RKO 281 Page #9

down to Dorothy Commingore as Susan Alexander below. The camera crane

goes out of control and crashes through some light fixtures and swings

crazily down toward Dorothy Commingore. She yelps and leaps away as the

camera barrels through the table and smashes to the floor.

Welles stands next to Toland. A beat.

WELLES:

Well, that didn't really work

"SING, SING, SING" continues. Back on the, Xanadu stairway set

Paul Stewart, dazed and shattered, is listening intently. Welles stands

with his arms around Stewart, embracing him, whispering into his ear.

WELLES:

It is the most important line of the picture. You

will weave the magic of "Rosebud" in a single word -

- you will say the word in such a way as to impart

to us the mystery of it. It is a divine and sinister

mystery worthy only of your talent. In this one word

the movie soars or falls. Once more, I beg you.

Stewart nods. The film clapper: take 178.

The cameraman leans into the viewfinder. We see his black- and-white

view of the shot through the lens then:

In a cramped editing room we see Welles watching the scene on an old

editing moviola.

On the moviola we see Paul Stewart taking a deep breath and then,

magnificently:

PAUL STEWART:

(On moviola)

"Rosebud? I'll tell you about Rosebud."

WELLES' VOICE

(On moviola)

Print. ;'

On the moviola we see Stewart laugh hysterically and dance away.

In the editing room, Welles shakes his head

WELLES:

Actors.

"SING, SING, SING" continues. On the Campaign Headquarters set:

Welles and Toland lie on the floor of the Campaign Headquarters set and

gaze up through viewfinders. They squirm about on the floor and laugh

to one another about their newest outlandish idea.

Then Toland notices something in the catwalks high above the set. A

redheaded ELECTRICIAN.

TOLAND Orson, you see that electrician up there? The redhead.

He was

on GRAPES OF WRATH. He's a free- lance studio spy. Probably reports

right back to the RKO boys in New York.

Welles slowly stands and THUNDERS:

WELLES:

STOP EVERYBODY STOP!

All the flurried activity on the sound stage immediately stops.

Every eye turns, terrified, to Welles. Welles glares up at the

redheaded electrician

WELLES:

YOU COME DOWN HERE!

The electrician slowly climbs down from the rafters. Welles rivets him

every step of the way.

The electrician stops before Welles.

ELECTRICIAN:

Mr. Welles...?

A tense beat and then Welles fiercely and purposefully spits in the

electrician's face.

The electrician recoils, stunned.

WELLES:

GET OUT:

Welles returns to Toland as the electrician slinks off "SING, SING,

SING" continues as:

We see the magnificent film emerging. Welles watching scenes in a

screening room, his feet up, exhausted, almost asleep, a cigar dangling

from his lips...

We see rushes of Welles going through scenes with Dorothy Commingore as

Susan Alexander. He is relentless with her off camera, driving her to

the harridan outbursts he wants just before he steps into the shot...

We see the crew observing, with great amusement, Welles' stumbling

attempts to learn the "Charlie Kane" dance...

We see Toland shifting lights to achieve deep-focus cross-fades. Welles

rages as the difficult process eats up time...

We see Welles growing increasingly manic. The long hours and the

pressure are clearly taking a toll..

We return to the screening room. Welles is now fully asleep. His cigar

falls from his mouth and begins smoldering on his suit.

"SING, SING, SING" fades at... On a Xanadu set:

Filming a scene. Welles, in old-Kane makeup, is sitting with Dorothy

Commingore as Susan Alexander. He is curiously distracted. She is

pouring tea in the scene:

DOROTHY COMMINGORE

"Charlie, you sure got the funniest ways of looking

at things . "

Welles does not respond. He breaks character

WELLES:

No -- no -- I'll pour the tea. Sorry. I should pour

the tea. Let's try that again.

Toland stands behind the camera and watches Welles. There is obviously

something wrong.

WELLES:

Okay, here we go... Set. Action

Welles pops into character and pours the tea in the scene as:

DOROTHY COMMINGORE

"Charlie, you sure got the funniest ways of looking

at things . "

Welles stops, breaks character again:

WELLES:

No -- that's not right

He clears his throat and glances at the enormous crew, all staring back

at him expectantly.

WELLES:

Urn. . . ah . . . yes -- you should definitely pour

the tea. Okay, again. Sorry.... Set. Action.

They start the scene again. She pours the tea

DOROTHY COMMINGORE

"Charlie, you sure got the funniest ways of looking

at things . "

A pause as she waits for his reply in the scene He sits, frozen.

TOLAND:

Orson, you wanna take five?

WELLES:

Five...? Yes. No. We're done today

He slowly walks off the set as he nervously pulls at his tie, tearing

it off.

Toland watches him go.

INT. BROWN DERBY_DAY

Louella is at her usual corner booth, on the phone to one of her many

spies. She is devouring a Cobb salad as she hears:'

PHONE VOICE:

I don't know if this means anything but I just

talked to a guy in the RKO art department They've

got all these books and crap all over the place.

Pictures of San Simeon.

Louella instantly stops eating

PHONE VOICE:

For the Welles picture.

LOUELLA:

Pictures of the castle?

PHONE VOICE:

Yeah

LOUELLA:

Thanks, doll. Get me more.

She hangs up, intrigued.

INT. WELLES' HOUSE_

Welles is standing, absolutely lost, in the middle of his living room.

He is still in his old-Kane makeup which is just beginning to peel off

his face.

We hear a low, insistent drum beat, a Gene Krupa riff.

We hear the sound of an ice pick chipping into a block of ice. Welles

glances around. We are no longer in Welles' living room but at. . .

INT. MANK'S HOUSE. SANTA MONICA_DAY

A turntable spins in a corner, playing a Gene Krupa record. Ashtrays

overflow with cigar butts and messy piles of pages are littered around

a typewriter.

Mank's beach house is tiny and on the edge of squalid

Welles, still in his peeling old-Kane makeup, is standing in the middle

of the living room and Mank is in the small kitchenette, chipping ice

for drinks.

A long pause

WELLES:

And I'm looking at them -- and they're all looking

at me and I don't know who should pour the tea. '

MANK:

Uh huh.

WELLES:

I just can't . . see it anymore

Mank returns to the living room and thrusts a drink in Welles hand.

WELLES:

I want you back

MANK:

F*** you. (He sits.) You wanted me out. I'm out.

WELLES:

I'm sorry.

MANK:

I don't care.

Welles hands Mank a folded script from his jacket. Mank looks at it as:

WELLES:

This is the shooting script we've been using every

day.

Sure enough, the title page of the script reads: CITIZEN KANE by Herman

J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles.

WELLES:

It's just like we always said it would be

Mank hands it back

MANK:

Too late, kid.

Welles sits.

WELLES:

Did I ever tell you about my father?

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