A Double Life Page #7

too, for a minute.

Turned out he'd been out

all night that night.

Yes?

With his leading lady.

His wife.

Used to be.

I know. We checked

the whole deal

with her maid.

Well, that's that.

Why don't I mind

my own business?

Sorry to have troubled you.

No trouble.

Sugar? Cream?

Neat.

Nothing seems

to improve it any.

Would you rather

have something else?

No. This is fine,

thank you.

All right. How long

will you be gone?

Uh, I don't know.

Poor Max is in a tough spot.

Tony wants him to fire me, but?

Well, I'll take a vacation.

Maybe it'll all

blow over in a little while.

We'll miss you.

Speak for yourself,

Lady.

All right, then.

I'll miss you.

Thank you.

Bill.

Yes?

Oh, Bill, I won't try

to explain Tony to you.

It's too long, too complex,

but try to understand.

There is a kind of

an emotional illness

that comes over him

sometimes like this.

He's a good man, really.

I know.

When he acts for

a long stretch of time?

You know how he probes

and probes, and...

He seems to release

feelings and imaginings

that aren't his own at all,

like this sick jealousy.

It isn't like him.

No.

But why on earth

he should suspect you?

One reason.

What?

Because he knows what I feel.

Bill.

Yes?

Bill, have you ever?

No.

Never a word to him or from him?

But he knows, Brita.

The same instinct that

makes him a great actor

makes him know, makes him...

feel, somehow, my love for you

in the surrounding air.

It's time you knew anyway.

I don't know what to say.

Well, think of something

in a few weeks. I'll?

I'll be back in a few weeks.

Forgive me.

I don't know what I'm doing.

All this tea, I guess.

Good-bye, Brita.

Oh, Bill.

Yes?

Oh... Bill.

I know what to expect.

I know how it is

with you and him.

Oh, no, you don't.

We hardly know ourselves.

Whenever we meet,

we row.

The other night, for instance,

I tried so hard to make friends.

It ended with a door slam.

Yet in the morning,

I found him here.

He had come back somehow.

Not the first time.

He's always wandering off

in his lonely way.

He needs someone,

but I'm sure

I'm not the one.

Sure.

Bill?

Thank you.

Thank you for standing by.

Good-bye, Brita.

Good-bye.

Draw two, John.

Good.

Good.

Good.

You speaking to me?

No, but thanks a million.

Had a few, huh?

Mind your business.

Everybody's always yapping

at everybody.

What a world!

Nate?

Bill.

Listen, I, uh,

I need a girl for a job.

Very special.

Must be about 5'4",

blond, buxom,

blue-eyed.

You got that?

Fine.

All right, now, Oscar Bernard's?

Yeah. You know, the wig place.

It'll be ready Saturday.

Well, what's the job?

Well, I want to get

one of these girls

to look like this.

Oh, excuse me.

Excuse me.

All right, girls,

sit down.

Uh, I could get it

any color you want.

Hmm, look at these eyebrows,

Oscar.

Yeah. Heavylike,

makes her look hard and tough.

Now, I don't know,

it may be the photo.

Take this one?

Now, here she looks

kinda soft and sweet,

ingenue type.

Oh, well, I understudied

inclaudia.

No. You're letting

the blond hair throw you.

You can tell better

by the mouth, see?

Sensuous, sexy.

Did you see me

in the rugged path?

Hmm? No.

The sister-in-law?

Oh, yes.

Would you come in now, dear?

Just have a seat

out there, honey.

Sandra Michaelson.

Fine.

I-- I do imitations.

I'll bet.

Now, if she had eyes

like the other one?

Oh, I understudied

inclaudia.

Fine.

Let me play around

and see what I can do.

You think you can

work something out?

Oh, sure.

This is nothing.

Phone in the back?

Help yourself.

Why?

It makes me bilious, that's why.

Because you drink it

with cream, that's why.

With milk.

That's why

it makes you bilious.

Milk.

Hello, Tony.

Bill.

Man:
Can I borrow

your scissors?

Fine.

Oh. Oh, Tony,

Forget it.

Well, no, it's just that

I'm leaving town tomorrow,

and there are a few loose ends

I'd like to

straighten out with you.

Well, like the drama

league broadcast,

and, uh, that postpiece.

Yes.

How about around 5:00?

Frank's bar all right?

Fine.

See you then.

Fine.

Without anything,

it's too bitter,

like medicine.

In the highest-class

places,

you'll see them drinking it

without anything.

Plain black.

So how do you know

it don't make them bilious?

I didn't say it didn't.

It's a question of habit.

Captain Bonner, please.

These are the earrings.

Fine.

Say, honey...

Would you ask

that new girl back there

sure, and one of these days,

don't forget me.

I don't get up to this part

of town very often.

It's lively.

It may be even livelier

in a few minutes.

What do you got against the guy?

Nothing.

Believe me, not a thing.

I just think he's dangerous.

I saw him once.

It was something

about coal mines.

Wasn't he in that?

The earth below.

Yes.

Yeah, that was it.

He was fine.

Here we go.

Hello, Tony.

What'll you have?

Oh, nothing, thanks.

Coffee?

Yeah, all right.

Your order been taken?

No, miss.

Sugar. No cream.

Man:
Great little

juggling act you got there.

All right.

All right.

The noise around this joint.

Look, Bill,

I'll talk to you later

at the theater.

Well?

You got something there,

but I'll be doggoned

if I know what it is.

That isn't enough?

We can't seem to link it.

It's a long way from here

to Mulberry street.

A nickel on the subway.

Let's go down.

Soon be over,

Tony boy.

Soon be over.

Amen.

Tired?

You don't suppose

they'd go home now,

do you,

if we asked them nicely?

No.

They'd want their money back.

They're welcome.

I just can't face it tonight.

There's nothing left.

Oh, Tony.

Tony.

Oh, you.

Tony?

Come on.

There you are.

Take a deep breath.

That's good.

All right.

I've reached the nightmare stage.

I had one the other night.

It was about this very scene.

Tony.

It was awful!

Come on.

Man:
Places, please.

Come on, now.

That's it.

Don't be surprised

if I don't come on.

You'll come on all right.

That's it.

Peekaboo.

Man:
Curtain going up.

Come on.

One for the money,

I'm more interested

in what her friends

look like,

if you know what I mean.

Well, uh, was just 2 I seen.

One was small but chunky.

She said he was

a fine dancer, but?

How tall?

No more.

Who else?

Well, that old guy

with the little beard

I told you about.

He must've been

a relative, I think.

No, that's not him either.

Wait a minute.

Make-up.

Well, he might've

fixed himself up.

What'd he look like,

the beard guy?

Oh, skinny,

big eyes with glasses,

never no haircut.

How old?

This...

This-- this anything like it?

No, nothing like that.

What's the matter?

I don't know this guy, but I got a feeling

I seen him somewhere before.

Around the eyes, something.

What about this?

I don't know.

Think.

Wait a second.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I seen him.

He came in once.

Just once, late,

made a date with Pat.

I found out the next day.

I remember because I got sore.

Yeah.

I'm sure that's the guy.

We're getting close

now, boy.

Rate this script:4.0 / 2 votes