Don't Make a Scene: To Kill a Mockingbird

The Story:  Happy Father's Day.

Fathers in movies (if you want to be true about it and not a cynical hipster) don't come much better than Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. When the American Film Institute conducted their poll of the "100 Greatest Heroes" a few years back, they passed over the Luke Skywalkers and Indiana Joneses and the James Bonds for an unusual choice. For the most heroic, the poll chose Macomb County estate lawyer Atticus Finch, the humble father of Jeremy Atticus and Jean Louise Finch, who is thrust in the role of public defender in an unpopular rape case in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Atticus never toppled an empire or saved the world. He didn't even win his case. But he inspired in his passive, never overt, strength. The way Gregory Peck played him in the film has been described as "Lincolnesque." But when Peck finally got around to playing "Honest Abe" he wasn't as impressive as he is as Atticus. When Cameron Crowe adapted Abre los ojos as Vanilla Sky, Atticus Finch was presented as its subject's most trusted father-figure.

And so he is. In this scene, Atticus has asked cook Calpurnia (Estelle Evans) to stay overnight with his children. He's going out. His defendant, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) has been transferred to the local jail for his upcoming trial. Fearing a lynch mob will come after Tom, Atticus has decided to wait at the jail's entrance in case there's any trouble from the locals. His instincts are disarmingly right. But, what he doesn't count on are the same protective instincts being handed down to his children. It's a scene simmering with potential violence, and although he is the best shot in Macomb County, he does not bring—nor does he own—a firearm. He depends only on his words and appealing to what Lincoln called "the better angels" of his neighbors. That will not be enough. He will need other angels. And when the hostilities are disarmed, he will be saved and thoughtfully surprised at the results of his own good work as a father. It is a father's job to inspire.

Gregory Peck won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for To Kill a Mockingbird, beating out Burt Lancaster for Birdman of Alcatraz, Jack Lemmon for The Days of Wine and Roses, and Peter O'Toole for Lawrence of Arabia.

The Set-Up: Estate lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) of Maycomb County, Georgia has a tough time making ends meet during The Great Depression. No one has estates. No one has the money to pay him.  He has been asked by Sheriff Heck Tate to defend Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) who has been accused of raping a white woman. The night before Robinson's trial, he has been transported to the local jail.  Finch decides it best to stand watch. 

Action!

187 EXT. SIDEWALK - MOVING SHOT 
The children walk down the sidewalk towards town. 

DISSOLVE TO:
188 EXT. THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE - MOVING SHOT 
It is deserted and dark. The stores around the square are dark except for night lights burning back by the safes and cash registers. The three children walk down the street toward Atticus’ office. They see his car parked in front of the building. They look in the doorway of the building. It is dark. Jem tries the knob of the door. It is locked.

JEM (Hey) There’s his car. Let’s go back up the street.

They walk up the sidewalk. They see a solitary light burning in the distance.

It is from the jail. As they approach the jail, they can see the long extension cord Atticus brought from home running between the bars of the second-floor window and down the side of the building. In the light from its bare bulb they see Atticus propped against the front door. He is sitting on one of his office chairs and he is reading, oblivious of the night bugs hovering about his head. Scout starts to run toward him.

JEM (No) Scout. (she pauses) Don’t go to him. He might not like it. He’s all right. Let’s go home.

JEM I just wanted to see where he was and what he was up to.

JEM He’s all right. Let’s go home.

The children start back across the square taking a short cut, when they HEAR a NOISE and pause.

189 EXT. THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE - CHILDREN’S POINT OF VIEW 
They see four dusty cars come IN from the Meridian Highway moving slowly, in a line. They go around the Square, pass the Bank Building and stop in front of the jail. Nobody gets out.

Atticus looks up from the newspaper, closes it, deliberately fold it, drops it in his lap, and pushes his hat to the back of his head. He seems to be expecting the men.

190 GROUP SHOT - SOUT - JEM - DILL

JEM (whispering) Come on. Follow me. 

191 MOVING SHOT - SCOUT - JEM- DILL 
They run across the Square, across the street. They take refuge for a moment in a store door. They peer out at Atticus waiting at the jail.

JEM (whispering) Come on. Careful. We can get closer.
They scurry down the street to the doorway of Tyndal’s Hardware Store. They peer out, watching.

192 EXT. THE JAIL

In ones and twos, the men get out of the cars.

They are country men. Walter Cunningham is among them. They surround Atticus.

MAN He in there, Mr. Finch?

ATTICUS He is. And he’s asleep. Don’t wake him. 
CUNNINGHAM You know what we want.

CUNNINGHAM Get aside from the door Mr. Finch.

ATTICUS You can turn around and go home again, Walter. Heck Tate’s around somewhere. 

ANOTHER MAN The hell he is. No, he ain't.

(ANOTHER MAN Heck’s bunch is so deep in the woods they won’t get out till mornin’. Called ‘em off on a snipe hunt. Didn’t you think a that, Mr. Finch?)
ATTICUS Thought about it but didn’t believe it. Well, then, that changes things doesn’t it?

193 EXT. DOORWAY OF HARDWARE STORE - GROUP SHOT
Dill, Scout and Jem. Scout turns to her brother.

SCOUT I can’t see Atticus. Come on. Let’s go where we can watch him.

She darts out towards the men, Dill behind her, before Jem can reach out and grab them. 

194 MOVING SHOT

SCOUT: Atticus!

Scout and Dill, Jem behind them.

They run to the men and push themselves through them...

...until they reach Atticus.

SCOUT Hey, Atticus.
She smiles up at him, but when she catches the look of fear on his face, she becomes insecure. Scout looks around at the men surrounding her. These are strangers to her, country men, not the men she saw on her porch. Atticus gets up from his chair and begins to move slowly, like an old man, toward them. 

195 GROUP SHOT - ATTICUS - JEM - SCOUT - DILL

ATTICUS Go home, Jem.

ATTICUS Take Scout and Dill home. 
Scout looks up at Jem. She sees he is not thinking of leaving. 
ATTICUS Go home, I said.

Jem shakes his head “no”. Atticus’ fists go to his hips and so do Jem’s, and they face each other in defiance.

ATTICUS Son, I said go home. 

196 ANOTHER ANGLE

JEM: No, sir.

Jem again shakes his head. A burly man grabs Jem roughly by the collar.

MAN I’ll send him home.
The burly man almost yanks Jem off his feet. Atticus flushes. His fists clench.

He reaches for Jem, but before he gets him Scout kicks the man swiftly.

SCOUT Don’t you touch him.

SCOUT Let him go!  Let him go!.
The man falls back in pain. Atticus puts his hand on her shoulder.

ATTICUS That’ll do, Scout. Don’t kick folks.

SCOUT Ain’t nobody gonna do Jem...

SCOUT ...that way.

A man GROWLS in the back.

MAN All right, Mr. Finch, get ‘em outa here. We’ll give you fifteen seconds. 

197 CLOSE SHOT - ATTICUS - JEM

ATTICUS Jem, I want you to please leave.

JEM No, sir.
ATTICUS Please, Jem.

JEM I tell you I ain’t goin’...
CAMERA PULLS BACK TO MED. SHOT.

As Scout becomes bored by this exchange, she looks back at the man. She sees a man she recognizes. She moves toward him.

SCOUT Hey, Mr. Cunningham...

Walter Cunningham does not seem to hear her.

SCOUT I said, hey, Mr. Cunningham.

SCOUT How’s your entailment* gettin’ along?

The big man blinks and hooks his thumbs into his overall straps. He seems uncomfortable. He clears his throat and looks away.

Scout walks a little closer to him.

SCOUT Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one early morning, remember?

SCOUT We had a talk. I went...

SCOUT ...and got my daddy to come out to thank you.

SCOUT I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter.

SCOUT He’s a nice boy. Tell him “hey” for me, won’t you?

SCOUT You know something, Mr. Cunningham, entailments are bad. Entailments - --

Suddenly, Scout realizes she is the center of everyone’s attention: the men, her brother, Dill, Atticus. She becomes self conscious.

She turns to Atticus.

SCOUT Atticus, I was just sayin’ to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad...

SCOUT ...but not to worry, it takes a long time sometimes.
She begins to dry up. She looks up at the country men staring at her. They are quite still.

SCOUT What’s the matter?

She looks at Atticus. He says nothing. She looks back at Mr. Cunningham.

SCOUT I sure meant no harm, Mr. Cunningham.

CUNNINGHAM No harm taken, young lady. 

198 CLOSE SHOT - CUNNINGHAM - SCOUT, JEM
Mr. Cunningham moves forward and takes Scout by the shoulders.
CUNNINGHAM I’ll tell Walter you said “hey”, little lady. 

CAMERA PULLS BACK TO MED. SHOT.
Mr. Cunningham straightens up and waves a big hand.

CUNNINGHAM Let’s clear out.

CUNNINGHAM Let’s get going, boys.

As they had come, in ones and twos, the men straggle back into their cars.

We HEAR doors slam, engines cough and the cars drive off.

199 GROUP SHOT - SCOUT, JEM, DILL They watch them leave.

ATTICUS Now, you go home,

ATTICUS ...all of you.

ATTICUS I’ll be there later.

JEM Yes, sir. (to Scout and Dill) Come on.

The three children go on down the street.

200 CLOSE SHOT - ATTICUS
He sits again in the chair, waiting. Tom Robinson CALLS out from the darkness of the jail.

TOM’S VOICE Mr. Finch. They gone?
ANGLE WIDENS as Atticus steps back and looks up.
ATTICUS They’ve gone. Get some sleep, Tom. They won’t bother you any more. 

He sits back in his chair and continues his watching.

DISSOLVE TO:
201 EXT. STREET IN FRONT OF YARD OF FINCH HOUSE - EARLY MORNING - DAY OF THE TRIAL

To Kill a Mockingbird

Words by Horton Foote (and Harper Lee)

Pictures by Russell Harlan and Robert Mulligan

To Kill a Mockingbird is available on DVD from Universal Home Video.

* From the Free Dictionary: To abridge, settle, or limit succession to real property. An estate whose succession is limited to certain people rather than being passed to all heirs.
In real property, a fee tail is the conveyance of land subject to certain limitations or restrictions, namely, that it may only descend to certain specified heirs.

Well, that's one the legal definition. It may also be a fancy word for debt. Atticus does estate work. Mr. Cunningham is slowly paying him for the legal work that he did by barter instead of cash.