Battle of the Sexes Page #19

MARILYN (CONT’D)

I heard you were sick.

BILLIE JEAN:

I’m better now.

Marilyn keeps cutting. Billie Jean stops her hand.

BILLIE JEAN (CONT’D)

I’ve missed you.

MARILYN:

Don’t. Please.

(Beat)

I wanted to wish you luck. I know

what this means to you. To a lot of

people.

BILLIE JEAN:

Thank you.

Marilyn eyes Billie’s hair, runs her fingers through it.

MARILYN:

Shake your head, see how it feels.

Billie Jean looks in the mirror. A tiny well-executed trim.

BILLIE JEAN:

I feel...like a new person.

MARILYN:

Really?

Billie Jean shrugs. She’s suddenly emotional.

BILLIE JEAN:

Stay for the match?

MARILYN:

Are you sure?

BILLIE JEAN:

Yes. Please.

137A INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. BOBBY’S LOCKER ROOM. DAY. 137A

In Bobby’s changing room, a SUGAR DADDY PR GUY is holding a

massive lollypop and prepping Bobby. The Sugar Daddy Girlsare doing their make-up in the mirror.

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SUGAR DADDY GUY:

Make sure you get the face of the

lollypop to camera, Bobby, yeah?

LORNIE:

Can we- do you mind, we’re trying

to prepare for a match here.

SUGAR DADDY GUY:

Okay, but you got that, Bobby?

LORNIE:

Out.

He hustles the Sugar Daddy Guy and the Girls out the door.

Goes back to Bobby.

LORNIE (CONT’D)

You okay?

BOBBY RIGGS:

Sure, sure. Ready for battle. Just

think, Lornie, after Billie Jean,

Chrissy Evert and a million

dollars...

LORNIE:

One match at a time, Bobby, one

match at a time.

138 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. COMMENTARY BOOTH. DAY. (STOCK 138

FOOTAGE)

A bank of TV monitors show the action from every angle. Onthe screen, Jack Kramer talks.

JACK KRAMER:

...but apparently Billie Jean was

very serious, and feels that I'm

completely opposed to what she's

trying to do in tennis. I wanna

make one thing clear: when I

realized that I was perhaps a

problem for Billie Jean, I thought

that she might want to use me as an

excuse for losing to Bobby Riggs.

139 OMITTED 139

140 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. HOME TEAM LOCKER ROOM. DAY. 140

Billie Jean watches the broadcast on a TV in the locker room.

Marilyn stands just behind her.

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JACK KRAMER:

To ABC's credit, they said you call

the shots Jack, we'll go along with

you, but I'm withdrawing

voluntarily, and I'm wishing 100%

luck to my pal Bobby Riggs.

Larry knocks and comes in.

LARRY:

They want you down in the Holding

Area.

Billie switches the TV off and stands.

LARRY (CONT’D)

I’ll take you down there.

BILLIE JEAN:

No. I need to do this on my own.

The Third AD makes to follow but Larry puts a restraininghand on him. Billie Jean heads out the door, a woman headingfor her destiny. We follow her as walks away, down thecorridor. Larry and Marilyn watch her go.

We see what they don’t: that she’s breathing heavily,

nervous, emotional.

141 OMITTED 141

142 OMITTED 142

143 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. HOLDING AREA. DAY. 143

A huge bunker-like area in the wings of the stadium.

Chaos. Bizarrely, three assistants are chasing a squealingpiglet across the Holding Area. The piglet scatters theMarching Band who are just coming off the floor.

TV Assistants and Runners criss-cross the space.

Four male models in Egyptian garb, stripped to the waist,

carry in a sedan chair decked out in gold fabric. JerryPerenchio marches on behind it.

JERRY PERENCHIO:

Where’s Billie? Billie Jean King?

A lone individual in the middle of the chaos.

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BILLIE JEAN:

Here.

JERRY PERENCHIO:

This is for you!

He indicates the sedan chair. She looks completely perplexed.

143A OMITTED 143A

144 OMITTED 144

144A INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. HOLDING AREA. DAY. 144A

Darkness. A deep rumble, but mostly quiet. We are with BillieJean on the sedan chair as she is jostled down the darkcorridor towards the blinding light at the end.

145 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. DAY. 145

HOWARD COSELL V/OAnd here she comes!

We are with Billie Jean as she is carried into the arena on

the sedan chair. A wall of noise and light hits her. Shetries to conceal her shock and waves to the crowd.

HOWARD COSELL:

Sometimes you get the feeling that

if she ever let her hair go down to

her shoulders and took off her

glasses, you’d have someone vying

for a Hollywood screen test.

Bobby in a chariot pulled by Bobby’s Bosom Buddies, four

women in bikinis. Bobby hands Billie Jean the huge SugarDaddy lollipop.

BILLIE JEAN:

I’ve got something for you too,

Bobby. The ultimate gift for a male

chauvinist.

She presents him with a piglet tied up in a bow. FrankGifford, ABC’s courtside reporter, presses Bobby.

FRANK GIFFORD:

A last word before the game, Bobby.

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BOBBY RIGGS:

This game is for all the guys

around the world who feel as I do

that the male is king and the male

is supreme.

FRANK GIFFORD:

Billie Jean?

But Billie Jean is staring at Marilyn, sitting next to Larry.

FRANK GIFFORD (CONT’D)

Billie Jean? Anything to say?

BILLIE JEAN:

I’m done talking. Let’s play.

146 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. DAY. 146

Billie picks up her racket and walks to the baseline. Thesound diminishes, the people diminish. It’s just her and theball and the racket. She bounces the ball on the ground.

HOWARD COSELL V/O

...and the moment the country has

been waiting for has finally

arrived.

147 OMITTED 147

148 OMITTED 148

149 INT. MARGARET’S ND HOTEL ROOM. DAY. 149

Margaret Court and Barry sit in a hotel room in front of theTV.

150 OMITTED 150

150A INT. FOREST HILL COUNTRY CLUB- LIBRARY. DAY. 150A

Whisky in hand, a small group including Jack Kramer and BobSanders are gathered around a television.

151 OMITTED 151

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152 INT. TOWN TENNIS CENTER -- LOCKER ROOM . MANHATTAN. DAY.152

The Boys gathered round the TV fall silent. In thebackground, Rita is carrying a tray of drinks. She stops and

stares.

153 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. DAY. 153

In the stands near the court, the Nine are frozen in

anticipation.

154 OMITTED 154

155 OMITTED 155

156 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. DAY. 156

Billie Jean serves the ball. Boom. Bobby returns, one of hisshort, sneaky slices. Billie Jean gets to it. It’s near the

net. Bobby sends a high one. She backs off towards the baseline.

157 OMITTED 157

158 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. DAY. 158

The ball is high, coming right at her from the painful whiteof the stadium lights. She shuts her eyes and hits. Thetiming is perfect.

159 OMITTED 159

160 INT. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. DAY. 160

Battle has been joined. Bobby is serving up short spin shots,

lobs, slices, trying to take the power from Billie Jean’s

shots. It’s working, as the scoreboard reads 4-4.

But Billie Jean looks unperturbed, focused entirely on thetask at hand, whereas Bobby is sweating hard, panting in hisSugar Daddy track suit.

She dinks a soft one over the net. Heaving hard, Bobby justgets to it. It looks like a winner-and the Riggs Pigs in thestands certainly think it is-but somehow Billie Jean snaps aback-hand return.

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