A Face in the Crowd Page #6

again... Fellas, come on.

Here's a little song

to remember me by.

Give me an "E"...

(sings)

Well, good-bye, Mr. Luffler,

and thanks for the ride...

I'd like to have your money,

but I'd rather have my pride.

On this corny old commercial

we just cannot agree...

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so you can tear up my contract...

make a free man of me!

Going to be...

(audience calls out the phrase “free man” each time he sings it)

a free man in the morning...

a free man in the morning...

a free man in the morning...

Or know the reason why.

(Cut to Luffler in his office, watching. He presses the intercom)

SECRETARY:

Yes, Mr. Luffler.

LUFFLER:

Get me my lawyer.

(CUT TO:
Lonesome with suitcase and guitar in hallway outside MARCIA’S

hotel room. He bangs once on the door)

MARCIA:

Yeah -- Who is it?

LONESOME:

It’s me, Lonesome.

Larry.

Uh, I thought I’d say good-bye.

MARCIA:

Just a minute. (gets her robe)

LONESOME:

I just wanted to say

I'm gonna hit the road.

MARCIA:

Where to?

LONESOME:

What’s the difference?

For Mr. Luffler.

He wants to fire me unless I promise to

show him my scripts in advance. Psssh!

35

There ain't no script,

I'm just me. It WAS me.

MARCIA:

Stay. Even after what you

did for Mrs Tooley?

LONESOME:

No, I'm not my brother's keeper.

MARCIA:

You are and you don't know it.

LONESOME:

No, I don't kowtow to

no mattress company.

See you in jail, sometime.

We shook them up a little bit.

Had a run for our money. (He walks away.)

MARCIA:
(calls after him)

Larry.

You come here. (He does, and she grabs his shirt and kisses him. He

drops the suitcase and grabs her.

LONESOME:

Did I call you a cold fish,

Marcia?

Marcia...

it’s short for marshmallow.

My marshmallow. (they kiss in the doorway)

BELLBOY (to a couple he’s leading past them to their

room)

This way, please.

(The woman looks back and Marcia and Lonesome go into her room.)

CUT to street outrside Luffler’s office – people with picket signs –

WE’LL SLEEP ON THE FLOOR WITH LONESOME, yelling, police trying to keep

order. Joey is watching out the window, with a big grin on his face

SECRETARY:

Joey, the boss wants you.

36

JOEY:
(about the scene in the street)

That’s terrible.

(Joey goes into Luffler’s office)

LUFFLER’S ASSISTANT:

Mr. Luffler, since you hired

Lonesome Rhodes...

up to and including yesterday,

our sales have increased 55 º/º.

LUFFLER:

I smell smoke.

(He is being burned in effigy on the sidewalk below his office window.)

LUFFLER’S ASSISTANT:

I know he's hurt your feelings, but

as a merchandise man I must say...

LUFFLER :

You’ve made your point

LUFFLER’S ASSISTANT:

that a 55 º/º jump in sales

is quite a painkiller.

LUFFLER:

I'll think it over.

JOEY:

You called for me, Mr. Luffler?

LUFFLER:

Yes. (calling after advisers)

I can always get him back!

(Gives Joey some papers)

Those are for the credit department.

JOEY:

Yes, sir.

LUFFLER:

37

Joey...

You're a smart lad.

Do you think I acted hasty

in the firing?

JOEY:

If it were my product, I wouldn't let anyone

ridicule it.

SECRETARY:

Mr. Luffler…

LUFFLER:

Now what?

SECRETARY:

Your wife on one.

` LUFFLER:
(into phone)

Yes, dear?

Would you mind

your own business dear?

and would you tell the Ladies' Garden

Club to mind its own business?

(Joey goes to outer office)

JOEY:

(gives the papers to a woman) Credit department. (to Luffler’s

secretary) Get me Browning,Schlegel and McNally in New York.

Don't worry, it’s kosher, Mr. Luffler

gave me a message for them.

SECRETARY:

Do you know the number?

JOEY:

It’s the biggest ad agency

in New York.

Browning, Schlegel and McNally.

Try Information.

(Cut to switchboard in New York City)

38

RECEPTIONIST:

Browning, Schlegel and McNally.

Long distance from Memphis?

Just a moment.

A Mr. Joseph De Palma, from Memphis.

He represents Lonesome Rhodes.

(Cut to TV executive’s office)

TV EXECUTIVE:

It’s a crazy business we're in.

This is about some joker called

Lonesome Rhodes on a local Memphis...

(He looks at papers)

Hey, he topped both CBS and NBC

down there.

(into phone) Hello. Mr. De Palma?

JOEY:

Hello, I just thought I oughta

let you know that Lonesome Rhodes

is being flooded with offers. Uh huh – yeah.

If you happen to be interested,

five o'clock is our deadline. Uh huh.

Right.

I'll call you back at five.

TV EXECUTIVE:

Five. Well, pleasure, baby.

SECRETARY:

I caught that show on my vacation.

He's a living doll.

TV EXECUTIVE:

Well, Could be.

(Cut to Luffler’s office)

JOEY (to Luffler’s secretary)

EBD and O, in New York City.

(CUT TO the hotel in Memphis, as Mel comes whistling down the hall)

MEL:
(knocking on Marcia’s door)

Marcia.

39

Marcia?

Marcia, you told me to pick you up

in time for the show.

(Mel sees Lonesome’s suitcase on the floor outside her door. Joey comes

rushing down the hall)

JOEY:

Oh, hey, hey, have you seen Lonesome?

MEL:

You may find him in there.

JOEY:

Where? here? (bangs on door)

(going to Marcia’s door)

Oh, you mean in here?

MEL:

Wait a minute, sir, I wouldn't barge in there

if I were you.

JOEY:
(pounding on the door)

I'm not you.

Hey, hey, Lonesome!

Lonesome, boy, hey!

LONESOME:

Yeah, yeah, who is it?

JOEY:

It’s destiny, that’s who it is. It’s your destiny!

LONESOME:

What the – what the …

40

JOEY:
(comes into the room; Marcia is nowhere in

sight)

Honey child, I sold your show.

(He kisses Loesome’s face repeatedly)

lONESOME:

To who?

JOEY:

To the big time.

Ever hear of Browning, Scnagel and McNally?

No, You wouldn't know it.

THE advertising company.

Boy, I got them bidding against

the Cutler Agency, MCA...

LONESOME:

MC who?

JOEY:

… and anout a dozen others you won't know.

Now look...

BSNM wants you for the Vita Jex Hour

Eight o'clock, coast to coast.

I told them we'd let them know

at 1700 hours.

Boy, I tell you,

we're on to New York.

LONESOME:
(excited)

We are?

JOEY:

They asked me if you had a New York

agent. Would you like to meet your New York agent? (extends his hand)

LONESOME:

HA!

A bum out of jail in Pickett,

Arkansas...

and a Memphis office boy! Hey! (starts to sing:

(He sings)

I’m a roving gambler,

Ramble all around,

Whenever I see a deck of cards,

I lay my money down!

JOEY:

41

Go, baby!

(They dance and caper)

Yes, sir! Go, daddy-o!

Hey, will you sign this?

Will you sign this?

LONESOME:

Oh, yes, I’ll sign. (He does. Fade to black)

(CUT TO:
Advertising Agency Office in New York City)

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