Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE INCREDIBLY,

ALMOST MADE UP TRUE STORY OF THORTON T. THORTON

 

by Richard Rivera

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COPYRIGHT 2020

Published by WestPeak Books, an imprint of Jacktive Active Publishing

 

FADE IN:

INT. OFFICE - NIGHT

Immaculate decor. Over decorated marble floors, huge windows an internal spiral staircase at it's center.

 

If it were a church only the super rich would be allowed to worship there.

 

THORTON T. THORTON, (50), sits at his desk on the phone. Even through his exquisitely tailored suit he's all muscle. Could easily make the cover of G-Q Magazine.

THORTON

I love your tits. They're so huge and succulent. I love the way your nipples get hard. Are you nude now? Just panties? Yeah, oh yeah. I like that... take them off for me.

That's it. You turn me on. You know that?

(looks at his wristwatch)

Look, babe, I gotta go. I'll be home around nine. See you then. Keep that pussy warm. Okay, bye mom. Say hi to dad for me.

FREEZE FRAME

Thorton's image FREEZES in mid-blink. He looks drunk.

VOICE (V.O.)

That's Thorton T. Thorton. He's the C-E-O of the Thorton Television Network. He also happens to be the richest man in recorded history.

Oh, and he's also a complete degenerate.

FREEZE FRAME ENDS

INT. THORTON OFFICE WAITING ROOM - DAY

MARSHALL MOSKOWITZ (45), timid in appearance with a receding hair line. It's topped off with a bad comb over that covers his right ear.

 

MARSHALL (V.O.)

I'm Marshall Moskowitz. I'm the sad sack waiting for my interview with Mister Thorton. I've been to fifty- six interviews and this is the only job I applied for that called me back.

 

SECRETARY

Mister Thorton will see you now. (beat)

Loser.

 

MARSHALL

Did you just call me a loser?

SECRETARY

I'm sorry?

MARSHALL

I thought I heard you say something.

SECRETARY

No, sorry. Better hurry. Mister Thorton doesn't like to be kept waiting.

 

MARSHALL

Yes, of course.

INT. THORTON'S OFFICE - DAY

Marshall enters. He stands before Thorton who eyeballs his resume.

 

THORTON

Impressive resume.

MARSHALL

Thank you, Sir. (V.O.)

Please, Jesus I need this job.

THORTON

Top three percentile in your class at Yale.

 

MARSHALL

Yes, Sir.

(V.O.)

Please, Jesus I need this job.

THORTON

I'm, looking for a man with passion. A man who has a hard on for getting things done.... job... long hours...

 

His voice trails off. Marshall eyes thorton's tie. His suit. His mouth with perfectly white teeth.

THORTON (CONT'D)

A man like... me.

He drones on and on...

 

 

MARSHALL (V.O.)

My wife has metastasized breast cancer. I have a ten year old son with autism and childhood schizophrenia. He has to wear a football helmet because he bangs his head against concrete and opens his skull like a walnut and my wife's pregnant. Oh, did I mention my bank's about to foreclose on my home?

(V.O.)

Please Jesus, I need this job.

THORTON

You listening, Mister Moskowitz?

MARSHALL

I'm your man, Sir.

THORTON

Really? Well, Marshall, I like what I see on paper. You seem... fairly intelligent.

MARSHALL

I like to think I am, Sir.

THORTON

Our criminal background check turned up quite a bit of information. You have a long history of domestic abuse. You've been arrested on six different occasions for public drunkenness and assault of a police officer. Served

a year in jail for spousal abuse and since then your life's been pretty much in the toilet. Did I miss anything?

 

 

No, Sir.

MARSHALL

 

THORTON

Lastly, it states you're an alcoholic.

MARSHALL

Not true, Sir!

THORTON

Look me straight in the eye and tell me: are you drunk now?

MARSHALL

No, Sir., I haven't touched a drop in six months, Sir.

 

THORTON

So, if I ordered a blood test as part of your hiring requirement, would I be disappointed?

MARSHALL

No, Sir. I can assure you I'm sober. I'll swear on a stack of bibles there's not a drop of liquor in me.

THORTON

Well, here's the thing champ: I'm not a religious man. A stack of bibles just doesn't do it for me.

The door to the office opens. A MEDIC AND NURSE BARGE IN.

THORTON (CONT'D)

A surprise blood test, however, does.

The Medic shoves a stunned Marshall down onto a chair. The Nurse pulls out a pair of industrial medical scissors.

MARSHALL'S JACKET

The nurse cuts from the sleeve up.

MARSHALL

Hey! That's a new jacket!

MEDIC

Just shut up. It won't take a sec.

The Nurse rips open the rest of Marshall's sleeve.

She exposes Marshall's forearm. She sticks a needle in his vein. She draws blood.

 

The Medic grabs the blood sample. He inserts it in to a palm-sized medical device.

Its colors change from red to blue to green,

MEDIC (CONT'D)

He's clean.

He and the Nurse leave. The door slams hard behind them.

THORTON

Well, champ. Welcome to the Thorton family.

 

Still stunned at the unexpected medical assault, Marshall stands -- just barely.

MARSHALL

Th-Thank you, Sir.

 

He holds out his hand. Thorton grabs it.

MARSHALL (CONT'D)

I won't let you down, Sir.

THORTON

I won't let you let me down.

MARSHALL

Yes, Sir.

THORTON

And cut out that "sir" shit. I may be the boss but I'm a hard working, every day joe just like you.

MARSHALL

Okay, Thorton.

THORTON

Mister Thorton.

MARSHALL

Mister Thorton.

Marshall heads for the door.

THORTON

Oh and Marshall?

MARSHALL

Sir?

THORTON

Just one minor point to keep in mind. It's just something I mention to all my new workers.

MARSHALL

Yes, Sir?

THORTON

I believe in absolute, unquestioning loyalty from my employees. So don't ever betray me. Don't ever even think of thinking you can outwit me, outsmart me or take anyone else's side against me. Because if you do, You'll be fucked so hard it'll feel like having a cattle prod shoved up your ass during a prison riot. We clear, champ?

MARSHALL

Yes, Sir, Mister Thorton.

He heads toward the door.

 

MARSHALL (V.O.) (CONT'D)

And that's how it came to pass that I was hired by Thorton T. Thorton.

I could finally take care of Annette's cancer and afford the proper treatment for my son Jeremey's autism and schizophrenia. I was now an executive at the T-T-T Network.

(beat)

And all it cost me, I would soon find out... was my soul.

EXT. NETWORK BUILDING - NIGHT

The building has the T-T-T television network logo above.

It consists of a huge breasts covered with floating Cherubs.

MARSHALL (V.O.)

That's the T-T-T Network building. Wait a sec. Listen, before I go and let this story unwrap itself you need to know a few things. One: the T-T-T Network was owned and operated

solely by Thorton T. Thorton. Second: the T-T-T Network was not an advertiser or ratings driven network like A-B-C, N-B-C or C-B-S the big three at the time. That means T-T-T could air any kind of programming regardless of its content.

He looks up at a massive antenna that reaches past the clouds.

MARSHALL (V.O.) (CONT'D)

And they had the most powerful television transmitter in the world to prove it. Rumor had it during the first Apollo missions, as a courtesy, Thorton Industries allowed NASA to use it when their own

transmitters were technically inferior and couldn't contact the astronauts during their three day mission.

(beat)

Like I said. It's just a rumor,.

He heads toward the building entrance.

MARSHALL (V.O.) (CONT'D)

How was this all possible? Because the Thorton family had an estimated fortune of two-hundred trillion dollars. Yes. That's Trillion with a "T".

 

INT. THORTON BUILDING - LOBBY - NIGHT

Crowded with employees. Could pass for Grand Central Station. Marshall walks along the lobby.

MARSHALL (V.O.)

The Thortons achieved their fortune by owning thousands of gold, diamond and platinum mines in the world.

EXT.MOUNTAIN TOP - DAY SUPER: BAKKIE SOUTH AFRICA

Construction crews have arrived. Drilling equipment lie strewn across its landscape.

A MINER

He raises his pick-ax. He slams it into the ground. Bits of shiny, yellow fragments kick back.

He picks up a softball-sized chunk of gold.

MARSHALL (V.O.)

Turns out the mountain itself was made out of a single, solid piece of gold. It was three thousand feet in height. This of course invited illegal mining.

 

The miner falls to his knees. He picks up pebble sized bits of gold. He shoves them in to his pockets.

A bullet rips through his head. He falls face down, dead.

MARSHALL (V.O.) (CONT'D)

For those caught, justice was swift.

INT. THORTON STUDIOS - CIRCUS SET - DAY

Children and their mothers pack the seats. A spotlight illuminates the RINGMASTER.

RINGMASTER (O.S.)

Hello kids!

The children cheer.

RINGMASTER (O.S.) (CONT'D)

It's that time again to have fun!

The children hoot and holler.

 

RINGMASTER (CONT'D)

And who better than to make us all laugh is the prankster of pun! The chuckle of chucklers! The giggle of gigglers! He's Uncle Purvey!

The children cheer and applaud. UNCLE PURVEY

He rides in on a miniature bike.

He comes complete with a clown face, oversized bow tie and super huge red feet.

 

He hops off the bike to the applause of the children and their mothers.

 

UNCLE PERVEY

Hi ya boys and girls!

KID AUDIENCE

Hi, Uncle Purvey!

UNCLE PERVEY

Are we ready to have a super duper, absolutely, wacky-wacky, honka, honka, holler of a good time!?

KID AUDIENCE

ShooooooooBetcha!

UNCLE PERVEY

Well, that's great! Today we're gonna learn how to play the flute!

Play with puppies and best of all

one lucky, sexy, blonde haired little boy in the audience will get to play Uncle Pervey's favorite game called "What's that I'm sucking on in the dark!"

INT. THORTON STUDIOS - CORRIDOR - DAY

STU PHELPS (30), producer with a receding hairline and thick eyeglasses rushes up alongside Thorton.

STU

Mister Thorton!

THORTON

Hey, Kevin, how we doing this glorious Monday morning?

STU

I'm Stu Phelps and it's Friday.

 

THORTON

Right, right. Sorry. So, how are the wife and kids these days?

STU

My wife died in a car accident eight months ago, if you recall, Sir.

THORTON

Really? Sorry to hear that..

STU

You gave the eulogy.

THORTON

Yes, I remember now. So, how are your kids?

 

STU

They died in the accident too.

THORTON

Right. I remember now. They were both decapitated, right?

STU

Yes, Sir.

THORTON

Aha! Tell me, they ever find little Mary's head?

STU

No, Sir.

THORTON

Damn shame. No surprise when you think about it.

STU

Sir?

THORTON

I mean a head as small as a ten year old's would have been crushed to a pulp. Wouldn't leave much. Maybe a stain-

 

STU

Sir! Please! Can we stop talking about my dead wife and kids?? I

need to speak to you! It's important!

THORTON

Sorry, Kevin.

 

STU

It's Stu.

THORTON

Right. Sorry. What's up?

STU

It's about the show you dropped on my plate.

 

THORTON

Which show would that be?

STU

The show about the Civil War. You know, "History Comes Alive", remember? There's a problem.

THOR

Well, you're the producer, Andy. Producer's solve problems.

STU

It's Stu. This one's a bit out of my league, Sir.

THORTON

Oh?

STU

The script calls for black slaves attacking white women and shouting-

(a quick look at the script))

"Where all dat white pussy at?"

THORTON

I knew it'd pay to hire R. Kelly to do a rewrite on the script.

STU

The Screen Actors Guild refuses to send any more black actors to audition for the parts. In fact, the guild's blacklisted us. No union actors are allowed to set foot on our lot or

work on any of our productions due to what the union considers racist elements that reinforce negative and minority stereotypes.

 

THORTON

Wow. Hard not to take that personally. Okay, here's what you'll do. Go to the nearest homeless shelter. I'm sure you'll have no problems finding a group

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 07.09.2020
ISBN: 978-3-7487-5677-4

Alle Rechte vorbehalten

Widmung:
Terry Gilliam