RKO 281 Page #15

HEARST:

You are being typically theatrical, Marion. I need

the Tribune to--

MARION:

You don't need it! That's the problem you always

think you need everything--

Marion spins to a medieval arras cloth hanging from one wall.

MARION:

That -- did you need that? How much did that cost?

HEARST:

It's 12th Century. From Deauville -- in France.

MARION:

I know where Deauville is for C-C-Christ's sake.

HEARST:

You needn't use that language with me

MARION:

Did you need it? Did you need any of it?

HEARST:

I wanted it

MARION:

There's a different between want and

HEARST:

(tightly)

Not for me.

MARION:

(frustrated)

But why? Just so you can show it all off -- just so

everyone can see what a b-b-big man you are?!

He stands quickly

HEARST:

(angrily)

That's right. You've captured me exactly.

Goodnight.

MARION:

You will not walk out on me

HEARST:

You are repellant when you drink.

MARION:

Tough sh*t. We need to t-t-talk about this--

HEARST:

You are slovenly and unattractive and I won't (he

mercilessly mimics her) t-t-t-tolerate it.

A cold beat

A pause.

MARION:

F*** you, Mr. Kane.

HEARST:

(darkly)

I will not have this in my home.

MARION:

I just want to understand--

HEARST:

(suddenly)

No, you don't. You want to condemn me, like

everyone else. You want to point to the pathetic,

old man grown lunatic with his spending -- trapped

in his ridiculous

HEARST (CONT.)

castle -- still fighting old battles he will never

win with Pulitzer and Roosevelt and Hollywood--

MARION:

I don't want you to--

HEARST:

There is nothing to understand but this: I am a

man who could have been great, but was not.

He leaves

INT. SAN SIMEOM. MARION'S BEDROOM_DAY

A silent scene as we see Marion rummaging through some drawers in her

vanity table.

A suitcase can be seen on the bed behind her.

She removes various jewelry cases and pours an astounding array of gems

into a black leather pouch.

INT. _ELIZABETH ARDEN SALON. BEVERLY HILLS_DAY

Marion sits with Carole Lombard in a secluded section of the luxurious

salon.

A quiet scene.

MARION:

When I met him I was just 20. And he was 55. I saw

the gold ring and just grabbed on. And he was going

to make me a star.

CAROLE LOMBARD:

And he did.

A beat.

MARION:

When I was making movies I kept begging him to let

me do comedies. Silly stuff, you know. But Pops

doesn't get comedy too well so he kept putting me in

all those godawful p-p-period dramas.

Carole Lombard smiles.

MARION:

I did my best but, well, you know me

CAROLE LOMBARD:

Sure

MARION:

Thing that bothers me now, though, looking back is

that I really think I could have been something ...

special.

CAROLE LOMBARD:

Thinking like that is only gonna drive you nuts You

were a great star and you had a good run. That

oughta be enough.

MARION:

Yeah. But all of a sudden it's not

MARION:

You know this CITIZEN KANE picture? About Pops and

everything?

CAROLE LOMBARD:

Uh-huh

MARION:

The character that's supposed to be me, Susan

Alexander--

CAROLE LOMBARD:

Marion, everyone knows you're not like that--

MARION:

But I am That's the killer, honey.

This little girl comes from nowhere and gets discovered by this guy.

And maybe she has some real talent way deep down. But he pays the bills

and he makes the decisions. And somewhere along the way ... she gets

lost.

MARION:

It's hell when you gotta look back and say,

goddamn, what I could have been.

JEWELRY STORE. BEVERLY HILLS

Marion enters a posh Beverly Hills jewelry shop. She is wearing

sunglasses.

She nervously goes to the counter and the SHOP OWNER glides to her. For

Marion, the entire experience is humiliating. This results in her

stutter becoming increasingly more pronounced.

SHOP OWNER:

May I help you?

MARION:

I, um, need an estimate on some jewelry I might

wish to sell. But d-d-discretion is very important

to me b-b-because I don't want anyone t-t-to, um,

know that--

SHOP OWNER:

Excuse me, I hope this isn't rude, but aren't you

Marion Davies?

MARION:

Yes.

SHOP OWNER:

Well, this is a great pleasure. Miss Davies! I just

saw that ENCHANTMENT is playing at a the Tivoli, the

revival house in Santa Monica. That was a fine

picture!

MARION:

Thank you-

SHOP OWNER:

Not one of them today has what you had, Miss

Davies. Not one of them.

MARION:

Thank you -- b-b-but I'd really like t-t-to--

SHOP OWNER:

Of course, of course. How can we be of service?

MARION:

As I said I have some j-j-j-j- (she simply can't

get the word out) that I might wish t-t-to sell and

I wanted an estimate--

SHOP OWNER:

Surely My pleasure, Miss Davies..

Marion removes the leather pouch from her purse and pours a stunning

collection of jewelry on a black felt tablet on the counter.

SHOP OWNER:

(awed)

My Lord. . .

Marion removes her sunglasses and looks at him. Her eyes are red.

MARION:

How much for the lot?

EXT. RKO LOT_DAY

Welles is pursuing Schaefer as they stride through the bustling RKO

backlot.

SCHAEFER:

What do you want me to do, Orson? Radio City won't

premiere the picture. Louella threatened them with

some bullshit about

WELLES:

Then find another theater

SCHAEFER:

You don't think I've tried? No one is willing to

open the picture

WELLES:

Then we'll open it in Detroit or Dallas or

Kalamazoo for God's sake! We'll show it in goddamn

circus tents and--!

Schaefer stops.

SCHAEFER:

Listen to me. The press ban is killing us and the

distributors won't book it. And meantime I'm dealing

with the stockholders in New York who are scared

shitless -- and I'm this far from getting fired

myself -- and you don't have a friend in the world

but me right now. So you have got to trust that I'll

do what I can to--

WELLES:

(desperately)

"Do what you can"?! That's not good enough I

SCHAEFER:

Well it' s all you've got !

WELLES:

(suddenly)

You're with them, aren't you? You're going to bury

my movie. They bought you!

SCHAEFER:

(turning away)

For Christ's sake, shut up--

WELLES:

Why don't you just have the guts to admit it

SCHAEFER:

(spinning on him)

How dare you talk to me like that! Do you think I'm

like all the rest of those pirates?! Like Mayer and

Warner? Is that what you think--?!

WELLES:

It's just that my movie is so-

SCHAEFER:

(savagely)

"Your movie" -- I am so sick of that! It's your

movie -- but it's his life! Did you ever think about

that?! Did you ever think about that old man and

Marion having to watch as you tore them apart?!

WELLES:

I didn't--

SCHAEFER:

Do you every think for one second that you might

have some responsibility for what you're doing?! For

cutting and slashing everything in your way so you

can have your goddamn movie?!

WELLES:

That soulless monster gets no tears from me.

SCHAEFER:

Who the f*** are you trying to kid? You are that

soulless monster.

Schaefer turns and stomps away Welles stands, lost for a moment in the

dream factory

In a bit of a daze, Welles slowly begins walking through the backlot. A

bustle of loud activity in a corner of the lot draws his attention.

A bulldozer and a dozen workmen are busy tearing down the facade of a

large white mansion. They strip the wood off and toss it into an

incinerator.

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