The Insider Page #31

Lowell is in a T-shirt and sweat pants, sitting in an old, re-

upholstered-one-too-many-times chair in a room barely big

enough for a chair, a bed and the TV/VCR combo on the cheap

dresser. It's playing Lowell's cut of the full Wigand

interview. He watches the show that will never see the light

of day.

MIKE WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER)

"...like the testimony before Congress of

Dr. Wigand's former boss, Brown &

Williamson's Chief Executive Officer,

Thomas Sandefur."

THOMAS SANDEFUR:

(in CLOSE-UP)

"I believe that nicotine is not

addictive."

WIGAND:

(in matching CLOSE-UP)

"I believe Mr. Sandefur perjured

himself... Because I watched those

testimonies very carefully."

Then it cuts to all seven CEOs of Big Tobacco raising their

hands and taking the oath in front of Congress to tell the

truth while...

WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER)

"All of us did...there was this whole

like of people, the whole line of CEOs up

there, all swearing that."

WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER)

"Part of the reason I'm here is I

FELT..."

And the PAUSE after the word makes "FELT" resound, and as it

CUTS TO Jeffrey ON CAMERA saying...

WIGAND (CONT'D)

"...that their representation..."

And Lowell FREEZES after the image... He gets up, looking

out the window through the curtain with the spill from the

neon motel sign. Outside are horse trailers. He goes back

to watching the show...standing there...in touch with his

own creative work product and the ideas inherent in it in

this decision-making process that we feel is critical to him.

Turning, he dials the phone and we intercut with...

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)

Hello?

LOWELL:

Jim, it's Lowell.

INT. NEW YORK TIMES - NIGHT

JIM COOPER:

Hey! Where are you?

LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER)

(doesn't answer)

Remember that night at P.J.'s? You asked

me if we were sitting on something

"explosive"?

(beat)

Well, we're not "sitting on" it.

(beat)

CBS corporate leaned on CBS News which

yanked an interview we did with a top-

ranking tobacco scientist. A corporate

officer. They are trying to close down

the story.

JIM COOPER:

(sarcastic)

You mean, "60 Minutes" is letting CBS

corporate decide what is or is not news?

(beat)

What's Wallace think about this, or

Hewitt, or...?

LOWELL:

How prominent? What kind of placement?

JIM COOPER:

Oh, c'mon, Lowell. This is The New York

Times. I don't know...

LOWELL:

Well, until you do, all I can tell you is

what you already know...they will not air

an interview.

JIM COOPER:

Call me back in ten.

Lowell hangs up. Re-dials.

INT. DEBBIE DELUCA'S APARTMENT - NEW YORK - LATE NIGHT

Debbie answers, intercutting with above...

LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER)

Debbie. It's me...

DEBBIE DELUCA:

Hi. What time is it?

LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER)

Oh, it's late.

DEBBIE DELUCA:

That I know. When are you coming back?

LOWELL:

I can't get out of here til mid-morning.

I'll be in tomorrow night...

(beat)

Listen, could you call a number for me,

it's in Mississippi...

DEBBIE DELUCA:

Okay. Hold on a second... What is it?

INT. NEW YORK TIMES - NIGHT

Jim Cooper's workstation. His phone rings. He grabs it.

JIM COOPER:

Hello?

(beat)

LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER)

Lowell.

JIM COOPER:

Alright, Lowell. Page one. Editorial's

interested. Let's talk.

INT. MOTEL, LINCOLN, MONTANA - NIGHT

LOWELL:

Here's how it works. You ask me

questions. I tell you if you're wrong.

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)

Okay.

(pause)

Lowell?

LOWELL:

Yeah?

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)

You're sure you want to do this?

LOWELL:

Why?

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)

Hey, it doesn't work? You've burned your

bridges, man.

LOWELL:

You ready...?

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)

Okay... About this whistle-blower...

Did Mike and Don go along with the

corporate decision?

No answer.

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)(cont'd)

Lowell?

LOWELL:

Did I tell you you were wrong?

JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)

No.

(beat)

I'm assuming the cave-in begins with the

threat of litigation from Big Tobacco.

Are we talking...are we talking Brown &

Williamson, here?

MOVING CLOSER into the face of Lowell. His gaze falters.

His eyes go back to the motel TV mutely frozen on the show.

Whatever he's seeing there, his gaze is steadfast.

EXT. STREET, NEW YORK - 5:30 A.M.

Newspaper box is loaded with The New York Times.

EXT. HOTEL, NEW YORK - 5:30 A.M.

Cab pulls to curb and a raincoated Man emerges. We SEE he

carries a copy of this morning's New York Times.

INT. A HOTEL ROOM, NEW YORK - DAWN

A suitcase is half-unpacked on the floor...a sleeping

figure... There's a knock. Irritated, a sleeping Lowell

gets up to answer it. He looks through the security peep

hole. He opens it. And Mike Wallace, a newspaper under his

arm, is standing in the doorway.

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