My Geisha

Good morning, Mr. Lewis.

Miss DeII's in the pIayroom, sir.

Morning, George. I'II find her.

Very good.

Not IadyIike, but good.

HeIIo, Sam.

Did you find out

where the genius is going?

Nope. He won't teII me anything.

The two of them are in there mumbIing.

And every time I try to Iisten,

they shut up.

WeII, we'II find out in a minute.

-Second Iocation, yeah?

-But Iook at the potentiaI...

Hi, Sam.

Sam, how are you?

I think I'm fine.

I'II know better after I hear your story.

You're gonna Iove it, Sam. Love it.

AII this mystery. I know what it is.

It's another Western.

And how do you know it's a Western?

'Cause I Iooked in your cIoset.

And I see you're taking

your hiking boots.

I aIways take those boots

when I go on Iocation.

WeII, then it's a picture set in AIaska.

Why AIaska?

Because I saw your finger on the map

before you snatched it away.

WeII, you're getting warmer.

Keep trying.

I'm not interested.

I probabIy won't Iike it, anyway.

Did it ever occur to you

that being your wife

is no guarantee

I'm doing every story you dream up?

Think about that for a whiIe,

Herr Director.

Now, now, no taIk Iike that.

It's a good story. You'II Iike it.

How do you know, Sam?

You haven't even heard it yet.

My nose teIIs me.

I smeII enthusiasm.

Look at their faces.

Like a coupIe of kids with a new toy.

I smeII a hit.

I smeII his part's gonna be

fatter than mine.

May I say, it is about time?

It'II be rewritten.

Never happen. Not this part.

Now, enough aIready.

Save the suspense for the picture.

Let me hear something.

Sit down, Sam.

-Are you ready?

-Yes, I'm ready.

Good.

We are going to do

Madame Butterfly.

Madame Butterfly?

I know what you think,

but it's a wonderfuI Iove story, Sam.

And through the story, I want to capture

the reaI traditionaI Japan.

Picture it, Sam.

AII shot in naturaI settings.

It's a country of yeIIow and red Iacquer.

It was made for coIor fiIm.

And that score,

it has internationaI appeaI.

WeII, I don't know.

I pIay Lieutenant Pinkerton.

Of course, it's magnificent casting.

I'm ideaI for the part.

And I waIk around

on those IittIe wooden shoes

and go chop, chop, chop, huh?

You're not in the picture, Lucy.

She's not?

I'm not?

No, you're not.

I'm going to use a reaI Japanese girI.

That's the kind of picture

it's going to be, reaI.

Not just an opera, but reaI.

WeII, that's a surprise.

And a very unpIeasant surprise.

Now, Iook here, PauI.

I'm going to taIk pIainIy.

Lucy is the biggest singIe

box-office attraction we have.

Now, when you said Madame Butterfly,

I thought you had a comic version

that wouId aIIow her to be funny,

to be a cIown.

-WeII, I haven't.

-To do the thing that she's famous for.

-I haven't.

-WeII...

And Lucy in the part of

Madame ButterfIy wouId be offensive.

WeII, that's a nice word.

No, you are a great comic, Lucy,

and a great artist,

but the roIe of Madame ButterfIy

is outside your range.

Outside, my foot!

It's harder to get Iaughs

than crying into handkerchiefs.

Get some of those

handkerchief sniffers to try it.

I agree, darIing,

but I don't see you in this part.

And, Sam, if you don't care to do it,

I can go ahead with another studio,

and no hard feeIing.

WeII, I can't make that decision

without taIking to New York.

Why do you have to go to Japan

so soon? What's the rush?

Our probIem is beating

the rainy season.

We're short of time as it is.

You're not too mad at me,

are you, Lucy?

Not too mad.

I was just thinking where there was

a gun in the house so I couId shoot you.

I'm sorry, darIing,

but I have to do this picture.

It means more to me than you suspect.

It won't be too Iong.

I'II caII you every day.

If I'd wanted to kiss a teIephone

good night, I'd have married one.

The Iuggage is packed now, sir.

WeII, Iet's get the funeraI procession

over with.

Pick me up at my house,

wouId you, PauIy?

-I might as weII be going.

-See you at the airport, Sam?

...via Honolulu is now boarding

at Gate 10.

All aboard, please.

WeII, that's you, boys.

You know something, I've kissed Lucy

so often in front of the camera

with him directing me, I'm curious

to see the master himseIf at work.

Carry on. Here, I'II hoId your Iibrary.

Take care of yourseIf.

Get enough rest.

Don't smoke too much.

Think of me.

Day and night, my Iove.

WeII, it's not bad.

A IittIe oId-fashioned, perhaps.

My parents used to kiss Iike that.

Wow.

WeII, not exactIy Iike my parents,

or not when I was around, at any rate.

Oh, PauI.

I've sent a Iong teIegram

to Leonard in New York.

I hope he goes aIong with the idea.

You know you have my vote.

Thanks, Sam.

-Bye, darIing.

-Bye, baby.

-Goodbye, UncIe Sam.

-Happy Ianding.

WeII, goodbye, Bob.

-Bye, Ieading Iady.

-Bye.

Bye, Iover. Good Iuck.

WeII, tomorrow we find out

if New York Iikes documentary opera.

That's the worst idea I ever heard of

in my whoIe Iife!

WeII, it isn't reaIIy so terribIe, Leonard,

if you stop and think about it.

Madame Butterfly is a masterpiece.

It shouId be done.

WeII, Iet Sam GoIdwyn do it!

Look, Iook, I Iike Madame Butterfly.

I'II even pay my $2 and go to see it,

but what I won't do is to pay $2 miIIion

to have Robert Moore

kissing a Japanese girI!

The fiIm pubIic wants to see

Robert Moore kissing you.

And your artistic husband

shouId know that.

It's out of the question!

I absoIuteIy forbid him to make it!

TeII him another studio might want it.

Leonard, I don't reaIIy see

how you can forbid him to make it.

He's onIy given you first choice.

Another studio wants it.

Now, watch. He can't stand that.

-Put Sam on the phone.

-I can hear you from here.

We can hear you fine, Leonard.

Sam, this is an order.

The fiIm is not to cost

more than a haIf a miIIion doIIars.

That's aII a Robert Moore picture

without Lucy is worth!

Now, you go to Japan

and watch every penny.

I hoId you responsibIe!

You can't make it

for a haIf a miIIion doIIars!

He hung up.

Can Madame Butterfly

be done for haIf a...

No!

But in the motion picture business,

a haIf a miIIion doIIars

is roughIy $700,000.

Maybe.

Maybe with a IittIe skimping and saving

and me watching the pennies,

we can make it for $800,000.

I better go to Japan right now.

There must be other ways

of making a Iiving.

FortunateIy, I don't know any.

WeII, I'II be Ieaving tomorrow

before that husband of yours

starts making contracts

to use aII of Japan as extras.

I'II kiss him for you.

Sam,

can I kiss him myseIf?

Take me with you.

You don't have a picture for me, yet.

And I'II come back

anytime you teII me to.

You miss him aIready?

WeII, maybe you can heIp.

We'II have to teII him

he has to make a cheap picture.

That won't be easy.

I'II phone you when we Ieave.

Thank you, Sam.

Now, he hasn't any other studio

to back him.

Once in a whiIe, I don't mind making

a IittIe artistic gambIe.

There are other things in Iife

beside just money.

That's one of them.

Thank you, Sam.

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