All the King's Men Page #12

JACK:

(voice over)

Will I find anything, Judge? Will I?

I didn't find it all at once. It

takes a long time to go through old

courthouse records and musty deeds...

a very long time. But it wasn't too

hard for me. I was well trained in

research, especially this kind.

He pulls out a file.

JACK:

(voice over)

I found what I didn't want to find.

He takes the file back to the clerk.

JACK:

Have some photostat copies made of

these. I'll be back tomorrow for

them.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Jack's Hotel Bedroom, Day

Jack is lying on his bed, looking over the documents that

relate to the Judge. He looks haggard and worried. There is

a knock on the door. Jack doesn't answer; the knock is

repeated.

JACK:

Who is it?

SADIE'S VOICE

It's me, Sadie Burke.

JACK:

Wait a minute.

He hides the documents under his pillow.

JACK:

All right, come in.

She comes in, sniffs the air.

SADIE:

Phew! Awful lot of smoke. Awful lot

of whisky. You sober?

JACK:

Stone.

SADIE:

I'll have one with you.

(starts tidying up

the room)

What are you hiding out for?

JACK:

I'm not. I've been sleeping.

SADIE:

For four days? You've been back in

town for four days.

JACK:

Willie knows everything.

SADIE:

Willie's worried about his boy.

JACK:

Willie's boy is worried about Willie's

boy.

SADIE:

Well, why don't you put something on

the phonograph -- a low-down, mean

blues. Play it over and over again

until you're sick of it. Then crack

it and go back to work.

(sits down)

I do it all the time.

JACK:

That's not my problem.

SADIE:

No, it isn't your problem.

(gets up again)

I'll wait for you if you want to

powder your nose.

Jack goes into the bathroom.

JACK:

I'll be with you in a minute.

Sadie wanders around. She goes to the dresser, upon which is

a photograph of Anne Stanton. She picks up the picture and

places it so she can see it in the mirror and compare it

with her own reflection.

SADIE:

Hmmm. Yeah, I can see it. I've got

to look in the mirror to be able to

see it. Soft, white skin... not like

mine.

(runs her hand across

her cheeks)

I had smallpox when I was a kid.

Where I lived it seemed nearly all

the kids had smallpox...

Jack watches her through the open bathroom door.

SADIE:

It leaves your face hard. Then she's

got poise. Look at the way she holds

her head... at just the right angle.

That takes training. That takes years

of training...

Jack, towel in hand, comes out and stands behind her. He

looks at her in the mirror, puzzled.

SADIE:

I see what Willie sees. Willie's got

big ideas, Jack.

JACK:

What do you mean?

SADIE:

A girl like that could be a governor's

wife. Or even a President's.

JACK:

What are you talking about?

SADIE:

He ditched Lucy, he ditched me, and

he'll ditch you.

JACK:

(shaking her)

Answer me!

SADIE:

He'll ditch everybody in the whole

world because that's what Willie

wants. Nobody in the world but him.

JACK:

What are you talking about?

SADIE:

You and your high-tone friends. What

do they know? What do they know about

anything? Why did you have to mix

her in?

JACK:

You're crazy, Sadie. You're out of

your mind.

SADIE:

Am I? Well, why don't you go down

and ask her. Or ask him. Ask Willie.

JACK:

Shut up!

SADIE:

Go ahead, ask him.

JACK:

Shut up!

SADIE:

Ask him!

He slaps her hard.

SADIE:

Ow-oo... oh... oh.

She starts to laugh.

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Football Field, Day

A football team is practicing on the field. Willie watches

from the bench. A player kicks the ball and Tom misses it.

Jack walks over to Willie.

JACK:

He's off today.

WILLIE:

It's only practice. He'll be all

right tomorrow... You been gone a

long time, Jack.

JACK:

Yeah. I figured if you needed me

you'd yell.

WILLIE:

Why'd you lay around the hotel?

JACK:

Thinking.

WILLIE:

About what?

JACK:

Things.

WILLIE:

What did you find on the Judge?

JACK:

Nothing.

WILLIE:

You sure you didn't find anything on

the Judge?

JACK:

Yeah, I'm sure.

WILLIE:

You're going to keep trying, aren't

you?

JACK:

If you want me to.

WILLIE:

I want you to. There's something

else I want you to do too.

JACK:

What? Bucket boy? Towel slinger?

What?

WILLIE:

(looks at him closely)

What's eating you, Jack?

JACK:

(avoiding it)

What else do you want me to do?

WILLIE:

If you've got something on your mind,

boy, spit it out. We've been together

too long to play games.

JACK:

What do you want me to do?

WILLIE:

I hear your pal Adam Stanton turned

down the job as director of the

hospital. That's bad. Especially at

a time like this.

JACK:

Oh? How did you hear it?

WILLIE:

Why? What difference does it make?

JACK:

I just wanted to know.

WILLIE:

I heard it around.

JACK:

(insistent)

How did you hear he turned it down,

Willie?

Out on the field the boys have stopped playing and are huddled

around the coach.

WILLIE:

I'll be right back, Jack. I want to

see what's happening here.

He goes over to the group on the field. The coach is talking

to Tom.

COACH:

You going to practice the way I tell

you.

TOM:

I'm going to do it the way I want to

do it.

Willie comes up to them.

WILLIE:

Tom, come here. What's going on here?

COACH:

I don't care if he is your son,

Governor... No special rules for

him.

TOM:

It doesn't make any difference to me

either way... whether I play or not.

WILLIE:

Well, it does to me.

(to coach)

What do you want him to do?

COACH:

To behave himself. Like the rest of

the boys. Four times this season

he's broken training. He comes on

the practice field half potted.

WILLIE:

Tom, you're going to have to obey

the rules. Do you hear me? You're

going to obey the rules.

TOM:

I put 'em across, don't I? Every

Saturday I put 'em across and I can

still do it, drunk or sober. That's

all you want, isn't it... for me to

put 'em across so you can big-shot

it around? Isn't that all you want?

He walks away.

WILLIE:

Tom!

(to coach)

He's a little high-strung.

(goes after Tom)

Tom, come here. Tom!

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Highway, Foggy Day

Sign in foreground reads: WILLIE STARK HIGHWAY U.S. 56. A

car swerves around a bend and careens down the highway.

Tom and his girl friend Helene are in the car. Tom is

drinking.

HELENE:

(laughing)

Come on, Tommy... let's go faster.

Come on...

The car goes across a bridge, weaving. Two motorcycle cops

parked there start to give chase.

Tom's car swerves out of control and crashes through a fence.

The two motorcycle cops ride out to the field to the wrecked

car. They find Tom and Helene, unconscious. One of the cops

picks up the empty bottle and hands it to the other.

2ND COP

(looking at Tom)

It's the governor's son.

He throws the bottle away.

DISSOLVE TO:

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

GOVERNOR'S SON HURT:

GIRL NEAR DEATH IN CRASH

Below the headline is a picture of Helene Hale's father.

Another picture of Mr. Hale on the front page. Caption reads:

GIRL'S FATHER CLAIMS DRUNK DRIVING CAUSE OF WRECK

ADMITTANCE TO HOSPITAL DENIED PRESS

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Governor's Mansion, Night

Lucy and Mr. Hale walk across the large reception room toward

Willie. Jack, Sugar Boy, and Duffy stand around in the

background.

LUCY:

Willie, Mr. Hale's here to see you.

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