Marty Page #7

MRS. PILLETTI

Marty...

MARTY:

Ma, I'm gonna stay home and watch

Jackie Gleason.

MRS. PILLETTI

You gonna die without a son.

MARTY:

So I'll die without a son.

MRS. PILLETTI

Put on your blue suit...

MARTY:

Blue suit, gray suit, I'm still a

fat man. A fat ugly man.

MRS. PILLETTI

You not ugly.

MARTY:

(his voice rising)

I'm ugly... I'm ugly! I'm UGLY!

MRS. PILLETTI

Marty...

MARTY:

Ma! Leave me alone!

He stands abruptly, his face pained and drawn. He makes half-

formed gestures to his mother, but he can't find words at

the moment. He turns and marches a few paces away, turns to

his mother again.

MARTY:

Ma, waddaya want from me?! Waddaya

want from me?! I'm miserable enough

as it is! Leave me alone! I'll go to

the Stardust Ballroom! I'll put onna

blue suit and I'll go! And you know

what I'm gonna get for my trouble?

Heartache! A big night of heartache!

Sullenly, he marches back to his seat, sits down, picks up

his fork, plunges it into the spaghetti, stuffs a mouthful

into his mouth, and chews vigorously for a moment. It is

impossible for him to remain angry long. After a while, he

is shaking his head.

MARTY:

Loaded with tomatoes...boy, that's

rich.

He plunges his fork in again, starts to eat. Mrs. Pilletti

watches Marty anxiously as we...

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

NEW YORK CITY, WEST FARMS SQUARE. NIGHT

West Farms Square is a big street in the Bronx, filled with

stores, bowling alleys and bars. Cars push along between the

pillars of the elevated subway structure. The NOISE of the

subway trains ROARS by overhead every few moments.

CAMERA FINDS and ESTABLISHES the Stardust Ballroom. It

occupies the second floor of a large, dirty gray three-story

building. It is a hot June night, and the windows are open

for ventilation purposes. MUSIC manufactured by Dave

Greenglass and His Band blends with the NOISES of the street.

STARDUST BALLROOM. ENTRANCE VESTIBULE/STAIRS.

MUSIC plays in the background. CAMERA views CLARA, a plain

girl in her late twenties; her younger sister, MILLIE,

prettier; Millie's fiance ANDY, 30; and a second young man

DR. KEEGAN, also 30, who is a resident at Fordham Hospital.

They are all huddled over a cigarette machine near the street

door.

ANDY:

(in a low voice)

I told you she wasn't especially

attractive, but that she had a good

deal of charm, and she's really a

real nice girl...

DR. KEEGAN

(extracting cigarettes

from the machine)

She's all right, Andy. It's just

that I get one Saturday night off

every three weeks, and I was expecting

something better, that's all.

ANDY:

I told you she wasn't attractive...

DR. KEEGAN

You told me that she was a little

tall, but that she wasn't bad looking

at all.

ANDY:

Millie's been after me to fix her up

with a date, so I...

DR. KEEGAN

All right, I'm having a fair time.

It's just that I get one Saturday

night off in three weeks, and I wanted

to wind up with something tonight.

They join the two girls waiting for them and start up the

broad stairway to the second floor. They are halfway up,

when two GIRLS come in at the top of the stairs and start

down. Dr. Keegan, who is holding Clara's arm, looks up, nods.

STARDUST BALLROOM, ANTEROOM.

This is a small, carpeted lobby with TICKET TAKER in booth,

a cloak room and rest rooms. Painted posters on the walls

announce coming events and caution against smoking. There

are also large blow-ups of musicians who had played this

ballroom at one time and went on to bigger things. About six

or seven PEOPLE congregate in the lobby, engaged in various

indifferent activities.

CAMERA ANGLES include the swinging doors, as Clara, Andy,

Millie and Dr. Keegan come in. As they enter, the doors to

the ballroom proper are pushed out, and a GIRL in a black

dress, quite pretty, comes in. She starts across the anteroom

toward the cloak room, when Dr. Keegan calls out suddenly to

her.

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