Ida Tarbell Page #6

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As Ida goes to leave --

LLOYD:

You really have no idea what you’re up

against, do you?

Ida stops. Turns and walks back to him.

IDA:

(very controlled)

Maybe I don’t. But I know the difference

between right and wrong. My father was an

oil man, Mr Lloyd. He worked all his life

to build his own business, only to see it

stolen from him by a gang of corporate

thugs answerable to no one, and I want to

know why. And as you correctly point out, I

am a woman in a man’s job, which means I

have to be twice as good as you to earn

even half the credit you get for free.

(beat)

Thanks for the book. Good day, Mr. Lloyd.

Lloyd smiles to himself. Admires her spunk.

LLOYD:

Good. That’s the spirit! Now use that,

Tarbell. Cherish your contempt. Nurture it.

Because in the end, it’s all you keep.

Ida walks away from this prickly old rooster.

INT. MCCLURE’S OFFICE - DAY

Ida is debriefing McClure after her jaunt out to Long Island.

IDA:

It’s a Trojan horse. The other refiners are

forced to join in, or they quickly get

squeezed out. Once he had a monopoly over

Cleveland, he marched on to Pittsburgh,

Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York.

SAM MCCLURE:

Yes, but how do you prove it?

IDA:

I don’t know. But I’m going to need a full-

time research assistant.

30.

SAM MCCLURE:

I’m afraid we don’t have one.

IDA:

Then I’ll take John Siddal. From now on, he

works for me.

Sam looks at her. Amused.

SAM MCCLURE:

Oh. Anything else?

IDA:

Yes. I need you to print this in the next

issue. Not too big, not too small.

SAM MCCLURE:

What is it?

IDA:

(smiles)

Bait.

CLOSE ON A SMALL ADVERTISEMENT:

“Have you worked for The Standard Oil Company? Do you have a

story to tell? Please contact: Ida M. Tarbell.”

And as we PULL BACK, we are now in -

INT. 26 BROADWAY - OFFICES OF STANDARD OIL - DAY

A company secretary (MISS HARRISON, 29) opens up the latest

issue of McClure’s Magazine, and flipping through the pages,

spots Ida’s small advertisement.

She rises immediately from her desk and walks the magazine

down the hallway to a large ornate wooden door. She knocks.

MISS HARRISON:

Mr. Rogers?

A VOICE booms from the other side.

ROGERS:

Come in!

She enters the office. The door closes softly behind her.

INT. OFFICE OF MCCLURE’S MAGAZINE - DAY

Ida types at her desk. A mail clerk drops off some letters

for her. One letter catches her attention, the return address

reads “26 Broadway”. She rips it open. Reads:

31.

MISS HARRISON (V.O.)

“Dear Miss Tarbell, Mr. Rogers is available

to meet with you on September 27th at

2.00pm. Please make your way to our offices

located at 26 Broadway, and come to the

12th floor. When you get there, you will

ask for Miss Harrison...”

Ida rises from her desk, taking the letter down the hall to

McClure’s office. Anxious to share the good news with him.

As she steps into his office unannounced, she finds him in an

amorous embrace with a woman, clearly not his wife.

IDA:

(surprised)

Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know...

They break apart just as Ida barges in.

SAM MCCLURE:

No, it’s all right. Come in. I was

just...talking to Miss Wilkinson. She is

one of our featured poets this month.

(introducing)

Florence Wilkinson, Ida Tarbell.

Wilkinson (39) is a glamorous-looking lady, and she gives Ida

a quick once over. Smiles a phony smile.

FLORENCE WILKINSON

Ida Tarbell, the writer?

IDA:

I’m sure there are others.

FLORENCE WILKINSON

Well now. I’ve heard a lot about you!

An awkward beat. Sam is dreadfully embarrassed.

SAM MCCLURE:

Yes, Miss Tarbell?

Ida smiles, trying to shrug off her momentary unease.

IDA:

(holding up the letter)

It worked. I’m in!

EXT. 26 BROADWAY - DAY

Ida enters the very imposing-looking granite building.

Corporate HQ of The Standard Oil Company in New York.

32.

INT. 26 BROADWAY - CONTINUOUS

Inside, the feel is Spartan and purposeful. Gleaming floors,

polished brass. Ida is directed to an elevator by a security

guard, and whooshed upwards to the 12th floor...

ROGERS (V.O.)

The Good Lord has prospered us, I don’t

deny it. But it took a lot of work too...

INT. ROGERS’ OFFICE - DAY

HENRY “HELLHOUND” ROGERS stands looking out the window, king

of all he surveys. He is 62, tall, fit and good-looking. A

charming and loquacious character in a handlebar moustache.

ROGERS:

When we came to the business, it was a

jungle. Total chaos. What we did was create

order out of that chaos. A way of doing

things that was streamlined, efficient and

above all, safe. We took a second-rate,

inefficient petroleum market and created

this...the gold standard.

Miss Harrison enters carrying a tray of tea. Places it neatly

on a table between them, disappears again.

ROGERS:

Tea, Miss Tarbell?

IDA:

No thank you.

He pours himself some tea, continues on:

ROGERS:

I knew your father back in Titusville.

This surprises Ida. The reason she was invited here, she now

realizes.

ROGERS:

We were both wildcatters in the early days.

Before he got into the barrel business. How

is your father by the way?

IDA:

Not very well, to say the least.

ROGERS:

I’m sorry to hear that.

(beat)

So, what can I do for you?

33.

IDA:

Well, I’m writing a story about Standard

Oil for our magazine -

ROGERS:

(patronizing smile)

A story, eh? Well now, you’ve come to the

right place for stories!

IDA:

(playing along)

Yes, I suppose I have.

ROGERS:

And what kind of story is it that you want

to write for your magazine?

IDA:

Well, this would be a...portrait. A

portrait of a great American company.

ROGERS:

I like it already! So, how can I help you?

IDA:

I’m trying to gather a little history on

the company, and I want to make sure I get

all of my facts straight.

ROGERS:

Yes, of course. We want the facts to be

correct, don’t we?

(thinks)

Come with me. I have an idea.

INT. LIBRARY - 26 BROADWAY - DAY

Rogers leads Ida inside a beautifully ornate library.

ROGERS:

It’s not quite finished yet, but this is

going to be our new company library. You’ll

find a lot of our history housed in here.

IDA:

Do you mind if I take a look?

ROGERS:

Not at all. Miss Harrison can help you find

whatever it is you need.

(checks his pocket watch)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid I have

another meeting to attend.

IDA:

Thank you, Mr. Rogers.

34.

ROGERS:

My pleasure, Miss Tarbell. You let me know

if there’s anything else you need.

Rogers exits. Leaving Ida momentarily alone in the library.

As he breezes out, he stops by Miss Harrison’s desk.

ROGERS:

(whispers)

No harm in letting her have a look around.

We are a friendly company, after all. But

keep an eye on her. I don’t want her left

alone in there.

IDA (V.O.)

The key to it all is facts, John.

And we launch into...

MONTAGE --IDA AND SIDDAL DEVELOPING THEIR STORY

Images of feverish activity as they begin piecing together

the first article. CROSSCUT as we see -

A) IDA’S APARTMENT:

She paces furiously around the room, pinning notes to a wall:

names, letters, dates, questions. Pieces of a puzzle. She

fires off a series of notes and memos to Siddal...

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