The Carpetbaggers Page #7

Cut it!

Mr. Cord, what's wrong?

Her. Get her off the set.

She's fired.

Just a minute, Mr. Cord.

Just a minute here!

What the hell is going on?

She can't be fired.

Miss Randall is the most

important star we have.

That's what you told me

and I believed you.

I just had my first lesson

in this business:

don't listen to you.

Now look here, Miss Randall

has a contract for this picture.

You know that.

She must have signed it

in your bedroom.

Listen, Sonny...

me, you can forget

but you owe Miss Randall a

public apology for that insult.

lf that woman

ran an immoral house

she'd have to pay me.

Oh, Bernie-cuns!

Oh...

Bernie, baby...

Get away. Get away!

I'll give you five minutes

to get her off the set,

or I'll close down this picture

and hit you with the biggest

lawsuit you ever saw.

Mr. Cord...

Mr. Cord!

I'll fix you for this.

I'm not fooling.

One of these days, I'll fix you.

You'll see... someday...

someday I'll fix you.

Get of my way!

I'll fix you!

Excuse me.

Sorry, no dice.

Marion Davies is working.

Look, I've called everybody.

Garbo's agent won't

even talk to us.

Sally Eilers, Ranee Adoree,

Clara Blore...

all of them, tied up.

Everybody seems

to be conveniently

"occupied" at the moment.

Why?

Thought you might be hungry,

so I sent out for these.

Would you like

something to eat?

What do you got?

Oh, tuna, ham and

cheese, chicken.

-Thanks.

-Mm-hmm.

Say, I've got an idea.

Maybe I should get

to New York

and start looking

for an actress there.

We've got to have

somebody great.

Everyday we don't shoot,

it costs us a fortune.

What do you think?

Rina, come here.

Look, I know a little...

You're going to test

for the role.

Mr. Cord,

do you realize...

Oh, don't be ridiculous.

I'm no actress.

Come to think of it,

you're the best actress I know.

You never said an honest line

in your life.

Don't talk that way to her.

You call it, Nevada--

she tests,

or we all go home broke.

Hi, Jonas.

Well, I know it's been

a long time

since you've seen me,

but you haven't forgotten

what your wife looks like,

have you?

How are you, Monica?

Why don't you get in,

and I'll tell you all about it

on the way home.

Where are we?

I thought we were

going to the hotel.

No questions, please.

Out.

Welcome home, Mr. Jonas.

Did he say home?

Come on.

Merry Christmas.

It can't be Christmas yet.

Oh, it is here.

Monica, did you buy this place?

No.

I only leased it for six months

so you could have the pleasure

of buying it yourself.

Come on,

I'll give you a tour.

The living room.

Painting from a French palace,

fireplace of italian marble

and hand-woven Persian rugs.

Out there are four acres

of land with oranges, lemons,

avocados, assorted flowers,

swimming pool, bathhouse,

barbecue and tennis court.

This way.

The den.

To improve your mind,

ruin your stomach

and work if you must.

Grownup's playroom.

For guests.

Or if anyone unexpected

turns up

we can always just paint it

pink or blue overnight.

Monica, you're not

pregnant, are you?

Well, not that I know of,

but these things happen.

I mean, look

at all the Chinese.

Besides, most accidents

take place in the home.

Well?

I've seen enough plays

to know what it means

when a man has to pour

himself a stiff drink

before he answers.

The heroine is about to be

told the ugly truth.

Monica, why this?

For all the normal reasons.

Home is where people live.

You and I were hotel babies.

The stuffy elevators,

coffee shops,

convention drunks and cigarette

burns on the rugs.

I thought we both missed this.

Needed it.

What I need is the most freedom

and the fewest responsibilities.

Why did you get married?

Because I thought you

were the same kind.

Hotels are

my way of life.

Room service like that--

day and night.

No trees to prune,

no grass to cut.

Girls sent up

by the bell captain.

Well, don't forget,

I met you in a hotel.

Oh.

Jonas, we can do

everything right here

we do in your hotel suite.

Only with more privacy...

more meaning.

Give it a try. Please.

More than a playgirl,

I can be wife.

And mother?

Yes.

lf you want.

I don't want.

Excuse me, I have to get down

to the factory.

Can't that airplane wait?

I don't like to be

second in anything.

But I planned dinner here.

Tomorrow morning I'll be

down at the studio

working on the picture.

The studio days

and the factory nights.

You might not see me

for quite awhile.

What do you want me to do

while I'm waiting?

Get a divorce.

Jonas, you... can't mean that.

Afraid I do.

Just like that?

Just like that.

Mrs. Cord, when would

you like dinner served?

Jedediah, you've

known Mr. Cord

a long time, haven't you?

Since he was born.

Tell me about him.

Mr. Jonas is not

easy to tell about.

Jedediah... Mr. Jonas

is not an easy man to love,

but I'm trying.

And I'll try.

Please sit down.

Thank you.

To be honest, I wasn't sure

what kind of feeling

you had for Mr. Jonas.

But now, I have some idea

so I'd like to tell you

what nobody else knows

about him but me...

I've got to eat my words,

Mr. Cord.

Rina's great. A natural.

In fact, she's fabulous.

Greatest screen test

I ever saw, Ed.

She makes the Old West

look like a new girl in town.

Well, she's a long way

from being an

actress yet, Mr. Cord.

Thank you.

But she does have

the most important thing--

that rare quality

of screen magnetism.

Commonly called S-E-X.

Oh, thank you.

We can teach her the rest.

Fine.

Thank you, Mr. Ellis.

See you on the set tomorrow.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Walk me to the car,

will you, Dan?

Sure thing.

I can't do everything.

Building a plane--

trying to run eight

other businesses.

I want you to come

to work for me.

You really know the business.

You know when to fight

and when to take orders.

Well, my agency keeps

me pretty busy.

Sell it.

If this picture goes,

I'm in the movies to stay.

I'll give you ten percent

of the profits

and stock options later.

Well, I don't know...

what about

an expense account?

As big as you need.

Money's the one thing

nobody talks back

to in this town.

You can live on the expenses

and bank your salary.

By noon tomorrow I'll be

out of the agency business

and hip deep

in Cord Productions.

Now that you're

working for me,

I'd like you to do

a couple of things.

Anything you say, boss.

We'll get the writers

to go over

the script again.

Build up Rina's part.

Well, where does

that leave Nevada?

What do you care?

You're not working

for him anymore.

There's a certain logic

in that, I guess.

By the way, have you got

a little black book?

One of the best.

Good. Line me up

some girls.

But I... I thought

you were just... married.

I want girls to take out,

to be seen with.

Get my name in the columns.

Pictures whenever you can.

Girls, names, pictures.

You're the boss.

Close the door, will you, Dan?

Oh, certainly.

Let's go, Jedediah.

One more thing-- fire Ellis.

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