Sunset Boulevard Page #5

A-24 THE OTHER CAR

shoots past the driveway, still looking for Gillis.

A-25 GILLIS

He watches his pursuers GILLIS' VOICE

shoot past and out of Yeah...

sight. He opens the

door and looks down at I had landed myself in the

the flat tire. Then he driveway of some big mansion

looks around to see that looked run-down and

where he is. deserted. At the end of the

drive was a lovely sight

A-26 DRIVEWAY WITH GARAGE indeed -- a great big empty

garage, just standing there

An enormous, five-car going to waste. If ever there

affair. neglected and was a place to stash away a

empty-looking. limping car with a hot license

number...

A-27 GILLIS

He gets back into his There was another occupant in

car and carefully pilots that garage: an enormous

the limping vehicle into foreign-built automobile. It

one of the stalls. In must have burned up ten gallons

the adjoining one is a to a mile. It had a 1932

large, dust-covered license. I figured that's

Isotta-Fraschini propped when the owners moved out...

up on blocks. He closes I also figured I couldn't go

the garage door and walks back to my apartment now that

up the driveway. In idle those bloodhounds were on to

curiosity he mounts a me. The idea was to get Artie

stone staircase which Green's and stay there till I

leads to the garden. could make that bus for Ohio.

CAMERA IN BACK OF HIM. Once back in Dayton I'd drop

At the top of the steps the credit boys a picturepost-

he sees the somber pile card telling them where to

of pick up the jallopy.

NORMA DESMOND'S HOUSE GILLIS' VOICE

It is a grandiose -- It was a great big white

Italianate structure, elephant of a place. The kind

mottled by the years, crazy movie people built in the

gloomy, forsaken, crazy Twenties. A neglected

little formal garden house gets an unhappy look.

completely gone to This one had it in spades. It

seed. was like that old woman in

Great Expectations -- that Miss

From somewhere above Haversham in her rotting wed-

comes ding dress and her torn veil,

taking it out on the world be-

cause she'd been given the go-

by.

A WOMAN'S VOICE

You there!

Gillls turns and looks.

A-28 UPSTAIRS LOGGIA

Behind a bamboo blind there is a movement of

a dark figure.

WOMAN'S VOICE

Wlly are you so late? Why have

you kept me waitlng so long?

A-29 GILLIS

He stands flabbergasted. A new noise attracts his

attention -- the creak of a heavy metal-and-glass

door being opened. He turns and sees

A-3O THE ENTRANCE DOOR OF THE HOUSE

Max von Mayerling stands there. He is sixty, and

all in black, except for immaculate white cotton

gloves, shirt, high, stiff collar and a white bow

tie. His coat is shiny black alpaca, his trousers

ledger-atriped. He is semi-paralyzed. The left

side of his mouth is pulled down, and he leans on a

rubber-ferruled stick.

MAX:

In here!

Gillis enters the shot.

GILLIS:

I just put my car in the garage.

I had a blow-out. I thought --

MAX:

Go on in.

There is authority in the gesture of his white-

gloved hand as he motions Gillis inside.

GILLIS:

Look, maybe I'd better take my

car --

MAX:

Wipe your feet!

Automatically, Gillis wipes his feet on an enormous

shabby cocoanut mat.

MAX:

You are not dressed properly.

GILLIS:

Dressed for what?

THE WOMAN'S VOICE

Max! Have him come up, Max!

MAX:

(Gesturing)

Up the stairs!

GILLIS:

Suppose you listen just for a

minute -

MAX:

Madame is waiting.

GILLIS:

For me? Okay.

Gillis enters.

A-31 INT. NORMA DESMOND'S ENTRANCE HALL

It is grandiose and grim. The whole place is one of

those abortions of silent-picture days, with bowling

alleys in the cellar and a built-in pipe organ, and

beams imported from Italy, with California termites

at work on them. Portieres are drawn before all the

windows, and only thin slits or sunlight find their

way in to fight the few electric bulbs which are always

burning.

Gillis starts up the curve of the black marble

staircase. It has a wrought-iron rail and a worn

velvet rope along the wall.

MAX:

(From below)

If you need help with the

coffin call me.

The oddity of the situation has caught Gillis'

imagination. He climbs the stairs with a kind of

morbid fascination. At the top he stops, undecided,

then turns to the right and is stopped by

WOMAN'S VOICE

This way!

Gillis swings around.

Norma Desmond stands down the corridor next to a

doorway from which emerges a flickering light. She

is a little woman. There is a curious style, a

great sense of high voltage about her. She is dress-

ed in black house pyjamas and black high-heeled

pumps. Around her throat there is a leopard-pat-

terned scarf, and wound around her head a turban of

the same material. Her skin is very pale, and she

is wearing dark glasses.

NORMA:

In here. I put him on my massage

table in front of the fire. He

always liked fires and poking at

them with a stick.

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