EXT. PARK BENCH IN GRIFFITH PARK -DAY

               It is in the park on a sunny day, an two old men are sitting
               on a bench enjoying the morning air. There is a small boy 
               bouncing a soccer ball in the foreground. During this scene,
               cars can be seen to be rushing up the hill towards the
               observatory. A few minutes later, the same cars can be seen
               rushing back down the same street. 

                                   GEORGE
                         Where are these people rushing to
                         so much in a hurry, these days.

                                   ALFRED
                         Looking for life...

                                   GEORGE
                         Hell, don't they know it's already
                         here?

                                   ALFRED
                         I think they want it to be
                         better...

               A low, black car with tinted windows and funky spoilers now
               passes by, rather slowly. From the car comes a stereo
               blasting, a rapid drum-beat of a gangster rap song.

                                   GEORGE
                         Now, looks like they've found what
                         they're looking for. See? They're
                         not rushing along like the others.

                                   ALFRED
                         Or want to mess up what others have
                         found...

               The small boy stops playing to observe the car as it passes.
               Now he starts bouncing the ball in tune with the beat of the
               car. 

                                   ALFRED
                         Johnnie, stop that!

               He motions with his hand, and Johnnie stops, looking from the
               car to his grandfather.

                                   JOHNNIE
                         It sounded cool!

                                   GEORGE
                             (looking at Alfred)
                         See...even they have something to
                         share.

               The low-rider moves on slowly, Johnnie watches, transfixed,
               as they do so.

                                   JOHNNIE
                         I like that kind of music!

                                   ALFRED
                         Hah! You call that music? Its just
                         some no-lifes with a computer
                         making that. They don't know any
                         music, that's all they can do.

                                   GEORGE
                         Well, it is a form of artistic
                         expression.

               Alfred gets a cynical look. 

                                   ALFRED
                         I guess you could say that...but
                         what are they expressing? God! The
                         music they used to play when I was
                         a kid! So full of fun, so full of
                         hope, Now, it's all serious and
                         dangerous-sounding...no, things are
                         getting worse.

               George nods sagely.

                                   GEORGE
                         I'll agree to that.

               Johnnie has come over to listen to this conversation.

                                   ALFRED
                             (to Johnnie)
                         When I was a kid, I used to come to
                         this park on my bicycle and play in
                         this very field. Before it was half
                         parking-lot. All these empty curbs
                         weren't painted red. Actually, at
                         first, there weren't even any
                         curbs! There would be maybe one,
                         two cars come by here in an hour.
                         People walked or rode their horses
                         up here. And nothing like that was
                         passing by.

               In the background, cars continue to pass by unabated. It is
               as if there is some sort of event going on up the hill
               somewhere, but they are being turned away and sent back down
               the hill.

                                   JOHNNIE
                         When was that?

                                   ALFRED
                         70 years ago, boy. Hollywood was
                         just a small town then. It was
                         miles to the next town, and only
                         one single road connected you to
                         them, and there were signs along
                         the way saying how many miles.

                                   GEORGE
                         You know, I remember now, when I
                         was a kid, my grandfather used to
                         say the same things to me. Things
                         are getting worse.

                                   ALFRED
                         Mine, too. Can you imagine how much
                         we forget it's changed because each
                         generation only has the last few
                         score of years to remember?

                                   JOHNNIE
                         What's score, mean, grandpa?

                                   ALFRED
                         A score is ten years. Don't they
                         teach you anything in school
                         anymore?

                                   JOHNNIE
                         Sure. I can read and write. I can
                         use a calculator. I can count
                         change for candy from a dollar...

               The low-rider car is passing by the other way now, but this
               time it is going faster, evidently not having found anything
               to see around here. It slows down for a speed bump, but still
               makes a crunch sound as it passes over one.

                                   ALFRED
                             (looking at the car
                              guardedly)
                         That's right, go a little faster,
                         boys...maybe you won't come back at
                         all!

                                   GEORGE
                         A dollar! It used to be I could buy
                         a comic book, bubble-gum, a model
                         airplane, and a soda and still have
                         money left over after laying down
                         one silver dollar!

                                   JOHNNIE
                         Silver dollar? What's that?

                                   GEORGE
                         You don't see them anymore, kid.
                         They made them into worthless
                         paper.

                                   ALFRED
                         And even the paper ones you could
                         exchange for the silver ones, or
                         gold.

                                   JOHNNIE
                         They were made of silver?

                                   ALFRED
                         Sure, which is worth something...it
                         was actually worth a dollar!

                                   JOHNNIE
                         Boy, money was worth a lot in those
                         days!

                                   GEORGE
                         Yes, I could buy a balsa-wood
                         airplane for ten cents...of course, 
                         I'd usually crash it before I got
                         home. But I'd buy another one the
                         next day.

               He leans over and points to Johnnie to make the point.

                                   GEORGE
                         Ten cents!

               Johnnie sits down in front of them to listen, his ball in his
               hands.

                                   JOHNNIE
                         So, if all of our grandfathers said
                         things have come a long way down,
                         what's it going to be like in a
                         hundred years from now,
                         grandfather?

               Alfred looks at Johnnie with pride, looks to George. 

                                   ALFRED
                         Now, isn't he great? This boy's a
                         thinker, I can tell you that!

               He smiles and brings out a quarter from his pocket.

                                   ALFRED
                         I used to do this with a silver
                         dollar, it worked much better, and
                         looked a lot better, but let's see
                         if we can do it with a quarter.

               He puts it on the park bench on it's edge, and gives it a
               little spin. After a couple of aborted tries, it finally
               spins like a top, then gradually slows down, more and more,
               and as it does so, it flattens out and speeds up as it gets
               more and more level. Finally with a dying gasp of speed, it
               lays flat and stops.

               Johnnie just looks at it quizzically.

                                   ALFRED
                         Now, see, just before it laid flat
                         you saw it speed up, right?

                                   JOHNNIE
                         Yes.

                                   ALFRED
                         Well, as I see it, that little part
                         there, just before it stopped,
                         that's about where we are now in
                         this cycle of civilization. And
                         that car that just passed, that's
                         the sound as the quarter just
                         finishes laying flat...

                                   GEORGE
                         Now that's a horrible thing to say
                         to a kid...

                                   ALFRED
                         Oh, no, not really! Because you
                         see, 

               And at this point, he picks up the quarter, gives it another
               spin, fails, tries again, fails, and finally gets it going
               again...

                                   ALFRED
                         It's up to someone to pick it up
                         again and give it another spin. And
                         with about that many tries...

               George nods at this piece of wisdom. 

                                   GEORGE
                         I see...but I still think things
                         are getting worse, and I haven't
                         seen anyone pick up any
                         civilization around here and get it
                         going again.

                                   ALFRED
                         No. And we probably won't live to
                         see that happen. But it will, it
                         will. Just look at history.

               In the background, Johnnie reaches over and picks up the
               coin, gives it a spin, and gets it going the first time!

                                   ALFRED
                         Ah! See what I mean? You get the
                         idea, kid!

                                                       FADE OUT.