Sleepless in Seattle Page #10

Hold on the two of them as music begins. Bye Bye

Blackbird.

SAM:

I... uh... have a date with

someone Friday night.

JONAH:

Good.

A beat.

SAM:

Did I ever tell you about the

time I ate a dog biscuit?

As Jonah cuddles closer MUSIC COMES UP AS WE PULL BACK

FROM THE BED AND...

CUT TO:

EXT. ANNIE'S TOWNHOUSE - LATE NIGHT

AS MUSIC CONTINUES. Annie waves as Becky gets into her

car and rides away. Annie turns to her doorway and

stops. She can't go back in. She needs to walk and

think. She crosses the street into a little

neighborhood park. We can see the moon.

CUT TO:

EXT. SAM'S HOUSEBOAT - NIGHT

Sam comes out onto the porch. Flops down in his deck

chair. The city lights in the background. Same moon.

The MUSIC CONTINUES.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARK - NIGHT

Annie flops down on a child's swing set in the park.

MUSIC CONTINUES.

CUT TO:

CLOSE ON SAM:

CLOSE ON ANNIE:

AND A LONG SHOT OF ANNIE IN THE SWING

As Walter pulls up into the parking space Becky pulled

out of. Annie starts toward him.

A LONG SHOT OF SAM ON THE BACK OF THE BOAT

Make my bed and light the lights I'll arrive late

tonight, blackbird, bye bye.

FADE IN:

INT. BALTIMORE SUN - DAY

Annie on the phone at her desk.

ANNIE:

Laurie, it's Annie. Fine, I'm

fine. Listen, I'm doing an

article on call-in radio shows.

Do you know anyone who works

for someone named Dr. Marcia

Fieldstone...?

CUT TO:

Annie on the phone.

ANNIE:

I'm a writer for the Baltimore

Sun and I'm a friend of Laurie

Johnson's. I'm doing a piece

on how people handle

bereavement and I understand

that you had a caller the other

night... I know you're not

supposed to, but Laurie said

you might, and I'll plug the

show and everything --

(she winces in

anticipation of a

rejection, but then

her face relaxes)

CUT TO:

Annie dialing Sam's telephone number.

JONAH (ON MACHINE)

This is Jonah Baldwin, we're

not in right now but you can

leave --

Annie hangs up.

ANNIE:

Baldwin.

CUT TO:

Annie at her computer modem. She's dialing a number.

We hear some beeps.

COMPUTER SCREEN:

Directory. Enter password.

(Annie types)

Ann Reed. BSun124.

(computer)

Find.

(Annie types)

Samuel Baldwin.

(computer types)

216 Samuel Baldwin. Strike Y

to printout or enter factors.

(Annie types)

Samuel Baldwin, Seattle.

(there's a pause)

Not found.

(Annie thinks for a

moment, then types)

Samuel Baldwin, Jonah Baldwin.

(a pause)

Samuel Baldwin, Jonah Baldwin

found. Strike Y to printout or

enter factors.

(Annie types Y)

And now on the computer screen, we see a funeral notice

from the Chicago Tribune that reads: Baldwin, Margaret

Abbott, beloved wife of Samuel, mother of Jonah, June

10, Funeral 10 a.m. Thursday, Church of the Heavenly

Rest, 110 N. State, in lieu of flowers contributions

should be sent to Chicago Horticultural Society. And

then there's a citation: Chicago Tribune, June 12, 1989.

Annie types another entry.

ANNIE:

(typing)

Samuel. Baldwin, Chicago.

(after a beat)

Four Samuel Baldwins. Strike Y

to printout.

(Annie strikes Y)

Samuel Baldwin, arrested for

grand larceny, 1961. Samuel

Baldwin, alderman, convicted of

accepting bribes, 1967. Samuel

J. Baldwin, architect, built

City Plaza.

(Annie presses Y)

CUT TO:

A PRINTOUT OF AN ARTICLE

that Annie's reading. There's a newspaper picture of

Sam at the dedication of a building site. It's got that

kind of grainy quality that things have when they've

been transmitted, but you can make out Sam's basic good

looks.

EXT. BO'S SECURITIES/WORLDWIDE - DAY

Annie coming from the street toward a storefront in

downtown Baltimore across the street from the courthouse.

Next door there's a bailbondsman, there are ambulance-

chasing lawyers hanging out on the corner.

The sign on the door reads: "No job too small." "All

major credit cards accepted." And then everything on

the sign is translated into Spanish.

INT. BO'S SECURITIES - DAY

Detective Bo Wheedle, a former cop, sits at his desk

listening to Annie. He has some papers.

ANNIE:

I need to know about him

because... he's involved with

my sister...

DET. WHEEDLE

Okay.

ANNIE:

She has a pattern of getting

involved with losers... Once

she almost ran away with a

human cannonball from the

circus.

DET. WHEEDLE

Do you want a matrimonial, past

wives, any kids--

ANNIE:

No, I know that part --

DET. WHEEDLE

So you want a financial, is he

a deadbeat, we can do a D&B --

ANNIE:

No, no, no, it's more like, who

is he, does he have a sense of

humor, is he nice -- no forget

nice, I've got nice --

DET. WHEEDLE

A sense of humor.

ANNIE:

I'll tell you the truth, I

heard this guy on a call-in

radio show and I might not

marry the person I should marry

because I've become obsessed

with him.

DET. WHEEDLE

Oh. Like Glenn Close in that

movie.

ANNIE:

No. Not remotely. I just want

to find out about him.

DET. WHEEDLE

You want a tail.

(picking up the phone)

I got a guy in Seattle --

INT. SAM'S HOUSEBOAT - NIGHT

Jonah is watching Geraldo with his babysitter, CLARISE,

17.

Geraldo is talking to a heavily made-up, sexily-dressed

WOMAN.

GERALDO:

So how long have you been a

woman?

WOMAN:

(husky voice)

About two weeks.

Sam is coming down the stairs.

CLARISE:

(to Jonah)

Pssst!

Jonah hits the remote control and the channel changes to

the Disney channel as Sam comes into the room, dressed

for his date.

SAM:

Clarise, I'll be back by

midnight I'm sure --

CLARISE:

Whenever.

Sam tosses Jonah a letter.

SAM:

This one's for both of us.

JONAH:

(reading from the

envelope)

Sleepless and Son.

(reading the postmark)

Baltimore.

He starts to open the letter.

SAM:

I left the number of the

restaurant I'll be at if

there's any emergency.

CLARISE:

Fine.

SAM:

(to Jonah)

How do I look?

JONAH:

(absently)

Great.

SAM:

(looks in mirror)

I look stupid. I look stupid,

don't I? I look like I'm

trying too hard. I was going

to get a haircut but then I

thought I'd look like I just

got a haircut.

(checks his teeth,

peers up his nose)

JONAH:

(reading the letters)

This is a good letter, Dad.

SAM:

(checks his fly, looks

down at his feet)

The heels on these shoes are

very large. Why have I never

noticed this? The heels on

these shoes are grotesque.

JONAH:

Her name is Annie. Annie Reed.

SAM:

Now I'm late. Bye.

He starts toward the door.

JONAH:

Listen to this --

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