The Fabulous Baker Boys Page #7

SUSIE:

(continuing)

I mean, you're supposed to be

backing me up, right?

FRANK:

(icily)

No. We are not supposed to be

backing you up.

SUSIE:

What I mean is --

FRANK:

We're a team. We work together.

SUSIE:

So work with me, not against me.

Okay?

Frank stares at Susie for a long moment.

FRANK:

I suppose we can bring it down a

little.

JACK:

I'll drop the eighths.

FRANK:

Okay?

Susie looks at the two brothers.

SUSIE:

Okay.

WILLIE'S SHOWROOM - LATER

Frank is on Willie's telephone.

In the front of the store, just out of earshot,

Jack sits at a beat-up grand,

while Susie moves aimlessly from one piano to another.

FRANK:

I'm telling you, Ray. She's got

a voice like an angel ... What?

Frank glances furtively across the room to where Susie,

making a very sexy silhouette against the front window,

is running her hand over a pearl-white piano.

FRANK:

(continuing)

No, I wouldn't say she's got a

body like an angel.

As Frank continues to talk in the background,

Susie looks over at Jack.

SUSIE:

Hey, he's not sore, is he?

JACK:

He'll come around.

Susie nods, goes back to stroking the piano.

JACK:

(continuing)

You never sang before?

SUSIE:

Not for money. With my mother.

Jack nods slowly, but Susie sees he doesn't understand.

SUSIE:

(continuing)

She used to waitress downtown, nights,

when I was a kid. On the way home, we'd sing.

You know how people whistle when they're nervous?

My mother sang. She always said you're never alone

with a song 'cause thousands of people know the

same song and even though you can't hear 'em,

they're singing with you. I don't know.

If they were, they were all singing safe inside

their apartments.

(shrugging)

But it worked. We always got home. Ever since,

I always wanted to sing.

I never took lessons or anything, though.

I guess you guys took a lot of lessons.

Jack looks down at the piano in front of him.

JACK:

Yeah. We took a lot of lessons.

JACK AND NINA:

Jack's tuxedo is hanging in the shower as he gets

ready for the night's gig. Nina, standing next to him

at the sink, watches as he works up a lather on a bar

of shaving soap, then paints his face with the suds.

NINA:

You shave like an old movie, Jack.

As Jack picks up a razor, Nina takes the brush and begins

to soap her face in the mirror.

JACK:

In the old days, every man had a shaving mug that

he kept at the barber shop. Then, whenever he

wanted a shave, held go down to the barber shop

and there would be his mug, waiting for him.

NINA:

Is that what you used to do?

JACK:

My days are not the old days,

genius.

NINA:

What are they?

JACK:

The recent past.

NINA:

Oh.

(nodding to the ceiling)

Bigfoot gets his out of a can.

JACK:

How do you know?

NINA:

I saw his stuff in the bathroom.

JACK:

Oh?

NINA:

I guess it's getting serious.

JACK:

Maybe he'll ask your ma to marry

him.

NINA:

I hope not. He's already busted the springs

in two chairs. Hey, what's this?

Nina holds up the handle of the shaving brush.

JACK:

Ivory.

NINA:

Looks old.

JACK:

Older than me.

NINA:

Wow.

Jack gives Nina a look, then begins to splash his face.

Nina picks up the razor.

JACK:

Hey, what do you want to do? Grow

a beard?

NINA:

Why not?

JACK:

Well, let's get your first prom

under the belt, okay?

NINA:

What's a prom?

JACK:

Ever go to church?

Nina nods.

JACK:

It's like that. Only you gotta

dance.

INT. HOTEL

As Jack enters the hotel, he passes by the cardboard

stand-up, prominently displayed in the lobby.

It is virtually unchanged, except for a small notation

at the bottom:
"With Guest Vocalist."

On the other side of the lobby,

Frank is pacing nervously.

FRANK:

Where the hell is she?

JACK:

It's early.

FRANK:

I told everyone seven-fifteen.

Didn't I? Seven-fifteen.

JACK:

She'll get here.

FRANK:

Just like the day of the auditions,

right? Jesus. How's my hair?

JACK:

Awe inspiring.

FRANK:

Yeah, well, Your's isn't.

(taking out a comb)

Let me run a comb though it.

JACK:

Get out of here.

FRANK:

Come on, stand still.

JACK:

Get out of here!

FRANK:

It's not gonna hurt you.

JACK:

I'll hit you, Frank. I swear.

Frank hesitates, like a basketball player trying to

feint an opponent, then takes a flick at Jack's hair.

Jack hits him.

FRANK:

(holding his shoulder)

You hit me.

JACK:

I told you I was gonna hit you.

He looks capable of hitting him again, too.

FRANK:

All right, all right. I'm a little

tense.

JACK:

You're a f***ing alarm clock.

FRANK:

I just wish she'd get here, that's

all.

JACK:

She's here.

Susie, wearing a flamboyant orange dress,

is standing across the lobby, staring at the stand-up.

FRANK:

Christ, look at her. You'd think if she was gonna

wear her street clothes she'd have enough sense

to come in the back.

(walking over)

Good evening, Miss Diamond. You're late.

SUSIE:

Where's my name?

FRANK:

What-?

SUSIE:

And how come you guys are the only ones with

your pictures on the poster?

FRANK:

We'll talk about it later. Right

now, you gotta get changed.

SUSIE:

Changed?

FRANK:

Where's your dress?

SUSIE:

(to Jack)

What's he talking about?

FRANK:

Is there a language problem here? Your dress.

For tonight. Where is it?

SUSIE:

Do I look like I'm naked?

FRANK:

That! You can't wear that!

SUSIE:

What's wrong with it?

FRANK:

It's orange!

SUSIE:

(to Jack)

Am I missing something?

Before Jack can reply, Frank grabs Susie's hand and

pulls her toward the door.

FRANK:

Come on.

SUSIE:

Hey!

FRANK:

Come on. We don't have much time.

SUSIE:

Time for what?

INT. DEPARTMENT STORE

Frank, Jack and Susie dash through a cavernous

downtown department store, the brothers turning a few

heads with their tuxedoes. As they reach the ladies'

department, Frank begins to flip through the

dress racks.

SUSIE:

If you ask me, this is pretty

stupid.

FRANK:

Just look. What do you wear?

A nine?

SUSIE:

(offended)

A seven.

FRANK:

My wife wears a seven. You don't

look like a seven to me.

SUSIE:

I wear a seven.

FRANK:

Okay, okay. Here, how about this?

SUSIE:

(looking)

Save it for your wife.

FRANK:

We're not exactly silly with time,

you know. Jack, you find anything?

Jack, somewhat out of his element, is looking at belts.

JACK:

No.

FRANK:

Here, how's this?

Frank holds out an inky black dress. Susie gives it

a long look.

FRANK:

(continuing)

Close enough. Let's go.

Frank begins to drag Susie into the dressing room.

SUSIE:

Hey, pal. I don't know about you, but where I

come from there's a little girl's room and a

little boy's room and the little boys don't go

where the little girls go.

FRANK:

All right, but make it quick.

(remembering)

Shoes! What size do you wear?

SUSIE:

(from the dressing room)

Nine.

FRANK:

Nine?

SUSIE:

Nine!

FRANK:

(to himself)

Big feet.

INT. SHOE DEPARTMENT

Frank and Jack work the shoe department,

scouting the endless rows.

FRANK:

See anything?

JACK:

(holding one up)

How about these?

FRANK:

Jack, for crying out loud. Your

bachelorhood's showing.

(seeing something)

Ah, here we go.

Frank grabs a pretty blue pump and gestures to the

SALESMAN, who's waiting on a woman.

FRANK:

Hey! Do these come in black?

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