The Lost Weekend Page #7

There's a sly expression on Don's face as he closes the door,

leaving everything just where it is -- note, milk bottle,

paper. Peering down, he assures himself that the coast is

clear, slips down the stairs.

DISSOLVE TO:

B-2 EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY, SUNNY - LIGHT TRAFFIC

The entrance door is half open and Dave, the janitor, an

Italian-looking man about fifty-five, is sweeping the side-

walk in front of the house. Don comes to the doorway, waits

until Dave's back is turned, then hurries out and slips down

the street, CAMERA WITH HIM.

Two houses down, in a semi-basement, is MRS. WERTHEIM'S HAND

LAUNDRY. Don goes down the steps into it.

B-3 INT. MRS. WERTHEIM'S LAUNDRY

The outer room is a kind of office, with a counter and shelves

of clean laundry in boxes and paper packages. Steam issues

from the actual laundry at the rear.

MRS. WERTHEIM, a gray-haired, stocky woman, is sorting

laundry. The shop's bell rings as Don comes in. His nerves

are on edge but he manages to work up a little nonchalance.

DON:

Guten Tag, Mrs. Wertheim. How's

business?

MRS. WERTHEIM

Business he is good, thank you. There

isn't a fortune in it, but you know:

small fish, good fish. And I keep

young and healthy. Why shouldn't I,

sitting in a Turkish bath all day

for free?

She has picked a package from the shelf, puts it on the

counter.

MRS. WERTHEIM

Three dollars and ninety.

DON:

I wonder if you could do me a favor,

gnaedige Frau?

MRS. WERTHEIM

Always glad, Mr. Birnam.

DON:

My brother's gone away for the weekend

and he took the checkbook along...

MRS. WERTHEIM

Oh, you want a blank check?

DON:

It's not that. It's just that I'm a

little short.

MRS. WERTHEIM

(Sizing up his stature)

What do you mean, you're short?

DON:

I wonder if you could let me have a

little cash, bitte schoen?

MRS. WERTHEIM

A little cash?

DON:

I thought about twenty dollars, maybe.

Only till Monday, when my brother

comes back.

MRS. WERTHEIM

You thought... No, Mr. Birnam. I

cannot. Not that I don't want to,

because I want to, but I cannot. And

when I say not, I mean absolutely

not.

Her eyes fall on his tortured face. It's too much for her.

She rings open the cash register.

MRS. WERTHEIM

I'll let you have five dollars.

DON:

That's all right.

She hands him the five dollars.

DON:

Danke schoen, Mrs. Wertheim.

He turns and leaves, doesn't even hear:

MRS. WERTHEIM

Your laundry, Mr. Birnam! How about

your laundry?

She looks after him but there's only the ringing of the shop

bell as he leaves.

DISSOLVE TO:

B-4 NAT'S BAR - BRILLIANT SUNSHINE OUTSIDE

No one is in the bar but Nat: he is cooking some ham and

eggs for himself on an electric plate behind the bar. The

floor has been mopped and is still shiny. The chairs are

piled on the tables.

Into the bar comes Don. He is walking rather slowly but it's

a tremendous effort not to race in and yell for what he needs

so desperately.

NAT:

Hi.

Don goes to the bar and sits. He takes the five dollars from

his pocket, puts it on the bar.

NAT:

Thought you were going away for the

weekend.

No answer from Don. He sits holding his head in his hands.

The bar is silent except for the sizzling noise of the eggs

and ham. Suddenly Don pounds the bar and explodes.

DON:

For the love of Pete, what are you

doing, Nat. Give me a drink!

NAT:

Right with you, Mr. Birnam. Just

fixing my lunch.

DON:

Well, stop it and come on and give

me a drink, for heaven's sake.

(Banging the bar)

Come on, come on!

NAT:

Okay.

He stirs the food once more and takes the skillet off the

stove, snaps off the electricity with a slowness agonizing

to Don.

DON:

(Quietly, though his

nerves are cracking)

Can't you hurry it up a little, Nat?

Nat pours a jiggerful.

NAT:

Here you are, Mr. Birnam.

DON:

Thank you, Nat.

Don chokes it down and holds out the jigger for another. Nat

pours it.

NAT:

That young lady stopped in last night,

looking for you.

DON:

What young lady?

NAT:

The one with the leopard coat.

DON:

Yeah?

NAT:

She was acting like she just happened

to drop in, but I know she was making

the rounds after you.

DON:

(Panicky)

What did you say to her?

NAT:

I said you hadn't been in for two

weeks.

DON:

Good. I can't let her see me. Not

now while I'm "off" like this.

NAT:

Then why in the name of -- Why don't

you cut it short?

DON:

You're talking like a child. You

can't cut it short! You're on that

merry-go-round and you've got to

ride it all the way, round and round,

till the blasted music wears itself

out and the thing dies down and clunks

to a stop.

Nat brings over the plate of ham and eggs.

NAT:

How about you eating this?

DON:

Take it away.

NAT:

You got to eat something sometime.

DON:

Give me another drink.

NAT:

Look, Mr. Birnam, this is still

morning.

He pours another drink. Don downs it.

DON:

That's when you need it most, in the

morning. Haven't you learned that,

Nat? At night this stuff's a drink.

In the morning it's medicine.

NAT:

Okay if I eat?

DON:

Move it a little to one side.

Don taps with the jigger. Nat fills it, then sits down to

his ham and eggs.

DON:

Nat, are you ever scared when you

wake up? So scared the sweat starts

out of you? No, not you. With you

it's simple. Your alarm clock goes

off and you open your eyes and brush

your teeth and read the Daily Mirror.

That's all. Do you ever lie in your

bed looking at the window? A little

daylight's coming through, and you

start wondering:
is it getting

lighter, is it getting darker? Is it

dawn or dusk? That's a terrifying

problem, Nat. You hold your breath

and you pray that it's dusk, so you

can go out and get yourself some

more liquor. Because if it's dawn,

you're dead. The bars are closed and

the liquor stores don't open till

nine. You can't last till nine. Or

it might be Sunday. That's the worst.

No liquor stores at all, and you

guys wouldn't open a bar, not until

one o'clock. Why? Why, Nat?

NAT:

Because we got to go to church once

in a while. That's why.

DON:

Yes, when a guy needs it most.

He drinks his jiggerful.

NAT:

How about those two quarts? Did you

polish them off last night?

DON:

What two quarts?

NAT:

The two bottles you had.

An electric current runs through Don.

DON:

That's right, I did have two bottles,

didn't I? I hid one of them. I've

still got it. I'm a capitalist, Nat!

I've got untapped reserves. I'm rich!

He taps the glass on the bar.

NAT:

(Pouring another drink)

Mr. Birnam, if you had enough money

you'd kill yourself in a month.

From the street enters Gloria, wearing a shirtwaist and skirt,

another foolish little hat, and high-heeled shoes with bows.

GLORIA:

Say, Nat, was there a gentleman --

(She sees Don)

Hello, Mr. Birnam. Didn't you go

away for the weekend?

DON:

Apparently not, Gloria.

GLORIA:

(Back to Nat)

Was there a gentleman in here asking

for me?

NAT:

Not to my knowledge there wasn't.

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