His Girl Friday Page #25

She lets go of the chair and takes one of the telephones.

HILDY:

Morning Post?... Get me Walter Burns --

quick! Hildy Johnson calling.

Very calmly she sits on the long table, her back against the

wall and waits.

CLOSEUP - HILDY

HILDY:

Walter?... Hildy. Earl Williams just

escaped from the County Jail. Yep...

yep... yep... don't worry! I'm on

the job!

She hangs up.

MEDIUM SHOT:

There is another volley outside. Hildy sails her hat and

starts peeling off her gloves as she jumps for the door.

EXT. COURTYARD - DAY MEDIUM SHOT - AT THE GATE

There are the reporters joining armed guards who are leaping

into squad cars ready for the chase. Cooley is beside the

gate. As the reporters and guards pile into the cars, the

gate opens and out they go.

MEDIUM SHOT AT DOOR LEADING FROM BUILDING TO COURTYARD

Hildy comes on a run from this door, hesitates a moment,

then sees something o.s. and runs for it.

MED. SHOT - SQUAD CAR

as it comes careening across courtyard toward gate. Hildy

tears into scene, jumps for and makes the running-board, and

hangs there as the car swerves up to the gate.

MED. SHOT - AT GATE

Hildy notices Cooley as the car, gathering speed, goes by

him. She leaps from the running-board and lands clump on

Cooley.

CLOSE SHOT - HILDY AND COOLEY

Cooley has been knocked to the ground by the impact of Hildy's

leap. She is sitting on him.

HILDY:

Cooley, I want to talk to you.

COOLEY:

(trying to get up)

Hildy -- I can't. I'm busy -- I --

Let me up, Hildy. Earl Williams has

escaped --

He struggles.

HILDY:

There's money in it, Cooley.

COOLEY:

I can't Hildy. It means my job! It

means --

HILDY:

(interrupting him)

A lot of money.

(she opens her bag)

Four hundred and fifty dollars --

She fingers the bills.

COOLEY:

How much?

HILDY:

Four hundred and fifty dollars. Is

it a deal?

COOLEY:

It's a deal. Let me up.

Cooley gets up and dusts himself off.

COOLEY:

Let's see the money.

HILDY:

(money still in her

hand)

First we talk. How did Earl Williams

get that gun?

Cooley looks around quickly.

COOLEY:

Come on, and I'll tell you.

He jerks his head, indicating to Hildy to follow him.

MEDIUM SHOT:

They move off as the gates are closed.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PRESS ROOM - CRIMINAL COURTS BUILDING - DAY FULL SHOT

The room is empty. All the telephones are ringing crazily.

Endicott enters hurriedly, crosses to his phone.

ENDICOTT:

(into phone)

Endicott talking.

CLOSE SHOT ENDICOTT - AT PHONE

ENDICOTT:

(into phone)

No -- nobody knows where he got the

gun, but I think Mollie Malloy

smuggled it in to him. He ran up the

fire-escape, and went back in the

infirmary window. Then he got out

through the skylight. He must have

slid down the rain-pipe to the street.

MURPHY'S VOICE

Gimme the Desk.

MED. TWO SHOT

including Murphy and Endicott at separate phones.

ENDICOTT:

No, I tell you! Nobody knows where

he got it.

MURPHY:

The Crime Commission has offered a

reward of ten thousand dollars for

Williams' capture.

ENDICOTT:

Call you back.

He hangs up swiftly and goes out.

MURPHY:

No clue yet as to Earl Williams'

whereabouts. Here's a little feature

though:
There's been an accident

about a tear bomb --

Wilson enters and picks up his phone.

WILSON:

(into phone)

Wilson talking.

MURPHY:

Yeah -- tear bomb. Criminals cry for

it.

MEDIUM SHOT:

including Murphy, Wilson and doorway. The Sheriff enters,

turning as he enters. As he turns back to someone in corridor:

HARTMAN:

If the Mayor wants me, he knows where

I am.

MURPHY:

(into phone)

This tear bomb went off unexpectedly

in the hands of Sheriff Hartman's

Bombing Squad.

HARTMAN:

What went off?

MURPHY:

(into phone)

Four of Mr. Hartman's Deputy Sheriffs

were rushed to the hospital --

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