Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Page #4

DISSOLVE:

JIM:

Jim - He stands in front of the washstand lathering his face.

Over scene we hear Muriel's voice from the shower. She is

singing a lusty chorus of "Home On The Range." Jim picks up

his razor and turns to the mirror. He reacts with annoyance,

as he discovers it is covered with steam. With weary

resignation he takes a towel and starts to rub off the mirror.

As he clears one section another clouds up. By the time he

gets it all reasonably clear he finds that his lather needs

freshening. He grimly relathers his face only to find that

the mirror is again clouded up. As he turns with exasperation

toward the shower we see Muriel turn off the water, reach

for a towel, start to dry herself.

The mirror cleared off, Jim relathers, starts to shave. During

this, Muriel, having dried herself and donned her robe, comes

into scene.

MURIEL:

(reaching for

toothbrush)

Excuse...

She takes her toothbrush and then opens the cabinet to get

the paste. Jim, automatically following the mirror, has to

squeeze around in a desperately contorted position as he

continues shaving.

CLOSE SHOT - MURIEL

CLOSE SHOT - Muriel. She takes the tube from the cabinet

and, squeezing the tube in the middle, applies the paste to

her brush.

JIM AND MURIEL:

Jim and Muriel - Placing the tube on the washstand, Muriel

closes the cabinet. Jim, still shaving, moves back to his

original position as he follows the mirror.

JIM:

Excuse...

Muriel nods, steps back, starts to brush her teeth. They

both hum "Home On The Range". Her mouth full, Muriel taps

Jim on the shoulder. Without stopping his shaving, Jim moves

to one side as Muriel rinses her mouth. She examines her

face in the mirror.

JIM:

(impatiently)

If you don't mind, dear.

As he steps back in front of the mirror, Muriel continues to

look at her face in the glass, over his shoulder. She decides

she needs a little skin lotion.

MURIEL:

(as she steps in front

of him)

Sorry.

She again opens the cabinet. Jim once more follows the mirror

around, nicks his face, gives up, stands glaring arms folded.

Muriel takes the lotion from the cabinet.

MURIEL:

Moment, dear.

JIM:

Take your time. I can spare the blood.

MURIEL:

(looks up)

Oh... cut yourself?

JIM:

I cut myself every morning. I kind

of look forward to it.

MURIEL:

Why don't you get an electric razor?

JIM:

(trying to shave)

Don't like them. No close shave.

MURIEL:

Ridiculous! Bill Cole's been using

one for years.

JIM:

He doesn't have my beard!

MURIEL:

That's silly. Bill's beard is just

as tough and coarse and --

JIM:

(irritably)

I'm not interested in discussing the

grain and texture of Bill Cole's

hair follicles before I've had my

orange juice.

MURIEL:

You don't have to carry on so. I

only said, why don't you get an

electric razor?

JIM:

Because I prefer the cool, clean

sweep of the tempered steel as it

glides smoothly --

MURIEL:

Stop writing advertising copy! Hurry

up, dear, you'll be late for

breakfast.

Muriel exits. Jim sighs, turns back to the mirror and with a

few deft strokes finishes shaving. As he reaches for the

water faucet, he encounters the tube of toothpaste, squeezed

in the middle. Reacting with annoyance, he meticulously

smoothes it out and rolls it up from the bottom. He opens

the cabinet and gingerly places the tube on the top shelf.

The iodine bottle pops out. He grimly catches it, studies

his problem, has a solution. With his right hand he starts

slowly to close the mirror door. Just before it closes, he

slips the bottle into the cabinet with his left hand, quickly

slamming the mirror door, trapping the bottle. He reacts

masterfully at his triumph, picks up his robe and starts for

the door. As he reaches it, there is the SOUND of the cabinet

opening and a crash as the bottle obviously hits the

washstand. As Jim winces,

DISSOLVE:

INT. THE BLANDINGS' BREAKFAST NOOK - DAY

Narrow and small. The four Blandings are at breakfast, Jim

and Muriel each reading his section of the morning paper,

Betsy pasting a clipping in her notebook, Joan engrossed in

a magazine of popular science. As we come in, Gussie, taking

off the orange juice, is squeezing by Jim who accordingly

and automatically ducks his head as she passes. Jim

uncomfortably turns the newspaper to another page, folds it,

reacts with pained but controlled exasperation.

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