Joker Page #17

DET. BURKE

(confused)

I'm lost. Is something funny?

JOKER:

(laughter choking up in

his throat)

No I,-- I have a, a--

Tears rolling down his face, he takes out one of his cards

and hands it to Det. Burke. Burke glances over the card, a

skeptical look on his face.

63.

DET. BURKE

Okay. But we have some questions

for you.

DET. GARRITY

About those subway killings from a

few weeks ago.

Joker pauses for a moment, his laughter subsiding. He holds

his breath.

JOKER:

I don't know anything about that.

DET. GARRITY

We have an eyewitness who described

a white male, about 6 feet tall, in

clown make up. Or a clown mask.

Spoke to your boss at Ha-Ha's, Mr.

Vaughn, and he said you were on a

job the day of the shooting.

Joker's still holding his breath, he nods yes.

DET. GARRITY

(just continues)

He also said you got fired that

day,-- For bringing a gun into the

children's hospital.

And Joker cracks up again, his laughter coming back harder--

He covers his mouth with his hand, shaking his head no, his

face now turning red.

DET. GARRITY

You weren't fired?

Joker catches his breath as the intensity of his laughter

starts to wane, petering out.

JOKER:

Not for having a gun. That was prop

gun. Part of my act.

Joker's laughter finally stops for good.

DET. BURKE

So why were you fired?

JOKER:

They said I wasn't funny.

The detectives share another look.

64.

Joker stands up.

JOKER:

Now, if you don't mind, I have to

go back and look after my mother.

Detective Burke steps close to him, holds up the card that

Joker handed him--

DET. BURKE

Hey lemme ask you a question? This

condition of yours,-- Is this real

or is this like some sorta clown

thing?

JOKER:

Clown thing?

DET. BURKE

I mean, is it part of your act?

JOKER:

What do you think?

And Joker walks away-- heads for the sliding glass doors.

Only the motion detector doesn't engage--

AND HE SLAMS RIGHT INTO THE GLASS DOOR.

HARD.

He bounces back.

62 INT. HALLWAY, NURSE'S STATION - CITY HOSPITAL - NIGHT 62

Joker walking down the hallway, ER flooded with the poor and

uninsured. Overwhelmed doctors and nurses trying their best

to keep up. He stops at the busy nurse's station, and stands

there for a moment, trying to get a nurse's attention--

JOKER:

Excuse me, I was wondering how I

could check my mother out of here?

One of the nurses at the desk looks up at him, seems slightly

annoyed.

ER NURSE:

What's your mother's name?

JOKER:

Penny Fleck. I'd like to take her

home.

65.

The sleep-deprived ER RESIDENT who was working on his mother

overhears Joker, comes over to talk to him with a clipboard

in his hand. Joker recognizes him--

ER RESIDENT:

Mr. Fleck, your mother had a

stroke. It's very serious. You

can't "check her out." She's gonna

be here for at least a week.

JOKER:

She's not gonna wanna stay that

long. She doesn't like hospitals.

Or doctors.

ER RESIDENT:

I'm sorry to hear that. But she

can't just leave.

JOKER:

I don't like hospitals either.

Beat.

The resident just nods okay. Looks down at his clipboard--

ER RESIDENT:

Listen, I wanted to talk you about

something we noticed in her tox

report. We found heavy traces of

multiple medications in her system.

JOKER:

Okay. Thanks.

He turns to go, but the resident continues--

ER RESIDENT:

One of them's perphenazine. It's a

powerful anti-psychotic. If she was

taking that regularly and then

suddenly stopped, the withdrawal

could have contributed to her

stroke. Did you notice any

symptoms?

JOKER:

Symptoms?

ER RESIDENT:

Withdrawal symptoms. Nausea...

anxiety... hallucinations.

Joker shakes his head, no.

66.

ER RESIDENT:

Do you know how long she's been

taking it?

Joker shakes his head no again, leans in closer to the

resident--

JOKER:

Can you tell me what those symptoms

are again?

CUT TO:

63 INT. PATIENT BAY, EMERGENCY TREATMENT ROOM - NIGHT 63

CLOSE ON TV, Murray Franklin is in the middle of doing his

monologue.

MURRAY FRANKLIN (ON TV)

So I told my youngest son, Tommy,

remember he's the 'not so bright'

one,--

(laughter)

I told him that the garbage strike

is still going on. And he says, and

I'm not kidding, Tommy says, "So

where are we gonna get all our

garbage from?"

Murray Franklin cracks up at his own joke. Studio audience

laughs.

JOKER LAUGHS, LYING IN BED NEXT TO HIS UNCONSCIOUS MOTHER in

the large overcrowded treatment room.

Blue curtain dividers separate the bays. He's watching the

show on a TV bolted high on the wall. He glances over at his

mother, laughing over the sounds of her labored breath, the

pain and suffering of those around him.

He looks back up at the television.

MURRAY FRANKLIN (ON TV)

And finally, in a world where

everyone thinks they could do my

job, we got this videotape from the

Gotham Comedy Club. Here's a guy

who thinks if you just keep

laughing, it'll somehow make you

funny. Check out this joker.

67.

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