Platinum Blonde

FADE IN:

INT. CITY ROOM OF NEWSPAPER OFFICE - DAY - FULL SHOT

General atmosphere, typical of a busy newspaper office.

Copy boys running about, shirt-sleeved reporters and rewrite

men pounding away on typewriters. Little wire baskets

containing cylinders of copy whizzing back and forth, such

as are used in some department stores, etc.

SOUND:

Morkrum machines, typewriters, telephone bells and all

other sounds relative to a newspaper office when shot has

been fully established:

CAMERA STARTS TRUCKING DOWN MAIN AISLE

It takes in the battery of Morkrum machines clattering

away; the crescent-shaped copy desk; the desk of the

sporting editor, with a big cauliflower-eared pugilist and

his manager standing by the side of the sporting editor, a

hefty guy in his shirtsleeves, smoking a big cigar and

wearing a green eye-shade; the desk of the society editor,

a prissy old lady, who takes down a worn copy of the Blue

Book as the camera passes her and starts looking up some

data; and any other interesting or typical bits that can

be thought out. At the far end of the room is the desk of

Conroy, the City Editor.

Everything shows evidence of feverish activity and great

haste.

2. CLOSE SHOT

On Conroy, the City Editor at his desk, speaking on the

telephone.

CONROY:

Yeah, that's all I ever get from

you guys - a lot of hard luck

stories. You come back here and

I'll give you an assignment. It

will be a last interview - with

the cashier!

He hangs up, looks around with a scowl.

Stew! Stew Smith!

REPORTER:

Oh Mr. Conroy, give me a crack at

that Schuyler story, will you?

CONROY:

You? If you ever got your foot

into a drawing room, you'd step on

a sliding rug! Stew is the only

man that's got brains enough to

handle this. Scram!

A Copy Boy rushes by on an errand.

CONROY:

Say Spud, did you find Stew?

COPY BOY:

Not yet.

CONROY:

Well, did you look in the—

COPY BOY:

First place I looked.

CONROY:

Not there, eh? For cryin' out loud,

where is that—? Go and dig him up!

Stew! Stew Smith!

CAMERA TRUCKS ON:

Until it takes in a sort of make-shift screen, concealing

a corner of the room.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

3. CLOSE SHOT

On the other side of the screen. Stew Smith is holding

something in his hand. His hat tilted back on his head,

and he is regarding this plaything intently. Gallagher is

sitting close to him, also gazing intently at the plaything.

Gallagher is a girl, one of the sob sisters[2] on the

newspaper, dressed in a trim but inexpensive little tailored

suit.

STEW:

Here it is. Pray for me, Gallagher.

Pray for me. Hold everything . . .

4. CLOSE SHOT

On the object in his hand, one of those hand-puzzles where

you have to land jumping beans in the holes.

5. DOUBLE SHOT

GALLAGHER:

Stew, your hands are shaking. You've

been drinking again.

STEW:

Come on, come on. Here they come,

Gallagher! Here they come!

Conroy's shouts are heard in the background.

GALLAGHER:

(conspiratorially)

The boss is getting hoarse.

STEW:

There's the third one. If I don't

get the last one, there's a certain

sob sister I know that's going to

get a kick right in the . . . oh!

Whoops, almost had that.

MED. CLOSE SHOT

Conroy, the City Editor at his desk, looking about with a

scowl for Stew.

CONROY:

(bellowing)

Stew! Stew Smith!

The Copy Boy races over to whisper something to Conroy.

CONROY:

What? The screen?

7. CLOSE SHOT

On Stew Smith

STEW:

Gallagher! I made it!

8. MEDIUM SHOT (FROM CONROY'S ANGLE)

The screen, concealing the washbasin corner.

CONTINUATION, SCENE 6

A wrathy Conroy, his eyes centering suspiciously on

something. With his eyes on the screen, Conroy reaches out

and grasps a heavy telephone book on the corner of his

desk. Still looking off, he heaves it forcefully.

MED. CLOSE SHOT

Showing the screen. The telephone book crashes into it,

overturning it and revealing Stew and Gallagher on the

other side. They both look up, startled. The newsroom erupts

in laughter.

CONTINUATION, SCENE 6

Conroy, glaring off fiercely.

CONROY:

Come over here!

10. MEDIUM SHOT

Conroy at his desk. Stew saunters into the scene.

STEW:

Look, I quit!

CONROY:

Yeah?

STEW:

Yeah.

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