Double Indemnity Page #10

called double indemnity. The insurance

companies put it in as a sort of

come-on for the customers. It means

they pay double on certain accidents.

The kind that almost never happen.

Like for instance if a guy got killed

on a train, they'd pay a hundred

thousand instead of fifty.

PHYLLIS:

I see.

(Her eyes widen with

excitement)

NEFF:

We're hitting it for the limit, baby.

That's why it's got to be a train.

PHYLLIS:

It's going to be a train, Walter.

Just the way you say. Straight down

the line.

They look at each other. The look is like a long kiss. Neff

goes out. Slowly Phyllis closes the door and leans her head

against it as she looks up the empty stairway.

B-4 EXT. DIETRICHSON RESIDENCE - (NIGHT)

Neff, briefcase under his arm, comes down the steps to the

street, where his Dodge coupe is parked at the curb. He opens

the door and stops, looking in.

Sitting there in the dark corner of the car, away from the

steering wheel, is Lola. She wears a coat but no hat.

LOLA:

Hello, Mr. Neff. It's me.

Lola gives him a sly smile. Neff is a little annoyed.

NEFF:

Something the matter?

LOLA:

I've been waiting for you.

NEFF:

For me? What for?

LOLA:

I thought you could let me ride with

you, if you're going my way.

Neff doesn't like the idea very much.

NEFF:

Which way would that be?

LOLA:

Down the hill. Down Vermont.

NEFF:

(Remembering)

Oh, sure. Vermont and Franklin. North-

west corner, wasn't it? Be glad to,

Miss Dietrichson.

Neff gets into the car.

B-5 INT. COUPE - (NIGHT) - (TRANSPARENCY)

Neff puts the briefcase on the ledge behind the driver's

seat. He closes the door and starts the car. They drift down

the hill.

NEFF:

Roller skating, eh? You like roller

skating?

LOLA:

I can take it or leave it.

Neff looks at her curiously. Lola meets his glance.

NEFF:

Only tonight you're leaving it?

This is an embarrassing moment for Lola.

LOLA:

Yes, I am. You see, Mr. Neff, I'm

having a very tough time at home. My

father doesn't understand me and

Phyllis hates me.

NEFF:

That does sound tough, all right.

LOLA:

That's why I have to lie sometimes.

NEFF:

You mean it's not Vermont and

Franklin.

LOLA:

It's Vermont and Franklin all right.

Only it's not Anne Matthews. It's

Nino Zachetti. You won't tell on me,

will you?

NEFF:

I'd have to think it over.

LOLA:

Nino's not what my father says at

all. He just had bad luck. He was

doing pre-med at U.S.C. and working

nights as an usher in a theater

downtown. He got behind in his credits

and flunked out. Then he lost his

job for talking back. He's so hot-

headed.

NEFF:

That comes expensive, doesn't it?

LOLA:

I guess my father thinks nobody's

good enough for his daughter except

maybe the guy that owns Standard

Oil. Would you like a stick of gum?

NEFF:

Never use it, thanks.

Lola puts a stick of gum in her mouth.

LOLA:

I can't give Nino up. I wish father

could see it my way.

NEFF:

It'll straighten out all right, Miss

Dietrichson.

LOLA:

I suppose it will sometime.

(Looking out)

This is the corner right here, Mr.

Neff.

Neff brings the car to a stop by the curb.

LOLA:

There he is. By the bus stop.

Neff looks out.

B-6 CORNER VERMONT AND FRANKLIN - (NIGHT)

Zachetti stands waiting, hands in trouser pockets. He is

about twenty-five, Italian looking, open shirt, not well

dressed.

B-7 INT. COUPE - (NIGHT) - LOLA AND NEFF

LOLA:

He needs a hair-cut, doesn't he.

Look at him. No job, no car, no money,

no prospects, no nothing.

(Pause)

I love him.

She leans over and honks on the horn.

LOLA:

(Calling)

Nino!

B-8 ZACHETTI

He turns around and looks towards the car.

LOLA'S VOICE

Over here, Nino.

Zachetti walks towards the car.

B-9 THE COUPE

Neff and Lola. She has opened the door. Zachetti comes up.

LOLA:

This is Mr. Neff, Nino.

NEFF:

Hello, Nino.

ZACHETTI:

(Belligerent from the

first word)

The name is Zachetti.

LOLA:

Nino. Please. Mr. Neff gave me a

ride from the house. I told him all

about us.

ZACHETTI:

Why does he have to get told about

us?

LOLA:

We don't have to worry about Mr.

Neff, Nino.

ZACHETTI:

I'm not doing any worrying. Just

don't you broadcast so much.

LOLA:

What's the matter with you, Nino?

He's a friend.

ZACHETTI:

I don't have any friends. And if I

did, I like to pick them myself.

NEFF:

Look, sonny, she needed the ride and

I brought her along. Is that anything

to get tough about?

ZACHETTI:

All right, Lola, make up your mind.

Are you coming or aren't you?

LOLA:

Of course I'm coming. Don't mind

him, Mr. Neff.

Lola steps out of the car.

LOLA:

Thanks a lot. You've been very sweet.

Lola catches up with Zachetti and they walk away together.

B-10 INT. COUPE

Neff looks after them. Slowly he puts the car in gear and

drives on. His face is tight. Behind his head, light catches

the metal of the zipper on the briefcase. Over the shot comes

the COMMENTARY:

NEFF'S VOICE

She was a nice kid and maybe he was

a little better than he sounded. I

kind of hoped so for her sake, but

right then it gave me a nasty feeling

to be thinking about them at all,

with that briefcase right behind my

head and her father's application in

it. Besides, I had other problems to

work out. There were plans to make,

and Phyllis had to be in on them...

DISSOLVE TO:

B-11 EXT. SUPER MARKET - (DAY)

There is a fair amount of activity but the place is not

crowded. Neff comes along the sidewalk into the shot. He

passes in front of the fruit and vegetable display and goes

between the stalls into the market.

NEFF'S VOICE

(Continued)

...but we couldn't be seen together

any more and I had told her never to

call me from her house and never to

call me at my office. So we had picked

out a big market on Los Feliz. She

was to be there buying stuff every

day about eleven o'clock, and I could

run into her there. Kind of

accidentally on purpose.

B-12 INT. MARKET

Neff stops by the cashier's desk and buys a pack of

cigarettes. As he is opening the pack he looks back casually

beyond the turnstile into the rear part of the market.

B-13 ROWS OF HIGH SHELVES IN MARKET

The shelves are loaded with canned goods and other

merchandise. Customers move around selecting articles and

putting them in their baskets. Phyllis is seen among them,

standing by the soap section. Her basket is partly filled.

She wears a simple house dress, no hat, and has a large

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