Sleepless in Seattle Page #6

WYATT:

(pushing it to the

center of the table)

Would someone look this up,

don't tell me where.

Becky is riffling through some papers on the table,

among which are some tearsheets from the Associated

Press wire.

BECKY:

Listen to this. Phone service

in the greater Chicago area was

tied up for two hours Christmas

Eve because some kid called a

phone-in show to get a wife for

his father. Two thousand women

called in for the number.

KEITH:

Jesus.

ANNIE:

I heard it. This kid calls up

and says my dad needs a wife

and I'm talking to myself in

the car saying, this is

completely disgusting, you're

taking advantage of a child,

and then the father gets on and

this shrinkette says, do you

want to talk about it? And he

says no as a matter of fact I

don't, and I am saying, bravo!

Right on! Don't talk to her,

it's none of her business --

(she's completely into

this story now)

-- and then suddenly, for no

reason at all, he's talking

about how much he loved his

wife, and how he just --

(she snaps her fingers)

fell in love with her and I am

crying. Me. A tear is

actually rolling down my face.

It was like what happens when I

watch those phone company ads.

I don't have to see the whole

ad, I just have to see the part

where the daughter gives her

mother a refrigerator with a

big red bow on it, have you

seen that one?

Everyone looks at her. Apparently she's finished.

BECKY:

You should write something

about this.

ANNIE:

About what?

BECKY:

Whatever it is.

KEITH:

(waving the AP story)

What it is is, there are a lot

of desperate women out there

looking for love.

WYATT:

Especially over a certain age.

Annie is looking at them. This isn't what she was

talking about at all, although she isn't quite sure what

she was talking about.

KEITH:

It is easier to be killed by a

terrorist after the age of 40

than it is to get married --

ANNIE:

That is not true. That

statistic is not true.

BECKY:

It's not true, but it feels

true.

ANNIE:

There's practically a whole

book about how that statistic

is not true --

WYATT:

Calm down. You brought it up --

ANNIE:

(sharply)

I did not, Wyatt.

A beat, everyone pauses. Things are a little out of

hand.

BECKY:

So where were we?

WYATT:

New Year's Eve. I'll do it,

okay?

BECKY:

Okay.

ANNIE:

If someone is a widower, why do

they say he was widowed? Why

don't they say he was widowered?

Everyone looks at her strangely.

ANNIE:

I was jus wondering.

EXT. BALTIMORE STREET - DAY

Annie walking purposefully, followed by Becky, hurrying

to catch up.

BECKY:

What was that about up there?

ANNIE:

What was what?

BECKY:

What's with you?

ANNIE:

Nothing's with me.

INT. BALTIMORE RESTAURANT - DAY

Becky and Annie are having lunch.

BECKY:

"Sleepless in Seattle"?

ANNIE:

That's what she called him on

the show. Because he can't

sleep.

BECKY:

And now 2,000 women want his

number. The guy could be a

crackhead, a psychopath, a

flasher, a junkie, a

transvestite, a chain-saw

murderer, or someone really

sick, like Rick.

ANNIE:

Actually, he sounded nice.

BECKY:

Oh? Oh, really? Now we're

getting down to it.

ANNIE:

Not.

She reaches down for her purse.

INT/EXT. REMODEL HOUSE - DAY

A hand reaching down to pick something up -- the Seattle

newspaper, and

PULL BACK TO REVEAL:

Sam carrying the paper down/up the stairs to an old

house that's being renovated. Jonah, who is playing

Cameboy, is walking along with him. WORKMEN are active

everywhere. Dry wall going up, cabinets being

installed, tile being set.

One of Sam's partners, BOB LANGMAN, is walking with him,

and JAY MATHEWS, the on-site supervisor, is waiting for

them in an unfinished doorframe. Bob is hefty, older,

always eating something dietetic. Jay is younger and

always wears as little as possible, even in cold weather.

BOB LANGMAN:

Now she wants a circular

stairwell off the den.

JAY:

(to Jonah, in b.g.)

Punch me, punch in right here.

(points to his stomach;

Jonah punches)

And she wants the Sub-Zero with

the side-by-side doors --

BOB:

Which means --

SAM:

The cabinets have to be redone

--

They all nod at each other. The woman has been a

nightmare.

BOB:

So we thought --

JAY:

Since you're on the make again

--

Sam looks at Jonah --

SAM:

Great. This is great. The

whole town knows. Just out of

curiosity, how do you two know?

BOB:

Grace heard it.

SAM:

Grace the dispatcher. Great.

BOB:

The point is, take the client

out to dinner and ask her to

marry you and then maybe we

won't have to redo the kitchen

cabinets.

SAM:

Why me? What about Jay?

JAY:

Hey, my plate is full.

SAM:

Well, okay. What's the big

deal? If she'll forget the

new fireplace, I'll marry her.

Just point me in the right

direction.

JONAH:

Dad, I don't know about this

one --

SAM:

Oh, you're changing your mind

--

JONAH:

No, I'm not, but --

SAM:

What's the matter with this

one? Wouldn't you like to have

Imelda Marcos as your mother?

JONAH:

Dad --

Sam cuffs him good-naturedly.

SAM:

We better take the measurements

for the new cabinets.

He walks away past some workmen, ladders, etc. and

starts checking the cross-beams in the ceiling over in

another area of the site. Bob follows after him. Jay

tosses Jonah a hammer and they start knocking nails into

the wall.

BOB:

Sam, if you're not doing

anything New Year's --

obviously you're not doing

anything New Year's -- we're

having some people over, all of

them married, not one even

remotely interested in playing

around. Does that sound great

or what?

(whistfully)

I can't think of the last time

I was at a party when anything

actually happened.

SAM:

Thanks, but I'll pass. It's

kind of a big night. I don't

like to leave Jonah alone.

CUT TO:

SHOT OF HOUSEBOAT BEING TOWED BY A TUG DOWN THE RIVER (OR A

SEAPLANE LANDING) - TWILIGHT

EXT. HOUSEBOAT - TWILIGHT

Jonah watching it. Sam visible in the distance in the

kitchen.

INT. KITCHEN - TWILIGHT

As Sam is busy installing the spice rack. He marks the

wall, hammers in the nails, etc.

SAM:

(as he starts putting

new spices into the

rack, in alphabetical

order)

Does red pepper go under R or

P?

JONAH:

P.

(beat)

Dad?

SAM:

(absently)

What?

JONAH:

I forgot to mention. Jed

called --

SAM:

Just out of curiosity, do you

have any friends whose names

don't begin with a J? I feel

like it was a failure of the

imagination on our part naming

you Jonah.

(looking at the spices)

What is marjoram? Does anyone

know?

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