Young Ideas Page #3

I'm gonna try and try hard

to make this work out well,

and I...I want to ask you to

meet me half way.

Why? We'll be glad to

meet you half way.

We'll meet you two-thirds

of the way, Michael.

Ah, this may sound silly

and sentimental kids, but..

Put it there.

Now that we're friends.

There's something

I'd like to suggest.

It'll make your mother happy

if you enroll in college here.

Oh, now wait a minute,

friendship is friendship but--

Ah, darling don't be hasty.

Just think of the interesting

facts one can learn in college.

Why just the other day,

a fellow said

"That they scrape

a ton of rust a year

"from an iron bridge,

over the Yukon."

"Oh, no doubt you're right."

Michael, I think

we should go to college.

And you Susan?

Oh, yes, I think education does

add certain of value to you.

Fine, I'll tell the

registrar this morning.

See we're...we're

pulling together already.

- Put it there.

- Ah, ha, ha.

We've got him.

You have something cooked up.

What is it?

[indistinct humming]

Well?

Look.

If I know that faculty

mind up Michaels.

He'll miss the significance

of mothers book completely.

- So?

- All he'll remember.

Is some of the

shocking incidents.

Well, go on.

For instance.

Remember the character, Celeste?

- Celeste, had no character.

- That's the point.

Now listen darling, we get

Michael to read the book.

And then, while he's

still punchy.

We casually let it drop

that Celeste is mother.

Jeff!

And not only Celeste,

Marie and Evon too.

We'll tell him that this is

really mother autobiography.

Jeff, you can't.

Well, who says we can't?

Don't you want to help mother?

- Oh, yes but--

- Alright.

Then look at this way.

It's our duty to use

whatever weapons we've got.

Oh, sometimes your ideas are

so gruesome, you frighten me.

- Can't miss kid.

- Jeff, it's dynamite.

- What if mother finds--

- If mother stays here.

She'll never write another line.

Yes, your right.

When are you gonna

pull it on him?

Right now.

[imitating Michael] "Oh, ah-ah this

may sound silly and sentimental, but.."

"Put her there."

See you in college.

Oh, get a load of this

freshmen manual.

- 68 rules.

- All waiting to be broken.

Um, what's your first class?

Something to do

with physics, I think.

Oh, mine's

contemporary playwright.

Here that probably

means Shakespeare.

Oh, I think this is it.

Well, carry on and no quarter.

It's them or us.

(Jeff)

'By the way.'

You are a co-ed.

You're a venomous thing

to have in the family.

You know that, don't you?

Oh, this is the contemporary

playwright's class, isn't it?

Begins in five minutes.

I can hardly wait.

Cute kid.

Yes-yes that's very interesting

Miss Dough.

Ah, who's that?

That's Mr. Ferrell,

the instructor.

He might be worth

spending a little time on.

Don't build yourself up.

It's against the rules

to date members of the faculty.

That settles it, he'll have

my first free evening.

You wouldn't like to bet

on that, would you?

Save your money,

it's a sure thing.

- Four bucks, says it isn't.

- Six, seven.

We'll give you two weeks

to get a date with him.

Just give me eight hours.

You see, I happen to be

free tonight.

Easy money.

And so, there are two reasons

why the play we just analyzed

marks an important

milestone in the

'history of American Theatre.'

'First.'

'Ah.'

Ah.

First because in it

the author Vincent Leech has

honestly and uncompromisingly

portrayed a group of people

who are the product

of the era in which they lived.

Ah.

I might even go so far

as to say that.

The plot of Leech's play

could not have been written

'in any other era.'

Pardon me.

You don't seem to

approve of my comments.

Oh, that's alright.

Go ahead.

[all laughing]

Now, for the second point.

Do you think the play could've

been written in any other era?

Could have been?

It was.

It was stolen from Morteka, a

15th century Spanish playwright.

[whistling]

Well, there may be some slight

coincidental similarities but--

Oh, it was no coincidence.

Vince said that--

Uh..

- Vince? Did you say Vince?

- Mm-hm.

Vincent Leitch, the author.

He's one of our best friends.

Vince said, he stole everything

but the nails

from Morteka's coffin.

[everyone laughing]

[siren wailing]

That bet's as good

as won right now.

She's got him so burned up

that pulled out a fire truck.

We can discuss Mr. Leitch's

ethics at some future meeting.

Now..

Ah.

Uh, the second reason that

this play important

is that it shows that

a man who has something to say

will write a more honest play

than a man who is writing

merely for money.

What's wrong with that?

The reason Vince stole the play

was he was frantic for money.

Hisfiancwas howling for cash.

'His ex-wife was howling

for alimony.'

His creditors were laying for

him in all his favorite bars.

Also, he wanted

to buy a pool table.

[everyone laughing]

[bell rings]

Class dismissed.

You're cooked. You might

as well concede now.

Don't spend your money yet,

honey. See you outside.

I understand that lost harvest

is on a schedule for tomorrow.

That's right,

Ben Zimmerman's last play.

That'll be interesting.

A couple of weeks ago, Benny

said that anyone who could

interpret his play

was a better man than he was.

Benny?

Wait a minute.

Do you know him too?

Benny? Ever since he was a

reporter on the Bronx home news.

- Oh, wait, Miss..

- Evans.

Miss Evans, wouldn't it

be possible for us

to have a little talk

about the play?

I'd be delighted.

I mean, sometime before

tomorrow's class.

- You can take me to dinner.

- Oh, good.

21 faculty row,

Professor Kingsley's house.

I wouldn't want Kingsley

to see me, there's a rule--

Say you dropped in for a cup

of tea with Mrs. Kingsley.

Eight for me,

and two for you, and..

It's all arranged.

You'll pick me up

at 7:
00 for dinner?

Yes, yes, that's a date.

Cute kid.

Yeah.

[whistling]

Ah! What's here?

Well, I'm doing my bit.

How about you?

I just performed

a physics experiment.

Well, how'd it work out?

Did you hear that fire engine

about half hour ago?

- Yes.

- That was my experiment.

Mm-hm, well,

we're doing alright.

Let's go and see how Michael's

coming along with his reading.

Hop!

Oh, hello.

Ah, enjoying the book?

How many of these are there?

- Well, over a 100,000.

- What?

Oh, what's the matter?

Well, in spots it is

awfully frank.

Well, mother was writing about

how recent history caught up

with the simple people in their

own neighborhood of Paris.

To do that, the people

had to be written frankly.

Couldn't you've left out

some details.

For example, incident between

Celeste and the chestnut man.

[Jeff laughing]

'That was the time mother fell

for that cabinet minister.'

Oh, yes.

And the chestnut man

got jealous.

Yeah.

Did you say mother?

Well, yes.

Didn't you recognize her?

That's who Celeste is.

Several of the characters

are autobiographical.

Uh, you remember Marie and Evan?

They're both mother too.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes