Network Page #3

News radio would be transferred

to the UBS Radio Division and in effect...

...the news division would be reduced

from an independent division...

...to a department accountable

to network.

-What was that all about, Ed?

-This is not the time, Max.

Why wasn't I told about this?

Why was I led up onto that podium

and publicly humiliated...

...in front of the stockholders?

Goddamn it,

I spoke to John Wheeler this morning...

...and he assured me

the news division was safe.

That's one hell of a way

to get me to resign.

We'll talk about this tomorrow

at our regular morning meeting.

Eleven, 10...

Roll VTA.

...nine, eight, seven, six.

In five, four, three, two....

One.

One, cue VTA.

Cue announcer.

The UBS evening news

with Howard Beale.

Ready, two?

Two, cue Howard.

Good evening. Today is Wednesday,

September the 24th...

...and this is my last broadcast.

Yesterday I announced on this program

that I was going to commit public suicide.

Admittedly an act of madness.

Well, I'll tell you what happened.

I just ran out of bullshit.

-All right, cut him off.

-Leave him on.

Am I still on the air?

If this is how he wants to go out,

this is how he goes out.

--except I just ran out of bullshit.

Mr. Schumacher's right here.

Wanna talk to him?

Bullshit is all the reasons

we give for living.

If we can't think up any reasons

of our own, we have the God bullshit.

Holy Mary, Mother of Christ.

-Tom, what is it?

--through all this pointless pain,

humiliation and decay...

...so there better be someone

who does know.

That's the God bullshit.

He's saying that life is bullshit and it is.

What are you screaming about?

Man is a noble creature that can order

his own world. Who needs God?

If there's anybody out there...

...that can look around this

slaughterhouse of a world we live in...

...and tell me that man

is a noble creature...

...believe me, that man is full of bullshit.

-What's so goddamn funny?

-I can't help it, Harry. It's funny.

Max, this is going out live

to 67 affiliates.

Leave him on.

And I was married for 33 years

of shrill, shrieking fraud.

-Mr. Hackett's trying to get through to you.

-Tell Mr. Hackett to go f*** himself.

So I don't have any bullshit left.

I just ran out of it, you see.

Mr. Ruddy, could we have

just one statement from you?

Sorry, I don't have all the information yet.

One question.

Could we--? If we could just

have one statement about Mr. Beale.

Max.

I'll want to see Mr. Beale after this.

The way I hear it, Max,

you were primarily responsible...

...for this colossally stupid prank.

-Is that the fact, Max?

-That's the fact.

It was unconscionable.

There doesn't seem

to be anything more to say.

I have something to say, Ed.

I want to know why that whole debasement

of the news division...

...announced at the stockholders' meeting

this afternoon was kept secret from me.

You and I go back 20 years, Ed.

I took this job

with your personal assurance...

...that you'd back my autonomy

against any encroachment.

But ever since CCA acquired control

of UBS Systems 10 months ago...

...Hackett's been taking over everything.

Now who the hell is running this network?

You or some conglomerate called CCA?

I mean you're president

of the Systems Group...

...and Hackett's nothing

but a hatchet man for CCA.

Nelson here, president of a network...

...and he hasn't a thing

to say about anything anymore.

I told you at the stockholders' meeting,

Max...

...that we would discuss all that

at our regular meeting tomorrow morning.

If you had been patient...

...I would've explained that

I thought Frank Hackett precipitate...

...and that the reorganization

of the division...

...would not be executed until everyone,

specifically you, Max...

...had been consulted and satisfied.

Instead, you sulked off like a child

and engaged this network...

...in a shocking and disgraceful episode.

Your position is no longer tenable...

...regardless of how management

is restructured.

I will expect your resignation

at 10:
00 tomorrow morning...

...and we will coordinate our statements

to the least detriment of everyone.

Bob McDonough will take over

the news division...

...until we can sort all this out.

I'd like to see Mr. Beale now.

They're looking for him, Ed.

They don't know where he is.

Every day, five days a week for 15 years,

I've been sitting behind that desk.

The dispassionate pundit...

...reporting with seemly detachment

the daily parade...

...of lunacies that constitute the news.

And just once I wanted to say

what I really felt.

Knock it off, Arthur.

It was, after all, my last....

-Did the overnight ratings come in yet?

-They're on your desk.

Have you still got yesterday's overnights?

Shall I bring them in?

Yeah.

These are those four outlines submitted

by Universal for an hour series.

You needn't bother to read them.

I'll tell them to you.

The first one is set in a large

Eastern law school, presumably Harvard.

The series is irresistibly entitled

The New Lawyers.

The running characters are a crusty

but benign ex-Supreme Court Justice...

...presumably Oliver Wendell Holmes

by way of Dr. Zorba.

There is a beautiful

girl graduate student...

...and the district attorney who

is brilliant and sometimes cuts corners.

Next one.

The second one is called

The Amazon Squad.

Lady cops?

The running characters include

a crusty but benign lieutenant...

...who's always getting heat

from the commissioner...

...a hard-drinking detective

who thinks women belong in the kitchen...

...and a brilliant and beautiful

young girl cop...

-...who's fighting the feminist battle.

We're up to our ears in lady cops.

The next is another one

of those investigative reporter shows.

A crusty but benign managing editor

who's always--

You know, Barbara...

...the Arabs have decided to jack up

the price of oil another 20 percent.

Uh, the CIA has been caught opening

Senator Humphrey's mail.

There's a civil war in Angola,

another one in Beirut.

The-- New York City's still facing default.

They finally caught up

with Patricia Hearst.

And the whole front page

of the Daily News is Howard Beale.

There's also a two-column story

on Page 1 of the Times.

Helen, call Mr. Hackett's office.

See if he can give me

a few minutes this morning.

KTNS, Kansas City, refuses to carry

our Network News show anymore...

...unless Beale is taken off the air.

Did you see the overnights

on the Network News?

It has an eight in New York, a nine in L.A.

and a 27 share in both cities.

Last night Howard Beale went on the air

and yelled "bullshit" for two minutes...

...and I can tell you right now that tonight's

show will get a 30 share, at least.

I think we've lucked into something.

For God's sakes. Are you suggesting

that we put that lunatic...

...back on the air yelling "bullshit"?

I think we should put Beale back

on the air tonight and keep him on.

Did you see the news this morning?

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote