Kramer vs. Kramer Page #16

THEIR P.O.V.:
The room is a mess, blocks are stacked

everywhere. Billy sits in the middle playing with his

toys.

ON TED AND DR. ALVAREZ--They stand in the doorway.

TED:

Billy. This is Dr. Alvarez.

She would like to talk to you.

BILLY:

(looking up from

his toys)

Sure.

There is an awkward pause as Ted remains in the doorway.

DR. ALVAREZ

(pointedly)

I'd like to talk to Billy privately.

TED:

(embarrassed at

being caught)

Oh, yeah...

Reluctantly, Ted leaves, closing the door behind him.

103 THE CAMERA TRACKS WITH HIM as he crosses the living

room to the couch where he has a stack of legal books

and a number of note pads spread out. He is obviously

continuing his legal education. THROUGH OUT THE

FOLLOWING, THE CAMERA REMAINS ON HIS FACE.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

What do you have here, Billy?

BILLY (O.S.)

Detroit.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

Have you ever been to Detroit?

BILLY (O.S.)

No. But I've been to Brooklyn.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

I see you have people there.

What are their names?

BILLY (O.S.)

That's Kim...and this one's

Thelma and that's Mrs. Willewska

and this is daddy and that's

Batman and over there is Robin.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

What about your mommy?

BILLY (O.S.)

Oh, sure. Here, this can be

mommy.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

Do you like to be with your mommy?

Ted by now has given up all pretense of working. He

wags his pencil in the direction of the door.

TED:

(the defense attorney)

Objection. You're leading the

witness.

BILLY (O.S.)

Sure.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

What do you like best about her?

BILLY (O.S.)

Lunch in a restaurant.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

What do you like best about your

daddy?

BILLY (O.S.)

Playing.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

Tell me, does your daddy ever hit

you?

REACTION, TED--eyes wide. He starts to get up.

TED:

Objection.

BILLY (O.S.)

Sure. Lots of times.

This brings Ted all the way to his feet. He starts

across the living room headed for the door to Billy's

room.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

(interested)

When does he hit you?

Ted has his hand on the doorknob, about to enter.

BILLY (O.S.)

He hits me on the planet Kriptarium,

when I steal the buried treasure

from the famous peanut butter

factory.

ALVAREZ (O.S.)

In real life when does he hit you?

BILLY (O.S.)

(laughing)

My daddy doesn't hit me, silly.

Why would my daddy hit me?

CUT TO:

104 EXT. MODERN OFFICE BUILDING, MIDTOWN - DAY

WIDE SHOT--It is a Saturday afternoon. HOLD FOR A

BEAT as we SEE Ted Kramer and Billy approaching. Billy

is talking a mile a minute. Ted listens intently,

absorbed in the boy's description. As they turn into

the entrance of the office building:

105 INT. CORRIDOR, J. WALTER THOMPSON - DAY

WIDE SHOT--A long corridor with desks for secretaries

lined up next to doors leading to smaller individual

offices. As they approach a door in the foreground

that bears a small sign reading, "Ted Kramer":

TED:

(interrupting Billy,

who is still in the

middle of his story)

See. That's my name.

BILLY:

(looking at the sign)

It's my name too.

TED:

Right.

As he opens the door:

CUT TO:

106 INT. TED KRAMER'S OFFICE - DAY

It is a pleasant enough office, but nothing spectacular,

windows that look out over Fifty-seventh Street, simple

Formica furniture, that sort of thing.

ON THE DOOR--as they enter.

BILLY:

(he stops dead in

his tracks at the

sight of the office)

Wow!

TED:

(pleased)

You like it?

Billy crosses to the window, presses his nose to the

glass, looks out.

BILLY:

Wow! Is this really where you

work?

Ted nods, walks over to the desk and begins collecting

paperwork to do over the weekend. As he does, Billy

goes through the office, sitting in every chair,

looking in every drawer.

BILLY:

Is this really your desk?

TED:

Yep.

BILLY:

Is that really your chair?

TED:

Uh huh...

BILLY:

Wow! That's neat. Can I sit

in it?

TED:

Sure.

Billy plops himself down in Ted's chair, swivels

around.

BILLY:

Did mommy ever see this?

TED:

No, she never did.

BILLY:

Are you going to get remarried?

TED:

I don't know. I hadn't thought

much about it.

BILLY:

Are you going to remarried

Phyllis?

TED:

(shaking his head)

No.

CLOSE ON BILLY--There is a long pause, then:

BILLY:

Will you and mommy get remarried?

Ted stops what he is doing, looks across at Billy:

TED:

No, son. Daddy and mommy will

never get remarried.

BILLY:

(looking around Ted's

office)

Boy, I bet you if mommy ever

saw this she'd remarried you.

107 OMIT

CUT TO:

108 INT. BEDROOM - VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING

CLOSE ON AN ALARM CLOCK THAT SITS ON A NIGHTSTAND--As

it rings, THE CAMERA PANS ACROSS and we SEE Joanna

sitting in bed wide awake, smoking. As she puts out

the cigarette she has been smoking and starts to get

out of bed,

CUT TO:

109 INT. KITCHEN, TED KRAMER'S APT. - EARLY MORNING

ON TED--who stands with a cup of coffee in his hands,

looking out the window, but not seeing anything. HOLD

FOR A BEAT, then he checks his watch and starts for

the bedroom.

CUT TO:

110 INT. JOANNA'S BEDROOM - MORNING

ON:
JOANNA--as she selects a very conservative suit from

her closet.

CUT TO:

111 INT. BILLY KRAMER'S BEDROOM - MORNING

WIDE SHOT--as Ted, now fully dressed, wearing a dark

blue suit, white shirt, conservative tie, leans over

Billy and wakes him.

CUT TO:

112 INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING

Joanna sits across from her lawyer as he talks to her,

intently, giving her last-minute instructions.

CUT TO:

113 EXT. STREET - MORNING

ON TED KRAMER--taking Billy to school. They stop at the

entrance, Ted kisses his son good-bye and stands for

a moment watching as the boy runs into the building.

CUT TO:

114 EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY

WIDE SHOT--It is a bleak January morning, the streets

around the courthouse are mobbed with people on their

way to work. We SEE Ted Kramer, a tiny figure among

hundreds, coming out of the subway. He crosses the

street and starts up the steps of the large and

forbidding courthouse.

CUT TO:

115 INT. COURTHOUSE - DAY

WIDE SHOT--as Ted gets off the elevator and starts

down the corridor, toward the courtroom. In the F.G.,

--standing by the door of the courtroom itself is John

Shaunessy, he greets Ted, they shake hands and talk

together for a moment. Then, as they enter the

courtroom:

CUT TO:

116 INT. COURTROOM

ON THE DOOR--as Ted enters, looks around. Mrs. Willewska

sits in one of the back rows, wearing her best Easter

hat. Ted pauses by her, thanks her for coming.

Several rows in front of her is Thelma. Ted crosses

to her, they talk quietly between themselves for a few

moments. Then Ted moves on to a table at the front of

the room where John Shaunessy waits.

ON THE DOORS AT THE BACK OF THE COURTROOM--as they swing

open and Joanna, along with her lawyer, a MR. GRESSEN.

THE CAMERA PANS WITH THEM as they walk to the front of

the room and take their seats at the table opposite Ted

and his lawyer.

CLERK:

Oyez, oyez...The third Circuit

Court of the State of New York,

Judge Atkins presiding is now in

session. All rise...

WIDE SHOT--as the judge enters, takes his seat.

Opening business of the court.

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