Title: Six Flags over Saigon or In the Rear with the Beer
Logline: A newly-minted lieutenant is put in charge of building recreational facilities for bored rear echelon troops by a couple of soon-to-be-laid-off majors who want to profit from his failure at the end of the war.
Tone: Trading Places meets The Bridge over the River Kwai; just kidding, more like Harold Lloyd’s The Cat’s Paw (1933), but without the racism or the Coen Brother’s The Hudsucker Proxy
Main characters:
Lt. Charlie Smith or Charlie Stone-(archetype=Out-of-Towner or The Innocent or The Square or Unwitting Pawn), male lieutenant, protagonist, catspaw
Lt. Kim Shapley-(type=The Wisecracker), female lieutenant, Charlie’s co-worker, love interest, or reporter
First General or Major B.J. King-(type=Dick or Bastard), twin, co-antagonist
Second General or Major F.U. King-(type=Dick or Bastard), twin, co-antagonist
Hal Burton (type=Dick), agent of antagonists
Miss Kitty-(type=Manizer or R-Rated Woman), local hooker with a heart of gold
Sargent Mac-(type=Logical Smart One or Only Sane Man), protagonist’s mentor
Penelope or Tiffany Darling-(type=Materialistic One), protagonist’s girlfriend in the U.S.
Corporal Baldrick-(type=Space Cadet), clerk
Dramatic question: Will the lieutenant survive the Vietnam with his ethics in tact? (too serious?)
Theme: Does war cause corruption or is it the other way around?
During the Vietnam War, only a third of American troops saw combat. What the hell were the rest of them doing? Or What is true love?
Charlie is a college senior. He is an apolitical small town boy and reluctantly in ROTC.
SIX FLAGS OVER SAIGON
SCRIPTMENT
Act One
Comic Sequence A – The Comedic World
Narrator: “It’s December 1, 1969. Tonight, the first draft lottery since 1942 will happen. Two thirds of American 18 to 26 year olds will find out that they will be drafted next year. But, that’s tonight.”
CHARLIE, an apolitical college senior, exhales smoke, puts down a roach, and runs down the front steps of his fraternity house. He almost wearing a ROTC cadet uniform, his hat akilter, his shoe laces untied, and tucking his shirt into his pants as he goes. He is running toward a 1938 Packard Super Eight Rumble Seat Coupe that is idling in the road in front of the house.
Charlie groans to uniformed CADET #2 who is driving, and uniformed CADET #3, who is sitting in the rumble seat. As the Packard pulls away from the curb, Cadet #3 puts a monocle in his right eye as Charlie finishes dressing.
As the Packard approaches field where about 50 CADETS have congregated, it passes by a group of antiwar PROTESTORS who yell cat calls at Charlie and his friends. One Protestor throws an egg at Cadet #3 that splats against the side of the Packard.
As the Cadets fall into formation, Charlie invites his friends over to a draft lottery party. Cadel #2 responds: “No way. Why do you care? You are already obligated to join the Army when you graduate.” Charlie says” “I’m curious.”
During the drill, the ROTC student commander on full Army scholarship gives Charlie crap about the length of his sideburns and Charlie responds: “Sir, I have low ears, sir.”
Draft lottery party.
Meet Charlie’s GIRLFRIEND. She has expensive tastes.
Charlie graduates. One of his friends doesn’t because of too many incompletes.
At the end of the sequence, Opportunity Knocks (Inciting Incident): Charlie receives orders to report to active duty as an engineering officer (Army engineering school at Fort Belvoir)
Charlie receives orders to Vietnam. The song Hello Vietnam (by Johnny Wright) is playing on the radio.
Comic Sequence B – Setting the Inappropriate Goal, aka You’re Going to Do What?
Charlie arrives in country.
On a rainy night before he is supposed to report, Charlie goes looking for someone who will sell him weed. He scores some weed and tokes up.
In a United Service Organizations (USC) club, he meets a USO VOLUNTEER wearing the miniskirt she was required to wear during her 18-month tour.
Twin GENERALS (or majors) discuss their plan to get rich before they are forced into early retirement.
Three mysterious MAMA SANS (older Vietnamese women) or grunts who are burning shit in barrels warn Charlie about meeting twins: “Fire burn, and barrel bubble; there’s a soldier who faces trouble. He comes here, a war to win; but must beware of mirror men.” Charlie responds: “Huh?” (Maybe the witches will be our chorus.)
Soldiers burning shit; midnight in paris, greek chorus (comments on the action only); how to get the chorus in all three acts
Charlie misunderstands his schedule and is stoned as he stands in line at the administration tent of the 90th Replacement Battalion to find out what his assignment is. When inside, he asks for a position where he can use his engineering education.
Charlie is informed that two generals are interviewing all new lieutenants to select one for a job. Charlie reports for the interview.
Generals substitute Charlie for an existing competent lieutenant, who they frame for corruption. The existing lieutenant lives the life of riley, but is not a crook.
Twin generals notice Charlie cluelessness (due to his being stoned) and decide to recruit him to be their innocent pawn. They tell him they want him to be in overall charge of expanding the amusement park for soldiers at Long Binh Post.
They show Charlie a map that illustrates that the post already has 81 basketball courts, 64 volleyball courts, 12 swimming pools, 8 multipurpose courts, 8 softball fields, 6 tennis courts, 5 craft shops, 3 football fields, 3 weight rooms, 3 libraries, 3 service clubs, 2 miniature golf courses, 2 handball-court complexes, a running track, an archery range, a golf driving range, a skeet range, a party area, an amphitheater for movies and live shows, an unofficial brothel, a “male beauty bar” with salon services, and outdoor movies.
Charlie’s project would involve construction of two 474-seat movie theaters, eight additional handball courts, two in-ground swimming pools with bathhouses, and a recreational lake.
Charlie defers at first, but sees the job as a way to avoid a combat assignment.
The work will be performed by a government contractor, VietCorp. Unbeknownst to Charlie, the generals have arranged for them to get kickbacks from the contractor. Need a character to represent (be the face of) VietCorp, like Hal Burton.
Twin generals convince Charlie his job is strictly ceremonial.
Charlie accepts the assignment and he enters the new world of “being in charge” of a colossal project that he does not know is a boondoggle. Can he save himself?
His greatest fear is that he is ordinary.
Charlie is introduced to HAL BURTON, the VietCorp project manager (and unbeknownst to Charlie, the briber).
At the end of the sequence, It’s Time to Go on the Journey; The Dramatic Question Is Posed
Will Charlie be successful or not?
(e.g., will Cobb run for mayor?) Cobb accepts only if not a chance he will win.
First attempt to solve problem.
Charlie tries existing recreational facilities. Does not notice they are falling apart.
Act Two
Comic Sequence C – The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Charlie visits construction management office. People are goofing off.
Charlie visits construction sites. Not much is going on.
Charlie plans to stay stoned for his entire tour. Worked so far.
Charlie is shown around and wined and dined by Hal Burton. Learns of Hal’s three wives: one in U.S., one in the Philippines, and one in Vietnam.
Charlie finds out inspector general will visit.
Comic Sequence D – It Just Keeps Getting Worse
Second attempt to solve problem
Ends on Midpoint, which points to the ending of the movie (e.g., Cobb is elected mayor)
Ticking time clock starts.
Charlie wins somehow.
Comic Sequence E – Love in the Air
Reaction to the midpoint occurs. A major character shift occurs. The theme is developed
Upping the stakes occurs. The protagonist is jolted back to the main action.
Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Overseas aide carried program bags which were duffels stuffed with quizzes, flashcards and other games for boosting morale and combatting boredom among American troops in South Vietnam.
1st logistics command Special Service girls
Comic Sequence F – What Was I Thinking?
The protagonist makes a final push to achieve his/her goal. His/her weakness is exposed
The calm before the storm.
At the end: All Seems Lost (e.g., governor will remove Cobb in 24 hours)
A new goal?
Charlie is framed and is threatened with being sent into combat.
Spread fake clues over time, fooling the police.
Coach supposed victims, convincing them they would get US visas.
Victim overhears fake Charlie and his lover being called by their nicknames.
“You know you did it. Just admit it.”
“Up or out” promotion policy
The United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC, usually abbreviated as just CID) investigates felony crimes and serious violations of military law within the United States Army. “The CID sent you, didn’t it?”
Act Three
Comic Sequence G – Time to Grow Up
(e.g., Cobb decides to be a dictator for 24 hours)
Help from a mentor?
Comic Sequence H – The New Me
The battle, the confrontation, the climax. Resurrection. Epiphany.