Fan Script by Nitzan Gilkis
"The Sound of Muzak"
Back to the Bundyology Homepage
Back to «Quotes»
First published December 23, 2000.
"MARRIED WITH CHILDREN"
"The Sound of Muzak"
Written by Nitzan Gilkis
| Regular cast: | |
| Ed O'Neill | Al Bundy |
| Katey Sagal | Peg Bundy |
| Amanda Bearse | Marcy D'Arcy |
| Christina Applegate | Kelly Bundy |
| David Faustino | Bud Bundy |
| Ted McGinley | Jefferson D'Arcy |
| | |
| Guest cast: |
| Shawn Michael Howard | Barney |
| Dave Ruby | Hummer |
| S.Kyle Parker | Achmed |
PROLOGUE
Bud is sitting on the couch watching TV. Al comes in, slams the door shut and
hangs his jacket.
AL: I hate my life and want to die.
BUD: Dad, Kurt Cobain already said that.
AL: No son, he said: "I hate myself and want to die", and I am the one
person in this house that I don't hate.
He sits on the couch next to Bud.
AL: By the way, you know what's red and has more brain than Kurt
Cobain?
BUD: What?
AL: The wall behind him!
He points an imaginary gun to his mouth and shoots. They laugh. Kelly
comes down the stairs.
BUD: [quietly to Al] Speaking of people with less brain than a wall...
KELLY: I heard that, do-it-yourself boy.
She also sits on the couch.
BUD: Face it Kel, you're the dumbest girl on Earth. Heck, you're probably the
dumbest girl in the galaxy.
KELLY: Am not!
BUD: Are too!
KELLY: Am not!
BUD: Are too!
AL: Will the two of you shut the hell up before I decide to follow in the
footsteps of Kurt Cobain?!
They fall silent, sulking.
KELLY: [whispering] Am not.
BUD: [annoyed] All right. Fine. Then tell me this: what's heavier, a pound
of wool or a pound of steel?
KELLY: Steel, duh. [rolls her eyes] Gosh, how stupid do you think I am?
BUD: [to Al:] See?
KELLY: [upon hearing this] Oh, oh, it's wool, it's wool. I knew it was a trick
question! [smiles] You can't fool me...
BUD: I have a sister who has the brains of an ant!
KELLY: Yeah? Well, I have a brother who has the
Bud puts his hand over her mouth to silence her. She pulls it away.
KELLY: - of an ant.
BUD: Kelly, ants don't have reproductive organs.
KELLY: My point exactly.
OPENING CREDITS
ACT ONE
SCENE ONE
The Bundys' garage.
Bud is standing behind a pulpit wearing a "PLEASE MA'AM" shirt. His friends
Hummer, Barney and Achmed are seated opposite him, also wearing "PLEASE MA'AM"
shirts.
BUD: I now call this meeting of "PLEASE MA'AM" "Pan-American League of
Enviably Attractive Stunners Exigent for Muliebral Affection And
Mitigation" to order. Now, let's summarize our efforts so far to get
ourselves some nookie.
BARNEY: Well, we tried to get ourselves into Playgirl and got arrested for indecent
exposure after Hummer here couldn't take "no" for an answer.
HUMMER: I just wanted to show them what a great opportunity they were missing!
BARNEY: Yeah, well maybe with those tits you should've tried out for Playboy!
HUMMER: [getting up threateningly] What's that supposed to mean?
BARNEY: [also getting up] You know exactly what I mean, fatso!
BUD: Guys! We've talked about this before. "PLEASE MA'AM" members do not make
fun of each other. It's enough everybody else does.
They sit back down, glaring at each other.
BUD: Good. Let's continue.
ACHMED We tried starting our own escort service, but still no nookie.
HUMMER: At least we made a lot of money; those women were sure willing to pay
a lot for us to leave!
BUD: Well, I say it's their loss.
They others nod in agreement, looking at themselves boastfully.
BARNEY: Anyway, we had to stop after Hummer got arrested for indecent exposure
again, after he once more had trouble understanding the word "no".
HUMMER: She said "no", but I could tell that she really wanted me!
BUD: Hummer, the only female in the world who'd ever want you is the witch
from "Hansel and Gretel"! Now guys, we have to think of a new idea. A
fail-proof plan. Something that is sure to drive the girls crazy for us.
But what?
They fall into deep thought. Marcy and Peg burst in, deep in a brawl, unaware of
the "PLEASE MA'AM" gang.
MARCY: *Nsync!
PEG: Backstreet Boys!
They notice Bud and his friends and freeze, Peg with her hands around Marcy's
throat and Marcy grasping Peg's hair. They let go of each other and straighten
up, looking sheepish.
MARCY: Er
we were just having a civilized debate over boy bands.
PEG: Yeah. Maybe you guys can settle this argument for us: which boy band
is better: Backstreet Boys or
[with a great deal of contempt:]
*Nsync?
HUMMER: Who cares? They're all just a bunch of gays.
MARCY: [furiously] How dare you!
Marcy and Peg lunge forward and nail Hummer to the floor. They start beating him
up vigorously. The other three continue their discussion, indifferent to what is
happening behind them.
ACHMED [thoughtfully] And yet they get all the hot girls.
BUD: That's it! I now know what we must do.
BARNEY: Come out of the closet?
BUD: Hell no! Form our own boy band. Don't you see? All we need is a schmaltzy
ballad with kitschy lyrics, and the chicks will be all over us.
In the background, Marcy is beating Hummer (who is not visible to the camera)
repeatedly with a chair. Bud, Barney and Achmed ignore his cries for help.
BARNEY: So, what shall we name ourselves?
ACHMED How about: "The New Studs on the Block"?
BUD: Not bad, not bad
hey, how's this: "Hunkzone".
BARNEY: Ooh, ooh, I've got one, I've got one: "the Spice Boys".
Achmed and Bud look at him oddly for a moment.
BUD: We'll choose later. C'mon, let's go work on our cheesy ballad.
They walk offscreen. Hummer is left alone lying on the floor with his arms and
legs twisted in inhuman angles.
HUMMER: Uh, guys, I can't move. I think my back is broken.
Marcy returns, holding a lighted cigarette, smiling wildly.
MARCY: You know Hummer, it's amazing what you can do with just one cigarette.
She begins advancing towards him, laughing madly.
HUMMER: Guys? [panicked] Guys?! Guys!!!!!
SCENE TWO
Kelly is standing by the counter holding the phone receiver. Peg comes in with
a shopping bag. She is wearing a Backstreet Boys t-shirt and Backstreet Boys
tights.
PEG: Hi honey. Where's your brother?
KELLY: Oh, he's in there [gestures towards the garage] with the rest of the
"Pathetic Lowlife Extremely Aesthetically-challenged and Sexless Excuses
for Men, Attractive As Muck", rehearsing.
PEG: Oh. I got him those wigs he wanted.
She walks over to Kelly.
PEG: Whatcha doing?
KELLY: I'm trying to get into "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".
PEG: [hardly able to keep herself from laughing] You want to be on "Who Wants
To Be A Millionaire"??
KELLY: Yeah. I'm going to show Bud who's the dullard around here.
A woman answers on the other side of the line.
WOMAN [V.O.] Hello and welcome to the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" telephone
qualifying round. Your name please.
KELLY: Kelly Bundy.
WOMAN Sex?
KELLY: Uh
no thanks. No offense, but I prefer men...
WOMAN [annoyed] Male or female?
KELLY: I just told you: male. [to Peg:] Gosh, what a moron.
WOMAN Never mind! I will now ask you three multi-part general knowledge questions
to determine whether you qualify to be on the show.
PEG: [heading towards the garage] Well, good luck, honey. [quietly to herself:]
You'll sure need it.
She opens the garage door and goes inside.
WOMAN Place the following states in order going from East to West: 1.Ohio
2.Illinois 3.New York 4.Oregon.
KELLY: [blankly] New York is a state??
WOMAN [evidently happy] Time's up! You'll have to try again. Although if I were
you, I'd save the money. [hangs up]
KELLY: [annoyed] Lesbian bitch!
She hangs the phone up. Bud comes in from the garage, wearing a blond wig, a
bright pink t-shirt and light-green pants.
BUD: Kelly, could you lend us your ignorant female's ears for a minute? As a
representative of our target audience, we'd like to know what you think
of our song.
KELLY: Okay, but I don't think you'll want to hear what my ignorant female's
eyes have to say.
She follows him into the garage, where Achmed, Barney and Hummer are standing,
all wearing blond wigs and unmatching, absurdly-colored shirts and pants,
holding lyric sheets.
KELLY: [to Peg] Who dressed these guys? Stevie Wonder?
Kelly and Peg laugh.
BARNEY: [to Bud] I thought you said we weren't gonna come out of the closet.
BUD: Trust me guys, chicks love these clothes. Now let's show 'em what we got.
He clears his throat and starts singing.
BUD: When I saw you taking out the trash
I just had this nasty rash
There and then I knew
You were the one for me
HUMMER: When I saw you scooping your dog's shit
My heart it missed a beat
I knew I'd love you
For eternity
BARNEY: Babe I think 'bout you all the time
You're always on my mind
And I'll run out of vaseline
If I don't make you mine
They start to dance, clumsily and with no coordination.
ALL: I love you
I need you
Girl I couldn't live without you here
When you're near
All the blood leaves my head
You're my life
Be my wife
Baby, I'd do anything for you
Yes it's true
I want you in my bed
In my bed
Kelly and Peg both have disgusted looks on their faces.
KELLY: Gee, how romantic.
PEG: Yeah, I'm sure the girls will just come running to ya.
BUD: [proudly, not noticing their sarcasm] We did the choreography
ourselves, too.
PEG: No kidding.
KELLY: So, what are you going to call yourselves? "Least 17"? Or maybe "the
Blackzit Boys"?
BUD: Haha Kel. But surely, if you ever formed a band it would be called
"the Backseat Girls".
Kelly glares at him.
BUD: Come on, guys. Let's go take the record companies by storm.
SCENE THREE
This scene is a sequence of short scenes showing Bud and his friends at the
offices of four different record company executives. Each executive, upon
hearing what they want, points at them and starts laughing hysterically. One
of them even calls his secretary and tells her what the guys want and then they
both laugh at them. Another falls off his chair because he's laughing so hard.
A third one wipes tears from his eyes. Music: "I Started A Joke" by the Bee Gees.
SCENE FOUR
Al and Bud are sitting on the couch. Kelly comes in, looking very pleased.
KELLY: Guess what? I'm going to be on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"!
Bud reluctantly takes a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and gives it to Al,
who smiles smugly and pockets it.
BUD: What?! But how? Last time I checked you still thought the capital of
California was "C"!
KELLY: It isn't? Well, anyway, I got your friend Barney to help me with the
questions. I told him I'd have sex with him if he did. And he actually
believed me, would you believe it? [laughs] And you say I'm dumb.
BUD: That traitor!
She sits on the couch.
KELLY: So Bud, how did your auditions go?
BUD: [bitterly] Great. Just great. I've never been more humiliated in my
life. [sighs] Well, at least we gave a few record company executives
some good laughs.
Kelly takes his hand.
KELLY: Aw, don't worry Bud, I'm sure you and your friends are going to get a
contract very soon.
Kelly and Al look at each other and burst out laughing.
KELLY: Not!
AL: Not!
BUD: You know, it's wonderful how whenever you think you've hit rock bottom,
your family's always there to kick you in the nay-nays.
AL: [warmly] Ah, what are families for.
BUD: [getting up] Well, I'm going to the basement to be alone with myself.
KELLY: The one person in the world you don't repel.
Bud gives her a dirty look and heads towards the basement.
KELLY: [calling after him] Hey, maybe you should've written a love song to
your hand! It would've been more sincere and from the heart.
Bud goes into the basement and slams the door.
AL: Hey son, don't forget that third step!
We hear Bud scream and tumble down the stairs. Al shrugs and turns the TV on.
TV: And in other news, a red-headed woman and an androgynous boy named
Marcy were arrested today for starting the biggest riot in Chicago
history. The riot, which involved over ten thousand females of all
ages, was over the question: which boy band is better, *Nsync or the
Backstreet Boys. Several women were killed and hundreds were injured.
The damage estimates exceed a million dollars, and someone's going to
have to pay.
Al rubs his temples.
We see Marcy and Peg on TV being handcuffed and led into a police car.
MARCY: [to the camera] Justin, I love you!
PEG: [to the camera] Marry me, Nick!
KELLY: [to the image of Peg on the TV] You wish.
AL: No, I wish!
They laugh.
Bud comes out of the basement and limps over to the kitchen.
BUD: [bitterly] It doesn't get much worse than this.
He takes an ice-pack out of the refrigerator.
AL: Oh, it does, son. Wait till you marry.
Bud sits on the two-person couch, pressing the ice-pack to his forehead.
BUD: At least then I'll be having sex.
AL: Yeah, but you'll stop wanting to.
He smiles.
BUD: [to Kelly] So Kel, how exactly are you planning to win the million
bucks? I mean, you won't have Barney or anyone to help you.
KELLY: Same way I got through high school.
BUD: You're gonna sleep with Regis Philbin??
KELLY: What the heck, if I do it for ice-cream and candy, then of course for
a million [she suddenly remembers Al is listening] I I mean, of
course not! I'm going to work hard and study, like I always do. Who
put those perverted thoughts in your head?
Bud rolls his eyes.
AL: Well, Pumpkin, if you do win then of course you know who you're
gonna have to share the money with.
KELLY: No, who?
AL: The ones who really love you. The ones who care about you the most.
He puts his arm around her shoulder.
KELLY: But if I share it with all the guys in Chicago, there won't be much
left for me...
Al pulls away from her, annoyed.
AL: Ah, who am I kidding. The chance you'll win the million dollars
heck, the chance you'll win a hundred bucks is even smaller than
the chance Bud and his band have of getting signed anywhere.
They all laugh, but then Bud and Kelly think about what Al has just said and
stop laughing.
BUD: Hey!
KELLY: Hey!
ACT TWO
SCENE ONE
Another "PLEASE MA'AM" meeting in the garage. Everyone looks dejected.
BUD: Let's face it, guys: we're not *Nsync or the Backstreet Boys. We
don't look like them, we don't sound like them. Between us, we don't
even sound like Milli Vanilli without their playback. [sighs] We're
gonna have to think of a way to get babes that doesn't require good
looks or the ability to sing.
Suddenly, very loud hard rock music starts playing, and the whole house
begins to shake. The guys fall off their chairs and bits of ceiling fall on
them.
HUMMER: [shouting to be heard over the noise] What on earth is that??
BUD: [also shouting] Kelly's new favorite band!
Al and Kelly can be heard shouting offscreen.
AL: Kelly, turn that cacophony off!
KELLY: That's not cacophony, that's my favorite band "Bleedy Enema"!
AL: I don't care, just turn it off, or I'll make sure you get one! I don't
think the house can take it much longer.
The music is turned off.
KELLY: [offscreen] Oh, come on, daddy, they're the coolest band out there!
All my friends are crazy about them.
AL: [offscreen] Pumpkin, the IQ of all your friends combined is less than
that of the average bear, so I wouldn't trust their judgement too much
if I were you. They don't even care about the music. They'd be crazy
about a bunch of unicycle-riding, trumpet-playing monkeys if that was
considered 'cool'!
Bud smiles broadly to the camera, enlightened.
The frame flips and we see the "PLEASE MA'AM" guys as a heavy metal band,
standing on an improvised stage in the garage. Hummer is behind the drums,
Achmed and Barney have guitars, and Bud is holding a microphone. They are all
wearing long-haired wigs, torn jeans and leather jackets. Bud's arms are
covered with fake tattoos.
HUMMER: 1-2-3-4!
They start to play, very loudly and with a lot of distortion, Achmed and
Barney strumming the same chord all the time.
BUD: [screaming] Satan take my soul
Lucifer I am in thy control
I got nothing to live for
I can't take it anymore
This world's an awful place to be
Angel of Death spread your wings over me
Hell's where I belong; wishing I
Would just drop and die! Die!!! Die!!!!!!!!!!!
Achmed, Barney and Hummer stop playing and rush over to calm Bud, who is in
an ecstasy of screaming. Eventually he calms down.
BARNEY: So what do you guys think?
The camera moves to their audience Al, Jefferson and Kelly who all seem to
be in a state of shock: they're standing very stiffly, their eyes and mouths
wide open and their hair upright as if they've been electrocuted.
HUMMER: Wow, they're so impressed they can't even speak.
BUD: [enthusiastically] Let's go, guys. I have a feeling that this time
we're gonna make it, big-time.
They leave. Al, Jefferson and Kelly remain frozen in their places.
KELLY: Now that's what I call cacophony.
JEFFERSON: [loudly] Hey Al, do you think we're ever gonna be able to hear again?
AL: What??
KELLY: [to Al] Don't you think that joke is a little old?
AL: What??
SCENE TWO
This is another sequence of short scenes, showing Bud and his friends performing
at the offices of various record-company executives, and those executives'
responses. The first one fixes a noose and tries repeatedly to hang himself. In
the second one's office everything made of glass shatters. The third one jumps
out his window. Music: "So You Wanna Be A Rock'N'Roll Star" by the Byrds.
SCENE THREE
The "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" studio in NYC, a few minutes before the
start of taping. All contestants are seated, and the crew are performing
last-minute checks.
Kelly gets up and walks over to the host Regis Philbin. She leans very close
to him.
KELLY: Now remember our deal: I get my million bucks, and you
"get some".
He loosens his tie, swallows and nods.
KELLY: Good.
She goes back to her seat, smiling with satisfaction.
The crew clears the set, and the director shouts: "You're on!"
REGIS: Welcome back to "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". We have ten possible
contestants battling for the chance to come up here and take home one
million dollars. Our "Fastest Finger" question for tonight is: put the
following numbers in order by value starting with the smallest: a) 1
b) 2 c) 3 and d) 4. Let's give our contestants time to answer.
All the contestants quickly enter the answer using their keypads, except for
Kelly, who just sits there, looking blank.
REGIS: Time's up. The correct answer is: a,b,c,d. Let's see who got the right
answer. [surprised:] Only one person got it right, and it's
[even more
surprised:] Kelly Bundy from Chicago.
The crowd cheers.
KELLY: [excitedly] It is?? Oh my God, oh my God!
REGIS: Way to go Kelly! Welcome to the show.
Kelly gets up and sits opposite Regis.
REGIS: [quietly] Don't tell me you slept with all the judges.
KELLY: [smiling] Okay, I won't.
Regis clears his throat.
REGIS: [looking at his console] Kelly, I understand that you like Garfield
cartoons, and you used to work as The Verminator for "Pest Boys
Extermination Co.".
Kelly nods, beaming with pride.
REGIS: Very impressive indeed. Now you know how the game is played: you get
three lifelines and there are 15 questions between you and one
million dollars. Are you ready?
She nods again.
REGIS: Then let's play! Here we go. The first question is for a hundred
dollars: how many legs do seven cats have? a) 23 b) 56 c) 28 or
d) 7?
Kelly stares at him emptily.
REGIS: [emphasizing the word "see"] I see you're having some see-rious
trouble.
KELLY: [doubtfully] "C"?
REGIS: Final answer? [quickly, without waiting for her reply:] "C" is
correct! The next question is for 200 dollars: which American
state takes its name from the French for "Green Mountains"? Is
it a) Vermont b) Greez Montages c) Ver Montagez or d) Greenmont?
Once again Kelly looks dumbfound.
REGIS: This is not a simple question, eh?
KELLY: "A"?
REGIS: Is that your final answer?
He nods eagerly to her. She nods.
REGIS: It's a good one! You've got 200 bucks.
Ten minutes later...
REGIS: [sounding constrained] Wow Kelly, you've made it to the million-dollar
question without using a single lifeline. You must be the smartest girl
in Chicago.
KELLY: [to the camera] Hear that, Bud? [sticks out her tongue]
REGIS: All right then. For one million dollars: which TV creatures ate
"Blue String Pudding"? a) The Flumps b) The Smurfs c) The Wombles
or d) The Clangers. Indeed, a
very dee-ficult question. [singing
to himself:] I'm gonna get some nookie, I'm gonna get some nookie.
KELLY: "A"!
REGIS: [bewildered] You sure about this? Is that your final answer?
He shakes his head vigorously and mouths "No!".
KELLY: [arrogantly] Of course I'm sure. I'm the smartest girl in Chicago.
REGIS: [sighs] The correct answer is "D". I'm afraid this brings you down
to only $32,000.
The crowd goes "Ohhhhhhhh".
KELLY: What?! How could you do this to me? I thought we had a deal!
Regis puts his finger to his lips, motioning to her to be quiet.
KELLY: [angrily] No, I won't shut up! We had an agreement and you
violated it!
Several cops emerge from the audience and handcuff Kelly and Regis. As they
are being led off the stage, Kelly continues shouting at him.
KELLY: You can forget about ever laying your geezer hands on me, you little
The transmission is replaced by a white screen with the ABC logo and beneath
it the ABC slogan: "TV is good".
SCENE FOUR
Al and Kelly are sitting on the couch. Al is trying to comfort Kelly, who
looks glum.
AL: Now, now, Pumpkin. Don't be disappointed. You should've known that,
being a Bundy, you would never be able to win anything.
KELLY: But I was so close!
AL: That's the way it always is. That way it hurts the most, and He
[points upwards] gets some good laughs.
KELLY: [dejectedly] Guess this means I really am a Bundy.
AL: Those blood tests I ordered back in '81 don't lie.
KELLY: I always hoped some day mom would tell me I'm the result of a drug-infested
affair with the bass player of some heavy metal band. By the
way, where is she?
AL: Oh, she's still under arrest.
KELLY: Aren't you going to bail her out?
AL: I'm afraid your 32 grand were only enough to pay your bail. [quietly,
to himself, he adds:] And to buy me a nice car stereo and an
ultra-sophisticated fishing rod. [loudly again:] But I wouldn't worry about
her. You know how she's always talking about how she wants to spice up
our sex life... well, I think where she is now she's getting plenty of
that!
They laugh.
AL: Say, where's what's-his-face? You know, the lifeless midget that lives
in the basement?
KELLY: Oh, you mean Bud. Well, you wouldn't believe this, but he and his
friends actually got a contract.
AL: You don't say!
KELLY: [baffled] I do, actually... One of the record company executives they
met with called and said he had the perfect job for them.
The picture changes and we see Bud, Achmed, Hummer and Barney performing as a
boy band in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd, which is clapping and
cheering. The camera zooms out to reveal a neon sign behind them that says:
"the 'Laughs Unlimited' Comedy Club".
THE END
If you have any comments or suggestions, email me:
gilkis@netvision.net.il
Copyright © 2000 Nitzan Gilkis
Back to the Bundyology Homepage
Back to «Quotes»