The Legendary Rogue

Here's an excerpt from my western comedy melodrama, LEGEND OF THE ROGUE or MASK ME NO QUESTIONS.

The story: 

Brian Ryan, the mild-mannered sheriff of Parched Throat, Arizona is summoned to rescue the Clayfoot Indian tribe from the clutches of Randolph Hitlear, an ex-Confederate general out to steal their gold in order to finance another Civil War. When he finds himself outnumbered by Hitlear's gang and a duplicitous Indian agent called Percival P. Pestt, Sheriff Ryan adopts the guise of the mysterious masked avenger known as ...The Rogue. 

The scene that follows features the first appearance of the masked hero himself.

RANDOLPH HITLEAR and PERCIVAL P. PESTT are engaged in heated conversation on the outskirts of the Clayfoot reservation

PESTT: Yes, Mr. Hitlear, the Sheriff is still alive. That saloon chanteuse found him in the desert  and I assume she brought him back to town. I tried to stop her but I had an unfortunate close encounter with a cactus.

HITLEAR: Well, that just takes the mint right out of my julep. How could you allow a member of the weaker sex get the better of you? What kind of man are you?

PESTT: Well, I’ve been sick…

HITLEAR: And you are about to have a relapse if you don’t settle this matter for me. Ashley! Rhett!

ASHLEY/RHETT: (entering together) Yessir!

From the Palace Showboat Theatre production

HITLEAR: One of you hand Mr. Pestt here a firearm.

(ASHLEY hands PESTT a pistol.)

ASHLEY: Here ya go, Percy. That thar’s the Sheriff’s gun.

HITLEAR: Ride back into town and put a bullet in Sheriff Ryan’s heart with his very own weapon. It’s rather poetic, don’t you think?

PESTT: It doesn’t even rhyme. I’m no hired gun. Besides I have to take an early stage back to Washington.

HITLEAR: (hands PESTT a wad of bills) Considered yourself hired.

PESTT: Well, I suppose the P in Percival P. Pestt now stands for Pistolero! 

HITLEAR: Every man has a price. Some just happen to be bargains. Just watch where you’re waving that firearm around, Wyatt Earp. Return when the job is complete. The boys and I have a date with a mountain of gold. 

(All three exit as PESTT counts his money.)

PESTT: With all this cabbage, I could make cole slaw.

ROGUE: (off-stage voice over) Count your blood money slowly, Indian agent.

PESTT: (startled) Oh my land! What was that? 

ROGUE: Percival P. Pestt!

PESTT: Who…who…who’s there?

ROGUE: It’s not Western Union!

PESTT: What do you want with me?

Inspiration for THE ROGUE. Duh.

(THE ROGUE appears from the opposite direction PESTT is speaking toward. He is masked and is dressed all in black with gold trim.)

ROGUE: Justice!

PESTT: Oh my stars and garters! Who in the blue blazes are you?

ROGUE: I am The Rogue. 

PESTT: P....p…pleased to meet you. My name is…oh, you know that already. (pulls gun) Aha! I have you now! D…d...don’t move or I’ll sh…sh…sh…

ROGUE: Shoot?

PESTT: Yes!

ROGUE: I was hoping that’s what you meant.

PESTT: I mean it! I’ll fill you full of l...l...lead! (THE ROGUE spins his finger about as the pistol turns in PESTT’s hand with the barrel facing toward him now) What was I saying?

ROGUE: Don’t move or you’ll shoot.

PESTT: It’s just a figure of speech!

ROGUE: Hand that pistol to me before you hurt someone.

PESTT: Like me! (hands pistol to ROGUE) How...how may I help you, Mr…?

ROGUE: As I said, I am The Rogue and I demand answers. Where is the man known as Randolph Hitlear?

PESTT: I think he’s on vacation. That’s it. He went to the seashore.

ROGUE: I demand the truth!

PESTT: Don’t hurt me! I’m allergic to pain! I’ll tell you! He’s in the mountain up ahead. He said he was breaking through to the Tomb of Gold tonight.

ROGUE: That is more like it. What I want you to do now is to walk all the way back into town  and lock yourself in a jail cell for all your deceitful crimes of lies and bribery. You will stay until you are told otherwise. Do you understand?

PESTT: Loud and clear!

ROGUE: Double-cross me and you will suffer the wrath of The Rogue! I’m off! (exits) Ride the wind, Avenger! (horse whinnies and gallops off)

PESTT: Gone? Good! I’m getting the hey out of here. (turns to run off in opposite direction)

ROGUE: (reappearing before him) Going someplace?

PESTT: (jumping) Arghh! Just taking a short cut…Oh my kidneys…(exits opposite as ROGUE disappears)

LEGEND OF THE ROGUE by Scott Cherney is filled with laughs, romance and more fun than a barrel full of lizards on a tequila bender. Performance rights are available. For more information and to obtain a digital copy of script contact: OFF THE WALL PLAYS

Where No Murder Has Gone Before

Each performance SOLD OUT!

The Star Truck Innerthighs flies again!

This past week I discovered that my interactive murder mystery comedy MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER had been produced in April of this year by CAST Plays of Douglasville, Georgia. Naturally, any theater group doing my show is a cause for celebration. However, since I am used to marketing my work all by lonesome self, I usually get the heads up before it goes on the boards. Since this particular play, as well as two others-ROXANNE OF THE ISLANDS and LEGEND OF THE ROGUE, have been published as well handling the licensing of said scripts by Off the Wall Plays, I don't get to learn of their productions until after the fact.

Das Boot

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It just sets me a little off-balance since there is a tradition that I'd still like to maintain after starting it 9 years ago. It began when my step-daughter Tracey attended a performance my show SONG OF THE CANYON KID at the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville Theatre in Oceano, California. She bought me a souvenir glass mug in the shape of a boot to commemorate the event. Since then, I fill that same glass boot with a frothy beverage of my choice (take a wild guess what kind) on the opening night of one of my plays and toast whichever theater company has staged that particular show. 

CAST Cast of Murder-The Final Frontier

Well, this past Saturday night, I broke out the boot again and hoisted it in the air once again to salute CAST Plays, albeit posthumously. Three months later, in fact, but la-de-dah. Another successful mission for the crew of the Star Truck Innerthighs!

Capt. Imaginacon to the rescue!

The posts on CAST Plays Facebook page were filled with lotsa production pics which are scattered about here as well as some really sweet comments about my show, calling it "perhaps the most absurdly funny show I've been involved with in my decades with CAST." Not only that, but apparently each and every performance was sold out. Yowza!

Once again, I am sending my thanks all the way to Douglasville, Georgia and the cast and crew of MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER. That's another notch on my phaser.

Wilson Chadwick AKA Captain Kork

MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER is available from OFF THE WALL PLAYS. Please visit them for a free script preview as well as information of production rights. 

 

Also available form OFF THE WALL:

ROXANNE OF THE ISLANDS or THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SARONG 

and LEGEND OF THE ROGUE or MASK ME NO QUESTIONS

The Legend of the Rogue

 NOTE: Three of the plays written by yours truly have been published by Off the Wall Plays, the third as recently as last month. 

It's a triple play...literally!

My first solo script, written WAY back in the latter part of the 20th century and produced on the stage of the late, great Palace Showboat Dinner Theater at Pollardville in Stockton, California, has just been published by Off the Wall Plays. 

This is my third script to be picked up by Off the Wall after the tropical adventure comedy ROXANNE OF THE ISLANDS and the interactive murder mystery MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER.

I hereby present to you...THE LEGEND OF THE ROGUE or MASK ME NO QUESTIONS.

Hard times have fallen on the Clayfoot Indian tribe with the arrival of Randolph Hitlear, an ex-Confederate general obsessed with idea of starting a second Civil War under his leadership. To finance this effort, Hitlear searches for the Clayfoot's mountain treasure, the Tomb of Gold. With the help of his dastardly henchmen, Ashley and Rhett, Hitlear forces the tribe into slavery to dig for the gold including the Clayfoot leader, Chief Boyardee. His daughter, Fawn, is a mystic who has the ability to speak to the Great Spirits. From them she learns of a prophecy that states that "the dark cloud of evil shall ride a warrior of good who shall become a savior". With that thought in mind, Fawn seeks the help of Brian Ryan in nearby Parched Throat, Arizona, a handsome young lawyer who moonlights as sheriff of this one lizard town. Brian falls in love with Fawn at first glance, raising the ire of saloon singer Sugar De Spice who wants to put her claws into the novice lawman herself. When the sheriff agrees to help, a jealous Sugar, along with the weasely corrupt Indian agent Percival P. Pestt, inform Hitlear. Laying in wait for the sheriff, Hitlear gets the upper hand upon Brian's arrival and in the fracas, Fawn is killed. When Brian is left for dead himself in the desert, Sugar has a change of heart and rescues him. Back in town, Fawn's spirit comes to him in his delirium and empowers Brian with special abilities given to him by the Great Spirits since he is indeed the warrior of good in the prophecy. Brian dons a mask and adopts the persona of the masked avenger known as The Rogue. He catches up to Hitlear just as he enters the fabled Tomb of Gold and thwarts his plans once and for all, saving the Clayfoot tribe and the nation from this vicious war criminal. And the rest is legendary... 

Performance rights are available for both professional and amateur theater productions including community groups, dinner shows, fundraising events, high school and college drama departments.  

CLICK HERE TO READ A PREVIEW OF LEGEND OF THE ROGUE AND FOR INFORMATION ABOUT PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

PLUS

THE LEGEND CONTINUES: AN INSIDE LOOK AT LEGEND OF THE ROGUE

MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER AN INTERGALACTIC INTERACTIVE MURDER MYSTERY

ROXANNE OF THE ISLANDS or THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SARONG-A TROPICAL ADVENTURE COMEDY

All In

Below you will find all of the interactive murder mystery and melodrama scripts we have available for both professional and amateur theater productions including community groups, dinner shows, fundraising events, high school and college drama departments. 

MURDER MYSTERIES

DEAD TUESDAY by Scott Cherney

MELODRAMAS

LA RUE'S RETURN or HOW'S A BAYOU by Edward Thorpe and Scott Cherney

SONG OF THE CANYON KID or POEM ON THE RANGE by Scott Cherney

Performance rights for all titles are available. Royalty is $40 per performance. For more information and a FREE perusal script, contact: 

Scott Cherney 

writtenbysc@gmail.com

And please check out these three plays by Scott Cherney available through Off the Wall Plays

MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER-The intergalactic interactive murder mystery

LEGEND OF THE ROGUE or MASK ME NO QUESTIONS-A western comedy melodrama 

ROXANNE OF THE ISLANDS or THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SARONG-The tropical adventure comedy 

CLICK HERE FOR OFF THE WALL PLAYS