103 INT. “KING’S
MANOR” DINING ROOM - NIGHT
A banner stretched between two chandeliers,
proclaims
“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” As the CAMERA
DESCENDS,
Jack can be heard picking out a familiar
TUNE, but
showering it in blue notes, drawing it
out, giving it
smoke.
Susie’s face drifts up INTO FRAME,
her eyes closed,
but the CAMERA CONTINUES to drop, moving
like
syrup down her body, over the silk that
clings to her hips
and thighs, down her legs to a pair of
wicked
arch-breaking heels.
She’s standing on Jack’s
Steinway.
SUSIE
(cooing)
“Another bride,
Another June,
Another sunny honeymoon
Another season
Another reason
To make whoopie...”
Caught somewhere between Ray Charles
and Marilyn
Monroe, Susie’s voice slides silkily
from a whisper to a
growl, her fingers running like sand over
her body.
SUSIE
“A lot of shoes,
A lot of rice,
The groom is nervous,
He answers twice,
It’s really killin’,
The boy’s so willin’,
To make whoopie...”
As Jack knocks hell out of the bridge,
Susie melts onto
the piano like a kitten, stretching out
languorously on her
back. On the dance floor, men in tuxedos
sneak guilty
glances while their wives just stare,
mouths agape. In less
that a minute, Susie’s managed to
turn a dignified resort
hotel into a sizzling roadhouse.
SUSIE
“Picture a little lovenest
Down where the roses cling
Picture that same sweet lovenest
See what a year can bring...
(toying with Jack’s chin)
I tell you the boy’s washing dishes,
baby clothes
He’s so ambitious,
Ooooh, I tell you he sews”
Susie runs her fingers through Jack’s
hair and slides
oh-so-slowly off the piano, slinking toward
the audience,
and suddenly it’s apparent: she’s
winning them over.
SUSIE
It’s really killin’
The boy’s so willin’
To make whoopee...”
104 INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT (HOURS LATER)
Now a mass of swarming jubilation. Suddenly,
the
lights begin to dim.
SUSIE
All right, boys and girls. Find a friend.
This is it.
Ten. Nine...
Gradually the entire room joins the chant.
SUSIE/EVERYONE
... Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. THREE.
TWO!
ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
A blizzard of confetti fills the air
as people scramble for
that certain someone to kiss in the new
year. In this
moment, Jack and Susie find themselves
oddly distanced
from the happiness below them.
Susie glances at Jack, then finally goes
to him. As their
lips touch, they kiss lightly, then pull
away awkwardly.
As Susie turns away, Jack sounds the first
chord of
“Auld Lang Syne” and the room
rises as one voice.
SUSIE/EVERYONE
“Should old acquaintance be forgot...”
105 INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT (HOURS LATER)
Dark and lonely now, the tables and floors
covered with
confetti, like virgin snow. Jack sits
on a table, looking
out at the moonlit ocean. Susie comes
up behind him,
carrying a half-empty bottle of champagne.
SUSIE
So. Make any resolutions?
Jack shakes his head. Susie sits down
on the table next
to him, their arms almost touching.
JACK
You?
SUSIE
Nah. I figure that stuff’s all a
bunch of crap
anyway. You do what you do, right?
JACK
Right.
Susie takes a drink, looks over at the
empty stage.
SUSIE
Boy, ol’ Egghead would’ve
blown a gasket if
he’d seen us tonight, wouldn’t
he?
Jack just takes a drag on his cigarette,
says nothing.
SUSIE
You’re good, aren’t you?
As Jack looks up, Susie’s eyes
shift, staring straight
into his.
JACK
I can carry a tune.
SUSIE
Better than that.
Jack just looks out the window again,
takes another drag
on his cigarette. Susie studies his face,
then pushes off the
table, walks over to the window.
SUSIE
You know, I saw you guys once. You and
Frank.
At the Roosevelt.
JACK
Must’ve been a cheap date.
SUSIE
Soap convention.
Jack glances over at Susie.
JACK
Soap?
SUSIE
Yeah, they got a convention for everything.
This
guy was some big roller in suds. At least
he was
clean. Some of the guys I met through
the service,
you wouldn’t believe. The older
ones, they were
okay. Nice. Polite. Pulled the chair out
for you.
But the younger ones...
Jack watches as Susie takes another hit
off the bottle.
SUSIE
It wasn’t so bad, though. I’d
get a nice piece of
steak, flowers, sometimes even a gift.
Usually
whatever the guy was into. Got a set of
socket
wrenches once. Believe it? The guy looked
like
he’d just given me four dozen roses.
Susie smiles to herself, then her face
changes, becomes
almost wistful.
SUSIE
But I stayed at the Hartford once. You
should see
the rooms. All satin and velvet. And the
bed. Royal
blue, trimmed in lace clean as snow. Hard
to
believe sleeping in a room like that don’t
change
your life. But it don’t. The bed
may be magic, but
the mirror isn’t. You wake up the
same old Susie.
(pause)
I didn’t always, you know. If I
liked the guy...
Susie glances at Jack, uncomfortable.
JACK
I never liked the Hartford much myself.
Susie’s eyes lock into Jack’s,
then she turns a little and
starts to roll her neck.
SUSIE
My neck is so tight. Usually singing relaxes
me,
but I don’t know, tonight...
Jack watches her a moment, then stands
up and sweeps
the hair off her shoulder, placing his
hands on her neck,
massaging the muscles softly. She swallows.
SUSIE
Thanks.
Jack hesitates, then unhooks the catch,
letting the panels
divide a bit.
SUSIE
Thanks.
As Jack’s fingers work down to
Susie’s shoulders, the
dress begins to divide slowly, the fabric
pulling silently
apart. Susie turns her head a little just
as Jack’s fingers
slip under the silk, skimming down her
sides, just below
her breasts. He leans in and kisses her
neck.
SUSIE
Oh shit...
106 OMITTED
107 INT. "KING'S MANOR" CORRIDOR
- MORNING
As the service elevator opens, two maid
exit left, then
Eddie trots out and turns right.
We TRACK him for a moment, then he stops:
by a room
service tray sitting outside a door. He
sniffs finds nothing
to his taste, then moves down the hall
to the next tray.
Finally, after several stops, Eddie returns
to the elevator
and waits... three T-bones in his mouth.
108 INT. SUSIE’S ROOM - MORNING
Jack, quiet as a mouse, slips out of
bed, gathers his
clothes, and in approximately ten seconds,
is dressed.
SUSIE
You’d make a helluva fireman, you
know that?
Jack stops, looks over his shoulder.
SUSIE
You practice that at home with a stopwatch?
JACK
Didn’t want to wake you. Early riser.
Susie glances out the window. It’s
gotta be about noon.
SUSIE
Yeah. Listen. I didn’t expect you
to rush out and
buy me a corsage this morning, you know.
Your
school ring’s safe.
Jack nods, slips into the bathroom.
109 INT. BATHROOM - DAY (SAME TIME)
As he closes the door, Jack looks in
the mirror.
JACK
Shit.
110 INT. SUSIE’S ROOM - DAY (SAME
TIME)
Susie stares at the bathroom door, then
notices Jack’s tie
slung over the bedpost.
SUSIE
Shit.
111 INT. "KING'S MANOR" LOBBY
- DAY
As Jack stands at the front desk, members
of the hotel
staff pose for photographs with Eddie.
JACK
I don't get it.
THEO
What's that, Mr Baker?
JACK
Ed. He barely touched a thing while he
was here,
but I don't know... I could swear he's
GAINED
weight.
Theo points his finger to a line on the
checkout form.
THEO
(as Jack signs)
Well, we're sure going to miss him. All
of you.
It's too bad your brother missed all the
excitement
last night.
Jack glances up.
JACK
Yeah. Too bad. You seen Miss Diamond?
THEO
I believe that's her talking to the gentleman
in the
blue suit.
Across the lobby, Jack sees Susie talking
to a man in the
far corner.
THEO
Have a nice day, Mr. Baker.
JACK
Yeah, you too...
112 EXT. THE CITY SKYLINE - NIGHT
Home.
113 INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
As Jack and Eddie enter, Jack sets his
suitcase on the
floor and flicks on a lamp. A string,
hanging like a smile
from one side of the bedroom door frame
to the other,
droops with paper letters: “WELCOME
HOME.”
In the kitchen, Jack opens the refrigerator.
A container
of cottage cheese. Two desperate bananas.
One beer.
Opting for the beer, he goes to the piano
by the window,
sits down.
He taps out a skeleton phrase, teases
it, then, like the
morning Susie found him in the dining
room, begins to
expand on the idea, filling the room with
music.
113A EXT. DINER - DAY
In the front window, the usual photos
of celebrity patrons,
including one of Susie placed between
those of Jack and
Frank.
114 INT. DINER - DAY (SAME)
Susie and the brothers sit at a table
strews with empty
coffee cups and half-eaten food. Frank
has several slips
of paper before him with names and dates.
FRANK
That takes care of the week of the fifth.
After that,
we got the Avedon downtown or the Plaza.
Four
day turns. What do you think, Jack?
Jack is staring out the window. Bored.
JACK
You with me, Jack?
SUSIE
The Avedon’s a dump. No cover. No
minimum.
And they water their drinks. It’s
strictly for the
Fuller Brush crowd.
Susie, as she says this, pours sugar
into her Coke.
FRANK
(watching)
It’s not that bad. Besides, Blackie
Carson books
the Avedon. He’s always been good
to us.
JACK
(drily) He’s hasn’t been that
good to us.
FRANK
All right, we’ll take the Plaza.
After that, we’re
locked into the Capri for five days, then
we got
our choice...
SUSIE
The Capri? Oh Christ, not the goddamn
Luau
Lounge again.
FRANK
What’s the matter with the Luau
Lounge? They
don’t salt their peanuts?
SUSIE
Singing “Feelings” knee deep
in paper orchids
and plastic tiki lamps isn’t exactly
my idea of a
fun evening.
FRANK
Fun? Who promised you fun? We get paid,
remember?
SUSIE
I’m just saying maybe we should
vote on it. Or
maybe... we should ask Jack what he thinks.
FRANK
I don’t have to ask Jack what he
thinks. I know
what he thinks.
Jack, hearing this. shifts his eyes coolly
to Frank.
FRANK
It’s five days. The money’s
green. We’re there.
Susie, looking tense, watches Frank go
back to his slips.
Jack taps an unlit cigarette on the table.
FRANK
And by the way, speaking of “Feelings,”
you
might think about brushing up on the lyrics.
The
other night, at the resort, you sang the
first verse
twice.
SUSIE
Really? That must explain the gasp I heard
from
the audience.
FRANK
Okay. Let’s hear it. We’ve
trashed the Avedon and
the Luau Lounge. What’s our beef
with
“Feelings”?
SUSIE
Nothing.
Frank nods, starts to go back to the
slips.
SUSIE
EXCEPT... who cares? I mean, does anybody
really need to hear “Feelings”
again in their
lifetime? It’s like parsley...
(taking a sprig from her plate)
Take it away and no one would know the
difference.
FRANK
“Feelings” is not parsley.
SUSIE
To you, “Feelings” may be
goddamn filet mignon.
To me, it’s parsley. Less that parsley.
Jack, mildly amused, settles against
the window to listen.
FRANK
Look, “Feelings,” despite
what you may think of
it, has always been one of the bright
moments in
the show and a consistent crowd pleaser.
Consequently, we have an obligation to
play it. If
we didn’t the audience would be
disappointed.
SUSIE
Yeah, well, they weren’t exactly
crying their eyes
out on New Year’s.
Frank stops shuffling the slips, looks
up slowly.
FRANK
You passed over “Feelings”?
SUSIE
Yeah. And for your information, “Bali
Hai” went
out with the bathwater too.
Frank looks from Susie to Jack.
FRANK
Well, I see. The cat goes away for a night
and the
mice take over the orchestra.
SUSIE
Hey. I ain’t no mouse.
FRANK
That’s right. You’re parsley.
Big silence.
JACK
I think you better calm down, Frank.
FRANK
I think you better make sure it’s
your head that’s
doing the thinking these days, little
brother.
Susie stands up, takes her coat.
SUSIE
This food’s been sitting here too
long. It’s starting
to make me feel SICK.
Susie turns and slams out the door.
JACK
Why don’t you loosen the leash.
FRANK
Let’s not let a whiff of perfume
blow off fifteen
years. Be reasonable, Jack.
JACK
I play three hundred nights a years with
you,
Frank. How much more reasonable you expect
me
to be?
115 EXT. JACK’S BUILDING - EARLY
EVENING
Susie paces under a street lamp, working
on a Paris Opal.
She takes a glance up at Jack’s
window, then drops her
cigarette to the sidewalk. There are half-a-dozen
others
already there. Deciding, she enters the
building.
115A INT. JACK’S BUILDING - STAIRWELL
Susie arrives at Jack’s door, knocks.
A moment passes,
then it swings open.
Nina.
116 OMITTED
&
117
118 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - NIGHT (LATER)
The murmur of MUSIC can be heard.
119 INT. BASEMENT - JAZZ CLUB - NIGHT
Jack sits at the bar, sipping a whiskey
gingerly, watching
a trio perform on the dimly-lit stage.
A BLACK MAN in
a suit steps up next to him.
JACK
(watching the trio)
How you doing, Henry?
HENRY
Can’t complain. What do you think
of the kid?
Jack glances at the baby-faced pianist
onstage.
JACK
When’s his mother pick him up?
HENRY
He’s been playing here a year. You
oughta come
around more often, Jack.
JACK
He’s good. That Tyler on drums?
HENRY
(nodding)
Some old man, huh? Guy’d fall down
a fucking
staircase and keep the beat.
As the bartender passes, Henry motions
to Jack’s drink.
HENRY
On the house, Tony.
(to Jack)
So how about Jack Baker? Still stompin’
at the
Sheraton?
JACK
Keeps me out of trouble.
HENRY
So what’re you doing here?
Jack crushes out his cigarette.
JACK
Lookin’ for trouble.
120 EXT. JAZZ CLUB - NIGHT (LATER)
Susie arrives, glances around. She hesitates,
then
pushes through the doors to the club.
121 INT. JAZZ CLUB - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
As Susie descends the cement stairs inside,
a man with a
saxophone rushes past her, heading for
the street. Patrons
linger in the corridor, drinks in hand,
talking animatedly,
laughing.
The main room is even darker, full of
shadows smoking
cigarettes. Susie looks for Jack, doesn’t
see him, then
settles by the bar.
SUSIE
Double vodka.
Across the room, the men’s room
opens and two black
men exit, but no one else. Scanning the
tables again, Susie
sees only the same unfamiliar shadows.
Then she hears the PIANO.
Turning slowly, Susie discovers Jack,
hunched over the
piano onstage, playing with the trio.
At first, he toys with
the melody, finding his way, then seduces
the song away
from itself entirely. Lost in concentration,
he plays more
expressively, ending with a passionate
cascade of notes
as he reconstructs the melody. As the
audience
APPLAUDS, Susie settles back into the
shadows of the
bar. Hidden, studies Jack.
His face is calm. Peaceful.
122 INT. STAIRWELL - JACK’S BUILDING
- NIGHT
(LATER)
Jacks trots up the stairs to his apartment,
then stops
suddenly. Susie is sitting on the landing,
one shoe off,
massaging her bare foot.
SUSIE
Oh. Hi.
(uncomfortable)
I was in the neighbourhood. Thought I’d
drop by.
Jack nods, eyes her foot.
SUSIE
(shrugs)
Big feet.
Jack says nothing, starts up the stairs.
SUSIE
Look, don’t get nervous or anything.
I just came
over to...
Susie’s voice falters as Jack hooks
her stray shoe on his
finger and continues toward his apartment.
SUSIE
...talk.
Jack doesn’t want to talk.
123 EXT. JACK’S BUILDING - MORNING
As the sun comes up.
124 INT. JACK’S BEDROOM - MORNING
Naked, Susie slips quietly out of bed,
gathers her clothes,
dresses. Twelve seconds, tops. Only one
problem: only
one shoe.
Limping to the bathroom, Susie catches
herself in the
mirror, grimaces, then hobbles to the
front room...
...Just as Nina pushes open the window
and enters from
the fire escape. Both stop cold, stare
at each other.
NINA
I guess you found him, huh?
SUSIE
Yeah...
NINA
I came to walk Eddie.
Susie nods. Nina eyes Susie’s footwear
situation, then
slips off the windowsill and goes to the
kitchen, where
Eddie’s leash is hanging on the
wall.
NINA
You don’t have a toothbrush with
you, do you?
Susie, puzzled, shakes her head. Nina
nods, then points
behind Susie. There, on the bookshelf,
is her shoe.
SUSIE
Oh... thanks.
As Nina exits with Eddie, Susie stares
at the door, a little
confused, then goes to retrieve her shoe.
There, sitting on
the shelf, is an old photograph of Jack
and Frank. Wearing
boyish grins and bad suits, they hold
a bottle of liquor out
for the camera.
JACK
Terry’s Tap Room.
Susie jumps, surprised to see Jack, dressed
now. He
smiles, nods to the photo.
JACK
First gig we ever played. The guy that
ran the
place gave us the bottle but wouldn’t
open in.
SUSIE
How come?
JACK
(charming)
Told us to save it. Said someday it would
soften
the edges of the bad times and make the
good ones
seem even better. The best idea would’ve
been to
drink it before we played Terry’s
Taproom.
Jack watches Susie study the photo.
JACK
Coffee?
SUSIE
Yeah... no. I mean...
JACK
Look, if you want to leave...
SUSIE
No... yeah. That is...
JACK
I’ll see you tonight at the Hilton.
Okay?
Susie nods, but doesn’t move.
SUSIE
Listen. The reason I came by last night...
I’m
thinking about leaving. The act.
Susie looks at Jack, but he says nothing.
SUSIE
It’s a... I met this guy over New
Year’s, at the
hotel. He liked my voice. And, well, it’s...
He
thinks I can sell cat food just singing
about it.
Crazy, huh?
Susie tries to laugh. Jack nods.
SUSIE
I mean, it’s nothing big. Mostly
local stuff
probably.
JACK
Take it.
SUSIE
Well, I haven’t decided. I’m
just thinking about it...
JACK
Take it.
Susie stops, studies Jack’s face.
SUSIE
So how long you been taking care of the
kid
upstairs?
JACK
I don’t take care of her.
SUSIE
Doesn’t look that way to me...
JACK
What’s the difference?
SUSIE
(beat)
Yeah, well, anyway, like I said, I know
Frank’s
got us booked through March.
JACK
Don’t worry about Frank.
SUSIE
What about you?
JACK
What’s that got to do with anything?
SUSIE
Well... nothing. I just mean, I don’t
want to leave
you guys with an empty mike...
JACK
Hey. There’s always another girl.
Susie looks at Jack. His face is unflinching.
SUSIE
(grabbing her coat)
Right. Well... Thanks for the advice.
I’ll think it
over.
As the door slams behind Susie, Jack’s
face changes,
resolve giving in to ambivalence.
125 INT. HILTON OLD AMERICA LOUNGE - NIGHT
(AS IN SC. 38)
As Susie croons, waiters pass by.
SUSIE
“Feelings... Wo wo wo... Feelings...”
126 INT. HILTON BACKSTAGE - NIGHT (AFTER
THE
SHOW)
Susie whips on her coat tensely.
SUSIE
I can't sing it anymore.
FRANK
What?
SUSIE
That song. I can't sing it anymore. I'm
gonna get
sick.
127 INT. HILTON KITCHEN - NIGHT (SAME
TIME)
Frank follows Susie into the kitchen,
where a KID in an
apron is chopping onions.
FRANK
(patiently)
Look, Susie. We talked about this. I told
you why
we...
SUSIE
(stopping)
I'm going to throw up Frank. Do you understand?
I'm going to vomit right into somebody's
Pina
Colada.
FRANK
It's just a song. It's a couple times
a night. Ten
minutes of your life. That's all.
SUSIE
And ten minutes tomorrow night, and ten
minutes
the next night, and the next night. Frank,
I can't
sing that fucking song anymore!
As Susie storms out of the kitchen, the
Kid in the apron
looks over.
APRON
Volare?
128 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE HILTON - NIGHT
Susie comes up alongside Jack.
SUSIE
I’m quitting.
JACK
Congratulations.
SUSIE
As of now.
JACK
Well, if you ever need a recommendation,
let me
know.
SUSIE
Jesus, you’re cold, you know that?
You’re like a
fucking razor blade.
JACK
Careful. You’ll have me thinking
you’re going soft
on me.
Susie stops, looks at him in amazement.
SUSIE
You don’t give a fuck, do you? About
anything.
Jack stops, turns.
JACK
Hey. What do you want from me? You want
me to
tell you to stay? Is that what you’re
looking for?
You want me to get down on my knees and
beg
you to deliver the Baker Boys from doom?
Well,
forget it. We survived for fifteen years
before you
strutted onto the scene, sweetheart. FIFTEEN
YEARS. Two seconds and you’re bawling
like a
two year old. You shouldn’t be wearing
a dress.
You should be wearing a diaper.
SUSIE
Jesus. You and Egghead ARE brothers, aren’t
you?
JACK
Damn straight. And let me tell you something.
Over the years they’ve dropped like
flies in every
fucking hotel in this city, but we’re
still here.
We’ve never held a day job in our
lives. He may
be an easy target, but add it up and you’ll
see;
Frank’s done fine.
SUSIE
Yeah. Frank’s done great. He’s
got the wife, the
kids, the little house in the suburbs.
Meanwhile his
brother’s sitting in a shitty apartment
with a sick
dog, Little Orphan Annie, and a chip on
his
shoulder as big as a Cadillac.
JACK
(tensely)
Listen to me, princess. We fucked twice.
That’s it.
Once the sweat dries, you still don’t
know shit
about me. Got it?
SUSIE
I know one thing. While Frank Baker was
home
putting the kids to sleep last night,
little brother
Jack was out dusting off his dreams for
a few
minutes.
Jack just stares at her.
SUSIE
I was there. I saw it in your face. You’re
full of
shit. You’re a fake. Every time
you walk into
some shitty daiquiri hut, you’re
selling yourself
on the cheap. I know all about that. I
used to find
myself at the end of the night with some
malt ball
mogul, then wake up in the morning and
tell
myself it didn’t matter. You kid
yourself that you
got this empty place inside where you
can put it
all. But do it long enough and all you
are is
empty.
JACK
I didn’t know whores were so philosophical.
SUSIE
At least my brother’s not my pimp.
Susie turns to walk away, then stops
and looks back.
SUSIE
You know I had you pegged for a loser
the first
time I saw you. But I was wrong. You’re
worse.
You’re a coward.
As Susie turns away, we HOLD on Jack.
129 INT. HILTON LOUNGE - THE AMBASSADOR
LOUNGE - NIGHT
The site of Jack and Frank's first night
with Susie. As
busboys move in and out, Jack and Frank
stand with Ray,
the assistant manager.
RAY
Sick? How sick?
FRANK
The flu.
RAY
So she's got a few sniffles.
FRANK
Doctor's orders.
Ray frowns, looks at the two pianos across
the room.
RAY
You got no right springing this on me,
Frankie.
It's unethical.
FRANK
Look, Ray. You want us to pack up, we'll
pack up.
RAY
What am I gonna do? Put a record player
out there?
(exiting)
Bad, Frankie. Bad.
JACK
What're you doing?
FRANK
Just until we find another girl.
JACK
Cancel, Frank.
FRANK
We're in for three weeks solid, Jack.
JACK
Better give her pneumonia.
130 INT. STARFIRE LOUNGE - NIGHT (2 NIGHTS
LATER)
Jack and Frank, onstage. A small crowd.
FRANK
You know, my brother and I have been playing
together, gosh, I don’t know. Jack?
JACK
Thirty-one years.
No response. As Frank clears his throat
nervously,
Jack studies the bored, brutally indifferent
faces of the
people in the lounge.
FRANK
Of course, uh, back then it was, uh, a
little
different. We were just kids. Just about
the only
one who would listen to us was the family
cat,
Cecil. We must’ve shaved three lives
off old
Cecil, huh, Jack?
Frank laughs. His voice, eerily magnified
by the
microphone, is the only sound in the room.
FRANK
Yeah, well, anyway. It’s nice to
be back here at
the Ambassador Lounge, because this place
has
always been a very special place for Jack
and I...
Jack watches a woman dribble her drink
accidentally and
let out a peal of laughter.
FRANK
Why? I guess you could say it’s
just... the people.
As Frank launches into “People,”
Jack watches the
woman wipe her chin, still laughing, and
we --
CUT TO:
131 EXT. CITY STREETS - NIGHT (LATER)
Jack moves down the block, then starts
to slow as he
sees Susie up ahead, standing on the corner,
talking with
a man. She says something to him, laughs,
and the man
gives her a peck on the cheek and walks
away. As she
begins to search her purse, Jack approaches.
Just as her
face comes INTO VIEW, she senses him and
turns,
startled.
Not Susie.
For a moment, he just stares at her.
JACK
Sorry.
132 INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
(LATER)
Jack enters and slams the door. He looks
wired up,
restless. Lighting a cigarette, he flicks
on the TV, gets only
haze, adjusts the antenna, still gets
nothing, then gives it a
pop with his fist... still nothing. Infuriated,
he steps back,
eyes the TV, then gives it a kick with
his foot, sending it
tumbling. He studies it, unsatisfied,
turns to the bookcase,
and clears a shelf with a sweep of his
arms. He looks at
the debris at his feet, sees the “Terry’s
Tap Room” photo
of he and Frank and picks it up, studying
it as he drags on
his cigarette. Sliding behind the piano,
he props the photo
there, and begins to play, searching for
something
interesting, but he’s too distracted.
He stops, tries again,
loses the groove after a few bars and
then begins to pound
the keys furiously in frustration. As
he stops, his eyes shift
to the photograph of he and Frank.
Two skinny kids, smiling goofily.
133 INT./EXT. FRANK’S CAR - NIGHT
As Frank guides the car through the wet
city streets,
Jack cradles a whiskey flask, occasionally
taking a hit.
It’s two A.M. and raining hard.
JACK
We’re not getting paid then.
FRANK
No.
JACK
Nothing. We get nothing.
FRANK
I told you, Jack. It’s a telethon.
No one gets a cent.
JACK
What’s it for?
FRANK
I don’t know. Some disease.
JACK
What disease?
FRANK
I don’t know.
JACK
You don’t know?
FRANK
It’s a disease, Jack. We’re
against it. It’s not a
moral decision.
JACK
What channel’s it on?
FRANK
Seventy-one.
JACK
Seventy-one? What’s seventy-one?
FRANK
(defensively)
A channel. It’s just a little further
down the dial,
that’s all. Look, it’s publicity.
Publicity’s publicity.
Right?
Jack stares at Frank, then takes another
drink.
JACK
Right.
134 INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT
Jerry Lewis need not fear. This is strictly
a tinfoil and
crepe paper operation. In front of a huge
tote board, a kid
in a wheelchair is doing basketball tricks
before the
camera.
FRANK
I’ll see when we’re on.
As Frank leaves, Jack glances around
the studio like he’s
walked into a nightmare. At the phone
bank, a heavyset
MAN in a sweatshirt and cap looks over.
Both the
sweatshirt and the cap have “Earl”
printed on them.
EARL
You the magician?
JACK
No.
EARL
(disappointed)
Oh. What do you do?
Jack points to the pianos across the
room.
JACK
Piano.
EARL
(hopeful)
Two at a time?
JACK
My brother and I. One each.
EARL
(disappointed again)
Oh.
JACK
(indicating the kid in the wheelchair)
What’s wrong with the kid?
EARL
Knee. Tore it up against St. Joseph’s.
Right before
the accident.
JACK
Accident?
EARL
The fire. The way we’re going, we’ll
be lucky to
buy a carton of jockstraps, let alone
a new gym.
As Jack registers this, Earl’s
phone RINGS. Frank
returns and gestures to the kid in the
wheelchair.
FRANK
We’re on after Meadowlark.
JACK
Are you fucking kidding me? Are you fucking
kidding me?
FRANK
What?
JACK
We’re playing for a goddamn gymnasium!
FRANK
(worried)
What?
Just then, the kid in the wheelchair
rolls off and a guy in
a cheap rented tux strides in front of
the camera. He’s
VINCE NANCY, the host.
VINCE
Let’s hear it for our own Jimmy
Marshall, shall
we?
The audience APPLAUDS.
VINCE
As most of you know, young Jimmy put a
nasty
twist on that knee trying to win one for
good ol’
Grant High this year. Luckily, the doctors
tell us
Jimmy’ll be able to play next season.
That is...
if there is a next season.
(Uncle Sam)
That’s where you come in. Pick up
that phone.
Make a donation. Let’s keep our
kids off the
streets and in the gym where they belong.
APPLAUSE.
VINCE
All right. Well, friends, what can I say
about our
next guest?
(consulting a card)
He, uh, they, uh, we are very pleased
to have with
us two of the most respected men in the
musical
entertainment field... The Fabulous Bunker
Boys!
Come on out here, guys.
Vince gestures grandly to the left and
Jack and Frank enter
from the right.
VINCE
Whoops, there they are. Hey, nice suits,
fellas.
(to camera)
Now, I know a lot of you amateur musicians
out
there are going to want to rap with these
guys --
and don’t worry. Right after they
finish up here,
they’re going to be manning the
phones. Maybe
we can even convince them to raffle off
a few
piano lessons if we’re lucky. What
do you think?
The audience APPLAUDS. Jack glares at
Frank.
VINCE
Well all right then. What are we waiting
for?
Take it away, guys.
As Jack and Frank begin to play. As the
music rises, the
studio becomes very quiet, almost still.
Unfortunately,
Jack and Frank are barely though the opening
passage
when a thunderously loud BELL begins to
ring. Suddenly
Vince steps out again.
VINCE
Uh oh. We know what that means, don’t
we? It’s
time to turn the big board over again.
(to Jack, Frank)
I’m afraid you fellas’ll just
have to wait a minute.
All right boys. Bring it out.
Two post-pubescent giants roll out the
tote board -- right
in front of Jack and Frank. Jack looks
homicidal.
FRANK
Jack...
Jack kicks out the piano bench and starts
to leave. Then,
seeing the kid in the wheelchair, he grabs
the basketball
and fires it and Vince.
VINCE
What the...
JACK
(pointing at him)
You’re a fucking creep, you know
that. I oughta
kick your ass.
FRANK
(whispering)
Jack, you’re on television.
JACK
Shut up, Frank.
Earl of the sweatshirt and cap puts his
hand on Jack’s
shoulder.
EARL
What do you say we go for a walk, pal?
JACK
Get your hand off me.
EARL
Come on friend. I can smell it on you.
Get
yourself a cup of coffee. You’ll
forget what
you’re angry about.
JACK
Go fuck yourself.
Earl’s eyes go hard.
EARL
You’re a real tough guy when the
ladies are
around, aren’t you, Ace?
JACK
I don’t see any ladies here. Except
maybe you.
That does it. Earl takes hold of Jack’s
collar and starts
to wrestle him roughly toward the door.
FRANK
Hey, leave him alone.
JACK
(eying Earl’s sweatshirt, cap)
Buy all your clothes at the same place,
Earl?
Earl shoves Jack out of the studio, hard.
Jack stumbles
back, ends up in a heap.
EARL
Who do you think you are, asshole? Liberace?
135 EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jack walks down the street, mindless
of the rain. Frank
follows a few yards behind him.
FRANK
Jack. We just passed the car. JACK. This
is a
tuxedo. Three hundred dollars.
(pause)
You gonna talk to me? Or is this Jack’s
famous
silent act? Look, it was for publicity.
Do you
understand? Publicity.
Jack stops and stares at Frank incredulously.
JACK
What are you? A fucking moron? It’s
three
o’clock in the morning, Frank. Who’s
watching?
Paperboys?
FRANK
Look. I didn’t know when we were
going to be
on until yesterday.
JACK
Basketballs, Frank. You had us playing
for
basketballs.
FRANK
I’m sorry. I should’ve checked
it out. I screwed
up. But that doesn’t mean you walk
out in the
middle of a gig.
JACK
WHAT?
FRANK
It wasn’t professional, Jack.
Jack just stares at Frank, as if looking
at a stranger.
JACK
What’s happened to you, Frank? You
been kissing
ass so long you’re starting to like
it? You let that
guy turn us into clowns tonight. We were
always
small-time, but we were never clowns,
Frank.
What’s happened to your dignity?
FRANK
Dignity? Who the hell are you to talk
about dignity?
Frank steps forward and reaches into
Jack’s coat, coming
away with the whiskey.
FRANK
This where you get your dignity, Jack?
This
where you get your courage?
Jack tries to grab the bottle but Frank
holds it away.
FRANK
No, let’s do it straight for once.
Frank tosses the bottle into the street,
where it
SHATTERS.
FRANK
I want to explain something to you, little
brother.
See, there are people in this world who
depend on
me. I’ve got a wife, and two kids
who expect to
wake up every morning with food on the
table and
heat in the house. I got a mortgage. I
got car
payments. And, oh yeah, I got you. My
little
brother Jack who’s so cool and so
hip and so
fucking sure he’s better than everyone
else. Don’t
you think I’d like to walk up to
one of these
assholes and blow smoke in his face? Goddamn
right I would. But I can’t. I have
to be
responsible, little brother. I have to
make sure the
numbers balance out in my favour at the
end of
each month so everyone can go on living
their
lives. You don’t win medals for
it, but you can be
damn sure you’d all take notice
if I folded up
shop. So don’t talk to me about
dignity, little
brother. You’re drawing on a weak
hand.
Jack stares at Frank through the rain,
then turns and
begins to walk away.
FRANK
Great. Terrific. Walk away. You’re
good at that,
Jack. You never could commit to anything,
even
a conversation.
JACK
Is that what that was? Sounded more like
a speech
to me. Next time save it for the PTA.
FRANK
(beat)
You just had to, didn’t you, Jack?
You couldn’t
keep your cock in your pocket.
Jack stops, glares at Frank.
JACK
Hey. Who I fuck and who I don’t
fuck is none of
your fucking business. Got it?
FRANK
It is when it affects my business.
| 
Spain.
