All the King's Men Page #4

LUCY:

(leaning over to him)

Oh, go on, Willie, go on.

He opens the book again.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Willie's Law Office (Kanoma City), Day

Willie positions the framed diploma on the wall. The camera

pulls back to show Tom and Lucy, looking on.

WILLIE:

Willie Stark... Bachelor of Law...

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Kanoma City Farm, Day

Close shot of Willie, talking to a farmer.

WILLIE:

If you'll just let me take your

case...

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Farm, Day

Willie walks beside a farmer who is plowing his field.

WILLIE:

Really, I'll wait for my fee. Just

as long as you want me to.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Willie's Law Office, Night

Through the window, on which is printed "Willie Stark:

Attorney at Law," we see Willie, alone, pacing back and forth

in his office.

LUCY'S VOICE

Go on, Willie, go on.

WILLIE'S VOICE

They're not going to kick me around

like I was dirt.

LUCY'S VOICE

If you lose you can give a little

more time studying your law books.

WILLIE'S VOICE

I'm going to be on that same street

corner tomorrow, Mr. Duffy!

DUFFY'S VOICE

By all means. Free speech, free

country, Willie.

WILLIE'S VOICE

That brick factory is owned by a

brother-in-law of one of the

commissioners. The county

commissioners rejected the low bid

on the schoolhouse.

Willie crumples a piece of paper in his hand and tosses it

against the window.

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Schoolhouse (Kanoma City), Day

A plaque on the school wall reads KANOMA CITY GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Interior:
Schoolroom, Day

Teacher faces her class. The clanging of a fire bell is heard.

TEACHER:

All right, children, this is a fire

drill.

The children rise and start to march out of the room in double

file.

TEACHER:

Remember now, walk quietly.

Exterior:
Schoolhouse, Day

The children's feet, as they climb down the fire escape.

Camera pans past children to an iron rod supporting the fire

escape. The brick around the rod starts to crumble and it

rips loose. The children scream out in fear and agony.

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Cemetery, Day

The whole town is there. Willie Stark, Lucy, Tom stand

modestly in the background. Quiet sobbing is heard as the

minister reads from the Bible. When he finishes the prayer,

he walks past the line of mourners, shaking their hands. The

ceremony is over. As they start to go, a man spots Willie,

goes over to him, and lifts Willie's arm in the air.

MAN:

Oh, Lord, I'm punished for voting

against an honest man.

This sudden action brings response; women begin to cry and

people push their way forward to grab Willie by the hand.

VOICES OF THE MOURNERS

God bless you, Willie. If we had

only listened to you, Willie. You

were right, Willie. Let me shake

your hand, Willie. We should have

listened, Willie. You were right all

the time.

On Willie's face is the realization that something important

has happened to him.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Stark Farmhouse, Night

An article is pasted in a scrapbook. It reads: "VOICE IN THE

WILDERNESS. Recent school tragedy is a potent reminder that

a man named Willie Stark..." A hand draws a pencil underneath

the name.

WILLIE'S VOICE

A voice in the wilderness. A man

named Willie Stark...

Camera pulls back to show Willie at the table busy with his

scrapbook. He looks up at Lucy.

WILLIE:

How about that, Lucy, that's me.

She looks at him, unsmiling, and sits down to help him clip

various articles from other papers.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Stark Farmhouse, Night

A series of clippings are being pasted in the scrapbook.

They read:

A. SCHOOL VICTIMS SUE COUNTY: STARK FILES DAMAGE SUIT

"Will prove graft cause of tragedy," says Attorney Stark.

B. CITIZENS COMMITTEE FORMED

Draft Stark to lead fight to rid state of graft.

C. CITIZENS COMMITTEE DEMANDS STATE-WIDE INVESTIGATION

D. Large photograph of Willie. Under it, the caption: RURAL

AREAS IN REVOLT:

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Madison's Office, The Chronicle, Day

The clippings are spread out on Madison's desk. He looks up

at Jack.

MADISON:

Get up there. Get up there fast.

Your friend, Willie, is hotter than

a firecracker.

Jack starts toward the door.

MADISON:

Stay there with him.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Harrison's Political Headquarters (State Capital),

Day

A politician points to a map on the wall.

POLITICIAN:

Look, before this Kanoma City business

we had this whole area tied up. Now

we're losing to Hickville.

Camera pulls back, revealing the candidate, Harrison, Tiny

Duffy, and a woman, Sadie Burke.

POLITICIAN:

We must find a way to split that

vote.

HARRISON:

Well, all I know is, the way it is

now it looks like I'm not going to

win.

POLITICIAN:

I know a way... find a dummy.

SADIE:

Find a dummy.

(looks at Harrison)

That's what we've got.

POLITICIAN:

A guy from the sticks... strong enough

to grab some votes and dumb enough

not to ask questions.

DUFFY:

If you want to listen to a boy from

the sticks, I know just the guy.

They crowd around to listen.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Stark Farmhouse, Day

Jack sits at the dinner table, with Willie and Lucy. Tom

stands next to Willie. Pappy dozes in his chair.

JACK:

No more politics, eh, Willie?

WILLIE:

No, I worked too hard in my time to

get there. I think I'll just go on

practicing law and make a little

more money.

JACK:

The question I'd like to know is,

why all the speeches you're making

around the countryside?

Willie is about to answer when he hears the sound of

approaching cars.

WILLIE:

Wonder who that is?

He goes to the window, and we see a big black limousine

turning into his drive. He opens the door and waits as Sadie,

Duffy, Dolph Pillsbury, and other politicians climb the steps

to meet him.

DUFFY:

Brought some people all the way up

from the state capital just to meet

you.

(turns to others)

Folks, I want you to meet Willie

Stark, the next governor of our state.

Willie, Lucy, and Tom beam happily. Jack looks skeptically

at Sadie, whose only reaction is to smile, politely.

DISSOLVE TO:

Exterior:
Country Road, Day

Close shot of three posters on a billboard. They read ELECT

JOE HARRISON (HAPPY JOE) GOVERNOR FOR GOVERNOR ELECT McMURPHY

WILLIE STARK FOR GOVERNOR.

The camera pans to the road, where an old Model T comes

bouncing along. As it passes we see a poster stuck on its

back:
WILLIE STARK -- GOVERNOR.

Exterior:
Railroad Station, Day

Willie Stark walks out on the platform at the rear of the

train and talks to some of the townspeople who have gathered

at the station.

WILLIE:

Folks, if you'll just bear patiently

with me for a couple of minutes, I'd

like to tell you what this state

needs. It needs a balanced tax

program. Now I'd like to give you

the facts and the figures.

Some of the townspeople start to move away.

DISSOLVE TO:

Interior:
Train, Day

As the train pulls away from the station, Willie turns around

to Jack.

WILLIE:

How did it sound, Jack?

JACK:

Fine, Willie, fine.

WILLIE:

(alarmed)

Say... I forgot to send a telegram

to Lucy... Conductor!

Jack and Sadie exchange looks.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote