Nixon Page #12

TV images of BOBBY KENNEDY.

PAT:

Dick, you should call Bobby.

NIXON:

He doesn't want me at the funeral.

PAT:

You don't have to go.

NIXON:

(glances at TV)

De Gaulle's gonna be there. And

Macmillan. And Adenauer. Nixon can't

not be there.

PAT:

Then call him. I'm sure it was an

oversight.

NIXON:

No. It's his way. He hates me. Him

and Teddy. They always hated me.

PAT:

They've lost a brother. You know what

that means, Dick.

Nixon sighs, watches the TV -- images of a touch football

game in Hyannis Port.

SHARP CUT BACK TO:

INT. NIXON HOUSE - ARTHUR'S BEDROOM - DAY (1925)

ARTHUR NIXON (7) cries in pain. RICHARD (12) helps FRANK,

his father, hold him on the bed as a DOCTOR twists a long

needle into the base of Arthur's spine.

ARTHUR:

Daddy! Please! Make it STOP!!!

Arthur's eyes roll onto Richard for help, Richard can't

bear it, pulls away.

INT. NIXON HOUSE - PARLOR - DAY (1925)

FRANK comes down the narrow stairs, shocked, fighting

tears. HANNAH sits reading her Bible. The BOYS linger

nervously around their made-up cots in the parlor.

FRANK:

(sobs)

The doctors are afraid the little

darling is going to die ...

INT. NIXON HOUSE - ARTHUR'S BEDROOM - DAY

ARTHUR laps at some tomato gravy on toast, which makes him

happy. His face is angelic, as if he were getting better.

HANNAH feeds him, cleans his lips with a napkin, as RICHARD

sits close by, squeezing Arthur's hand, puzzled by it all.

FLASHES run through his head -- Arthur sitting on his lap,

learning to read; Dick swinging Arthur by his arms. DON

and HAROLD are also there. The Doctor has gone.

ARTHUR:

(low)

Thank you, Mama, I feel better ... I'm

sleepy.

HANNAH:

(removing the food)

We'll let thee rest now, my little

angel.

She tucks him in. He yawns. The brothers are awkward,

ready to leave. Arthur turns his loving eyes on Richard.

ARTHUR:

Richard, don't you think ... I should

say a prayer before I sleep?

Richard is awkward, stutters.

HANNAH:

(nearly cracking)

Yes, Arthur, I do ...

He smiles at her, then:

ARTHUR:

If I should die before I wake, I pray

the Lord my soul to take ...

He slips off, into a coma.

Richard watches, devastated.

INT. NIXON HOUSE - PARLOR - ANOTHER DAY

RICHARD runs to his mother, HANNAH, who is coming down the

stairs with FRANK. She seems very shaken, but quiet, off

in another world. The moment Richard reaches her, throwing

his arms around her skirt, she snaps him back. A harsh,

angry voice.

HANNAH:

No! ... No. Don't ...

Richard is shocked as his mother sweeps by in her private

grief.

INT. NIXON'S FIFTH AVENUE APARTMENT - STUDY - DAY

RESUME NIXON - his face lost in the silence of the memory.

The television SOUNDS fade back in alongside PAT'S voice.

TV IMAGE - LYNDON JOHNSON being sworn in.

NIXON:

... if I'd been president, they never

would have killed me.

Pat is bewildered by the statement.

PAT (O.S.)

Dick? Are you going to call?

He looks at her, absent.

PAT (CONT'D)

Bobby?

He looks back at the TV screen.

NIXON:

(quietly)

No ... I'll go through Lyndon. We'll

be invited.

We flash suddenly to Kennedy's head being blown apart.

Then back to Johnson as we:

CUT FORWARD TO:

DOCUMENTARY:

SUBTITLE READS:
"FIVE YEARS LATER - 1968"

IMAGE - CLOSE on LYNDON JOHNSON announcing:

JOHNSON:

... accordingly, I shall not seek, and

I will not accept, the nomination of

my party for another term as your

president ...

CUT TO:

INT. NURSING HOME - DAY

HANNAH NIXON, in her seventies.

REPORTER 1 (V.O.)

... Johnson's withdrawal resurrects

Richard Nixon as a strong Republican

candidate against the war. His

mother, Hannah Nixon, just before her

death last year, commented on her

son's chances.

REPORTER 2 (O.S.)

Mrs. Nixon, do you think your son will

ever return to politics?

HANNAH:

I don't think he has a choice. He was

always a leader.

REPORTER 2 (O.S.)

Do you think he'd make a great

president, Mrs. Nixon?

HANNAH:

... if he's on God's side, yes ...

EXT. NIXON'S FIFTH AVENUE APARTMENT - DAY (1968)

REPORTERS flock outside the building as NIXON and his GROUP

exit their car, trying to ignore the press.

INT. NIXON'S FIFTH AVENUE APARTMENT - DAY (1968)

NIXON enters, ebullient, with MITCHELL, HALDEMAN, ZIEGLER,

taking off their winter coats.

MITCHELL:

Jesus, Dick, never seen anything like

it! Even the goddamn Times is saying

you got it.

HALDEMAN:

Vietnam's gonna put you in there this

time, chief.

ZIEGLER:

We got the press this time!

NIXON:

And we got the "big mo"! We're back!

PAT (O.S.)

So? You've decided?

They turn. PAT is in the corridor.

PAT (CONT'D)

Were you planning to tell me?

NIXON:

We ... haven't announced anything ...

uh ...

She's walking away, cold. Dick follows, with a look to his

men.

NIXON (CONT'D)

Uh, wait ...

MITCHELL:

You need her, Dick -- in '60 she was

worth five, six million votes.

NIXON:

Don't worry -- I'll use the old Nixon

charm on her.

As he goes:

HALDEMAN:

(to the others)

The old Nixon charm? Who could resist

that.

INT. NIXON'S FIFTH AVENUE APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY

NIXON enters. PAT is mechanically taking his identical

gray suits from the closet and laying them on the bed.

NIXON:

Buddy? ...

PAT:

You should be going ... the primaries

are soon, aren't they? New Hampshire

...

NIXON:

They love you, Buddy. They need you,

too.

PAT:

I don't want them to love me.

NIXON:

I need you out there. It won't be

like last time. The war's crippled

the Democrats. I can win ... We

deserve it. Yeah, it's ours, Buddy --

at last. Nobody knows better than

you. Frank Nixon's boy.

Pat slows her packing. Nixon takes her hand.

NIXON (CONT'D)

Remember what Mom said? We're not

like other people, we don't choose our

way. We can really change things,

Buddy. We've got a chance to get it

right. We can change America!

She stops, looks at him, feels his surge of power.

NIXON (CONT'D)

It was our dream, too, Buddy, together

... always.

PAT:

Do you really want this, Dick?

NIXON:

This. Above all.

PAT:

And then you'll be happy?

The briefest smile opens her face. He takes the inch,

presses in, hugs her.

NIXON:

Yes ... you know it! Yes ... I will.

Yeah!

PAT:

(in his embrace)

Then I'll be there for you.

NIXON:

(exultant)

You're the strongest woman I ever met.

I love you, Buddy.

PAT:

Can I just ask for one thing?

NIXON:

Anything.

PAT:

Will you ... would you kiss me?

He does so with all the earnestness he is capable of.

INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - DAY (1968)

NIXON, fielding questions, is on a small stage, surrounded

by a STUDIO AUDIENCE in a semi-circle. A mike is around

his neck, no separation from the people. PAT sits behind

him, a campaign smile painted on. Nixon is visible to us

on TV monitors inside an engineer's booth.

NIXON (ON TV)

I would never question Senator

Kennedy's patriotism. But going

around the country promising peace at

any price is exactly what the North

Vietnamese want to hear.

Cheers. Applause.

HALDEMAN:

(to the TV director)

Cue the crowd. Go to the woman's

group. Get the bald guy, he's great

...

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