Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Page #22

INT. THE TAXI

MED. SHOT - BOB AND FRANK

FRANK:

Feast your eyes. Grant's Tomb!

BOB:

Is that it?

(to driver)

Hey, beetle-puss! The Tomb!

131. MED. CLOSE SHOT - LONGFELLOW AND BABE

As they approach the monument.

BABE:

There you are. Grant's Tomb. I

hope you're not disappointed.

LONGFELLOW:

(throatily)

It's wonderful.

BABE:

To most people, it's an awful

letdown.

LONGFELLOW:

(in awe)

Huh?

BABE:

I say, to most people it's a

washout.

LONGFELLOW:

That depends on what they see.

BABE:

(looks up at him)

Now, what do you see?

CLOSEUP - LONGFELLOW

LONGFELLOW:

Me? Oh, I see a small Ohio farm

boy becoming a great soldier. I

see thousands of marching men. I

see General Lee with a broken heart,

surrendering, and I can see the

beginning of a new nation, like

Abraham Lincoln said. And I can

see that Ohio boy being inaugurated

as President—

(dreamily)

Things like that can only happen

in a country like America.

CLOSEUP - BABE

To intercut with above speech. During his recital, she

watches his face, fascinated. Her impulse is to laugh, but

she finds that she can't.

LONGFELLOW:

(overcome - he almost

chokes on his final

words)

Excuse me!

FADE OUT:

INT. PRIVATE OFFICES

MED. CLOSE SHOT

A switchboard operator fielding calls.

SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR

Sorry, Mr. Hopper. Mr. Cedar won't

answer his phone. Sorry.

OFFICE CLERK:

(passing by)

Say, what's going on in the boss's

office?

SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR

Search me. The three 'Cs' and little

'B' have been in there for over an

hour.

INT. CEDAR'S PRIVATE OFFICE

135. FULL SHOT

Cedar paces the floor. His brothers look worried. Budington

is enthroned at Cedar's desk.

BUDINGTON:

don't want to be critical, John,

but here it is—

CEDAR:

(pouncing on him)

Yes, I know. A week's gone by and

we haven't got the Power of Attorney

yet!

BUDINGTON:

Yes, but you said—

CEDAR:

(walking way from

him)

I don't care what I said. I can't

strangle him, can I!

FIRST BROTHER:

It's ridiculous for us to have to

worry about a boy like that.

(crosses to desk)

Look at these articles about him!

"Cinderella Man!" Why, he's carrying

on like an idiot.

BUDINGTON:

Exactly what I was saying to my

wife when this—

FIRST BROTHER:

Who cares what you were saying to

your wife?

There is a moment's awkward silence. The silence is broken

by the buzzing of the dictograph. Cedar crosses to it and

snaps the button.

CLOSE SHOT AT DESK

As secretary's voice comes over dictograph:

CEDAR:

Yes?

SECRETARY'S VOICE

Mr. and Mrs. Semple are still

waiting.

CEDAR:

(irritated)

I can't help it. Let them wait!

He snaps the dictograph off.

MED. SHOT GROUP

FIRST BROTHER:

Those people have been in to see

me every day this week.

2ND BROTHER

Who are they ?

CEDAR:

(dismissing it)

Relatives of old man Semple.

FIRST BROTHER:

They keep insisting they should

have some nuisance value.

CEDAR:

Nuisance value?

FIRST BROTHER:

They say if it hadn't been for

Deeds, they'd have gotten all the

money.

CEDAR:

(suddenly)

Nuisance value.

(thinks a minutes -

crosses to door)

Maybe they have! Maybe they have!

Maybe they have!

(opens door)

Mr. and Mrs. Semple, please. How

do you do?

The others all stand around - as the Semples enter.

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