His Girl Friday Page #38

At the door, Louie gets Mrs. Baldwin out and disappears with

her. Hildy starts after them, when Burns' arm comes into

scene, catching her.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

BURNS:

Where do you think you're going?

HILDY:

Let go o' me! I've got to get Bruce

out of jail! Oh, Walter, why did you

have to do this to me?

BURNS:

(scornfully)

Get Bruce out of jail! How can you

worry about a man who's resting

comfortably in a quiet police station

while this is going on? Hildy, this

is war! You can't desert now!

HILDY:

Oh, get off that trapeze!

(indicating desk, off)

There's your story! Smear it all

over the front page -- Earl Williams

caught by the Morning Post! And take

all the credit -- I covered your

story for you and I got myself in a

fine mess doing it -- and now I'm

getting out! I know I told you that

twice before today -- but this time

I mean it!

BURNS:

You drooling idiot! What do you mean,

you're getting out! There are three

hundred and sixty-five days in the

year one can get married -- but how

many times have you got a murderer

locked up in a desk? -- Once in a

lifetime! Hildy, you've got the whole

city by the seat of the pants!

HILDY:

I know, but --

BURNS:

(interrupting)

You know! You've got the brain of a

pancake! That wasn't just a story

you covered -- it was a revolution!

Hildy! This is the greatest yarn in

journalism since Livingstone

discovered Stanley for the New York

Herald!

(quickly closes the

door)

HILDY:

(slightly bewildered)

Wait a minute -- wasn't it Stanley

who discovered Livingstone?

BURNS:

Don't get technical at a time like

this! Do you realize what you've

done? You've taken a city that's

been graft-ridden for forty years

under the same old gang and with

this yarn you're kicking 'em out and

giving us a chance to have the same

kind of government that New York's

having under La Guardia! We'll make

such monkeys out of these ward-heelers

next Tuesday that nobody'll vote for

them -- not even their wives!

HILDY:

(the fire upon her)

I'd like to think.

BURNS:

Well, think it then, because it's

true! We'll crucify that mob. We're

going to keep Williams under cover

till morning so the Post can break

the story exclusive. Then we'll let

the Governor in on the capture --

share the glory with him.

HILDY:

(excited)

I get it!

BURNS:

You've kicked over the whole City

Hall like an apple-cart. You've got

the Mayor and Hartman backed against

a wall. You've put one administration

out and another in. This isn't a

newspaper story -- it's a career!

And you stand there belly-aching

about whether you catch an eight

o'clock train or a nine o'clock train!

Still a doll-faced mugg! That's all

you are.

HILDY:

Let me get at that typewriter and

I'll show you how a doll-faced mugg

can write!

BURNS:

Attagirl! Why, they'll be naming

streets after you -- Hildy Johnson

Street! There'll be statues of you

in the parks, Hildy. The radio'll be

after you -- the movies!

(slapping his fist

against his open

palm)

By tomorrow morning I'll betcha

there's a Hildy Johnson cigar! I can

see the billboards now. Light up

with Hildy Johnson!

HILDY:

Whoa -- wait a minute. We can't leave

Williams here. One of the other

fellows'll --

BURNS:

We're going to take him over to my

private office.

(turning)

Where's our phone?

HILDY:

That one -- how you gonna take him?

They'll see him.

SHOT AT TABLE:

as Burns gets phone and jiggles the hook.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes