As this month's private post for patrons, here's my work in progress for the initial scenes of The Beat And The Sting, a comic book story set in the the continuity of the 1966 Green Hornet TV series starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee. It is, I admit, a pipe dream, but I may keep working at this to flesh it out. You can read my tease for it here.
CAPTION: Century City Midtown Pavillion, July 18th, 1966
SCENE: The mayor is addressing a large crowd in an outdoor setting while holding a large ceremonial key. Much of his audience is teenaged or younger, some boys and a lot of screaming girls, with a smattering of adults who don't seem overly impressed with whatever's going on. On stage behind the mayor, a rock 'n' roll quintet is ready to play: a group of early twenty-somethings with guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums, and a lead singer smirking and sulking at his mic stand.
MAYOR: ...And in conclusion, as your mayor, it gives me great pride to present the key to the city to the fastest-rising rock 'n' roll group in America, Century City's own BEN ARNOLD AND THE TURNCOATS!
AUDIENCE: Yeah! WOOOO! Awright! Ben, I love you!
MAYOR: To introduce our honored guests, I'd like to welcome the publisher of The Daily Sentinel, whose WSNT-AM was the first radio station to play the Turncoats' records, BRITT REID!
BRITT: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We join you in congratulating these young men today, and we know all of you will join us tonight for their big homecoming concert at Striker Hall. But right now, Ben Arnold and the Turncoats are going to treat us to a performance of their song that's sweeping the nation, the # 1 hit in all of America, "You Won't Get Me." Here they are: BEN ARNOLD AND THE TURNCOATS!
AUDIENCE: [screaming approval]
SCENE: Close-ups of each member of the band performing.
CAPTIONS: Guitar.
Bass.
Keyboards.
Drums.
Singing.
BEN ARNOLD [singing]: Yeah, you love me girl, I can see that you do
But you still ain't ready for me to love you
SCENE: Guitarist Roger Hartwell and bassist James Thomas harmonizing on one mic
CAPTION: Voices raised in ragged harmony.
SCENE: Close-up of young girls screaming in the audience.
BAND [singing off-panel]: You won't get me, you won't get me
You can't keep me, I'm gonna stay free
CAPTION: Fans dance, girls scream, and the moment belongs to the young.
SCENE: Series of small shots conveying the pandemonium, on-stage and in the audience, of a rock concert in 1966.
CAPTIONS: Rock 'n' roll!
The sound.
The feel.
THE BEAT!
SCENE: Britt Reid, Kato, Britt's secretary Casey, and District Attorney Scanlon as they watch the performance.
SCANLON: I wish I'd brought earplugs.
CASEY: Oh, relax Frank. I like them!
KATO: A bit derivative of The Kinks, but not bad.
BRITT: I'm more of an Al Hirt man, myself. But that's not why we're here.
SCANLON: Right. I agree with you that the mob is deeply involved with this band's success. But, as District Attorney, I haven't found any evidence to prove that, or even make the accusation.
KATO: And that's where The Green Hornet comes in!
SCENE: The Turncoats complete their song on stage.
TURNCOATS: You won't get me
You won't get me
You won't get me
You won't get me
NO!
BEN ARNOLD: That's it.
STEVE DAVIS [keyboardist]: Thank you! See you all tonight.
SCENE: A scowling Ben Arnold rushes to leave the stage, his bandmates lingering behind.
BEN ARNOLD: I'm outta here.
STEVE DAVIS: Wait a minute, Arnie....
BEN ARNOLD: DON'T CALL ME "ARNIE!" I'm Ben Arnold now. I don't know why I even keep you losers around me!
SCENE: Ben Arnold has descended the stairs from backstage and is walking away.
BEN ARNOLD [T]: Man, I should just fire the lot of 'em. I don't need them....
SCENE: Medium-range shot of Arnold, showing the panic and fear on his face.
BEN ARNOLD: What're YOU doing here...wait! No! PLEASE...!
SCENE: Arnold falls in a barrage of machine gun fire.
SCENE: A van races off as the Turncoats discover Ben Arnold's body.
STEVE DAVIS: Arnie! BEN!!
ROGER HARTWELL: He's been murdered!
TEXT: Another challenge for The Green Hornet, his aide Kato, and their rolling arsenal The Black Beauty! On police records a wanted criminal, The Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, owner-publisher of The Daily Sentinel, his true identity known only to his secretary and to the District Attorney. And now, to protect the rights and lives of decent citizens, rides THE GREEN HORNET!
CAPTION: Later
SCENE: Reid, Kato, Scanlon, and Casey in discussion
BRITT: How could this happen, Frank?
SCANLON: Your guess is as good as mine, Britt. On the one hand, the police might not think there was much need for extensive security for a pop group. On the other hand, given what we suspect about Ben Arnold's connections, we can't dismiss the possibility that the mob paid someone to look the other way while they made their move.
KATO: Crooked cops?
CASEY: I hate to believe that.
BRITT: We can't rule it out, Casey. This changes things, so we have to move up our timetable. The Green Hornet is getting into the record business!
SCENE: A glass smashes against a wall in a luxury office.
VOICE [off-panel]: WHO DO I HAVE TO HAVE KILLED FOR THIS?!
SCENE: A well-dressed businessman in his mid-forties, and he is pissed. A subordinate tries to calm him down.
CAPTION: Meet Samuel "Sammy" Vincenzo, the head of organized crime in Century City and all surrounding states.
CAPTION: Sammy is not happy.
SAMMY: Who authorized this hit? WHO?
FLUNKY: We...we don't know yet, Mr. Vincenzo!
SAMMY: FIND OUT!!
SAMMY: When will I get these Neanderthals to understand this is a business! High-profile hits are BAD FOR BUSINESS!
SCENE: One of Sammy's thugs comes crashing through the office's glass entryway, hurled forcefully from the waiting room.
SAMMY: What now...?
SCENE: Kato comes flying through the shattered glass to deliver a kick to Sammy's gunsels.
KATO: HAI!
SCENE: The Green Hornet enters the room to face Sammy, Kato still poised to strike. Sammy's hired guns are down for the count. Sammy remains at his desk.
SAMMY: Hornet. Your reputation precedes you.
HORNET: Nice to meet you, Vincenzo. Don't get up. Don't bother trying to send an alarm, either.
SAMMY: No need for an alarm. No need for all this hubbub, for that matter. My secretary could have shown you in. We were bound to meet sooner or later.
HORNET: I like to make a good first impression.
SAMMY: You're flashy. But this is a business. Such flamboyance isn't good for business. What can I do for you, Hornet?
HORNET: Smooth, Vincenzo. I've heard you're more restrained than your predecessors. I didn't get along very well with your predecessors.
SAMMY: It's a business, Hornet. What do you want?
HORNET: What I always want, Sammy. I want a piece of the action.
CAPTION: The Hornet and the crime boss talk business.
SCENE: The Green Hornet and Kato in The Black Beauty
KATO: Do you think Vincenzo's telling the truth? That he didn't know about the hit on Ben Arnold until after it happened?
HORNET: I'm not sure. I think so. Vincenzo's tough to read. It's been a while since there's been a crime boss in Century City who's not afraid of The Green Hornet!
HORNET: I'm more immediately concerned with something else. We know that the mob sometimes pays radio stations to push specific records. It's illegal. My radio station was the first to play the Turncoats. It would be naive to presume my own employees at the station are innocent.
KATO: Time for The Green Hornet to return to radio?
HORNET: Yes and no. This looks like a job for Britt Reid.
Will the sting continue? Will the beat go on? Stay tuned!
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