’re doing, the pubs are only allowed to open for one hour a day.

MRS T.
Still at the rate you get through the amber fluid Randy, you could have had forty or fifty drinks in an hour.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh go easy Mum, these days it’s damn near impossible to even get served down the rub-de-dub if you aren’t decked out in a bloody Yankee uniform.   You could be the first in line with forty Yanks behind you, and every one of them would get served twice, before you even got a look in.
(Shaking head.)
Christ!   And we were worried about the Japs taking over the country.   We’d be better off if they did.   At least they’d stick to saké and leave the beer to us…
(Half a beat.)
Not like the bloody Yanks who act as though they’ve got shares in the breweries or something.

Randy turns to face June and notices Dwight for the first time.

RANDY THOMAS (Startled.)
Strike me silly, we’ve been invaded!
(To Dwight.)
All you’re getting’s me name, cause I don’t have a rank or serial number.

MRS T.
Randolph!

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
All I ask is that you spare the lives of the women.

MRS T. (Angry.)
Randolph?   We aren’t at war with America.

RANDY THOMAS
My God, don’t tell me we lost?   And I had five quid saying we’d win.

MRS T. (Frustrated.)
Oh Randolph!   Why can’t you be serious for a change?

RANDY THOMAS
But I am being serious…
(Half a beat.)
For a change.
(To June.)
You can tell when she’s gone niggly on me because she starts calling me Randolph.   She knows how much I hate that.

MRS T.
Well, blame your father.   He’s the one who named you.   I wanted to call you Bucket-Of-Mud.

They all laugh for a moment.

RANDY THOMAS
Now you know where I got my sick sense of humour from.

MRS T.
Oh Randy, why can’t you just accept the fact that the Americans are our allies?

RANDY THOMAS
The Americans are no one’s ally except their own.   There’s no way I’ll ever get used to seeing their uniforms polluting the streets and pubs of Brisbane!

MRS T. (Angry.)
Well, you’ll just have to try to get used to seeing one American uniform around here anyway.
(Pointing at Dwight.)
Because I’ve asked Dwight to stay with us for a while.

RANDY THOMAS (Shocked.)
What?
(Standing.)
For how long?

MRS T.
Probably until the end of the war.

RANDY THOMAS
Christ!   Then I hope it ends soon.   Preferably sometime this afternoon.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Don’t we all?

Randy walks toward the kitchen, LHS of SHOT, stops and looks back.

RANDY THOMAS (To Mrs T.)
Would you like a beer, mum?

MRS T.
Yes thanks, love.

RANDY THOMAS
June?   I’d offer you something else, but all we’ve got is beer.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Beer will do fine.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
I won’t even bother to ask you, Yank.   I’ve never known an American yet who’d refuse a beer.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Actually I don’t drink.

RANDY THOMAS
What?
(Clutching his ears/Shouting.)
Quick somebody get a doctor!
(Calm.)
My hearing must be going on me.   I thought I heard him say that he doesn’t drink.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, water occasionally maybe even the odd glass of milk, but that’s about all.

RANDY THOMAS
Then come off it, you’re no bloody Yank.
(To June.)
He’s probably a Jap spy, pretending to be a Yank.   I thought his eyes looked a bit funny…
(Half a beat.)
Not to mention his Js, his Ks and his Ls.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph!

RANDY THOMAS
Hang on a minute, I haven’t finished yet…
(Half a beat.)
Not to mention his Ms, his Ns and his Os…
(Half a beat.)
All right, I’m finished now.   I’ll go and get the beer.

Randy starts to walk into the kitchen.

MRS T. (To Dwight.)
You’ll have to pardon Randy.   He can be a bit strange at times.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yes, I’ve noticed.

June and Mrs T laugh.

Randy stops and turns back.

RANDY THOMAS
I’ll do the jokes around here, if you don’t mind, Yank.

MRS T. (To Randy.)
His name is Dwight; not Yank.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I thought we’d established I can’t be a Yank if don’t drink.

RANDY THOMAS
Yes, you’re right.   It’s the eleventh commandment: Yankeths shalt drinketh by the Red Sea-eth full!

Mrs T and Dwight laugh.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Angry.)
Well, he certainly can’t be an Aussie either, if he doesn’t drink!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh pardon me!   I forgot that you’re the one who has the hots for the Americans.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Standing/Shouting.)
Well, at least they know how to treat a woman like a lady!

RANDY THOMAS
They ought to; they’ve had enough bloody practice…
(Half a beat.)
With our bloody women!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh go to Hell!

June storms across to the front door, RHS of SHOT, opens it, steps out and SLAMS the door.

MRS T.
I think you put your foot in that one Randolph.   She seemed like a very nice girl.

RANDY THOMAS
Very nice Australian girls don’t hang around with the Americans.
(Shaking head.)
And I thought there was a law against fraternising with the enemy?

MRS T.
Oh Randy!   Don’t be so bloody silly!   The Americans are not our enemy.

RANDY THOMAS
They aren’t?

MOVING SHOT following Randy as he walks toward LHS of SHOT.

He pushes open a small door and walks through.

INT. KITCHEN — DAY — RANDY THOMAS
enters from the living room.

He opens the fridge door, pulls out a bottle of beer and heads over toward the sink.

INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY

MRS T.
So you will most likely be in Brisbane until the end of the war, dear?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I can’t be sure really.   It could be a couple of days, or a couple of years.   It depends on what the high command finally decide on.
(Half a beat.)
President Roosevelt is apparently in favour of pulling most of our troops out of Australia.   But General MacArthur agrees with your Prime Minister Curtin that the war against the Japanese should be fought in the South Pacific.

MRS T.
So it all depends upon who really has control of your army, MacArthur or Roosevelt?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Hesitant.)
Er, yes, I guess so.

Randy returns from the kitchen carrying an opened bottle of beer and two glasses.

Mrs T puts her knitting in its bag and puts the bag on the floor.

Randy hands her a glass and fills it with beer.

MRS T.
Tah.

Randy walks over to the second armchair, and sits, then pours himself a glass of beer and puts the bottle at his feet.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Are you sure you wouldn’t like a beer?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, no, I don’t drink.   I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee though, if you’ve got any.

RANDY THOMAS (Puzzled.)
Coffee?   What’s that?   All we’ve got is instant chicory essence.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Puzzled.)
What’s that?

MRS T.
In America I think you call it endives.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (With distaste.)
In that case, forget it!

MRS T. (Holding up her glass.)
Cheers, love.

RANDY THOMAS (To Mrs T.)
Make that one last.   This is my second last bottle.

MRS T.
Why didn’t you bring back a few bottles from the hotel, then?

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t be silly, Mum.   You can’t buy bottled beer from the pubs anymore.   I have to get my supply on Friday from a mate in the black market.

MRS T.
That’s terrible.

She takes a sip of beer.

RANDY THOMAS
I reckon it is.   They charge a bloody fortune for it.

MRS T.
No, I meant dealing on the black market.

RANDY THOMAS
I’ve got to stay alive somehow.   Being without beer in a Brisbane summer is bloody terrible…
(Half a beat.)
I’m not the bloody thickhead who decided to ration beer in the first place.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph!   You’re not the only one who has to limit himself due to the war.   We all have to suffer a little for the boys at the Front.

RANDY THOMAS
So what are they going to do?   Send dehydrated bottles of dehydrated beer over to the troops?   Just add water and pop it turns into a dozen coldies.   No wonder they keep getting shot over there, if they spend all their time drinking beer.   They probably can’t see the enemy charging.

MRS T.
Oh don’t be so silly, Randy.   They’ve had to reduce production at the breweries due to some of their workers having been called up.   And also go they can convert part of the machinery for wartime use.

RANDY THOMAS
Christ!   Why don’t they just classify the breweries as a vital wartime industry?

MRS T.
Oh Randy, don’t be silly!

RANDY THOMAS (Indignant.)
There’s nothing silly about it.   Look at all the trouble we’re having with all the bloody Yanks over here now.   Just think how much worse it would be if the bastards couldn’t even get a few drinks!    Booze is the only thing keeping the streets of Brisbane from running with blood.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph, Don’t be so bloody melodramatic!

Randy finishes his glass of beer, and tops up his glass with the remainder in the bottle.

RANDY THOMAS (Standing.)
Well, I’ll see you later on.

He starts to walk out of SHOT to the left.

MRS T.
Randy!   Before you….

INT. RANDY THOMAS’S BEDROOM — DAY
There are two beds with only a thin aisle between them.   One of the beds has a suitcase and a GI uniform on it.

Randy stares in shock at the uniform & suitcase on the bed.

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
Jesus Christ!

INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY
Randy walks back into SHOT and stands near the coffee table.   He puts his beer on the coffee table.

MRS T.
Randy I should have told you: I had the American soldiers put up your brother’s bed in your room for Dwight to sleep in.

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
That Yank is sleeping in my room?

MRS T.
Well, where else could I put him?

RANDY THOMAS O/S
But you put him in Trev’s bed!

MRS T.
There was nowhere else for him to sleep.

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
He can sleep on the bloody floor for all I care!

MRS T. (Pleading.)
Oh, Randy, be reasonable.   Your brother is dead.

Randy starts as though struck.

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
We don’t know that!

Mrs T walks over to put a hand on Randy’s shoulder.

MRS T.
Oh Randy, he’s been missing now for two years.   If there was any chance at all of him still being alive, we would have heard…
(Half a beat.)
Would have heard something by now.
(With emphasis.)
He is dead, Randy!   You have to learn to accept that.

RANDY THOMAS
Dead and forgotten by the looks of things!

Mrs T slaps Randy’s face.

MRS T.
Oh Randy, I’m sorry.   But why can’t you be reasonable for a change…
(Half a beat.)
Dwight has to sleep somewhere.

RANDY THOMAS
What’s wrong with him sleeping on the sofa?
(Pointing toward the couch.)

MRS T.
We can’t ask a member of the United States Armed Forces to sleep on the sofa, when there’s a bed vacant.

RANDY THOMAS
All right then.   I’ll sleep on the sofa.   You can let your precious golden boy have my bed.

MRS T.
Oh for crying out loud!   There’s no need for either of you to sleep on the sofa!   Your room is more than big enough for two people!

RANDY THOMAS
What about my bloody privacy?

MRS T. (Shouting.)
To hell with it!   You didn’t mind sharing a room with Trevor!

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
That was different.   Trev was my brother!

MRS T.
Dwight could be like a brother to you, if you’d let him.

RANDY THOMAS
A bloody Yank!   Not bloody likely!

MRS T.
Oh Randy.   Why do you have to be so damn pig-headed all the time?

Randy gives Mrs T a dirty look, and then moves away from her and out of SHOT again.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble.

MRS T. (Turning toward Dwight.)
Oh it isn’t your fault, dear.   Randy can be so stubborn at times.   He has this unreasonable hatred of all Americans.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
But why?

MRS T.
He’s not the only one love.   A lot of Australians hate Americans these days.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
But why?   We’re all on the same side, aren’t we?

MRS T.
Yes.   But some of us have been on that side longer than others.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
What do you mean?

MRS T.
A lot of Australians still resent the fact that your country held off entering the war so long.   They think the Americans should have joined the war effort in ‘39.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
But that isn’t my fault…
(Half a beat.)
Any more than it is the fault of the average American soldier.   A lot of us thought the government was wrong in holding off so long.   But there was nothing that we could do about it.

MRS T.
Yes, I know, love.   But Randy’s resentment goes deeper than that.
(Sighing.)
His older brother, Trevor, was killed in the war a little over two years ago.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
But how is that our fault?

MRS T.
I suppose he thinks that if America had done the right thing, the war might have been over long before his brother died.

INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY — FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 1942
Margie and Mrs T are seated together on the sofa, sipping tea and eating sweet biscuits from a tray on the coffee table.

MRS T.
Then you think it would be quite all right to hold the dance at the hotel next Saturday?

MARGIE SUMNERS
I’m sure that it would be, Mrs T.   I’d have to speak to Mr Bodna first.   But he’s usually only too glad to be seen to be helping out the war effort in any way he can.   Particularly now that Mr Curtin has started to gear up his campaign of greater civilian contributions to the war.

FRONT DOOR OPENS RHS of SHOT, and Randy enters.

MRS T.
What else can he do when Mr Churchill is forever screaming for Aussie blood?

RANDY THOMAS (Struggling to take his key from the door.)
Then why doesn’t the pommy parasite tighten his own belt and send in his own troops to be killed?   Instead of expecting us to make all the bloody sacrifices?

Randy finally removes his key & he and June enter the living room.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh here we go.   You hate the Yanks and now you hate the poms as Well!   I suppose the only people you like at all are the Aussies and the Germans?

RANDY THOMAS
At least the Germans didn’t come into the war two bloody years late.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Bewildered.)
There’s an insane logic there somewhere.   I’m sure of it.

RANDY THOMAS
But then the Yanks are good at making late arrivals.   I hear they were almost going to call this set-to World-Minus-America-War Two.

MRS T.
We weren’t talking about the Americans; we were talking about the English.

RANDY THOMAS
They’re just as bloody bad.   Churchill always sends in the Aussies first, to get killed.   Then when all the danger has passed, he sends in his own lot to mop up all the medals!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh come on!   That’s a bit of a bloody exaggeration, isn’t it?

RANDY THOMAS
A bit, perhaps.   But not bloody much.

MRS T.
Oh go on Randolph.   We aren’t just out to help the Mother Country.   Our own boys need a bit of cheering up too.   And if anything we raise can be put to lifting their moral at all, then it has all been worthwhile.

RANDY THOMAS
If you want to raise their moral, why don’t you just send all the bloody Yankees home?   That’d cheer up our boys no end!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Don’t exaggerate.   Not all Aussie men are as paranoid about the Americans at you are.

RANDY THOMAS (Raising his voice.)
There’s nothing bloody paranoid about it.   How would you like it if you were overseas or were about to go overseas, and you had all these bloody horny Yanks running around trying to get it up your wife, girlfriend, daughter or mother for that matter?

MRS T. (Shocked.)
Randolph!

RANDY THOMAS
Sorry Mum.   But that’s the way these bloody Yanks are.   They’ll put it up anything that looks even vaguely female.

MRS T.
Oh Randy!   They’re not that bad.

RANDY THOMAS
They’re damn close though.   Even Margie might have an outside chance with them.

Margie sticks out her tongue toward Randy.

MRS T. (To Margie.)
Finished, love?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Yes, thanks.

Margie holds her cup and saucer toward Mrs T, who adds them to her own, then rises and carries them across to the door to the kitchen.

INT. KITCHEN — DAY
Mrs T enters by June.   Mrs T walks over to the sink and starts running water to do the dishes.

June picks up a tea towel to dry up for her.

MRS T.
That’s all right, love, I cam manage.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I don’t mind helping out.

MRS T.
Tah, love.

INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY
Randy starts to follow after June.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh Randy!   I wanted to talk to you for a moment.

RANDY THOMAS
I suppose you wanted to apologise for giving me the bum’s rush at the pub last week?

MARGIE SUMNERS (Shocked.)
Me apologise?

INT. KITCHEN — DAY
Mrs T washing dishes, while June dries.

MARGIE SUMNERS O/S
You’re the one who should apologise after the way you acted!

RANDY THOMAS O/S
Listen I had to defend myself when that crazy Yank attacked me.

Mrs T & June both stop and glance toward the living room for a moment.

Then Mrs T shrugs and turns back toward the sink.

INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY

MARGIE SUMNERS
You should never have egged him into it!

RANDY THOMAS
What was I supposed to do when he started boasting about how well he was getting on with our sheilas?

MARGIE SUMNERS
You should never have gone over to their table in the first place!

RANDY THOMAS
I was invited!   And if you hadn’t been making it so hard for me to get a drink, I wouldn’t have had to go over to their table.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Can’t you understand that business is business?   I have to serve the Yanks first; it’s company policy.

RANDY THOMAS
But why?   My money’s as good as theirs.

MARGIE SUMNERS
But it isn’t as much.   We charge the Americans three times the normal rate for all drinks…
(Half a beat.)
So natch they got first priority, Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
What?   Cripes!   No wonder they all act as though they own the bloody place.   I suppose they’ve all paid for it twice over.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Raising her voice.)
It’s no worse than your mate Davo Rose with his taxi, driving straight past Aussies to pick up U.S. servicemen.   Because he charges the Yanks eight times the Aussie rate!

RANDY THOMAS
Leave Davo out of this…
(Half a beat.)
Well, is this all you wanted to talk to me about?

MARGIE SUMNERS
No.
(Sighing.)
I wanted to tell you that I won’t be able to go to the dance with you on Saturday.

RANDY THOMAS (Shocked.)
What!   But we arranged it all last week.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh no, we did not!   You arranged it all last week!   You took it for granted that I’d be going with you.

RANDY THOMAS
But we’ve always gone to the Saturday dances together.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Angry.)
But that doesn’t mean we always have to in the future.   There’s no divine law saying that we always have to go dancing together.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh.   So you’ve got yourself another date!

MARGIE SUMNERS
He’s not really another date….

RANDY THOMAS
Oh here we go, three years going steady together, now you finally find another bloke who will go out with you, and so you drop me like a hot spud!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh don’t be so bloody childish all the time!   I have to go out with this bloke.   He’s the cousin of a girl I work with.

RANDY THOMAS
So what?

MARGIE SUMNERS
So he’s just new in town and doesn’t know any girls yet.

RANDY THOMAS
Too bloody bad!   What about me?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Well, I’ll try and set you up with him if you like.   But I think he prefers girls.

RANDY THOMAS
I was going to say, how am I supposed to find someone else this late in the piece!

MARGIE SUMNERS
From what I saw last week, you don’t have any trouble finding girls!

RANDY THOMAS (Puzzled.)
Oh you mean June?   She was just kind enough to see I was all right, after I was nearly murdered by that Yankee-loving bitch.

MARGIE SUMNERS
If you hadn’t started the brawl in the first place.

RANDY THOMAS
I didn’t!   It was that bloody loud-mouthed Yank…
(Half a beat.)
You ought to know by now that it’s always the Yanks who cause all the trouble.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Rubbish!   I’ve seen dozens of brawls between the Aussies and the Yanks, over the last year, and almost all of them have been started by the Aussies.   Jealous of the success the Yanks have with the women over here!

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
And why the hell shouldn’t we be bloody jealous of the way you sheilas crawl all over these bloody foreigners.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Shouting.)
We don’t crawl all over them!   It’s just that the Yanks treat a girl like a lady; not like a sheila!

RANDY THOMAS
Hell you’ll be telling me next that your new boyfriend is a Yank, the way you’re going.

MARGIE SUMNERS
He is not my new boyfriend.   And not that it is any of your business, but as a matter of fact he is a GI.

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
I should have bloody known!

MARGIE SUMNERS (Apologetic.)
Oh look, Randy, I’m sorry.   But he’s just over from the States and he couldn’t get another date on such short notice.

RANDY THOMAS
What about me?   How am I supposed to get another date on such short notice?

INT. KITCHEN — DAY
Mrs T washing dishes, while June dries.

MARGIE SUMNERS O/S
Maybe you could ask June, since she’s such a helpful type.   I’m sure she’d be happy to go out with you.

June stops to stare toward the door again.

Mrs T puts a finger to her mouth.

MRS T. (Whispering.)
Best not to get involved, love.

RANDY THOMAS O/S
Well, maybe I’ll do just that!

MARGIE SUMNERS O/S
Fine by me!

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Uncertain.)
Sounds like I already am.

After a moment she returns to drying up the last few of the plates.

INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY
Margie stands and storms across to the door.   She struggles with the door in her anger, then slams it into the wall as she storms out.

Randy starts to follow her as Mrs T and June enter from the kitchen.

MRS T.
Oh Randy, were you on your way out?

RANDY THOMAS
As a matter of fact, I was just stepping down to the rubbedy for a quick belt.   They ought to be just about opening up by the time I got down there.

MRS T. (Looking at wristwatch.)
Oh yes, of course they should.   I suppose that’s why Margie had to rush off so suddenly?

RANDY THOMAS (Embarrassed.)
Er yes, something like that.

She walks across to the door to Randy’s bedroom, knocks and opens the door.

INT. RANDY THOMAS’S BEDROOM — DAY
Dwight is lying on the bed, as always dressed in uniform, but without his shoes, reading a magazine.

KNOCK ON THE DOOR.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Putting down magazine.)
Come on.

The door opens and Mrs T’s head pokes round the door.

MRS T.
He’s ready now, love.

Dwight climbs off the bed and reaches under it for his shoes.

FADE OUT:

END OF ACT ONE:

ACT TWO:

FADE IN:
INT. LIVING ROOM — AS BEFORE
Mrs T steps away from the door, then a few seconds later Dwight walks out into the living room.

MRS T.
Since you’re going down there, would you mind taking Dwight with you?

RANDY THOMAS (Shocked.)
What?   Me be seen associating with a Yank?

MRS T.
Well, he’s only new in Brisbane and still doesn’t know his way around.   So I thought perhaps you could show him the ropes a bit.

RANDY THOMAS
No worries.
(Pointing at the ceiling.)
Well, there’s one hanging down from the ceiling over there.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph!

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
I hate it when she calls me Randolph.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Just be thankful your father wouldn’t let her call you Bucket-Of-Mud.

Randy covers his ears with his hands.

RANDY THOMAS
All right, I’ll take you along…
(Half a beat.)
Anything to got away from those Z-Grade jokes.

MRS T.
Well, what do you consider to be a funny joke?

RANDY THOMAS
One that I’ve told, of course.
(To Dwight.)
All right you can trail along if you want to.   But I thought you didn’t drink?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
That’s right, but I thought perhaps you could show me some of the sights?

RANDY THOMAS
All right then, let’s go.   With your uniform flashing, maybe we can even get a ride in a taxi, instead of hoofing it all the way down there.

Randy, June, & Dwight head toward the front door.

EXT. OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR — DAY
Randy, June, & Dwight step outside.

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
Coming for a quickie…?
(Half a beat.)
A drink that is.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
You better have meant a drink.   No, I have to get back to the salon.   “A woman’s work is never done”, and all that jazz.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, perhaps if they got off their bums occasionally, it might get done.

June gives him a playful hit on the arm.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (In mock anger.)
Watch it mate!

CAR TYRES then a taxi drives by.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Raising an arm in the air.)
Taxi!

TAXI DRIVER looks in their direction and, seeing Dwight’s U.S. uniform stops.

RANDY THOMAS (Grabbing June by the arm.)
Come on, love.
(Leading her toward the taxi.)
We’ll drop you off.

Dwight stands aside and holds the door open for June & Randy, then climbs in after them.

INT. INSIDE TAXI — DAY

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
I knew your Yankee uniform would come in handy for something besides dusting the furniture.

TAXI DRIVER (Davo Ross.)
Randy, long time no see.

RANDY THOMAS
How’s it goin’, Davo.   Fancy you stopping to pick up the likes of me.

TAXI DRIVER
You know me, mate, I treat all potential customer’s the same.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (In disbelief.)
Then you didn’t stop just because you saw his U.S. uniform?

TAXI DRIVER (Indignant.)
Absolutely not!

RANDY THOMAS
That’s good, because I’m paying, not him.   So you only get the normal rate of exchange.

TAXI DRIVER (Disgusted.)
Bastard!

He slams shut the communication window.

June, Dwight, & Randy start LAUGHING as the taxi takes off with a GRINDING OF GEARS.

EXT. CENTRAL BRISBANE — DAY
People are milling about as the taxi pulls up outside a beauty salon first.

The door opens and Dwight steps out and holds the door open for June, who follows him.

She leans over to kiss Randy on the mouth, and then gives Dwight a small peck on the cheek.

INT./EXT. INSIDE TAXI/STREET OUTSIDE TAXI — DAY

RANDY THOMAS (Leaning out of taxi.)
Go on, baby, stick your tongue right down his throat.

June turns round to stick her tongue out at Randy.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I might, just to spite you.
(To Dwight.)
Thanks, love.

She turns and walks over to the beauty salon as Dwight gets back into the taxi.

EXT. CENTRAL BRISBANE — DAY
The taxi takes off again and drives a small distance to Margie’s pub.

It stops, and Dwight & Randy get out.

Dwight reaches for his wallet, but Randy grabs his hand to stop him.

RANDY THOMAS
My shout, mate.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet and takes out a few shillings to give to Davo Ross, who gets out of the cab.

RANDY THOMAS (Handing money to driver.)
There you go, Davo, that’s all you’re getting.

Taxi Driver stares at the coins in disgust.

TAXI DRIVER
Cheap bastards!

He gets back into the cab and drives away as Dwight &Randy head toward the main bar of the pub.

INT. MARGIE SUMNERS’S PUB — DAY — PUBLIC BAR
Margie is standing behind the counter serving drinks.

The door opens RHS and Dwight & Randy enter.

They sit at the table and Margie walks over to stand near Randy.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Come to apologise?

RANDY THOMAS
When hell or Brisbane freezes over, whichever is hotter.   You’re the one who owes me an apology!

MARGIE SUMNERS
If that’s the way you want it.

She turns and starts to walk back to the counter.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Could we order some drinks please?

Margie stops and walks back to the table.

MARGIE SUMNERS (To Dwight.)
Sure, honey, what’ll it be?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
A beer for my pal, and an orange juice for me.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Orange juice?   We don’t get many orders for that around here these days.

Dwight takes out a U.S. $5.00 note and hands it to Margie.

RANDY THOMAS
He’s only an apprentice Yank; he’s still learning the ropes.

ARGIE SUMNERS (Pointing at the roof.)
Well, there’s one hanging down from the ceiling over there.

RANDY THOMAS
I’ve already done that one, without even raising a chuckle.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Well, your jokes are always funnier when I tell them.

RANDY THOMAS
Yeah, well, just take his money and get out of here.

MARGIE SUMNERS
I see now why you’re called the last of the great romantics.

RANDY THOMAS
I certainly am.
(Holding up a fist.)
Now get out of here before I deck you.

Margie glares at Randy for a moment, then turns and walks across to the counter to pour their drinks.

After a moment she returns with the drinks, and Dwight’s change.

She hands them each their glass and Dwight his change, which he puts into his shirt pocket.

MARGIE SUMNERS
So how do you like Brisbane so far, handsome?

RANDY THOMAS
It’s all right, but it gets boring after a while.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Not you, you twit.   I meant Dwight.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I guess it’s okay, but I was sort of hoping to see a lot more of your Australian wildlife.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, take a gawk over there.
(Pointing to the left.)
You’ve got all you could ever want to see.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Puzzled.)
Er, I don’t quite…?

RANDY THOMAS
Well, let’s have a look….
(Scanning his head around.)
From what I can see you’ve got at least a dozen drongos, about a dozen yobbos, half a dozen or more flaming galahs and two or three mug-pommy-bastards.   What more wildlife could you want than that?

Margie & Dwight laugh for a moment.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Actually that’s not quite what I meant.   You see in the U.S.A. we’re sort of led to believe that in Australia the streets are more or less shared equally between the homo Sapiens and marsupial animals.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, some of the people around here these days are real animals, but I think I see what you mean.   You expected to see street signs up everywhere saying, “Kangaroo Crossing”, “Emu Crossing”, “Wombat Crossing”, et cetera?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Quite frankly yes.

RANDY THOMAS
And to find the streets stalked by savage didgeridoo plants and man-eating koalas?

MARGIE SUMNERS (Between laughter.)
Oh, Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, I’m afraid you came at the wrong time of the year for that.   We’ve just pruned back all the didgeridoo plants, and the koalas are all hibernating in their caves.
(Half a beat.)
About the best we can do for you at the moment is that we’ve got a Kangaroo Court just down the road a bit.   But they don’t often find them guilty of anything.

Dwight laughs, but Margie looks angry.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh Randy, don’t be such a bloody great dill.   Didgeridoos don’t grow on trees.

RANDY THOMAS
I suppose they make them out of bricks these days?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Well, all right, but koalas aren’t bears and they sure as Christ don’t hibernate.

RANDY THOMAS
Then what are they; Miss Smarty pants?

MARGIE SUMNERS
They’re a type of possum if you don’t know.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh rubbish!

MARGIE SUMNERS
It’s true.

RANDY THOMAS
It is not, and I’ll prove it.
(To Dwight.)
Have you ever heard of a koala possum?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, never.

RANDY THOMAS (To Margie.)
See, that proves it; that’s two against one.

MARGIE SUMNERS (To Randy.)
Has anyone ever told you that you’re an idiot?

RANDY THOMAS
Yes, everyone tells me that.   But I try not to brood on it too much, for fear of getting an inferiority complex.

MARGIE SUMNERS
If there was any justice in the world; you would have an inferiority complex, because you are inferior!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh here we go.
(To Dwight.)
Rule number one in Aussie Etiquette; never miss an opportunity to kick your opponent when he’s down.
(To Margie/Pointing at his left leg.)
Go on there’s a bit you missed; get the boot right in.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh poor liddle Randy-Pandy, didum mean ol’ Margie-Pargie hurtum’s widdle fweelings?

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Rule number two: never fail to break into mumbo-jumbo when you’re losing an argument.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh don’t be so bloody stupid.   I wasn’t losing.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Rule number three: use non-specific insults freely.

MARGIE SUMNERS
That wasn’t a non-specific insult.   I did specify it.   I called you bloody stupid…
(Half a beat.)
And while you’re being so bloody stupid, I bet you don’t know any more about The States, than he knew about Australia before shipping over here?

RANDY THOMAS
Oh of course I do.   Anything I don’t know about the United States just isn’t worth knowing.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
That’s right, you could fill an encyclopaedia with what he doesn’t know about America.

RANDY THOMAS
Exactly.

MARGIE SUMNERS
All right then, what do you know about it?

RANDY THOMAS
Well, to start with, it’s that bi-i-ig…
(Holding his hands wide apart.)
Place way across the ocean where all the bloody Yanks come from.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh brilliant!   Just brilliant!

RANDY THOMAS
Also, I know that they don’t have any koala possums or didgeridoo-plants.   Which is why they’re always coming over here to pinch our bloody didgeridoos and koala possums.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh you drongo, you wouldn’t know a didgeridoo if you sat on one.

RANDY THOMAS
I think I would.   I’d be talking in a high voice for quite some time afterward.

A drinker in an Aussie army uniform at a neighbouring table holds out his empty beer glass toward Margie.

AUSSIE DRINKER
Hey Margie!   How about some service?

MARGIE SUMNERS
How about sticking it?

AUSSIE DRINKER
Sure honey, your place or mine?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Creep!

AUSSIE DRINKER
Come on Margie.   Who does a man have to kill to get a drink around here?

A second barmaid, PEGGY, is working flat out to serve the drinkers.

PEGGY
For God’s sake Marg!   Can you give me a bit of a hand?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Sure no worries.
(Clapping lightly.)
Bravo, bravo, encore.

PEGGY
Jesus!   Everyone’s a comedian these days!

MARGIE SUMNERS (To Randy and Dwight.)
Well, I suppose I’d better go and help serve the thirsty minions.

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t tell me they’re over here now?   And I was worried about the bloody Yanks?

Dwight laughs, but Margie gives Randy a hard look, as she turns to the left to leave.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Have you ever considered joining up?

RANDY THOMAS
What and go off and die for my glorious country?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Something like that.

RANDY THOMAS
Not a chance.   I know all about that lark!   The Aussies get sent to die in Germany, and you lot come over here to bed our sheilas.

Margie stops a few tables away and looks back toward
them.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh, Randy!

RANDY THOMAS
Well, it’s the truth.

MARGIE SUMNERS
It is not.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Actually I was too smart to ever join up.

MARGIE SUMNERS
That’s a polite way of admitting that he’s gutless!

RANDY THOMAS
Thank you very much!

MARGIE SUMNERS
No bloody sense of humour, that’s your trouble.

RANDY THOMAS
Some bloody joke!

MARGIE SUMNERS
And all of your jokes are screamingly funny, I suppose?

RANDY THOMAS
If my jokes were any more screamingly funny, the cops would be kicking the door down to see who we’re murdering.

Margie walks out of SHOT to the left.

Randy has a long drink, half emptying his glass.

RANDY THOMAS
Actually I did think of it, when the war first broke out.   In 1939 that is, not 1941.

Dwight laughs self-consciously.

RANDY THOMAS
My brother, Trevor, and I both talked a lot about going off to do our bit for our country.   In the end we decided that one of us should stay behind to look after Mum.   Our father had just died about a year before the war started…
(Half a beat.)
1938 that is, not 1940.   So in the end, we tossed a coin to see who’d go and who’d stay.   I won the toss, so Trev went off and enlisted.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Shocked.)
And your brother was lost in action.

He finishes his orange juice.

RANDY THOMAS (Sighing.)
Yes, he was doing all right against the Boche, and then the English had to go and stick their noses into it….

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Puzzled.)
The English?   I don’t understand?

RANDY THOMAS
Friendly fire they called it.
(He sighs heavily.)
A whole troop of Aussies and Kiwis were mown down by the Brits.   Just a locational error on the drawing board.   They still haven’t determined whether our lot were in the wrong place, or whether the Poms were.
(Half a beat.)
Anyway they were all slaughtered, except for five whose bodies were never recovered, including Trev.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Is that why you hate the Yanks?   Because you think that the war might have been over before that if we’d come into it sooner?

RANDY THOMAS (Sighing.)
No.   I’ve thought of that.   But on the other hand it your lot had gone into the war in ‘39 it might have meant Trev dying earlier…
(Half a beat.)
I’ve thought of that too.   I believe in giving you blokes a fair go….

Margie walks back into SHOT from the left and stands a few feet away from the table.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Did I just hear you crack a joke, Randy?   You giving the Yanks a fair go?

RANDY THOMAS
Why don’t you keep your big mouth shut, and go and serve your Yank boyfriends?

MARGIE SUMNERS
That’s what I am doing.
(To Dwight.)
What’ll it be, love?

RANDY THOMAS
No, just get him another drink.
(Margie gives Randy a dirty look.)
All right, just give us the same again.

Margie acts as though Randy hasn’t spoken.

MARGIE SUMNERS
What will it be, love?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Just give us the same again.

Dwight takes a U.S. $5.00 note out of his shirt pocket, and hands the note to Margie.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
And buy yourself a drink out of that too.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Thanks, honey, I will.

She picks up Dwight’s empty glass and Randy’s half empty glass.

MARGIE SUMNERS
You’re finished with that, aren’t you?

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t push your luck, Marg!

He takes the glass off her, sculls the remainder and hands the glass back to Margie, who shakes her head.

MARGIE SUMNERS
I don’t know, the Yanks not only beat you with women, but they can drink you under the table too.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh come on!   He was only drinking orange juice!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Excuses, excuses.

She walks out of SHOT to the left, and returns after a few moments with the two drinks, which she places in front of them.

MARGIE SUMNERS (To Randy.)
Or perhaps I’d better give you the orange juice this time, Randy?   Since you don’t seem to be able to handle the amber fluid any more!

AUSSIE DRINKER
Marg!   How about a drink over here too?

RANDY THOMAS (To Margie.)
Perhaps you’d better keep your mouth shut and just go and attend to your performing galahs?

MARGIE SUMNERS (Doing a Nazi salute.)
Ja wohl mein Führer!

She hands Dwight his change, which he pockets, then Margie starts to walk out of SHOT to the left.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (To Margie.)
What do you mean, performing galahs?

RANDY THOMAS
It’s just an Australian idiom.

MARGIE SUMNERS
It wasn’t that bad.

RANDY THOMAS
I said idiom; you idiot.

Margie walks out of SHOT and Randy and Dwight sip their drinks for a moment.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, now you’ve heard my life story, what’s your excuse for being in the military?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I guess it was mainly from what you said before about the war starting in 1939; not ‘41…
(Half a beat.)
By the time the President finally got around to doing the right thing and entering the war, most American youths were so thoroughly ashamed of the way we’d let our allies down, that I guess we all sort of tried to join up at once…
(Half a beat.)
Of course, a lot of our boys had gone across to Canada to enlist when the war first started, after it became obvious that Roosevelt had no intention of honouring our pledges to England and France.

RANDY THOMAS
But not you?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
God I tried to, but I was only thirteen when the war first broke out.   And the Canadian Government was a hell of a lot stricter about the minimum age limit of eighteen than the U.S.A was when they finally got off their butt…
(Half a beat.)
So I was able to sign up while not quite sixteen.

RANDY THOMAS
So now you’re over here doing your patriotic duty drinking our beer and bedding our women?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I don’t drink alcohol!

RANDY THOMAS
All right then drinking our orange juice and bedding our women.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I haven’t actually dated any of your women yet…
(Half a beat.)
Let alone bedded any of them.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, if you’re feeling lonely, why don’t you try your luck with Margie?   She goes for anything in a Yankee uniform.

MARGIE SUMNERS
What was that, Randy?

RANDY THOMAS
Just giving Dwight some advice about making points with Charlies.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh God, Captain Eunuch is giving advice again on how to pick up sheilas.   Talk about the blind leading the blind.

A number of drinkers BURST INTO LAUGHTER.

AUSSIE DRINKER
So since when have you ever had any luck with the Charlie Wheelers, Thomas?

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Now you see what I meant about the performing galahs.
(He sips his beer.)
So now you’ve seen that it’s not all orange juice and skittles, why not do yourself a favour and own up about your age and be shipped back Stateside?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Not a chance.   I may not always be overly proud of the way my country is conducting itself in the war, or even of the welcome we get in Australia.   But I’m here now and I’ll stick it out.

RANDY THOMAS
And die like a man at sixteen?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
There are worse things than dying for your country.

RANDY THOMAS
Maybe so, but there are a lot of better things too.

INT. LIVING ROOM — EVENING — SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14,
1942 — DWIGHT RICHARDSON, RANDY THOMAS, & JUNE HOLLIDAY are on the sofa.   Mrs T is sitting in the armchair on the left, Margie in the one on the right.

MRS T.
I hear that there should be quite a turn out tonight?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh yes, we sold nearly two-hundred tickets.   It seems that everyone wants to be seen to be doing their bit for the boys overseas.

RANDY THOMAS
Yes?   Then why don’t they have a whip around to raise the boat fare for them all to come home and send it to them with a little note saying, “Come back, while you’re still in one piece”?

MRS T.
Oh don’t be so bloody silly Randolph.   How can we possibly afford to bring them back yet, when Hitler is still rampaging across Europe?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Yes, all we’re trying to do is raise funds for vital supplies to send to our troops overseas to help raise their moral.

RANDY THOMAS
With any luck at all you’ll raise enough to send all the Yanks homes.

MRS T.
Oh get off it about the Yanks, Randolph!

MARGIE SUMNERS
But while we’re on the subject I don’t want to single anyone out, but if anyone starts any trouble with the Americans tonight, he is likely to be banned from the hotel for life…
(Half a beat.)
Randy!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh come on!   Why single me out?   When have I ever started trouble with the Yanks?

MARGIE SUMNERS
When haven’t you?   I’m still apologising to Mr Bodna for the trouble you caused a fortnight ago.

RANDY THOMAS
That wasn’t my fault!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Well, just be on your best behaviour tonight.   I stuck my neck out for you over that…
(Half a beat.)
Mr Bodna was all for banning you for life after the ruckus you caused.   And of course everyone knows that I’d been going out with you.   So I was the one who had to make excuses for you, then stick my neck out and guarantee that there’d never be any repeat performances.

RANDY THOMAS (Between laughter.)
That was pretty silly of you.

MARGIE SUMNERS
It’s no laughing matter!   Why did you have to do it?

RANDY THOMAS
Listen, I had to defend myself when that bloody crazy Yank attacked me.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Holding a hand up to silence him.)
Nonetheless, if there is any trouble tonight…
(Half a beat.)
Any trouble at all tonight, I will personally rip your balls off and make you eat them!

MRS T. (Shocked.)
Margie, please!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Sorry, Mrs T.   But he had to be told.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR RHS.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Standing.)
I’ll get it.   It’s probably my date.

She walks across and opens the door.

MRS T. (Standing.)
Yes, I suppose we had better all be leaving, or we’ll be late.

RANDY THOMAS
Yes, Christ, it’d be a sorry state of affairs if they ran out of grog before we got there; after what it cost for a ticket.

MRS T.
It might be a good thing if they did.   You always get moody after you’ve had a few in you and you heard what Margie said.

She walks across to the door RHS of SHOT and leaves.

June wags a finger at Randy mockingly then scurries out of the door laughing, with Randy chasing her.

Dwight stands and follows them.

EXT. STREET OUTSIDE MARGIE SUMNERS’S PUB — DAY
A taxi pulls up and Margie, Margie’s date, a tall, thickset American, and Mrs T get out.

A second taxi pulls up behind it and Randy, June, & Dwight get out.
Randy’s group start toward the front of the pub.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Hey, wrong way.

They stop and look back toward her, as Margie walks over toward a small gate leading into the yard behind the pub.

Randy, June, & Dwight head back as Margie & her group walk into the back yard.

EXT. BACK YARD OF PUB — DAY
Peggy is standing guard over a small drinks’ table with half a dozen bottles of wine and a couple of dozen wine glasses on it.

A handful of people are standing by a brick barbecue watching chops or sausages cooking.

At the SOUND OF THE METAL GATE OPENING Peggy looks round and sees Margie & the others entering the yard.

PEGGY
It’s about time you turned up, Margie, I thought I was going to have to do all the work this arvo.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Oh, moan, moan, moan, moan, moan!   It’d be a real tragedy if you had to ever do any work, Peg.

PEGGY (Indignant.)
I do my share.
(To the others.)
The record player is set up in the main bar if anyone wants to trip the light fandango.

Randy, June and Dwight walk into the yard, and Randy starts toward the drinks’ table.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
How about dancing for a while first, before getting drowned in the plonk?

RANDY THOMAS
Are you joking?   This is the first time in nearly three years that I’ve had the drinks laid on without having to stand in line behind the Yankee uniforms.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Talk about the last of the great romantics!

RANDY THOMAS
Valentino?   What about him?   Personally, I heard that he was a bit of a horse’s.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Not Valentino you great twit!   You!

RANDY THOMAS
Me?   I’m not a bit of a horse’s!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
You must be, if you’d prefer a bottle to me!

RANDY THOMAS (Pouring himself a drink.)
Why don’t you ask Dwight to tread the boards with you?   He doesn’t even drink, so he’s got plenty of spare time for dancing.
(To Dwight.)
You won’t mind circling the ballroom with her, will you, mate?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, I’d be honoured to.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Dwight must have his own girl to dance with?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, I don’t.

RANDY THOMAS
I keep telling you mate speak to Margie; she’ll fix you up…
(Half a beat.)
With someone.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh Randy!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh June!
(To Dwight.)
This is our ‘Oh John; Oh Marsha’ routine.   Perhaps you’d better cover your ears.
(To June.)
He’s still a little too young to know about that sort of thing.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
God, you’re a sick person.

RANDY THOMAS
How dare you call me God…!
(Half a beat.)
I mean, how dare you call me a person?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To Dwight.)
Come on handsome, let’s go have ourselves a good time and leave this twirp to get pickled.

She takes Dwight by the arm and starts leading him toward RHS.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I’ve always preferred the strong, silent type anyway.
(To Randy.)
Rather than the pudgy, loud-mouthed types.   Not to be personal of course.

She leads Dwight across toward the back door, RHS.

INT. PUB, DANCE AREA — DAY
A waltz is playing, and in the centre of the room three or four couples are dancing, including Bill Williams and Margie.   Although in reality it is little more than a groping session, with Margie doing her best to fend off Williams’ wandering hands.

Wendy is dancing with a man in an Australian Navy uniform.

MARGIE SUMNERS
For God’s sake Bill!   If you don’t keep your hands to yourself, you can find yourself someone else to dance with!

BILL WILLIAMS
Oh come on Margie.   Have a heart.   You wouldn’t refuse a serviceman would you?   For all you know I might be shipped over to France tomorrow.   Then how would you feel if you knocked me back, then read that I’d been killed in action!

MARGIE SUMNERS
Tre-bloody-mendous!   I’d think, “Well, that’s one less creep in the world!”…
(Half a beat.)
Don’t waste your breath Bill; I’ve had that line tried on me by experts!

BILL WILLIAMS
Oh come on Margie.   You know you’re the only girl I’ve ever really cared for.

He pats her on the backside, and she breaks away from him.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Drop dead, Bill!

She walks out of SHOT to LHS as the dance ends.

Williams goes over to Wendy for the next dance, leaving the sailor to find another dancing partner.

The next waltz starts up and Williams and Wendy, and June and Dwight start dancing.

Suddenly Wendy squeals.

WENDY HEINZE
Oh Bill, you must be a Roman!

BILL WILLIAMS
No only my hands are.

WENDY HEINZE (She laughs shrilly.)
Yes, I can tell!   Oh, Bill, not here!

BILL WILLIAMS
Oh come on honey, you wouldn’t refuse a man, knowing that it might be his last day alive.   Tomorrow I could be shipped off to France to be killed by the Huns, fighting to make this country a safer place to live in.

WENDY HEINZE
Gee, I never thought of it like that before.

BILL WILLIAMS
Well, you should, honey.   How would you feel if you knocked me back, then read that I’d been killed in action?

WENDY HEINZE
Well, I really don’t know?

He feels her backside with one hand.

BILL WILLIAMS
Come on Wendy, have a heart.   You know you’re the only girl I’ve ever really cared for.

WENDY HEINZE
Really, Bill?

BILL WILLIAMS
Would I lie to you?

They cuddle and kiss, then walk out of SHOT to LHS.

BILL WILLIAMS
I’m sure there must be a vacant bedroom around here somewhere.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To Dwight.)
Now you see, you should be learning from that Dwight.   You’re an American so you’re supposed to say things like that.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Oh have a heart June.   You know you’re the only girl I’ve ever really cared for.

He pats her on the backside.

Laughing, June breaks away and wags a finger at Dwight.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Now, now, you’re learning a little too quickly.

EXT. BACK YARD OF PUB — DAY
Randy still helping himself from the drinks table; half a dozen people stand round eating sausage sandwiches or chops and salad on plates.

Mrs T walks across to Randy, carrying a sausage sandwich.

MRS T.
So there you are.   I might have known you’d be at the bottle.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh give it a rest Mum.   This is the first chance I’ve had at a real spree, since they first started rationing the pubs.

MRS T.
But Randy, you’re supposed to be here to have fun.

RANDY THOMAS
I am having fun.   I’m having the time of my life.

MRS T.
Randy, you’re getting to be as bad as your father was!

RANDY THOMAS
What is that supposed to mean?   Dad was all right.

MRS T.
Except when he was off on a bender.   He’d be alive today if it wasn’t for the boozing he did.

RANDY THOMAS
How do you figure that one Mum?   He fell under a train.

MRS T.
After he’d been drinking for the better part of four hours straight.   And you know what your father was like.   He was plastered after three glasses of Four-X.

RANDY THOMAS
But I’m not my father.

MRS T.
Just your father’s son.   It takes you at least four glasses of Four-X to get plastered.

RANDY THOMAS (Between laughter.)
Five on a good day.

MRS T.
Oh Randy, it’s no laughing matter.   You can’t just stand here drinking all night.

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t worry, I won’t.   But I want to get in some solid drinking before all the booze is gone.

MRS T.
Oh Randy, it’s not going to turn into pumpkin juice at midnight.   And what about poor Junie?

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t worry, she won’t turn into pumpkin juice at midnight either.

MRS T.
No, you great galah, I meant how is she supposed to amuse herself while you’re here gulping down liquid like a drowning fish?

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t worry, Dwight’s treading the boards with her.

MRS T.
But what about Dwight’s date?

RANDY THOMAS
He doesn’t have one; he’s been too shy to approach any girls yet.

MRS T.
Well, you should have asked June or Margie to fix him up with one of their girlfriends.

Randy finishes his drink, and helps himself to a glass of moselle as June and Dwight walk into SHOT out through the back door of the pub.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (To June.)
Would you like a drink?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Yes please, honey.   Just a glass of moselle.

Dwight pours a glass of moselle, which he hands to June.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
What about you, Mrs T?

MRS T.
Just a glass of claret love, if there’s any there.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight/Pointing.)
That’s the red stuff.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Is that what it is, I thought it was blood?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To Mrs T.)
You can tell he’s been hanging around Randy too long.

MRS T.
Yes!   I think it must be contagious.

RANDY THOMAS
I get blamed for everything around here.

Dwight pours a glass of claret and hands it over to Mrs T who starts sipping it.

Margie walks out through the back door LHS of SHOT.

MARGIE SUMNERS
That’s because you’re usually guilty of everything that happens around here….

EXT. BACK YARD OF PUB — DAY — AS BEFORE

MARGIE SUMNERS
Righto who’s pouring?

RANDY THOMAS
Dwight is.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Good idea.   It pays to have a barman who doesn’t drink.
(Look meaningfully at Randy.)
That way he’ll leave some of the booze for other people.

RANDY THOMAS
All right, all right, get off my back, Margie!   Just because I like to snort down, I mean guzzle, er drink the occasional small sherry.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Small sherry cask more like it!

RANDY THOMAS
I don’t know, you women, you’re all the same.   You only come to these dances to dance!

MARGIE SUMNERS (To Dwight.)
I’ll have a glass of rosé.

Dwight pours a glass of rosé and hands it to Margie.

MARGIE SUMNERS (To Dwight.)
Where’s your date, honey?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I don’t have a date.

RANDY THOMAS
We meant to ask you to fix him up…
(Half a beat.)
With someone.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Angry.)
You’ve got a dirty mind, Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
Thank you; that’s the kindest thing you’ve said against me in a fortnight.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Sighing.)
My God!   How can you insult an idiot?

RANDY THOMAS
I give up, how can you insult an idiot?

MARGIE SUMNERS
It wasn’t a riddle, you drongo!

They sip their drinks in silence for a few moments.

Margie places her empty glass upon the drinks table.

MARGIE SUMNERS
Since you’re unattached handsome, why don’t you ask me for a dance?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
My pleasure, would you like to dance?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Of course.   I wouldn’t have asked you to ask me, if I didn’t.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Well, that makes sense…
(Half a beat.)
No matter what anyone else might say.

Dwight and Margie walk out of SHOT to LHS, arm in arm.

INT. PUB, DANCE AREA — DAY
Half a dozen couples are dancing as Dwight and Margie walk in through the back door.   There is a waltz playing, and Dwight and Margie start dancing.

Bill Williams walks in from a door RHS of SHOT at the same time.

As the dance ends June walks into SHOT from RHS and Williams zeros in on her.

BILL WILLIAMS
How about the next dance, honey?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
All right, Bill.   But keep your hands to yourself.

BILL WILLIAMS (Innocent.)
How can we dance without touching at all?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Emphatic.)
You know what I mean, Bill!   Don’t act the innocent with me.

The next tune starts playing and the two couples start dancing.

After a few moments, June breaks away from Williams.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I told you to keep your hands to yourself, Bill!

BILL WILLIAMS
Oh have a heart, Junie.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I know, Bill I’m the only girl that you’ve ever really cared for.

BILL WILLIAMS
Exactly.   Now stop playing hard to get at!

June breaks away from Williams again.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I told you to keep your hands to yourself.

Williams grabs June by the arm again.

BILL WILLIAMS
Don’t think you can keep getting away with the vestal virgin line all your life!
(He grabs her by the arm.)
Now come on, there must be a vacant bedroom around here somewhere.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Breaking away from him.)
I told you to keep your hands to yourself.

Williams grabs June by the arm again.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Pardon me for a moment.

Dwight leaves Margie and goes over and grabs Williams by the hand.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
You heard the lady.

BILL WILLIAMS
Buzz off pal, this is none of your business.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I’m making it my business, buddy.

BILL WILLIAMS (Letting go of June.)
Hey you’re from the States, right pal?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, I was born in Melbourne.   I only talk like this because a Melbourne accent doesn’t get you as far with the girls in Brisbane.

BILL WILLIAMS (Between laughter.)
Hey that’s a good one.

He slaps Dwight on the back playfully.

BILL WILLIAMS
Look there’s no need for us to be arguing we’re on the same side.   We should be sharing the girls here, not fighting over them.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yes, but some of us like to ask first before helping ourselves.

June walks over to Margie as Wendy walks into SHOT from LHS and joins them.

Williams puts an arm around Dwight’s shoulders.

BILL WILLIAMS
So how long have you been over here, buddy?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Only for a few weeks.

BILL WILLIAMS
Yeah?   Well, how are things Stateside?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Oh pretty much the same as they are over here.

BILL WILLIAMS
Either you’re kidding or delirious   Nowhere else in the world is like this place: beer, skittles and women laid on for the taking.
(Shaking head.)
Gee they’re right when they say, “War is hell!”

Williams laughs raucously at his own joke.

MARGIE SUMNERS
My God!   Get two Yanks together anywhere in the world, and straight away they’re talking about the Dodgers, the Grand Canyon, mom’s hot apple pie and the Bronx Zoo!

WENDY HEINZE (Puzzled.)
The Bronx Zoo?   Where’s that?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
In the Bronx, of course!

WENDY HEINZE (Sulky.)
Oh June, why do you always have to treat me like I’m some kind of an idiot?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I’m sorry Wendy.
(Pulling Wendy up against her.)
You know you’re the only girl that I’ve ever really cared for.

She pats Wendy on the backside, and Wendy jumps away from June and stares open-mouthed at her for a few seconds, before running out of SHOT to LHS.

June and Margie laugh loudly and Dwight and Williams look over toward them

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
What’s up?

BILL WILLIAMS
Hey where did Wendy go?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I think she said that she had to leave.   But I’m sure you can still catch up with her, if you hurry.

BILL WILLIAMS
Hey, let her go, why should I waste my breath catching that party-pooper, when you’re still here?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I know Bill I’m the only girl that you’ve ever really cared for….

Williams stares at June, uncertain whether or not he should take offence.

MALE VOICE O/S (Shouting.)
Hey Margie!   How about a dance?

MARGIE SUMNERS
Well, that’s my date, so I suppose I’ll have to oblige him.   I can’t ignore him all night.   Even if he is a creep…
(Half a beat.)
His nickname is Tarzan.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Why, because he’s big and muscular?

MARGIE SUMNERS
No, because he’s half-man and half-ape.

She walks out of SHOT to LHS as June laughs.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I suppose I’d better go see if my date can still stand up.

BILL WILLIAMS
Come on Junie you’ve got us now.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Thanks, but no thanks.

She walks out of SHOT to RHS.

EXT. BACK YARD OF PUB — DAY
June walks out through the back door & sees that there is no one else in SHOT.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Now where has he got to?

She looks around the yard, then walks over and looks under the table, as Randy walks into SHOT from RHS.

RANDY THOMAS
What have you lost?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Looking up/Startled.)
Oh there you are.

RANDY THOMAS
Surely you didn’t think that you’d find me under there?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
You never can tell.   The way you were knocking them back earlier, anything is possible.

RANDY THOMAS
No worries; I can handle my booze.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Then where have you been?

RANDY THOMAS
Off having naughties with Rita Hayworth.   But I was too much man for her and wore her out.   So I decided to come back here and see if you are more woman than she is.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Between laughter.)
All right, fair enough.   Well, if you’ve finished having naughties with Rita now, perhaps you have time dance with me.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh, well, I don’t know.   I sort of promised the first dance to Rita.   But since she’s still sleeping off the naughties we had, I suppose what she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.

They walk out of SHOT to LHS, arm in arm.

INT. PUB, DANCE AREA — DAY
June and Randy walk into SHOT.

Dwight and Williams are still standing together talking about the United States.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
So do you think the Dodgers can win the series this year?

BILL WILLIAMS
No way, the Braves are as good as a sure thing.

There is music playing lightly so June and Randy start dancing.

After the dance finishes, Dwight walks over and takes Randy by the arm.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Randy, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.

They walk back over to Williams and Dwight.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Pointing to Williams.)
Bill Williams.
(Pointing to Randy.)
This is Randy Thomas.

Randy and Williams glare at each other for a moment.

BILL WILLIAMS
Yeah, we’ve already met.
(To Randy.)
Well, it looks like we’ll get to finish our little conversation after all.   Last time you left in rather a hurry!

RANDY THOMAS
Well, you were taking a little nap at the time, so I didn’t want to wake you.

BILL WILLIAMS
Well, I’m wide awake now buddy and raring to go!
(He goes into a boxing stance.)
All right, put ‘em up!

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t be even bloody stupider than usual, Williams.   This isn’t the time or the place for a re-match.

BILL WILLIAMS (Standing/Calm.)
All right then, step outside with me.

RANDY THOMAS
I’m not stepping out anywhere.

BILL WILLIAMS
Gutless coward!

RANDY THOMAS
All right, so I’m a gutless coward.   But I’m still not stepping outside with you.
(To June.)
Come on let’s go to the main ballroom.   The air is a little cleaner out there.

He walks over to June, and they start walking out of SHOT to LHS, arm in arm together.

Williams runs up behind Randy, and shoves him hard in the back.

Randy stops for a moment as though considering retaliating, then starts walking again.

Williams pushes Randy again, then Dwight runs over and grabs Williams by the arm.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Come on Bill.   Weren’t you going to tell me about your cousin who plays for the Rams?

BILL WILLIAMS
Later kid, later.   First I’ve got to take care of this asshole.

Williams goes to kidney-punch Randy, but Dwight grabs Williams’ fist.

Williams tries to shrug Dwight away.

When he can’t, Williams turns and punches Dwight in the face, then stomach.

Dwight groans and collapses to the floor.

Randy turns back.

Seeing Dwight, Randy punches Williams hard in the stomach.

Williams doubles up and Randy walks over to Dwight as June runs across.

Randy and June start half leading; half carrying Dwight out of SHOT to LHS.

Williams recovers and grabs Randy by LHS arm and pulls him back into SHOT as June and Dwight walk out of SHOT.

BILL WILLIAMS
Not so bloody fast, you bastard.   You ran away once, but this time you’re gonna get what’s coming to you.

Williams swings a punch at Randy’s head.

Randy ducks and punches Williams in the stomach.

The two men fight, exchanging blows to the head and stomach for a few moments, before Randy starts to get the upper hand.

Randy punches Williams three times in quick succession in the stomach, as Margie and Mrs T walk into SHOT from RHS.

Williams collapses to his knees and Randy hits him hard in the face, knocking him to the floor, unconscious.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Running over to Randy.)
You rotten bastard!   After giving me your word not to start anything!
She slaps Randy’s face hard.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Shouting.)
Now got out.
(Pointing to the back door.)
You’re banned from this hotel for life!

RANDY THOMAS
Jesus, Margie, it wasn’t….

Margie covers her ears with her hands.

MARGIE SUMNERS (Shouting.)
Not a word; not a bloody word!   There is absolutely nothing you could say that could make up for this.   As far as I’m concerned, I never want to see you again!

She hurries out of SHOT to LHS.

Mrs T walks slowly over to Randy.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph!   How could you?

RANDY THOMAS
Oh Mum, it wasn’t my fault; I….

MRS T.
Don’t say a word Randy!   I don’t want to talk about it.   What you did was inexcusable.

Mrs T walks out of SHOT to LHS, followed by Randy.

INT. MRS T.’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — DAY

KEY IN LOCK, then the front door opens and Mrs T walks into SHOT, followed by Randy, June, and Dwight.

After a few moments Mrs T walks into SHOT, followed by Randy and June, then Dwight.

RANDY THOMAS
But, mum, it wasn’t my fault.

MRS T.
Not a word, Randolph!

Mrs T storms toward her bedroom, RHS of SHOT.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Don’t worry Randy, we’ll manage to convince her eventually that it wasn’t your fault.   But I think you’d better start looking around for another hotel to drink in.   And as for you and Margie, I don’t think you’d better announce any wedding plans for quite awhile yet.

RANDY THOMAS (Putting an arm around June.)
Oh well, it looks like it’s just you and me now June honey.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Breaking away from Randy.)
I’m sorry Randy, but don’t go making any long term plans about you and me.   I only agreed to go out with you on a one date basis.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh well, it looks like it’s back to me and Rita Hayworth.   And just when I was getting used to real women too.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Look, I’d be happy to keep going out with you on a strictly one date basis.   Just don’t go planning anything more definite for a while yet.   I don’t like to be rushed.

Randy goes over to Dwight, puts an arm around Dwight.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh well, it looks like it’s just you and me now, Dwight honey….

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Pulling away.)
Sorry, I’m not that kinda guy.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh damn, I just can’t win, can I?

June and Dwight laugh for a moment.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Well, I suppose I should be getting home.

RANDY THOMAS
I’ll walk you home.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I’ll come along too.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, I don’t want to seem rude mate, but you know what they say: two’s company, so why don’t you get lost!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That’s not how it goes.   It’s two’s company; three’s a threesome; four’s a foursome; five’s a gruesome, and six is an orgy!

June walks out of SHOT to RHS.

Randy starts to walk after her but Dwight grabs him by one arm.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I want to thank you for standing up for me tonight, Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
That’s all right, mate, no problems.   All it did was lose me two girlfriends; get me banned for life from the nearest hotel, and make my mother refuse to ever talk to me again…
(Half a beat.)
But don’t let it worry you; I’m used to that sort of thing; I’m a born martyr.

JUNE HOLLIDAY O/S
Are you coming, Randy?

RANDY THOMAS (Shouting.)
Just the sound of your voice is enough to make me come, June baby.

Randy walks out through the back door, followed by Dwight.

INT. LIVING ROOM — EVENING — SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22, 1942
Randy is sitting on the LHS of the sofa, reading a novel.

Dwight, in uniform, is sitting in the armchair on the RHS.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
You know, I feel really rotten about this.

RANDY THOMAS
About what?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
About going to the U.S. Club, after the trouble Bill Williams caused you at the Services Ball.

RANDY THOMAS
Why should you feel bad about that?   It wasn’t your fault.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, it…
(Half a beat.)
It was by default I guess.

RANDY THOMAS
Why because you introduced us?   You couldn’t have known we were old sparring partners?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Frustrated.)
No, I guess not.   But even apart from that I guess I’m sort of guilty by association.

RANDY THOMAS
Why?   Because you’re a Yankee?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, you always say that the only good American is a dead American.   And even some of those are a bit suspect.

RANDY THOMAS (Between laughter.)
Yes, I do.   But you know I’m only joking when I say that, don’t you?   In reality not all you Yankees are as bad as Bill Williams.   Only most of you.   There are bound to be at least one or two blokes down at the U.S. Club who will be almost human.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Hesitant.)
Still I….

RANDY THOMAS
Besides, things didn’t go too badly for me after all.   Mum started talking to me again two days ago.   Margie reduced my ban at the hotel from life to only ninety-nine years.   And despite saying that she wanted to keep things casual, June and I have been seeing each other every evening since the ball.   So whatever you did for me at the ball has definitely worked out for the best…
(Half a beat.)
I had six days of blissful silence from Mum.   Managed to dump Margie, and got off to a good start with Junie.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yeah, but still!

RANDY THOMAS
Besides the old girl has said that you’re going to the Yankee club to meet your fellow countrymen, and if you dare to go against her ruling, you’ll never hear the last of it.
(Shaking head.)
I doubt if you’d be blessed with six days of glorious silence like I was…
(Half a beat.)
Besides, look at it this way.   None of the rest of us can stomach you Yanks.   So if you can’t get along with each other, you’re really outta luck.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Considering a moment.)
You don’t mind being given the bum’s rush by Margie, on my account?

RANDY THOMAS
Why should I?   Margie was always a frigid bitch anyway.   I’m getting along much better with June already.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I’ve got to hand it to you.   You don’t seem to have any trouble picking up women.   I wish I could do half as well.

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t worry, once you get to the Yank Club, your countrymen will soon give you a crash course in making points with Aussie women.   You already know the first rule.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Puzzled.)
What do you mean?

RANDY THOMAS
Well, I notice that you always wear your uniform whenever you go out.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
That’s all I’ve got to wear; this and another uniform.

RANDY THOMAS
Didn’t you bring any civvies over with you?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, no.   I kind of left home in a hurry when I enlisted.   And the civvies I wore down to enlist weren’t worth bringing over to Australia.

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t worry.   You don’t need them anyway.   An American in civvies doesn’t get much further with Aussie women than an Aussie man does…
(Half a beat.)
It’s the uniform that attracts the Charlies; not the man inside it.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Thanks a lot!   You make me feel like I’m a real man when you say that!

RANDY THOMAS (Between laughter.)
I know just how you feel.   But that’s the way it goes.   Aussie women are a dead pushover for Yanks in uniform…
(Half a beat.)
In fact, come to think of it Aussie women are a dead pushover for Yanks, full stop…
(Half a beat.)
You lot get paid a proper wage while our soldiers are only given pocket money; their salary being the honour of fighting and dying for their country.   Or for England in the case of this war.   So just stick with that uniform, and you’ll soon be making points with the Charlie Wheelers.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
If you say so.

RANDY THOMAS
I do say so…
(Half a beat.)
So.   See I said so.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Shaking head.)
There is something very odd about you.   But I can’t quite work out what it is.

Mrs T walks into SHOT from LHS, carrying her knitting bag.

She walks over to the second armchair, sits and takes out her knitting, putting the bag on the floor near his chair.

MRS T. (To Dwight.)
All ready to go, love?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yeah, but I still don’t know about this….

MRS T.
What do you mean, love?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I still don’t like going to the U.S. Club after the trouble this guy Williams caused Randy at the hotel.

MRS T.
Don’t worry, Randy has caused more than his fair share of trouble with GIs in his time….

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yeah but…?

MRS T.
And even if this Williams character really did start the brawl last week, Randy should never have egged him into fighting the time before that.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Maybe; maybe not.

MRS T.
There’s no maybe about it!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, all right.   But I still don’t like accepting Williams’ invitation.

MRS T.
You aren’t.   There’s no rule to say that you have to be invited along to the U.S. Club; only that you have to be an American.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Yeah, I guess so.

MRS T.
So if you don’t want to accept Williams’ invitation, don’t.   Go on your own initiative.   You’re an American so you can go to the U.S. Club whenever you like.

RANDY THOMAS
As long as it’s open that is.   They frown on people breaking in when they’re closed.

Dwight laughs, but Mrs T gives Randy a hard look.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Standing.)
Well, if I’m going, I suppose I’d better be going.

RANDY THOMAS
That makes sense, no matter what anyone might say.

MRS T. (To Dwight.)
All right, love.   There’s no need for me to tell you not to start any trouble there.
(To Randy.)
I wish I could say the same for certain other people.

Dwight walks out of SHOT to RHS.

Mrs T starts knitting.

MRS T. (To Randy.)
It is about time Dwight went out by himself and met some of his own countrymen.

RANDY THOMAS
I couldn’t agree with you more.

MRS T. (Shocked.)
Well, this makes a pleasant change of heart…
(Half a beat.)
I suppose it would be too much to hope that you might feel sorry for the trouble you caused poor Margie?

RANDY THOMAS
Poor Margie?   That bitch wouldn’t let me try to explain to her that I went out of my way not to fight with that Yankee bastard, Williams!

MRS T. (Incredulous.)
Oh Randy!   How could you expect her to believe something like that?   After the way you’ve been in dish ups with virtually every American to pass through Brisbane in the last year?

RANDY THOMAS
Come on!   That’s a bit of an exaggeration isn’t it?   There have been almost half a million Yanks pass through Brisbane this year.   Even I couldn’t possibly have had box-ups with all of them…
(Half a beat.)
Half of them maybe; but certainly not all of them.

MRS T. (Between laughter.)
All right then, so you’ve only had set-tos with half of them.   But even so, how do you expect Margie to believe that it wasn’t your fault this time, after all the brawling that you do with the Americans?

RANDY THOMAS
Well, Dwight backed me up on it.

MRS T.
Of course he did.   Dwight looks up to you as a kind of foster big brother.   Part of the reason I wanted him to get out and meet his own people, was the way he follows you around like a lost puppy.   Of course he vouched for everything you said.   If you said you were God he’d back you up on it.

RANDY THOMAS (Puzzled.)
But I am God, aren’t I?…
(Half a beat.)
All right, what about June?   Isn’t her word good enough for you?

MRS T.
Well, let’s face it, June is your latest girl!

RANDY THOMAS (Hesitant.)
She’s, she’s much more than just that, mum.

MRS T.
You don’t mean…?

RANDY THOMAS
Well, don’t go knitting any baby boots yet.   But let’s just say that she means a hell of a lot more to me than that Yankee-loving bitch, Margie, ever did.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR to RHS.

Mrs T puts down her knitting, stands up.

MRS T.
Now I wonder who that could be?

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t ask me.   A psycho I may be; but psychic never.   Whoever it is, it won’t be anyone for me.

Mrs T walks across to the door, RHS.   Randy stands, and walks into the kitchen, LHS of out of SHOT.

Mrs T returns, followed by June, just as Randy walks back into SHOT carrying an opened bottle of beer and three glasses which he puts on the coffee table.

MRS T.
Randy?   June is here to see you.

RANDY THOMAS
See I told you it would be someone for me.

MRS T.
What?   You said….

RANDY THOMAS
Now, now, don’t go telling tales.

Mrs T walks over to her chair, sits and picks up her knitting again.

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
Hey, what is this anyway?   I’ve heard of emancipation; but isn’t it going a bit too far when the Charlies start picking up the blokes?
June laughs and goes over to sit on the sofa.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I was let off work a little early, so I thought I’d drop in here and save you a walk.

RANDY THOMAS (To Mrs T.)
She’s probably noticed the sleek, lean look I’ve started to acquire.   So she decided that I didn’t need any more exercise.

MRS T.
More likely she decided that with all the  beer you’ve been putting away lately you probably wouldn’t have survived the walk.

RANDY THOMAS (In mock anger.)
Nonsense, I could walk inches before having my next heart attack.
(To June.)
Well, if we’re going to the flicks you can get my coat.   It’s in the hall cupboard.

June stands.

MRS T.
Don’t be in such a hurry to rush off, Randy.   The girl has just arrived; give her time to rest her feet.

June sits down again.

MRS T.
You still have plenty of time to get to the theatre.   Why don’t you pour out that beer and we can have a cool drink, and a little chat.   I haven’t had a chance to have a chat with June yet.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh God, here comes the big interrogation session.
(To June.)
And you thought the Jews had it bad in the concentration camps.

MRS T. (Angry.)
Randolph!

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
But you don’t have to answer any questions about your religion, unless you really went to.

Randy starts pouring the three glasses of beer.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
What?

MRS T.
Just ignore him, love.   Everyone does.

Randy hands Mrs T a glass of beer then takes the other two glasses over to the sofa.   He hands one glass to June and sits beside her, putting his left arm around her.

Mrs T takes a sip of her beer.

MRS T. (To June.)
Randy tells me that you work in a dress shop?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Er, no in a beauty salon actually.

MRS T.
Is it very interesting work?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Not really.   Most of the women we get into the salon these days are so far past any pretence of beauty, that about all that we can do for them is trowel on an inch or two of powder then pour treacle over the top.

RANDY THOMAS (Between laughter.)
Then set fire to it.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Between laughter.)
We don’t go quite that far, but it is very tempting sometimes.

MRS T.
Do you still live at home with your parents, June?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
No, I share a house with two of the girls whom I work with.   I used to live at home before the war broke out.   But nowadays the transport is so unreliable and my parents live right across town.   While the house we rent is right across the road from the salon.

MRS T.
Oh that’s handy.

RANDY THOMAS
It would be more handy if it was right across the road from the saloon.   Then she could stop in for a drink whenever she felt like one.

MRS T.
Oh Randy!   Don’t you ever think of anything else besides drinking?

RANDY THOMAS
Yes, quite often…
(Half a beat.)
But I don’t want to mention what, in case I embarrass June.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Between laughter.)
When has that ever stopped you before?

RANDY THOMAS
That’s a good point.

Mrs T takes a sip of her beer.

MRS T.
Did you follow your mother into the trade?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Puzzled.)
I beg your pardon?

MRS T.
Was your mother also a salon girl?

RANDY THOMAS
Is that anything like a saloon girl?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh Randy!
(To Mrs T.)
No my mother is a devout housewife.   She was employed for a few years before she was married.   But I don’t know what as.

MRS T.
And your father?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh dad works as an advertising man for the Australian Labor Party.

MRS T.
Then you’re a Labor-voter.

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
Think carefully before you answer.   This is a very important one.

MRS T. (Angry.)
Randolph!

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Uncertain.)
Er, well….

RANDY THOMAS
You don’t have to answer that without having an attorney present; but I’ll give you a clue: Mum voted for Curtin.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Nodding her head.)
Oh, well, in that case yes I am.

RANDY THOMAS
Personally I voted for blinds, but we couldn’t afford them.

MRS T.
Randy!   There’s no need to be rude about Mr Curtin.   Isn’t there anything you look up to enough not to ridicule?

RANDY THOMAS (Scratching his chin.)
Ummm, well, now, let me see….
(Shaking head.)
No, nothing I can think of off hand.

Randy and June sip the beer and Mrs T gives Randy a hard look, then sips her own beer for a moment while thinking up the next question.

MRS T.
Have you been working long at the salon, dear?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
For five years.

RANDY THOMAS
For the five years before that she worked in a saloon.

MRS T.
Oh for Christ’s sake Randy!   Will you please shut up about those bloody silly saloon girl jokes?

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
No one likes my jokes any more.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
You’re right, absolutely no one.
(To Mrs T.)
I started in the salon shortly after my seventeenth birthday.

MRS T.
What did you do for a living before that, love?

RANDY THOMAS
No, that was only a hobby.

MRS T.
Randolph!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I went into the salon straight from school.

MRS T. (Shocked.)
You stayed on at school, until you were seventeen?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Yes, I thought it was best to get at least fifth form education…
(Half a beat.)
Just in case I ever needed it.

MRS T.
Personally, I don’t think that a girl should stay at school beyond the age of fourteen.   Leave it to the men to get the education.   They’re the ones who will have to be the breadwinners; a woman’s place is in the home, producing a family.

RANDY THOMAS
That’s what I keep telling her, but for the last eight nights she’s been giving me this line about a headache.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Randy!

RANDY THOMAS
I sure am, but it hasn’t been getting me anywhere lately.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Is that why you’ve been having all those eyesight problems lately?

RANDY THOMAS
No that’s only a rumour….
(Waving his hands in the air.)
June, June where are you!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That’s as good an excuse as any for copping a feel.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh that’s right I’ve tried that one on you before.

MRS T.
Oh Randy!   There’s no need to embarrass the poor girl.
(To June.)
Do you look at yourself as a career girl, love?   Or are you just tiding yourself over until the right man comes along?

RANDY THOMAS
All right, who’s this Mr Right cutting in on my territory?   As if it’s not bad enough the Yanks pinching all our sheilas.

Mrs T and June both give Randy a dirty look.

RANDY THOMAS
And when I say “pinching” I mean “pinching”, not “stealing”.

MRS T.
Don’t be an idiot, Randy.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That’s asking the impossible, Mrs T…
(Half a beat.)
I suppose that all women want to settle down and raise a family eventually.   But there’s still plenty of time for that yet.   I’m only in my early twenties.

MRS T.
Perhaps, love, but it’s never too soon to start.

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
I agree, so what do you say about getting right down to it straight after the movie tonight?

MRS T.
Randolph!

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To Randy.)
I think that your mother was referring to getting married first.

RANDY THOMAS
That’s only a triviality.   The main thing is the making babies, and there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t get down to that part right away…
(Half a beat.)
If the worst came to the worst, we’d still have the better part of nine months to tie the knot, to stop the little beggar from being born a bastard.

June laughs, but Mrs T glares at Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
Ask her what religion she is, Mum.   She refused to tell me, even after I told her that I’m a Mormon.   But I think she twigged that it’s only because I like the idea of having my own private harem.
(To June.)
After all with eighteen wives, there should be no way they could all have a headache on any single night…
(Half a beat.)
On the other hand think of all the mother-in-laws.

FADE OUT:

END OF ACT TWO:

ACT THREE:

FADE IN:
INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY — AS BEFORE

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I could just imagine you with your own harem.   Eighteen giggling Wendy Heinzes.

Randy throws his arms up into the air and lets out a mock scream.

RANDY THOMAS
You’re trying to turn my dream into a nightmare…
(Half a beat.)
Mock me all you like, but don’t you dare mock my dream of owning my own harem.

MRS T.
Oh come on Randy!   This Wendy Heinz can’t be that bad.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Picture a brick wall shaped like a woman.

RANDY THOMAS
A great body, but….

He taps his temple with one finger.

RANDY THOMAS
Not so great up top.

They sip their beer for a moment.

MRS T.
Do you have any brothers and sisters, June?

RANDY THOMAS
Two brothers; no sister.

MRS T.
How do you know?

RANDY THOMAS
Because God told me.
(To June.)
Or am I Just hearing voices…
(Half a beat.)
Again?

They laugh for a moment.

RANDY THOMAS
Actually I asked her.   I was mainly interested in the sisters; to see about fixing Dwight up with one of them, of course.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh of course, why else would you have been interested?   Unless perhaps you thought you could put together your harem all from the one family?

RANDY THOMAS
Now how can you say that?   You know I always have the purest of intentions.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Really?   Then what keeps going wrong?

RANDY THOMAS (Between laughter.)
Ver…
(Half a beat.)
Ree funny.

MRS T. (To June.)
Are your brothers both overseas?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Puzzled.)
What?…
(Half a beat.)
Oh you mean in the war?

RANDY THOMAS
No, she meant are they taking a sight-seeing tour across Europe and Russia at the moment.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Ha, ha, very droll.
(To Mrs T.)
My eldest brother, Stephen, is in the R.A.A.F., as a Flight Lieutenant in a fighter squadron.   My younger brother, Kevin, has just turned eighteen.   But isn’t likely to be called up, as he works in a munitions factory.

RANDY THOMAS
A protected specimen, eh?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
It’s a wonder that you haven’t been called up yet, Randy?

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t give me any of that, I flipped for it and won the right not to be called up.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That doesn’t mean much though.   Two of my cousins flipped for it too.   The one who lost went along to enlist, and failed the medical.   A week later the one who won the toss was drafted and was sent overseas.

MRS T.
Don’t worry, love, with that pot-belly you’d never pass the medical.

RANDY THOMAS (Indignant.)
What pot-belly?   Personally, I think I’m a fine figure of a man.   There’s no way that I’ll ever develop a pot-belly!   Throwing around crates in the factory all day burns off any calories that I drink!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
You must throw around an awful lot of crates!

RANDY THOMAS
Ver…
(Half a beat.)
Ree funny.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
I’m glad you thought so.

RANDY THOMAS
Actually I didn’t.

Randy finishes his beer, stands and walks over to place his empty glass on the coffee tables then returns to his seat.

MRS T.
I suppose you’ll be wanting a big family, when you marry, dear?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Well, I could always marry Randy, then I’d already have a big family.

Mrs T and June laugh, but Randy looks annoyed.

RANDY THOMAS
All right already, let’s knock off the pot-belly jokes and try to have a bit of decorum for a change.

MRS T.
I see.   So the joker can’t handle it when the jokes on the other foot for a change.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To Mrs T.)
I think we’ve at last found a subject that he doesn’t like joking about.

RANDY THOMAS
It’s not that at all…
(Half a beat.)
It’s just that I don’t like to see you both making fools out of yourselves.

MRS T.
That has never worried you before.

RANDY THOMAS
Would it help if I begged for mercy?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Not really, but it couldn’t hurt.

RANDY THOMAS
I don’t know.
(Shaking head.)
A man isn’t even free from ridicule in his own house.

MRS T.
It’s not your house, Randy; it’s my house.

RANDY THOMAS (Shaking head.)
I don’t know, a man isn’t even free from ridicule in his own mother’s own house.
(To Mrs T.)
Why don’t you ask her the one about, “Where do babies come from?”

MRS T. (Angry.)
Randy!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Well, I suppose we’d better be leaving now, or else we’ll have to sit in the back row at the pictures.

RANDY THOMAS (Grinning.)
That’s all right with me.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Well, personally I intended to sit in the front row.

RANDY THOMAS
Spoil sport.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Although you can sit at the back, if you don’t mind going blind by yourself.

RANDY THOMAS
I don’t know, everyone picks on me these days.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh you poor boy.

She finishes her beer, takes the glass over and puts it beside Randy’s on the coffee table.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Well, we really had better be going.

RANDY THOMAS (Standing.)
Yes we’ll see you later, Mum.

MRS T.
See you later Randy.   See you later June, love.

June and Randy walk across toward the door, RHS of SHOT, together.

INT. LIVING ROOM — MID MORNING — SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1942
Mrs T is sitting in the armchair on LHS, nursing a cup of tea and a saucer.   As is June, sitting on RHS hand end of the sofa.   In the middle of the sofa sits Randy, holding a half empty glass of beer in his right hand.

On the coffee table there is a tray holding a teapot and a plate of sweet biscuits, as well as an empty beer bottle.

MRS T. (To Randy.)
Were you and June planning anything special for over the weekend, Randy?

RANDY THOMAS
Well, I was, but June is still holding out on me.

MRS T. (Between laughter.)
Oh Randy!   You’ll embarrass the poor girl.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Don’t worry Mrs T, nothing embarrasses me any longer.   I’ve been going with Randy for more than two whole weeks now.
(To Randy.)
I’ve told you, I’m not doing any of that sort of thing with any man until I’m married to him.

Randy places his beer glass on the floor beside the sofa, then gets down on one knee in the classical proposing stance in front of June.

RANDY THOMAS
All right then, will you marry me?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh get up off the floor, and stop acting the fool.

MRS T.
Believe me, he’s not acting.

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
Come on now, this is a serious proposal.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Embarrassed.)
Oh Randy for Christ’s sake, you’re making a fool of yourself…
(Half a beat.)
And more importantly, you’re embarrassing me in front of your mother!

RANDY THOMAS
Then say yes, and I’ll get up off the floor.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
If I thought you were serious, I might say yes.

RANDY THOMAS
Would it make any difference if I agreed to borrow Dwight’s uniform to get married in?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
This is not the time for American uniform jokes.

RANDY THOMAS
All right then, I’m sorry.   Now will you marry me?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Uncertain.)
Are you being serious?

RANDY THOMAS (Mock German accent.)
I’ll ask the questions here, fräulein!
(Calm.)
Now will you marry me?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
If I only knew you were being serious.

RANDY THOMAS
Would I be making a fool of myself this way, in front of my own mother, if I wasn’t serious?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
It’s never stopped you before.

RANDY THOMAS (To Mrs T.)
That’s true.   She’s got a good point there.
(To June.)
But this time I’m dead serious.   Now will you marry me?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Shouting.)
Yes!…
(Half a beat.)
Now get up and stop making a fool of yourself.

RANDY THOMAS
A man has to make a fool out of himself when he proposes, it’s written in the scriptures: “man shalt looketh liketh a bloody fooleth whilst proposingeth.”
(To Mrs T.)
I’m buggered if I know why Shakespeare had to use that bloody stupid language when he wrote the bible.

Randy stands and sits next to June, clasping her to him as she laughs, causing her to almost spill her tea over him.

RANDY THOMAS
That was in 1492, the year that he discovered America.   Sometimes known as the Chosen Race.  Though God only knows chosen by whom, or for what?   It’s also why to this very day everyone hates Shakespeare’s guts!

MRS T. (Annoyed.)
Randy, isn’t even the bible sacred to you?

RANDY THOMAS (Shaking head.)
No.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To Randy.)
Watch out, or you’ll end up with hot tea all over you!

RANDY THOMAS
Then put it down on the floor.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
But I haven’t finished drinking it yet.

RANDY THOMAS
Too bad, there’s another scripture that clearly says: “a man-eth shalt be entitled-eth to feel up-eth his fiancé-eth, after he has just made a bloody fooleth of himself by proposingeth”.

June drinks the last of her tea and places the cup and saucer on the ground.

June and Randy kiss and cuddle for a few moments, while Mrs T looks away, pretending to be drinking her tea.

After a few moments Dwight walks into SHOT from LHS, clutching his head and groaning.

Mrs T finishes her tea, carries her cup to the table, and then returns to her seat.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Feels like a tank ran over my head while I was sleeping.

RANDY THOMAS
A tank of beer, I’d say, by the state you were in last night, mate.

MRS T.
Yes, Dwight!   I’m surprised and shocked at your behaviour…
(Half a beat.)
I mean I’m used to them having to carry Randy home from the pub; but I expected better from you.

RANDY THOMAS (To June.)
I think I’ve just been insulted.
(To Dwight.)
Yes, just when we were getting used to calling you the orange-juice-kid, you have to go and start acting like a man for a change.

MRS T.
There’s nothing mannish about it, Randy.   Childish is more like it.

Dwight staggers over and slumps onto the sofa next to Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t take any of that from her, mate.   Just plead the eighteenth amendment.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Clutching his head.)
The eighteenth amendment was prohibition.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh, well, perhaps you’d better not plead that one.

Randy, June and Dwight laugh for a moment.

MRS T. (To Dwight.)
I thought you were a teetotaller, love.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I thought I was a teetotaller, too.   But then I wasn’t allowing for the fact that there would be so much pressure on me to have a few social drinks at the U.S. Club…
(Half a beat.)
Randy is right, American servicemen are not known as great orange juice drinkers.

MRS T.
Yes, I have to admit that is one fault that I have noticed about your boys since you came to Brisbane.   Americans seem to be almost as big guzzlers as Australian men are.

RANDY THOMAS
Only one?   Christ!   I could think of a few more faults than that in the bastards!   Let’s see…
(Counting on his fingers.)
They go around stealing all our Charlies.   They get first service in the pubs.   They go about flashing their cash around to make the rest of us look small….

Mrs T turns to glare at Randy, who shuts up.

MRS T. (To Dwight.)
So, I suppose that you won’t be going back there again, love?   To the U.S. Club!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Frustrated.)
I suppose not.   Although I did sort of promise two guys last night that I’d go back again today.

MRS T.
Then if you promised, I suppose you must.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Don’t worry mate, the more you drink, the less you tend to notice the hangovers.   You’ll soon be able to guzzle away to your heart’s content.

MRS T.
Randy!   That’s hardly something to be boasting about!

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That’s right!   There’s no need to encourage him into bad habits.

RANDY THOMAS
The main thing is never tell drinking jokes in front of women.   They’ve got no sense of humour at all.
(To June.)
I don’t know.
(Shaking head.)
We’re not even married yet and you’re nagging me already.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That’s the price you pay for being able to get a bit of how’s-your-father whenever you want it.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh that’s how it works, is it?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That’s the way it goes.   Marriage gives men the right to get a bit whenever they like, in exchange for the wife being able to nag as much as she likes.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Puzzled.)
Am I going crazy, or did I miss part of this conversation?

RANDY THOMAS
A little bit of both actually.

MRS T.
Oh yes that’s right dear, you haven’t heard yet.   Randy and June have just got engaged.   Poor girl.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
That is if he was serious.

RANDY THOMAS
Of course I was being serious.   Would I make a bloody fool out of myself if I wasn’t being serious?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Yes, it’s never stopped you before!

RANDY THOMAS
Maybe not, but I’d never joke about my own marriage.   I’d joke about his marriage….
(Pointing at Dwight.)
Or her marriage.
(Pointing at Mrs T.)
But not about my own.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Then congratulations, pal.
(He turns toward Randy and shakes hands.)
And commiserations, June.

He holds out his hand to shake with her, but she pulls him across Randy, to give him a kiss on the cheek.

RANDY THOMAS (Shaking head.)
I don’t know, this must be the night of the long knives, Brutus.   And after all I’ve done to you too…
(Half a beat.)
er, for you, down the last month…
(Half a beat.)
What is this anyway, “Get Randy week” or something?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Between laughter.)
No.   “Get Randy century”!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh great, that’s much better.

They all laugh for a moment.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
How soon before you tie the knot?

RANDY THOMAS
We’re going to have a two year trial marriage first, to make certain that we’re compatible, before making it legal….

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh no we’re not!   No man gets into my bed until he’s legally married to me!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh well, in that case we’ve getting hitched some time this afternoon.
(To Dwight.)
So you’d better get back from the Yankee Club fairly sober this time; as you’re the beat man.
(To June.)
That’s another good reason to have it this afternoon while he’s still only an apprentice-Yank.   He can’t be best man once he graduates to being a total prick.

June and Dwight laugh, but Mrs T is offended.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph!   Don’t be so crude!

RANDY THOMAS
And that could be only a matter of days now, if he keeps frequenting the Yankee Club.
(To June.)
Personally, I think they should club all Yankees…
(Half a beat.)
Might knock some brains into them.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Personally I think it would be best to wait until after the war.

RANDY THOMAS
To club the Yankees?

JUNE HOLLIDAY
No, to get married.

RANDY THOMAS
What?   But the war could last another ten years…!
(Half a beat.)
No way am I waiting that long to get a bit of….

MRS T.
Randolph!

RANDY THOMAS
Er, that is, to start a family.

Dwight laughs, then groans again, rubs his head with both hands.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I wish I hadn’t promised to go to the U.S. Club today.

RANDY THOMAS
Don’t worry, mate, with that uniform, you’ll be able to hitch a ride in a taxi there and back again after you’ve had a few hairs-of-the-dog to set you right.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Why don’t you offer to see him down there, Randy?

MRS T.
No thanks, June love.   The last thing we need is Randy going down to the U.S. Club and starting trouble with the GIs.

RANDY THOMAS
But I’m not the one to blame for that!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
He’s right, Mrs T.

RANDY THOMAS
See even Dwight admits it’s the Yankees who start the fights with me.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
It isn’t just with you, Randy.   From what I’ve seen since being here, Brisbane, is on the brink of a war between the U.S. and Aussie servicemen.

MRS T. (Shaking head.)
A war between two allies?

RANDY THOMAS
No, between us and the Yanks.

MRS T.
Don’t be silly love; it could never happen!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I wish I had your confidence Mrs T.   But everywhere you go in Queensland these days you see brawls between Aussies and Americans.

MRS T.
But that’s silly.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
That doesn’t alter the fact that it’s happening.

MRS T. (Shaking head.)
But why?   How?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I suppose mainly because there were just too many GIs brought into Queensland at the same time.

RANDY THOMAS
I certainly won’t argue with that.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
There is only a little over one million Australians in the whole of Queensland, while there has been almost half that many Americans pass just through the inner suburban area…
(Half a beat.)
Imagine upping the population of any place in the world by 50% virtually overnight.   Of course, it caused chaos.

He groans again, reaches up and rubs his head.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Yes, we see your point.

RANDY THOMAS
Still if the bloody Yanks didn’t all act as though they owned the place, it wouldn’t be nearly so bad as it is.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
But it isn’t the GIs who are to blame.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh come off it; I suppose our blokes are responsible for it all?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No, it isn’t their fault either.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Angry.)
Well, you’d better not be blaming it all onto the Aussie sheilas!   Or I’ll take back that kiss I gave you.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
How could you do that?

RANDY THOMAS
She’ll take out her flick knife and cut off your cheek, where she kissed you.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Rubbing his cheek.)
No, no, I wasn’t going to blame them either.

RANDY THOMAS (Puzzled.)
Well, I’d like to see you provide a solution now; you’ve just ruled out all the suspects.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Yes, if it’s not the GIs, the Aussie soldier, or the sheilas, just who the hell is responsible?

RANDY THOMAS
This is getting more and more like a radio who-dunnit where the detective says to the audience, “I’ll bet you know who dunnit?” and we’re all shaking our heads, saying, “Nab, nah, we haven’t a bloody clue!” but despite that we end up sitting on the edges of our chairs through fifteen minutes of Bex ads. before he comes back to tell us who dunnit.

MRS T.
Well, if you can keep quiet long enough for Dwight to get a word in, Randy, he might tell us who dunnit!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
The U.S. MPs.

RANDY THOMAS
The U.S. Ministers of Parliament?

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Shaking head.)
Military Police.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh!
(To Dwight.)
But hang on a minute; they’re part of the Yankee army!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, they are and they aren’t.   If you know what I mean.
Randy, June, & Mrs T all look puzzled.

JUNE HOLLIDAY/MRS T./RANDY THOMAS
No, we don’t.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, I mean that the U.S. MPs are a part of the military, but they’re also related to the civilian police, which is where they get their violence from.   My country has always had a sadistic approach to law enforcement; both civilian and military.   Sort of like in England two hundred years ago when they would hang people for stealing a loaf of bread.

RANDY THOMAS
Or worse still deport them to Australia.
(He pronounces it “Horse-tralia”.)
That’s where all the horsies come from.

MRS T.
Oh Randolph!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, anyway, that’s about where the American mentality is with crime and punishment.

RANDY THOMAS
Fair enough.   Criminals don’t deserve any rights!

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, that’s the U.S. attitude all right; but it’s a dangerous attitude to have.   It caused the American machine-gun era in the 1920’s and 30’s.   One day our police decided to arm themselves with handguns to cut down the spiralling crime rate; but naturally the criminals armed themselves too.
(Half a beat.)
So the police moved up to shotguns and again the criminals did the same.   So the next thing you know, the police had moved up to machine-guns and hand grenades.   And again the crims had to do the same to survive.
(Half a beat.)
Finally, if the underworld hadn’t had sense enough to see what was happening, who knows where it would have all ended?

Dwight waves his hands around for emphasis.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Anyway, the approach the U.S. MPs have been using, was borrowed from the Civilian police.   So whenever the U.S. MPs are called in to break up a fight, instead of just trying to separate people, they go in with their batons and guns blazing and kill first and ask questions of the next-of-kin afterwards.
(Half a beat.)
Obviously that causes resentment from the Aussies who are used to the more humane approach of their own U.S. MPs.   In turn the GIs resent the resentment of the Aussies and the Aussies resent the GIs resenting their resentment et cetera.
(Half a beat.)
There’s so much resentment and counter-resentment bouncing back and forth like a ping pong ball that it is gradually building up so that it’s only a matter of time before we see a war within a war between the Aussies and Americans here in Brisbane.

MRS T.
But surely there could never actually be blood shed between the two countries?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I hope not Mrs T.   But that certainly seems to be the way that things are heading.

He reaches up and rubs his head with his right hand for a moment.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Well, if I’m going to the U.S. Club today, I suppose t had better get it over with.
(Standing.)
If I don’t return tonight, don’t send out a search party.   Just let them give me a military burial.

RANDY THOMAS
Is that where they kick your corpse into the gutter, heap manure over top of it, and shout “Next!”?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (Between laughter.)
Ah, I see you’ve heard of it…
(Half a beat.)
Well, I guess I’d better be going.

June stands and drags Randy to his feet also.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Come on lazy-daisy, let’s walk him down there.

RANDY THOMAS
Why, he’s not my girlfriend.
(To Dwight.)
Are you?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
I certainly hope not.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Come on lazy, the walk will do you good.

MRS T.
Yes, you can walk off some of that paunch.

RANDY THOMAS
Oh All right.
(To Dwight.)
Anything rather than have to listen to any more pot-belly jokes.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
We’ll see you later, Mrs T.

MRS T.
All rights June love.   Take care of yourself Dwight…
(Half a beat.)
And don’t got into any fights down there, Randy!

RANDY THOMAS
But it’s never my fault!

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Taking him by the arm.)
Come on, arguing won’t got you anywhere.
(To Mrs T.)
We should be back in about half an hour.   That is unless I can talk Mr Lazy here into going for a longer walk after we drop Dwight off.

RANDY THOMAS
Well, I don’t know…
(Half a beat.)
It’s too long before the pubs open.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
You can both come into the U.S. Club, as my guests, if you like.

RANDY THOMAS
Now that’s an idea.   I can have a few drinks and suss the place out at the same time.   (To June.)   You know what they say, “Know your enemy”.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Oh Randy.

RANDY THOMAS
Also, it’d be rather cruelly ironic.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Puzzled.)
How do you mean?

RANDY THOMAS
Us drinking Yankee beer for a change.
(To Dwight.)
What’s it called your Yankee brew, “Snot-Wiper” or something like that?

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Budweiser, actually.

RANDY THOMAS
Near enough.

June & Dwight both laugh.

MRS T.
No, thank you, Dwight love.   We have enough trouble keeping Randy out of brawls as it is.   Without him going into the U.S. Club among all those Americans.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON (To Mrs T.)
All right, we’ll see you later.

MRS T.
Yes, see you later love.

The three of them walk across to the front door, RHS of SHOT.

EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BRISBANE’S U.S. CLUB — DAY
June and Randy walk into SHOT, followed by Dwight.

RANDY THOMAS (Looking to the left.)
Well, this looks like the place…
(Half a beat.)
Now remember be a bad boy, get stoned right out of your brain again, and try to get the phone number and address of as many Charlie Wheelers as possible.
(To June.)
I’d tell him not to do anything I wouldn’t do.   But that doesn’t really rule out very much.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Between laughter.)
Oh Randy!

RANDY THOMAS
Oh June!
(To Dwight.)
This is our “Oh John.   Oh Marsha!” routine.   I think you’ve seen it before…
(Half a beat.)
Oh yes, and don’t hesitate to steal sheilas away from the other blokes there.   After all they’re only…
(In a bogus southern drawl.)
Danged Yankees.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (Between laughter.)
That’s a really bright thing to say, considering that he’s a danged Yankee too.

RANDY THOMAS
Yes, but he’s only an apprentice danged Yankee still…
(Half a beat.)
He hasn’t learnt to be a total slimy cunt yet.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
Thanks.
(Considering a moment.)
Er, I think.

A number of people are milling about the street, as Dwight begins to walk into the U.S. Club.

Bill Williams walks into SHOT from the LHS, with two other GIs.

BILL WILLIAMS (To the GIs.)
Well, here is just the asshole I was telling you about.

Williams runs across and punches Randy in the face, knocking him off his feet.

June screams and Dwight runs over to Williams, followed by the two GIs.

BILL WILLIAMS (To Randy.)
Come on you Aussie prick, get up on your feet and fight.

The two Aussies look over at the skirmish.

AUSSIE
Hey, there are four Yanks punching up one of our blokes.

The two Aussies run over to where Williams is dragging Randy to his feet.

Dwight grabs Williams under the arms from behinds as Randy gets back to his feet.

One of the Aussies belts Dwight in the face, knocking him off his feet.

The other Aussie takes a swing at Williams, misses and is knocked off his feet by one of the GIs.

June grabs Randy by the arms.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
Come on, let’s got out of here while we can!

RANDY THOMAS
Not until I fix that bastard Williams once and for all.

Randy returns to the brawl, which is now a free-for-all with everyone hitting out at everyone who gets into their range.

June races across to Dwight.

JUNE HOLLIDAY
You’ve got to get him to stop this.

DWIGHT RICHARDSON
No he’s right.   It’s long since time someone fixed that bastard Williams’ wagon.

He returns to the brawl, and June races out of the way.

After a moment, a U.S. MP runs into SHOT from LHS.

He takes a hand gun out of a belt holster and FIRES A SHOT into the air.

U.S. MP (Shouting.)
Stop, or I’ll shoot!

The two Aussies and one of the GIs run out of SHOT to RHS.

The others continue fighting.

The U.S. MP fires another warning shot.

They all stop fighting, except Dwight who is holding up Williams, punching him in the face.

The U.S. MP goes down on one knee and aims his gun straight at Dwight.

JUNE HOLLIDAY (To the U.S. MP.)
No, don’t!

Randy looks up and sees the gun pointed at Dwight.

RANDY THOMAS (To Dwight.)
Come on mate, for Christ’s sake!

U.S. MP fires his revolver.

Randy pushes Dwight away and is himself, shot.

Randy grunts and collapses to the footpath.

Dwight stands and stares at Randy, then at the U.S. MP.

June screams and runs across to Randy.

The U.S. MP walks ever to take a quick look at Randy.

U.S. MP
Don’t waste your time on him honey.   He’s so much dead meat now.

June sits on the footpath, cradling Randy’s head against her chest, and starts crying.

Dwight stares down at Randy in shook.

The U.S. MP holsters his gum then walks over to Dwight.

U.S. MP
That’s the only thing wrong with this country.   Too many bloody Australians!

Dwight punches the U.S. MP in the face.

The U.S. MP grunts and collapses to the ground.

Dwight walks over to June and puts an arm around her shoulder.

FADE OUT: