Taxi Driver Page #8

sewer. I can hardly take it.

(MORE)

39.

TRAVIS (CONT'D)

Some days I go out and smell it

then I get headaches that just stay

and never go away. We need a

President that would clean up this

whole mess. Flush it out.

Palantine is not a Hubert Humphrey-type professional

bullshitter, and Travis' intense reply stops him dead in his

tracks. He is forced to fall back on a stock answer but

tries to give it some meaning.

PALANTINE:

(after a pause)

I know what you mean, Travis, and

it's not going to be easy. We're

going to have to make some radical

changes.

TRAVIS:

(turning the wheel)

Damn straight.

EXT. BARCLAY HOTEL

TRAVIS' taxi pulls up in front of the Barclay Hotel.

PALANTINE and AIDE get out of the cab. SECOND AIDE stays in

back seat a moment to pay TRAVIS.

PALANTINE looks in front window of cab momentarily and nods

goodbye to TRAVIS.

PALANTINE:

Nice talking to you, Travis.

TRAVIS:

(calling back)

Thank you, sir. You're a good man,

sir.

Travis' taxi departs.

PALANTINE and AIDES walk up carpet to the St. Regis.

CAMERA CLOSES IN on PALANTINE as he stops, turns back and

watches Travis' departing taxi.

PALANTINE turns back and ascends the hotel steps with his

AIDES.

40.

EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - EARLY MORNING

TRAVIS, dressed to the teeth, walks brightly down the

sidewalk. His face is frehsly shaved, his hair combed, his

tie straightened.

He pauses in a store window to check his appearance.

Under his arm he carries the gift-wrapped Kristofferson

record album.

OUTSIDE PALANTINE HEADQUARTERS

BETSY, smartly dressed, waves goodbye to another CAMPAIGN

WORKER and walks out the door to greet him.

A SHORT WHILE LATER, TRAVIS and BETSY are walking down

Broadway toward Times Square. BETSY does not let their

bodies touch as they walk although TRAVIS contemplates

edging closer to her.

Betsy has opened the package and is admiring the record -

or, rather, Travis' sentiment behind giving it.

Travis looks around himself with pride: This is a moment in

his life - one of the few.

BETSY:

You didn't have to spend your

money - ?

TRAVIS:

(interrupting)

He'll, what else can I do with it

all?

Betsy notices that the seal on the record has not been broken.

BETSY:

Travis, you haven't even played the

record?

TRAVIS:

(evasive)

Yeah, well my stereo player is

broke. But I'm sure the record is OK.

BETSY:

Your stereo broke? God, I could

hardly stand that. I live on music.

41.

TRAVIS:

I don't follow music much. I'd like

to though.

(second thought)

Honest.

BETSY:

(pointing to album)

So you haven't heard this record yet?

TRAVIS:

No.

(sly smile)

I thought maybe you could play it

for me on your player.

Betsy's face backtracks a bit. Maybe she was wrong to go out

with this fellow she doesn't know.

She makes a polite laugh.

LATER. Travis and Betsy are in TIMES SQUARE, turning the

corner from Broadway to 42nd Street. Travis carries the

album under his arm.

They approach the garish marquee of a large midtown porno

theatre advertising "The Swedish Marriage Manual". The box

office is flanked on both sides by glass cages filled with

explicit publicity stills. Offending portions have been

blocked out with black tape.

Travis steps over to the window and buys two $5 tickets.

Betsy, befuddled, watches him. She doesn't know what to say.

Travis returns with the tickets.

Betsy still has not fully comprehended what is happening:

BETSY:

What are you doing?

TRAVIS:

(innocent)

I bought a couple of tickets.

BETSY:

But this is a porno movie.

TRAVIS:

No, these are the kind that couples

go to. They're not like the other

movies. All kinds of couples go.

Honest. I've seen them.

42.

Travis seems confused. He is so much part of his own world,

he fails to comprehend another's world. Compared to the

movies he sees, this is respectable. But then there's also

something that Travis could not even acknowledge, much less

admit:
That he really wants to get this pure white girl into

that dark porno theatre.

Travis makes an awkward gesture to escort Betsy into the

theatre. Betsy looks at the tickets, at the theatre, at

Travis. She mentally shakes her head and walks toward the

turnstile. She thinks to herself: "What the Hell. What can

happen?" She's always been curious about these pictures

anyway, and - like all women, no matter how intelligent -

she's been raised not to offend her date. A perverse logic

which applies even more in offsetting circumstances like

these.

INSIDE THE THEATER

Travis escorts Betsy to an empty center row. Travis was

right. Couples do go to films like this. There are at least

six or seven other MEN with their bewigged "DATES".

Travis settles into his familiar porno theatre slouch. Betsy

looks curiously from side to side.

ON SCREEN, a conservatively-dressed middle-aged woman is

speaking in Swedish about importance of healthy sex life in

a happy marriage. Subtitles translate her words. Then,

without warning, there is a direct CUT to a couple copulating

on a sterile table-like bed.

Travis watches intently. The color, however, is slowly

draining from Betsy's cheeks. One thought fills her mind:

"What am I doing here?"

TRAVIS:

(to himself)

Damn.

BETSY:

What's wrong?

TRAVIS:

I forgot to get the Coca-Cola.

That does it. Betsy just looks at him for a moment, then

gets up and starts to leave. Travis, confused, hustles after

her.

He follows her out of the theatre.

43.

ON THE SIDEWALK:

Travis catches up with her.

TRAVIS:

Where are you going?

BETSY:

I'm leaving.

TRAVIS:

What do you mean?

Betsy looks at Travis, trying to understand him:

BETSY:

These are not the kind of movies I

go to.

TRAVIS:

Well, I don't follow movies too

much...

BETSY:

You mean these are the only kind of

movies you go to?

The TICKET GIRL watches expressionlessly from the booth.

TRAVIS:

This is sort of high class...

BETSY:

I mean porno movies.

TRAVIS:

(hesitant)

Well... mostly...

BETSY:

My God!

TRAVIS:

We can go to another movie if you

like, I don't care. I got money.

There's plenty...

Travis gestures toward the long row of 42nd Street marquees,

but is interrupted by Betsy:

BETSY:

If you just wanted to f***, why

didn't you just come right out and

say it?

44.

Travis is flabbergasted by Betsy's blunt language. His arm

still gestures toward the marquees, his lips continue to

move, but words do not come out.

Unable to respond to Betsy's question, Travis picks up where

he left off:

TRAVIS:

... there's plenty of movies around

here. I haven't seen any of them,

but I'm sure they're good.

BETSY:

No, Travis. You're a sweet guy and

all that, but I think this is it.

I'm going home.

TRAVIS:

(interrupting)

You mean you don't want to go to a

movie?

(a beat)

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