Sweet Smell of Success Page #29

When the columnist comes up to the table, the waiters

quickly pull out the table for him. Sidney comes to join

him; Sidney gets some attention, but considerably less.

CAMERA MOVES CLOSER.

HUNSECKER:

These drinks are warm.

WAITER:

You said you like to have them on

your table.

HUNSECKER:

What are you a critic?

WAITER:

I'll change --

HUNSECKER:

Forget it.

(to Sidney)

The real money ball is the boy...

SIDNEY:

Yeah, the boy...we're on the verge

of a farce, a real farce. As I see

it, if Susie had stood behind him

today he might have proved a threat.

But since primarily he's wedded to

his work, he's not going to be able

to take it.

A waiter shifts the position of the salad dish at Hunsecker's

elbow.

HUNSECKER:

(to waiter)

Stop tinkering, pal - that horse

radish won't jump a fence!

The waiter retreats rapidly.

SIDNEY:

In brief, J.J., it's all over

because any hour now the boy will

give her up. Is it a farce or not?

Delicately salting his oysters, Hunsecker looks obliquely at

Sidney.

HUNSECKER:

This syrup you're giving out,

Sidney, you pour over waffles, not

J.J. Hunsecker! What do you mean

that lousy kid will give up my

sister?

Hunsecker, with a casual gesture, tugs lightly at the end of

Sidney's tie.

Hunsecker's gesture is playful, but it inflicts great injury

to Sidney's dignity; Sidney cannot bear to be touched; he

finds this liberty on J.J.'s part as intolerable as anything

he has experienced, and only with great difficulty controls

himself. The SHOT FAVORS Sidney.

SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER

Hunsecker continues:

HUNSECKER:

Are you listening?

SIDNEY:

(warily)

How does it matter who's sister?

The main thing, they're through

and -

HUNSECKER:

From Sidney's viewpoint. Without turning, Hunsecker

interrupts:

HUNSECKER:

Am I supposed to forget how that

boy talked to me today?

RESUME SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER

Sidney senses a warning in Hunsecker's manner. He protests:

SIDNEY:

J.J., is he worthy of a second

glance from a man like you? Is he,

I mean?...

HUNSECKER:

From Sidney's viewpoint. Pausing during the process of

eating, Hunsecker reaches into an inside pocket.

HUNSECKER:

Brief epitaph:
"The boy was talking

when he should have been listening."

(then)

Bite on this.

CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Sidney as Hunsecker tosses in

front of him an envelope. Sidney opens it, extracts two

steamship tickets.

SIDNEY:

Steamship tickets?

HUNSECKER:

(as he eats)

For the next sailing of the Mary.

Susan's run down - she's never been

abroad and as you so cogently put

it, I'm not made of iron.

Sidney slowly pushes the envelope back to Hunsecker, who

leaves it lying on the table before him.

SIDNEY:

That's good. Now that louse is

outa Susie's hair for good.

SIDNEY:

He has an instinct to laugh; but something tells him not to.

HUNSECKER:

As Sidney makes no response, Hunsecker slowly, carefully

continues in a voice which is dangerously soft:

HUNSECKER:

I want that boy taken apart.

SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER

SHOOTING ACROSS Hunsecker onto Sidney. Sidney puts down his

fork. He sees now that the issue is serious and must be

faced.

SIDNEY:

(seriously)

Why do something that would drive

them right back into each other's

arms? Not to mention that this

time Susie would know who shot the

arrow...

HUNSECKER:

(interjecting quietly)

She knows now.

SIDNEY:

(quickly)

Why give her real proof? You

nearly ruined her with her first

husband - and you were right,

J.J., - but she almost followed him

out the window. What do you want -

a chronic invalid?

HUNSECKER:

He wants no advice from Sidney. He interrupts with quiet

savagery.

HUNSECKER:

I know how to handle Susie. You

just handle the boy, Sidney...

(scribbles on scratch pad)

...preferably tonight.

(pushes pad across to Sidney)

SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER

SHOOTING ACROSS Hunsecker onto Sidney. Sidney feels sick.

SIDNEY:

Why, what's tomorrow - a holiday?

CAMERA MOVES CLOSER as Sidney picks scratch pad up. We can

read two words:
"Get Kello".

SIDNEY:

I think I'll go home - maybe I left

my sense of humor in another suit.

HUNSECKER:

Hunsecker finishes eating. During the ensuing speech, which

he begins quietly and sensibly, Hunsecker's venomous feelings

are unexpectedly betrayed.

HUNSECKER:

You've got that God-given brain -

learn to use it! Do you think it's

a personal matter with me, this boy?

Are you telling me I see things in

terms of personal pique? Don't you

see that today that boy wiped his

feet on the choice, on the

predilections of sixty million men

and women of the greatest country

in the world! If you had any

morals yourself, you would

understand the immorality of that

boy's stand today! It was not me

he criticized - it was my readers!...

CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Sidney. Hunsecker manages to

control himself; he reaches with nervous fingers toward his

scribbling pad.

SIDNEY:

Sidney's face has tightened. He has begun now to realize

the extent of this man's megalomania. After a moment he

says:

SIDNEY:

I'm leaving, J.J....

HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY

SHOOTING ACROSS Sidney onto Hunsecker.

HUNSECKER:

(a quiet warning)

Don't remove the gangplank, Sidney;

you may wanna get back on board.

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