All About Eve Page #2

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EVE'S HANDS:
Lovely, beautifully groomed. In serene repose,

they rest between a demi-tasse cup and an exquisite small

evening cup.

AGED ACTOR:

Such young hands. Such a young lady.

Young in years, but whose heart is

as old as the Theater...

Addison's eyes narrow quizzically as he listens. Then, slowly,

he turns to look at Karen...

AGED ACTOR:

Some of us a privileged to know her.

We have seen beyond the beauty

and artistry-

Karen never ceases her thoughtful pat-a-cake with the crumbs.

AGED ACTOR:

-that have made her name resound

through the nation. We know her

humility. Her devotion, her loyalty

to her art.

Addison's glance moves from Karen to Margo.

AGED ACTOR:

Her love, her deep and abiding love

for us-

Margo's face is a mask. She looks down at the drink which

she cradles with both hands.

AGED ACTOR:

for what we are and what we do. The

Theater. She has had one wish, one

prayer, one dream. To belong to us.

(he's nearing his

curtain line)

Tonight her dream has come true.

And henceforth we shall dream the

same of her.

(a slight pause)

Honored members, ladies and gentlemen -

for distinguished achievement in the

Theater - the Sarah Siddons Award to

Miss Eve Harrington.

The entire room is galvanized into sudden and tumultuous

applause. Some enthusiastic gentlemen rise to her feet...

Flash bulbs start popping about halfway down the table of

the Aged Actor's left...

Eve rises - beautiful, radiant, poised, exquisitely gowned.

She stands in simple and dignified response to the ovation.

A dozen photographers skip, squat, and dart about like water

bugs. Flash bulbs pop and pop and pop...

THE WAITERS applaud enthusiastically...

AGED ACTOR, Award in hand, he beams at her...

EVE smiles sweetly to her left, then to her right...

MAX has come to. He applauds lustily.

ADDISON's applauding too, more discreetly.

MARGO, not applauding. But you sense no deliberate slight,

merely an impression that as she looks at Eve her mind is on

something else...

KAREN, nor is she applauding. But her gaze is similarly fixed

on Eve in a strange, faraway fashion.

ADDISON, still applauding, his eyes flash first at Margo and

then at Karen. Then he directs them back to Eve. He smiles

ever so slightly.

The applause has continued unabated. EVE turns now, and moves

gracefully toward the Aged Actor. She moves through applauding

ladies and gentlemen; from below the flash bulbs keep

popping...

As she nears her goal, the Ages Actor turns to her. He holds

out the award. Her hand reaches out for it. At that precise

moment - with the award just beyond her fingertips - THE

PICTURE HOLDS, THE ACTION STOPS. The SOUND STOPS.

ADDISON'S VOICE

Eve. Eve, the Golden Girl. The cover

girl, the girl next door, the girl

on the moon... Time has been good to

Eve, Life goes where she goes - she's

been profiled, covered, revealed,

reported, what she eats and when and

where, whom she knows and where she

was and when and where she's going...

ADDISON has stopped applauding, he's sitting forward, staring

intently at Eve... his narration continues unbroken.

ADDISON'S VOICE

...Eve. You all know all about Eve...

what can there be to know that you

don't know...?

As he leans back, the APPLAUSE FADES IN as tumultuous as

before. Addison's look moves slowly from Eve to Karen.

KAREN, she leans forward now, her eyes intently on Eve. Her

lovely face FILLS THE SCREEN as the APPLAUSE FADES ONCE MORE -

as she thinks back:

KAREN'S VOICE

When was it? How long? It seems a

lifetime ago. Lloyd always said that

in the Theater a lifetime was a

season, and a season a lifetime.

It's June now. That was - early

October... only last October. It was

a drizzly night, I remember I asked

the taxi to wait...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. NEW YORK THEATER STREET - NIGHT

Traffic is not heavy, the shows have broken some half-hour

before. The rain is just a drizzle.

There are other theaters on the street; display lights are

being extinguished. Going out just as Karen's taxi pulls up

is:
MARGO CHANNING in 'AGED IN WOOD'. The marquis display

below includes "Max Fabian Presents" and "By Lloyd Richards."

The taxi comes to a stop at the alley. Karen can be seen

through the closed windows telling the driver to wait. Then

she gets out. She takes a step, hesitates, then looks about

curiously:

KAREN'S VOICE

Where was she? Strange... I had become

so accustomed to seeing her there

night after night - I found myself

looking for a girl I'd never spoken

to, wondering where she was...

She smiles a little at her own romanticism, puts her head

own and makes her way into the alley.

EXT. ALLEY - CURRAN THEATER - NIGHT

Karen moves toward the stage door. She passes a recess in

the wall - perhaps an exit - about halfway.

EVE'S VOICE

(softly)

Mrs. Richards...

Karen hesitates, looks. Eve is barely distinguishable in the

shadow of the recess. Karen smiles, waits. Eve comes out. A

gooseneck light above them reveals her...

She wears a cheap trench coat, low-heeled shoes, a rain hat

stuck on the back of her head... Her large, luminous eyes

seem to glow up at Karen in the strange half-light.

KAREN:

So there you are. It seemed odd,

suddenly, your not being there...

EVE:

Why should you think I wouldn't be?

KAREN:

Why should you be? After all, six

nights a week - for weeks - of

watching even Margo Channing enter

and leave a theater-

EVE:

I hope you don't mind my speaking to

you...

KAREN:

Not at all.

EVE:

I've seen you so often - it took

every bit of courage I could raise-

KAREN:

(smiles)

To speak to just a playwright's wife?

I'm the lowest form of celebrity...

EVE:

You're Margo Channing's best friend.

You and your husband are always with

her - and Mr. Sampson... what's he

like?

KAREN:

(grins)

Bill Sampson? He's - he's a director.

EVE:

He's the best.

KAREN:

He'll agree with you. Tell me, what

do you do between the time Margo

goes in and comes out? Just huddle

in that doorway and wait?

EVE:

Oh, no. I see the play.

KAREN:

(incredulous)

You see the play? You've seen the

play every performance?

(Eve nods)

But, don't you find it - I mean apart

from everything else - don't you

find it expensive?

EVE:

Standing room doesn't cost much. I

manage.

Karen contemplates Eve. Then she takes her arm.

KAREN:

I'm going to take you to Margo...

EVE:

(hanging back)

Oh, no...

KAREN:

She's got to meet you-

EVE:

No, I'd be imposing on her, I'd be

just another tongue-tied gushing

fan...

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