A New Leaf Page #2

Synopsis: Henry Graham is a man with a problem: he has run through his entire inheritance, and is completely unequipped to provide for himself. His childhood guardian, Uncle Harry (a deliciously mean-spirited James Coco), refuses to give him a dime, and Henry, completely unwilling to exercise the only solution he sees--suicide-- devises a plan with the help of his imaginative butler: he can make money the old-fashioned way--he can marry it. With a temporary loan from Uncle Harry to tide him over, Henry has six weeks to find a bride, marry her, and repay the money, or else he must forfeit all his property to his uncle. With only days remaining, Henry meets clumsy, painfully shy heiress Henrietta Lowell (played by director Elaine May). She's the answer to his prayers--if only Henry can overcome the obstacles placed in his path by Uncle Harry, Henrietta's lawyer, and Henry's own reluctance to wed.
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director(s): Elaine May
Production: Howard W. Koch Productions
  Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
G
Year:
1971
102 min
1,373 Views


And $550 is a relatively

small price to pay ...

for the knowledge that I've

had nothing to do whatsoever ...

with your financial downfall.

You have brought yourself

to penury entirely on your own.

I don't suppose you care

to give me an additional $6,000 ...

and insure yourself against

guilt permanently?

- You're perfect.

- Thank you very much, Mr Beckett.

Do you think my uncle would

lend me some money?

Mr Graham, during the 10 years that

your uncle served as your guardian ...

he confided in me almost daily ...

that he thought your father had placed him

in that position as an act of spite.

I don't think he'll give you a nickel,

Mr Graham.

And considering your gift for

close personal relationships ...

I don't think anyone else will, either.

Thank you very much, Mr Beckett.

Here you are. This will cover the

overdraft of $550 that I owe you.

You will have these, too.

They're non-filter.

Smoke them in good health.

I'm poor.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Oh, Mr Graham, how are you?

Nice to see you.

- What can I do for you, Mr Graham?

- Oh nothing, nothing ... I ...

- Won't you sit down a little bit?

- Thank you. I was looking ... for someone.

- Good afternoon, Mr Graham.

- Henri, a va bien?

I'm fine, thank you. I'm kind of surprised.

We're gonna be ready any minute.

Would you like to have a table for one?

No, no, thank you. I just wanted to ...

look at the room once more.

But it's always great to see you.

You're always welcome here. You know that.

- Just check.

- I'm sorry, Mr Sullivan.

I know nothing more

about your application.

That's alright. I'll come back

tomorrow and check.

- Oh, Mr Graham. Good afternoon, Mr Graham.

- Hello, Arthur.

Were you expecting some mail?

No, no. I just ... dropped in to, er

... see if I was still welcome.

I'm poor.

Go!

- Harold , I should like to ask you something.

- Certainly, sir.

You've been with me

for many years now, Harold.

What would you do if I told you

I had lost all my money?

I should leave immediately, sir,

upon giving the proper notice.

Thank you, Harold. I knew I could

count on a straight answer from you.

Thank you, sir.

You can't top Hart, Schaffner and Marx.

Just stand natural.

It fits perfectly.

It's the best suit you can find in

ready-to-wear.

I'm sorry, Mr Graham.

The racket club does not keep those members

on a trust that worry missing their dues.

Don't waste your time, Mr Graham,

come with me to the Y.

Henry, you're not ... you're not

driving a Chevrolet!?

Oh, no!

I took the liberty, sir.

Oh yes, yes, Harold, bring it in.

I was just about to ring for it.

- Harold, I have something to tell you.

- Is it about your money, sir?

Yes, Harold. I've lost it.

Or, more accurately, spent it.

In any case, it's gone.

I'm sorry to hear that, sir.

Have you considered borrowing

from your uncle?

Yes, it was my first thought.

My attorney advised me against it on

the grounds that it would be useless.

See, the thing of it is, Harold ...

that I have no hope of ever

repaying him, or anyone.

I have no skills,

no resources, no ambitions.

All I am, or was, is rich.

And that's all I ever wanted to be.

I don't understand, Harold.

Why did it happen to me? Why?

I was ... I was so happy.

What will I do?

What any gentleman of similar breeding ...

and temperament would do

in your position, sir.

Suicide?

No, sir. I wasn't going to suggest suicide.

I was going to suggest marriage.

Marriage? You mean to a woman?

Yes, sir. That is what I had in mind.

It's the only way to acquire

property without labor.

There is inheritance, but

I believe your uncle ...

has already stated his intention of leaving

everything he owns to Radio Free Europe.

Oh, I can't, Harold. I couldn't ...

I mean, she'd be there ...

asking me where I've been ...

talking to me ... talking.

I wouldn't be able to bear it.

Well, it was only a suggestion, sir.

But the alternatives ...

are very limited and

unspeakably depressing, sir.

If you do not commit suicide,

sir, you will be poor.

Poor?

Poor in the only real

sense of the word, sir ...

in that you will not be rich.

You will have a little left

if you sold everything but ...

in a country where

every man is what he has ...

he who has very little is nobody very much.

There's no such thing as

genteel poverty here, sir.

How much time do you think I have

before it comes out, Harold?

Hardly any, sir.

You've already received

your third notice ...

from both Con Edison and the

Bell Telephone Company, sir.

At any moment the lights may go out and

the telephone go dead.

And when that happens,

the worst will occur, sir...

your credit rating will be impudent.

My Emeralda Peat.

Thank you.

Oh, do it, sir. Do it, get married, sir.

Take the plunge.

Find a nice suitable young woman, sir.

Borrow enough money from your uncle

to keep up appearances.

Don't become poor, Henry Graham, sir.

Not just for your sake but ...

this is difficult for me to say, sir,

but for mine as well ...

I mean, how many men these days require

the services of a gentleman's gentleman?

How many men have

your devotion to form, sir?

You have managed in

your own lifetime, Mr Graham ...

to keep alive traditions that were dead

before you were born.

Don't give up the fight, sir ...

just because the Philistines are upon thee.

I now respectfully give

two weeks' notice, sir.

Will that be all?

- Yes.

- Thank you, sir.

No, no. Can't. Can't.

Better death or murder.

That's a good idea. Harold!

Harold, that was a good idea.

I'm going to do it, Harold.

I'm going to find a suitable woman

and mur-, er, marry her.

Oh, I'm so glad, sir.

- Shall I dial your uncle for you?

- Yes, please, Harold.

I hope I don't have to grovel too much.

Can I take it your answer is no?

Yes. It's no. You've been an ass, Henry.

Just as your father was an ass, but you

mustn't take that to mean it runs in the family.

Lend you $50,000.

Oh God, what a witty thing to say!

Don't think of it as a loan

but as an investment ...

to be repaid in six weeks

with interest of 10%.

No.

Why not? It's a better return

than you get on any stock.

But you are not a stock, Henry.

You are an aging youth, with no prospect ...

no skills, no character.

What could you possibly do in six weeks ...

that would enable you to repay me?

Get married.

Get what?

Get married.

Get married?

Yes. Get married.

To whom?

Well, I ... I would find a suitable woman.

By "suitable" you mean rich?

Yes, as far as marriage is concerned ...

You see, as far as marriage is ...

As far as marriage is concerned,

I do have prospects.

I even have skills, to the extent that

I'm not physically disabled.

No.

I'm reasonably well-mannered.

And I can engage in

any romantic activity ...

with an urbanity born of disinterest.

As for character ...

that is something I usually

require of servants ...

- We are talking about character.

- Yes, character.

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes

Elaine May

Elaine Iva May (née Berlin; born April 21, 1932) is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and comedienne. She made her initial impact in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols, performing as Nichols and May. After her duo with Nichols ended, May subsequently developed a career as a director and screenwriter. Her screenwriting has been twice nominated for the Academy Award, for Heaven Can Wait (1978) and the Nichols-directed Primary Colors (1998). May is celebrated for the string of films she directed in the 1970s: her 1971 black comedy A New Leaf, in which she also starred; her 1972 dark romantic comedy The Heartbreak Kid; and her 1976 gritty drama Mikey and Nicky, starring John Cassavetes and Peter Falk. In 1996, she reunited with Nichols to write the screenplay for The Birdcage, directed by Nichols. After studying acting with theater coach Maria Ouspenskaya in Los Angeles, she moved to Chicago in 1955 and became a founding member of the Compass Players, an improvisational theater group. May began working alongside Nichols, who was also in the group, and together they began writing and performing their own comedy sketches, which were enormously popular. In 1957 they both quit the group to form their own stage act, Nichols and May, in New York. Jack Rollins, who produced most of Woody Allen's films, said their act was "so startling, so new, as fresh as could be. I was stunned by how really good they were."They performed nightly to mostly sold-out shows, in addition to making TV appearances and radio broadcasts. In their comedy act, they created satirical clichés and character types which made fun of the new intellectual, cultural, and social order that was just emerging at the time. In doing so, she was instrumental in removing the stereotype of women being unable to succeed at live comedy. Together, they became an inspiration to many younger comedians, including Lily Tomlin and Steve Martin. After four years, at the height of their fame, they decided to discontinue their act. May became a screenwriter and playwright, along with acting and directing. Their relatively brief time together as comedy stars led New York talk show host Dick Cavett to call their act "one of the comic meteors in the sky." Gerald Nachman noted that "Nichols and May are perhaps the most ardently missed of all the satirical comedians of their era." more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "A New Leaf" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Aug. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/a_new_leaf_1982>.

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