EXT. A SAVANNAH STREET - DAY - 1981
A feather floats through the air.
The falling feather. A city, Savannah, is revealed in the background.
The feather floats down toward the city below.
The feather drops down toward the street below, as people walk past and
cars drive by, and nearly lands on a man's shoulder. He walks across the
street, causing the feather to be whisked back on its journey.
The feather floats above a stopped car. The car drives off right as the
feather floats down toward the street.
The feather floats under a passing car, then is sent flying back up in
the air.
A MAN sits on a bus bench. The feather floats above the ground and
finally lands on the man's mud-soaked shoe. The man reached down and
picks up the feather.
His name is FORREST GUMP. He looks at the feather oddly, moves aside a
box of chocolates from an old suitcase, then opens the case. Inside the
old suitcase are an assortment of clothes, a ping-pong paddle, toothpaste
and other personal items. Forrest pulls out a book titled "Curious
George," then places the feather inside the book. Forrest closes the
suitcase. Something in his eyes reveals that Forrest may not be all
there. Forrest looks right as the sound of an arriving bus is heard.
A bus pulls up. Forrest remains on the bus bench as the bus continues on.
A BLACK WOMAN in a nurse's outfit steps up and sits down at the bus bench
next to Forrest. The nurse begins to read a magazine as Forrest looks at
her.
Forrest: Hello. My name's Forrest Gump.
He opens a box of chocolates and holds it out for the nurse.
Forrest: You want a chocolate?
The nurse shakes her head, a bit apprehensive about this strange man next
to her.
Forrest: I could eat about a million and a half of these. My momma
always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never
know what you're gonna get."
Forrest eats a chocolate as he looks down at the nurse's shoes.
Forrest: Those must be comfortable shoes. I'll bet you could walk
all day in shoes like that and not feel a thing. I wish I
had shoes like that.
Black Woman: My feet hurt.
Forrest: Momma always says there's an awful lot you could tell
about a person by their shoes. Where they're going. Where
they've been.
The black woman stares at Forrest as he looks down at his own shoes.
Forrest: I've worn lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it real
hard I could remember my first pair of shoes.
Forrest closes his eyes tightly.
Forrest: Momma said they'd take my anywhere.
INT. COUNTRY DOCTOR'S OFFICE - GREENBOW, ALABAMA - DAY - 1951
A little boy closes his eyes tightly. It is young Forrest as he sits in a
doctor's office.
Forrest: (voice-over) She said they was my magic shoes.
Forrest has been fitted with orthopedic shoes and metal leg braces.
Doctor: All right, Forrest, you can open your eyes now. Let's take
a little walk around.
The doctor sets Forrest down on its feet. Forrest walks around stiffly.
Forrest's mother, MRS. GUMP, watches him as he clanks around the room
awkwardly.
Doctor: How do those feel? His legs are strong, Mrs. Gump. As
strong as I've ever seen. But his back is as crooked as a
politician.
Forrest walks foreground past the doctor and Mrs. Gump.
Doctor: But we're gonna straighten him rihgt up now, won't we,
Forrest?
A loud thud is heard as, outside, Forrest falls.
Mrs. Gump: Forest!
EXT. GREENBOW, ALABAMA
Mrs. Gump and young Forrest walk across the street. Forrest walks stiffly
next to his mother.
Forrest: Now, when I was a baby, Momma named me after the GREat
Civil War hero, General Nathan Bedford Forrest...
EXT. RURAL ALABAMA
A black and white photo of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. The photo
turns into live action as the General dons a hooded sheet over his head.
The General is in full Ku Klux Klan garb, including his horse. The
General rides off, followed by a large group of Klan members dressed in
full uniform.
Forrest: (voice-over) She said we was related to him in some way.
And, what he did was, he started up this club called the
Ku Klux Klan. They'd all dress up in their robes and their
bedsheets and act like a bunch of ghosts or spooks or
something. They'd even put bedsheets on their horses and
ride around. And anyway, that's how I got my name. Forrest
Gump.
EXT. GREENBOW
Mrs. Gump and Forrest walk across the street.
Forrest: (voice-over) Momma said that the Forrest part was to
remind me that sometimes we all do things that, well, just
don't make no sense.
Forrest stops suddenly as his brace gets stuck.
Forrest's brace is caught in a gutter grate. Mrs. Gump bends down and
tries to free Forrest. Two old cronies sit in front of a barber shop and
watch.
Mrs. Gump: Just wait, let me get it.
Mrs. Gump struggles to pull the stuck brace from the grate.
Mrs. Gump: Let me get it. Wait, get it this way. Hold on.
Forrest pulls his foot out of the grate.
Mrs. Gump: All right.
Mrs. Gump helps Forrest up onto the sidewalk. She looks up and notices
the two old man.
Mrs. Gump: Oooh. All right. What are you all staring at? Haven't you
ever seen a little boy with braces on his legs before?
Mrs. Gump and Forrest walk along the sidwalk past the two old men. Mrs.
Gump holds tightly onto Forrest's hand.
Mrs. Gump: Don't ever let anybody tell you they're better than you,
Forrest. If God intended everybody to be the same, he'd
have given us all braces on our legs.
Forrest: (voice-over) Momma always had a way of explaining things
so I could understand them.
EXT. OAK ALLEY/THE GUMP BOARDING HOUSE
Mrs. Gump and Forrest walk along a dirt road. A row of mailboxes stands
left.
Forrest: (voice-over) We lived about a quarter mile of Route 17,
about a half mile from the town of GREenbow, Alabama.
That's in the county of GREenbow. Our house had been in
Momma's family since her grandpa's grandpa's grandpa had
come across the ocean about a thousand years ago.
Something like that.
Mrs. Gump and Forrest walk along the Gump Boarding House driveway.
Forrest: (voice-over) Since it was just me and Momma and we had all
these empty rooms, Momma decided to let those rooms out.
Mostly to people passing through. Like from, oh, Mobile,
Montgomery, place like that. That's how me and Mommy got
money. Mommy was a real smart lady.
Mrs. Gump: Remember what I told you, Forrest. You're no different
than anybody else is.
Mrs. Gump heads Forrest to the porch. She bends down to look Forrest in
the eye.
Mrs. Gump: Did you hear what I said, Forrest? You're the same as
everybody else. You are no different.
INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL / PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE - DAY - 1954
Principal: Your boy's... different, Mrs. Gump. Now, his I.Q. is
seventy-five.
Mrs. Gump: Well, we're all different, Mr. Hancock.
The principal sighs, then stands up.
INT. HALLWAY
Forrest sits outside the principal's office and waits.
Forrest: (voice-over) She wanted me to have the finest education,
so she took me to the GREenbow County Central School. I
met the principal and all.
The principal stands in front of Mrs. Gump. Forrest, sitting left,
listens.
Principal: I want to show you something, Mrs. Gump. Now, this is
normal.
The principal holds up a chart with a designations according to I.Q. and
points to the center of the graph, labeled "Normal." A red line below the
normal area is labeled "State Acceptance." The principal points to the
section below the acceptance line labeled "Below."
Principal: Forrest is right here. The state requires a minimum I.Q.
of eighty to attend public school, Mrs. Gump. He's gonna
have to go to a special school. Now, he'll be just fine.
Mrs. Gump: What does normal mean, anyway? He might be a bit on the
slow side, but my boy Forrest is going to get the same
opportunities as everyone else. He's not going to some
special school to learn to how to re-tread tires. We're
talking about five little points here. There must be
something can be done.
INT. HALLWAY
Forrest sits outside the principal's office.
Principal: We're a proGREssive school system. We don't want to see
anybody left behind.
INT. PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
Principal: Is there a Mr. Gump, Mrs. Gump?
Mrs. Gump: He's on vacation.
EXT. GUMP BOARDING HOUSE - NIGHT
Forrest sits on a swing outside the house. Loud organic male grunts are
heard coming from inside the house.
Forrest sits on the swing as the grunts continue.
The principal steps out of the Gump House and wipes the sweat from his
face. Forrest is sitting on the porch.
Principal: Well, your momma sure does care about your schooling, son.
Mm-mm-mm.
The principal wipes the sweat from his neck, then looks back at Forrest.
Principal: You don't say much, do you?
Forrest grunts, imitating him. The principal, embarrassed, turns and
walks away.
INT. GUMP BOARDING HOUSE/FORREST'S BEDROOM
Mrs. Gump reads from the book "Curious George" as Forrest sits on the bed
and listens.
Mrs. Gump: "Finally, he had to try it. It looked easy, but, oh, what
happened. First there..."
Forrest: Momma, what's vacation mean?
Mrs. Gump: Vacation?
Forrest: Where Daddy went?
Mrs. Gump: Vacation's when you go somewhere, and you don't ever come
back.
Forrest lies down on his bed and looks up.
Forrest: (voice-over) Anyway, I guess you could say me and Momma
was on our own.
EXT. GUMP BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
A cab driver closes the trunk of the car as two women walk toward the
house. A milkman steps down from the porch.
Forrest: (voice-over) But we didn't mind. Our house was never
empty. There was always folks comin' and goin'.
Mrs. Gump: (voice-over) Suppa.
INT. GUMP BOARDING HOUSE
Mrs. Gump steps forward and speaks to all the boarders.
Mrs. Gump: It's suppa, everyone. Forrest...
A MAN WITH A CANE steps left across the hall.
Man With Cane: My, my. That sure looks special.
Mrs. Gump looks into a sitting room and informs the boarders about
dinner.
Mrs. Gump: Gentlemen, would you care to join us for supper? Hurry up
and get it before the flies do. I prefer you don't smoke
that cigar so close to mealtime.
Forrest: (voice-over) Sometimes we had so many people stayin' with
us that every room was filled with travelers. You know,
folks livin' out of their suitcases, and hat cases, and
sample cases.
Mrs. Gump: Well, you go ahead and start. I cant find Forrest.
Mrs. Gump walks up the stairs.
Mrs. Gump: Forrest... Forrest...
Forrest: (voice-over) One time a young man was staying with us, and
he had him a guitar case.
Mrs. Gump looks into Forrest's room. She hears singing coming from
another room and walks over to a closed door. Mrs. Gump opens the door,
revealing a young man with long sideburns as he plays the guitar and
sings. Forrest holds onto a broom and dances oddly. The young man is
ELVIS PRESLEY.
Elvis Presley: (sings) "Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit, and you
ain't no friend of mine."
Forrest's legs rock back and forth to the guitar.
Mrs. Gump: Forrest! I told you not to bother this nice young man.
Elvis: Oh, no, that's all right, ma'am. I was just showin' him a
thing or two on the guitar here.
Mrs. Gump: All right, but your supper's ready if y'all want to eat.
Elvis: Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you, ma'am.
Mrs. Gump leaves and closes the door. Elvis sits back down. Forrest
stands left, and looks himself in a mirror.
Elvis: Say, man, show me that crazy little walk you just did
there. Slow it down some.
Forrest begins to dance again as Elvis plays the guitar and sings.
Elvis: (sings) "You ain't nothin' but a hound, hound dog..."
Forrest: (voice-over) I liked that guitar.
Forrest dances as he watches himself in the mirror.
Forrest: (voice-over) It sounded good.
Elvis: (sings) "... cryin' all the time"
Forrest rocks up and down on his braced legs, then begins to step.
Elvis: (sings) "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog..."
Forrest: (voice-over) I started moving around to the music,
swinging my hips. This one night we and Momma...
EXT. GREENBOW - NIGHT
Mrs. Gump and Forrest walk along a sidewalk. A television inside a store
window reveals Elvis Presley as he performs "Houng Dog" on a stage.
Forrest: (voice-over) ...was out shoppin', and we walked right by
Benson's Furniture and Appliance store, and guess what.
The television reveals Elvis as he thrusts his hips and sings.
Elvis: (sings) You ain't nothin' but a hound dog...
Mrs. Gump and Forrest watch the television.
Elvis dances around in the same manner Forrest did. A woman in the
audience screaming and applauding.
Elvis: (sings) You ain't nothin' but a hound dog...
Mrs. Gump: This is not children's eyes.
Mrs. Gump walks away, pulling Forrest with her. Forrest stops and takes
one last look.
Elvis continues to perform over the television.
Elvis: (sings)"Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you
ain't no friend of mine."
Forrest: (voice-over) Some years later, that handsome young man who
they called "The King," well, he sung too many songs, had
himself a heart attack or something.
EXT. SAVANNAH/BUS BENCH - DAY
Forrest is still sitting on the bus bench. The black nurse looks at him.
Forrest: Must be hard being a king. You know, it's funny how you
remember some things, but some things you can't.
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD/ALABAMA - MORNING - 1954
Mrs. Gump and Forrest wait for the school bus. The bus pulls up as Mrs.
Gump prepares Forrest for his first day of school.
Mrs. Gump: You do your very best now, Forrest.
Forrest: I sure will, Momma.
Forrest: (voice-over) I remember the bus ride on the first day of
school very well.
The bus driver opens the door and looks down. Forrest walks to the steps
of the bus and looks at the bus driver. She is smoking a cigarette.
Bus Driver: Are you comin' along?
Forrest: Momma said not to be taking rides from strangers.
Bus Driver: This is the bus to school.
Forrest: I'm Forrest Gump.
Bus Driver: I'm Dorothy Harris.
Forrest: Well, now we ain't strangers anymore.
The bus driver smiles as Forrest steps up into the bus.
INT. BUS
Forrest steps up onto the bus. Mrs. Gump waves to Forrest as the bus
drives away. Forrest begins to walk down the aisle.
TWO YOUNG BOYS look up from the seat.
Boy #1: This seat's taken.
Boy #2: It's taken!
Forrest looks around. A larger girl slides over so Forrest can't sit next
to her. She shakes her head. Forrest looks to the other side where a boy
sits alone on a larger seat. They boy glares up at Forrest.
Boy #3: You can't sit here.
Forrest: (voice-over) You know, it's funny what a young man
recollects. 'Cause I don't remember being born.
EXT. SAVANNAH/BUS BENCH - DAY
Forerst continues talking as he sits on the bus bench.
Forrest: I, I... don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and
I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But,
I do remember the first time I heard the sweetiest
voice...
INT. BUS - MORNING (1954)
Young Forrest is still standing in the aisle on the bus.
Forrest: (voice-over) ... in the wide world.
Girl: You can sit here if you want.
Forrest looks back at JENNY CURRAN, a young girl about Forrest's age.
Forrest: (voice-over) I had never seen anything so beautiful in my
life. She was like an angel.
Jenny: Well, are you gonna sit down, or aren't ya?
Forrest sits down next to Jenny.
Jenny: What's wrong with your legs?
Forrest: Um, nothing at all, thank you. My legs are just fine and
dandy.
Forrest: (voice-over) I just sat next to her on that bus and had
conversation all the way to school.
Jenny: Then why do you have those shoes on?
Forrest: My momma said my back's crooked like a question mark.
These are going to make me as straight as an arrow.
They're my magic shoes.
Forrest: (voice-over) And next to Momma, no one ever talked to me
or asked me questions.
Jenny: Are you stupid or something.
Forrest: Mommy says stupid is as stupid does.
Jenny puts her hand out toward Forrest. Forrest reaches over and shakes
her hand.
Jenny: I'm Jenny.
Forrest: I'm Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump.
Forrest: (voice-over) From that day on, we was always together.
Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.
EXT. OAK TREE - DAY
Young Jenny and Forrest run toward a large oak tree.
Forrest: (voice-over) She taught me how to climb...
Jenny sits on a large branch and calls down to Forrest.
Jenny: Come on, Forrest, you can do it.
Forrest dangles from the branch.
Forrest: (voice-over) ... I showed her how to dangle.
Jenny and Forrest sit on a tree branch and read.
Forrest: ".....a good little moneky and..."
Forrest: (voice-over) She helped me to learn how to read.
Forrest hangs upside down from a branch and swings back and forth.
Forrest's braces are wedged in the tree.
Forrest: (voice-over) And I showed her to swing.
Night. Th silhouete of the oak tree, Jenny and Forrest as they sit on a
branch.
Forrest: (voice-over) Sometimes we'd just sit out and wait for thhe
stars.
Forrest: Momma's gonna worry about me.
Jenny puts her hand on Forrest's hand.
Jenny: Just stay a little longer.
Forrest: (voice-over) For some reason, Jenny didn't never want to
go home.
Forrest: Okay, Jenny. I'll stay.
Forrest: (voice-over) She was my most special friend.
INT. SAVANNAH/BUS STOP - DAY
Forrest nods as he remembers.
Forrest: My only friend.
Forrest continues talking to the black woman. She doesn't s eem to be
listening as she reads her magazine. She looks up from her magazine.
Forrest: Now, my Momma always told me that miracles happen every
day. Some people don't think so, but they do.
EXT. OAK ALLEY - ANOTHER DAY (1954)
Jenny and Forrest walk. A dirt clod hits Forrest in the back of the head.
Jenny looks as Forrest rubs his head.
THREE YOUNG BOYS get off their bikes and pick up more rocks.
Boy #1: Hey... dummy!
Forrest is hit in the eye with another dirt clod. Forrest falls backward
onto the ground as the boys glare at him.
Boy #2: Are you retarded, or just plain stupid?
Boy #3: Look, I'm Forrest Grum.
Jenny helps Forrest back up. Boy #1 and Boy #2 throw more dirt clods at
Forrest.
Jenny: Just run away, Forrest.
Another dirt clod hits Forrest in the arm.
Jenny: Run, Forrest!
Forrest tries to run along the road, but his braces makes it impossible.
He hobbles along as Jenny yells after him.
Jenny: Run away! Hurry!
Boy #1 and Boy #2 turn back toward the bikes.
Boy #2: Get the bikes!
Boy #3: Hurry up!
The boys pick up their bikes and ride after Forrest.
Boy #3: Let's get him! Come on!
Boy #2: Look out, dummy, here we come!
The boys ride after Forrest. Jenny stands and watches.
Boy #2: We're gonna get you!
Jenny: Run, Forrest! Run!
Forrest hobbles along the dirt road.
Jenny: Run, Forrest!
Forrest looks over his shoulder. The three boys race on their bikes.
Boy #1: Come back here, you!
Forrest begins to run faster with his braces on.
Forrest continues running as the boys chase him. Blood drips down from a
cut on his head.
The boys on the bikes are gaining on Forrest. Forrest hobbles along. He
begins to gain speed.
Jenny: Run, Forrest! Run!
Slow motion -- Forrest runs from the chasing room. He looks over his
shoulder in fear.
The boys on the bikes peddle faster as they gain on Forrest, running.
Forrest tries to run even faster to get away. Suddenly his braces
shatter, sending steel and plastic flying into the air.
Forrest runs and look down at his legs in surprise.
Forrest continures to run faster as the mtal breaces and straps fly off
his legs.
Forrest runs free of his braces and begins to pick up speed.
The chasing boys ride over the remains of Forrest's braces.
Forrest: (voice-over) Now, you wouldn't believe it if I told you.
EXT. SAVANNAH/ BUS BENCH - DAY
Forrest: But I can run like the wind blows.
The black woman continues to read her magazine. Forrest smiles as he
remembers.
Forrest: From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!
EXT. OAK ALLEY - DAY (1954)
Forrest sprints away from the boys. The boys stop the chase and watch in
disbelief. Forrest is already at the far end of the road, clear of the
chasing boys.
Boy #2: He's gettin' away! Stop him!
Boy #1 throws his bike down in frustration. Forrest runs across a field.
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD
Forrest runs past a chain gang in their prison uniforms. They are cutting
at the weeds on the side of the road.
EXT. GREENBOW
Forrest runs across the street. THE TWO OLD MEN sit in front of the
barber shop.
Old Crony: That boy sure is a running fool.
EXT. JENNY'S HOUSE
Forrest runs down a driveway toward Jenny's small house.
Forrest: (voice-over) Now remember how I told you that Jenny never
seemed to want to go home? Well, she lived in a house that
was as old as Alabama. Her Momma had gone up to heaven
when she was five and her daddy was some kind of a farmer.
Forrest knocks on Jenny's door.
Forrest: Jenny? Jenny?
Forrest look around the field at the left. He notices Jenny and runs
toward her.
Forrest: (voice-over) He was a very lovin' man. He was always
kissing and touchin' her and her sisters. And then this
one time, Jenny wasn't on the bus to go to school.
Forrest runs to Jenny.
Forrest: Jenny, why didn't you come to school today?
Jenny: Shh! Daddy's takin' a nap.
Jenny grabs Forrest's hand and runs into the field. Jenny's DAD drunk,
steps out onto the porch and shouts.
Jenny's Dad: Jenny!
Jenny: Come on!
Jenny's Dad: Jenny, where'd you run to? You'd better go back here,
girl!
Jenny's dad steps out toward the field. Jenny leads Forrest into the
thick tobacco field.
Jenny's dad runs through the field searching for Jenny with a liquor
bottle in his hand.
Jenny's Dad: Where you at?
Jenny and Forrest run into a corn field as Jenny's dad tries to chase
her.
Jenny's Dad: Jenny! Jenny! Where you at? Jenny!
Jenny drops to her knees and pulls Forrest down with her.
Jenny: Pray with me, Forrest. Pray with me.
Jenny's Dad: Jenny!
Jenny: Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far, far away
from here. Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far,
far away from here.
Forrest: (voice-over) Momma always said that God is mysterious.
Jenny's Dad: Jenny! Get back here!
Forrest: (voice-over) He didn't turn Jenny into a bird that day.
Instead...
EXT. TRAILER PARK/ALABAMA - DAY (1955)
A police officer escorts Jenny to her grandmother's trailer. Jenny's
grandmother meets Jenny outside and leads her toward the trailer.
Forrest: (voice-over) ... he had the police say Jenny didn't have
to stay in that house no more. She went to live with her
grandma just over on Creekmore Avenue, which made me happy
'cause she was so close.
EXT. GUMP HOUSE - NIGHT (1955)
Jenny climbs over a second-floor railing and enters the house.
Forrest: (voice-over) Some nights, Jenny'd sneak out and come over
to my house, just 'cause she said she was scared. Scared
of what, I don't know...
INT. GUMP HOUSE/FORREST'S BEDROOM
Jenny lies in bed next to young Forrest. She hugs him.
Forrest: (voice-over) ... but I think it was her grandma's dog. He
was a mean dog. Anyway, Jenny and me was best friends...
EXT. GREENBOW/OAK ALLEY - DAY (1961)
Forest and Jenny are teenagers now. They walk along an oak-lined road.
Forrest: (voice-over) ...all the way to high school.
Suddenly Forrest is hit in the back with a rock. Forrest and Jenny turn
around.
Older Boy #1 : Hey, stupid!
Jenny: Quit it!
A teenage boy throws another rock as a pickup truck pulls up behind him.
Jenny turns and looks at Forrest.
Jenny: Run, Forrest, run!
Older Boy #1: Hey. Did you hear me, stupid?
Jenny: Run, Forrest!
Forrest drops his books and runs down the road.
The teenage boy jumps into the back of the pickup truck with another boy
as the truck speeds after Forrest. Jenny steps left and gets out of the
way.
Older Boy #2: Come on, he's getting away! Move it!
Jenny: Run, Forrest! Run!
Older Boy #1: You better be runnin', stupid.
Forrest runs along the road. The truck speeds after him.
Older Boy #2: Come on, dummy!
Older Boy #1: Haul ass, dummy!
Older Boy throws rocks at Forrest.
Older Boy #1: Yeah, you better be runnin'!
INT. TRUCK
Boy: Ya-hoo!
EXT. OAK ALLEY
The boys in the back of the truck throw rocks at Forrest as they drive up
to him.
Older Boy #1: Move it, jack rabbit!
The truck follows right on Forrest's heels. A rebel flag license plate
adorns the truck's grill.
Older Boy #1: Come on!
Forrest runs along the road as the truck chases him. The boys in the back
of the truck pound on the roof as the truck turns right, after Forrest.
The truck drives into a field. Forrest runs toward a fence.
Boy: Run! Faster! Yeah! Go! Go! Come on, Forrest! Yeah!
Jenny: Run, Forrest!
Forrest leaps over a five-foot fence as the boys try to catch him.
EXT. SAVANNAH/BUS BENCH - DAY (1981)
Forrest looks left as he continues telling his life story.
Forrest: Now, it used to be, I ran to get where I was goin'. I
never thought it would take me anywhere.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL/ROAD - DAY (1961)
Forrest runs along the road in front of the high school. The truck
continues to chase him as the boys pound on the roof.
Older Boy: Come on. Whoo-hoo!
The truck speeds past Forrest as he turns from the road and runs onto the
high school football field. Forrest runs across the field during a
football scrimmage.
In the stands watching the scrimmage is the legendary University of
Alabama football coach BEAR BRYANT, wearing his trade mark plaid hat. A
group of assistant coaches sit around him, as well as the high shool
football coach.
The quarterback throws the ball into the air. Forrest runs past the
quarterback.
The receiver catches the ball. Forrest runs past the receiver as an
opposing player tackes the stunned receiver.
The football coach stands, followed by the assistant coaches.
Football: Who in the hell is that?
Coach
High School: That there is Forrest Gump. Coach. Just a local idiot.
Coach
Forrest runs under the field goal post and through the end zone.
Forrest: (voice-over) And can you believe it? I got to go to
college, too.
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA STADIUM - DAY (1962)
The crowd roars with excitement as a football is kicked off.
The football players run around on the field. The crowd of cheering fans
create a huge sign that reads>:"GO."
Forrest is in a University of Alabama football uniform. He looks up into
the cheering crowd as his teammate fields the kickoff. The teammate runs
over to Forrest and hands him the ball.
Football: Okay! Run!
Coach
The football coach, the assistants, and Alabama players cheer for
Forrest.
Football: Run, you stupid son-of-a-bitch! Run!
Coach
Forrest runs across the field. He speeds past the defending players.
Forrest runs past the opposite players. The crowd cheers widly, holding
up cards, making a large sign that reads:"Go." They turn the cards over,
creating the word:"ALABAMA."
The football coach runs along the sidelines as he yells.
Football: You stupid son-of-a-bitch! Run! Go! Run!
Coach
Forrest cuts and runs toward the sidelines. Two opposing players collide.
The football coach, the assistants and the players all motion for Forrest
to run toward the end zone.
Football: Run! Turn! Go!
Coach
Forrest turns up the sidelines and runs toward the end zone. Some
opposing players fall down.
Forrest runs along the sidelines. The opposing players try to catch him.
Forrest runs into the end zone as an opposing player dives at his feet.
The referee holds up his arm, singaling a touch down. The crowd cheers
wildly.
Forrest continues to run, smashing through the band members, then all the
way toward the team tunnel.
The football coach looks at an asistant coach.
Football: He must be the stupidest son-of-a-bitch alive. But he sure
Coach is fast!
Forrest: (voice-over) Now, maybe it was just me but college was
very confusing times.
INT. GREENBOW/BARBER SHOT - BLACK & WHITE TELEVISION (JUNE 11, 1963)
An anchorman named CHET HUNTLEY appears over the television.
Chet Huntley: (on TV) Federal troops enforcing a court order integrated
the University of Alabama today.
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - DAY
Forrest walks through a crowd of people.
Chet Huntley : Governor George Wallace had carried out his symbolic
threat to stand in the schoolhouse door.
Governor: We hereby denounce and forbid this illegal and unwarranted
Wallace action by the central government.
INT. GREENBOW/BARBER SHOP
A black & white television reveals George Wallace as he stands in the
doorway of the schoolhouse.
Katzenbach : (on TV) Governor Wallace, I take it from that, uh...
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Forrest steps over to a young man as the crowd looks at the
demonstration.
Katzenbach : ...statement that you are going to stand in that door, and
that you are not going to carry out the orders of this
court, and that you are going to resist us from doing so.
I would ask you once again to responsibility step aside
and if you do not, I'm going to assure you...
Forrest : Earl, what's going on?
Earl : Coons are tryin' to get into school.
Forrest : Coons? When racoons try to get on our back porch, Momma
just chase 'em off with a broom.
Earl : Not racoons, you idiot, niggas. And they want to go to
school with us.
Forrest : With us? They do?
Forrest walks toward the schoolhouse.
INT. COACHES' OFFICE
A football coach looks at a black and white television as a newsman
outside the schoolhouse speaks to the camera.
Newsman : (on TV) ...block the doorway, President Kennedy ordered
the Secretary of Defense then to use the military force.
BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE
The footage cuts to Governor Wallace as he speaks to General Graham.
Newsman : Here by videotape is the encounter by General Graham,
Commander of the National Guard, and Governor Wallace.
Forrest stands next to George Wallace and listens.
Governor: We must have no violence today, or any other day, because
Wallace these National Guardsmen are here today as Federal
Soldiers for Alabamans. And they live within our borders
and they are all our brothers. We are winning in this
fight because we are awakening the American people to the
dangers that we have spoken about so many times, just so
evident today, the trend toward military dictatorship in
this country.
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Some of the Alabama policeman and citizens clap their hands as the
National Guardsmen stand at attention with their weapons in front of
them. Forrest walks through the crowd.
Two black students were being led toward the schoolhouse.
Newsman : And so at day's end the University of Alabama in
Tuscaloosa had been deseGREgated and students Jimmy Hood
and Vivian Malone had been signed up for summer classes.
The young black girl drops one of her books. Forrest notices and steps
past the policeman toward the book on the ground.
Forrest steps out from the crowd and picks up the book. He brings it up
to the girl.
Forrest : Ma'am, you dropped your book. Ma'am.
INT. COACHES' OFFICE - NIGHT (1963)
A coach looks at the television.
The television reveals Forrest as he stands at the schoolhouse door. He
looks around, then waves.
Chet Huntley : (on TV) Governor Wallace did what he promised to do. By
being on the Tuscaloosa campus, he kept the mob from
gathering and prevented violence.
An assistant coach looks at the television, then at the other coaches.
Assitant: Say, wasn't that Gump?
Coach
The football coach and two assistant coaches look. Forrest dries himself
off with a towel as he steps from the showers.
Chet Huntley : (on TV) NBC News will present a special program on the
Alabama integration story at 7:30 p.m. tonight...
Assistant: Naw, that couldn't be.
Coach
Football: It sure as hell was.
Coach
Chet Huntley : ...standard Eastern Daylight Time. Now a word from Anacin.
Forrest steps up to the coaches' area and grabs a clean towel. The
coaches turn and stare at Forrest. Forrest gives them one of his silly
waves, then walks awy.
COLOR FOOTAGE - Governor Wallace waves to the crowd as he stands behind a
podium with his wife.
Forrest : (voice-over) A few years later, that angry little man at
the schoolhouse door thought it would be a good idea, and
ran for President.
COLOR FOOTAGE - Governor Wallace mingles in a crowd. Gunshots are fired,
wounding him. Some men wrestle the shooter. Wallace lies wounded on the
ground.
Forrest : (voice-over) But, somebody thought that it wasn't.
EXT. SAVANNAH/BUS BENCH - DAY (1981)
Forrest sits on the bench as the black woman looks at him. A WHITE WOMAN
with a bay sits left.
Forrest : But he didn't die.
A bus pulls up to the bus stop. The BLACK WOMAN looks down at her watch.
Black Woman : My bus is here.
Forrest : Is it the number 9?
Black Woman : No, it's the number 4.
The Black Woman gets up and steps over to the bus.
Forrest : It was nice talkin' to you.
The white woman sits closer to Forrest.
White Woman : I remember when that happened, when Wallace got shot. I
was in college.
Forrest : Did you go to a girls' college, or to a girls' and boys'
together college?
White Woman : It was co-ed.
Forrest : 'Cause Jenny went to a college I couldn't go to. It was a
college just for girls.
EXT, GRLS' COLLEGE/JENNY'S DORM - NIGHT (1963)
Forrest sits outside Jenny's dorm in the rain.
Forrest : (voice-over) But, I'd go and visit her every chance I got.
A car pulls up. A song is heard from the radio.
Forrest, holding a box of chocolates, looks at the car.
The two people inside the car begins to kiss and embrace each other.
Jenny is inside the car with a boy. She leans back against the passenger
side door as they struggle to get comfortable.
Jenny : Ouch! That hurts.
Forrest gets up and runs toward the car. He tries to look in the wondow
as he steps over to the driver's side door. He opens the door and begins
to punch the boy inside. Jenny jump out of the car and runs over to
Forrest.
Jenny : Forrest! Forrest! Forrest, stop it! Stop it!
Billy : Jesus!
Jenny : What are you doing?
Forrest : He was hurtin' you.
Jenny's date, named BILLY, gets out of the car angrily.
Billy : What the hell is going on here?
Jenny : No, he's not!
Billy : Who is that? Who is that?
Jenny : Get over there!
Jenny turns and looks at Billy. He shoves Jenny's hands away from him.
Jenny : Billy, I'm sorry.
Billy : What in the hell, git, would you git away from me!
Jenny : Don't... Wait a second!
Billy : Git, just git away from me!
Jenny : Don't go! Billy, wait a second!
Billy gets back into the car.
Jenny : He doesn't know any better!
Billy puss away as Jenny steps toward Forrest.
Jenny : Forrest, why'd you do that?
Forrest holds out the box of chocolates.
Forrest : I brought you some chocolates. I'm sorry. I'll go back to
my college now.
Jenny : Forrest, look at you! Come on. Come on.
Jenny grabs Forrest hand and leads him toward the dorm.
