Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Page #2

SOUND of an alarm clock going off. Jim awakens, yawns himself

into hazy consciousness, gropes about on the night table for

the clock; it isn't there. He slips out of bed, and rubbing

his eyes, blindly moves toward the dresser. The circuitous

path, which he accomplishes with sleepy dexterity, entails

going around the chaise lounge, just missing the ominously

pointed edge of Muriel's dressing table, deftly stepping

over the low dressing table chair and finally reaching the

chest of drawers upon which is the clock. He turns off the

alarm and yawningly starts back over the same path. We get

the feeling that Jim makes this sleepy excursion every waking

morning of his life.

Back at his bed, Jim sits down, and, yawning loudly, gropes

with his feet for his slippers. Before he can find them,

however, he begins to doze off and slowly tilts back toward

the pillow, pulling the covers over him. In a moment he is

sound asleep. Muriel's arm automatically stretches out and

shakes Jim into consciousness. As he painfully reawakens and

starts to rise, Muriel's arm disappears.

We get the impression that this, too, is a regular part of

the Blandings' daily routine.

Jim locates his slippers, reaches around for his bathrobe,

can't find it, stumbles his way over to the closet, opens

the door.

INT. THE CLOSET

This is a fairly good-sized closet but it was never intended

to be shared by two people, particularly not Jim and Muriel

Blandings. Assuming that they had started out on even terms,

it is now obviously Muriel, three-to-one. Her dresses, gowns,

slips, seem to obscure his occasional pair of slacks, suit

or sports coat. Her shoes neatly line the floor and the shelf

above is loaded to the ceiling with her hat boxes, in an

orderly but somewhat precarious state of balance.

Groping blindly for a robe, Jim feels around and pulls one

out. As he slips into the arms, we see it's much too small

for him, obviously Muriel's. In disgust he attempts to put

it back. Unable to find a hook he finally jams it in between

two silk dresses which fall to the floor. As he bends down

and gropes for the dresses, he discovers his robe crumpled

under them on the floor. He drags the robe out and dons it,

leaving the dresses where they fell. With a guilty look at

Muriel he closes the closet door and starts out of the bedroom

and into the narrow hall.

INT. THE HALL

A narrow corridor extending the length of the apartment. Off

it are doors leading to the bathroom, the childrens' room

and the foyer.

Jim shuffles down the hall. He stops at the closed bathroom

door, listens, hears the shower, knocks.

BETSY'S VOICE

Okay, dad.

JIM:

Mm.

Jim continues down the hall, stops at the closed door of the

children's room, knocks. No sound. He opens the door and

enters.

INT. CHILDREN'S BEDROOM

A small room, crowded and cluttered up with the accoutrements

of adolescence. Joan, an eleven-year-old is asleep in one of

the twin beds. Jim automatically pulls the covers clear off

Joan's bed. She awakens, c*cks an eye at him.

JOAN:

Okay, dad.

JIM:

Mm.

As she sleepily stretches and prepares to rise, Jim exits

into the hall.

INT. THE HALL

CAMERA FOLLOWS Jim through the foyer into the living room,

on through the very small combination dining and breakfast

nook and into the compact but tiny kitchen. Gussie, the

colored cook, greets him heartily.

GUSSIE:

'Morning, Mr. Blandings!

JIM:

(a feeble attempt at

a smile)

Mm.

Gussie takes a glass of hot water, squeezes in a little lemon,

stirs and hands it to Jim who gulps it down, makes a slight

face and pats his stomach. Gussie hands Jim a cup of black

coffee and he starts back toward the bedroom.

INT. THE HALL

Gingerly balancing the cup and saucer, Jim approaches the

door to the children's room. With split-second timing, he

pauses as the door flies open and Joan, in her bathrobe,

towel in hand, rushes out and past him down the hall. She

disappears into the bathroom. Jim carefully proceeds down

the hall and, as he reaches the bathroom, deftly steps to

the left as the door bursts open and Betsy flies by on the

way back to her bedroom. All this is done with a timing and

shifting of hips of which Knute Rockne might have been proud.

Jim continues down the hall, enters the bedroom.

INT. THE BLANDINGS' BEDROOM

Muriel is still asleep as Jim enters, walks over, nudges

her.

JIM:

Muriel.

MURIEL:

Mm?

JIM:

Coffee.

Muriel awakens, sniffs the fresh coffee, smiles, sits up,

takes the cup.

MURIEL:

Thank you, dear.

They kiss briefly. Muriel starts to sip the coffee as Jim

goes to his chest of drawers. It consists of several rows of

small drawers above and large drawers below. Jim ruffles

through a couple of small drawers, pulls out a suit of

underwear, continues noisily and with some annoyance to look

through the other drawers.

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