Hannah and Her Sisters Page #11

MICKEY:

Like what?

DR. ABEL

(shaking his head)

It's nothing. Will you trust me?

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET CORNER - DAY

Mickey stands in a telephone booth on a corner near Dr.

Abel's office; he talks on the phone. It is raining. A man

and a woman holding an umbrella pass by; traffic moves

across a nearby intersection.

MICKEY:

(into the telephone)

Huh, uh, hello, Dr. Wilkes? Dr.

Wilkes, this is Mickey Sachs. You

have a minute? I want to ask you a

question.

The film cuts to Dr. Wilkes, on the telephone at his end.

He is in his office; he leans back in his chair, dangling

his stethoscope as he speaks. Behind him, a chest X-ray is

mounted on a light panel.

DR. WILKES

(into the telephone)

Sure, Mickey. What's up?

The movie cuts back and forth between Mickey in his phone

booth asking questions and Dr. Wilkes in his office answering

them.

MICKEY:

(into the telephone, gesturing)

I-if you have, i-if you have a

hearing loss in one ear, and-and

it's not from a, uh, virus or a

loud noise or anything, wh-what are

the possibilities?

DR. WILKES

(into his telephone)

Anything. Uh, often it's hereditary.

Flu, uh, even a small noise will do

it.

MICKEY:

(into the telephone)

Uh, right, but-but nothing worse?

DR. WILKES

(into the telephone)

Well, yes, I guess the, uh, dark

side of the spectrum is a brain

tumor.

MICKEY:

(into the telephone,

reacting with a blank stare)

Really?

CUT TO:

INT. MICKEY'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Gail, wearing her glasses, stands behind a crowded but well-

ordered desk. Two assistants, a man and a woman, stand

around her.

GAIL:

(handing them each

some pages of script)

Okay, so here's the new pages.

WOMAN:

(looking over the pages)

Say, did cards get these?

GAIL:

(scratching her head)

No, not yet. No.

MAN:

(looking over his pages)

Well, let's hope it's good.

GAIL:

Yeah, really. Really.

The assistants walk off. As they leave, Gail calls out

after them.

GAIL:

Eh, we'll be down in a minute, okay?

The telephone starts to ring, Gail pauses, looking offscreen.

She takes off her glasses and squints.

GAIL:

Mickey, what's the matter with you?

You're all white!

The film cuts to Mickey, who is pacing and wringing his

hands. He walks over to Gail. The phone continues to ring.

MICKEY:

I feel dizzy. Sshh, you know, I

don't feel well.

He starts to pant, looking worriedly around the room. He

continues to wring his hands as Gail stares at him, concerned.

MICKEY:

Do you hear a ringing? Is there,

is there a, is there a ringing

sound?

(sighing)

GAIL:

(gesturing)

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I hear, I hear

it.

She sits down and picks up the phone.

MICKEY:

(shaking his head)

N-n-no, not that.

GAIL:

(overlapping, into

the telephone)

Hello?

MICKEY:

(covering first one

ear, then the other, continuing)

Like--

(putting a finger

into his ear, closing

his eyes and listening)

GAIL:

(into the telephone)

Uh, yeah, yeah. We're going to be

working late tonight. N-no, we'll

order out. It's all right. Yeah.

Gail hangs up the phone.

MICKEY:

(turning to Gail,

gesturing nervously)

Sssss, if I have a brain tumor, I

don't know what I'm gonna do.

(sighing)

GAIL:

You don't have a brain tumor. He

didn't say you had a brain tumor.

MICKEY:

(sighing)

No, naturally

(gesturing)

they're not gonna tell you, because,

well, you know, th--, sometimes the

weaker ones will panic if you tell

'em.

GAIL:

(pointing a finger at Mickey)

But not you.

MICKEY:

(flinging up his

arms, sighing)

Oh, God!

(looking around

worriedly and touching

Gail's shoulder)

Do you hear a buzzing? Is there a

buzzing?

He pants and begins to pace around the room. The camera

follows him as he walks away from Gail.

GAIL:

(impatiently)

Mickey, come on, we got a show to do!

MICKEY:

(pacing)

I can't keep my mind on the show.

GAIL:

(offscreen)

But there's nothing wrong with you.

MICKEY:

(sighing and gesturing)

If there's nothing wrong with me

(pacing back to the

desk and Gail)

then why does he want me to come

back for tests?!

GAIL:

(gesturing)

Well, he has to rule out certain

things.

(sighing)

MICKEY:

Like what?! What?

GAIL:

(shrugging)

I don't know. Cancer, I--

MICKEY:

(interrupting)

Don't say that! I don't want to

hear that word!

(gesturing)

Don't mention that while I'm in the

building.

GAIL:

(gesturing)

But you don't have any symptoms!

Rate this script:3.5 / 4 votes