RKO 281 Page #11

WELLES:

"A toast then, Jedediah, to love on my own terms.

Those are the only terms anybody ever knows, his

own."

Welles/Kane drinks. A long pause.

WELLES:

Cut. Print

We jump out of the black-and-white viewfinder and into the scene as

Welles turns to an assistant.

WELLES:

How 'bout a real drink?

TOLAND:

We done?

WELLES:

Yeah.

The crew members exhale and practically collapse

Welles stands and looks around in satisfaction. He takes in the empty

corners of the sound stage, the sets, the cameras Savoring the moment.

WELLES:

(quietly)

It's finished.

He walks to the massive doors of the sound stage and pulls them open.

Sunlight floods in.

Outside it is a blazing morning and the dazzling sunlight silhouettes

Welles.

Welles squints and steps into the glorious sunlight. Mank and Toland

follow. They stand and watch as RKO extras and crews bustle about on

their way to work. The assistant brings a tray of martinis.

They each take a glass. The RKO workers stare at them oddly as they

pass.

Welles toasts them.

WELLES:

Good morning, good morning. . .

He grabs a passing extra and dances with her as Mank and Toland laugh.

EXT. HEDDA'S MANSION. PATIO_MORNING

Hedda Hopper reclines on her patio. An extremely ugly pug dog sits in

her lap. She has green goo all over her face and a cigarette dangling

from her lips.

Title:
THREE MONTHS LATER. JANUARY 3, 1941

She is going through the trades. She stops at a particular item. She

studies it and then reaches for the phone and dials.

HEDDA:

(on phone)

Orson, Hedda here! You naughty boy! You told me

that I would be positively the first human soul to

see your masterpiece and here I read in the Reporter

that there's a screening tonight for the magazines

... yes, advance deadlines, I understand . . . (she

smiles) . . . oh, rough cut, uh-huh ... Been there,

Orson, know the drill. See ya tonight!

She hangs up. Her hideous dog leaps on her and starts licking her face

goo.

HEDDA:

Get offa me, ya little prick

INT. OUTSIDE AN RKO SCREENING ROOM_NIGHT

Welles paces nervously outside the doors to the screening room.

Schaefer stands leaning against a wall.

From inside we can hear some of the final dialogue from CITIZEN KANE.

WELLES:

This is an abomination There's no music and--

SCHAEFER:

They've all seen a rough cut

WELLES:

The magazines are one thing -- but Hedda! Why did

we have to let her come?!

SCHAEFER:

When Hedda says "I'm coming" you mix a lot of

martinis and you pray.

Silence from inside the screening room. The movie is over. An agonizing

silent pause

Then the doors swing open and the guests stream out. Totally neutral

expressions.

The bejeweled Valkyrie, Hedda herself, finally emerges. She stops

before Welles.

A beat.

She reaches up and pinches his cheek, a bit too hard. And then she

slaps his cheek, a bit too hard.

And then she goes

WELLES:

What the hell did that mean?!

EXT. HEDDA' S MANSION. PATIO_MORNING

Hedda paces and smokes as she waits on the phone. Finally, she is

connected:

HEDDA:

(brightly)

Why hello, Mr. Hearst! I'm so delighted you could

take my call. I just wanted to let you know -- I saw

this Orson Welles picture last night. First

screening ever, don't cha know, and, Mr. Hearst, I

don't understand something . . . (she smiles

wickedly) ... I just don't understand why Louella

hasn't told you it ' s all about you. . . Yes, oh

yes . . . My pleasure, sir.

She hangs up

HEDDA:

Take that, you old cow

INT. SCHAEFER'S OFFICE DAY

Schaefer sits at his desk, going through some budget sheets. His

intercom buzzes, he presses a button:

SECRETARY'S VOICE Mr. Schaefer, Miss Parsons is here

SCHAEFER:

(into intercom)

Here? As in right outside the door?

SECRETARY'S VOICE

Yes, sir

SCHAEFER:

(chipper, into intercom)

Well, send her in!

He releases his intercom button

SCHAEFER:

Sh*t

He bolts up and races to the liquor cabinet as Louella sweeps in like

the Lusitania in fur.

LOUELLA:

Schaefer, I gotta see this Welles picture

SCHAEFER:

Louella, hello, I was just fixing a drink, would

you like--?

LOUELLA:

(eyeing gossip)

You drink at 10 am, do you?

SCHAEFER:

No -- no -- I mean--

LOUELLA:

I wanna see the picture today

SCHAEFER:

That might be a tad difficult because Orson is

scoring the picture now and he's very particular

about the music--

LOUELLA:

Cut the malarkey, buddy. The boss himself wants me

to see the picture today.

SCHAEFER:

He personally asked you to?

LOUELLA:

That's right

Beat

SCHAEFER:

Hearst?

LOUELLA:

Uh-huh

Beat

LOUELLA:

I'll be back at noon. Set it up in screening room

four.

She sweeps out

SCHAEFER:

Oh god

INT. RKO SCREENING ROOM_DAY

Louella watches CITIZEN KANE

We watch her enormous face, grim and glowering, bathed in flickering

blue light as we hear a bit of the dialogue:

" KANE "

"You'll continue with your singing, Susan. I don't

propose to have myself made ridiculous. "

"SUSAN ALEXANDER"

"You don't propose to have yourself made ridiculous

I What about me?! I'm the one that's got to do the

singing! I'm the one who gets the razzberries!"

With that, Louella bolts up and stomps out of the screening^ room... '

INT. OUTSIDE THE SCREENING ROOM_FOLLOWING

Welles and Schaefer are again nervously waiting in the hallway.

Louella slams out the door and almost crashes into Welles A beat as she

glares at him. If looks could kill She storms off

Welles and Schaefer are too stunned even to speak as we hear:

LOUELLA'S VOICE

It is . . . assassination.

INT. SAN SIMEON. ASSEMBLY ROOM_DAY

Hearst sits with one of his dachshunds on his lap Louella sits across

from him.

Hearst does not move a muscle in the entire scene.

LOUELLA (CONT.)

It's all you. It has the political campaigns and

the mining fortune and the war with Pulitzer and the

castle. And ... Marion.

HEARST:

How so?

LOUELLA:

The jigsaw puzzles and the, urn, career -- the man

spending a fortune to make her a star -- only it's

opera and not movies. And...

HEARST:

Yes?

LOUELLA:

(quietly)

The drinking.

A beat

HEARST:

(very controlled)

So my life is a subject for mockery. All of it.

Every detail. Every personal detail.

Louella nods.

A beat.

HEARST:

Thank you for your time

LOUELLA:

Thank you, sir. She begins to leave

A beat

A pause

HEARST:

Miss Parsons, I have one additional question for

you.

LOUELLA:

Sir?

(stops)

HEARST:

Why did we not know about this sooner?

LOUELLA:

Sir?

HEARST:

I pay you a good deal of money to be my eyes and

ears in Hollywood, do I not? If you cannot provide

this simple service you are of no use to me.

LOUELLA:

Sir, I-

HEARST:

(lethally)

Please be quiet.

A young man has made a motion picture detailing my life. This motion

picture was made at a not insignificant studio. And you knew nothing

about it.

LOUELLA:

He lied to me

LOUELLA:

He looked into my face and told me it wasn't about

you.

HEARST:

And how do you feel when you are lied to?

A beat.

LOUELLA:

I want blood

HEARST:

Good. Retain that feeling. Let it nourish you from

this day forth. It shall nourish us both

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes