Mama's Used Cars

Title: Mama’s Used Cars

Setting: Used Car Dealership, Wake Forest, N.C.

The Pitch –

Dottie Spangler owns and manages a high-end luxury used car dealership, Spangler Motors. Her company sells Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, and other luxury brand used vehicles.

The family-friendly dealership was founded by her grandfather in the post-war 1950s and has a long-standing reputation for fairness in the community. She owns the business but her widowed stepmother owns the property. Valeria Shanks Spangler is the daughter of John "The Shank" Shanks of the Atlantic City Shanks. It is rumored they are "connected" to long-standing "family" enterprises throughout New Jersey.

Adjacent to the dealership property is a popular nightclub called, "Delights." Valeria Spangler also owns and leases this property. Events force Valeria to make a business decision where the two businesses must share the same property.

The family-style dealership operates during the day and the wild nightclub at night. The show is where classy meets rowdy, the family meets clandestine affairs, and the audience enjoys the never-ending showdowns. Dottie the conservative versus Joe Rizzo, the progressive and the threat of mobsters in the shadows.

Cast –

Dottie Spangler – In her fifties, never married, lived a wild life when young but settled down to take over the family business. She has one son from a fling gone wrong but would never name the father. Her son, Davis, is in charge of Fixed Operations for parts and service. She is a progressive turned conservative. She is a plus-size woman and proud of it. Her favorite marketing quote is, "Come to Mama’s. Don't you buy no ugly car."

Davis Spangler – Son of Dottie and Fixed Operations director for parts and service. He is twenty-nine years old and has never been in a serious relationship. No one can match Dottie's expectations. He is passive-aggressive, and a careless and sloppy momma's boy that wishes he wasn't. He is gay but hasn't accepted it yet due to fear of his mother. Sexual innuendo erupts often when he's angry often confusing everyone.

Jr. Yarbrough – is a thirty-year-old Service manager who is always cleaning up Davis's mess. He has a crush on Davis but is afraid to make a move due to Davis's ambiguity. He is a bodybuilder, very aesthetic, and athletic.

Valeria Shanks Spangler – Dottie's stepmother, only ten years older, and widow of her father. She is from Atlantic City and the daughter of John "The Shank" Shanks who disappeared twenty years earlier. Her family, via her brothers and cousins, become prevalent shadows throughout the show. As a widow, she owns and leases out the buildings and land of the two properties housing Spangler Motors and Delights Night Club. She wears tight dresses, and yoga pants, and wears too much make-up. Particularly loves eye shadow.

Joey Rozelle – is the sales manager at Spangler Motors. He is thirty years old and Valeria's nephew. She attempts to get him to spy for her and the family, but he is loyal to Dottie, AKA Mama!

Joe Rizzo – is the manager of Delights Night Club. He is a spark plug with ADHD and pops Adderall like candy. Perpetually nervous and a bit paranoid about pleasing the bosses from New Jersey. He is a wannabe mobster but is a coward. He is a loudmouth who is afraid of Dottie. Roxy Jones, the bartender has to bail him out of trouble often.

Roxy Jones – She is the Head Bartender and manages the Wait staff. A college dropout she has a natural talent for business. Though young (twenty-eight), sexy, and flirtatious, she has a certain class about her and has dreams of owning her own business. She has a crush on Joey Rozelle.

Herman Ellis – Custodian. Quiet, always in coveralls, often with a mop in hand. He is often seen in the background of many scenes as a witness to events. Herman gives commentary with quotes from Shakespeare at the beginning of each act in an old English stage voice. He breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience.

Pilot Synopsis –

Cold Opening - Late one Saturday night two cheapskates are attempting to sneak in the back window of the club to avoid the hefty cover charge. One slips and falls in the dark into a dumpster. He lights a newspaper with his cigarette lighter to find himself covered in used condoms. His panic leads him to fling the burning paper into the dumpster which erupts into a blaze that leaps to the club. The entire building is consumed and a total loss.

Act 1 –

Intro- from an empty showroom. Herman the custodian speaks to the audience. "One fire burns out another's burning, one pain is lessened by another's anguish." (Romeo and Juliet)

Scene 1 – On the porch of the dealership. (Dottie, Valeria, Rizzo, and Davis.)

Making a business decision under pressure from her family in New Jersey, Valeria meets with Dottie and Rizzo. She mandates that the dealership operate by day and convert each evening to a Night club at night. Conflicts erupt between different sets of morality and atmosphere. Spangler Motors is a laid back gentle business by day, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., and becomes a wild party house from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Dottie objects but cannot stop her. Rizzo laughs at her. "We're family now." Davis gets in Rizzo's face and says, "Back off Rizzo, or I'm going to shove this whole situation up your ass." Everyone is puzzled, wondering what he's talking about.

Scene 2 – Service Department (Jr., Davis, Dottie) Six thirty p.m.

Trucks are backed up to the dealership unloading sound systems, tables, chairs, and bar supplies.

In the service drive, Jr. placates an irate customer whose vehicle isn't repaired as Davis promised. Davis disregards Jr's going the extra mile and displays no gratitude. Davis walks off. Dottie, observes Jr. walking to his car in a hurry and finds his updated resume on his desktop.

Scene 3- Showroom – Same time. (Roxy, Joey)

Roxy the head bartender is struggling to pull a portable beer cooler into the coffee bar area. Joey Rozelle, the sales manager, is walking across the showroom and stops to help her. Immune to men, she is taken aback by his appearance. He introduces himself and she says, "You just closed me, where do I sign?"

Scene 4 - Showroom

Dottie's pastor, also the Mayor of the town comes late to pick up his vehicle from service. He walks into the showroom looking for Dottie where the daytime coffee bar is being stocked up with liquor and a portable beer cooler is being rolled into place. He informs her she will be removed from the church council.

Act 2

Intro - Empty Showroom – Herman the Custodian says, "Play out the play." (Henry the IVth)

Scene 1 -

Showroom - (Business manager, two customers, and a cocktail waitress.)

The first night the club is to open a customer and his wife are in the business office finalizing a car purchase.

A young sexy waitress in a suggestive cocktail dress walks by the office, stops, and asks the man. "Hal is that you?" His wife says, "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. His name is Sam." The server pulls a ring off her finger, throws it at Sam, and says, "His name is Hal, and it's tattooed on my ass by our matching heart shaped moles." The wife begins slapping her husband while the business manager is paging Joey Rozelle. "Now I know why you gave in to me getting the Mercedes, you bastard," she says.

Scene 2 (Dottie, Davis, Joey)

Dottie confronts Davis about his apathy to his job and treatment of Jr. She questions what is going on between him and Jr. She says, "Before the night is over I want you to find him and the two of you kiss and make up." Davis is baffled and asks her. "Are you being literal?" Dottie is puzzled. “Okay, Mom, I going to go kick some butt and fix this.” (Davis exits)

Joey enters the office. "Rizzo wants the cars to remain in the showroom. Adds class he says." Dottie says, "He confuses class with ass. Tell him he couldn't buy class if he tried, but he can rent it for Five hundred each a night, cash up front." By the way, what is Davis’s hang-up with butts?”

Scene 3 – Business office balcony overlooking the converted showroom. Music is rocking the walls, couples dancing, and the tables are full. (Dottie, Joey)

Dottie and Joey observe the wild party below. She asks Joey, "Are those our technicians on the stage stripping? Nice abs. Looks like they can turn more than a wrench." They discuss the near future and Dottie tells him she might close down the dealership after sixty years. Valeria calls Joey's phone, but he ignores her, then she texts. "Tell me what's going. Is Dottie going to bail?"

Scene 4 – Showroom- 2 a.m. (Joey, Roxy)

Joey comes to check on the dealership as the stage is being taken down, and the table and chairs removed. One drunk couple is slow dancing to recorded music in the middle of the showroom.

Roxy offers Joey a drink. He declines. She asks him to dance and he accepts. "We are the two that are going to make this work," she says.

Cold Close –

The Two cheapskates that burned down the club are in the Parts department drop-off cage, trapped. "You said we could get in this way," said one. "The door was unlocked," said the other. "Yea, from the outside. Now were trapped like rats." They banged on the chain link gate.

Herman appears outside the cage, from the parts department side.

"Hello rats," Herman said, "I've been looking for you."