State of the Union Page #12

---

But I'm disappointed.

Okay, Jim,

I've made my decision.

From now on, it's your show.

I'll talk turkey

with Lauterback.

I'll play ball with anybody

who'll help me

get the nomination.

Is that clear?

And money's no object.

I'll spend $1 million

if I have to.

Grant, watch us go

from here.

Where's Lauterback,

in Washington?

Yeah.

Get him on that phone.

Ed, you know Grant will

never fight the farm block.

It's too powerful.

I don't

beat about the bush, Jim.

I'm anti Cuban sugar,

anti Mexican cotton,

anti Argentine beef,

anti Canadian wheat,

anti free-trade of any kind.

Are you for anything?

Yes, I'm for Ed Lauterback,

same as you're for...

Grant Matthews.

Yes.

How many delegates

can you deliver?

Deliver?

None. I only influence.

Well, how many

can you influence?

Perhaps none.

Let's have it, Ed.

What do want to nick us for?

I name the Secretary

of Agriculture.

You have delusions

of grandeur.

You want my support?

And we'll pay for it.

You can

approve the appointment,

but you can't make it.

Good enough.

Right of vetoes,

good enough.

Have you talked

to Bill Green, Phil Murray,

or John L. Lewis?

We're talking to you now.

Which isn't easy

because I don't like you,

Bill Hardy.

That's mutual.

Who cares who likes who?

How many men in your union?

700,000 in my locals,

scattered over four states.

Pivotal states.

And they vote

in the primaries.

Can you work out a deal

with Jim?

I can always make a deal

with Jim.

Well, work it out.

Can you deliver delegates from

the foreign-born sections?

Let me handle things

and I can.

These people

never vote for anything.

They vote against something.

They've carried hatreds around

for centuries.

The trick is to play

on these hatreds,

one nationality

against the other,

keep them voting as blocks.

We know how you do it.

You're a powerful woman.

What's your price?

Patronage. Lots of patronage.

I dish it out to my friends.

That's my price.

To Republicans or Democrats.

I need a little air.

You work it out with her,

will you?

Yeah, I could do

with a little ozone, too.

Those are the posters

and these are the ads

for the broadcast.

They'll be in 30 newspapers.

It'll be the biggest send off

any candidate ever had.

Radio, television, newsreels,

the press, the works.

No use having dough

and not spending it.

Excellent idea,

doing it all

from his own home.

A fireside chat

from the next president.

To say nothing

of the next president's

wife and kids.

No one'll top us for corn.

Where does

this Thorndyke dame

fit in the picture?

What do you mean by that?

Let's not start

kidding each other,

there's a rumor around...

Ridiculous,

an old wives' tale.

What rumor?

Kay Thorndyke and Matthews.

I've heard it twice.

Bill, I'm surprised at you

spreading a foul story

like that.

I'm spreading nothing.

But I want to be sure

there's nothing to spread.

Now, look, everything's

got to be kosher.

I thought he was a family man.

There's nothing to it.

Believe me.

Would I lie to you?

Yeah, would he lie to you?

Don't make me

answer that question.

I tell you, Kay Thorndyke

is a friend of the family.

She and Mrs. Matthews

are just like that.

Will she be at the broadcast?

Why,

of course, she will.

Mrs. Matthews

has already invited her.

Well, I'll be glad

to see her there.

I've never met Miss Thorndyke.

Let's get back

to this campaign.

I've got some work to do here.

Is Mrs. Matthews in?

Spike MacManus.

Oh, you're Spike.

Come on in.

Buck Swenson,

I'm the butler around here.

Excuse my appearance.

This happens every Saturday.

The kids and their packages

for Europe.

You're quite

a heavy contributor, I see.

Yeah. Sir, you'd better

hang on to this,

if you don't want

some Belgian farmer

wearing it.

I'll call Mrs. Matthews.

I was just going upstairs

to get my swimming trunks on.

Let the kids

swipe my pants later on.

Hi.

Hi, what's going on

out there?

Operation Bread Basket,

they call it.

While you're busy

feeding the world,

would there be

a loose cup

of coffee for me?

I've been up

three nights running

working on that broadcast.

You look as if you could

stand something stronger.

Lady, you twisted my arm.

Say, who was that character

who let me in?

Buck? He's the world's

worst butler

and the world's nicest guy.

He was Grant's

first grease monkey.

Grant used to try to fire him,

but he gave that up years ago.

Speaking of characters,

how's Mr. Conover and company?

Oh, just straight, please.

Oh, he's busy making friends

and influencing delegates.

And I might add,

delivering some.

I don't believe that.

You can't deliver the votes

of a free people.

Mary, in Conover's eyes,

the lazy people,

ignorant people,

and prejudiced people

are not free.

Spike, are all politicians

like Conover?

No.

Thank heavens,

he almost makes me a Democrat.

That wouldn't help you any.

The Democrats have

their Conovers, too.

In spades.

Here's to us wise guys

with all the answers.

All right, wise guy,

give me one answer.

What changed Grant in Detroit?

Detroit,

that's so many hotels...

Spike, please, what made Grant

change that speech

at the last minute?

Oh, Mary, wouldn't you

rather hear how someday

I'm going to buy

a country newspaper

and yell my head off?

95% of the newspapers

are in small towns.

That's America, lady.

That's where the real freedom

of the press is.

Yeah.

All right, Spike.

What really made you leave

the tobacco smoke,

this fine sunny day?

Mary, a crisis hath arisen.

A crisis, that's good.

What about?

The big broadcast.

Oh.

There's a story going around

Republican headquarters

and Democratic headquarters

about you getting plastered

one night and throwing

Kay Thorndyke

out of your house.

Yeah.

If it isn't nipped in the bud,

Grant's political goose

might be cooked.

Well, that's a true story.

What am I supposed

to do about it?

It isn't true,

and the only way

you can prove it

is to invite Kay here

to the broadcast.

Here to my house?

Be photographed with her.

Make it clear that she's

a friend of the family.

Not just of Grant's.

Has Grant heard about this?

No, he doesn't know

anything about it.

This is Conover's idea.

And sounds like him, if you...

Mom!

Yeah?

Mom, we need more bubblegum.

Bubblegum?

Goes in every package.

This is my daughter, Joyce.

Spike, Mr. MacManus.

Hi.

Hi, you don't have

any bubblegum, do you?

Not on me, no.

Run and ask Buck.

I think he got some yesterday.

Buck!

Mom!

Mom!

Yeah.

We're stuck.

We haven't got any more

comic books.

Comic books?

They go in every package,

too.

This is Mr. MacManus, Grant.

Hi.

You haven't got

any comic books,

have you?

Of course, he hasn't.

He is a very distinguished

newspaper man.

Oh, I don't know.

I have my hidden vices.

Oh boy,

I haven't read this one.

Okay, scram.

They're pretty swell kids.

Yeah,

they're pretty swell kids.

You can tell Conover no.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes