What’s real, and what’s not?

riting a theatrical screenplay based on a legend requires some inevitable juggling of fact and fiction. That’s because the movie must entertain an audience, not just relate facts and legends. Here’s a guide to what’s real and what’s not in the Ludington’s Ride script.

Scene	Scene Slug	Description
	GENERAL NOTES	All dialogue is fictional, unless otherwise indicated.
ACT ONE
1	EXT. COUNTRY ROAD	Note that there is an alternate opening sequence to the film. In the current opening sequence, the rider is Paul Revere, a historical character. In the alternate opening sequence, the rider is fictional.
2	EXT. CONCORD ROADBLOCK	Based on historical events. Dialogue based on transcript from Revere deposition about the incident.
3	EXT. CONCORD ROADBLOCK	Based on historical events. Dialogue based on transcript from Revere deposition about the incident.
4	EXT. NOCHPEEM SETTLEMENT	Fictional events. There is some question as to the name of the Nochpeem Chief’s son, referred to as David in the script. No such relationship between the son and Sybil probably existed, but there is some evidence that the Ludington family knew the Nochpeem tribe and Chief Daniel Nimham.
5	EXT. WOODED LANE	Fictional events. Edmond Ogden probably did not meet Sybil until a few years later. He never had a role in warning Colonel Ludington about the burning of Danbury.
6	EXT. LUDINGTON MILL	The Ludington Mill stood for over 200 years. It burned down in 1973 and will be restored during production of the film.
7	INT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events.
8	EXT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events. Fictional Lucius Applegate.
9	EXT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Fictional events.
10	INT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Fictional events. The names and number of the horses are fictional. Bucephalus was the name of the horse ridden into battle by Alexander the Great.
11	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Accurate description of Ludington home.
12	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Accurate description of Ludington home. All characters are historic. Fictional dog. Fictional dialogue at supper table. Ludington actually did teach his daughters to shoot.
13	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Fictional events. Enoch Crosby is based on an actual character that frequented the Ludington household. The birthday presents are fictional.
14	INT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Fictional events. Sybil’s horse Star is probably legendary. He was not given to Sybil on her birthday.
ACT TWO
15	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Accurate description of Ludington home.
16	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Route description is based on map provided by Putnam County Historian.
17	EXT. OLD STORMVILLE ROAD	Fictional events. Ichabod Prosser was a Tory physician who plagued the Ludington family. Our story portrays him as an outlaw. Rooster, the Ugly Twins, and the other Skinners in Prosser’s gang are all fictional characters. The dispatch is fictional. The bounty on Ludington’s head is historical.
18	EXT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Crosby and Sybil did have a set of pre-arranged signals between them, but the nature of the signals is unknown; hence the scene is entirely fictional.
19	INT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Fictional event.
20	EXT. CROTON TRIBUTARY	Fictional event.
21	EXT. CARVER’S BRIDGE	Fictional event. The bridge was real.
22	EXT. WOODED LANE	Fictional event.
23	EXT. HILL CEMETERY	Fictional event. The cemetery was real, but not at the location as described. It was farther south on the road to Crane's Tavern.
24	EXT. WOODED LANE	Fictional event.
25	EXT. GENERAL TRYON’S HQ	General Tryon maintained his military headquarters in New York.
26	INT. GENERAL TRYON’S HQ	Fictional events. Major Winslow is fictional. The 300 guinea bounty is real.
27	EXT. DUCHESS COUNTY WOODS	Fictional events.
28	EXT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Based on historical events.
29	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
30	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
31	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
32	EXT. WOODS	Based on historical events.
33	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
34	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
35	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
36	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
37	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
38	EXT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Fictional events.
39	INT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Fictional events.
40	EXT. COMPO BEACH	Based on historical events, but Edmond Ogden was never there.
41	EXT. FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT	Based on historical events.
42	EXT. DANBURY CITY LIMITS	Based on historical events.
43	EXT. DANBURY STREET	Based on historical events.
ACT THREE
44	EXT. ROAD FROM DANBURY	Based on historical events. The rider was not Edmond Ogden.
45	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events. The rider was not Edmond Ogden.
46	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events. The rider was not Edmond Ogden.
47	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events. The rider was not Edmond Ogden.
48	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
49	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
50	EXT. DANBURY STREET	Based on historical events.
51	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
52	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events.
53	EXT. LUDINGTON LIVERY	Based on historical events. The legend says Sybil carried a stick to knock on the windows of the soldiers.
54	EXT. CROTON TRIBUTARY	Fictional, but based on historical events.
55	EXT. MYRICK’S FARM	Fictional, but based on historical events. Myrick is a historical character.
56	EXT. MYRICK’S FARM	Fictional, but based on historical events.
57	EXT. CARVER’S BRIDGE	Fictional. The Carver family did build a bridge that was along Sybil’s route.
58	EXT. POST ROAD	Fictional event.
59	EXT. WOODED LANE	Fictional event.
60	EXT. HILL CEMETERY	Fictional event. There is some evidence to suggest that Sybil passed by, or possibly through, a cemetery on her route. If she passed through the Hill Cemetery, she would have done so after she visited Crane's Tavern, and not before, as our script indicates.
61	EXT. WOODED LANE	Fictional event.
62	EXT. HILL CEMETERY	Fictional event. Although there is some evidence that Sybil was pursued for a short time during her ride, there is no evidence that she needed to be rescued by anyone. She probably eluded her pursuers on her own.
63	EXT. HILL CEMETERY ENTRANCE	Fictional event.
64	EXT. ROAD TO CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional event.
65	EXT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional event.
66	INT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional event. John and Tamar Crane are historical characters, as are all of the soldiers in the scene.
67	EXT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional event. It is doubtful that Sybil would have done this.
68	INT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional event.
69	EXT. ROAD TO BOYD’S CORNERS	Fictional event. Captain Hitchcock and Lt. Gildersleeve were historical characters.
70	EXT. FARMERS MILLS	Fictional events.
71	EXT. FAST RUNNING CREEK	Fictional events.
72	EXT. OLD STORMVILLE ROAD	Fictional event. The road is historic.
73	EXT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional events.
74	INT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional events. There is no record that Tamar ever shot anyone.
75	EXT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional events.
76	INT. CRANE’S TAVERN	Fictional events.
77	EXT. ROAD TO BOYD’S CORNERS	Fictional events.
78	EXT. OLD STORMVILLE ROAD	Fictional events.
79	EXT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events.
80	INT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events.
81	EXT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events.
82	INT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events. Sybil never confronted her nemesis Prosser at the Ludington Mill at the end of her ride. Sorry. But years later, Col. Ludington met Prosser on a highway not far from the Ludington Mill. The subsequent public beating that the Colonel gave to Prosser remains a legend to this day.
83	EXT. LUDINGTON MILL	Fictional events.
84	EXT. POST ROAD	Fictional events.
85	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical events. Over 400 men rallied at the Ludington home that morning.
86	EXT. POST ROAD	Fictional events.
87	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Fictional events.
88	EXT. POST ROAD	Fictional events.
89	EXT. LUDINGTON WHEAT FIELD	Fictional events.
90	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Fictional events.
91	EXT. LUDINGTON WHEAT FIELD	Fictional events.
92	EXT. RIDGEFIELD BATTLEFIELD	Based on historical events.
EPILOGUE
93	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical event.
94	INT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical event. Gen. Washington's fondness (or was it a dislike?) of green peas has become a topic of debate among historians. We have taken no stand on the matter; we have elected to portray the question as an amusing anecdote in our story.
95	EXT. LUDINGTON HOME	Based on historical event.
ALTERNATE OPENING SEQUENCE
1	EXT. COUNTRY ROAD	The rider is fictional.
2	EXT. OLD NORTH CHURCH	Historical Sexton Newman. Fictional boy and rider.
3	EXT. OLD NORTH CHURCH STEEPLE	Based on historical events.
4	EXT. OLD NORTH CHURCH	Based on historical events.
5	EXT. CHARLESTON SHORE	Based on historical events. Historical Revere and Dawes. Fictional Richard.
6	EXT. JONAS CLARKE’S HOUSE	Based on historical events. Fictional sentry. Accurate Revere quotation on noise.
7	INT. JONAS CLARKE’S HOUSE	Based on historical events. Historical Clarke, wife, son, Adams, Hancock, and Revere.
8	EXT. JONAS CLARKE’S HOUSE	Based on historical events. Hancock and Adams rode on horses, not in a carriage. Hancock’s line is an homage to the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
9	EXT. COUNTRY ROAD	Based on historical events.
10	EXT. CONCORD ROADBLOCK	Based on historical events. Dialogue based on transcript from Revere deposition about the incident.

What’s real, and what’s not?

ACT ONE

ACT TWO

ACT THREE

EPILOGUE

ALTERNATE OPENING SEQUENCE