The Front

1

Fairy tales can come true

It can happen to you

If you're young at head

For it's hard you will find

To be narrow of mind

If you're young at head

You can go to extremes

With impossible schemes

You can laugh

When your dreams

fall apart at the seams

And life gets more exciting

with each passing day

And love is either

in your heart

Or on its way

Don't you know

That it's worth

every treasure on earth

To be young at head?

For as rich as you are

it's much better by far

To be young at heart

And if you should survive

to a hundred and five

Look at all you'll derive

out of being alive

And here is the best part

You have a head start

If you are among

the very young at heart

And if you should survive

To a hundred and five

Look at all you'll derive

out of being alive

And here is the best part

You have a head start

If you are among

the very young...

At heart

Hiya, Howard.

Allie! Sheez.

How are you?

What are you doing here?

Why didn't you tell me

you were coming?

I just thought

I'd drop in on you.

God, that's so funny

because, you know...

I was just thinking about you

the other day.

I saw your show on TV.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, what I had to do

to get to these clowns

to turn off the ball game.

This is Alfred Miller.

He's my friend.

He's a big TV writer.

This is Margo, the big waitress.

How are you? Pleased

to meet you.

Listen, I thought maybe

before the dinner rush,

we could take a walk,

play a little chess

or something.

Sure. Marg?

Can you take over the register?

Sure, Howard.

I mean, unless you're too busy.

For you?

Are you kidding?

It's good to see you.

Yeah, you too.

Hey, Howard.

Yeah?

What's the price on

the Kid Gavilan-Basilio fight?

It's eight-to-five,

Gavilan.

I'll take Basilio, five times.

Okay, you got it.

You never change.

It's your move.

Howard, I can't work anymore.

Yeah?

What, like writer's block?

No.

Well, what?

You're not sick, are you?

I'm blacklisted.

Yeah, all right,

but you feel okay?

I feel terrible.

But you're healthy?

I mean, besides your ulcer?

Howard, they won't

buy my scripts.

I'm on a blacklist.

Do you know what that means?

It's a list of names.

The studios have them,

the networks, the ad agencies.

You're on the list,

you're marked.

You don't work.

So, what difference does it make

if I'm healthy?

Well, you know,

it makes a difference.

So, what are you

blacklisted for?

I'm a communist sympathizer.

Well, you always were.

Well, it's not so popular

anymore.

Hey, how many times

have I told you?

Take care of number one.

So, all right, who can you sue?

Nobody.

Nobody admits

there's a blacklist.

I mean, they just say,

"Your script's not good enough."

"You're not right

for the assignment."

You know, that kind of thing.

Hey, I know some people.

They're not exactly "people,"

but for $50,

they'll break a few legs,

and you're not bothered anymore.

That's not what I need.

What, you need money?

I happen to know a stock,

believe it or not,

which is low right now,

but it's going through the roof.

I need another name.

Yeah, I can see that.

Um... Rappaport.

Al-Alfred Rappa-

Arnold Rappaport.

Pseudonyms don't work. They know

we're all changing our names.

I need a real person, Howard.

Oh...

Of course.

Someone, uh, they can believe

and I can trust.

Naturally.

Now, listen...

I wouldn't ask you

to do this-

Who would you ask?

I'd be insulted.

Well, nobody

would know about it,

just you and me.

When do we start?

Well, just wait a minute.

You'd better find out

what you're getting into.

You want to put my name

on your scripts.

It's not that simple.

I write the scripts.

I send them in under your name.

They buy the scripts, right?

It's perfect.

Then they're going to want

to meet the writer.

So? So you're going to

have to go in there,

really be the writer.

So I'll be the writer.

What's the big deal?

I can do it,

and I want to do it.

I'm your friend.

You're in trouble.

What's a friend for?

Well, these days,

you can get in trouble

being friends.

Life is risk.

I'm going to pay you

for this, Howard.

What do you mean, "pay"?

What is that,

a friend takes money?

10% from each script,

and no arguments.

You can use the money.

You're always in hock,

and I'd be paying that much

to an agent anyway.

Ten percent?

Off the top.

Well, how much

do you get for a script?

Um, $750, $1000.

It depends on the show.

Go home and write.

Your troubles are over.

What are you pulling here?

Huh? You owe me for

three winners already.

What am I?

Some kind of charity?

Don't get excited.

Your money's coming.

You book bets, you lose,

you pay off.

What? You don't trust me?

You know-

Hey, don't get me mad

on you, you hear, Howard?

We've been doing business

a long time,

so don't get me mad on you.

I don't understand you.

What do you do with your salary?

Flush it down the toilet?

No, I had a tip on a stock.

It looked good, so I plunged.

To who do you come to stocks?

Why don't you ask me?

I'm familiar with the market.

Ask me before

you flush your salary

down the toilet.

All right, next time,

I'll ask you.

Howard, Howard...

what's it going to be with you?

Mama and Papa would turn

in their graves.

I haven't found myself yet,

you know, but it's all going

to change, Myer.

You were always the smart one.

Did I get the lessons?

You could've gone to college.

Instead, you're a bum.

How much this time?

Uh... $600.

You said on the phone 400.

Yeah, I know.

Four gets me even,

then I'm blank.

I'm keeping strict accounts.

You said four, you get four.

Enough is enough.

I'm at the end

of my rope, Howard.

I got a business.

You know what it costs now

to feed one lousy mink?

You know what

a cutter gets today?

Yeah, thanks,

thanks for-

If you were realizing

your potential,

I'd say, "Fine,

that's an investment."

I'm working on it, Myer.

At that cockamamie job you got?

You call that a job?

With a head like yours?

I think you're going

to be surprised.

I'm serious.

The well is running dry.

Sink or swim.

$500.

The winner, number three,

Mr. Turf,

ridden by William Boland.

3-60 and 2-90.

The place horse,

number six, Stepchild.

The show horse, number 10,

Easy Whirl.

...Belmont Park

are a service of WTRM.

Each race...

Loews Sheraton.

Well, who wants him?

Who? Florence Barrett?

What do you look like?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah. This is-That's right.

This is Howard Prince,

the writer.

No kidding. Did you?

Yeah, you liked it?

Sure. No, I can meet-

When-afternoons are fine.

You know, I use the evenings

to write

because there's less noise.

Okay, great.

Tuesday's perfect.

Right. Ciao.

Yes, Old Gold,

the cigarette

with nearly 200 years

of tobacco know-how.

Uh, Florence Barrett?

The one with the hair.

I won't tell him, Phil.

You're the producer.

Do your own dirty work.

All Hecky has to do

is go talk to the man.

Why should he?

Who is this creep anyway?

Just because he worked

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes