Roxie Hart Page #2

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She's been on Mr. Casely's doorstep for weeks.

Only this afternoon,

she insisted on another audition.

And she told me

she'd never seen him before.

Never seen him before in her life!

A complete stranger!

She, uh, liked Mr. Casely?

Well, let us say, rather,

that Mrs. Hart was ambitious and female.

- A coquette.

- The word is nicely chosen.

Mr. Casely was responsive to her appeal?

Fred was a man who was always sensitive

to a well-turned ankle.

A wolf?

De mortuis nil nisi bonum.

- Yeah. A wolf.

- But why?

- Is Roxie the one that plugged him?

- She is!

Why should I try to protect her?

What should I take the rap

when all the time she was lying to me?

I bring her to Chicago, I get her a job

and this is what she does to me.

I wasn't even in the room.

I was coming up them stairs

when "bang, bang, bang. "

There she was with the rod in her hand

and him folding up right there.

Well! Well, this is

a little more like it!

And all the time,

I'm trying to believe her.

I'm trying to make myself believe her

because I wanted to believe her.

- Where is she now?

- On the roof, hiding.

- Excuse me.

- Downstairs. Cover the building.

You come with me.

On the Hart story, a perfectly lovely

situation has developed.

Joe theJerk has now pinned it

on the little woman.

- I want to issue a statement.

- Oh, hold it, Tommy.

You're not going to change

your mind again, I hope.

Why, you liar!

I didn't do it! Let me out ofhere!

Hold it, Tommy,

they're coming through the walls.

Boy, it is Mrs. Hart.

Take it easy. Take it easy.

Take it easy, will you, honey?

You don't want to damage your defense.

- Nothing doing down here.

- All right. Help the sergeant up here.

- I'll watch the fire escape.

- Okay.

Keep this wire open, Tommy.

Santa Claus is coming.

- Wait till I get my hands on that dirty

double-crosser. - Will you pipe down?

- Double-crossing me...

- Here's your lead. Roxie Hart...

the prettiest woman ever charged

with murder in this county...

has just surrendered

to a representative of the Gazette.

- While the constabulary...

- All you got to do is to sign this.

- The cops are still on the roof.

- Did you hear what he said?

What?

You really think I'm so, uh, pretty,

like you said?

Honey, you are a garden of hollyhocks.

- How old are you, dear?

- Eighteen.

Roxie is 23 and red-headed.

Listen, old boy. Let me get the girl signed

up before those monkeys get back here.

- All right. Hold it, Tommy.

- What's that?

All you got to do, my dear,

is to sign this contract.

What contract?

This is just a blank piece of paper.

- Not even any fine print on it.

- I'll fill that in later.

Cabarets, personal appearance,

everything!

We'll clean up!

Unless, of course, you swing.

What is this...

the insane asylum?

You're beginning to give me the creeps.

You're not gonna swing.

Women don't swing in this county.

And will you stop saying "swing"?

Listen, Roxie.

You are a very lucky girl.

Today you are nobody, and who cares?

Tomorrow money couldn't buy the publicity

you'll have... column after column of it.

Pictures, measurements,

what you eat, what you drink...

how you feel when you get up

in the morning, advice to young girls.

- On the radio.

- Everybody in the country will know you.

They'll fight to see you.

Like when you cross the sidewalk...

from the patrol wagon

to the courtroom door.

They'll want your autograph.

They'll grab your clothes for souvenirs.

They'll wanna kiss you

so they can tell their grandchildren.

A million-dollar production,

and you're the star.

I'm telling you, you'll be right

up there with Peaches Browning...

William Jennings Bryan,

Queen Marie, Ma Ferguson.

- Mutt and Jeff.

- Red Grange, Ruth Snyder...

Aimee Semple McPherson,

Barney Google.

Don't you understand, dear?

This is Chicago,

the city of opportunity.

And that city only awaits

one word from you to be at your feet.

Well, maybe I'm crazy.

- Listen, you...

- Let me out of here, please.

Are you going to throw away

a veritable fortune?

How am I going to spend that fortune

in a cemetery?

You won't have to, I tell ya.

- Who's going to stop it... you?

- Billy Flynn.

- Billy Flynn?

- You mean the great mouthpiece?

Get Billy Flynn,

and you can write your own ticket.

- Yes, and use it.

- The streets of the city are congested with women...

that Billy has saved

from their just desserts.

Well, do you think he'd take me?

Honey, Willy would take an ape-woman

if there was enough publicity in it.

He's good-looking too, isn't he?

Sex appeal rises from him

like a cloud of steam.

- But you don't think there'd be any...

- Honey, I keep telling you...

this county wouldn't hang

Lucrezia Borgia.

I wouldn't want to get in any jam.

It's money from home.

That's the only way to describe it.

You don't think that...

all this you said about my career...

you don't think I could have it

if I was innocent?

- Oh, Roxie, please.

- Oh, Roxie, please, will ya?

Well, then... of course.

Naturally, I want to do everything I can

for my career.

All right, honey.

What's her name? Roxie?

All right, Roxie. Give it to us big.

Give us plenty of teeth.

The old smiling face.

And fine, hold it. Go!

Wonderful! Wonderful!

Now, let's see.

If I'd known this in time,

I'd have got a marcel.

This will be a nifyy, though.

Head up. That's fine.

You got her in focus, boys?

Get the orchid in.

This is wonderful.

Wonderful. Love it.

- Is that her?

- Yeah. Pip, huh?

But she's just a girl... like me.

H... How's that?

I thought she'd be older

and... more sinful-looking.

She's... She's beautiful.

Listen. I don't want any of this

to get in the newspapers.

I want the whole thing

kept perfectly quiet.

Sure, sure. You're too smart a guy.

Step right over here.

Oh, no.

You ain't gonna drag me into this.

You're already drug, you dope.

Stop stalling and get over there.

- We gotta catch the main edition.

- I won't do it!

There you are.

No spirit of cooperation.

Listen. You want people to think you're

a yellow dog and ran out on your wife?

- A low, dirty bum.

- What else is he?

Show the world you're gonna stand by her

through thick and thin.

The old bulldog spirit for the

woman I love. How 'bout it, kid?

Why, with a man like you at her side...

a woman could

fight the whole world... lefty.

- Well, naturally, if I thought...

- Atta boy!

We'll send you a copy to hang in your

den with the rest of your trophies.

- What about the stiff?

- The corpse?

No corpse is gonna pose with me.

Especially that one. Count me out.

Get back, honey.

The stiff is gone.

- It's enough with that.

- We don't need the stiff.

- Hey, Fido. Lay down. Play dead.

- Here?

Yeah.

You, right over here now.

Try and unloosen.

That's fine.

Beautiful. Beautiful.

All right, everybody, big smile.

Beautiful.

- How's this pose? Is this a good one?

- The knees, babe.

How about a profile?

I hate to lose any part of that kisser,

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