Set at an apocalyptic dog show, a dwarf and his professional handler mentor learn the value of pure-bred dogs and are thrust into a gargantuan effort to save them. The Station Agent x Zombieland at a dog show.

SYNOPSIS:

http://www.magicalrealism.us/2014/04/12/gelert-vs-zombies-movie/ Gelert and the Last Dog Show Screenplay by Lee A. Miller Set at an apocalyptic dog show, a dwarf and his professional handler mentor learn the value of pure-bred dogs and are thrust into a mammoth effort to save them. PART ONE – THE DWARF AND THE DOG SHOW QUEEN This is the story of a dwarf who basically only loves dogs. His name is Gelert and he is a solemn small-person. He has had wonderful parents, who loved and protected him. As a young person he fell in love with dogs (and dog shows) and apprenticed for a professional handler. Perhaps a broken heart, or being shunned by part of society has pushed him to be somewhat of a hermit, or perhaps he simply made that choice by fate. Physically flawless people want to be left alone also. He minds his own business and pays little or no attention to society. He is happiest without human company. He believes dog shows would be best if humans would says home. Jackie, the woman who has almost adopted Gelert, is aging and at the end of her career. Gelert began working for her at the age of 10 and he is now 22. She has been an all-breed professional handler for over 60 years; she is wise to the tricks of the trade. When a person walks into her home, they will notice a framed newspaper cutting with a photo of her (as a child) handling a Saint Bernard, which is taller than she is. Her hips and knees are playing out and in this film she only handles toy dogs. She is an expert at what she does (preparing and exhibiting dogs at dogs show) and previously she was considered one of the best in the world. Gelert tolerates Jackie because she enables him to have a career with dogs, the only job he would ever love. In one scene, Gelert is being made fun of by a group of young foolish children. He doesn’t mind it so much. Jackie intercedes and when the young fools run, Jackie (78 years old) chases them down on her scooter get their names and reports them to their parents. Jackie states to the children that she has “a temper, pistol, and excellent aim” and for them to leave her assistant alone. Later, Gelert asks her not to do that anymore. We get the impression that this has happened before plenty of times and that Jackie always intervenes. As Gelert and Jackie travel from one dog show to the next, on the radio they hear of a meteor, which strikes the heart of the Columbian coffee. They reason that they will only be effected by a spike in price and agree to stop drinking coffee. Jackie has been the epitome of dog show success but now near retirement she is pinching pennies and is more health conscience. She has always been thrifty but now “coffee is too much money and it isn’t good for a person,” she reasons. Jackie has a very large home in a gated community in suburban Houston. She has an extensive gun collection that belonged to her late husband. She has a custom designed “canine specialist show rig” which cost her about a half a million dollars back when her career was in its prime. It is a fortress, a gas-guzzling tank. It is overkill now, she exhibits smaller dogs and most of the large built in crates in the rig are empty or full of ribbons and trophies. Everything is neatly arranged in the vehicle and in her home and clues tell us her life story. Gelert and Jackie travel around the country exhibiting the dogs of multi-millionaires. Jackie takes care of the dog show politics and the business. She is almost always on the phone, winning friends, doing deals, and helping people select the best genetic stock. Jackie is also a teacher everything she does and says is explained to Gelert. Gelert simply nods and hardly ever says anything. Gelert takes care of the dogs. He unloads and loads the equipment, crates and dogs. He feeds the dogs and grooms them. Jackie exhibits the dogs in the ring and rarely does Gelert get to do this. He is selfless of course and actually doesn’t enjoy the role of handler as much as Jackie. Gelert drives the rig and his hard work makes Jackie’s life easier and enables her career to run nearly to infinity. They are the ultimate team. Jackie is charm and personality (extroverted) and an eye for good dogs and Gelert is work ethic and is very focused on perfection (introverted). PART TWO – THE DOG SHOWS FROM HELL Later in the film, Gelert and Jackie travel to a huge cluster of dog shows in Florida; the very best from all over the nation are competing there. There are four shows, one each day, (Thursday through Sunday) and one of them is to be televised. A television journalist wants to do a story about Gelert. Gelert doesn’t do much talking and the story is about to die so Jackie beams in excitement and sells the story of Gelert working for her as a child and how other people told her Gelert would never be able. Jackie of course turns to the camera and points, “that is ridiculous”. She says, “Sure I took him in. Why not? Everyone needs a chance and every has a place regardless of looks or disability. He is the most able person I’ve ever employed.” Everything is normal until there is a rash of dog attacks on judges and handlers and finally on spectators. They start out simple enough, a nip here and then a bite and then a mauling and then a serious mauling. The attacks progress in severity for three days. Jackie is in shock; she states that she has never in her entire career seen something so bad. There is a mystery in the chatter ringside what is causing it? At this point the film becomes a zombie/apocalypse movie. A virus (spread through the coffee) has infected the people but the effects are slow to be seen. By the third day of the shows, on television, all hell breaks loose and there is a huge panic. Jackie tells Gelert, “get my dogs to the rig”. Through a mass of confusion and violent attacks, Jackie and Gelert manage to reach the safety of the rig with the dogs. Gelert exhibit bravery and physical strength in the flight. Jackie exhibits skill at driving her scooter, but also a great deal of luck in reaching the rig. The Saturday dog show is canceled. People return to their rigs and hotels and begin to watch the news. There is nothing about the dog show on television, the Capitol and Wall Street have been infected. It appears to be a world-wide extinction event. Sunday morning is quiet, more than half of the exhibitors are dead; some are going to die soon. Jackie and Gelert are fine. The previous night, locked in their fortress of a vehicle with a pistol and a bottle of tequila (saved for a celebration), they emerge to a new desolate world. Both look a bit hung over and Jackie wants to get some coffee and she wants to look around. Jackie’s world has fallen apart, death and dying everywhere at her weekend home (the coliseum); she now looks extremely pale. Gelert is much less effected and actually begins his day like any other, taking care of the dogs. It might be the end of the world, but the dogs still warrant his attention. Gelert exercises the dogs; Jackie gets on her electric scooter and zooms around the nearly deserted arena. She must dodge and outrun zombies as she drives around the coliseum. The dogs are unaffected; many are still crated and some are just wondering around, attacking and barking at Zombies. Most of the young children are unaffected. The adults have for the most part been infected by the coffee and also they have tried to help others and have been infected. The source was the coffee but now it is fairly contagious but not air-born. The young people, who have hidden, seem to be the only human resource left. Jackie has only toy dogs. There are Doberman’s and Mastiff breeds devouring zombies left and right and there is Jackie only with the Chihuahua she takes everywhere. PART THREE – SAVING THE GENETIC LEGACY A news flash comes over the television. “Don’t drink the coffee.” Gelert runs to warn Jackie to save her but just as he arrives she drinks some coffee she has brewed in the now vacant concession stand. HOWEVER, she has laced it with very healthy dose of whisky, there is an odd moment when Gelert is afraid he has lost his only friend. When he sees Jackie isn’t going to turn into a Zombie he drinks some whisky. In the panic from the previous night, Jackie has left he scooter uncharged. It dies as Gelert and she are returning to the recreational vehicle. She plugs it into the wall in the arena to charge and she and Gelert begin walking. Something, however is wrong with Jackie, she can’t walk anymore. After three days of stress, it appears her heart is bad. She wants to sit down. They sit down beside a ring. They have a long philosophical discussion. They look around at the death and dying. Gelert and Jackie note that all those people have worked years, many times decades to improve the breed and maintain the progress made by generations sometimes 1000s of years. And now they are dead. Everyone seems to be dead or dying. Jackie tries to call the children together, but she is dying. She isn’t infected by the virus she is simply out of gas. She can’t yell loud enough to gather them. Gelert gathers the children. Jackie in her last good deed imparts to the young survivors, the need to save the dogs and their genetic legacy. She explains in remarkably brevity how the different breeds were created and how much work and what a great human endeavor (invention) it all has been. Jackie tells them what the news reports have said and explains their situation. Each bred of dogs as a specific form and function (a job to do). Jackie efficiently explains how to select dogs based on their job and how important the breed standard is. The young people are all listening intently; many are crying. They need a leader at this time and look to Jackie. Jackie, “Dogs sever a purpose and go out and chose them based on that. Herding dogs herd. Working dogs work. Sighthounds spot and chase. Scenthounds track. Even toy dogs have a job. Never forget this. Dogs help us.” Jackie puts Gelert in charge of a small army of children. Many have lost their parents many are in shock but ALL of them need a job to do. Gelert issues some orders to organize the efforts to save the dogs. The children scatter to collect dogs. Jackie’s says to Gelert, “Check the hotels before you leave town. Especially the one across the street, most of the handlers are staying there. Check all the rigs. There are going to be some nice dogs over there starving if you don’t go get them.” Gelert nods that he will. Jackie’s says, “Bring us that nice Bull Terrier, the Deerhound and the Ridgeback. And females for them, if you can find them.” Gelert nods. Jackie warns Gelert, “Get their papers if you can and keep records. Now get busy.” Jackie’s last words are, “Get that catalogue; you will need that.” The catalogue has the dogs listed but most importantly the address of the owners in it. Jackie dies. Gelert mourns only a moment. Gelert becomes a leader. Gelert organizes the few adults, the children, dogs and several rigs into a caravan to return to Houston. The catalogue comes in handy as they collect specimens from various locations on the return trip. Some dogs are returned to their owners, other high quality dogs are found in deceased owners homes. The way home is fraught with a running battle against zombies, what is left of the government and road bandits and other thieves. They stop to exercise the dogs, have adventures and rescue several retired show dogs along the way. Gelert and the small army arrives at Purina Event Center outside of Saint Louis. By now there are almost no human’s remaining; only a few infected people are roaming the streets. Gelert organizes the young people into lodging and responsibilities. They begin producing dog food, They plant and grow corn for chickens. They feed eggs and the chickens to the dogs. They make excursions outside of the community in search of dog food. The dogs are divided by breeds among the yards near Jackie’s home. Fortunately they are in a gated community, “somewhat” safe from marauders and infection. Breeders bring their dogs to the community and they are growing. Several excursions bring back pure-breed dogs. Purina Event Center is made into a fort. The effort to save the dogs grows. The dogs work; the Tibetan spaniels (alert dogs) are put in strategic places. Bloodhounds are used to patrol the woods. Doberman and German Shepard’s are used on zombies. Rabbits breed and sighthounds are used to harvest them. The herding dogs are used with ducks. Many breeds are shown doing the work they were breed for and this work is required for the community to survive. Many of the show dogs, who have been essentially spoiled children, are transformed. They sense the toubled times and become soldiers in the war for survival. The future of many breeds of dogs seems almost secure. They become such a successful community, it attracts the attention of both the government and marauders. While the community thrives, the population of wild dogs in the city of Saint Louis balloon; the few people remaining in government want to spay all the dogs and cats. In the midst of a global catastrophe a few fanatics seek to destroy what could be the last pure-bred dogs. In the closing sequence, if the zombie infection isn’t bad enough, the group must battle animal rights activists in the government as well as marauders who are more interested in the chickens and corn than stealing the dogs.

GELERT AND THE LAST DOG SHOW

http://www.magicalrealism.us/2014/04/12/gelert-vs-zombies-movie/