INT. KITCHEN OF A RESTAURANT - EVENING
A young chef puts some more pots in the sink
BRYCE DEEPWATER: 28 YEARS OLD, SLIM, TIGHTLY CUT DARK HAIR, FIVE FEET TEN INCHES TALL WEARING A WHITE CHEFS UNIFORM WITH APRON.
BRYCE DEEPWATER: Mind those, pots and pans old man. There a little on the hot side. We wouldn’t want you to get a heart attack now would we.
MR KRINGLE: Why thank you Bryce.
BRYCE DEEPWATER: How did you know my name was Bryce?
MR KRINGLE: A lucky guess.
BRYCE DEEPWATER: This is a young man’s job, old timer. You should also have help. You won’t last a week.
MR KRINGLE: Oh I’m used to a lot of elbow grease. Besides, I may not be staying around too long. I need to locate my reindeer and then I’ll be off on my merry way.
BRYCE DEEPWATER: Reindeer?
MR KRINGLE: Pets I should say
BRYCE DEEPWATER: Pets? You keep Reindeer as pets? I have a dog at home. He sets me back a lot with all the dog food and all. I can’t imagine how much it takes to feed two reindeer.
MR KRINGLE: Six actually. That is, if I can find them.
INT. QUINCEY’S BAR - NIGHT
Herb Alvarez is seated alone at a table in the bar. Mr Hardecker approaches.
MR HARDECKER: May I sit down.
HERB ALVAREZ: It’s a free country
MR HARDECKER: You probably don’t know me Mr Alvarez. I’m a sucCessful business man. Fourth generation. I heard that you are employing a man who claims he is Santa Claus.
HERB ALVAREZ: Are you off your rocker, Mr Hardecker?
MR HARDECKER: He goes by the name of Kringle
HERB ALVAREZ: Mr Kringle? Are you from the IRS?
MR HARDECKER: No Mr Alvarez, I’m a successful business man with a proposition
HERB ALVAREZ: What kind of proposition?
MR HARDECKER: Let him go, Mr Alvarez and I will reward you.
HERB ALVAREZ: Kitchen assistants are hard to find and this particular worker does the job of two people. I’d be mad to let him go.
MR HARDECKER: I will make it worth your while
HERB ALVAREZ: Just how much compensation are we talking about?
INT. MR ALVAREZ OFFICE - DAY
Mr Kringle enters Mr Alvarez office
HERB ALVAREZ: Herb, I’m sorry but I am going to have to let you go. The IRS are coming in a few days to inspect the place and I’ve hired Gunther here, to replace you. I can throw in a weeks wages and a wooden spoon and a meal voucher but that’s the best I can do.
MR KRINGLE: Well I have been grateful for you employing me Mr Alvarez. Nobody else would hire me and I appreciate that.
HERB ALVAREZ: The boys also had a whip around and it came to twenty bucks and eighty-
two cents.
INT. POPULAR RESTAURANT - EVENING
Sofia Castle and her boyfriend Charles Manning are seated at a table in a popular city restaurant
CHARLES MANNING: SIX FEET TALL, DARK HAIR WITH FLECKS OF GREY, 40 YEARS OLD, SLIM, WELL DRESSED.
CHARLES MANNING: I read your article. The one where you exposed Senator Williams as a crook and a philanderer. It was a real scoop.
SOFIA CASTLE: Well it was a lot of hard work.
CHARLES MANNING: We should celebrate with a bottle of champagne.
A man from another restaurant table approaches Sofia’s table and reprimands her.
ANGRY RESTAURANT CUSTOMER: Bald, with dark hair on the side of his head, overweight, dressed in a suit, Five feet nine inches, 48.
ANGRY RESTAURANT CUSTOMER: Miss Castle, you are a disgrace to your profession. I worked on Senator Williams campaign. He is the most honest and hardworking politician in the country today. You destroyed his career.
SOFIA CASTLE: The bigger they come, the harder they fall. Listen pal, I just did your friend a favour. He’s only a Senator. If he was running for President he would be on the front of every newspaper in the world.
ANGRY RESTAURANT CUSTOMER: You should have checked your sources Miss Castle. McGinnity is a lying devious rattlesnake, someone you should be able to identify with.
SOFIA CASTLE: My sources are just fine. If my article was a phoney, why then did Senator Williams resign
ANGRY RESTAURANT CUSTOMER: Because he’s honorable and because mud sticks in this town. You never even tried to get two sides to the story.
SOFIA CASTLE: Senator Williams knows where to reach me if he ever wants to pick up the phone.
ANGRY RESTAURANT CUSTOMER: Like I said. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
The angry customer walks back to his table.
SOFIA CASTLE: My heart bleeds.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT IN THE CITY - DAY
Mr Clayton knocks on the apartment door and Mr Kringle enters.
MR KRINGLE : I’m afraid, I’m 100 dollars short on this months rent Mr Clayton and I haven’t been able to find another job
Mr CLAYTON : I’ll take the money Mr Kringle but I’m going to have to give you until the end of the month to clear out.
Your apartment is prime real estate and I can’t afford to miss out financially.
MR KRINGLE: Sorry for letting you down Mr Clayton. I guess the employment situation is harder than I expected it to be.
MR CLAYTON: As long as you leave quietly without any fuss we’ll part on good terms. And don’t forget to give it a good spring cleaning. We wouldn’t want any stains on the carpet or crumbs on the table.
INT. LOCAL TV NEWSROOM - EVENING
KELLY FAY: Well, a few months back, we brought you the story of the man who claimed he was Santa Claus. Well just look at him now.
Video shows an image of Mr Kringle, slumped on the side of a street
KELLY FAY: If reports are to be believed, Santa Claus has turned to a life of crime to get by. Mr Tandle a local store owner claims that Mr Kringle stole a bottle of whiskey and threatened him if he told anyone. This is one Santa Claus you need to steer clear of. He may be armed and dangerous
NATHANIEL FROST: I guess it only exposes him for the phoney he really is. The real Santa Claus would be at the North Pole by now, making toys and eating cookies.
KELLY FAY: This phoney, just gives the man in the red suit a bad name.
EXT. BUSY STREET IN THE CITY - DAY
Mr Kringle walks down a busy street. The passers by taunt him
PASSERBY ON: Go back to the north pole
PASSERBY TWO: You should be locked up for cruelty to reindeer.
PASSERBY THREE: You only got me a lump of coal in 62 you fraud
Mr Kringle stops and feels sorry for himself. A small boy comes up to him.
SMALL BOY: I believe in you Santa. You’re the real Santa Claus
MOTHER OF SMALL BOY: Come on Reginald.
EXT. STREET IN A ROUGH NEIGHBOURHOOD - NIGHT
Mr Kringle is cold and hungry. He is out of money. His clothes are dirty and smelly. Three homeless men are warming themselves over a fire in a barrel. One of them approaches.
MELVYN: Say mister, would you like to join us by the fire?
MR KRINGLE: Oh, I think I’m alright?
MELVYN: A little companionship and a little warmth never killed anybody.
MR KRINGLE: Oh, alright
They both walk over to the warmth of the fire in the barrel.
MELVYN: I’m Melvyn. This here is Doug and Norbert
MR KRINGLE: Pleased to meet you.
MELVYN: So, what is it that brought you here?
MR KRINGLE: Oh, its kind of a long and complicated story
MELVYN: We’ve got all night
MR KRINGLE: First let me hear of what got you here.
MELVYN: I used to be a racing car driver, but when my wife died booze just destroyed my life. Would you like a slug of whiskey?
MR KRINGLE: No, I’m a pioneer
MELVYN: More for me, I guess.
DOUG: I was a gambler, but now I have nothing to gamble. I lost my family and my house. They all turned against me and I just couldn’t stop until I lost everything. The only people who stood by me were my friends at the bowling alley but now, I’m afraid to see them. Ashamed you could say.
MELVYN: Norbert doesn’t speak. Never has, as long as we’ve known him
DOUG: You need to be careful on these streets. A lot of guys hanging around might take your clothes and your shoes maybe even right down to your underpants just for a few bucks. Can’t say that your outfit will be much in demand though.
MELVYN: So what is your story anyhow?
DOUG: Yeah, some say that you wander the streets and countryside looking for reindeer in your green suit.
MELVYN: Whatever it is, on this street we’re all brothers.
EXT. STREET IN A ROUGH NEIGHBOURHOOD - DAY
Christopher Hadley and his mother approach Mr Kringle who is slumped on the street.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Hi there Mr Kringle, you don’t look so good.
MR KRINGLE: You shouldn’t see me like this Christopher. I’m starting to show my age.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: We can help you, can’t we mom?
MELANIE HADLEY: We’ve talked about this, Christopher. Your Dad has talked about this. We can’t take him back Christopher. We can’t afford it.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Please mom, we’ve got to help him.
MR KRINGLE : A good boy, Christopher always obeys his mother. You’ve been good to me. You all have. This is something that Mr Kringle has to get through on his own.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Winter is coming mom. It’s only going to get colder and colder.
MELANIE HADLEY: Here, I have 160 dollars in my purse. Please take it. It might see you out the week for food.
MR KRINGLE: I’m much obliged, Melanie. You always were a good kid.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: But Mom, can’t we do more?
MELANIE HADLEY: No Christopher we better go. This isn’t the safest neighbourhood in the world. Now, say your goodbyes to Mr Kringle
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: You’re no fraud Mr Kringle. I don’t care how many times I get bullied at school. I will always believe in you. I hope you get through this and get back to doing your real job. I know, your stories weren’t the best stories in the world but it was great that you took the time to..
MR KRINGLE : Thank you Christopher. I hope I get back to my day job too and making kids like you feel joy again.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM FOR THE EVENING EAGLE - MORNING
A number of journalists and the editor (Eli Goldwood) are seated around a conference room table
ELI GOLDWOOD: Ok, first up. Who is going to investigate the story of the dear old lady who lost her five thousand dollar cat?
SOFIA CASTLE: That’s rignt up your street Hammersmith
ROGER HAMMERSMITH: So says the ice queen
SOFIA CASTLE: Meow
ELI GOLDWOOD: Ok, Hammersmith, you have the job.
ROGER HAMMERSMITH: Oh chief..
SOFIA CASTLE: Don’t come back with your tail between your legs
ELI GOLDWOOD: Ok Castle. I have one for you. There’s a hobo who claims he’s Santa Claus
SOFIA CASTLE: The fruitcake? Seriously?
ELI GOLDWOOD: Yes, you’ve heard of him. Apparently he hangs out around Littleton Avenue.
SOFIA CASTLE: The dive?
ROGER HAMMERSMITH: Oh, it gets better. You’ll be singing Rudolf the Red nose reindeer in no time.
ELI GOLDWOOD: No she won’t. I want a real hatchet job done on this guy. Every detail.
SOFIA CASTLE: Basically, you want the truth
ELI GOLDWOOD: Yeah, you could say that
EXT. STREET IN A ROUGH NEIGHBOURHOOD - EVENING
Mr Kringle awakes from a short nap to find a thug in front of him with a knife.
ROD SAMBORA: 32, Caucasian, Red hair, five feet eleven inches, light blue eyes, wearing a well worn light brown coat,
chequered shirt and blue jeans
ROD SAMBORA: Hand it over old man. I know you’ve got it.
MR KRINGLE: What exactly
ROD SAMBORA: Don’t mess me around. Hand over the money.
MR KRINGLE: Rod Sambora. It’s a shame that it has come to this. You used to be such a good kid. Your addiction has ruined your life. You can’t hold a job down and you go from one...
ROD SAMBORA: Just hand it over old man
MR KRINGLE: I’d just give it away anyway
Mr Kringle hands over the money.
EXT. STREET IN A ROUGH NEIGHBOURHOOD - NIGHT
Later that night the four homeless men are gathered around the barrel with a small fire in it.
DOUG: I heard you got robbed of some money. I told you to be careful. These streets are dangerous.
MR KRINGLE: Yes I know. It was you who tipped Rod off and got twenty bucks out of it. I would have given you forty if you asked.
DOUG: Don’t go tarring me with the same brush as everyone else. I wouldn’t rat out any of my friends. I certainly wouldn’t tell Rod.
MR KRINGLE: I know things about people Doug. It’ my line of business.
DOUG: So you really think your Santa Claus?
MELVYN: I was Santa Claus once. I only lasted about two hours. I got the itch. It’s not all its cracked out to be. Crying and wailing kids. I guess they could smell the whiskey. I suppose you either have the magic touch or you don’t. What are you giving that look at me for?
MR KRINGLE: It’s your life, Melvyn. I sure hope you know the road ahead of you.
MELVYN: Mr Santa Clause himself. I suppose you know what’s ahead of me? We’re your friends for twenty four hours and already you’re judging us.
MR KRINGLE: You have a choice Melvyn. I just want you to make the right one. I’m rooting for you.
DOUG: Seems like someone has outstayed his welcome.
EXT. STREET IN A ROUGH NEIGHBOURHOOD - DAY
Sofia Castle recognises Mr Kringle walking along the street and approaches him
SOFIA CASTLE: Mr Kringle, I’m...
MR KRINGLE: Sofia Castle
SOFIA CASTLE: Yes that’s correct. Would you like something to eat, Mr Kringle
MR KRINGLE: Oh I’ve just eaten
SOFIA CASTLE: Mr Kringle, I’d like to do a story on you. I’m a journalist. I’d like to tell it from your perspective. Do you like coffee?
MR KRINGLE: I prefer milk and cookies.
SOFIA CASTLE: I know a cafe just around the corner. You can have whatever you like.