The Star Page #7

You used to be quite a girl.

You still think you are, don't you?

I still know what's right from wrong.

Do you think it right to tell folks you seen

him in the lane the night of the murder?

You know I was there.

- Run it again, will you?

- Yes, Miss Elliot.

I like things nice.

What do you want?

You used to be quite a girl.

You still think you are, don't you?

I still know what's right from wrong.

Do you think it right to tell folks you seen

him in the lane the night of the murder...

... when you know

he wasn't within 30 miles?

I was there, Jed Garfield.

You know I was there.

It's horrible! It's horrible!

But if you was there,

what was you doing there?

None of your business

what I was doing there.

Disregard stage directions,

disregard everything.

Jim told you.

Maybe I was thinking

of what he tried to do to me.

Well, he let you keep

this little piece of land.

- He could take it away.

- No, Lance wouldn't do that to me.

Shut up!

Shut up! You don't know anything!

You don't know how well

I know your brother.

Phyll?

Yes, Harry?

Phyllis, Maggie isn't feeling well.

Will you put her to bed,

tell Robert to bring her a tray?

I'm sorry, Maggie.

Let's see. I'll put her in Judy's room.

She's out in Palos Verdes for the weekend.

What's wrong with the guestroom?

I think she'll be quieter in Judy's room.

- Do you know where Mrs. Stone is, sir?

- She's upstairs.

The caterers would like to know

approximately when we'll start serving.

- Good grief.

- I'll be with you in a minute.

- The party. It went straight out of my mind.

- No problem. She'll be all right up there.

- I gave her a sleeping pill.

- You didn't leave any around?

What happened?

Well...

She was testing for the part

of the older sister.

She got it into her head that if she

played it sexy and tried to look young...

...they'd give her the other part.

Joe said that she was hopeless,

just bad, bad.

- Come on inside and meet her.

- Well, really I shouldn't.

Excuse me, please.

Thank you.

- I'm glad you came down.

- Dear, I've got to go.

- Stay for the party.

- I just couldn't.

It'll do you good.

Who knows? We've got a lot

of Hollywood brass here tonight.

Here's an old friend of yours.

Didn't Dave write a song for you once?

Hi, Margaret.

Remember?

Remember?

- Do I?

- Sure.

We did this for Night Club.

You know, I can still see it...

...you standing there

in that black sequined dress...

...your heart breaking

because the Mob had your guy.

- Hi, Margaret.

- Hi.

- How are you feeling?

- Fine, fine.

- Congratulations, Ethel, if it's true.

- What did you hear?

- That you got the part in The Fatal Winter.

- Morrison sent for me out of the blue.

Now I can get that tired old diamond clip

out of hock again.

Wonderful.

Well, Barbara Lawrence!

How did the preview go?

Terrific. Wonderful.

The audience loved it.

I signed a million autographs

by actual count.

They wouldn't let me go.

- That's quite a face.

- Who?

Margaret Elliot?

Margaret, my dear girl,

it's so good to see you again.

Harry, I own a wonderful screenplay

that she'd be great in.

You do?

That might save her life.

You realize he directed it all

with only a megaphone.

Margaret has faced some facts today.

Come on, let's talk to her now.

Thousands of extras.

And when the Red Sea parted...

Hold the Red Sea, R.J. Excuse me.

I don't think you know

Richard Stanley.

- No. Hello.

- Hello.

- R.J., you know Dick.

- How do you do?

Margaret, Mr. Stanley

would like to talk to you.

Let's find someplace

where we can hear ourselves.

Business, you know, R.J.

I wanted to talk to you about a script

I thought you might be interested in.

It's a Hollywood story,

but it might have happened anywhere.

The woman could be

the head of a department store...

...the publisher of a newspaper,

a politician...

...anything that generates drive.

Now, in my script,

she happens to be a movie star...

...so we can take advantage

of the bizarre atmosphere.

She's been on a sleigh ride,

but she can't face the fact...

...that it's over,

like half the people in this town.

How do you mean that?

Well, I'm not talking about

your dedicated artists.

Theirs is another problem.

This is your simon-pure movie star...

...like the ones that play it

24 hours a day...

...thinking of themselves

and what they look like...

...what kind of an impression

they're making.

Demanding, driving, ambitious.

For what?

Power, to stay on top.

And like all climbers that have reached

such a precarious pinnacle...

...they can't look down, lest they fall.

So they stand, clutching what they have...

...with fear, their lonely companion.

That's the character of the heroine,

if you can call her that, of Falling Star.

How do you get any sympathy for her?

Not sympathy, Miss Elliot, pity.

Profound pity, worthy of the gods.

This is a great tragedy.

Why, my character's denied

her birthright...

...the privilege and the glory...

...of just being a woman.

Gretchen, hurry.

Jim!

Come on.

Jim!

Oh, Jim.

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