Bullets Over Broadway Page #13

- Yes.

Her explicit instructions are

that we, none of us,

leave the premises as of today.

- [ Horse Neighing ]

- [ Nick ] How's she workin'?

[ Man ]

Good. Good, boss.

Out this morning.

- Cheech.

- What's up, Mr. V.?

Uh, nothin'.

I just wanted to talk.

- Yeah?

- I'm a little sad these days.

- Sure. Yeah.

- You know how it is.

Curtain's gone up already.

Poor kid.

Would've been a star,

don't you think?

Yeah. It's all right.

We'll take care of those Kustabeck guys.

- I wonder if it really was

the Kustabecks.

- Well, who else?

I don't know.

But we got some tips...

- that Charlie K. had

nothin' to do with this.

- Really.

Yeah. Don't make

no sense anyhow.

I mean, the way things

were coolin' off and all.

I'll see what I can find out

on the street, ya know?

- Where you rushin' off to?

- Hey, you know, I told

the guys in the show...

that I, uh, I'd stop by

and wish 'em good luck.

- I got friendly with

some of the stage hands.

- Did you?

- Yeah.

- That's unlike you.

- Why's that?

- Unless they shoot crap.

No, you know, you see

the same faces every day. You know.

Marty Bannister said he saw you pick

up Olive the night she got it, Cheech.

- Me?

- Didn't you tell me you didn't see her?

Me? Yeah,

I said I did.

I picked her up, and I dropped her off

a few blocks from the theater. Why?

- You had nothin' against Olive, did ya?

- Olive? Naw.

- I like Olive. Why?

- I mean, you got along well?

Olive and l, we got along good.

You know, Olive.

Olive was good for

a lot of laughs, right?

- Except for a few tiffs here and there?

- Right.

Olive's-- You know.

We got along.

How come you didn't bring her

to me at the club, Cheech?

She said you changed your mind, that

I should drop her off at the theater.

- The theater. At night?

- Yeah. Yeah.

There was no preview

that night, Cheech. No rehearsal.

Really?

How come you

left her alone, Cheech?

- [ Laughs ]

- And you didn't come

to the club and tell me?

I'm gonna level with you, all right?

I had a crap game.

I didn't want to miss it.

- Mmm.

- Yeah.

- Why you don't tell me?

- You wanna lay off?

I'm up to here in debts.

- I'm tryin' to get even.

- Yeah?

Yeah. Dice ain't been too lucky for me.

You know. You know how it is.

You keep tellin' me I gotta quit.

Ya know, I should.

- Cheech--

- Listen, listen.

I told the guys I'd wish them good luck

in the show. They're very superstitious.

I'm gonna find out who hit her,

all right? I'll find out.

All right.

I'll see ya later.

He did it, Nick.

I don't know what his grudge was.

Maybe they were

two-timin' ya.

- What are you sayin' to me?

- Take it easy, Nick.

It's only a guess.

But Marty Bannister saw them together...

and that pier is

Cheech's favorite spot.

Can't you see he was lyin', Nickie?

Did you see the look on his face?

- He was scared.

- Look, Nick, I know you

don't like to think it...

- but the gossip is, she

was runnin' around on ya.

- Don't say that!

- I'm only tryin' to help, Mr. V.

- Nickie.

He's only tryin'

to help.

Cheech and Olive.

Fix him.

Oh, it's goin' great.

Yeah, they're eating it up. Before,

I could smell money. Now I can taste it.

- [ David ] Mmm, yeah.

- Hey, what's the matter?

You look as though you're watchin'

a turkey. It's just the opposite.

- Where's Ellen?

- Oh, she was too nervous to come.

[ Warner ] This is

Dr. Emilene Philips, a family friend.

- Hey. How's it goin'?

- Cheech, how are ya?

Goin' great. Wonderful.

You need to cheer him up. I don't know.

- What's the matter?

- What do you want?

- It's goin' great, huh?

- You killed Olive, Cheech.

For that I can never

forgive you.

I don't care what kind of

genius you are.

Listen to that audience. Huh? They got

'em right in the palm of their hand.

Hey, Cheech. It's over for you.

You're finished.

[ Eden ] I had such

a wonderful time.

[ Ellen ] I can't live like this,

the same routine over and over.

You think the same thing's not gonna

happen to you as happened to me?

You think you're not gonna be here

sitting with a hole in your sweater...

and a drink in your hand

someday?

- Just wait!

- Cheech! You should be out front.

You're about to miss my great scene.

Did you see the first part?

- How did it go?

Do you think they like it?

- [ Cheech ] Great, great.

- Where's Cheech?

- Get the f*** outta here.

Get outta here.

- Sucker.

- [ Play Dialogue

Continues lndistinctly ]

- You crapped out for

the last time, Cheech.

- [ Eden ] I think he's--

I'm in the garden, Sylvia,

tending roses.

[ Helen ] Oh, darling,

if we just had a baby.

- That's all I think about.

- [ Warner ] We've been

through all this before.

[ Panting ]

Cheech! Cheech.

David.

- [ Straining ] The last line...

- Yes?

in the play.

Tell Sylvia Poston...

to say she's pregnant.

It'll be a great finish.

- Oh, God, that's so great.

- No. Don't speak.

Don't speak.

##

"A masterpiece."

"A theatrical stunner."

"A work of art

of the highest quality.

One of the greatest moments of this

reviewer's experience was in Act III...

when the Lieutenant returns

and confronts his mistress.

We hear distant gunshots,

which get louder and louder...

bringing the Lieutenant's twisted

military past and violent tendencies...

into bold bas-relief.

Writer-director David Shayne

is the find of the decade.

- Where is David?

- I don't know. I assumed he'd be here.

Flender!

Flender, wake up.

It's David Shayne.

I need

to talk to you.

Please, Flender.

Flender!

Ha-ha! Look who's here.

The big Broadway success.

I don't write hits.

My plays are art.

- They're written specifically

to go unproduced.

- Is Ellen there?

- No, she's not here.

- I think she is.

Congratulations

on your hit, David.

- I always knew ya had it in you.

- Yeah, well, you were wrong.

- I have to--

I have to ask you a question.

- What?

Did you love me as the artist

or as the man?

- Both.

- Well, what if it turned out

that I wasn't really an artist?

I could love a man if

he's not a real artist...

but I couldn't love an artist

if he's not a real man.

Th-This is all academic.

She's with me now. You're with me now.

- Do you really want to be with Flender?

- Yes.

- Hey! Flender is a great lover.

- Ohh.

- Hey, I slept with Flender.

He was just okay.

- [ Ellen ] Really?

[ Flender ] Rita, please!

What are you talking about?

That was years ago, during

your free-love period.

[ Ellen ] I feel it's relational.

For me, he's great.

Huh, interesting. Are you talking

pure mechanics or what?

- His technique is prodigious.

- [ Flender ] Prodigious?

- You're confusing sex and love.

- No, for me, love is very deep.

Sex only has to go

a few inches.

Y-You're all missing the point.

The point is, I can give

pleasure many times a day.

Oh, now really, Flender.

What has quantity got to do with it?

- Quantity affects quality.

- [ David ] Says who?

- Karl Marx.

- [ Rita ] Oh, so now

we're talking economics.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote