All About Eve Page #20

---

GROUP, they watch for an instant.

MARGO:

There goes Eve. Eve evil, Little

Miss Evil. But the evil that men do,

how does it go, groom? Something

about the good they leave behind - I

played it once in rep in Wilkes

Barre...

BILL:

You've got it backwards. Even for

Wilkes-Barre.

MARGO:

You know why I forgive Eve? Because

she's left good behind - the four of

us, together like this, it's Eve's

fault - I forgive her...

Karen's reactions are, of course, most important. Knowing

what she's done to Margo - wondering how to do what she must.

MARGO:

...and Bill. Especially Bill. Eve

did that, too.

LLOYD:

You know, she probably means well,

after all...

MARGO:

She is a louse.

BILL:

(to Lloyd)

Never try to outguess Margo.

MARGO:

Groom.

BILL:

Yes, dear.

MARGO:

You know what I'm going to be?

BILL:

A cowboy.

MARGO:

A married lady.

BILL:

With the paper to prove it.

MARGO:

I'm going to have a home. Not just a

house I'm afraid to stay in... and

a man to go with it. I'll look up at

six o'clock - and there he'll be...

remember, Karen?

KAREN:

(quietly)

I remember.

MARGO:

(to Bill)

You'll be there, won't you.

BILL:

(grins)

Often enough to keep the franchise.

MARGO:

A foursquare, upright, downright,

forthright married lady... that's

for me. And no more make believe!

Off stage or on... remember, Lloyd.

(LLOYD NODS)

I mean it, now. Grown-up women only,

I might even play a mother - only

one child, of course, not over

eight...

(they all smile)

Lloyd, will you promise not to be

angry with me?

LLOYD:

(smiles)

That depends.

MARGO:

I mean really, deeply angry...

LLOYD:

I don't think I could be.

MARGO:

Well. I don't want to play "Cora."

KAREN:

(explodes)

What?

Margo misinterprets her vehemence.

MARGO:

(hastily)

Now wait a minute, you're always so

touchy about his plays, it isn't the

part - it's a great part. And a fine

play. But not for me anymore - not a

foursquare, upright, downright,

forthright married lady.

LLOYD:

What's your being married got to do

with it?

MARGO:

It means I've finally got a life to

live! I don't have to play parts I'm

too old for - just because I've got

nothing to do with my nights!

(then quietly)

I know you've made plans. I'll make

it up to you, believe me. I'll tour

a year with this one, anything -

only you do understand - don't you,

Lloyd?

Lloyd never gets to answer. Because Karen, before anyone can

stop her, bursts into hysterical laughter...

LLOYD:

What's so funny?

KAREN:

Nothing...

BILL:

Nothing?

KAREN:

Everything... everything's so funny...

Margo removes the champagne glass from in front of Karen...

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. THEATER - CURRAN THEATER - DAY

Karen is seated unobtrusively in a rear lower box. Lloyd

sits beside Max up front.

On stage, the play is "on its feet." Eve plays a dramatic

scene with a young man. They carry "sides" but do not consult

them.

As she speaks, Eve moves upstage, turns to face the young

man who is forced to turn his back to the auditorium.

Bill calls a halt. He indicates to Eve that she was to have

remained downstage.

Eve seems to be at a loss. She looks at Lloyd.

Lloyd rises, says that he told her to make the change.

Bill comes down to the footlights to tell him to stick to

writing, he'll do the directing. It mounts swiftly to a

screaming fight. Bill throws the script out into the

auditorium, takes his coat and stalks off.

Eve runs after him. Max retrieves the script. Lloyd remains

adamant. Karen has risen in dismay.

Eve drags Bill back. Without looking at Lloyd, he takes the

script from Max, tells the actors to pick up where they left

off.

Eve whispers to Lloyd from the stage. Lloyd smiles, mollified,

sits down again with Max.

Karen walks up the side aisle, out of the theater...

KAREN'S VOICE

Lloyd never got around, somehow - to

asking me whether it was all right

with me for Eve to play "Cora"...

Bill, oddly enough, refused to direct

the play at first with Eve in it.

Lloyd and Max finally won him over...

Margo never came to a rehearsal, too

much to do around the house, she

said. I'd never known Bill and Lloyd

to fight as bitterly and as often...

and always over some business for

Eve, or a move or the way she read a

speech... but then I'd never known

Lloyd to meddle as much with Bill's

directing - as far as it affected

Eve, that is... somehow, Eve kept

them going. Bill stuck it out - and

Lloyd seemed happy - and I thought

it might be best if I skipped

rehearsals from then on...

INT. RICHARDS' BEDROOM - NIGHT

It is a lovely, large room. Two double beds, not alongside

each other and each with an extension phone beside it. In

addition to the door to the living room, there are two more -

to separate dressing rooms and baths. Lloyd is asleep. But

not Karen. She turns restlessly, finally sits up, lights a

cigarette.

KAREN'S VOICE

It seemed to me I had known always

that it would happen - and here it

was. It felt helpless, that

helplessness you feel when you have

no talent to offer - outside of loving

your husband. How could I compete?

Everything Lloyd loved about me, he

had gotten used to long ago...

The phone jangles suddenly, startling her. It wakes Lloyd

up.

Karen answers.

KAREN:

Hello... who?... who's calling Mr.

Richards?

INT. ROOMING HOUSE - NIGHT

A girl, in a wrapper, at a wall phone. Her hair's in curlers.

She's frightened.

GIRL:

My name wouldn't mean anything. I

room across the hall from Eve

Harrington, and she isn't well.

She's been crying all night and

hysterical, and she doesn't want a

doctor...

RICHARDS' BEDROOM, Lloyd is sitting on the edge of the bed,

looking over...

LLOYD:

Who is it? What's it all about?

KAREN:

(into phone)

Did Miss Harrington tell you to call

Mr. Richards?

Lloyd picks up his phone.

ROOMING HOUSE:

GIRL:

No, Eve didn't say to call him, but

I remembered I saw Mr. Richards with

her a couple of times - and I thought

they being such good friends...

RICHARDS' BEDROOM

LLOYD:

(into phone)

Hello... hello, this is Lloyd

Richards. Where is Eve? Let me talk

to her-

ROOMING HOUSE:

GIRL:

She's up in her room, Mr. Richards.

I really hate to bother you like

this, but the way Eve's been feeling -

I'm just worried sick what with her

leaving for New Haven tomorrow, and

everything...

RICHARDS' BEDROOM

LLOYD:

Tell her not to worry - tell her

I'll be right over.

ROOMING HOUSE:

GIRL:

I'll tell her, Mr. Richards.

She hangs up. As she moves from the phone, the ANGLE WIDENS

to disclose Eve at the foot of the stairs. The girls smile

at each other. They go upstairs, arm in arm.

RICHARDS' BEDROOM, Karen is still in bed, phone still in her

hand. She hangs up, swings her legs out, puts out her

cigarette, gets into a robe. The open door and light of the

dressing room tell us where Lloyd is.

Karen walks to the door, starts to say something, changes

her mind. She crosses to a table, lights a fresh cigarette,

comes back to the door.

KAREN:

(finally)

Aren't you... broadening the duties

of a playwright just a bit? Rushing

off in the middle of the night like

a country doctor?

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote