THE TALE OF TIN CAN KADE (5-page short western screenplay) by Mark Renshaw

On a quest for vengeance, a grieving outlaw’s chance encounter with a scam artist turns out not to be a chance encounter at all…

Today’s review is of yet another short screenplay from the annual Writer’s Tournament, a western written by Mark Renshaw – this was one of Week 4’s top-scoring shorts (there was a three-way tie for top honors). The three criteria elements that Mark was assigned to include in his entry were: an OBSERVATORY, a LEATHER BELT and a PHARMACIST.

We’re taken back to the year 1843 in Cincinnati – back then, it was considered the wild frontier. This was a time when frontier justice was the real law of the land. We meet charismatic outlaw and title character, Kade as he enters the town’s main drag with a tin can strapped to his belt, something rattling inside of it. It’s here where he meets salesman/street pharmacist, Doc Barth, who travels from town to town, selling miracle remedies and cure-all potions to naive townsfolk.

Later that night, while both men yuck it up over a bottle of whiskey at a saloon/cantina, Doc lets Kade in on a little secret in regards to his miracle remedies…

As the night continues, Kade reveals the source of the rattling inside the tin can he keeps with him, calling them his “little reminders” – he shows Doc his daughter’s first tooth she had lost as child.

We find out that Kade is indeed a sentimental man, at least when it comes to his family… a family he lost tragically… a tragedy that has left him thirsty for revenge…

What was really impressive about this script was that it takes you places you’d least expect. Rather than a traditional, rootin’-tootin’ western with shootouts and train robberies, the writer tells a different kind of revenge tale… without compromising the thrills.

BUDGET: Low to Medium due to location.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Mark Renshaw is an award-winning screenwriter/producer, his sci-fi TV pilot script “Nearscape” reaching the semifinals of the prestigious Page Awards and 2nd round of the Austin Film Festival. His short script, “Cyborn” was the inaugural winner of the Inroads Screenwriting Competition. Reaching the top 4% of the BBC’s Open Drama Submission, Mark has also been added to their list of promising writers. His latest sci-fi short, The Survivor: A Tale From the Nearscape, which he wrote and produced, currently has a worldwide distribution deal with Meridian Releasing, also serving as a proof of concept for a TV series. You can check out Mark’s produced films and scripts on his website at www.mark-renshaw.com.

Read THE TALE OF TIN CAN KADE (5-page short western screenplay)

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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COME ALONG, HARRY HIGGINS
(20-page short sci-fi, historical, western, crime script) By Kevin Machate

Successful safe cracker Harry Higgins decides to hang up his drill for good when he meets the woman of his dreams, only to be tailed by the constable that put him away once already.

While looking through scripts, I came upon one based on O. Henry’s short story, A Retrieved Reformation… but with a sci-fi twist! So, I just HAD to give it a read. And, boy, I did not come away from this disappointed…

In what seems like a traditional period piece, we’re taken to the year 1899, where convicted bank robber (and the story’s protagonist), Harry Higgins is serving a four-year sentence at Missouri State Penitentiary. Ten months into his sentence, while making shoes in the prison’s workshop, he’s called to the warden’s office, where he’s told that he’s just been pardoned by the governor.

Now a free man, the confident and charming Harry Higgins heads back to meet up with his old friend Davey, a bartender at the inn where Harry was originally arrested for his crime. But before he gets there, he finds a unique and possibly other-worldly way of communicating when arriving at the train station…

Harry walks toward the train station and sees a large crow land on a telegraph pole. He smiles and tips his hat.

Hmm. I know crows are supposed to be smart. And who knows? Maybe Harry’s some kind of bird whisperer or something. Of course, we find out that isn’t quite the case when Harry arrives at the bar. Upon meeting with Dave, both their eyes glow green – suggesting that these guys aren’t of this world. The crow is in fact a communication device that allows them to converse using face-time – a technology that isn’t even explored until The Jetsons hit television sets.

After enjoying several seltzer-with-milks (gross), Harry heads to his room where he retrieves a hidden briefcase containing some sort of futuristic device that allows him to easily break into bank vaults and make away with piles of money.

As Harry bounces around from town to town, knocking off bank after bank, he decides to retire from bank-robbing and settle down in the quaint town of Elmore, Kansas. He starts a shoe-making shop and eventually finds love, marrying Anna Sharp who, ironically, is the daughter of a local bank mogul. But despite going straight, the string of bank robberies preceding his change of lifestyle has caught the attention of Jack Wolfe, the pesky police constable who initially put Harry behind bars.

Hot on Harry’s trail, Wolfe eventually tracks him down in Elmore, finding out that he’s living under the alias Robert D. Thompson.

Wolfe finally has his man in his sights at the local bank where Harry’s father-in-law presents to the public his new vault – a vault deemed to be “impenetrable”, opening automatically only at certain times of the day.

Unfortunately, as the presentation continues, a little girl finds herself trapped in the vault while goofing off with a friend. And with the vault not scheduled to reopen anytime soon, the little girl’s life is at stake. If only there was someone with the kind of technology to break into this “impenetrable” vault…

A unique story with a sci-fi twist and excellent characters with impressive arcs, “Come Along, Harry Higgins” is a story that NEEDS to be on the big screen.

BUDGET: This one isn’t exactly low budget (a costume designer would be necessary), but there are numerous shortcuts the filmmakers could make to keep the budget sensible. Regardless, this story is worth every penny.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Although he began his film career as an actor, Kevin quickly moved into producing and eventually directing and writing. Kevin’s films and screenplays have won numerous awards worldwide with his two most recent films having been screened in various cities in the US, Europe, South America, Oceania, and Asia. He has directed six short films and his credits as a producer have exceeded 50 at the time of this writing. His recent works include three short series starring Golden Globe and Tony Award winner Barry Bostwick and Saturn Award Winner Doug Jones, along with a series of short musical and educational videos (With puppets!) starring Ed Helms. Kevin can be reached at: kmachate (a) gmail.

Read: COME ALONG, HARRY HIGGINS (20-page short sci-fi, historical, western, crime script)

Discuss this script on the Discussion Board

*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Find more scripts available for production.

About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

Hell Bent (10 pages in pdf format) by John Staats writing as Louis No’mour (JEStaats)

Three bandits on the run must choose their own path to Peace.

Three horseback riders must ride through an Indian cemetery to get to freedom. But Indians don’t like it when white folks wake them up.

Characters – 3 main
Locations – 3 – desert, mountains, hotel
CGI – skeletons, ghostly horses, real horses

John Staats is a talented and prolific writer who can be reached at: jestaats (a) hotmail.com.

This is an October 2017 One Week Challenge is a short. The OWC is a screenwriting exercise wherein writers are given a week to write a short script on the theme and genre provided. These are quickly done and may be a little rough around the edges considering the short time frame in which they are written.

This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

About the reviewer: Khamanna Iskandarova has several features completed, as well as a dozen shorts, some of which have been independently produced. Khamanna can be reached at khamanna (a) hotmail. Check out her IMDB Creds

The Patch-Up Kid

Scavenging dead bodies and fixing people was all that the Patch-up Kid knew, but a cowboy in Nino Sangre has one more test for him.

When you’re twelve years old and you live in a dusty, wild west town called Niño Sangre (Child Blood) you need skills. Plenty of ‘em.

Meet the Patch-Up Kid. He’s twelve. And sure enough – he’s got skills. Like plugging up bloody bullet holes in gunfighters’ bellies. Or yanking the gold teeth from the mouths of the other guys – the still-warm losers who didn’t walk away from the gunfight. Assisted by friends Fingers, Squeak and Mule, the Kid does the dirty deeds that others twice his age won’t do…

A kid’s gotta make a living, right?

Yep, the Patch-Up Kid’s a survivor. Y’gotta be when you’re half-white, half-Native American, and grotesquely scarred with only one good eye (the result of a grizzly bear attack, or a drunken father – depending on who’s telling the tale.)

And speaking of tales… imagine a gritty portrait of a street kid – told old west style. Expertly painted by screenwriter Rustom Irani, TP-UK is a poignant story about a hard-luck kid with True Grit, with light-heart touches of humor crusting the dusty edges.

This particular script focuses on the Kid’s run in with big n’ burly Dawson – a wounded desperado who blackmails the young gang to dig a bullet out of his chest (and arrange for a quick get-away outta town.) Just five pages long, it’s a colorful intro to the character.

But ambitious directors take note. This is one world that has plenty left to explore. The Patch-Up Kid works beautifully as a stand-alone story. But it’s also ideal as the intro for a feature length movie. Or TV series for the right producer! So grab the opportunity while you can. ‘Cause nothing stays still in the Wild West for too long…

About the writer: A film and video aficionado based in Mumbai, Rustom Irani works as a freelance editor and screenwriter for projects ranging from narratives, commercials, and documentaries to corporate and music videos. His website is available at www.planetrusty.com, and he can be reached at rustyirani “AT” gmail.com!

Pages: 5

Budget: Low to moderate. We would have said low, but it’s a period piece – which might drive the cost up a touch. (All those six-shooters and Stetsons, y’know?)

About the Reviewers: Scott & Paula Merrow are a husband and wife screenwriting team. Since 2006, they’ve written over 50 short screenplays, several of which have been produced. They tend toward family-friendly scripts, but they’ve written a little bit of everything: horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy,… the whole nine yards.

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