Kramer vs. Kramer Page #18

SHAUNESSY:

(wonder, irony)

Whom you've seen twice in a year?

Mrs. Kramer, your ex-husband,

wasn't he the longest personal

relationship in your life?

JOANNA:

(reluctantly)

I suppose...

SHAUNESSY:

Would you speak up, Mrs. Kramer?

I couldn't hear you.

JOANNA:

(louder)

Yes.

SHAUNESSY:

How long was that?

JOANNA:

We were married two years before

the baby. And then four very

difficult years.

SHAUNESSY:

So, you were a failure at the

longest, most important

relationship in your life.

GRESSEN:

Objection!

JUDGE:

Overruled.

JOANNA:

I was not a failure.

SHAUNESSY:

(sarcastic)

Oh? What do you call it then

--a success? The marriage ended

in divorce.

JOANNA:

(so angry she

forgets her cool)

I consider it less my failure

than his.

SHAUNESSY:

(seizes on this)

Congratulations, Mrs. Kramer.

You have just rewritten matrimonial

law. You were both divorced,

Mrs. Kramer.

GRESSEN:

(on his feet)

Objection!

SHAUNESSY:

(to the judge)

Your honor, I'd like to ask

what this model of stability

and respectability has ever

succeeded at?

(to Joanna)

Mrs. Kramer, were you a failure

at the longest, most important

personal relationship in your life?

CLOSE ON JOANNA--who sits silently.

JUDGE:

Please answer the question,

Mrs. Kramer.

JOANNA:

(whisper)

It did not succeed.

SHAUNESSY:

(suddenly fierce)

Not it...Not it, Mrs. Kramer--

you. Were you a failure at the

most important personal relation-

ship of your life?

CLOSER IN ON JOANNA--Silence.

SHAUNESSY:

Were you?

EXTREME CLOSE UP JOANNA

JOANNA:

(barely audible)

Yes.

WIDE SHOT--Shaunessy smiles, turns his back on Joanna

and walks back toward the respondent's table.

SHAUNESSY:

No further questions.

CLOSER IN ON THE TABLE--as Shaunessy sits down next to

Ted.

TED:

(leaning over,

in a whisper)

Jesus Christ. Did you have to

be so rough on her?

SHAUNESSY:

(tough)

Do you want the kid or don't you?

ON JOANNA--shaken, she gets down from the witness stand,

crosses to the petitioner's table without looking at

Ted. She sits, leans across to her lawyer and whispers

something in his ear. As he nods,

CUT TO:

116A INT. COURTROOM, LATER IN THE DAY

ON JIM O'CONNOR--who sits in the witness stand. At the

moment he is being examined by Gressen.

GRESSEN:

Now then, Mr. O'Connor, how long

did Ted Kramer work for you?

O'CONNOR

Eight, almost nine years.

GRESSEN:

And did you have a close personal

relationship?

O'CONNOR

(in a whisper)

Yes...

GRESSEN:

And how did you find his work?

O'CONNOR

It was good. He was a hard worker,

a lot of drive, a real hustler.

GRESSEN:

And yet you fired him.

There is a long pause.

O'CONNOR

(looking down)

Ted was a good worker. But, ah...

... after his wife left him and he

was taking care of the kid on his

own, things started to change.

Look, I know he had problems, I

understand that. I've got problems,

everybody's got problems. But I've

got a shop to run, I can't let that

kind of thing get in the way...

(quietly)

I guess I felt that Ted was letting

his duties at home interfere with

his responsibilities in the office.

GRESSEN:

Thank you. I have no further

questions.

Shaunessy stands up.

SHAUNESSY:

Mr. O'Connor, does the agency still

have the Fire and Ice account?

O'CONNOR

(up tight)

No.

SHAUNESSY:

Mr. O'Connor, can you tell me where

you are employed at the moment?

O'CONNOR

(stiff)

At the moment I am unemployed.

ON THE JUDGE:

JUDGE:

If the petitioner has no further

witnesses, we will hear the

respondent tomorrow morning at

9:
30.

CUT TO:

117 INT. LIVING ROOM, KRAMER APT. - NIGHT

WIDE SHOT--Ted sits at the dining table poring over

law books, writing copious notes on a legal pad. Billy

sits across from him drawing in a pad with magic markers.

HOLD FOR A BEAT as Billy looks up at his father. It is

clear that something is bothering him.

BILLY:

Mom--I mean, dad?

TED:

(not looking up)

Uh, huh?

BILLY:

What did you do when you were

little?

TED:

(still involved

in his books)

I guess about the same kind of

things you do.

BILLY:

Did you watch "I Dream of Jeannie?"

TED:

(distracted)

Uh, uh...We didn't have television

then.

ON BILLY--eyes wide. He finds this hard to believe.

BILLY:

You didn't have T.V.?

ON TED--He looks up for the first time, smiles.

TED:

Nope. It hadn't been invented yet.

He starts to go back to work.

BILLY:

(this is serious

business)

Was there apple juice when you

were little?

TED:

Yeah, there was apple juice.

BILLY:

Was there Burger King?

TED:

Uh, uh. There was no such a thing

as Burger King.

BILLY:

What else wasn't there?

ON TED--He takes a long look at his son, then closes the

law book, puts his notes away.

TED:

Well, let's see...There wasn't

McDonald's. And there wasn't

astronauts...And there wasn't

frozen yogurt. And there wasn't...

As he continues on about what wasn't, we

FADE TO BLACK:

118 EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT

119 INT. COURTROOM - DAY

ON THELMA--She sits in the witness stand being examined

by Shaunessy. From her attitude it is clear that she

is very wrought up, that all of this is taking a heavy

emotional toll on her.

SHAUNESSY:

Mrs. Phillips, how long have you

known Ted Kramer?

THELMA:

Six years. Ever since Ted and

Joanna moved into the building.

SHAUNESSY:

How often do you see Mr. Kramer

and his son?

THELMA:

(to the judge, by

way of explanation)

Charley, my husband, and I are

...divorced and Kim, that's our

daughter is about Billy's age

and the children play together

a lot. So, I guess we see each

three or four times a week.

SHAUNESSY:

Can you describe the relationship

between Mr. Kramer and his son?

THELMA:

It's beautiful. It's just beautiful.

They have a beautiful relationship.

ON GRESSEN--getting wearily to his feet.

GRESSEN:

(patronizing)

Objection, your honor. The answer

is, to be generous, very vague.

SHAUNESSY:

Can you recall any particular

incident that relates to Mr.

Kramer's care of his child?

THELMA:

(fighting a losing

battle with her

emotions)

Ted--Mr. Kramer, spends a great

deal of time with his child. I

don't just mean hours, I mean

good time, involved time. He

reads to Billy. They play together.

They talk all the time...

(tears start)

He is a very...kind man...a very

...devoted father, and...and...

(she turns to Joanna)

And Joanna if you ever saw them

together...there wouldn't be a

trial at all...

(she breaks down,

weeping)

Oh, sh*t...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...

Note:
during this we cross-cut to Joanna, who sits,

staring at her friend, shaken.

SHAUNESSY:

(gently)

No further questions. Thank you

Mrs. Phillips.

GRESSEN:

(without looking

up from his notes)

No questions.

Thelma leaves the stand and walks back to her seat.

CUT TO:

120 INT. COURTROOM - DAY

ON TED KRAMER--sitting in the witness stand.

SHAUNESSY:

Mr. Kramer, would you tell the

court exactly why you want to

retain custody of your child.

TED:

(speaking quietly)

When Joanna--

(to the judge,

correcting himself)

my ex-wife--when she was talking

before about how unhappy she was

during our marriage...Well, I

guess most of what she said was

probably true. There were a lot

of things I didn't understand--

a lot of things I would do different

if I could. Just like I guess

there are a lot of things Joanna

wishes she could change...But we

can't. Some things, once they are

done, can't be undone. Joanna says

she loves Billy. I believe she

does. So do I. But the way it

was explained to me, that's not

the issue. The only thing that's

supposed to matter here is what's

best for Billy...When Joanna said

why shouldn't a woman have the

same ambitions as a man, I suppose

she's right. But by the same token

what law is it that says a woman

is a better parent simply by virtue

of her sex? I guess I've had to

think a lot about whatever it is

that makes somebody a good parent:

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