EUGENE O'NEILL'S "MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA"

THEORY CORNER PRESENTS: "MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA" (CONDENSED):

EXT. SOUTHERN MANSION: 1864:

DAN (VO): "Oh, my Gosh! The plantation is just the way I remembered it!"

DAN: "Now I can recuperate from my war wounds surounded by my loving mother and my sister Cathy, and by my stern but lovable father!"

MOTHER: "Cathy, will you get your brother a glass of water?"

CATHY: "Sure, Mom. 'Be right back!"

MOTHER: "Look, we only have a minute til your sister comes back, so I'll be brief. Your father's dead. That's him in lying in the corner. Your sister gave him rat poison so she could inherit his money. She almost got me too, but I figured it out."

DAN: "Father.....dead?"

DAN (VO): "R-r-rat poison???".

MOTHER: "There, there. Mother's here for you. Yes, she killed him. I told you she was no good."

MOTHER: "Um...what are you going to do about it?"

DAN: "Well...I guess I'll have to shoot her. Gee, I bought her a nice gift, too. Maybe I'll shoot her after I give her the gift. I want to see if she likes it."

MOTHER: "GASP! Did you hear that, my poor, dead husband!? He wants to give your killer a gift! What kind of wimpy son does a thing like that!!?????"

CATHY ENTERS THE ROOM WITH A GLASS OF WATER.

CATHY: "Here's the water. Er....anything wrong?"

MOTHER: "No, nothing. I just have a headache, that's all. I'll leave you two alone. Dan has something he wants to, er....talk to you about."

MOTHER LEAVES THE ROOM.

DAN: "You bet I want to talk! I.....mmmmph!!!!!"

CATHY: "Wait! Wait til the door is completely closed!"

CATHY: "Dan, you've gotta help me! Mom poisoned Dad and she tried to poison me, too! She wants all of Dad's money, even though she hated him and cheated on him every chance she got!"

DAN: "Have you no descency? How could you say such things about your own mother? You're not fit to touch the hem of her garment!"

CATHY: "If I did touch it, rat poison would fall out. She's got it in closets all over the house! For God's Sake, don't eat anything while you're here!"

DAN: "Okay....okay....maybe you're right! I'll shoot her right now!"

CATHY: "Good!!! Do it now before she talks you out of it!!!!!"

THE DOOR BURSTS OPEN AND THE MOTHER FLINGS HERSELF INTO THE ROOM.

MOTHER: "Dan! Dan! I was listening at the door! Can't you see that Devil of a sister is  manipulating you!? Shoot her now!"

DAN: "Yes, you're right. I'll shoot her now!"

CATHY PUSHES HER MOTHER ASIDE AND GRABS DAN.

CATHY: "Dan, for the sake of everything that's holy...free yourself from your demon mother! Do it!"

DAN: "Yes, I'll free myself from the demon!!!"

THE MOTHER PUSHES CATHY ASIDE, GRABS DAN:

MOTHER: "NO, free yourself from the witch, because that's what your sister is!!!!"

DAN: "Yes, free from the witch!"

MOTHER AND CATHY: (Unintelligible, rapid back and forth)

EXT. MANSION:

BAM!!!!!!!