All the King's Men Page #14

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Football Stadium, Time Lapse

The crowd yells excitedly. Tom, looking weary, gets the ball

and runs with it downfield. Three players tackle him hard

and fall on him. A silence falls over the stadium as he fails

to get up with the others.

In Willie's box, everyone is standing.

LUCY:

Tommy... Tommy... Tommy!

Willie rushes out onto the field and kneels beside Tom as

the doctor and stretcher bearers arrive.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Hospital Waiting Room, Night

Lucy and Willie are waiting for news about Tom. Sugar Boy

comes in with a paper bag and sets it on a table.

SUGAR BOY:

B-b-boss, you gotta eat. You g-g-

gotta.

Willie motions him away.

WILLIE:

I'm the one that made him play. I

sent him in.

LUCY:

Sit down, Willie. Please sit down.

WILLIE:

I sent him in.

LUCY:

What difference does that make now?

Jack comes in.

WILLIE:

What goes on?

JACK:

There isn't a plane flying.

WILLIE:

They gotta fly. This is my son. He's

got to live.

Adam Stanton enters.

STANTON:

I just got a call from Dr. Birnham.

The earliest he can possibly get

here will be tomorrow morning.

WILLIE:

Isn't there anybody else we can get?

JACK:

I still think Dr. Stanton should

operate.

STANTON:

That's up to Governor Stark. He wanted

another doctor... a specialist. I

sent for one.

WILLIE:

How bad is it really, doctor?

STANTON:

He's unconscious... and paralyzed.

Lucy slumps in her chair.

WILLIE:

Has he got a chance?

STANTON:

To live? Yes.

WILLIE:

What do you mean?

STANTON:

Even if the operation's successful --

that is, if he lives -- I think he'll

be paralyzed for life.

WILLIE:

You'll do everything you can, won't

you? Anything between you and me..

that won't count, will it? It doesn't

have to. Look, doc, anything you

want in the world you just ask for

it and you got it. Go on, doc... ask

for it.

STANTON:

(coldly)

There are some things, Governor Stark,

that even you can't buy. Do you want

me to operate, or don't you?

LUCY:

Yes... I want you to operate.

(stands up)

Please, may I see Tom now?

STANTON:

Yes.

They leave together.

WILLIE:

(to Jack)

How much does the doc know?

JACK:

About what?

WILLIE:

Oh, you know what I'm talking about.

JACK:

About what?

WILLIE:

About Anne and me.

JACK:

(after a pause)

He doesn't know a thing... not a

thing.

Jack turns and walks away.

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Hospital, Night

Anne has been waiting outside the hospital. She turns to

Jack as he comes out the door.

ANNE:

Jack, how is he?

JACK:

The boy?

ANNE:

Yes.

JACK:

He'll live.

ANNE:

Oh, thank God. How is --

JACK:

Willie?

ANNE:

He blames himself, doesn't he?

JACK:

(as he walks down the

street)

He'll find someone else to blame in

a few days.

ANNE:

(following him)

Oh, I tried to call here at the

hospital, but I just...

They walk together, along the waterfront.

JACK:

Anne... Anne, why did you do it?

ANNE:

He wasn't like anybody I ever knew

before.

JACK:

You mean he wasn't like me.

ANNE:

He wasn't like anybody I ever knew

before. I love him, I guess. I guess

that's the reason.

JACK:

Everybody loves him.

ANNE:

He wants to marry me.

JACK:

Are you going to?

ANNE:

Not now. It would hurt him. A divorce

would hurt his career.

JACK:

His career!

ANNE:

Jack... Jack, what are you going to

do? You can't leave him now. He needs

you now more than he ever did before.

JACK:

What Willie needs, Willie's got.

ANNE:

You don't know him. You've known him

all these years and you don't really

know him at all.

JACK:

What about Adam?

ANNE:

Adam?

JACK:

Well, you don't have to worry about

him. If Adam finds out it'll be easy

to prove a Stanton is no different

than anybody else.

(gives her the papers

on the Judge)

Just show him these. Willie was

right... a man is conceived in sin

and born in corruption. Even Judge

Stanton. Show them to him, Anne.

Change the picture of the world that

Adam has in his head, just like our

picture of it has been changed.

He grips her by the shoulders.

JACK:

Wipe out everything he's ever believed

in. It'll be good for him. There's

no God but Willie Stark. I'm his

prophet and you're his...

(pushes her aside,

then feels sorry and

walks after her)

Oh, Anne... Anne, I'm sorry. I didn't

mean... Anne!

A policeman comes over.

POLICEMAN:

What's going on here?

Jack catches up to Anne. He takes her arm and they start to

walk back together.

JACK:

It's all right, officer... we both

work for Willie Stark.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

Exterior:
Hospital Site, Day

Willie, Anne, Adam, and Jack inspect a construction site.

There are newsmen and photographers present.

WILLIE:

(to Adam)

Right over there, that's going to be

the main building... fifteen stories

high, like on the model. Over there,

that's the laboratory. Finest

technical equipment in the world.

STANTON:

What are you trying to convince me

of? I've taken the job.

WILLIE:

Why?

STANTON:

My reasons are my own. Why are you

building a hospital?

WILLIE:

To do some good for the people of

the state.

STANTON:

And get some votes.

WILLIE:

Oh, there are lots of ways to get

votes.

STANTON:

Yes, I know... I won't stand for any

interference.

WILLIE:

I won't interfere. I may fire you,

but I won't interfere.

STANTON:

If that's a threat, you're wasting

your time. You know what I think of

your administration.

WILLIE:

Yes, I know. I'll tell you what...

You stay on your side of the fence;

I'll stay on mine. Is that a deal?

They climb up onto the platform, where the newsmen gather

around to take pictures. Willie and Adam shake hands.

JACK:

(voice over)

Now he had us all... me, Anne, and

Adam. Now we all worked for him.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

Interior:
Projection Room, Day

Willie, Jack, and Sugar Boy are watching a newsreel, similar

in style to the March of Time newsreels. A producer, his

assistant, and two policemen are also in the room.

NARRATOR'S VOICE

And so the eyes of the entire nation

are now focused upon Governor Willie

Stark, an amazing phenomenon on the

American political scene. The whole

state is filled with his

accomplishments -- each of them, of

course, bearing his personal

signature, to make sure that no one

will ever forget who gave them to

the state.

MONTAGE:
THE NEWSREEL

Large plaque on side of the highway: THIS BRIDGE WAS BUILT

DURING THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR STARK. A TOLL

BRIDGE STOOD HERE FOR FIFTY YEARS... NOW THE PEOPLE TRAVEL

FREE:

Camera pans to shot of the bridge.

Plaque over college entrance: STARK COLLEGE... THAT EVERY

MAN, WOMAN, OR CHILD, RICH OR POOR, SHALL HAVE AN EDUCATION...

WILLIE STARK:

Shot of library -- lettering reads WILLIE STARK LIBRARY.

KNOWLEDGE BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE Shot of bad road running

through dry, barren land.

NARRATOR'S VOICE

This is the way the roads used to

be. But there are those who claim

that they were adequate for the

people's needs, that you don't need

a four- or six-lane highway for a

horse and buggy.

Shot of horse pulling a plow.

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