His Girl Friday Page #13

ENDICOTT:

(grinning)

Well, that about covers everything.

HILDY:

Good. Now I want to ask you fellows

a couple of questions. Did Earl

Williams know what he was doing when

he fired that gun?

MURPHY:

If you ask us, no. If you ask the

state alienists, the answer is yes.

MCCUE:

It's a simple story. Earl Williams

works for the E.J. McClosky

Manufacturing Company as a bookkeeper

for fourteen years. He starts in at

twenty dollars a week and gradually

works his way up to twenty-two fifty.

A year ago the McClosky Company goes

out of business and Williams loses

his job.

(waving his hand toward

Wilson)

Take it away, Fred Wilson!

WILSON:

Well -- Williams goes a little balmy

and begins making speeches on a plan

he's got to save the world. Only he

makes his speeches, usually, on a

very busy street and neglects to get

a license for it. Well, the cops let

him alone as much as they can because

he's harmless and they're kinda sorry

for him. But one day he decides to

hold a meeting right in the middle

of a Veteran's Parade and the cops

chase him. He gets scared and goes

into hiding.

(gesturing toward

Schwartz)

Come in, Dave Schwartz.

SCHWARTZ:

His Honor, the Mayor, now comes out

with a statement that Earl Williams

is a dangerous character in the employ

of two or three foreign governments

and the police are going to get him

dead or alive. Somebody sends out a

tip that this guy is hiding in Molly

Malloy's joint. And this colored

policeman, Daniels, goes over to

pick Williams up. Williams has read

the papers, thinks the cop is going

to kill him and shoots first. That

is all.

HILDY:

Thanks, boys. That's all I want to

know.

Hildy gets up, rolls the pair of stockings she has just

discarded into a ball, crosses to Bensinger's desk and puts

the stockings in a drawer.

ENDICOTT:

Say, that's old Prissy Bensinger's

desk.

HILDY:

I know, I just want to give him a

thrill.

Hildy crosses back to desk and sits down.

HILDY:

All right, boys, now that everything

is settled, deal me in.

Hildy glances toward clock on wall. The hands show 2:45 PM.

INSERT:
CLOCK - Hands pointing to 2:45 PM.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

She picks up phone nearest her on desk and starts to dial,

picking up cards dealt her with one hand.

HILDY:

(into phone)

Hello, this is Hildy Johnson. Get me

Walter Burns.

(she studies her cards --

then, into phone)

Hello, Walter. How's the old double-

crosser?

CLOSE SHOT WALTER BURNS

Telephone at his ear.

BURNS:

Hello, my fine-feathered friend.

Thought I might be hearing from you.

What have you got to report?

CAMERA PULLS BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT and we see that Burns is

stripped to the waist. A doctor is applying a stethoscope to

his chest. We HOLD the picture a second: Burns listening

intently on the phone and the doctor listening intently to

his chest.

BURNS:

(into phone)

Going all right, eh?

DOCTOR:

(nodding)

Fine.

Doctor suddenly realizes what he's said and looks up.

BURNS:

(putting hand over

mouthpiece of phone)

Doctor, will you please keep quiet a

minute? How do you expect me to get

any work done?

CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Bruce, who has some papers in

front of him at the desk. Bruce grins.

DOCTOR:

How do you expect me to get anywhere

if you're going to keep on that phone?

If you'll just give me two minutes

more --

BURNS:

(into phone)

Well, they haven't finished with me

yet but I'm hoping to get my shirt

back. Oh, no. I'm in the pink of

condition. They found two new dimples.

CUT TO:

INT. PRESS ROOM - CRIMINAL COURTS BLDG. CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT

TELEPHONE:

cards in her other hand.

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