Trumbo Page #6

CONGRESSMAN THOMAS

No, no, no! Answer the question!

STRIPLING:

Are you now or have you ever been a

member of the Communist Party?

DALTON TRUMBO:

Have I been accused of a crime? If

so, what is it and where is your

evidence?

CONGRESSMAN THOMAS

You’re not asking the questions!

DALTON TRUMBO:

Well, I was.

STRIPLING:

The witness will answer.

DALTON TRUMBO:

I see. And then what would you

like? My voting record, union

membership, religion?

CONGRESSMAN THOMAS

Answer the question!

DALTON TRUMBO:

You believe this Committee has the

right to compel testimony, indict

opinion -

CONGRESSMAN THOMAS

Typical Communist tactics!

DALTON TRUMBO:

-- criminalize thought -- but that

right does not exist and the day it

does, God help us all.

CUT TO:

INT. U.S. CAPITOL - CAUCUS ROOM - DAY -THE HEARINGS

-- Arlen Hird is now on the stand.

CONGRESSMAN THOMAS

Are you now or have you ever been a

member of the Communist party?

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 31.

CONTINUED:

ARLEN HIRD:

Congressman, first I need to call

my doctor.

CONGRESSMAN THOMAS

Your doctor? I don’t un -

ARLEN HIRD:

To see if he can surgically remove

my conscience.

EXPLOSIVE LAUGHTER no amount of GAVELLING by Thomas can stop.

Trumbo sits beside Cleo in the gallery, delighted and

surprised. And our HEARING MONTAGE ENDS.

INT. U.S. CAPITOL - HALLWAY -DAY

Trumbo and Hird walk as Hird begins to COUGH, can’t stop.

DALTON TRUMBO:

What? What is it?

ARLEN HIRD:

Cancer.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Jesus. How long’ve you known?

ARLEN HIRD:

Couple months.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Months? Are you being treated -- ?

ARLEN HIRD:

I don’t like the options. It’s

lung cancer. Bad if they operate,

bad if they don’t.

DALTON TRUMBO:

Is there anything I can do?

ARLEN HIRD:

No! No. It’s cancer, Jesus.

(then)

Yes. Make sure this f***in’ plan

of yours works.

CUT TO:

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 32.

A HEADLINE FROM NOVEMBER 24, 1947:

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “‘HOLLYWOOD 10’ CHARGED WITH CONTEMPT OF

CONGRESS”

Under that, a group photo of The Hollywood Ten, PUSHING IN ON

the grainy faces of Hird and Trumbo.

INT. MGM STUDIOS - LOUIS B. MAYER’S OFFICE - DAY

Other faces, in framed photos on a wall: CLARK GABLE, JUDY

GARLAND, FRED ASTAIRE, more. Being studied by Hedda Hopper.

Mayer enters, sees Hedda is focused on a group photo with a

row of SILENT STARS where, squeezed between RAMON NAVARRO and

GRETA GARBO, a younger Hedda stands alongside a boyish Mayer.

HEDDA HOPPER:

Look at us. God, we thought we

knew everything...

LOUIS B. MAYER

We did.

HEDDA HOPPER:

Not me.

(then)

I didn’t know how much I loved it

all, till I hit a certain birthday

and the parts started drying up. I

remember thinking, when you love

something and it stops loving you

back, what do you do...?

LOUIS B. MAYER

You fight.

HEDDA HOPPER:

That’s a man’s answer.

(he concedes, waits)

You love it more. Till it

surrenders.

LOUIS B. MAYER

Well. You never left MGM. Or my

heart. How’s your boy? Still in

the Navy?

HEDDA HOPPER:

First lieutenant.

LOUIS B. MAYER

You raised a real hero.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 33.

CONTINUED:

HEDDA HOPPER:

Which is why I’d like to tell him

we’re doing as much for this

country as he is.

(then)

Are we?

LOUIS B. MAYER

It’s complicated. Trumbo, the

others, all have contracts...

HEDDA HOPPER:

You helped build this business, so

did I, we’re not gonna watch these

pissants defile it --

LOUIS B. MAYER

I’m running a studio here, you

think I love every person on my

payroll? Grow up.

HEDDA HOPPER:

Then how about I make crystal clear

to my thirty-five million readers

who runs Hollywood and won’t fire

these traitors? How about I name

names, real names? Like yours,

Lazar Meir; or Jack Warner, Jacob

Varner; Sam Goldwyn, Schmuel

Gelbfisz --

LOUIS B. MAYER

You watch what you say to me -

HEDDA HOPPER:

No, you watch! This isn’t 1920!

I’m not your STARLET, you don’t

tell me what to do! Never, ever,

ever, ever, EVER AGAIN!

LOUIS B. MAYER

Enough, Hedda -

HEDDA HOPPER:

Forty years ago, you’re starving in

some shtetl, the greatest country

on Earth takes you in, gives you

wealth, power and the second we

need you, you do nothing!

(then)

Just what my readers expect from a

business run by kikes.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 34.

CONTINUED:
(2)

LOUIS B. MAYER

Get out.

She sits. Takes a cigarette out of her case. Lights it.

She blows a wall of smoke between them.

HEDDA HOPPER:

Now listen, L.B. I’m fond of you.

Some of my happiest years were

spent on this lot.

(then)

Not in your office, of course, you

always trying to f*** me on the couch,

me maintaining my virtue. Barely.

(lightly)

But... times change. Now I’ll

happily f*** you.

CUT TO:

EXT. MGM STUDIOS - LOUIS B. MAYER’S OFFICE - DAY

Black & white NEWSREEL, created by us, of Mayer, flanked by all

the other studio heads, reading a press statement to camera:

LOUIS B. MAYER

Forthwith, all studios unanimously

agree to discharge the Hollywood

Ten. Without compensation.

Effective immediately.

(then)

Further, no studio will ever employ

a member of the Communist Party or

anyone refusing to cooperate in our

mighty struggle against this

terrible new menace.

INT. HEDDA HOPPER’S OFFICE - DAY

Hedda reads her copy into a large microphone.

HEDDA HOPPER:

He’s been loved by film fans for

almost twenty years. But have you

noticed? He hasn’t been on-screen

much lately. Bad box office? No.

Bad politics. Bad news indeed.

For Mr. Edward G. Robinson.

INT. EDWARD G. ROBINSON’S MANSION - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Robinson addresses a small GROUP, many of whom would rather

not be here.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 35.

CONTINUED:

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

The Hollywood Ten’s going to court

for all of us. It’ll be long,

expensive. So please, give as much

as you can to the defense fund.

SAME SCENE - LATER

The gathering has thinned. Trumbo studies Robinson’s

Impressionist paintings. Robinson wanders over with Cleo.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

This little gathering doesn’t quite

have the zip and zing of yesteryear,

does it?

CLEO:

Where’re all the liberals all of a

sudden?

DALTON TRUMBO:

At their lawyers’. Or

psychiatrists’.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

Likely both. Anyway...

(hands Trumbo a check)

...for the defense fund.

DALTON TRUMBO:

(hesitates)

You working again?

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

Eh. It’s a little slow.

(to Trumbo)

I’ll be fine, kid, take it.

Trumbo does, reluctantly, then:

DALTON TRUMBO:

You sold one.

Cleo looks at the wall and sees a discolored space. There

were six paintings; now only five.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

The Renoir. I got a good price.

Trumbo is moved beyond words -- a rare occurrence.

(CONTINUED)

TRUMBO - JOHN MCNAMARA 36.

CONTINUED:

DALTON TRUMBO:

Eddie, I...

(overcome)

...well... I...

CLEO:

What he’s trying to say is, he

loves you.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON

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