Come See the Paradise

SCENE 1

MINI:

Why are we so early?

LILY:

It's good to be early.

MINI:

Do you ever worry that you won't recognize him, Mama?

LILY:

You recognize me, don't you? Why shouldn't you recognize him?

MINI:

Well, he might have grown a beard or a mustache or something, and

I was so little...I only think I remember him. Do you think

he'll remember me?

LILY:

Well, he has all your photographs and all the letters that you

wrote him. And he has all your school reports and...

MINI:

You sent him my school reports?

LILY:

Well, of course I did. I wanted to let him know how well you're

doing. Come on, now. I've got some tea and some rice cakes

here. We'll have a nice talk while we're walking, okay? Let's

go.

MINI:

How far do we have to go?

LILY:

Not far.

MINI:

If we have so much time, why are you walking so fast? I

shouldn't have worn these new shoes. I think I have a blister.

LILY:

Try not to think about it. You want to look pretty now, don't

you?

MINI:

Can we talk about Papa?

LILY:

Okay.

SCENE 2Movie theater, Brooklyn, New York, 1936

SCENE 3

JACK:

It wasn't what was planned. It wasn't agreed in committee.

BRENNAN:

Smoke bomb. Fire bomb. What the f***'s the difference, kid?

JACK:

A bunch of people could have gotten killed. That's the f***in'

difference!

BRENNAN:

Hey, look kid. You got the right interests but the wrong

attitude.

JACK:

It wasn't agreed in committee!

BRENNAN:

F*** the committee! Hey, this is Brooklyn, not Petrograd! It's

just another way of negotiating. All these animals who own the

theaters...this is all they understand. Augie, talk to this guy

for Christ's sakes, will ya?

AUGIE:

It's just a different way of doing business, Jack.

JACK:

Business my ass!

AUGIE:

The result is the same. You want to unionize these morons you

gotta kick 'em in the crotch before you even get 'em to the

table. Now it's like Mr. Brennan says, whatever way you look at

it, it's negotiation.

JACK:

Oh Augie, don't let him give you that...

BRENNAN:

Here's three hundred. Take a vacation. Go read some more books,

sonny boy. You're outta here.

JACK:

What?

BRENNAN:

Out! Bye-bye! Adios!

AUGIE:

That pretty usherette with the doo-da hairdo got a pretty good

look at you, Jack. And there ain't too many good looking

Irishmen with burned hands in Brooklyn.

JACK:

Just spit it out, Augie.

AUGIE:

Things are different, Jack. To these guys you're trouble, okay?

You know every statute on the law books by heart. But you've got

principles. And you got politics. And that ain't how they want

to do things right now. This is a different union and they're

scared of you.

JACK:

What, of these?

AUGIE:

Of your mouth, Jack. Please, take the money. Else next time you

might get burned so bad, you won't need bandages.

SCENE 4

REIKO:

He says to thank your father for inviting them to perform in

America.

LILY:

Oh. Yes, Papa's crazy that way.

ACTOR:

Why doesn't she speak Japanese?

REIKO:

She only speaks Japanese at mealtimes.

ACTOR:

Then perhaps I could take her to dinner.

REIKO:

He says...

LILY:

I know what he said...Tell him it's unlucky to make a pass on the

stairs, okay?

REIKO:

It doesn't translate! (TO ACTOR): I guess she just blew you

away, buster.

PAPA K:

This is Harry. He's an actor in American movies...thinks he's

Sessue Hayakawa...but all he plays is Chinese houseboys, can you

imagine? We've come all this way to be Chinamen? May I

introduce my wife? This is Joyce.

MAN:

She's very pretty.

PAPA K:

This is Charlie...and this is LILY. Charlie is only interested

in baseball. LILY has every man in Little Tokyo chasing her.

But can she find a husband?

LILY:

Papa...ssh. You shouldn't.

PAPA K:

Frankie can't even speak Japanese. Mind you, his English isn't

too good either.

NISHI-

KAWA:

Hiroshi. Are you going to talk all night when the cards are

waiting? And we have to have photos taken.

LILY:

Papa, no. You promised no cards tonight.

PAPA K:

American manners, just listen to them. If I want to play cards,

I play cards.

DULCIE:

LILY, quick! Come quick!

LILY:

What?

DULCIE:

Just come!

LILY:

It's Mrs. Ogata. Papa's projectionist's wife!

REIKO:

Is he here?

LILY:

Sure, he's at the bar.

DULCIE:

He's drunk. He's always drunk.

REIKO:

He'll kill her!

SCENE 5

EMCEE:

And now, ladies and gentlemen...our very own movie star, who

Hollywood has discovered but who will always belong to Little

Tokyo...to sing for us...please welcome Harry Kawamura!

SCENE 6

MARGE:

Jack?

JACK:

Marge.

MARGE:

Jack. Is it Jack? Why didn't you tell us you were coming?

Gerry, look who's here!

JACK:

Hey!

MARGE:

It's Jack all the way from New York! Gerry!

JACK:

Oh no, look at you!

MARGE:

Where's your manners? You can't even get up from the table to

welcome your own brother?

SCENE 7

MR.

OGATA:

You're making a complete fool of yourself!

MRS.

OGATA:

No, you are! And you don't have to shout!

MR.

OGATA:

I'll shout as much as I want!

MRS.

OGATA:

You're drunk! I don't want to spend my life married to a drunk!

SCENE 8

JACK:

All I'm saying is if you're getting a dollar fifty an hour and

some guy in a suit is getting ten dollars out of it, then it

ain't fair. It's got nothin' to do with communism.

GERRY:

It's got everything to do with it!

JACK:

Gerry.

GERRY:

I tell you, I'm glad to be workin.'

JACK:

You don't know what you're talking about.

GERRY:

We should all be lucky we're workin.' Every time I go through

those gates I look up at that big sign and say God bless you.

'Cause some poor sucker who ain't got a pot to piss in is out

there begging for a cup of coffee.

JACK:

Gerry.

GERRY:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph! You people just mess things up for

everybody!

JACK:

Gerry, you're missing my point! Sure it's good that you're in

work. But what I'm sayin' is that someone has got to look out

for the interests of the working man.

MARGE:

You better believe it. If he could get out of workin' he would,

the lazy son of a b*tch.

GERRY:

I work hard. I work damn hard!

MARGE:

If the union people say he don't have to work so hard for the

same money, he's the first to put his dirty hand up!

GERRY:

You don't know what you're talking about. Your kids aren't

exactly starving, are they?

MARGE:

Only 'cause I work, too, pal. The money you hand over don't

exactly pay for no fancy eating.

GERRY:

I'm telling you. If you're going to stay here, you better not go

causin' any trouble.

JACK:

I'm not going to cause any trouble.

GERRY:

Because if you're gonna stay here, I ain't gonna stay here under

the same roof with no red. Brother or no brother!

JACK:

Jesus, I am not a red! For Christ's sakes Gerry, I'm agreeing

with you! I'm gonna get a regular job like everyone else!

GERRY:

You never had a regular job! Look, this is a great country.

Best country in the world...and if you f***ing reds...excuse the

language...

JACK:

It's a great country...I ain't no red.

GERRY:

...didn't go agitatin' and causing trouble. Now you're lucky to

be living here. Else you'd be living like a pig in sh*t pulling

three dollars a week in Donegal.

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