The Purple Rose of Cairo Page #6

So there you are.

l`m looking for you.

This is my husband.

This is Tom Baxter.

Adventurer, explorer,

of the Chicago Baxters.

l`m charmed to meet you.

So you wear the britches.

What do you want

to talk to me about?

l heard you were out

on the town last night.

l admit l didn`t

tell the truth about that...

but things have been

so strange the last 24 hours.

l told you what l`d do

if you ever lied to me!

Obviously, your marriage

has come to an impasse, sir.

Let`s just talk.

You`re coming home with me!

Perhaps you don`t

understand, sir...

but l`m in love with your wife.

Close your yap, jackass.

Now let`s go.

You`re failing

to understand, sir.

-She`s not coming with you.

-She`s not?

Take your hands off her.

No man will hit the woman

l love, nor any woman--

Beat it!

Before l take you apart!

He`s got a terrible temper!

lt`s written into

my character--courage.

Stop it!

Come on.

Stop it! What are you doing?

Time for the old one-two.

l think he`s had enough.

Sorry, pal,

about the rough stuff.

You all right?

Let me give you a hand.

There was--

That`s not fair.

What are you doing?

You`re coming home with me now.

-No, l`m not.

-What`d you say?

l`m going to stay

and see that Tom`s OK.

-You`re a bully.

-l gave you an order.

l don`t care.

l`m tired of taking your orders.

You could have killed him.

All right. l`m sorry.

l didn`t mean it.

You can`t go through life

beating people up.

l`m telling you one more time.

You coming with me?

No, l`m not.

l`m telling you one more time.

You coming?

-Come on!

-No, l`m not!

The hell with it.

l need a beer anyway.

l`ll see you later.

Are you OK?

l`m fine.

You`re not even marked.

Your hair`s in place.

l don`t get hurt or bleed.

Hair doesn`t muss.

lt`s one of the advantages

of being imaginary.

You were very brave.

l had him, too,

till he started fighting dirty.

That`s why you`ll never

survive off the screen.

You were pretty brave, too.

You stood up to him.

You inspired me.

Mr. Shepherd.

Cecilia, look,

l gotta speak to you.

l`ve had a crazy morning.

l`m still shaking.

l don`t know what to do.

l`ve struggled my whole life.

Now l`m finally beginning

to break through...

and my whole career

is going right down the drain.

You don`t have to

worry about that.

You`ll always be

a great movie star.

That`s very nice of you,

but technically...

l`m not really a star yet.

l try to carry myself like one.

l do the best l can as

far as that, but star?

That`s a big word, isn`t it?

Star. Yeah.

Star? No.

You`re not just a pretty face.

You`re also a peach of an actor.

Really, l`ve seen you a lot.

You`ve got something.

ls that your opinion?

Sure. l see all the movies.

You`ve got--

How can l describe it?

You`ve got a magical glow.

Oh, boy!

To hear that from a real person.

That is just--

lt`s not one of those

movie colony bimbos...

with the fancy dresses,

filling you full of hot air.

Would you get over here

and sit down, please?

You can take it from me.

You`re not just

a flash in the pan.

lt would be very easy for me...

to trade on my looks

just like that...

but l have some serious

acting ambitions.

You should.

l think you`re great

in all the funny movies.

Thank you.

Really, l was thinking

you should play...

some of the more heroic parts.

l want to. l tell my agent

that a hundred times!

You could play, like,

Daniel Boone or someone--

Lindbergh.

You`d be wonderful as Lindbergh.

-You are a mind reader.

-You had the same thought?

l`m on the verge

of signing for that part.

-l am ! l can taste it.

-Really?

You`ll be wonderful!

There`s something inside you.

You have that same kind

of lone heroic quality.

You`re exactly right.

Everyone has been telling me

not to--you are right.

Don`t you listen.

Basically, l have been

a loner my entire life.

Sure, anyone can see that.

You`re deep

and probably complicated.

-Can l buy you lunch?

-Me?

Please. Can l?

l love talking to you.

l was going upstairs--

Come on.

l open myself up around you.

Have you ever been to Hollywood?

Come on. Of course not.

l would love to just

take you around Hollywood.

-Can l make a confession?

-Sure.

My real name

is not Gil Shepherd.

lt`s Herman Bardebedian.

Really?

Yeah. l`ve been a cab driver--

Boy, do you have a pretty face.

-Come on.

-You do!

Hi, big boy.

Are you alone?

Hello.

l`m alone for now...

but later l have

an appointment--

or should l say, rendezvous.

Good for you.

Where`d you get the funny suit?

What, this?

You coming from a costume party?

No. l`m Tom Baxter

of the Chicago Baxters--

explorer, poet, adventurer.

Just back from Cairo,

where l searched in vain...

for the legendary Purple Rose.

How about that?

Who are you?

My name`s Emma.

That`s lovely.

What do you do?

l`m a working girl.

And what do you do,

you delicate creature?

Anything that`ll make a buck.

We Baxters never really

had to worry about money.

l`ll bet. You want

to come along with me?

Where to, Emma?

Where l work. l think

you might have a good time.

Sounds enchanting.

l`m up for new experiences.

l may be able to help.

Hi, girls. This is Tom.

Hi there, ladies.

Don`t you all look enticing?

l know what you want.

You want to be

the great white hunter...

and you want me to be the tiger.

l don`t get it.

You will if you can afford it.

l met Tom out

at the amusement park.

That`s my hat.

l was thinking about something.

l can imagine.

Two of us at the same time?

l was thinking about

very deep things--

God and his relation with

lrving Sachs and R.H. Levine.

And l was thinking

about life in general--

the origin of everything

we see about us...

the finality of death...

and how almost magical

it seems in the real world...

as opposed to the world

of celluloid...

and flickering shadows.

Where did you find this clown?

For example,

the miracle of birth.

Now, l suppose some of you

lovely ladies are married.

Not anymore.

The absolutely astonishing

miracle of childbirth...

with all its attendant feelings

of humanity and pathos.

l stand in awe of existence.

Do you want to tie me up?

Tie you up?

That`s very funny.

She`s very funny.

Nice sense of humor--

the absurd non sequitur.

-What`s your name, sweetheart?

-Martha.

That`s the same name as

the ambassador`s wife.

Why didn`t you

bring the ambassador by?

He`s still up on the screen.

But do you share

my sense of wonderment...

at the very fabric of being?

The smell of a rose,

real food, sensuous music?

l`ve got a child.

You do? l see.

You`re a widow. Poor thing.

l got two kids, and he`s

right about giving birth.

lt is a beautiful experience.

l never had a baby.

l was pregnant, but l lost it.

l`m sorry to hear that.

lt always makes me cry

to think about it.

There, there.

You`ll have another chance.

Come on.

l`d be surprised...

if all you ladies

weren`t married soon...

especially by the way you dress.

lt`s so seductive to a man.

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