Roxie Hart Page #3

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but let me see.

Good.

You're asking his forgiveness.

Who's asking whose forgiveness?

- Look, Roxie. Cooperate.

- The knees, the knees.

I don't know why

I want to get mixed up in this.

You move out of there,

and I'll bat you one, so help me.

I'll give you such a rap...

Roxie, you're begging his forgiveness.

Husband, you're smiling sweetly.

Counselor, look official.

That's it. Hold it, everybody.

The knees, Roxie, the knees!

That's the way it started... small.

But, brother, how it grew.

In one week, Roxie Hart was the

best-known dame in the United States.

Her fame covered this whole country

like the morning dew.

Like the dew.

The prettiest woman ever charged

with murder in the history of Chicago.

Pretty soft, huh?

That's the way it looked, yeah.

Like a setup, a pushover. No risk,

no danger, no chance of a conviction.

That's the way it looked then.

That's what she thought.

Do you seriously think Billy Flynn

is going to waste his time...

on every two-bit scuffle

that gets into the papers?

Two-bit scuffles? Eight pictures

and nine columns in two days.

I guess that ain't the bee's knees.

My dear girl, do you realize

that during my first week here...

I had a total of 15 pictures...

271/2 columns

and an editorial denouncing me?

- You're so awful, it's all I can do to keep my mind on you.

- Children!

To hear you talk,

you'd think you were queen of the jail.

Well, permit me to remind you,

Miss Sloppy...

your whole case

is a very low-class affair...

whereas my friend...

- was in the social register.

- On a pass?

In my opinion, Mrs. Hart, you're a very

ordinary bum, and you might as well face it.

Bum? I'll "bum" you!

Ooh!

Children.

You girls have got

to stop this squabbling.

Let's see.

Where was I?

Altogether, Mr. Benham and I managed

to raise $ 1,400 off the furniture.

Never mind how, just count it out.

Then there's 500 from the savings...

- and 500 from Roxie's life insurance.

- That's 2,400.

Three hundred that I borrowed,

and 700 from the building and loan.

- That's 3,400.

- And that's all.

- All?

- All so far.

I figured I could pay you,

say, 20 a week.

I could give you interest.

Maybe double interest.

Now just a minute, Hart.

When you came to me...

and said,

"Mr. Flynn, will you take this case?"

Did I say,

"Is she innocent or is she guilty?"

No. I said nothing like that.

I simply said, "Have you got $5,000?"

Didn't I?

That's right.

You've been perfectly fair with me.

All right,

then I expect you to be fair with me.

What about her father and mother?

You tried them?

Well, I don't think they got much.

Whatever they've got, they'll give

to save their baby, won't they?

- Well, I don't know.

- You don't know?

Why, Hart, that's the most cold-blooded

thing I've ever heard a man say.

To even question the willingness of a father

and mother to come to the aid of their child...

- flesh of their flesh, bone of their bone.

- I didn't mean...

Where are they?

Get them on the phone right now.

- They live down in the country.

- Call them.

- It's long distance.

- We'll put it on the bill! Call them!

Will you get me

Mr. Magnus J. Wadsworth in Zanesboro?

The best friend any of us can have in this

world may turn against us and become our enemy.

Our son, our daughter that we reared

with loving care may prove ungrateful.

Those we trusted

with our happiness and good name...

may prove traitorous to that faith.

But when all others have fled,

when riches have taken wing...

and reputation fallen to pieces...

there still remains one absolutely

unselfish friend in this selfish world...

one who will never desert us...

one who will never prove ungrateful

nor treacherous.

That's a man's dog, ain't it?

That's right, it is.

I was thinking it was...

Mr. Wadsworth, this is Amos.

Roxie's in some terrible trouble.

What? Yes.

Yes. No.

- And if we don't do something pretty quick...

- Do what?

I said, they're liable to... hang her.

Good!

They're gonna hang Roxie.

What did I tell you?

Let's get this straight, tootsie. I haven't

committed myself on this proposition yet.

Maybe I'll be able to handle it

and maybe not.

It all depends on developments.

But I'm going to give you a few tips

just in case.

Well,

Maybe I shouldn't say this,

but... I didn't do it.

You didn't do it?

Well, then I'm not sure I'm the man

for the job. Now, if you're guilty...

- Please. I'm sorry I mentioned it.

- That's all right.

I'll keep it in mind

in case of emergency...

but for the present,

we'll proceed along the customary lines.

Now, what we gotta do first is to go

after sympathy through the newspapers.

The story of your life

starts tomorrow in the Herald.

- From kindergarten tojail.

- What?

My secretary is writing it this

afternoon, signed with your name.

An authoress!

Beautiful southern home,

every luxury and refinement...

magnolias, colored mammy...

the full treatment.

Educated in private schools, sheltered

like a little flower, and then ruined.

Parents dead, fortune swept away...

a runaway marriage, and heartbreak.

You were a lovely, innocent child,

bewildered by what has happened.

Young, full oflife and lonely...

caught in a mad whirl of a great city!

- Music, lights, wine.

- The black bottom!

Like a moth to the flame.

And now the cold, gray dawn...

mad world ceased...

a butterfly crushed on the wheel.

And what's lefy?

Regret.

That's the important thing...

regret!

You'd give your life this very minute

to bring him back.

Why did I do it?

Was I drunk or crazy?

All you can remember is a fearful

quarrel, and then he threatened you.

- My honor?

- No, no.

We don't fall back on that unless we

have to. He threatened to kill you.

Later, we'll work out why.

You can see him coming toward you now...

with that awful look in his eyes,

a wild look!

And get this... you both grab

for the gun, see? Self-defense.

Whatever we work in later,

that's there from the start.

And everything went purple.

Purple?

Black? White? Red?

Purple's good. It's new.

"As you both grabbed for the gun,

everything went purple. "

- I like that.

- The reporters are downstairs, dear.

- Okay.

- Holy Moses. Haven't you got something else you could wear?

- What's wrong with this?

- For a clip joint, it's great.

But you gotta remember what I said,

you dope... regret, remorse, unhappiness.

No matter what happens, there can never

be any more gaiety or happiness for you.

- You'll never smile again, you understand?

- I got it.

Well, don't forget it.

Birdbrain.

Mrs. Morton, get me that black dress...

the one with the sunflower

on the stomach.

How is she today?

Poor child!

She's holding up magnificently,

poor bewildered kid.

Right now,

she can hardly realize what's happened.

Mr. Callahan,

I've just seen Finnegan, the janitor.

- What janitor?

- At the apartment house.

- And from what he says, she didn't do it.

- Shh!

Are you cr...

Are you nuts?

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