The Day the Clown Cried Page #2

Synopsis: Helmut Doork, a once great and famous clown, is fired from the circus. Getting drunk at a local bar, he pokes fun at Hitler in front of some Gestapo agents, who arrest and send him to a prison camp. Helmut angers his fellow prisoners by refusing to perform for them, wanting to preserve his legend. As times passes, Jews are brought into the camp, with fraternizing between them and the other prisoners strictly prohibited. Eventually, Helmut is forced by the others to perform or be beaten. His act bombs and he leaves the barracks depressed, trying the routine out again alone in the prison yard. He hears laughter and sees a group of Jewish children watching him through a fence. Happy to be appreciated again, he makes a makeshift clown suit and begins to regularly perform. His audience grows, but a new prison Commandant orders Helmut to stop. When he refuses and continues to perform, he's beaten and thrown in solitary confinement. But the Nazis soon come up with a use for Helmut, keeping th
Year:
1972
90 min
1,439 Views


HELMUT:

I swear to you ...

it was an accident!

Gustav stops and grabs Schmidt's arm, and with a

threatening, pointing finger ...

GUSTAV:

I don't want to hear any more ...

You will get me another stooge.

I don't want this man!!

SCHMIDT:

Don't get excited, Gustav,

you shall have it.

GUSTAV:

You bet I will,

or you shall have no show.

Gustav walks away, sits at his trunk, starts taking his

make-up off.

SCHMIDT:

(moving to Helmut's trunk,

leaning over into Helmut's ear)

You will run with the other clowns

and that's all you will do ... is that clear?

Helmut, shattered, nods his head yes.

SCHMIDT:

(continuing)

And if there is another one of your

cute tricks ... I promise you will do your

bits for the "Cats" while cleaning their cages!

Schmidt walks away ... leaving Helmut stunned and shocked.

Helmut lifts his trunk cover, which opens on a hinge and

stays upright, as we SLOWLY CRAB AROUND to REVEAL the "One

Sheets" glued to the inside of the trunk lid ... as Helmut

reaches for a towel to clean his face, we read:

RINGLING BROS. & BARNUM AND BAILEY

PRESENTS:

THE WORLD'S GREATEST CLOWN

"HELMUT"

(from Germany)

The one sheets are battered and torn and certainly appear to

be many years old. As we PAN the "Lid" to see them all,

Helmut's face is reflected in the mirror as we see the tears

rolling down his face. As we FREEZE FRAME, MUSIC hits for:

MAIN TITLES:

THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED

FOLLOWING CREDITS:

EXT. DESERTED STREET AND BISTRO - NIGHT

Helmut, dejected and as sad as any man could be, strolls

down the deserted street, alone.

INT. BISTRO

He comes to a small bistro and walks in ... stands at the

bar.

HELMUT:

Clause ... give me a double whiskey

with beer chaser.

CLAUSE:

(who knows him)

You won't get "Funny"

out of a bottle.

HELMUT:

And you won't make a dime sticking

your nose in other people's business.

Clause pours the whiskey, and places the beer next to it; as

Helmut gulps the drink down and chases it with the beer from

the bottle ... we:

STRAIGHT CUT TO:

INT. THE APARTMENT - NIGHT

Standing at the window looking out is a beautiful WOMAN,

simply dressed, no make-up and clean; she has the look of a

woman who has just bathed and one could almost smell the

fragrance of bath oil on her body. She is tense and

concerned.

She sees something and moves toward the door and opens it.

There is a beat and finally the o.s. SOUNDS of feet

scuffling get to the door. It is Helmut, fairly crocked at

this point.

ADA:

Helmut, darling, are you all right?

HELMUT:

(nastily)

Do I look like I'm not all right?

ADA:

I was so worried about you ...

Your dinner is cold and I couldn't

imagine what happened to you ...

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Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis AM (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, singer, film producer, film director, screenwriter, humanitarian and innovator. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He and Dean Martin were partners as the hit popular comedy duo of Martin and Lewis. Following that success, he was a solo star in film, nightclubs, television, concert stages and musicals. Lewis served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and host of the live Labor Day broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for 40 years. more…

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Submitted by aviv on January 26, 2017

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