The Largest Theatre in the World: Heart to Heart Page #9

---

Oh, hello, David, I won't be a moment.

If the necessity should arise,

we have the announcement

of Mr Mann's indisposition

made of half hourly intervals

from 7:
00 p.m. onwards

and, at 9:
15,

we run that film you suggested.

-That all understood?

-Perfectly.

-Goodbye.

-Goodbye.

Why my indisposition

and not Sir Stanley's?

Because the indisposition

will be yours and not his.

Better take your coat off and sit down.

No, thank you, I'd rather stand.

I won't be indisposed

at 9:
15, Mr Stockton,

I'll be on stage five, changed and ready

to face the cameras.

If Sir Stanley is not,

then we must assume that

he's been taken very suddenly,

very seriously

and, to my suspicious mind,

very revealingly ill.

I would like that fact announced,

and not some damaging lie about myself.

Now listen, David,

we'd better not quarrel about this.

We don't have to, you know.

Can I see that photostat?

Yes.

(LAUGHING) Gosh.

She's done a good job, all right,

you must give her credit.

I can quite see how

even a brilliant brain like yours

could have been taken in.

You have a brilliant brain, Mr Stockton.

-Why isn't yours taken in?

-Because I know Stan Johnson

and you don't.

He's incapable of that kind of fraud.

Yes, I know about

your call to the cashier.

You see, David, there you are.

He didn't have to tell

me about that, did he?

He could have denied any knowledge

whatever about

the whole ridiculous affair.

But far from it.

In his telephone conversation with me,

he went out of his way

to justify you completely.

Did he perhaps give you a faint hint

that I might have lunched rather well?

-Isn't that natural, with your record?

-How does he know about my record?

Oh, of course.

You know him and I don't.

What does he say about the cashier?

Oh, he remembers the cashier now

very well.

-On retrospection?

-Yes, it was some boy,

who conceived a violent passion

for Enid Clay.

You knew about Enid Clay?

-Well, of course. Who didn't?

-I didn't.

She's a model girl now.

Politicians are human, David.

Funny how that word is so often misused.

Anyway, his sex life

is hardly in your brief, is it?

I agree, but that cashier is.

You say the cashier was in love

with Enid Clay?

Yes. And, so, of course

was madly jealous of her protector.

Sir Stanley says he remembers

all sorts of trouble with the boy now.

I'm quite sure he'd say or do

anything in the world to injure him.

It's a pity, David,

you called that cashier.

Yes, it is, isn't it?

But I did.

And what's more,

I believed every word he told me.

And I'll be believing tonight at 9:15,

and despising Sir Stanley even more

for the cheap, sordid lies

he's told you.

So what do you suggest we do?

I don't suggest anything.

It's not my programme,

suggestions from me are out of place.

I'll just state some facts. Fact one.

I've given Sir Stanley my word that if

the interview takes place tonight,

the Appleton Report

will not be referred to,

directly or indirectly.

That the name Lopez

will not be mentioned.

And that that document in your pocket

will be surrendered to him

before the show.

Fact two.

That the general tenor of the interview

will be friendly and constructive,

show him to the viewers

in a friendly light.

-Fact three...

-There's no need for fact three,

Mr Stockton. Under those conditions,

I don't do the interview.

I think we need fact three.

It's that if the Heart to Heart

programme

doesn't go out tonight, as advertised,

my report to the directors

will be forced to refer to the known

unreliablity of the grand inquisitor.

"Will be forced to."

That's pretty good.

It's good because it's the truth!

Oh, damn it, Mann, you think I want

to lose you from the next series?

Who else is going to do it half as well?

There's been no word from me to

the directors about last night

-and there won't be either, provided...

-Providing I play ball?

Provided you don't force my hand.

Give me a call by 6:45

and tell me what you've decided.

I've told you.

I've already decided.

Give me a call anyway.

WOMAN.:
Yes, Mr Stockton?

Get a call through to Sir Stanley

Johnson at the House of Commons.

Tell him I have every reason to suppose

tonight's interview is on.

-Yes, Mr Stockton.

-And after that get me Mrs David Mann.

Mrs David Mann?

Yes.

Somebody has told you already, it seems.

Who was it?

Frank?

It wasn't Frank.

I didn't think it was.

Who was it then?

Jessie?

Surely not Jessie.

-What are you doing?

-Pouring myself a drink.

Now wait a minute, darling,

whoever's told you, hasn't apparently

told it to you properly.

I'm not doing the show tonight,

I can get quite drunk, if I want to.

They always say

whisky doesn't stain, but...

-You'd better get a rag, just in case.

-The rag can wait.

Sit here, darling.

I am sorry about that.

But at least it shows you

how much I care.

Stockton, of course. Well, well.

Sir Stanley's friend.

-No holds barred.

-What's that?

It's a metaphor from wrestling, my love.

Licence to kick your opponent

where it hurts him most.

Isn't it me that's going to be hurt?

That's exactly what I meant.

I'm not going to argue with you, David,

it's never any good arguing with you,

a girl can't win.

I'm just going to say this.

You must decide to do

whatever you think is right.

And what ever you do decide, I shall

love you and go on loving you forever.

Can't a girl win?

I'm going to get myself a drink.

-No, David.

-Now wait a minute, darling,

a moment ago, you knocked my whisky

all over the carpet.

I'm only refilling my glass.

You'd better have it straight from

the shoulder, David.

That's from boxing, isn't it?

Yes.

If you lose the job,

you'll lose me.

But you'll still love me?

And go on loving me forever?

Yes, I will.

From who's bed?

Does it matter?

John Wilkinson's bed's already occupied.

He wants a divorce.

I'm not surprised.

How long have you known about it?

Since May 20th, 1959.

The date's in my diary.

It was at that weekend at that

dreadful place of theirs at Henley.

Caroline Wilkinson didn't notice,

but I did.

Why have you never said anything?

I was afraid I might lose you.

-Oh, darling.

-No, don't come any nearer, please.

You see, I'd worked it out.

But it wasn't happening so very often,

about...once every two months,

I reckoned.

-Was that an underestimate?

-No.

Over, if anything.

And then again,

I knew it was

his world you really wanted, not him.

Lady Milchester and so forth.

Lady Milchester.

Charming lady.

She'd even heard of the name David Mann.

Well, I'm not going

to give you a divorce.

Why should you?

No reason that I can think of, except

perhaps to marry Caroline Wilkinson.

Not Jessie Weston?

She's married already.

How long have you known about that?

Do you think I'm blind?

We haven't slept together.

Do I need to be told that?

I'm not giving you up

without a fight you know, David.

Do you think any girl in her senses

would willingly exchange

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes