Hidden Figures
Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
May 12, 2015
(Based on the book "Hidden Figures" by Margot Shetterly)
Based on a true story.
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In darkness, the voice of a little girl. Counting.
A pair of little feet navigates down a gravel path. Kicking a pine cone.
Pulling up, we reveal: KATHERINE COLEMAN (8,) a peculiar, quiet, mouse of a child, wearing glasses bigger than her bookish face. Counting to herself.
A VOICE (her Mother’s) in the distance hollers out:
Katherine looks up. Sees a car stopped at the end of the path. She runs off. Counting all the way.
Titles over: White Sulphur Springs, Virginia - 1926
A “colored” grammar school. Small, spirited. Katherine’s now between her parents (dad: JOSHUA and JOYLETTE,) holding their hands as they enter.
A long hallway lined with windows. Sitting on a bench, outside a Principal’s office, Katherine sketches (in a small notebook) the window panes, highlighting all the geometric shapes she discovers within:
On the windows opposite her: the tetris-like patterns of her mind’s eye come alive.
And on she goes.
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Katherine’s parents sit across from the school’s principal, MR. MARION SMITHSON and Katherine’s teacher, MS. SUMNER.
Joshua and Joylette are overwhelmed. They grasp each other’s hands.
Ms. Sumner hands Joylette an envelope.
Joylette accepts the envelope.
Joylette starts to tear. The kindness of people. Joshua puts his arm around his wife.
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The Coleman family car, hauling a trailer with all their belongings, drives past a pasture dotted with COWS. A road sign reads: Welcome to Institute, Virginia.
Katherine’s crowded in the back seat with her siblings (CHARLES, MARGARET and HORACE.) She stares out the window, studying the cows whizzing by, the patterns on their hides forming shapes in her mind. She studies the shapes, only now she’s...
...staring out another window in a new classroom. A fancy classroom in a prestigious academy. The class is full of OLDER STUDENTS dressed in the best they have.
Unbeknownst to Katherine, her new teacher, PROFESSOR GRAVES, is standing right in front of her.
Katherine whips back to reality. Embarrassed.
Professor Graves holds out a piece of chalk.
Katherine looks at the chalkboard. The equation looks Greek: symbols, signs, parentheticals.
Professor Graves pushes the chalk closer.
Katherine takes the chalk. Stands. Walks sheepishly to the front of the class. Every eye on her.
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She stands in front of the blackboard, the equation.Studies it for the longest time. Inspecting every number, sign, symbol. Wheels churning.
Then she starts to write. Slow and meticulous at first. Then fast. Faster. With passion and fury.
The Students crane their heads.
Professor Graves rubs his temple.
And Katherine writes on, chalk dust dropping like snow from her chalk stick. On and on and on...until she’s at the very bottom, far side of the board. She circles the answer. Stands and faces the class. The equation behind her dwarfing her in stature. She clears her throat...
You can hear a pin drop. There’s nothing to say. Katherine shuffles. Adjusts her glasses.
Katherine walks back to her desk. We push in on the equation. The numbers. The endless, endless numbers. The title fades up:
Hidden Figures
We float down towards a lone stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. Infinity in all directions.
A 1955 Chevy Impala sits on the shoulder, the hood up.
THE CAR - DAY - CONTINUOUS
Titles over: Hampton, Virginia, 1961
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A holler crashes the silence:
Outside, a pair of legs poke out from under the car.
At the back of the car, sitting on the trunk, we find MARY JACKSON (30ish) putting on lipstick. Mary’s a spirited beauty, free-tongued, unbridled.
Mary bangs on the rear window. Katherine snaps out of her trance.
Katherine slides over to the driver’s seat. Pumps the gas. Stamps the pedal to the floor.
She turns the key in the ignition. Click, click, click. The engine whines, the car doesn’t start.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Mary models her hitchhiking thumb, pose.
Just then, far in the distance, Mary sees a POLICE CAR coming over the hill...
Dorothy and Katherine look. See the car coming up fast.
Katherine gets out of the car. Dorothy stands up.
The police car stops behind them. And the gruffest WHITE COP steps out. Walks toward them. Silent. Then...
Mary can’t help herself.
The White Cop steps into Mary. Not interested in talk back.
Mary shakes her head.
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CONTINUED: (3)
Katherine jumps in.
Katherine pulls out her NASA ID badge. Holds it up for him to see.
Dorothy specifies, holds up her NASA badge.
He turns his attention back to Mary.
Mary pulls out her NASA badge.
Hmm. He takes Mary’s badge. Studies it. Inspects the back. It’s official.
He stops himself from saying “coloreds.” Or worse.
She saves him the embarrassment. He looks toward the sky. Paranoid.
His wheels turn. Shifting gears.
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CONTINUED: (4)
Mary lies through her teeth:
The White Cop gets patriotic.
The White Cop springs into action.
Dorothy motions to Katherine to toss the screwdriver to her. She does.
Dorothy ducks under the hood. Crosses the screwdriver across the battery poles. SPARK! The engine starts.
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CONTINUED: (5)
Mary butts in.
Damn Mary.
The police car screams down the road at a million miles an hour. Dorothy’s car lunges right on its tail.
Mary’s driving like a mad-woman. Loving every minute of it. Dorothy’s in the passenger seat, white knuckling the dashboard. And Katherine’s in the back, holding onto the ceiling. Praying.
Mary screams! Dorothy bursts out laughing. Finally... Katherine. Mary hits the gas. The car lunges forward.
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The sprawling campus of NASA: hangars, wind tunnels, research buildings, surrounded by tall, barbed wire fences and SECURITY.
The police car slows, pulls to the shoulder, as Dorothy’s car speeds past. The White Cop waves them on.
And our camera floats up to...
From the vast blackness of space...looking down on Planet Earth. Quiet. Picturesque. Peaceful.
Then: a rumbling sound creeps up. And the camera pans to find...a massive ROCKET burning up through the earth’s atmosphere. Atop the rocket, a capsule shakes, rattles, grinds. The noise is deafening.
We then hear a RUSSIAN VOICE, military-esque. The VOICE then translates into TURKISH...matter of fact. And finally: The CRACKLING VOICE of a radio communication in English.Not happy at all. Tense.
The Oval Office. President Kennedy is handed a briefing doc. He’s worried. The VOICE OF AN AIDE:
PRESIDENT’S AIDE (O.S.) Latest intelligence on the Soviet booster rocket still in relay, Mr. President.
A room packed with US MILITARY BRASS. JIM WEBB, NASA ADMINISTRATOR, a hard, powerful man, is front and center. All eyes are on the radar screen plotting the rocket’s trajectory.
SPACE - CONTINUOUS
The booster rocket falls back to Earth, as the dislodged capsule floats at us, into the black of space.
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Al Harrison stands in a control room packed with ENGINEERS. He leans forward, owl-eyed on the massive screens tracking the rocket. And then:
SPACE - CONTINUOUS
The capsule twists on axis, revealing...the blood-red hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union. This is Korabl-Sputnik-4. The Russian Military Communication crackles in:
THE OVAL OFFICE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER
President Kennedy rubs his eyes.
US CENTRAL COMMAND - DAY - MOMENTS LATER
Dire mood. Jim Webb picks up a ringing phone.
NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
Harrison, distraught, walks out of the room.
A SCREENING ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS
A black and white film reel plays. It’s a Russian Press Conference.
A RUSSIAN SCIENTIST is holding a small, wiry dog in a cosmonaut vest. This is ZVEZDOCHKA, the world’s first space traveler: a Jack Russell Terrier mix. He barks.
Next to the Scientist: a mannequin with a placard, IVAN IVANOVICH, is propped up in a chair, dressed as a cosmonaut. The Russian press laughs.
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The hoarse voice of Jim Webb breaks in:
Webb steps up out of his seat, the news reel plays across his back. The screening room is packed with MILITARY BRASS and NASA ENGINEERS. Including: Al Harrison, Lead Engineer, PAUL STAFFORD, Associate Engineer, SAM TURNER, and Harrison’s Secretary, RUTH.
Harrison stands, holds up his hand. The news reel abruptly stops. Lights come up. It’s funeral wake quiet. Until, Paul Stafford speaks out of turn.
Bad move. Webb turns to Stafford.
Harrison defends his man.
Webb wags a finger at Stafford.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Webb walks out. A mass exodus.
Footsteps echo off the marble floor, as Harrison walks with Paul Stafford, Sam Turner, Ruth, and the rest of the TEAM.
Stafford has no response.
Harrison stops. He cleans his glasses. Addresses SAM.
Paul nods. Harrison walks away. The Team keeps up.
Harrison stops again. Stands in front of a window staring at something we can’t see. He’s quiet for the longest time.
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Harrison jots a note in a mini notebook.
He walks off again. Mumbling. The Team hustles after him.
We stay at the window Harrison was staring into. It’s a stark white clean room. Bright...and empty.
Nondescript brick. A sign reads: West Computing Group. TWO PROFESSIONAL BLACK WOMEN lead us in.
This is the other side of the tracks at NASA. No white marble here. Concrete floor, no frills. We push toward a door labeled: “West Computers,” as the two Black Women enter.
The West Computing Room is a dumpy rectangle of long tables and mismatched chairs below a “Colored Computers” sign. Dorothy stands in front of TWO DOZEN BLACK COMPUTERS, women of all shapes and sizes, assigning the day’s work. Katherine and Mary stand in back.
Ugh.
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Eleanor hops up.
Dorothy holds out paperwork. Eleanor takes it. Heads to the door.
Mary raises her hand like a school girl.
Mary can’t contain herself. This is big news.
Mary literally jumps to the front of the room. Takes her paperwork.
Mary tempers her boisterousness. Buttons it up.
Mary winks at her. Dorothy shakes her head.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Just then, in walks: VIVIAN MITCHELL, Supervisor of Female Computers, flanked by her ASSISTANT. Armfuls of worksheets and graph pads. The Group snaps to attention.
Vivian’s Assistant dumps the workload on the table.Thud. Vivian hands Dorothy an assignment sheet.
Dorothy doesn't hesitate:
Vivian looks the room over. Katherine raises her hand, squirms: the Space Task Group is the ‘be all.’
Vivian sizes Katherine up.
And with that, Vivian swoops off. Assistant behind her.
They exit.
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THE WEST HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Vivian and her Assistant walk away from the Computing Room. Dorothy comes out, catches up.
Vivian stops. Turns back.
Dorothy is sunk.
Vivian walks off. Dorothy simmers inside.
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The sun bounces off the massive, silver spheres that house the wind tunnels. Mary, arms loaded with reports and worksheets, walks briskly underneath the turbines.
Mary scoots down the hallway leading to the tunnel.She stops at the edge: for the first time she sees the Mercury 7 prototype capsule suspended in mid-air. Her eyes twinkle at the sight.
THE WIND TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS
Mary ambles under the Mercury 7 capsule. She inspects every single bolt, every shingle. This is why she’s here. This is why she works at NASA.
A PA announcement jars her back to reality:
Red lights flash, a siren spins. Mary hustles off, through the tunnel. As fans start to whir. Wind builds.
She’s almost at the end, when she missteps off the path.One of her high heels gets caught in the grating.
THE WIND TUNNEL CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Chief Wind Tunnel Engineer: KARL ZIELINSKI, 50s, Polish Jew, stares down from the glass control booth. He sees Mary struggling with the shoe.
THE WIND TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS
The wind picks up. Mary’s in a state. Fighting with the shoe. A voice over the PA shocks her:
Mary looks up at the control booth. Sees Zielinski staring down at her.
Mary pulls her foot out of the shoe and runs one-shoed, hobbling toward the exit.
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Mary steps out of the tunnel. Just as the wind becomes deafening.
THE WIND TUNNEL CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Zielinski and WIND TUNNEL ENGINEERS watch the Mach 2 test. The Mercury 7 capsule is engulfed in forceful winds.It shakes. Rattles. Groans.
Mary comes up behind Zielinski.
The bolts strain on the heat shield.
Pop! One of them pops off, a shingle flies off the heat shield, hits the control booth window. Crash. Engineers jump. Then another two break off. Crash. Crash. A few more. Bang. Bang.
Zielinski holds up his hand.
The wind subsides.
THE WIND TUNNEL - LATER
Zielinski and Mary are walking around the Mercury 7 capsule. Inspecting. Mary’s taking notes.
He stops, touches an indent in the heat shield.
Mary looks up from taking notes:
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Zielinski nods approval. Inspects another section of the capsule.
She’s heard this before. Deflects.
He turns to her. Serious.
Mary doesn’t need to think.
Vivian Mitchell leads Katherine down an endless white hallway. Briefing her:
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Katherine takes the lanyard. She’s overwhelmed. They arrive at steel doors labeled: Space Task Group.
Vivian walks off, leaving Katherine alone. She takes a deep breath. Walks into her future.
Katherine steps into a cyclone of activity and stress. ENGINEERS chalk equations on blackboards, slug coffee.AIDES and SUPPORT STAFF scurry, answer phones. This is the Space Task Group: the world’s most exclusive scientific club.
At the back of the room, Harrison paces in his glass bubble, talking with Karl Zielinski.
For the briefest moment, everyone seems to be looking at the black woman who just entered their world. But it’s just a passing moment, there’s far too much to do.
Engineer Sam Turner hands Katherine a trash can.
He’s gone before she can explain. Katherine sees the only other woman in this zoo: Ruth. Puts the trash can down, walks her way.
Ruth barely looks up from beneath a pile of worksheets.
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She finally notices Katherine is...black. Pauses. Katherine smiles. Ruth considers her. Her strength. Her calm.
Katherine lingers.
Katherine walks to her station, way at the back of the room, against the wall. Puts her personals on the desk. Sits. She looks at the Engineer toiling aside her, it’s Paul Stafford. He looks at Katherine. Doesn’t smile. Just studies her.
Harrison (with Zielinski) steps out of his office, eating a sandwich. He barks:
Stafford damn near jumps.
He turns to Zielinski. Dead serious.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Back to Stafford.
Stafford nods his head.
Harrison moves on.
Ruth motions to Katherine. Harrison gives her a once over. Not what he expected either.
Harrison waves a finger at Ruth.
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CONTINUED: (3)
She knows exactly what he’s talking about. She always knows what he’s talking about. She snatches a bundle of worksheets off her desk, rushes them to Katherine.
Katherine glances at the data sheets.
That’s all Harrison needs to hear. She knows her stuff.
Stafford rebuts.
Harrison walks into the center of the Task Group.
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CONTINUED: (4)
He waits. Then...nods all around. No issues.
THE ENTIRE SPACE TASK GROUP Amen.
Harrison plods off, into his office.
The Group jumps back into the work.
Katherine arranges her personals. Everything in it’s place. Meticulous.
She looks over at a very frustrated and diminished Stafford. He’s using a thick black marker to redact much of the data in a report. He feels Katherine’s gaze, and stares hostilely at her until she looks away.
Katherine puts her head down, opens Harrison’s bundle of worksheets. Starts to dive in.
THUD. A thick report lands in front of her. She jolts. Stafford’s standing above.
Katherine opens the report. The black marker redaction is bleeding through pages and pages of numbers. Can’t make out much.
Stafford walks off. Joins Sam and a FEW COLLEAGUES at the coffee maker. All clearly talking about Katherine.
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CONTINUED: (5)
She holds Stafford’s report up to the light. This is going to be impossible.
Then...her foot starts tapping, jittery. She crosses her legs. Has to pee something fierce.
She walks over to Ruth, who’s on a phone call.
Ruth holds her hand over the phone.
Ruth returns to her conversation. Katherine walks away.
Katherine rushes down the hall, worksheets in her arms. Searching for a bathroom. Her papers drop.
At the far end of the hall...she sees the bathrooms.Thank God. She scoops the papers up.
A TRIO OF WHITE WOMEN come out of the ladies’ restroom.They stand outside the door, chatting away.
Damn. Katherine gathers herself, ducks down another hallway.
ANOTHER HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Katherine’s practically running. No “colored bathrooms” anywhere.
Katherine pushes through steel doors into the blinding sun. Sees the West Campus Building way off in the distance.1/2 mile away to be exact. She runs.
Katherine sprints down the familiarly dingy West Campus hall. She crashes through a door labeled: “Colored Restroom.”
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THE RESTROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Katherine plops down on the toilet. She reaches down to her feet, puts the paperwork on her lap...and keeps working. Calculating numbers.
Katherine runs back toward the East Campus. As fast as her legs will take her.
Harrison, one ear glued to a phone, plunges out of his office, looks for Katherine. Not there. He hollers at Ruth.
Harrison returns to his phone call.
Katherine bursts through the main door. Ruth intercepts her:
Ruth thrusts a double stack of worksheets at Katherine. Thrice the size of the first. Harrison’s voice booms from above.
Katherine startles. Harrison’s outside his office, still on the phone. Then...he disappears again. Katherine inspects the stack. Shell shocked.
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Katherine hustles back to her station. On her way, she sees Harrison standing in his bubble, still on the phone, staring right at her.
She lands at her desk. Gathers herself. Opens the new worksheets: miles and miles of data. This will be the longest day of her life.
THE COFFEE AREA - LATER
Katherine’s head is buried in data sheets, as she steps up to the coffee counter, holding her cup. She looks around. Only one coffee pot. She picks it up...
Sam looks up from his desk. Sees Katherine pouring her coffee. He looks over at ANOTHER ENGINEER. They share a confused look. OTHER ENGINEERS look over.
Stafford sees everyone staring, he follows their gaze to Katherine. Now stirring her coffee. Sam looks to Stafford, “What the hell is she doing?”
Katherine turns back, sees all the eyes on her. Puts her head down and walks back to her desk.
A BLACK CLEANING LADY is wiping the coffee counter.
The Space Task Group is all but abandoned...aside from Katherine working by lamp light at her desk. She finishes her last calculation. Looks up and sees:
Harrison standing in his glass bubble. Scribbling on a chalk board. The only other person left.
She rises, takes her report. Walks up the stairs.
HARRISON’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER
Katherine taps on the glass door.
Harrison waves her in.
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Without looking.
That’s not what he needed to hear. He swivels to her.
Harrison gets up, moves around his desk.
He gently takes it out of Katherine’s confused hands.
Harrison drops her report on top of a trash can overflowing with dozens of similar reports and worksheets. It’s a graveyard of obsolete work.
Harrison goes back to the board. Obsessed with the numbers, the logistics.
Katherine’s immobile. Floored.
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CONTINUED: (2)
He studies the math.
Katherine has no words.
Harrison stops abruptly, takes off his glasses. Cleans them. Katherine is lost. Finally:
Harrison remembers she’s in the room. Turns back:
He turns back to the board. Mumbles to himself.
Katherine walks to the door. Harrison starts calculating on the board. Too engrossed to say good night.
Katherine walks down the lonely white hallway. She shakes her fists in frustration.
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Katherine pushes out a door, into the parking lot. She’s relieved to see: Dorothy and Mary leaning on the back of Dorothy’s car. Katherine smiles in relief.
Dorothy steps into the car, starts it up. Mary holds a door open for Katherine.
Katherine and Mary hop in the car.
Dorothy drives. Katherine’s in back. Mary’s shotgun, with her feet on the dash. The car is their sanctuary.
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Dorothy swats Mary’s feet off her dashboard.
Mary sits up straight. Katherine sinks back in her seat. It’s quiet. For a long time. Then:
Dorothy smiles wryly. Mary and Katherine breathe.
Dorothy turns the music up.
Katherine’s tiny, single-family brick house is modest but well-appointed. She drags up the walkway, waves goodbye to Dorothy and Mary pulling off the curb.
Katherine steps inside. The only light shines from the kitchen, where her mother, JOYLETTE, is doing dishes.
Katherine kisses her mom.
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Joylette smiles at her daughter. Always the encourager.
Katherine lights up. Joylette’s happy to see a spark in her daughter’s eye.
Katherine smiles.
Katherine peeks into the tiny bedroom. One unoccupied double bed. And one twin bed where her daughter JOYLETTE (10) is pushing back against CONSTANCE (8), and KATHY (6), who are trying with all their might to shove Joylette from the bed. Katherine steps in, stops the madness.
Katherine nods calmly, sits on the double bed. Pats it.
Constance and Kathy sit on either side of her.
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Katherine shoots her a look. Joylette quiets.
Constance and Kathy would rather die!
As Constance and Kathy get into bed, Katherine winks at Joylette. Joylette smiles.
Katherine steps to Kathy’s side of the bed.
Just the mention of “daddy”...instant quiet. Long faces. Katherine sits on the edge of Constance and Kathy’s bed.
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CONTINUED: (2)
She tucks Kathy in.
Katherine moves over to Constance. Tucks her in.
Joylette (10) cuts in.
Katherine moves to Joylette (10), tucks her in.
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CONTINUED: (3)
Kathy pulls out a picture she drew of Katherine in space. Hands it to her.
Katherine’s touched. She smiles at her babies. Kisses them.
She turns off the lamp.
Picturesque, white church for an all black congregation.
THE CHURCH SERVICE - CONTINUOUS
Sunday morning. Everyone’s on their feet. The room is packed with FAMILIES. Amongst them: Katherine, Joylette (Mom) and the kids; Mary, her husband LEVI and their kids (LEVI, JR.(5) and CAROLYN MARIE (4)); and Dorothy and her husband, HOWARD and their kids (ANN (16), KATHRYN (14), LEONARD (9) and KENNETH (7)).
The charismatic, PASTOR AYERS, afire, preaches from the hip.
Amens all around.
All eyes turn to our women. Here they stand proud, here they’re revered.
On the front row, a tall drink of water, NATIONAL GUARD COLONEL JIM JOHNSON, bows his head in recognition.
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Cheers and claps.
Refrains.
BEHIND THE CHURCH - CONTINUOUS
An after service banquet: PARISHIONERS everywhere enjoying an outdoor pot-luck.
Mary and her husband, Levi are serving their Kids. A hushed argument:
Levi, Jr. interrupts:
Mary steps in, replaces the greens with mac and cheese.
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Levi pushes the greens back on his son’s plate.
Mary has heard enough.
Levi backs down. Hell hath no fury...
He walks off. Mary serves greens to her daughter, Carolyn. Cuts her off before she can complain:
PICNIC TABLES - MOMENTS LATER
Katherine and Dorothy are feeding their Kids, trying to have a conversation.
Mary walks up, cuts in:
Across the green: Jim Johnson’s talking to Dorothy’s husband, Howard.
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They laugh. Jim Johnson smiles over at Katherine.
Katherine looks. Yep.
Dorothy and Mary look at Katherine.
She is. Katherine turns away.
Sure enough, Mary’s waving him over.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Jim Johnson arrives. Dorothy wastes no time:
Jim nods hellos.
Jim and Katherine lock eyes. Mary blurts out:
And with that, Mary and Dorothy leave Katherine alone with Colonel Jim. He smiles at her.
THE GROUNDS - LATER
Katherine and Jim are walking through the grass.
He stops himself. Too late. Backpedals.
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Katherine stops him.
Katherine adjusts her glasses.
She walks off. Jim Johnson watches her go, he’s speechless. And very, very enticed.
The energy of a parade. A MARCHING BAND plays, You’re a Grand Old Flag.
A MILITARY MOTORCADE roars to a stop, and out step the guests of honor: The Mercury 7 Astronauts: ALAN SHEPARD, GUS GRISSOM, JOHN GLENN, SCOTT CARPENTER, WALLY SCHIRRA, GORDON COOPER, and DEKE SLAYTON.
Harrison’s the first to greet the Mercury 7. Shaking hands. Making introductions. Ruth and Sam are amongst the welcoming committee.
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The entire NASA STAFF is lined up in the parking lot.A receiving line. At the end of this very long line of WHITE MALE NASA EMPLOYEES...we find WHITE FEMALE NASA EMPLOYEES. And after that...our “Colored Computers.”
Dorothy’s first, proudly next to Katherine and Mary.She bios the Astronauts for Katherine and Mary.
Alan Shepard waves at the Crowd.
Shots of the Mercury 7 intercut.
Harrison leads the Astronauts down the receiving line.John Glenn shakes hands.
A dashing John Glenn shakes a NASA ENGINEER’s hand.
The Mercury Team lands in front of Vivian Mitchell and the East Computers. Handshakes. Ruth ends the procession.
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CONTINUED: (2)
The Mercury Team follows Ruth. John Glenn catches Dorothy staring at him from the end of the line. He stops.
Too late, John Glenn’s already gone. Heading to the end of the line. The Mercury Team follows.
Mary stares at the Astronauts as they approach. Vivian sees them headed to Mary, Katherine and Dorothy’s way. Hmm.
John Glenn stops in front of Dorothy.
Dorothy looks him in the eyes.
He smiles. Jokes:
Dorothy laughs. John Glenn offers his hand. They shake. He moves on to Katherine. Holds out his hand.
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CONTINUED: (3)
He offers Mary his hand. She doesn’t wait for the introduction.
He smiles at her. Mary could faint. John Glenn moves down the line. Shaking hands. The other Astronauts follow.
A press conference. Camera flashbulbs pop incessantly. The Mercury 7 Astronauts sit at a table in front of DOZENS OF REPORTERS and NEWS CAMERAS.
A REPORTER hollers out to John Glenn:
John Glenn leans down to his mic.
Laughter. They love these men.
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The Reporter hurls another question:
Without a beat...every Astronaut raises his hand. And then John Glenn raises both hands. Laughter. Flashbulbs.
A madhouse. MORE ENGINEERS, MORE STAFF, more work.
Katherine’s at the coffee counter. There are now two coffee stations...the smaller coffee pot is labeled: “Colored.”
Katherine pours her coffee. Nothing. None made. Imagine that. She makes a pot. Refusing to look around.
KATHERINE’S DESK - LATER
Katherine’s back at her desk, pouring over reports.
Stafford drops a stack of data on her desk. Redacted.
Katherine fans the data sheets. A sea of black ink.
Stafford walks off.
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Katherine scans the sheets. Holds them up to the light. She can see through the redaction in places. A few terms bleed through: “Redstone,” “Atlas.” Curiosity peaks.
She looks at the massive chalkboards across the room.A chalked-chart reads: Redstone Rocket Trajectories. She looks back at her worksheets, gathers her work and walks to the boards. Studies the Redstone Rocket Chart.
Dorothy’s walking down the hallway with an armload of worksheets. She turns a corner.
Dorothy continues down a different, white-tiled hallway. It’s crowded with massive crates and MAINTENANCE MEN and TECHS unloading high-tech equipment.
The IBM has arrived. And...it doesn’t fit in the door to the white room. Lots of head scratching. A PAIR OF CARPENTERS are hacking away, sawing the door header.
Harrison stands staring at the debacle. Next to him we meet BILL CALHOUN, the young, overly officious IBM Supervisor.
Harrison writes a note in his pad.
Dorothy walks by. Instinctively...she knows what this is. The next big thing. And the beginning of the end of human Computers.
Dorothy moves toward a door: “East Computing Group.”
INSIDE THE EAST COMPUTING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Dorothy enters the all-white East Computing Room. A sharp contrast to the West Group’s room. Every WHITE FEMALE COMPUTER has a desk, a matching chair, a lamp. It’s homey, comfortable, spacious.
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Vivian sees Dorothy, summons her over.
Dorothy puts worksheets in a box next to Vivian’s desk.
Vivian points to a massive pile of worksheets within several boxes.
Dorothy stands there, a beat too long.
Vivian considers whether to answer. Then:
A knowing moment for both of them.
Vivian nods. Dorothy lingers. Vivian points off...
Vivian returns to her work. Dorothy heads to the boxes.
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THE SPACE TASK GROUP OFFICE - LATER
Katherine’s still at the chalkboard staring at that Redstone Rocket Chart. Cross-checking her worksheets.
She picks up a piece of chalk, starts chalking calculations. Analytic Geometry. Then a graph...the Redstone’s trajectory.
The chalk line stops suddenly. Just short of a line labeled, “Orbit.” She draws an X on the spot, then writes: “Redstone Fail.” Then she draws another trajectory line that pushes past the “Orbit” line...and labels it, ”Atlas.”
She steps back, looks at her work. Her leg starts tapping. She puts the chalk down.
Katherine pushes out through the steel doors and runs for the West Computing Building.
THE SPACE TASK GROUP OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Stafford is standing in front of the blackboard, staring at Katherine’s work. He references a worksheet in his hand. He’ll be damned.
Sam Turner comes up behind him. Studies the board. Stafford hands him the worksheet. He compares. Hmmm.
And then, like moths drawn to light, one ENGINEER after another is pulled to the math. Surrounding Stafford and the blackboard. Chatter builds.
Then, a voice from above:
Harrison stands outside his glass bubble. No one answers.
Katherine comes out of the bathroom. Scurries down the hall.
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Stafford’s pacing in front of a seated Katherine. Sam and Ruth are behind him, along with a UNIFORMED US MILITARY OFFICER.
Across from them is a distressed Katherine.
Pan over to: Al Harrison. He’s been standing quietly off to the side, studying the redacted report.
Impressive.
Harrison waves the report at her. Katherine pauses.
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Really. Harrison holds the report up to the light. Squints at the redaction. Sees: “Atlas.”
He shakes his head in disbelief.
Harrison looks to Ruth.
Nods and agreement. Stafford objects:
Harrison tosses the redacted documents in the trash.
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CONTINUED: (2)
He walks out. Ruth smiles at Katherine.
A BLACK COMPUTER pushes through a door labeled: “Colored Cafeteria.”
Hardly an adequate dining space. Cold steel tables, wobbly wooden chairs and a small rectangular window, whereby brown- bagged lunches are distributed to BLACK EMPLOYEES.
Dorothy, Katherine and Mary are at the window, grabbing lunch. Mary’s admiring Katherine’s new lanyard credentials.
They walk to a table. Sit. Eat.
Through the door, in steps Vivian Mitchell. File folder in hand.
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Vivian sees the women. B-lines over. She drops the file in front of Mary.
Mary ruffles up.
Vivian does not like to be challenged.
She slides a copy on the table.
Mary can’t control her frustration.
Vivian tightens up.
Vivian walks off. Steamed. Mary pushes her lunch aside.
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The living room. Dorothy and Katherine are playing Bridge.
Mary’s on fire. Bouncing around the room. Reading the NASA Handbook Addendum.
Dorothy is curt.
Dorothy rises.
She throws her cards down.
Walks off. Katherine and Mary are silent. Then:
Katherine nods ‘yes.’
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Dorothy waltzes back in. Holds up a Mason jar of homemade whiskey mash.
DOROTHY’S KITCHEN - LATER
Music on the radio. The gals are tipsy. Mary’s dancing around the room. Laughing. Dorothy and Katherine are trying to make a cake and icing. It’s a mess.
A song comes on the radio, “Twisting The Night Away” by Sam Cooke.
Katherine obliges. Mary instructs. Dorothy joins.
Katherine hollers.
Dorothy and Mary wrap their arms around her. They laugh. And dance. Friends through it all.
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A Civil Rights protest in progress. DOZENS OF BLACK MEN AND WOMEN holding desegregation signs march outside the Courthouse, chanting. A LINE OF WHITE POLICE OFFICERS block the sidewalk.
Levi Jackson’s smack in the middle of the fray. A POLICE DOG rares up, knocking Levi to the ground. He bounces up, full of fire.
Turning the corner, Dorothy and her two youngest: Leonard (9) and Kenneth (6), walk down the opposite sidewalk.
Dorothy looks across the way, sees Levi in the thick of it. She pulls her boys up the steps of:
They climb the stone stairs of the “Colored Entrance.”
Dorothy’s in the middle of an aisle of reference books. Searching titles. The boys are at her feet, fussing.
Dorothy hands them a book.
They do as told. Dorothy keeps searching the racks. She finds what she’s looking for, a book titled:Fortran, The New Language of Computers.
She pulls it off the shelf. A WHITE LIBRARIAN in the next aisle stares back at her.
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A SECURITY GUARD escorts Dorothy and her boys, not so gently, out of the library. The Guard grabs the kids’ shoulders, moving them along.
She pulls her boys away from the Guard. Gathers her dignity. Turns back. Grits a smile.
We push past SEVERAL WHITE PASSENGERS to the back of the bus...where we find Dorothy between her boys.
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She smiles at her little men. Settles in. Then...pulls the Fortran Computer book out of her purse.
She opens the book and starts reading to them:
Titles over: April 12, 1961
A birthday party: Leonard Vaughan’s turning 9. The place is packed with FAMILY, FRIENDS and CHILDREN.
Little Leonard stands, eyes closed (making a wish) in front of a sprinkled cake. He opens his eyes. Blows. Misses a few. Blows again, way too close.
Dorothy gives him a small hug. Everyone LAUGHS and CLAPS. Dorothy starts cutting cake. Katherine and Mary help serve.
At the entry: Howard opens the door for Colonel Jim Johnson. Holding a bouquet of flowers. Katherine’s been set up.
Colonel Jim stares through the crowd...over at Katherine. Locks on her. Smiles.
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THE PARTY - NIGHT - LATER
A swing song plays on the radio. The living-room floor is swaying with Guests swing dancing. Dorothy and Howard. Mary and Levi.
Off to the side we find Katherine. Alone. Until Colonel Johnson walks up.
Jim smiles.
Katherine looks up at him. He sure is handsome.
DANCING - LATER
Katherine and Jim dance. He’s real good. She’s real stiff.
He smiles at her.
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She’s a whole lot more than he can handle.
They dance on. Staring at each other.
The music cuts off abruptly. An ANNOUNCER cuts in:
The mood drops. Dancing stops. You can hear a pin drop.
Stale air, tension, dead quiet. A news reel plays footage of Yuri Gagarin’s capsule in orbit.
Yuri Gagarin waves to a crowd of RUSSIAN WELL-WISHERS.
The news reel stops playing abruptly. Lights rise. Harrison’s standing in the wings, leaning against a wall. Stafford, Sam and Ruth are seated amongst Team Members.
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The Mercury 7 are in attendance, sitting in back. They’re devastated. No one talks. No one moves. It’s like someone died.
Finally, John Glenn speaks up:
He walks out. The other Astronauts follow.
Harrison steps into the Space Task Group. The entire Team is sitting at their desks, standing at stations. Frozen in quiet. Harrison walks to the front of the room. Takes off his glasses.
Stafford doesn’t have the answer. Shakes his head.
Harrison walks to the middle of the room.
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Harrison walks off. Up to his office.
Harrison picks up the phone, dials. Waits. He walks to his window, looks out.
Every single member of the Space Task Group is on the phone. Quietly talking to their wives, husbands, children.
Paul Stafford. Ruth. Sam Turner. And finally...Katherine Johnson. No one is leaving.
MONTAGE - THE PUSH TO SHEPARD’S LAUNCH
Astronaut training. A full scale model of the Mercury 7 capsule is suspended in the air. Spinning in all directions. Alan Shepard’s inside. Harrison watches from the ground.
Katherine’s buried in work. Literally. She’s fighting a cold. Stafford dumps a new load of data on her desk.
He’s off. Katherine grabs a tissue, blows her nose.
THE TECH HALLWAY - ANOTHER NIGHT
Dorothy stands at the end of the hallway leading to the IBM room, clutching her purse. Through the window, she sees Harrison alone, standing in front of the IBM. Cleaning his glasses. Tortured by this hunk of metal.
Finally...he walks out. Clicks off the lights. Heads down the hallway.
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INSIDE THE WHITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Dorothy flips the lights back on. The IBM sits ominously staring back at her.
She walks to the keypunch, sits down. Opens a draw. Staring back at her: an IBM User Manual. Bingo.
Mary walks towards the Hampton County Courthouse. Clutching a case file like a security blanket. She turns down a sidewalk labeled “Colored Entrance.”
Mary’s at a window, standing in front of a COURT CLERK.
Mary nods. Too happy to be offended.
Dorothy’s standing at the blackboard in front of her Computing Group. Teaching Fortran, computer basics from her library book.
Bernie cuts in.
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“Nos” all around. The Girls re-focus.
Dorothy opens the Power Control on the IBM. She inspects the machine’s innards. Cross-referencing with schematics from the IBM Manual. Labeling parts out loud:
Mary finds Zielinski on a ladder, inspecting the Mercury 7 Capsule.
He looks down at her. She holds up her Court Petition.
Zielinski smiles.
Katherine, sick as a dog, opens the door to find: Jim Johnson holding a paper bag.
He holds up the bag.
This is a good man. Katherine can’t deny it.
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Katherine, Jim and the Girls are sitting at the table. Plates of food in front of them. The Girls are sizing up every fiber of this new man in their house.
Heads bow for grace. Jim offers Katherine his hand. She takes it.
END OF MONTAGE
Rain pelts the campus.
Harrison barrels out of his office. Juggling worksheets. Beyond stressed.
He looks over to Katherine’s desk.
Ruth shrugs. Harrison, frustrated, walks off.
Katherine’s washing her hands. She grabs a stack of worksheets and rushes out.
Pouring rain. Katherine runs across campus, back to the East Building.
Katherine’s soaked like a wet rat. She walks back to her desk. Stafford’s staring at her. Ruth’s staring at her. The whole damn place seems to be staring at her.
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Katherine turns, Harrison’s on the floor. Katherine freezes.
Katherine can barely speak. She whispers:
Katherine can’t take it anymore. Her voice rises.
You can hear a pin drop. Katherine takes her purse, personals and walks off. Leaving everyone’s jaws on the ground.
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BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound of hammering, tearing.
A SECURITY GUARD runs down the hallway and arrives upon a scene: a crowd of TECHS and ENGINEERS block the corridor.He pushes through the crowd to the front...where...Ruth holds up her hand, stops him. There in front of the group: an inflamed Al Harrison, wielding a crow bar, is bashing the “Colored Restroom” sign on the wall.
On the other side of the corridor...the entire West Computing Group, including Dorothy and Mary watch in wonder. Katherine makes her way through, landing between them.
Harrison flails away at the sign. Bang! Bang!
Harrison keeps at it. Rip. Bang. The sign’s holding on, with all it’s might. Imagine that. He takes a final successful WHACK! And the sign crashes to the floor.
Harrison looks over. He sees Katherine.
Harrison snatches up the sign.
He stumbles off. Straight through the Crowd. Shock and pride and justice for all those watching. Katherine nods approval.
Titles over: May 5, 1961
Jim and Katherine drive down a picturesque road in a convertible.
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The convertible’s parked on the side of the road. Katherine and Jim are sitting on a blanket in front of the car.A road- side picnic. Jim pours Katherine a Chianti.
Jim leans in and kisses Katherine. She doesn’t flinch. Jim leans back.
Jim leans in again. They kiss again.
DOROTHY’S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Everyone (our Gals, Levi, Howard, Jim, all the Kids) is gathered in front of the TV to watch...
Food is passed around. People sit on the carpet. It’s the biggest show on Earth.
Shepard’s sitting in the tight ‘can’ he’s named: “Freedom 7.” America’s first space capsule. Even through the glass of his helmet, you can feel the sweat, the tension.
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NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
NASA command is wall to wall with ENGINEERS, TECHS, SUPPORT.
The room laughs at Shepard’s anxiety, a little release of the taut energy of the moment.
Fellow Mercury 7 Astronaut, Gordon Cooper, is Shepard’s Capcom (Capsule Communicator.)
Gordon looks over at Harrison.
DOROTHY’S LIVING ROOM
Dorothy, Katherine and Mary are locked on the screen.Even the Children are quiet. Rapt.
NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
Gordon counts down.
THE FREEDOM 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
Shepard braces himself.
DOROTHY’S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
They countdown along with the Reporter:
DOROTHY’S HOUSE FULL 2, 1, 0.
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NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
Pins and needles. Gordon:
CAPE CANAVERAL - FLORIDA - CONTINUOUS
In the background...the rocket roars up off the launchpad, fire spewing from its base.
THE FREEDOM 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
Alan Shepard is shaking with the blast. Crushed into his seat by the extreme G.
NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
The Command Team watches the rocket shoot up into the sky.
DOROTHY’S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Katherine pushes the rocket with her words:
THE FREEDOM 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
Alan Shepard breaks through the atmosphere.
NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
The Command Team finally breathes. Shepard’s voice:
The celebration begins.
DOROTHY’S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Cheering and celebrating. The Kids run around. Mary kisses Levi. Howard puts his arm around Dorothy. Jim smiles at Katherine. Congratulations all around.
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President JFK’s, Rice University, “Space Race” speech, plays under:
A parade in progress. The Mercury 7 are sitting in the back of two convertibles. Alan Shepard waves to the crowd, now a national hero. WOMEN throw roses. MEN stand and salute. A Marching Band plays,Stars and Stripes Forever.
The White House lawn. President JFK presents Alan Shepard with the NASA Distinguished Service Award. The Mercury 7 are on stage for the ceremony.
Alan Shepard shakes hands with JFK.
The entire Space Task Group is gathered in front of Harrison and Paul Stafford. JFK’s speech plays under:
Stafford hoists the morning paper. JFK on the front page.
Laughs.
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Applause. The Group disperses. Harrison takes the paper from Stafford. Walks off.
Dorothy’s in a familiar position: deep within the IBM.She’s running a diagnostic.
She moves to the control panel. JFK plays under:
She types a command. Hits enter. Throws the switch. The IBM whirs to life. Lights. Noise. Drives spinning.
She runs to the card feeder. Stuffs a stack of programming cards in. The machine sucks them right up.
A VOICE catches Dorothy off guard:
Now standing in the doorway: Bill Calhoun and a FEW MAINFRAME TECHS have returned from lunch.
Bill steps up to her. Dorothy presents her NASA ID. A Tech rushes to the IBM.
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The Tech calls out:
The Tech holds up a worksheet pouring out of the IBM.
Bill moves to the machine, sees for himself. Turns back to Dorothy. Who just smiles.
Levi’s standing in front of the TV watching the news.As the Kids clean the dishes off the table.
Walter Cronkite reports on the KKK fire bombing of the Freedom Riders’ bus (May 14, 1961.) Images of the charred bus. Battered RIDERS. The extreme violence.
Mary comes home from work. No one greets her. Odd. She walks behind Levi. Sees:
She moves to turn the TV off.
Levi stops her.
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Mary pauses. The kids join her side. Watching in horror.
Finally, Levi walks away. Grabs his coat.
FOLKS litter the front of the Courthouse steps.
A packed courtroom. NERVOUS DEFENDANTS, LAWYERS. Way in the back corner, past the sea of White Folks: Mary sits in “Colored Seating,” tapping her foot. Finally, A COURT CLERK calls her name:
Mary hops up. Approaches the rail. A WHITE-HAIRED SOUTHERN JUDGE looks up from the case notes. Stops in his tracks when he sees Mary is...black.
The Judge flips through the case notes.
He reaches for his rejection stamp. Mary blurts out:
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The Judge considers, waves the BAILIFF to let her through.
Mary walks through the rail gate, stands in front of him.
Mary leans in.
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 75 .
CONTINUED: (2)
The smallest opening in the Judge’s countenance.
Mary looks around the courtroom.
Mary stops talking. The Judge is jarred. He looks around. Considering his legacy. Considering her passion. Then quietly:
Mary closes her eyes.
Mary steps of the courthouse. Containing herself...until she can’t hold it in any longer. She screams. She screams with everything she’s got. Happy and free and full.
Katherine’s at her desk, typing a report.
INSERT TYPING: “Gus Grissom, Launch and Landing Projections, by: Paul Stafford.”
She hesitates. Then adds: “and Katherine Goble.” She pulls the cover page out of the typewriter and sets it on top of the full report.
Harrison, Stafford, Sam and a few ENGINEERS come out of Harrison’s bubble. Passing Ruth:
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Ruth takes a note. Katherine hops up.
Katherine catches up to Harrison and Stafford.
She hands Stafford the report.
Stafford slows down. What!?
Katherine won’t be deterred. She digs in.
Harrison slows down, turns back.
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Stafford is not impressed.
Harrison studies her. She doesn’t flinch. He takes the report from Stafford. Checks Katherine’s math.
Harrison nods his decision.
Harrison hands the report back to Stafford. Walks off. Stafford looks at the report, the cover page. Miffed.
Stafford rips the cover page off and hands it to Katherine. Catches up to Harrison.
Titles over: July 21, 1961 - Gus Grissom splashdown
Ocean waves crest over the Liberty Bell 7 capsule, bobbing up and down in the middle of the sea. A NEWSCASTER narrates:
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A Navy recovery chopper hovers into frame.
DOROTHY’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Dorothy, Katherine and Mary are breathless in front of the TV, watching the report.
Levi, Howard, Jim Johnson and all the Kids gather around. Time stops.
Harrison, Stafford and the whole Space Task Group are watching radar. Listening to a live report. No one talks, no one moves.
Finally...Gus Grissom comes up from the depths, rising high on a wave.
DOROTHY’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
A collective breath. The ladies talk to the TV.
Grissom fights to stay afloat. His silver suit camouflaging him in the waves.
NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
The live feed: the helicopter has attached its winch to Liberty Bell 7 and is pulling it out of the water.
Stafford talks to the monitors.
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Harrison is on the phone. Incensed.
DOROTHY’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The live TV broadcast: Splash! The helicopter drops the capsule. Too heavy, too much water. Gasps.
Grissom bobs up and down, reaching for help.
Another chopper drops a cable. Grissom comes up for air. Grasps onto the line.
A collective sigh of relief.
NASA TRACKING CONTROL - HAMPTON, VA - CONTINUOUS
The live feed: Grissom is hoisted up into the chopper.Safe. The tip of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule sinks below the black. Harrison sits. Devastated.
Senate Hearing in progress. Harrison sits in front of a panel of SENATORS. SENATOR PATRICK grills Al Harrison.
Harrison adjusts himself. Takes a moment. Then:
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The Senators are silent. Harrison swings for the fences:
He stops talking, the Senate Panel weighing his words.
The NASA Campus is still.
Paul Stafford’s sitting on his desk. The Space Task Group stands all around him. He’s holding a miniature of the Mercury Capsule.
He waves the Capsule up, then back down.
Stafford demonstrates with the Capsule. Stopping it in mid air.
He arcs the model in an ellipse, around and around.
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Katherine raises her hand. A question. Stafford acquiesces.
She raises her hand again. Demonstrates with her pencil.
He pulls the model closer. Tightens the orbit.
Sam interjects:
Stafford completes.
Katherine raises her hand...doesn’t wait.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Stafford motions to Sam, who hands out data briefs.
Engineers scan the data.
Harrison and Jim Webb step out of Harrison’s office
Stafford heads off in Harrison and Jim Webb’s direction. Katherine catches up to him.
Stafford slows.
Stafford walks off. Katherine’s frustrated.
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Katherine’s at the chalk board. Working the math. Determined. Exhausted.
Harrison, Stafford, Sam and Team are walking to the Pentagon briefing. Katherine catches up to them, report in hand:
Katherine’s irked, all her hard work...pointless.
Stafford hands her report back to her.
He walks off. Katherine keeps her head high. Harrison clocks it all.
Katherine’s high on the ladder at the chalkboard. One leg dangling as she computes. Chalk dust flies.
Harrison’s in his office on the phone, looking out at her.
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Katherine’s at her desk typing a report.
INSERT - The cover page. Typing: ”Friendship 7 (John Glenn,) Launch Projections,” By Paul Stafford. Again, she adds: “and Katherine Goble.”
She pulls the sheet out and slaps it on top of the rest of her report.
A familiar site: Harrison, Stafford, Sam and Team are walking to the daily briefing. Katherine intercepts:
She hands her report to Stafford. Stafford sees her name on the cover.
He shoves the report back at her. She won’t take it.
He pulls the cover page off. Katherine reaches for the report now. A tug-of-war.
Harrison turns back. He’s watched this long enough.
Katherine let’s go of the report. Addresses the bigger issue:
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Harrison weighs it out. He turns to Stafford.
Harrison nods.
Harrison nods again. Takes off his glasses. Stafford shifts.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Katherine looks at Stafford.
Harrison looks at Katherine. She’s got serious guts.
Stafford, frustrated, pushes past them and into the room.
A tornado of high level testosterone: Jim Webb, MILITARY BRASS, John Glenn and the Mercury 7. Harrison, Stafford and Sam enter...Katherine in tow. A record scratch. Until:
No one questions Harrison. She takes a seat at the end of the table. A little mouse in this room. Harrison dives right in, dropping reports on the table. They’re passed out.
All eyes shift to the Navy Officer.
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Harrison steps in.
Harrison looks at Stafford. Who starts frantically flipping through the report. Katherine saves him:
All eyes shift to Katherine. Harrison looks at Katherine.
Silence. This woman spoke. This black woman. Then:
Laughs. John Glenn’s lightened the mood. Webb stares curiously at Katherine.
Harrison considers his words. Then he looks over at Katherine.
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CONTINUED: (2)
Katherine is frozen. He’s serious. Harrison holds out a piece of chalk:
Katherine takes the chalk. Rises. Slowly walks to the board. All eyes on her. She stands with her back to the room. A mess they can’t see. She takes a deep breath. And puts her chalk to the board.
And...the numbers churn out. She narrates:
She references a coordinate map.
She writes coordinates for The Bahamas.
Chalk dust flying.
Chalk scrawling.
Scratch, scratch.
Scribble, scribble. The board is flush with numbers. She circles the final coordinates. And then the spot on the map estimating the landing zone.
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CONTINUED: (3)
Silence as the room studies the board. Her speed, precision and talent is remarkable. Harrison has witnessed her genius, he knows she’s the one.
John Glenn breaks the silence. Smiles at Katherine.
And that’s it. Katherine is approved.
Webb’s not satisfied.
Katherine doesn’t have the answer. Harrison steps in.
Harrison walks out. Katherine tags after him.
Harrison stands in front of the massive mainframe. Bill Calhoun and IBM Techs at his side. The IBM hums in the background.
Harrison walks out.
Dorothy’s reading the assignment sheet.
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Vivian shifts. Dorothy knows.
Dorothy thinks it over. She hands the assignment back, draws a line:
Vivian tightens up.
Dorothy won’t budge. Vivian won’t budge.
Dorothy enters the room, holding a NASA Memo.
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The Computers chatter.
The Computers hop up. Excited.
THE WEST HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Dorothy leads her Group down the hallway.
NASA GROUNDS - CONTINUOUS
The Women walk in the sunshine en route to East Campus.
THE IBM COMPUTER ROOM HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
They arrive in the Tech Hallway. And finally...at the door to the IBM Room.
Dorothy straightens herself...and opens the door. And the all-black West Computing Group steps into the all-white IBM room.
Harrison’s standing at the window watching Katherine toil away at the chalkboards. She’s frustrated. She erases a few lines of calculations and starts all over.
Stafford drops a report on Harrison’s desk.
Stafford walks off. Stops when:
Stafford understands.
Stafford walks out.
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 92 .
Once again...Katherine is among the last “men” working. She’s standing in front of the chalkboard, staring at the numbers. Stuck, for the first time in her life.
Stafford stops at his desk. Looks over at Katherine. Stares at her work on the board.
He walks past her, without a word.
Dusk light bathes Mary’s house.
Mary’s sitting on the bed, putting on her stockings.Levi enters, holding a small box.
Levi just stands there.
He hands her the box.
Mary opens the box. A set of mechanical pencils.
Levi sits next to her. Demonstrates how they work.
Mary watches him, not the pencil. He takes her hand.
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 93 .
Levi kisses her. Mary touches his face.
They kiss again.
A city bus pulls away, leaving Mary standing in front of Hampton High School. She stares at the building, takes a deep breath and walks toward the entrance.
Mary walks down the darkened hallway of this typical High School. A lone light shines from the one open door at the end of the hall.
Mary steps into the classroom. TWO DOZEN WHITE MALE STUDENTS look up at once. The PROFESSOR turns from the board.
Mary approaches, hands him a copy of her petition.
The Professor scans the petition. It’s official. He’s genuinely confused.
She’s unstoppable:
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 94 .
He nods. Mary turns to the class. A few seats left. Few on the back row. Few in the middle. One on the front row.
Mary steps forward, all eyes on her. She considers her choices. Then...she plops down. First row. Dead center. She pulls out her notebook. Let’s go.
Al Harrison sits at his desk, tortured. Studying. He turns to his board, the math. The camera pushes past him to the numbers.
Katherine’s back at the board in front of a chalked drawing of the capsule’s orbits. Stafford’s sitting on the desk behind her. Sam and other Team Members wrap around.
Katherine puts her chalk down. Harrison comes up behind them. Studies the board.
Katherine lights up. An idea:
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 95 .
Harrison walks away. Katherine stands back and looks at the board. The digits come alive. They bounce off the drawings. All she sees are the numbers now.
She walks off.
Katherine steps into the West Computing Room. She moves to a bookshelf and starts digging through math textbooks.She finds a book on Euler’s Method.
The book hits her desk. Pages flip. Euler’s Method. Katherine studies the pages. She rushes to the chalk boards. Erases everything. Starts over.
Once again, Katherine’s at the chalkboard. The entire surface is full of calculations. Katherine, one hand holding the textbook, the other her chalk, finishes the last bit of math on the far right bottom of the board. Almost on her knees.
She circles the Go/No Go. She transfers the number to a diagram of the re-entry point. She did it.
Katherine puts the chalk down. Turns around. The entire Space Task Group is behind her. Staring up at the board.
Paul Stafford walks up to Katherine at the board. Inspects the work. Then:
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 96 .
Katherine smiles. Heads off to her desk.
Katherine finishes typing her report.
INSERT: Friendship 7: Launch, Landing and Go/No Go Analysis. By: Paul Stafford.
She pulls the cover page out, sets it on top of the rest of her report. And walks the document over to Stafford’s desk. He nods a thank you.
Stafford walks up to Harrison’s office. Hands him the report and the two men talk. As Katherine puts on her coat, turns off her lamp. And walks out.
Dorothy’s washing her hands, rinsing her face. It’s been a long day.
A toilet flushes behind her...and out walks Vivian. A first for both of them. Sharing a bathroom. Vivian steps up to the sink beside her.
Cold silence. Then...
Vivian needs a paper towel, none left on her side. Dorothy hands her one. More silence. Then...
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 97 .
Dorothy finishes up.
Dorothy heads out.
She stops, turns.
Dorothy takes this in. Then:
Dorothy smiles at her. And then she walks out. Leaving Vivian to absorb the truth of Dorothy’s words.
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 98 .
Katherine slugs up the walkway to her house. She waves goodbye to Dorothy and Mary pulling away.
Katherine steps in to find, Joylette (Mom,) Joylette (10,) Kathy and Constance sitting at the dinner table wearing their best dresses. The table is set, the room bathed in candlelight.
Jim Johnson steps in from the kitchen, wearing an apron, holding a frying pan.
The girls help Katherine take off her coat, lead her to the table.
The girls giggle. Katherine sits. Constance pushes her seat in. Kathy puts a napkin in her lap. Katherine looks to her Mom.
Jim sits next to Katherine. It’s quiet. Katherine looks them all over. Then:
HiddenFigures-5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 99 .
The Girls eye motion to something sitting on the table right in front of Katherine. She finally looks down...and sees a small box damn near under her nose. She knows what it is.
Everyone nods. Jim takes the box. Then...gets down on one knee. Instant tears come to Katherine’s eyes.
The girls comfort her.
More tears.
She looks at Jim.
Jim opens the box: a classic, handmade diamond ring.
Joylette (10) cuts him off.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 100 .
CONTINUED: (2)
Jim looks at Joylette (10). Are you going to let me do this?
Jim takes the ring. Takes Katherine’s hand.
Katherine cries more. Kathy butts in:
Everyone’s enrapt in the story. Constance:
Jim puts the ring on Katherine’s finger.
Joylette (Mom) clears her throat.
Katherine takes Jim’s hands.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 101 .
CONTINUED: (3)
Katherine kisses Jim. She folds into his arms. The girls wrap their arms around the two of them. A family is born.
A group of Engineers and NASA Techs surround the Mercury Capsule. As we push through the crowd, we find AEROSPACE ARTIST, CECELIA BIBBY, painting “Friendship 7” on the side of the capsule.
John Glenn’s sitting in the capsule’s hatch, dressed in full gear. As a camera flash bulb pops, capturing the moment.
Raining. A gray day in every way.
Harrison is surrounded by piles of work. Katherine steps in.
This is serious. She obliges.
Oh, boy.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 102 .
Katherine can barely move.
Harrison is struggling. Hard to look her in the eyes.
All the effort. All the work. Gone in a split. Katherine stands.
Katherine walks out. She doesn’t say good-bye.
KATHERINE’S DESK - LATER
Katherine’s gathering her things. Putting her belongings in a file box. Ruth walks over, with a small present.
She holds out the box.
Katherine takes the box.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 103 .
Ruth waits. Until Katherine does the polite thing: she opens the present. Looks inside: it’s a necklace of pearls.Real ones. A consolation prize.
Katherine’s holding back a flood of tears. Ruth rambles:
As Ruth carries on, Katherine takes it all in: the Space Task Group bustles around her. Never stopping. Never slowing down. Stafford is at the board, conferring with Other Engineers.
Katherine looks up at Harrison’s bubble. He’s on the phone. He makes eye contact with her. Nods a thank you.
Katherine’s standing in front of a mirror, adjusting the pearl necklace. She studies it in the reflection. We pull out to reveal...she’s dressed in white. Immaculate. Her wedding day. Dorothy and Mary join her in the reflection.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 104 .
Katherine laughs.
They wrap their arms around her. Family forever.
Titles over: February 20, 1962
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE are camped outside the chain-link fence. Signs, banners. American history in the making. John Glenn’s spacecraft, the Friendship 7, sits atop the Atlas booster. A NEWS REPORTER talks to camera.
NEWSCASTER #3 ...John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. There are thousands of people here today...
People scream. Wave at the camera.
We pull out of the newscast on a TV to find: Dorothy, Katherine, Mary and the West Computing Gals huddled watching.
Langley Command Central. ENGINEERS man every station. Stafford is chewing a pencil. Zielinski’s pacing.
Sam brings Harrison the latest launch calculations. He scans them. Something’s off.
John Glenn pours himself a coffee. Surrounded by NASA PERSONNEL. Scott Carpenter enters, with a data sheet.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 105 .
He hands John Glenn the data. He scans it.
John Glenn walks over to the phone. Picks up.
INTERCUT WITH:
NASA - TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Harrison’s on the phone with John Glenn.
JOHN GLENN ON THE PHONE AT THE CAPE - CONTINUOUS
John Glenn laughs. Always a cool customer.
Harrison hangs up, calls out to Sam:
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 106 .
The Assistant Engineer rushes off.
Sam runs off toward the West Campus, lugging worksheets.
Sam barrels into the room. All heads turn his way.
Katherine holds up her hand. Like a student.
He holds out the data.
The stack of worksheets slam on a steel table. Followed by pads of paper, an old calculator, slide ruler, several pencils and erasers.
Katherine sits. Starts organizing her work, her area, her thoughts.
The entire West Group hovers around her.
The Computers back off. Katherine takes a deep breath and digs in.
John Glenn, fully dressed in his space suit, steps out of the hangar, carrying his own portable air conditioner. Scott Carpenter’s at his side:
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 107 .
They step into a waiting transport van.
Dorothy, Mary and the Computers are back in front of the TV. Dorothy has one eye on Katherine.
Katherine scribbles furiously. She writes Azimuth Angle and a degree with multiple decimals. Then: ‘RE-ENTRY Go/No Go’ and numbers through the sixth decimal place.
The Ladies abandon the TV. Move to Katherine, in awe of her pencil scrawling the most complex calculations.
She writes the final number, a hard point on the decimal. Drops her pencil. Takes a breathe.
Katherine jumps up, gathers her work, runs like the wind.
WEST HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Katherine and Sam fly down the hall.
PAD 14 - CONTINUOUS
John Glenn and the NASA Entourage step onto an elevator. John Glenn asks Scott Carpenter for the time. He shows him his watch.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 108 .
Katherine and Sam run. Katherine turns sharply, she knows the inside track. Sam catches up.
NASA TRACKING ROOM HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Katherine and Sam race toward the Tracking Control Room. NASA EMPLOYEES jump out of the way. Sam wraps on the door. Bang! Bang! Bang!
OUTSIDE THE TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Another Assistant Engineer opens the door. Katherine hands him the work:
Sam steps inside. And before Katherine can get a word in, the door closes in her face. She’s locked out.
She stands there, decompressing. All that work. All that energy. Never an ounce of satisfaction.
Eventually...she walks away. Down the hallway.
Crash! The door springs open. Harrison steps out into the hallway:
She turns at the familiar voice. He holds up a lanyard: a special clearance badge.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Harrison escorts Katherine into the room: the Engineers at control stations, the massive screens, the live feeds, tracking stations, tech details, etc. The energy. Katherine’s in awe. This is the culmination of her work.
Harrison hits a button on the intercom.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 109 .
INTERCUT WITH:
PAD 14 - CONTINUOUS
Scott Carpenter’s on the Pad phone.
John Glenn stalks over.
Harrison pipes up:
John Glenn answers himself.
The whole Team lights up at the sound of John Glenn’s voice.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 110 .
Dorothy, Mary and the West Group are glued to the TV.
THE FRIENDSHIP 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
John Glenn is laser focused. Still. Calm.
SHOTS OF THE ENTIRE NATION COUNTING DOWN - CONTINUOUS
-- The throngs of people at Cocoa Beach.
-- People in front of a TV Store in Times Square.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Harrison turns away from the screens. Doesn’t care to watch. Katherine’s riveted.
CAPE CANAVERAL - CONTINUOUS
The rocket blasts off the pad. Heads toward the heavens. People stare in awe.
THE WEST COMPUTERS - CONTINUOUS
No one moves:
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 111 .
HARRISON, KATHERINE AND THE TRACKING TEAM - CONTINUOUS
Harrison rubs his eyes.
The rocket becomes an indiscernible blaze high in the air on the screen.
And then...it’s gone.
CAPE CANAVERAL - CONTINUOUS
The crowd is silent.
HARRISON, KATHERINE AND THE TRACKING TEAM
Harrison cracks his neck. The silence is torture. Then:
And, John Glenn’s in space. A collective sigh of relief.
The journey has just begun. Harrison finally turns to the screens.
He sits down. A rare event.
Assistants scramble.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 112 .
The Computers are packing up for the day. Heading home. Dorothy’s the last. She shuts off the TV.
Vivian Mitchell enters. Envelope in hand, she holds it out.
Dorothy takes the envelope. Doesn’t want to open it.
Dorothy opens the envelope. Reads. Poker-faced. She looks up to Vivian.
They stare at each other for the longest time. An understanding between them. Some growth. But mostly...respect.
Mrs. Vaughan? Yes. She called her Mrs. Vaughan. Vivian walks out.
Dorothy opens the letter and re-reads:
INSERT - Dorothy Vaughan, Transfer Assignment to: IBM Computing Lab. Position:Supervisor.
She walks to the door. Turns back. Takes one last look at her old digs: the adding machines, the mismatched desks...and finally the “Colored Computers” sign. And...she shuts off the lights.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 113 .
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Harrison’s drinking coffee. Katherine’s sitting in a chair. Stafford is talking to TECHS. Zielinski’s eating a sandwich. Suddenly, a warning light blinks red.
THE FRIENDSHIP 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
John Glenn inspects his console.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Zielinski turns to Harrison.
THE FRIENDSHIP 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
John Glenn checks:
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Stafford is a mess:
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 114 .
Harrison considers. Then:
Mary’s outside her kids’ school, scanning the dozens of children for her little ones.
Levi, Jr. and Carolyn Marie break through the crowd.Hug their Momma.
Mary stops in her tracks. Across the street: a CROWD is gathering in front of an appliance store window full of TVs. Anxiety. Worry on faces. A MAN yells:
Mary pulls her kids that way.
APPLIANCE STORE WINDOW - CONTINUOUS
The TV Newscaster:
Mary and her kids, step up to the window. This is bad.
Dorothy’s driving home. Listening to the radio newscast of the mission. She turns the volume up.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 115 .
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Panic. Stafford’s on the phone. Harrison’s talking at him.
He waits.
Katherine gives Stafford a supportive nod.
APPLIANCE STORE WINDOW - CONTINUOUS
Mary talks to the TV.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The air doesn't move. Zielinski’s also on the phone. He hollers out:
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 116 .
Driving. Listening to the radio.
Dorothy sees cars in the middle of the road, pulled over on the shoulder, traffic stopped. Time stopped. PEOPLE are looking up to the sky. Some are on their knees: praying. Some crying.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
All eyes on the screens:
THE FRIENDSHIP 7 CAPSULE - CONTINUOUS
John Glenn is oddly calm.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Harrison rubs his whole head. Stafford is damn near shaking.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 117 .
John Glenn cuts off abruptly. The room is flattened.
Nothing. Stafford bends over, head in his hands.
Harrison walks over to the microphone. Leans down to it. Listens.
Nothing.
CAPE CANAVERAL - CONTINUOUS
Hundreds of people are silent outside the gates.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Zielinski is motionless.
Dorothy’s out of her car. Amongst the crowd. White, black, united. She gets down on her knees. The Radio broadcast echoes from the dozens of cars.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 118 .
APPLIANCE STORE WINDOW - CONTINUOUS
The window reflects Mary and her kids...and the other frozen faces.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Nothing moves. No one breathes. The air is still.
Still nothing. Harrison turns away from the screen.
And then miraculously:
Cheers of relief.
Stafford sinks into his chair, overwhelmed.
Harrison looks over at Katherine, she’s on her tip toes. Leaning, as if wishing the capsule on trajectory.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 119 .
And then, on the screen,Friendship 7 comes into view. The parachute deploying.
An Engineer hands the Mission Commander a calculation.He cross checks the coordinates. Then:
Katherine breaths. Her numbers stood the test.
Katherine smiles over at a relieved Harrison.
CAPE CANAVERAL - CONTINUOUS
The Crowd erupts. Men shake the fence.
Women are crying. Men hold kids. Dorothy smiles up at the sky.
APPLIANCE STORE WINDOW - CONTINUOUS
Mary screams out in joy.
The Crowd echoes the sentiment.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 120 .
Mary’s in cap and gown, post graduation. She runs into the waiting arms of: Katherine and Dorothy. Happiest day of her life. The women celebrate, laugh. Karl Zielinski tips his hat to Mary. Smiles at her.
Mary takes off her cap and throws it high into the sky.
Titles over: “Mary Jackson went on to obtain her Master’s degree in engineering from the University of Virginia. She became the first female engineer...of any color at NASA.”
Dorothy’s driving home.
Titles over: “Dorothy Vaughan became the Head of Langley’s centralized Electronic Computing Group, as NASA’s first black Supervisor. In 1964 she joined the Scout Team, working to send unmanned explorers to Mars.”
Dorothy’s standing in front of the mainframe, her sleeves rolled up. Vivian Mitchell walks in with a GROUP OF TRANSFER EMPLOYEES. Black and white. All women.
Dorothy looks over her new employees.
TRACKING CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
A celebration. Engineers hug each other. Cigars are lit. Somewhere champagne pops. Harrison walks over to Katherine.
He offers her his hand. They shake.
HiddenFigures- 5/9/2016-ShootingDraft- 121 .
He smiles, for the first time. Ever. Underneath it all...Harrison’s a kid:
Katherine nods, with all the certainty in the world:
Titles over: “In 1962 Katherine Johnson became a permanent member of the Space Task Group. She went on to perform the calculations for Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins’s,Apollo 11 flight to the moon. A year later, her backup calculations proved critical to the successful effort to rescue the astronauts in the damagedApollo 13 spacecraft. In 2015, Katherine was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Space Task Group is all but empty. Katherine finishes typing a report: “Notes on Space Technology” by, Paul Stafford...and...Katherine Johnson. She pulls the cover page out of the typewriter, sets it on top of the rest of the manuscript.
Stafford walks over, puts a cup of coffee on Katherine’s desk. Picks up the report. He walks off.
Katherine sips her coffee. Another day at work.
The end. *