Trumbo Page #16

Over twenty famous works of art crowd the spotlit walls.

Robinson enters, pauses in the doorway with his BUTLER, nods

for him to leave, then gathers himself, striding in.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

Well.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Hello, Eddie.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

This is a bit of a surprise...

What, uh... what can I do for you?

Trumbo takes an envelope out.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Arlen died.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

I heard, I was on location.

Trumbo offers the envelope. Robinson just looks at it.

DALTON TRUMBO:

He left a record of his debts.

(the envelope)

This is the money you gave us. For

the defense fund. It’s everything

we owe you. Arlen included.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 89.

CONTINUED:

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

No, now that was a gift -

DALTON TRUMBO:

We’d like it off the books.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

What is this supposed to be, some

kind of message? What you and

Arlen and the Great Hollywood Ten

all think of me?

Trumbo lays the envelope on a table and starts to go.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON (CONT’D)

Fine. Fine. But first, you’re

gonna listen.

Trumbo pauses. Robinson gathers himself.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON (CONT’D)

After you went to jail, I didn’t

work for a year. No offers, not

even an audition. People’d see me,

cross the street, people I loved,

people I made rich.

(then)

I sat in front of that Committee...

why? I didn’t do anything, none of

us did anything, we were just

stupid babies, with no business in

any of it!

(long beat)

I just wanted my life back. They

had every name -- yours, Arlen’s,

everybody’s, I didn’t give them

anything they didn’t already have,

I ended it, is all, I just... ended

it.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Eddie, you don’t end something like

this by giving them what they have

no right to ask for.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

You’re gonna tell me how I shoulda

handled it? Like you handled

Congress?

DALTON TRUMBO:

Are you proud of what you did, is

that what you’re saying?

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 90.

CONTINUED:
(2)

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

Proud? Who the hell gets to be

proud? You! With your fake names

and fronts, got all the work you

want, I gotta go out in the world,

every day, this -

(his own face)

-- is my work -- I got no one else

to be, I did what I had to --

DALTON TRUMBO:

(comes at him, hard)

You did what you wanted. And you

did it for more! More movies, more

money, more dead bullshit on your

walls!

Robinson is pale and shaken. Trumbo takes a step back.

Tries to calm himself. Starts to go.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

What I did, I did. But you get to

wonder how many years you hacked

off Arlen’s life to show the world

what a rebel genius you are. Live

with that.

INT. ROMANOFF’S - NIGHT

Trumbo downs a shot at the stylish, CROWDED industry watering

hole as the BARTENDER pours him another.

HEDDA HOPPER (O.S.)

Drinking alone?

He turns. She smiles. A beat as he adjusts to her presence.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Preferably. You?

HEDDA HOPPER:

Work. What’re you up to these

days?

DALTON TRUMBO:

You know, Hedda, one more...

(downs his next shot)

...and I just might tell you.

HEDDA HOPPER:

Then I’m buying.

(signals for two more)

Come on, I hear the rumors.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 91.

CONTINUED:

HEDDA HOPPER (CONT'D)

Show me you’re still in the game,

fighting the good fight.

(lowers voice, leans in)

Rub my face in it. Whisper a movie

you’ve written in secret. Maybe

I’ve even heard of it.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Maybe you have.

A familiar face breaks through the CROWD --

BUDDY ROSS:

(to Hedda)

Sorry, sorry, sorry, I’m shooting,

it’s crazy, I -

He sees Trumbo and freezes. Hedda clocks that.

HEDDA HOPPER:

Buddy. You know Dalton Trumbo.

A long pause as the two men look at one another.

DALTON TRUMBO:

We worked together.

(then)

At MGM. A million years ago.

HEDDA HOPPER:

(to Buddy)

I hear the script for your new one

needs work. Hire Dalton, he used

to be pretty good... and price-wise

he’d be bargain basement.

The Bartender brings the two shots.

HEDDA HOPPER (CONT’D)

(to Trumbo)

Of course, you’d never. Not after

Buddy named names.

Trumbo tries to hide his surprise. And almost succeeds.

HEDDA HOPPER (CONT’D)

You didn’t know? Mm-hm. Word was,

he’d hired someone he shouldn’t

have. So he got subpoenaed,

testified. Closed session, no

press. Makes it easier.

(beat)

He named you, of course.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 92.

CONTINUED:
(2)

HEDDA HOPPER (CONT’D)

Now he’s been cleared. Gets to go

make his movie. In a way, thanks

to you.

Buddy looks like he’s being turned on a spit. Trumbo downs

his shot and exits as he SLAPS a bill on the bar.

INT. TRUMBO HIGHLAND PARK HOUSE - STUDY - DAY

WHAP! A below-the-fold headline is SLAPPED onto Trumbo’s

desk by Niki, highlighting the headline:

“CONGRESSMEN DEMAND RACIAL SEGREGATION”

“’Negroes Have No Federal Right To Equality,’

Say Leading Democrats”

NIKI:

(appalled, angry)

Can you believe it?

Trumbo is at his desk, sliding pages into a manila envelope

as Chris waits, wearing a sport coat and tie, and Niki raises

a clipboard of signatures she holds.

NIKI (CONT’D)

Democrats. Voting for segregation.

DALTON TRUMBO:

(correcting)

Southern Democrats.

NIKI:

Here’s the petition.

(her clipboard)

I’ve already got over a thousand

signatures.

DALTON TRUMBO:

(signs)

Happy to make it a thousand and

one.

(hands Chris his envelope)

And the new draft. I need it

delivered to Hymie King in Agoura.

CHRIS:

Wait, I thought the Kings, in

Hollywood.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 93.

CONTINUED:

DALTON TRUMBO:

No, these are the rewrites, being

shot tonight, Hymie needs them on

set, now.

NIKI:

Agoura’s fifty miles.

DALTON TRUMBO:

I’m sure Chris knows that.

NIKI:

Well, he can’t -

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- excuse me?

NIKI:

He has a date.

(to Chris)

Tell him.

CHRIS:

(hating this)

I...

DALTON TRUMBO:

(to Chris)

Is she your girlfriend? Is it

serious? Does she have some

objection to romantic Agoura?

NIKI:

He’s taking her to a movie.

DALTON TRUMBO:

All right, Nikola, then you deliver

the pages.

NIKI:

I have a protest.

(the clipboard)

For this.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Since when do protests have hard

start times -- ?

CHRIS:

I’ll do it -

DALTON TRUMBO:

Niki. Will do it.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 94.

CONTINUED:
(2)

NIKI:

I said, I can’t -

DALTON TRUMBO:

Young lady, you will --

NIKI:

(her clipboard)

-- this is important -

DALTON TRUMBO:

(his envelope)

-- so is this -

NIKI:

This is important to me -- the

date’s important to Chris -- figure

something else out --

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- I’ll tell you what I’ve figured

out, that under this roof resides a

moody, self-righteous malcontent.

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