Front Page Woman Page #3

Sure, why don't you marry me?

I'll make a swell husband, even if I am

a reporter.

Now, look, I don't write novels or newspaper plays

and take my hat off inside the house.

Perfect.

Don't forget, I'm a newspaper woman, too.

Yeah, and don't you forget that women

make rotten newspapermen.

Is that so?

Yeah.

Look at Nell Bonnett.

Let me see, Nell.

If I could make a picture from this angle

with my soft focus lens...

No, there's nothing you can do.

You look at her.

She makes me feel effeminate.

Well, I don't, do I?

No.

I'm going to prove

I'm as good a reporter as any man.

Pecans.

And what's more,

I'm going to make you admit it.

Almonds.

I wouldn't marry you for anything

in this world.

Walnuts, both English and black.

And the muffins I make...

Saved by the bell.

That's a three-alarm.

Well, the son of a gun, he's learned

to count.

Aren't you going to cover the fire?

Sure, as soon as I have a glass of beer.

Well, I'm going now.

Say...

If it starts to go out, put a little kindling

on it as soon as I get there.

You're so smart.

Ellen...

What do you want?

You know what happens to girls

who play with fire.

What?

They get burned.

Oh, I was under the wrong impression.

I thought...

Fire! Fire in the basement.

Fire! Fire in the basement.

Stop it, Stone, put that gun down,

you don't know what you're doing.

I know just what I'm doing.

All right, you won't get away with it.

Watch out, he's got a gun!

Put that gun down,

you don't know what you're doing.

Listen to me, will you, please?

Keep out of this...

You don't know what you're doing...

Keep out of this...

No, I tell you, no...

I'm sorry, Miss.

But I'm a reporter, this press card says so.

I'm not running the risk of letting

any woman through these firelands.

I don't care if you're a billygoat,

you can't get through.

Well, I'll be a billygoat if you want me to.

If you're gonna be any kind of a goat,

you'll be a nannygoat and you'll like it.

Pardon me.

Let us through, folks. Hello, Hallohan.

Make way for mother's little lamb.

How are you, Mr Devlin?

And who's this poor young lady

you've got with you?

She says she's a reporter.

She does?

Well, she isn't a reporter,

and what's more, she never will be.

I'm every bit as good a reporter as he is.

Oh, yeah, then let's see you get

through these lines.

There's nothing like an apartment-house fire

to find a lot of guys whose wives think

they're in Chicago.

So keep that bird cage cocked and

you'll shoot yourself a scandal.

Don't worry about me,

there's no smoke in my eyes.

Think you can make it?

There's only one way to find out.

Come on.

Take it easy.

Officer, can you come here a moment?

Hello, Mr. Stone.

What are you doing here?

Showing remarkably good sense

by leaving a burning building.

Will you see if you can get us

a cab, please.

I will, Mr Stone.

Get back there.

Where did she go?

She slipped out the back way.

Nobody saw her.

Sure?

I'm positive. Stop worrying,

will you?

All right. Here he comes now.

What's the matter, Mr Stone?

Nothing, just a lungfull of smoke, I guess.

I hope you're all right.

Thank you, officer.

All right.

Hey, go back on the curb,

back on the curb, go on, now.

Did you see the Express?

I saw both of them.

What's the matter with us?

You know any reason why we...

Yeah, here comes the reason now.

Good morning, Spike.

Where have you been, and why don't you

go back?

What's the matter?

Didn't you like my story about the fire

last night?

Oh, that was literature:

"The hungry flames greedily licked

the paint from the building."

That moved me, and how.

The brave fire laddies

darting about in the smoke

looked like creatures escaped from

Dante's Inferno."

That got me, too.

I don't think my goose pimples will ever

go down after that line.

It was lovely, so sweet. I'll bet we've given

a million readers pimples.

You got everything there was to get

for the story.

Read The Express.

Marvin Stone disappears after fire.

Yes.

Broadway producer missing after

apartment house fire.

Well, I'm a...

How do you suppose he got that?

By being a newspaperman, dear.

There are 200 fires in this town every day.

But there's only one Marvin Stone.

So what do you do?

You describe a fire.

You wouldn't know a story if it picked you

on the air and you got lockjaw.

If you could only spell I'd put you in the

classified ads department.

I've had drunken reporters,

I've had reporters who coudn't

read or write...

but so help me,

you're the only one I ever had

that can have her throat cut

and not know it even after she saw

the blood.

Oh, I'm sorry, Spike, really I am.

You were sorry last time...

and I was sorry for you last time,

but no more.

To me you're just another dame

that's missed her calling.

You ought to be writing poems

on birthday cards.

Oh, give it to me. I know I deserve it.

I should have known better.

Well, I'm gonna start running an office

around here.

Listen. Stone...

There was a Stone at the fire last night.

Spike, I think I got a beat.

You couldn't beat an egg.

Give me 24 hours. I think I got something.

If I had it my way, I'd give you life.

If I don't come back with something

this time, I won't come back.

I hope.

I should have fired her.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Hold your horses.

Stop that banging or you'll wake the dead.

Hello.

Say, listen, if you're gonna start

that goat game...

No, this is important.

So is my sleep.

Have you read the morning paper?

No, I sleep in the daytime.

That is, I did until you came into my life.

Well, Marvin Stone is missing.

The police have checked everywhere.

Stone... Stone...

Oh, I saw him at the fire.

I got him a taxi, a yellow.

That's what I thought. Well, call them up

and find out where they took him.

I will.

No, no, easy now...

All right, hurry up. It's very important.

Give me a chance...

Can't you see it's important?

I know, I know.

Hello. This is Hallohan of the 5th Precinct.

One of your men picked up a gentleman

at the Granger Arms Apartments last night

at 9:
30.

Dark coat and a gray fedora hat.

Yeah, we want to know where the driver

took him.

Okay.

What did he say?

They're checking up.

Who was the man with him?

Never saw him before.

Hello? Yes.

Is that so?

Okay, thanks.

What?

The driver took Stone to the

Plaza Hospital.

Well, come on, let's go.

Not without me pants.

All right.

Wait a minute now...

Take it easy...

Stone? Just a minute, please,

and I'll see.

Stone, Stone... I'm sorry, but there's

no one here by the name of Stone.

Wasn't there any man admitted

around 10:
00 last night?

10:
00 last night?

Yes, there was a man by the name of

James Craig admitted at a 9:45.

Is he still here?

Yes, he's in room 702.

Do you suppose that could be...

I don't suppose anything.

We'll check up on him.

That was room 70...

Room 702, 7th floor east.

All right, thanks. Come on.

We'd like to see Mr Craig.

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