Dear Eleanor Page #6

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- Yeah. Just think of it as a holiday.

I can't leave all this.

You need to do this.

You see this audition here?

You're gonna make this audition,

and we're gonna help you get there.

Daisy, you have to get back out there.

You don't belong here, on this stage.

You need to be on the big stage.

The big stage.

Rise and shine.

I got you a present.

- Who the hell is this?

- I'm Daisy.

- Daisy, this is...

- Daisy.

- My acting coach.

- Max's acting coach,

- Lee Strasberg.

- Yeah.

You're not Lee Strasberg.

I met Lee Strasberg,

and you don't look a thing like him.

You look familiar, though.

- Must be a different Lee Strasberg.

- Must be.

All right, New York, here we come.

I gave Lee a couple of egg rolls, but he

said he'd be fine just sleeping in the car.

We should just say, "Dear Ed."

You can't just call him Ed.

Just say, "Dear Mr. Sullivan."

Ed is more personal, Ellie.

What are you two bickering about?

Trying to get on The Ed Sullivan Show,

so we can show him our dance.

- Your dance?

- It's a tribute to the late, great

Marilyn Monroe.

I want to see your dance.

Yeah, put on the record.

Well, it'd be much better on a big stage,

but okay.

- Good, Ellie?

- Yeah.

How was that?

- Amazing.

- Let's do it for Eleanor Roosevelt.

- Showed it to our friend Billy once.

- But he didn't say anything.

Okay, it's your turn. Max, get her record.

Yeah!

- This one?

- Yeah.

Any song but that song.

You know, as a matter of fact,

I'm not gonna dance tonight.

Harry Truman called Eleanor Roosevelt

the First Lady of the world.

She answered the door

to the White House herself.

When she wanted to learn how to fly,

she got Amelia Earhart

to promise to teach her.

She could only cook scrambled eggs,

and served them on Sundays for dinner.

And when the KKK put a bounty on her head,

she put a pistol on the car seat

and drove to Tennessee

to speak on civil rights anyway.

Eleanor Roosevelt stood down the Klan.

Good evening,

ladies, gentlemen

and distinguished guests.

Mrs. Roosevelt says

you gain strength,

- courage...

- You all right, Ellie?

Yeah.

What have you got there?

It's just a speech.

I'm just having a hard time

memorizing it all.

Is that why you girls

want to go to New York?

So you can deliver a speech

to Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt?

- Sort of.

- That's exciting.

I guess.

My mom was gonna do it before she died.

I didn't tell Max just because,

you know, if I can't do it,

or if I chicken out...

She just thinks we're going

over there to visit her

and look at her gardens or something.

Why do you not like the dance

Max gave you?

I haven't really danced full out like that

since I was 19 years old.

But you danced in Las Vegas.

Yeah, I mean,

I can cha-cha-cha all day long.

It's not the hardest thing in the world.

Remember that outfit I showed you?

- The one from Gypsy?

- Yeah.

I was supposed to play the lead in Gypsy

for the Broadway premiere.

What happened?

Opening night came.

And when it came time for the big number,

I couldn't remember a step. Not one.

And the audience started laughing.

That's awful.

And then the stage hand dragged me

all the way to Las Vegas.

Turned out to be Las Vegas, New Mexico,

of all places.

- Rocko?

- Yeah.

That Rocker.

He wasn't all that bad, you know.

He built me the theater

because he knew how much I missed it.

But I never found the confidence

I had as a girl.

Max is right.

I gotta do this because if I don't

at least try, then I'm really finished.

I really want to do this for my mom.

Make her proud of me, you know?

I've just never done

a speech before, or...

Or anything.

Let's make a deal, all right?

If I do it, you do it.

Pinky swear.

Okay.

You can do this.

Come here.

Police! Open up!

- I swear, if that's Frank...

- That Frank.

Eleanor Potter and Max the Wax?

- We've been caught.

- Runaways, huh?

- All the way from California.

- Are you gonna book us?

- On what charges?

- Juvenile delinquency.

You missed school, you're underage,

and you've given your parents

a first-class heart attack.

Now come on, get dressed

and get your things together.

We're taking you downtown right now.

What? Where? All right,

we'll be there as soon as we can.

Okay, they found them in Kentucky.

If we get on, we can get there

in a couple of hours, put an end to all this.

Let's hustle, Hobgood, come on.

There you go.

- This stinks.

- Your dad's on his way.

Hey, copper, how did you find us?

"Dear Steve, how are you? I am fine.

"I'm in Las Vegas, New Mexico,

and I ate an enchilada.

"It was real good.

Talk to you soon. Love Maxine."

Here's another one

all the way from Oklahoma.

"Dear Steve, guess what I saw today?

Two midgets on a motorcycle.

"I've never seen that before.

Wish you were here.

"Love, Maxine."

And there's another one,

and another one, and another one.

How did you get my cards?

We have our ways.

Max, what is wrong with you?

I'm sorry.

I didn't think that we'd get caught.

I should have never gone

on that stupid trip with you.

- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.

- Yeah, no, you're always sorry.

Girls!

- Mom!

- Mom!

I've been worried sick!

Officer.

Sorry, ma'am, I can only release them

to their father, Bob Potter.

What? No. But...

But... Dear God!

He's sleeping in the car

and he gets so mad when we wake him.

Sorry, ma'am, you'll have to wake him.

I have to have his signature

on the release.

God! Really?

Yes, ma'am.

Well, girls,

looks like I have to go wake your father.

He's going to be very upset.

He is gonna tan your little hides.

Here I am.

Bob Potter.

- Where do I sign?

- Right here.

- Hi, Daddy.

- Gee, that's a nice suit, Dad.

You two are in deep trouble.

Get your stuff. Let's go.

Okay.

Wait, wait, wait. Okay.

You all lied to me.

I didn't know you were runaways.

I mean, I knew you weren't Lee Strasberg,

but I didn't know you were

the man from Alcatraz. Gee whiz.

You two were hilarious.

You should start up a comedy team.

How did y'all get that money?

Ellie stole it.

I didn't steal anything. I sold something.

That's the thing, see?

You're just helping out a guy.

A guy who went to the Rock

for stealing something.

We're three of a kind.

What do you mean, my wife picked her up?

She did. She left here with you.

No.

She didn't. That's impossible you see,

because I'm here, right now, with you.

- And my wife, well, she...

- Is dead.

You let strangers kidnap my daughter?

- Now, Mr...

- What do these people look like?

Was it this lady?

- Was it her?

- Was it this lady?

Look at it.

That's Eleanor Roosevelt.

- Yes, it is. We know that.

- No sh*t.

You two little ladies,

what are y'all running from?

Nothing.

No, you shouldn't run away. You're lucky.

I grew up on the streets making

every bad choice a kid could make.

I've been in and out of prison

from the time I was 13 years old.

I was inside longer

than I was on the outside.

Do you know this is

the first road trip I ever took?

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