Sunset Boulevard Page #6

Gillis enters the SHOT and she leads him into

A-32 NORMA DESMOND'S BEDROOM

It is a huge, gloomy room hung in white brocade which

has beconle dirty over the years and even slightly

torn in a few places. There's a great, unmade gilded

bed in the shape of a swan, from which the gold had

begun to peel. There is a disorder of clothes and

negligees and faded photographs of old-time stars

about.

In an imitation baroque fireplace some logs are burn-

ing. On the massage table before it lies a small

form shrouded under a Spanish shawl. At each end on

a baroque pedestal stands a three-branched cande-

labrum, the candles lighted.

NORMA:

I've made up my mind we'll bury him in

the garden. Any city laws against that?

GILLIS:

I wouldn't know.

NORMA:

I don't care anyway. I want the

coffin to be white. And I want

it specially lined with satin.

White, or deep pink.

She picks up the shawl to make up her mind about the

color. From under the shawl flops down a dead arm.

Gillis stares and recoils a little. It is like a

child's arm, only black and hairy.

NORMA:

Maybe red. bright flaming red.

Gay. Let's make it gay.

Gillis edges closer and glances down. Under the

shawl he sees the sad, bearded face of a dead

chimpanzee. Norma drops back the shawl.

NORMA:

How much will it be? I warn you -

don't give me a fancy price just

because I'm rich.

GILLIS:

Lady. you've got the wrong man.

For the first time. Norma really looks at him

through her dark glasses.

GILLIS:

I had some trouble with my car.

Flat tire. I pulled into your

garage till I could get a spare.

I thought this was an empty house.

NORMA:

It is not. Get out.

GILLIS:

I'm sorry, and I'm sorry you lost

your friend, and I don't think red

is the right color.

NORMA:

Get out.

GILLIS:

Sure. Wait a minute -- haven't

I seen you -- ?

NORMA:

Or shall I call my servant?

GILLIS:

I know your face. You're Norma

Desmond. You used to be in

pictures. You used to be big.

NORMA:

I am big. It's the pictures

that got small.

GILLIS:

I knew there was something

wrong with them.

NORMA:

They're dead. They're finished.

There was a time when this busi-

ness had the eyes of the whole

wide world. But that wasn't good

enough. Oh, nol They wanted the

ears of the world, too. So they

opened their big mouths, and out

came talk, talk, talk...

GILLIS:

That's where the popcorn business

comes in. You buy yourself a bag

and plug up your ears.

NORMA:

Look at them in the front offices --

the master minds! They took the

idols and smashed them. The

Fairbankses and the Chaplins and

the Gilberts and the Valentinos.

And who have they got now? Some

nobodies -- a lot of pale little

frogs croaking pish-poshl

GILLIS:

Don't get sore at me. I'm not

an executive. I'm just a writer.

NORMA:

You are! Writing words, words!

You've made a rope of words and

strangled this businessl But there

is a microphone right there to catch

the last gurgles, and Technicolor

to photograph the red, swollen tongue!

GILLIS:

Ssh! You'll wake up that monkey.

NORMA:

Get out!

Gillis starts down the stairs.

GILLIS:

Next time I'll bring my autograph

album along, or maybe a hunk of

cement and ask for your footprints.

He is halfway down the staircase when he is

stopped by

NORMA:

Just a minute, you!

GILLIS:

Yeah?

NORMA:

You're a writer, you said.

GILLIS:

Why?

Norma starts down the stairs.

NORMA:

Are you or aren't you?

GILLIS:

I think that's what it says on my

driver's license.

NORMA:

And you have written pictures,

haven't you?

GILLIS:

Sure have. The last one I

wrote was about cattle rustlers.

Before they were through with it,

the whole thing played on a

torpedo boat.

Norma has reached him at the bottom of the staircase.

NORMA:

I want to ask you something.

Come in here.

She leads him into

A-33 THE HUGE LIVING ROOM

It is dark and damp and filled with black oak and

red velvet furniture which looks like crappy props

from the Mark of Zorro set. Along the main wall,

a gigantic fireplace has been freezing for years.

On the gold piano is a galaxy of photographs of

Norma Desmond in her various roles. On one wall

is a painting -- a California Gold Rush scene,

Carthay Circle school. (We will learn later that

it hides a motion picture screen.)

One corner is filled with a large pipe organ, and

as Norma and Gillis enter, there is a grizzly

moaning sound. Gillis looks around.

Rate this script:5.0 / 3 votes