Never quitting things, just retiring from them. TFM.

TheWonderYears

(Music “Turn, Turn, Turn!” – The Byrds plays. Quick clips…Clip of President Nixon smiling on stage and giving the “victory” sign. Clip of two police officers leading away a smiling man who gives the “peace” sign. Clip of John Carlos and Tommy Smith (two US Olympic medalists) giving the Black Power salute. Clip of some law enforcement officers carrying clubs and approaching the camera. Clip of a large crowd, one member of which holds a sign reading “Octopus car wash”. Clip of a platoon of law enforcement officers carrying clubs.)

Nineteen-sixty-eight…

(Clip of a crowd of young people. Clip of a crowd of Vietnamese civilians. Clip of a group of National Guard officers carrying rifles. )

I was twelve years old.

(Clip of marchers carrying banners reading “Bring Our Boys Home Alive” and “End The Slaughter Of The Vietamese”. Clip of marchers carrying a banner reading “We shall overcome”. Clip of Martin Luther King, Jr., walking with others.)

A lot happened that year.

(Shot of Robert F. Kennedy giving a speech. Clip of Martin Luther King, Jr., giving a speech.)

Dennis McLain won thirty-one games…

(Clip of Mrs. King in a mourning dress. Clip of a building on fire.)

“The Mod Squad” hit the air…

(Shot of protesters and Veterans in parades.)

And I graduated from Hillcrest Elementary, and entered junior high school.

(Very quick series of clips.)

But we’ll get to that.

(Shot of a Saturn rocket blasting off. Clip of an astronaut on a spacewalk. Clip of bombs falling in a jungle and exploding. Black-and-white clip of many US flags being waved. Black-and-white shots of protesters. Clip of the Woodstock (?) crowd. Clip of protesters putting flowers in the barrels of National guardsmen’s rifles. Clip of bombed-out buildings.)

There’s no pretty way to put this…

(Fade to black-and-white clip of rural houses. Black-and-white shot of a residential intersection as the camera pans across.)

I grew up in the suburbs.

(Long shot of the congested roofs of a neighborhood.)

I guess most people think of the suburb…

(Clip of a family outside their new house and car.)

As a place with all the disadvantages of the city…

(Clip of heavy freeway traffic. Clip of a boy pulling a lawnmower.)

And none of the advantages of the country.

(Clip of a father swinging a boy through a pool.)

And vice versa.

(Clip of some boys playing “Red Rover”.)

But, in a way…

(Black-and-white clip of a boy walking his dog, as two other boys jump into a stationwagon from the rear.)

Those really were the wonder years for us there in the suburbs.

(Black-and-white shot from the street of the houses as the camera pans along. One boy carrying a football runs along the sidewalk past some other kids who are watching.)

It was kind of a golden age for kids.

(The boy runs into the street. The scene changes to color as the boy puts the football down. The camera settles on Kevin as he comes to the line of scrimmage. Music fades out.)

There, that’s me – Kevin Arnold, 1968. The summer before junior high school.

WAYNE: Hike!

(The ball is snapped to Wayne.)

(Shot from behind Kevin as he runs a pass pattern.)

Wayne (V/O): Here we go…

And I don’t mind saying…

(Close shot of Wayne holding the ball as he looks downfield.)

I was a pretty fair little athlete.

(Shot of Kevin cutting across the street. He drops the pass and the other kids laugh. Kevin frowns.)

(Shot of Winnie as she picks up the ball and frowns.)

(Shot of Kevin and Winnie approaching each other in the driveway.)

WINNIE: It was a pretty hard pass.

(Shot past Winnie of Kevin.)

KEVIN: Well, uh…yeah, I…I think it had sort of a reverse-spin on it…

(Shot of Wayne in the street, with his hands on his hips.)

WAYNE: Come on Kevin, stop gabbing with your girlfriend. (Smiles.)

(Shot of Winnie and Kevin looking at Wayne off-screen, then Kevin takes the ball, and walks toward the camera. The camera stays on Winnie as she adjusts her glasses, crosses her arms, and watches Kevin walk away.)

KEVIN: She’s not my girlfriend!

(Closer shot of Winnie frowning at Kevin off-screen.)

This was true. Winnie Cooper was not my girlfriend.

(Shot from the huddle of Kevin approaching. Winnie is in the distant background.)

When we were very little…

(Kevin hands the ball to another player.)

We used to go down to Harper’s Woods and catch fireflies.

(Kevin joins the huddle next to Paul.)

(Shot of Winnie, and some other girls starting to play skip-rope. Winnie crosses her arms and looks toward Kevin off-screen.)

But we really hadn’t hung out at all together since we were about nine.

(Shot of Wayne and Steve as Wayne looks at Kevin off-screen.)

WAYNE: Uh-oh, think girlfriend’s mad at you.

(Wayne frowns exaggeratedly.)

WAYNE: Maybe you’d better go give her a big French kiss.

(Wayne looks at Steve and smiles, then at Kevin off-screen and sticks his tongue out, and smiles.)

(Low shot past Wayne of Kevin looking at him.)

KEVIN: Shut up, Wayne! (Frowns.)

(Shot of Wayne and Steve. Wayne looks off.)

WAYNE: Hey girls, come on over here.

(Wayne looks at Kevin off-screen.)

WAYNE: Kevin’s gonna show you what a French kiss is! Hah-hah. (Smiles.)

(Shot past Wayne of Kevin and Paul.)

KEVIN: Buttface. (Frowns.)

(Shot of Paul, Wayne and Steve as Wayne frowns.)

WAYNE: What did you say? (Frowns.)

(Shot past Wayne of Kevin and Paul.)

KEVIN: Nothing.

(Shot of Paul, Wayne and Steve as Wayne frowns heavily and steps forward.)

(Wider shot from behind Kevin as Wayne pushes Kevin over.)

(Shot from above of Kevin on his back as Wayne pounds Kevin’s shoulder with his fist.)

This is the way most of my conversations with my brother Wayne ended.

(Close shot past Wayne of Kevin defending himself, unsuccessfully.)

Apparently he just deeply regretted the fact that I had been born, and he wanted me to feel the same way.

(Wider shot of all as Paul reaches for Wayne’s arm.)

PAUL: Come on Wayne, let him up!

(Close shot of Paul frowning.)

(High shot of Paul holding Wayne’s shoulder. Wayne holds Kevin down while turning to Paul.)

13 years ago at 12:09 pm