Ida Tarbell Page #10

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IDA:

Can I talk to Mr. Rockefeller?

ROGERS:

(grim)

You are talking to him.

INT. 26 BROADWAY - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

The door opens and Ida hurries down the corridor to the

elevator. And reaching for the button, we see that her hands

are shaking. Adrenaline pumping. Her entire body trembling

from the effort of appearing “calm” in front of Rogers.

As Ida leaves, PULL BACK TO REVEAL: MISS HARRISON -tapping

out a message on a private telegraph machine.

-At KYKUIT, an OPERATOR takes down the incoming cable, hands

it off to a porter...

- Who whisks it away down a hallway

-Where it lands on the private desk of JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER.

He reads the message: “Ida Tarbell not cooperative. Highly

recommend taking action.”

INT. OFFICE OF MCCLURE’S MAGAZINE - DAY

Ida is working at her desk, when her attention is drawn to

John Siddal on the other side of a glass window. He is

talking to a MAN IN HIS MID-60’S. His name is HARLAN WHITNEY.

More scary looking than actually dangerous.

He walks past Siddal, and right up to Ida at her desk.

HARLAN WHITNEY:

Are you Ida Tarbell?

SIDDAL:

I’m sorry, he just barged right in here.

IDA:

Yes. Who are you?

HARLAN WHITNEY:

My name’s Harlan Whitney. I’m a railroad

engineer. Or at least I used to be. Worked

on the Erie Line, up near Buffalo.

He says this like Ida should know what he means.

50.

HARLAN WHITNEY:

After it got taken over by the South

Improvement Company?

TIMECUT:
LATER -

Ida and Siddal sitting with the man, listening to his story.

HARLAN WHITNEY:

South Improvement scheme was s’posed to

make life better for all refiners.

IDA:

How?

HARLAN WHITNEY:

Lower shipping rates. That’s how they got

others to join in. They got sweetheart

deals with all the railroads. Pennsylvania,

New York, New Haven, even The Central.

IDA:

Do you know how these deals were made?

HARLAN WHITNEY:

(nods)

Any business they got from Standard, the

railroad had to kick back to the company.

Usually ten cents on every barrel shipped.

IDA:

What you’re talking about here are rebates?

HARLAN WHITNEY:

Yeah, rebates. But for them that didn’t

want to play in the game, they could sure

make things hard.

INT. RAILWAY OFFICE - DAY - (FLASHBACK)

WHITNEY, ten years younger, is holed up in his office when

two Standard Oil THUGS enter. He looks up from his paper.

THUG # 1

The 4:
15 from Buffalo?

HARLAN WHITNEY:

On time.

THUG # 2

Take a hike.

HARLAN WHITNEY:

But I have to switch signals.

Thug # 2 pulls back his coat, revealing a revolver.

51.

THUG # 2

I said, take a hike!

Fearing for his life, Whitney quickly disappears.

HARLAN WHITNEY (V.O.)

More than once, I sent a train down the

wrong tracks. Accidentally on purpose.

EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - DAY - (FLASHBACK)

A train signal is switched, and an approaching FREIGHT TRAIN

screeches to a halt. A group of OIL MEN, their faces hidden

by handkerchiefs, approach with pickaxes in hand.

HARLAN WHITNEY (V.O.)

Knowing what they was gonna do to it, it

never sat well with me. But I had a wife

and four kids to feed. I needed that job.

They pull back a tarp to reveal: Union Oil, not Standard Oil.

Their leader nods, giving the signal.

And thuk, thuk, thuk! The pickaxes fly into barrels of oil,

spilling it onto the ground.

BACK TO SCENE -

Harlan Whitney hangs his head, fingering a worn out cap.

HARLAN WHITNEY:

When I read your article and seen how John

Rockefeller was behind the South

Improvement Scheme, I just figured you

might like to know...

INT. MCCLURE’S OFFICE - DAY

Ida paces in McClure’s office. Sam sits opposite her, his

feet up on the desk.

SAM MCCLURE:

This guy Whitney, he just waltzed in here

off the street?

IDA:

Right off the street.

SAM MCCLURE:

Christ, we’d need to watch that. I’ll talk

to security downstairs.

(beat)

How’d it go with Rogers?

52.

IDA:

Fraught, to say the least. But he didn’t

deny any of it.

SAM MCCLURE:

When do you think we’ll have the next one?

IDA:

Soon. I’m working on it.

(thinking)

We need to reshape the public perception of

who Rockefeller is. I think people are so

dazzled by his “business success”, they

don’t want to believe that he could be

corrupt. So we need to unmask him. Take

away the silk hat and the leather gloves,

and they’ll soon begin to see him for what

he really is:
a petty thug.

A thought suddenly stops Ida in her tracks.

IDA:

Have you ever wondered what he looks like?

SAM MCCLURE:

Who, Rogers?

IDA:

No! Rockefeller.

SAM MCCLURE:

(shrugs)

I don’t know. I’ve read some descriptions,

but has anyone actually seen him in person?

IDA:

Maybe it’s time we put a face on the devil.

SAM MCCLURE:

How? We can’t exactly ask him to sit for a

portrait, now can we?

IDA:

He still goes out in public, doesn’t he?

SAM MCCLURE:

Do you know where?

IDA:

(nods)

The First Congregation Baptist Church on

Euclid Avenue. Every Sunday. Just like

clockwork.

CUT TO:

53.

INT. BAPTIST CHURCH - DAY

Siddal sits nervously in a pew. Directly in front of him is

John D. Rockefeller, in a prayer cap and shawl. The

congregation sings, and Siddal tries gamely to sing along.

IDA (V.O.)

We send Siddal, with a photographer. Only

they pretend not to know each other.

Across the aisle is another man, THE PHOTOGRAPHER. Siddal

looks over at him. Their eyes briefly meet.

IDA (V.O.)

After the ceremony, Siddal engages him for

a brief second or two. Just long enough for

the photographer to swoop in.

EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - DAY

The service over, Rockefeller and Cettie greet well wishers

outside the church. Standing off to one side, and looking

conspicuously out of place, are two armed PINKERTON GUARDS

(Rockefeller’s private security detail).

Siddal falls in line behind some others who wish to shake the

great man’s hand.

As his turn comes, Siddal steps up to meet Rockefeller.

SIDDAL:

Mr. Rockefeller? I’m Henry Stephens, I’m a

cousin of your great Aunt Betty.

ROCKEFELLER:

(thrown)

Oh. How is she?

SIDDAL:

Very well, sir. She sends her kind regards

to you and all the family.

ROCKEFELLER:

Thank you.

Suddenly they are interrupted by...

THE PHOTOGRPAHER

Gentlemen, can you hold still please?

And now Siddal purposely leans out of the way as the

photographer isolates Rockefeller. All done in an instant.

And Poof! A magnesium flash explodes.

54.

And almost before the smoke has cleared, they’re gone.

Leaving Rockefeller slightly dazed and confused.

CETTIE:

Who was that man, dear?

ROCKEFELLER:

(irritated)

I’ve no idea. Some cousin or other.

Sensing trouble, Rockefeller nods to his GUARDS. One leads

Cettie away while the other gives chase to Siddal.

PINKERTON GUARD:

Mrs. Rockefeller, step this way please.

Siddal and the photog quietly disappear into the crowd. The

GUARD gives chase, but there are too many bodies in the way.

In the distance, he sees: a motorcar starting up. Siddal

climbs aboard and the car peels away. Mission accomplished.

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