Trumbo Page #14

DALTON TRUMBO:

(shakes head)

She’s cute.

Hird considers this solemnly. Then -

ARLEN HIRD:

Uh. Fine.

(a defeated pause)

I mean, don’t you ever miss writing

something, forget great, just good?

You gotta have actual ideas...

still... don’t you?

Trumbo smokes. Then:

DALTON TRUMBO:

A few. One keeps buzzing around up

there... won’t go away. Cleo and I

were in Mexico at a bullfight, years

ago. Bull died and... a thousand

people cheered. Three didn’t.

Cleo, me... and a little boy down

front. Crying. I always wondered

why.

ARLEN HIRD:

You write it, you’ll know. Just,

promise me, not for Frank King.

DALTON TRUMBO:

The day I don’t have to and just

want to.

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Spring, 1954, Oscar Night, the Trumbos, minus Niki, eat

snacks and chat.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 77.

CONTINUED:

MITZI:

Niki! Hurry!

The sound of a toilet FLUSHING, then feet running.

NIKI:

(racing in)

Who’s doing it?

MITZI:

Kirk Douglas!

As they all settle and watch their black & white TV -

ON TV - MOVIE STAR KIRK DOUGLAS

38 years old, chiseled and dashing in white tie and tails:

KIRK DOUGLAS:

...the envelope? And the Oscar

goes to...

(pulls out the card)

...Roman Holiday! By Ian McLellan

Hunter!

The THEME from Roman Holiday and APPLAUSE, while Douglas

scans for the writer who will never appear.

IN THE LIVING ROOM - THE TRUMBOS

Sit for a moment, not sure how to react to this, until -NIKI

So, do we get to be happy now?

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - DAY

Trumbo, Hunter and between them: that gold Oscar statuette.

DALTON TRUMBO:

I don’t want it.

IAN MCLELLAN HUNTER

Well, I don’t want it.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Your name’s on it.

IAN MCLELLAN HUNTER

You wrote it.

DALTON TRUMBO:

They gave it to you.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 78.

CONTINUED:

IAN MCLELLAN HUNTER

And it’s done me wonders.

(hands Trumbo a script)

Here’s the gorilla movie.

Chris enters.

CHRIS:

Phone for you, Dad.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Which name?

CHRIS:

No. You. Some guy named Buddy

Ross.

Trumbo is surprised as he picks up the extension.

DALTON TRUMBO:

(teasing, into phone)

Buddy who...?

INT. ROSS INTERNATIONAL - BUDDY’S OFFICE - NIGHT

This is not the Buddy Ross we’ve known. He vibrates with

exhausted panic as he takes a seat near Trumbo.

BUDDY ROSS:

So’s it true, the rumor? You wrote

Roman Holiday?

Trumbo just looks at him, then -

DALTON TRUMBO:

What can I do for you, Buddy?

Buddy hesitates, barely knowing where to begin.

BUDDY ROSS:

My movies’ve all bombed, dug me

into a hole. I finally got

something going. Classy. Three

big stars. The script...

(he can’t finish)

What script, there’s no script, I

got eleven writers who f***ed me,

now the actors’re gonna pull out

’n’ if they do, I lose everything.

DALTON TRUMBO:

When do you shoot?

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 79.

CONTINUED:

BUDDY ROSS:

Ten days.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Is there anything?

He hands Trumbo three typed pages. Trumbo studies them.

BUDDY ROSS:

There’d be no credit, obviously, I

can’t pay you till we start

shooting, and I wouldn’t blame you

if you spit in my face. But we did

good stuff, back then, we really

did. Please?

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - DAY

Trumbo and Hird.

DALTON TRUMBO:

I owe the Kings a rewrite, I can’t

do both, I need you to take over.

ARLEN HIRD:

So you can help out that great guy,

Buddy Ross.

DALTON TRUMBO:

So we can keep tearing down the

blacklist.

ARLEN HIRD:

Oh, Jesus, here we go...

DALTON TRUMBO:

This is a huge movie, if Buddy gets

a good script --

ARLEN HIRD:

-- which you’re gonna give him -

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- which I’m going to sell him.

ARLEN HIRD:

Yep. Money. Always money.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 80.

CONTINUED:

DALTON TRUMBO:

Why do you not see this? We get

one big movie, we could get all the

big movies and the whole rotten

thing’ll collapse from the sheer

irony that every unemployable

writer is employed.

ARLEN HIRD:

Jesus, do you ever say anything

that isn’t gonna get chiselled on a

rock?

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Near an open window overlooking the back patio, Cleo dries

some dishes at the sink. Trumbo and Hird’s ARGUMENT can be

heard but is muffled by doors and walls.

Cleo HUMS to herself, as nearby -

Chris cleans his trumpet, while Mitzi tends to another

wounded bird. Mitzi catches Cleo’s eye and --

Cleo smiles and TOSSES a water glass into the air, then a

second, then a third, JUGGLING them. Mitzi LAUGHS with

delight, Chris smiles then --

ARLEN HIRD (O.S.)

(suddenly loud)

...I am not gonna help you help

Buddy Ross!

The kids are startled -

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - CONTINUOUS

ARLEN HIRD:

We should be suing that cockroach

into the ground, along with every

studio, congressman, producer --

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

-- as is Cleo, who manages to keep the glasses aloft -

DALTON TRUMBO (O.S.)

(exploding)

Brilliant -- !

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 81.

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - CONTINUOUS

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- keep losing, give all your money

to lawyers -

ARLEN HIRD:

I’d rather lose for the right

reason than -

DALTON TRUMBO:

(roaring)

WHY?

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Cleo’s deft hands flutter, a glass FUMBLES off her fingertips

and HITS the floor in an EXPLOSION of shards --

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - CONTINUOUS

DALTON TRUMBO:

It’s LOSING!

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - CONTINUOUS

Cleo sweeps her children out.

CLEO:

C’mon, kids, we’re going to the

store.

CHRIS:

(to Cleo)

But -

DALTON TRUMBO (O.S.)

I lose -- !

CLEO:

(to her kids)

Now.

DALTON TRUMBO (O.S.)

--you lose -- !

MITZI:

Which store?

DALTON TRUMBO (O.S.)

-- we ALL lose -- !

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 82.

CONTINUED:

CLEO:

Any store.

Cleo’s calm but sharp demeanor is not to be ignored. The

kids follow her out.

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - CONTINUOUS

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- and the whole goddamn country

stays scared and dead! You want to

live like this forever? Or do

something? We can beat them, we

can win!

ARLEN HIRD:

I don’t care if I win --

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- Oh, bullshit, everyone wants to

win -

ARLEN HIRD:

No, you wanna win, I wanna change

things.

DALTON TRUMBO:

I want to win so I can change

things -

ARLEN HIRD:

No, you want the Oscar you can’t

have and the money you burn through

writing sh*t for idiots.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Why do I have to explain everything

like you’re a f***ing child?

A beat, as Hird retreats quietly...

ARLEN HIRD:

You don’t. Okay? You don’t.

(heads for exit)

Do what you do. It’s fine. For

you.

Trumbo, sensing he’s perhaps gone too far -

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