Screenplays for You - free movie scripts and screenplays

Screenplays, movie scripts and transcripts organized alphabetically:

His Girl Friday (1940)

by Charles Lederer.
Based on the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur.
1939, Shooting draft.

More info about this movie on IMDb.com


FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY


FADE IN: INT. ANTEROOM CLOSE SHOT SWITCHBOARD

Two telephone operators sit at switchboard busy plugging in 
and out answering calls.

		1ST OPERATOR
	This is the Morning Post... The City 
	Room? Just a moment, I'll connect 
	you.
		(plugs in call)

		2ND OPERATOR
	Morning Post... Sports Department? 
	Just a moment --
		(plugs in call)

CAMERA PULLS BACK to disclose the rest of the anteroom. To 
Camera left are the elevators -- at back wall directly behind 
switchboard are chairs and a table for visitors. Next to 
switchboard are stairs leading downward to the next floor. A 
waist-high iron grill with a gate in it separates the 
switchboard from the anteroom, a similar grill separating it 
again from the city room which stretches on beyond 
switchboard. At a table in the switchboard enclosure sits an 
office boy, about fifteen, doing a crossword puzzle. The big 
clock on the back wall shows that it is nearly one o'clock.

CLOSE SHOT OFFICE BOY

as he bends over paper. We catch a glimpse of the squares of 
a crossword puzzle.

MED. SHOT

as a reporter comes out of the City Room, clanging gate to 
behind him. The office boy looks up.

		OFFICE BOY
	What's a seven-letter word for --?

		REPORTER
	Don't ask me! If I knew any seven-
	letter words, I'd be something better 
	than a reporter!

He catches a glimpse of the far elevator going down.

		REPORTER
	Hey! Down! Down!

MED. SHOT ELEVATORS

as reporter runs in to the closed elevator door and pounds 
on it. It comes back, the door opens, and he gets in. The 
door closes, as elevator goes down. The near elevator comes 
up and discharges Hildy Johnson and Bruce Baldwin. Bruce 
carries an umbrella and wears a raincoat.

MED. CLOSE SHOT TABLE

office boy looking over his puzzle as Hildy and Bruce come 
into the scene.

		HILDY
		(with a smile)
	Hello, Skinny. Remember me?

		OFFICE BOY
		(looks up; then a 
		glowing smile)
	Hildy Johnson!

CLOSE SHOT SWITCHBOARD

Hildy approaches the switchboard.

		HILDY
		(to operator)
	Hello, Maisie.

The first operator looks up.

		MAISIE
	Hello -- Hildy! You coming back?

		HILDY
	No, just visiting. Tell me, is the 
	lord of the universe in today?

		MAISIE
	He is -- and in a very bad humor. I 
	think somebody stole one of his crown 
	jewels. Shall I announce you?

		HILDY
	No, never mind -- I'll blow my own 
	trumpet.

THREE SHOT BRUCE, HILDY AND OPERATOR

Hildy turns to Bruce.

		HILDY
	I won't be more than ten minutes, I 
	promise you.

		BRUCE
	Even ten minutes is a long time to 
	be away from you.

We hear a giggle off scene.

CLOSE SHOT OFFICE BOY

He looks towards Bruce and Hildy and giggles.

TWO SHOT BRUCE AND HILDY

		HILDY
	What did you say, Bruce?

Bruce, embarrassed, looks at the office boy, then looks back 
at Hildy as they turn toward second gate leading into City 
Room.

		BRUCE
	I said -- uh -- I said even ten 
	minutes -- is a long time -- to be 
	away from you.

		HILDY
	Don't be embarrassed, Bruce. I heard 
	it, but I just wanted to hear it 
	again. I can stand being spoiled a 
	little. The gentleman I'm going to 
	have a chat with did very little 
	spoiling.

		BRUCE
		(grimly)
	I'd like to spoil him just once. 
	Sure you don't want me to go in with 
	you?

		HILDY
	My job, Bruce. I started it -- and 
	I'll finish it.

		BRUCE
	I suppose you're right -- but if it 
	gets rough, remember I'm here.

		HILDY
	I'll come a-running, pardner.

She starts to push open the iron-grilled gate leading into 
the City Room. Bruce quickly springs forward and opens it 
for her. Hildy smiles.

		HILDY
	Thanks, Bruce.

She kisses his cheek and walks through. He looks after her. 
The office boy whistles. Bruce pays no attention, but stares 
after Hildy.

MEDIUM SHOT - SHOOTING DOWN LENGTH OF CITY ROOM

Hildy starts to walk through City Room.

TRUCKING SHOT - HILDY

as she walks the length of the City Room. It's a long walk, 
because it's a room that takes up practically the whole floor. 
The scene is a busy one. But, gradually, as Hildy starts 
down, one after another recognize her. There are cries of: 
"Hildy!" "Hello, Hildy", etc., from the men as Hildy goes 
straight down the aisle. She never stops but waves her own 
greetings: "Jim!" "Hi, good-looking!" "Laura" "Hullo, Pop" 
"Nan!" "Eddie!" "Hello, Mac" "Pete!" "Frank" "Oscar!", and 
gets responses from each of them. One man is bent over his 
desk reading his copy -- he is standing up. Hildy slaps him 
as she goes by. He turns around: "Say, who did that?" As he 
sees Hildy: "Hello, Hildy!" Hildy: "Hi, Jake." She passes a 
middle-aged woman, almost an Edna May Oliver type, seated at 
a desk pounding out copy and smoking a cigarette. As Hildy 
comes up to her she slaps the woman on the back.

		HILDY
	Hello, Beatrice. How's "Advice to 
	the Lovelorn"?

		BEATRICE
		(looking up)
	Hildy! I'll be a monkey's uncle! 
	What are you doing here?

		HILDY
	Point of information -- what does a 
	girl say on meeting her divorced 
	husband? OR:
		(What does a girl do, 
		etc.)

		BEATRICE
		(illustrating)
	My advice is duck and cross with 
	your right.

Hildy moves on. CAMERA TRUCKS WITH HER to the end of the 
room where she pauses before the frosted glass partition 
which separates Walter Burns' office from the rest of the 
City Room.

INT. BURNS' OFFICE LONG SHOT

as she opens the door. Burns is shaving with an electric 
razor and Louie is holding the mirror up in front of him.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS

shaving, Louie holding the mirror.

		LOUIE
	A little more round the chin, Boss.

MEDIUM SHOT

There is a sound of the door closing and Burns, without 
looking up, says:

		BURNS
	What do you want?

		HILDY
	Why, I'm surprised, Mr. Burns. That's 
	no way to talk to your wife -- even 
	if she's no longer your wife.

		BURNS
		(grinning)
	Hello, Hildy!

		HILDY
	Hello, Walter.
		(to Louie)
	Hi, Louie -- how's the slotmachine 
	king?

		LOUIE
	Oh, I ain't doing that any more. I'm 
	retired. I'm one of you fellas now -- 
	a newspaper man.

		HILDY
	Editorials?

		BURNS
	Get going, Louie. I got company.

The door flies open and Duffy comes busting in.

		DUFFY
	Walter!

		BURNS
	I'm busy, Duffy.

		DUFFY
	Well, you're not too busy to know 
	that the Governor hasn't signed that 
	reprieve!

		BURNS
	What?

		DUFFY
	And that means Earl Williams dies 
	tomorrow morning and makes a sucker 
	out of us!

		BURNS
	You're crazy. Where's Mac?

		DUFFY
	He's on my phone. He just called me.

		BURNS
	They can't do that to me!

He grabs the phone on his desk:

		BURNS
	Give me that call on Duffy's wire! 
	Hello -- Mac? Burns. Where's the 
	Governor? -- What do you mean, you 
	can't locate him?
		(apparently pleading 
		to the one man in 
		the world who can 
		help him)
	Mac, you know what this means. We're 
	the only paper in town defending 
	Earl Williams and if he hangs tomorrow 
	we're washed up! Find the Governor 
	and when you find him tell him we 
	want that reprieve!... Tell him I 
	elected him and I can have him 
	impeached! Sure, you can do it, Mac -- 
	I know you can. I always said you 
	were the greatest reporter in the 
	country and now you can prove it. 
	Get going! Attaboy!

He hangs up.

		BURNS
		(to Duffy, 
		sarcastically)
	The greatest reporter in the country! 
	First I gotta tell him what news to 
	get! Gotta tell him how to get it -- 
	then I gotta write it for him 
	afterward! Now if you were a decent 
	City Editor --

CLOSE SHOT DUFFY AND BURNS

with Louie and Hildy in the b.g.

		DUFFY
	Don't blame me. I'm City Editor in 
	name only. You do all the hiring 
	around here.

		BURNS
	Yeah! Well, I do the firing, too. 
	Remember that, Duffy, and Keep a 
	civil tongue in your head.

MEDIUM SHOT

		HILDY
	I don't like to interfere with 
	business, but would you boys pardon 
	us while we have a little heart-to-
	heart talk?

		DUFFY AND LOUIE
		(together)
	Well -- But I gotta --

They look at Burns.

		BURNS
	Scram, you guys.

They start to go.

		HILDY
	You won't miss anything. You'll 
	probably be able to hear him just as 
	well outside as here.

They go.

		HILDY
	Mind if I sit down?

Hildy sits.

CLOSE SHOT DUFFY AND LOUIE

going out of the door. They cast an interested look back and 
linger a second. Over scene comes Burns' voice.

		BURNS' VOICE
	I said scram!

They close the door hurriedly.

MED. CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

		HILDY
	May I have a cigarette, please?

Burns reaches into his pocket, extracts a cigarette and tosses 
it on the desk. Hildy reaches for it.

		HILDY
	Thanks. A match?

Burns delves into pockets again, comes up with matchbox, 
tosses it to Hildy, who catches it deftly, and strikes the 
match.

		BURNS
	How long is it?

Hildy finishes lighting her cigarette, takes a puff, and 
fans out the match.

		HILDY
	How long is what?

		BURNS
	You know what. How long since we've 
	seen each other?

		HILDY
	Let's see. I was in Reno six weeks -- 
	then Bermuda... Oh, about four months, 
	I guess. Seems like yesterday to me.

CLOSEUP BURNS

		BURNS
		(slyly)
	Maybe it was yesterday. Been seeing 
	me in your dreams?

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT THE TWO

		HILDY
		(casually)
	No -- Mama doesn't dream about you 
	any more, Walter. You wouldn't know 
	the old girl now.

		BURNS
		(with conviction)
	Oh, yes I would. I'd know you any 
	time --

He grows lyrical and, rising from his seat, is about to start 
toward her, as he continues:

		BURNS AND HILDY
		(together)
	-- any place, anywhere --

He sits.

		HILDY
		(half-pityingly)
	You're repeating yourself! That's 
	the speech you made the night you 
	proposed.
		(she burlesques his 
		fervor)
	"-- any time -- any place -- 
	anywhere!"

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AND BURNS

		BURNS
		(growling)
	I notice you still remember it.

		HILDY
	I'll always remember it. If I hadn't 
	remembered it, I wouldn't have 
	divorced you.

		BURNS
	You know, Hildy, I sort of wish you 
	hadn't done it.

		HILDY
	Done what?

		BURNS
	Divorced me. It sort of makes a fellow 
	lose faith in himself. It almost 
	gives him a feeling he wasn't wanted.

		HILDY
	Holy mackerel! Look, Walter, that's 
	what divorces are for.

		BURNS
	Nonsense. You've got the old-fashioned 
	idea that divorces are something 
	that last forever -- till 'death us 
	do part'. Why, a divorce doesn't 
	mean anything today. It's only a few 
	words mumbled over you by a judge. 
	We've got something between us nothing 
	can change.

		HILDY
	I suppose that's true in a way. I am 
	fond of you, Walter. I often wish 
	you weren't such a stinker.

		BURNS
	Now, that's a nice thing to say.

		HILDY
	Well, why did you promise me you 
	wouldn't fight the divorce and then 
	try and gum up the whole works?

		BURNS
	Well, I meant to let you go -- but, 
	you know, you never miss the water 
	till the well runs dry.

ANOTHER ANGLE

		HILDY
	A fellow your age, hiring an airplane 
	to write:
		(she gestures above 
		to indicate sky-
		writing)
	'Hildy: Don't be hasty -- remember 
	my dimple. Walter.! It held things 
	up twenty minutes while the Judge 
	ran out to watch it.

		BURNS
	Well, I don't want to brag, but I've 
	still got the dimple -- and in the 
	same place -- I just acted like any 
	husband who doesn't want to see his 
	home broken up.

		HILDY
	What home?

		WALTER
	What home? Don't you remember the 
	home I promised you?

		HILDY
	Oh, yes -- we were to have it right 
	after our honeymoon -- honeymoon!

		BURNS
	Was it my fault? Did I know that 
	coal mine was going to have another 
	cave-in? I meant to be with you on 
	our honeymoon, Hildy -- honest I 
	did.

		HILDY
	All I know is that instead of two 
	weeks in Atlantic City with my 
	bridegroom, I spent two weeks in a 
	coal mine with John Kruptzky -- age 
	sixty-three -- getting food and air 
	out of a tube! You don't deny that. 
	Do you?

		BURNS
	Deny it! I'm proud of it! We beat 
	the whole country on that story.

		HILDY
	Well, suppose we did? That isn't 
	what I got married for. What's the 
	good of -- Look, Walter, I came up 
	here to tell you that you'll have to 
	stop phoning me a dozen times a day -- 
	sending twenty telegrams -- all the 
	rest of it, because I'm --

		BURNS
	Let's not fight, Hildy. Tell you 
	what. You come back to work on the 
	paper and if we find we can't get 
	along in a friendly way, we'll get 
	married again.

		HILDY
	What?!!

		BURNS
	I haven't any hard feelings.

		HILDY
	Walter, you're wonderful in a 
	loathesome sort of way. Now, would 
	you mind keeping quiet long enough 
	for me to tell you what I came up 
	here for?

		BURNS
		(rising, reaching for 
		his hat)
	Sure, come on. We'll have some lunch 
	and you can tell me everything.

		HILDY
		(also rising)
	I have a lunch date. I just want --

		BURNS
	You can break it, can't you?

		HILDY
	No, I can't.

		BURNS
	Sure you can. Come on.

DIFFERENT ANGLE

		HILDY
	Don't tell me what to do! We're 
	divorced -- I'm a free woman. You're 
	not my husband and you're not my 
	boss! And what's more, you're not 
	going to be my boss.

		BURNS
	What do you mean by that?

		HILDY
	Just what I said. That's what I --

		BURNS
	You mean you're not coming back to 
	work here?

		HILDY
	That's the first time you've been 
	right today. That's what I --

		BURNS
		(still interrupting)
	You've had a better offer, eh?

		HILDY
	You bet I've got a better offer.

		BURNS
	Well, go on and take it. Work for 
	somebody else! That's the gratitude 
	I get for --

		HILDY
	I know, Walter, but I --

		BURNS
		(ignoring her)
	What were you when you came here 
	five years ago? A little college 
	girl from a School of Journalism! I 
	took a little doll-faced mugg --

		HILDY
	You wouldn't have taken me if I hadn't 
	been doll-faced!

		BURNS
	Why should I? I thought it would be 
	a novelty to have a face around here 
	a man could look at without 
	shuddering.

		HILDY
	Listen, Walter --

		BURNS
		(going right on)
	I made a great reporter out of you, 
	Hildy, but you won't be half as good 
	on any other paper, and you know it. 
	You need me and I need you -- and 
	the paper needs both of us.

		HILDY
	Well, the paper'll have to learn to 
	do without me. And so will you. It 
	just didn't work out, Walter.

WIDER ANGLE

		BURNS
	It would have worked if you'd been 
	satisfied with just being editor and 
	reporter. But no! You had to marry 
	me and spoil everything.

		HILDY
		(indignantly)
	I wasn't satisfied! I suppose I 
	proposed to you!

		BURNS
	Well, you practically did! Making 
	goo-goo eyes at me for two years 
	till I broke down. And I still claim 
	I was tight the night I proposed. If 
	you'd been a gentleman you'd have 
	forgotten all about it. But not you!

		HILDY
		(speechless)
	You -- you --

She grabs something and chucks it at him. He ducks. The phone 
rings.

		BURNS
		(to Hildy)
	You're losing your eye. You used to 
	be able to pitch better than that.
		(he reaches for phone)
	Hello... Yeah... What? Sweeney? Well, 
	what can I do for you?

CLOSE SHOT DUFFY

seated at his desk, talking into phone.

		DUFFY
	What's the matter with you? Are you 
	drunk? This is Duffy, not Sweeney!

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

Burns into phone:

		BURNS
	Sweeney! You can't do that to me! 
	Not today, of all days! Jumping 
	Jehosophat! Oh, no, Sweeney... Well, 
	I suppose so... All right. If you 
	have to, you have to.
		(he hangs up)
	How do you like that? Everything 
	happens to me -- with 365 days in 
	the year -- this has to be the day.

		HILDY
	What's the matter?

		BURNS
	Sweeney.

		HILDY
	Dead?

		BURNS
	Not yet. Might just as well be. The 
	only man on the paper who can write -- 
	and his wife picks this morning to 
	have a baby!

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

		HILDY
	Sweeney?
		(she laughs)
	Well, after all, he didn't do it on 
	purpose, did he?

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

		BURNS
	I don't care whether he did or not. 
	He's supposed to be covering the 
	Earl Williams case and there he is -- 
	waiting at the hospital! Is there no 
	sense of honor left in this country?

		HILDY
		(practically)
	Well, haven't you got anybody else?

		BURNS
	There's nobody else on the paper who 
	can write! This'll break me, unless --
		(he stares at Hildy; 
		then a light breaks)
	Hildy!

		HILDY
	No!

		BURNS
	You've got to help me, Hildy.

		HILDY
	Keep away --

		BURNS
	It'll bring us together again, Hildy -- 
	just the way we used to be.

		HILDY
	That's what I'm afraid of. "Any time -- 
	any place -- anywhere!"

		BURNS
	Don't mock, Hildy, this is bigger 
	than anything that's happened to us. 
	Don't do it for me! Do it for the 
	paper.

		HILDY
	Get away, Svengali.

		BURNS
	If you won't do it for love, how 
	about money? Forget the other offer 
	and I'll raise you twenty-five bucks 
	a week.

		HILDY
	Listen, you bumble-headed baboon --

		BURNS
	All right -- thirty-five, and not a 
	cent more!

		HILDY
	Please! Will you just --

		BURNS
	Great grief! What's that other paper 
	going to give you?

		HILDY
	I'm not working for any other paper!

		BURNS
	Oh! In that case, the raise is off 
	and you go back to your old salary 
	and like it. Trying to blackjack --

		HILDY
	Look at this!
		(pulling her glove 
		off her left hand)

CLOSEUP HILDY

She gets glove off left hand and holds up an engagement ring 
for him to see.

		HILDY
	Do you see this? Do you know what an 
	engagement ring is?

CLOSEUP BURNS

He looks at ring, swallows, then:

MED. SHOT

Burns and Hildy.

		HILDY
	I tried to tell you right away but 
	you started reminiscing. I'm getting 
	married, Walter, and also getting as 
	far away from the newspaper business 
	as I can get! I'm through.

		BURNS
		(himself again)
	Get married all you want to, Hildy, 
	but you can't quit the newspaper 
	business.

		HILDY
	You can't sell me that, Walter.

		BURNS
	Who says I can't? You're a newspaper 
	man.

		HILDY
	That's why I'm quitting. I want to 
	go some place where I can be a woman.

		BURNS
	I know you, Hildy, and I know what 
	it would mean. It would kill you.

CLOSER SHOT

		HILDY
		(bitterly)
	A journalist! Peeking through keyholes -- 
	running after fire engines -- waking 
	people up in the middle of the night 
	to ask them if they think Hitler's 
	going to start a war -- stealing 
	pictures off old ladies of their 
	daughters that got chased by apemen! 
	I know all about reporters -- a lot 
	of daffy buttinskies going around 
	without a nickel in their pockets, 
	and for what? So a million hired 
	girls and motormen's wives will know 
	what's going on! No, Walter, I'm 
	through.

		BURNS
	Where'd you meet this man?

		HILDY
	Bermuda.

		BURNS
	Bermuda... Rich, eh?

		HILDY
	Not what you'd call rich. Makes about 
	five thousand a year.

		BURNS
	What's his line?

		HILDY
	He's in the insurance business.

		BURNS
		(looks up)
	The insurance business?

		HILDY
		(on the defensive)
	It's a good, honest business, isn't 
	it?

ANOTHER ANGLE

		BURNS
	Oh sure, it's honest. But somehow, I 
	can't picture you with a guy who 
	sells policies.

		HILDY
	Well, I can, and I love it! He forgets 
	the office when he's with me. He 
	doesn't treat me like an errand-boy -- 
	he treats me like a woman.

		BURNS
	He does, does he? How did I treat 
	you -- like a water buffalo?

		HILDY
	I don't know about water buffaloes, 
	but I know about him. He's kind and 
	sweet and considerate. He wants a 
	home -- and children.

		BURNS
	Say, sounds more like a guy I ought 
	to marry. What's his name?

		HILDY
	Well, I'll give you a hint. By 
	tomorrow they'll be calling me Mrs. 
	Bruce Baldwin.

		BURNS
	Tomorrow? Tomorrow... as quick as 
	that?

		HILDY
	The quicker the better. Well -- I 
	finally got out what I came in to 
	tell you.
		(she extends her hand)
	So long, Walter, and better luck 
	next time.

		BURNS
		(taking her hand)
	I wish you everything I couldn't 
	give you, Hildy.

		HILDY
	Thanks...

		BURNS
	Too bad I couldn't see this guy first. 
	I'm pretty particular about whom my 
	wife marries.

		HILDY
		(laughing)
	Well, he's waiting in the anteroom 
	for me now.

		BURNS
	Say, could I meet him?

		HILDY
	Oh, better not, Walter. Wouldn't do 
	any good.

		BURNS
	You're not afraid, are you?

		HILDY
	Afraid? I should say not!

		BURNS
	All right then, come on and let's 
	see this paragon.
		(gets hat)
	Is he as good as you say?

		HILDY
	Better.

MED. SHOT OFFICE

Burns has his hat. They start toward the door.

		BURNS
	Then what does he want with you?

		HILDY
		(laughing)
	Now you got me.

		BURNS
	Nothing personal. I was just asking.

At the door, Burns walks ahead, opens door and walks out.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE BURNS' OFFICE MED. CLOSE SHOT BURNS

		BURNS
	After all --

He stops as he realizes she's not there. The door opens. 
Hildy comes out.

		HILDY
	You wouldn't believe this, Walter, 
	but Bruce holds the door open for 
	me.

		BURNS
		(incredulous)
	No kidding?

INT. CITY ROOM FULL SHOT

Reporters conversing. They stop as Hildy and Burns enter 
scene.

TRUCKING SHOT

as Hildy follows Burns through the City Room. This time, in 
contrast to Hildy's original walk through the room, the groups 
are silent as they watch the two.

		HILDY
		(trying to keep pace)
	And he takes his hat off when he's 
	with a lady.

		BURNS
		(over his shoulder)
	What for?

		HILDY
		(shouting)
	And when he walks with a lady, he 
	waits for her!

		BURNS
		(stops)
	Oh, I'm sorry.

Burns, at this point, has reached the switchboard. He says, 
under his breath, to Maisie:

		BURNS
		(under his breath)
	Have Duffy call me in the restaurant 
	in twenty minutes.

Hildy, a little out of breath, catches up with him. At the 
iron gate that opens into anteroom Hildy jumps ahead, opens 
the gate and holds it for Burns.

		HILDY
	Allow me.

		BURNS
		(walking right through)
	Thanks.

Hildy follows him out.

INT. ANTEROOM MED. SHOT

as Hildy follows Burns in. Bruce is sitting on the bench. On 
the end of a bench sits an old, grizzled Western Union "boy". 
Ignoring Bruce, Burns strides over to the "boy", seizes his 
hand, shakes it and says:

		BURNS
	I can see right away my wife picked 
	out the right husband for herself.

CLOSE SHOT BRUCE

Hildy behind him. Bruce registers amazement at this.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND MESSENGER

The messenger is more amazed than Bruce as Burns keeps pumping 
his hand vigorously.

		MESSENGER
	There must be some mistake. I'm 
	already married.

		BURNS
		(you never saw a more 
		surprised man)
	Already married!
		(turning to Hildy 
		o.s.)
	Hildy, why didn't you tell me?

CLOSEUP HILDY

She shakes her head at Burns' antics, but can't help smiling 
nevertheless.

MEDIUM SHOT BURNS AND MESSENGER

		BURNS
		(again seizing 
		messenger's hand)
	Congratulations again, Mr. Baldwin!

		MESSENGER
	But my name --

		BRUCE
		(as he enters scene)
	Mr. Burns!

Burns turns slightly but doesn't release messenger's hand.

		BURNS
	Yeah? You'll have to excuse me -- 
	I'm busy with Mr. Bruce Baldwin here. 
	Just leave your card with the boy.

CLOSE SHOT BRUCE AND BURNS

Bruce takes hold of Burns' coat and shakes it to get his 
attention. Burns turns on him:

		BURNS
	I'm very sorry, but I'm busy! Look --
		(he points o.s.)
	-- there's the boy. Take your card 
	and leave it with him.

He turns away again. Bruce, determinedly, takes hold of his 
sleeve and pulls at it.

		BRUCE
	Mr. Burns --

		BURNS
		(wheeling around)
	I've just told you I was busy with 
	Mr. Bruce Baldwin!

		BRUCE
	I'm Bruce Baldwin!

MEDIUM SHOT

Burns, still pumping the dazed messenger's hand, stops at 
this, drops hand, and turns to Bruce:

		BURNS
	You're Bruce Baldwin?

		BRUCE
	Yes!

		BURNS
		(accusing to messenger)
	Then who are you?

		MESSENGER
		(falteringly)
	My name's Pete Davis.

		BURNS
	Pete Davis! Well, Mr. Davis, this is 
	no concern of yours and after this 
	I'll thank you to keep out of my 
	affairs!

The messenger isn't quite sure what he's done but he slinks 
back to his seat as Burns turns to Bruce.

CLOSEUP HILDY

She is beginning to get sore, but reluctantly again she is 
compelled to smile at Walter's behavior.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND BRUCE

		BURNS
		(reaches for Bruce's 
		hand but grabs the 
		umbrella and begins 
		shaking the handle 
		up and down)
	This is a pleasure, Mr. Baldwin, and 
	I'm sorry about the mistake.

		BRUCE
		(he tries to shift 
		the umbrella, calling 
		Burns' attention to 
		it, and offers his 
		hand instead)

		BURNS
	Oh, I thought there was something 
	funny... You see, Bruce, you don't 
	mind if I call you Bruce, do you? 
	After all, we're practically related --

		BRUCE
		(completely unnerved 
		by this time, and 
		you can't quite blame 
		him)
	Mr. -- well -- no -- no -- not at 
	all.

		BURNS
	You see, my wife -- I mean, your 
	wife -- that is, I mean Hildy -- had 
	led me to expect that she was marrying 
	a much older man.

		BRUCE
		(this is the final 
		crusher)
	Oh.

		BURNS
	But I see, she didn't mean old in 
	years. You always carry an umbrella, 
	Bruce?

		BRUCE
	Well, er -- it looked a little cloudy 
	this morning.

		BURNS
	That's right. -- Rubbers, too, I 
	hope? A man ought to be prepared for 
	any emergency.

Burns looks down. Bruce, in unconscious responses, helplessly 
lifts his foot up and we see the rubber.

		BURNS
	Attaboy!
		(taking Bruce's arm 
		and leading him toward 
		elevator)
	Come on, Bruce.

		BRUCE
		(going along, but 
		worried)
	Where are we going?

		BURNS
	Where are we going? I'm going to buy 
	you two lunch -- didn't Hildy tell 
	you?

		BRUCE
		(a helpless look back 
		at Hildy)
	No -- she didn't.

		BURNS
	Just wanted to surprise you, I guess.
		(as the elevator is 
		about to pass, he 
		calls)
	Down!
		(practically shoving 
		Bruce in)
	After you, Bruce!
		(as Bruce disappears 
		inside he turns toward 
		Hildy)
	Come on, Hildy, my treat!

CLOSE SHOT BURNS NEAR OPEN ELEVATOR

We don't see the passengers. Hildy comes into scene.

		HILDY
	I suppose I can't call this off 
	without creating a scene -- but 
	remember, it's your last fling.

		BURNS
		(hurt)
	How do you like that? Here I am being 
	nice to you and your sweet-heart and 
	that's the thanks I get!

He jumps into the elevator -- in a second he hops out.

		BURNS
		(very sweetly -- he 
		almost sings it)
	Oh -- after you, Hildy!

With a look of disgust Hildy gets in. Burns follows and the 
door slams on them.

CLOSEUP OFFICE BOY

He looks after departed elevator and whistles. Then he grins 
all over.

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. RESTAURANT CLOSEUP - A BEAMING WAITER

HE GRINS ALL OVER AND SAYS:

		WAITER
	Don't tell me it's you, Hildy!

CAMERA PULLS BACK and discloses our three at a restaurant 
table. Nothing swanky -- a place like Jack Blake's in New 
York, say.

		HILDY
		(beaming at waiter)
	Nobody else.

She extends her hand. The waiter takes it; they shake.

		HILDY
	How's everything, Gus?

		GUS
	I can't complain.

		BURNS
		(studying menu)
	Well, I can. I'm hungry. Roast beef 
	sandwich -- rare. And some coffee.

		GUS
	Shall I put a little rum in the 
	coffee? It's a nasty day.

		BURNS
	Good idea. How about you, Hildy?

		HILDY
		(discarding menu)
	Oh -- I'll take the same, I guess. 
	And coffee.

		GUS
	Little rum in yours, too?

		HILDY
	I guess so.

Bruce looks at her. She hurriedly changes her mind.

		HILDY
	No -- just coffee, Gus.

		GUS
		(crestfallen)
	Just coffee.
		(to Bruce)
	And you, sir?

		BRUCE
		(putting menu down)
	Oh, I'll take the same, I guess. And 
	a glass of milk.

		GUS
		(incredulous)
	Milk?

		BRUCE
		(thinks he hasn't 
		heard)
	Yes.

		GUS
		(shaking his head as 
		he writes it down)
	Milk.

		BURNS
	And don't put any rum in it, Gus.

CLOSEUP - GUS

Gus gives him a look and goes.

ANOTHER ANGLE - THE TRIO AT TABLE

Burns surveys the others quizzically.

		BURNS
		(a sigh)
	Well, so you're getting married 
	tomorrow, eh? How does it feel, Bruce?

		BRUCE
	Feels awful good. Yes, sir -- we're 
	taking the four o'clock train to 
	Albany and tomorrow we'll be married.

		BURNS
		(it's the Puritan in 
		him)
	Taking the train today -- and being 
	married tomorrow?

He whistles.

		BRUCE
		(rising to the bait)
	Oh, it isn't like that.

		HILDY
		(reassuring Mrs. Grundy)
	It will be perfectly all right, 
	Walter. Mother is coming with us on 
	the train.

		BURNS
	Mother? But your mother --

		BRUCE
	No. My mother.

		BURNS
		(he gets it and 
		underlines it)
	Oh. Your mother -- well, of course, 
	that relieves my mind.

		HILDY
		(to Bruce)
	Isn't it sweet of Walter -- still 
	wanting to protect me?

She gives Burns that too-sweet look.

		BURNS
		(apparently taking 
		this at face value)
	I know I wasn't a good husband, Hildy, 
	but you can always count on me.

TWO SHOT - FEATURING BRUCE AND HILDY

		BRUCE
		(a little cookily)
	I don't think she'll need you very 
	much -- I aim to do most of the 
	protecting myself.

He pats Hildy's arm -- she smiles at him.

THREE SHOT - HILDY, BRUCE AND BURNS

		BURNS
	Well, I'll tell you one thing, old 
	man, she never looked at me the way 
	she's looking at you.

		HILDY
	I might have, Walter, but you were 
	never there.

		BURNS
	Anyway, I'm glad you two are going 
	to be happy and have all the things 
	I couldn't give her. You know, Hildy 
	is about the best reporter in the 
	country -- and that goes regardless 
	of sex. But all she really ever wanted 
	was a home.

		BRUCE
	Well, I'll try to give her one.

		BURNS
	I know you will, Bruce. Are you going 
	to live with your mother?

		BRUCE
	Just for the first year.

		BURNS
		(sighing)
	That'll be nice. A home with mother. 
	A real honeymoon. In Albany, too. 
	Ow!

That "ow" is sotto voce, but it's the direct result of a 
kick under the table from Hildy.

		BRUCE
	Mighty nice little town, Albany. 
	They've got the State Capitol there, 
	you know.

		BURNS
	Yes, I know...
		(he chuckles)
	Hildy, will you ever forget the night 
	you brought the Governor back to 
	your hotel room and found me taking 
	a bath? She didn't even know I was 
	in town...

His laugh stops cold and he clutches for his shin again. 
Hildy just looks. Providentially, the waiter enters the scene.

		GUS
	Well, here we are.

He begins serving them.

		BURNS
		(trying to pick up 
		again after a second)
	How's business, Bruce?

		BRUCE
	Well, Albany's a mighty good insurance 
	town. Most people there take it out 
	pretty early in life.

		BURNS
	I don't blame them.

Gus, who has just managed to come between Hildy and Burns, 
lets out a startled "ouch".

		HILDY
	Oh, I'm sorry, Gus! My foot must 
	have slipped.

		GUS
		(a pained expression 
		belies his words)
	That's all right.

		BURNS
	I sometimes wish I'd taken out 
	insurance -- but, of course, now it 
	doesn't matter. Still, I suppose it 
	would have been the smart thing to 
	do.

		BRUCE
	Well, I honestly feel that way. I 
	figure I'm in one line of business 
	that really helps people. Of course, 
	we don't help you much when you're 
	alive -- but afterward -- that's 
	what counts.

		BURNS
	I see what you mean.

They fall to.

CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

She sips her coffee and acts surprised.

		HILDY
	Gus, this --

CLOSEUP - GUS

		GUS
		(winking)
	Good coffee, isn't it?

CLOSEUP - HILDY

She smiles and winks back, and takes another sip.

GROUP SHOT AT TABLE

Gus starts to go.

		BRUCE
	You've forgotten my milk.

		GUS
	Oh. The milk. Yes.

He leaves scene, shaking his head. Burns sips his coffee. He 
likes it. He lifts his cup to Hildy.

		BURNS
	Here's luck to the bride and 
	bridegroom.

		HILDY
		(lifts cup)
	Thank you.

		BRUCE
		(looking for something 
		to respond with -- 
		apologetically)
	He hasn't brought my milk yet.

A bus boy comes into scene and stops before Burns.

		BUS BOY
	They want you on the phone, Mr. Burns.

		BURNS
	They would!

Boy goes, Burns rises, starts off, comes back for his cup of 
coffee, which he then takes off with him.

TWO SHOT - BRUCE AND HILDY

		BRUCE
		(looking after him)
	You know, Hildy, he's not a bad 
	fellow.

		HILDY
		(looking at him 
		maternally)
	You're so nice, Bruce, you think 
	everybody else is.

		BRUCE
	Oh, he's not the man for you. I can 
	see that. But I sort of like him. 
	Got a lot of charm.

		HILDY
	He comes by it naturally. His 
	grandfather was a snake.

		BRUCE
		(shaking his head)
	If anybody had told me I'd be sitting 
	at lunch with him -- but he swept me 
	right off my feet.

		HILDY
	That's what he did to me. Swept me 
	right off my feet -- and left me 
	lying on the floor.

INT. PHONE BOOTH FULL SHOT

Burns is listening, has coffee on ledge and sips it now and 
then.

		BURNS
	Get this -- get Sweeney off that 
	yarn and out of town on a two weeks' 
	vacation -- and right away... All 
	right, Duffy, keep your shirt on. 
	Hildy's coming back... No. She doesn't 
	know it yet. But she'll be there. I 
	promise you, Duffy. And tell Louie 
	to stick around.

He hangs up, smiles, and finishes the coffee. Then he girds 
himself for being crushed. He gradually begins to look sunk. 
He pulls out a small mirror to study his expression till he 
finally gets what he wants. He holds that expression as he 
comes out of the booth.

INT. RESTAURANT MED. SHOT AT TABLE

Gus is entering the scene.

		GUS
	Your milk, sir.

He serves Bruce.

		GUS
	And I brought you another cup of 
	coffee, Hildy.

Gus serves her and puts still another cup in front of Burns' 
chair.

		HILDY
	Thanks, Gus.

She takes a sip and almost chokes.

		BRUCE
	Too hot?

		HILDY
		(gasping for breath)
	No. It's strong.
		(quickly)
	But I like it that way.

Gus goes, smiling.

		BRUCE
		(looking off)
	Say, what's happened to Burns? He 
	looks sunk, doesn't he?

		HILDY
		(beaming)
	He certainly -- hic -- does!

Burns comes into scene, looking like a 1929 banker just before 
jumping off a roof, and sits down.

		BRUCE
	Anything the matter?

		BURNS
	Just Sweeney again. One of my best 
	reporters.

		HILDY
	What now?

		BURNS
	His wife had twins and he went out 
	to celebrate and got as drunk as a 
	lord. They can't even find him.
		(he sips his coffee)
	I tell you, drink is the ruin of 
	this nation.

		HILDY
		(sipping hers)
	You said it.

		BURNS
	So -- Sweeney gets twins -- and Earl 
	Williams gets hanged tomorrow.

		BRUCE
	Just what is the lowdown on Williams?

		BURNS
	It's simple. A poor little dope who 
	lost his job went berserk and shot a 
	cop who was coming after him to quiet 
	him down.

		HILDY
	If he's nuts, why doesn't the State 
	just put him away?

		BURNS
	Because it happened to be a colored 
	policeman.

		HILDY
		(for Bruce's benefit)
	The colored vote happens to be very 
	important to the Mayor of this town.

		BURNS
	Especially with an election coming 
	up in a few days.

		BRUCE
	Are you sure Williams is not all 
	there?

		BURNS
	All you've got to do is talk to him. 
	But the Mayor would hang his own 
	grandmother to be re-elected.

		BRUCE
	But couldn't you show the man wasn't 
	responsible?

CLOSEUP - BURNS

		BURNS
		(there's a sly 
		expression on his 
		face)
	How?

		HILDY'S VOICE
	You could run an interview that would 
	prove it. Remember the interview I 
	wrote with Jimmy Wellman? That saved 
	his life.

		BURNS
		(slapping hands 
		together)
	Yes, you could do it, Hildy. You 
	could save that poor devil's life. 
	You could -- but --
		(the enthusiasm dies 
		away)
	-- you're going away. I forgot.

THREE SHOT

		BRUCE
	How long would the interview take?

		BURNS
	Oh -- an hour for the interview. 
	Another hour to write it.

		BRUCE
	We could take the six o'clock train, 
	Hildy. If it would save a man's life.

		HILDY
	No, Bruce, dear. Don't you see? This 
	is a trick to get your sympathy. No, 
	Walter, I've been waiting for 
	something like this -- but I wasn't 
	sure when you'd spring it. If you 
	want to save Earl Williams' life, 
	you can interview him yourself. You're 
	still a good reporter. Bruce and I 
	will be on that four o'clock train -- 
	and thanks just the same.

		BURNS
	I'm an editor. I know what ought to 
	be written, but I can't write it the 
	way you could. It needs a woman's 
	heart --

		HILDY
	Why, Walter, you're getting poetic!

		BURNS
		(to Bruce)
	You see what I had to put up with? 
	She never trusted me! You argue with 
	her -- otherwise you're going on a 
	honeymoon with blood on your hands!

Bruce gulps.

		BURNS
	How can you have any happiness after 
	that? All through the years you'll 
	remember that a man went to the 
	gallows because you were too selfish 
	to wait two hours! I tell you, Earl 
	Williams' face will come between you 
	on the train tonight -- and at the 
	preacher's tomorrow -- and all the 
	rest of your lives!

		HILDY
		(breaking into applause)
	What a performance! Bravo! Don't let 
	him fool you, Bruce -- it's only an 
	act!

		BURNS
	What do you mean, only an act? Haven't 
	you got any feeling?

		HILDY
	Well, it's either an act on your 
	part or a miracle on Sweeney's.

		BURNS
	What do you mean?

		HILDY
	I happen to know Sweeney was married 
	only three months ago. If he's got 
	twins this morning, I claim it was 
	done with mirrors.

		BURNS
		(laughs, throws up 
		his hands)
	All right, Hildy, I'm licked. But 
	I'll make you and Bruce a business 
	proposition.

		HILDY
	We're not interested.

		BURNS
		(to Bruce)
	Maybe you'll be. You're a smart young 
	man. You let Hildy do this story for 
	me and you can write out a $100,000.00 
	insurance policy for me. What do you 
	say?

		BRUCE
	I don't use my wife for business 
	purposes, Mr. Burns!

		HILDY
	Wait a minute, Bruce. What's 
	commission on a $100,000.00 policy?

		BRUCE
	Well, at his age, twenty payment 
	life, a little over a thousand 
	dollars.

		HILDY
	And what's the matter with a thousand 
	dollars?

		BRUCE
	But --

		HILDY
	According to the budget, we laid out 
	that's more than our food bill for a 
	whole year. Listen, Bruce, I don't 
	want Walter Burns to use me, but I'm 
	perfectly willing to use him. How 
	long will it take to get him examined?

		BRUCE
	I could get a company doctor in twenty 
	minutes.

		BURNS
	Now you're talking!

		HILDY
		(turning on Burns)
	You keep out of this. Bruce, suppose 
	you examine Mr. Burns in his office. 
	I'll get my bag and go over to the 
	Press Room in the Criminal Courts 
	Building. You phone me as soon as 
	Mr. Burns has given you his check. 
	Then I'll go get the interview and 
	you phone Mother that we're taking 
	the six o'clock train.
		(back to Burns)
	And no tricks, Walter!

		BURNS
	What tricks would I pull?

		HILDY
	Oh, nothing! Of course, you might 
	cancel the check. Yes! Wait a minute! 
	What would be his first payment on 
	that policy?

		BRUCE
	About twenty-five hundred dollars.

		HILDY
	Better make that a certified check, 
	Walter.

		BURNS
		(indignantly)
	What do you think I am -- a crook?

		HILDY
	Yes --- and that's putting it mildly! 
	No certified check -- no story -- 
	Get me?

		BURNS
	All right. The check will be 
	certified. Want my fingerprints?

		HILDY
		(rising)
	No thanks, I've still got those. 
	Well, I'll step into some working 
	clothes and hop over to the Press 
	Room for the background on this yarn. 
	It'll be kind of fun to see the boys 
	again, too. Remember, Bruce, it must 
	be certified.

		BRUCE
	All right, dear.

		HILDY
	Wait a minute, Bruce. Have you got 
	that money?

		BRUCE
		(feeling his pocket)
	The five hundred? Sure.

		HILDY
	On second thought, would you let me 
	have it? I'll get the tickets.

		BRUCE
	But --

		HILDY
	Believe me, Bruce, I know what I'm 
	doing. He'd get you in a crap game --

		BRUCE
	But I don't gamble, Hilda!

		HILDY
	I know a lot of men who didn't do 
	anything till they met Walter Burns. 
	Please, dear.

		BRUCE
		(reluctantly)
	All right.
		(he pulls out his 
		wallet)
	One -- two -- three -- four -- five. 
	Five hundred. Be careful, honey.

		HILDY
	I'll be careful, darling. You be, 
	please.

She kisses him, kisses her hand and pats it to Burns' cheek.

		HILDY
	So long, husbands.

She goes.

TRUCKING SHOT - HILDY

leaving. She weaves just a bit.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - THE TWO MEN

They look after her.

		BRUCE
		(smiling a little)
	I never knew Hildy to be so determined 
	before.

		BURNS
	You haven't seen anything yet.

Bruce turns to look at Burns -- they look at each other.

							FADE OUT:

FADE IN: INT. PRESS ROOM - CRIMINAL COURTS BLDG - DAY CLOSE 
SHOT AT TELEPHONE

It is ringing. A hand comes in to take the phone. CAMERA 
DRAWS BACK A LITTLE to show Endicott taking the phone. He 
has an eye shade over his eyes and five cards in his other 
hand.

		ENDICOTT
		(into phone)
	Criminal Courts Press Room... This 
	is Endicott... No, nothing new on 
	the Williams case yet boss. Well, 
	you bet I'm here plugging away every 
	minute.
		(hangs up and studies 
		his cards)
	Up a dime.

CAMERA PANS SLOWLY to reveal the other players as they speak. 
Playing are reporters Murphy, Endicott, Wilson, Schwartz and 
McCue.

		MURPHY
		(dropping his cards)
	By me.

		WILSON
		(also dropping)
	Droparoo.

Schwartz knocks on table and drops cards.

		MCCUE
		(reluctantly)
	I'll call.

		ENDICOTT
	Three sixes. Is that any good?

		HILDY'S VOICE
	It sure looks good from here.

The boys all look up toward sound of Hildy's voice.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY JOHNSON

framed in the doorway. She is carrying a bag and has changed 
her costume to a tailored travelling suit. She grins and 
comes into the room.

MED. SHOT REPORTERS

They are all talking at once as Hildy comes into the scene. 
There are ad libs of "Hildy!" "Where'd you come from?" "Holy 
Mackeral, Hildy Johnson!", etc. Hildy raises her hand for 
silence.

		HILDY
	One at a time, boys.

She enters to a desk, places her bag on top of the desk, 
takes her hat off and hangs it on a clothes tree in the 
corner, comes back to desk and opens the travelling bag. All 
through the above action she is talking rapidly.

		HILDY
	No, I'm not back for good. I'm just 
	covering the Earl Williams story for 
	Mr. Sweeney who had a sudden attack 
	of something but will be all right 
	by tomorrow. No, I haven't made up 
	with Walter Burns -- far from it! As 
	a matter of fact, I'm leaving tonight 
	for Albany and I'll be married 
	tomorrow morning. The lucky man is 
	Mr. Bruce Baldwin, a gentleman in 
	the insurance business -- and when I 
	say gentleman, I mean gentleman! Are 
	there any other questions?

Hildy takes notebook and pencil out of bag, looks at the 
stockings she is wearing, sees she has a run and takes a 
fresh pair out of the bag. She sits down and begins to put 
on the new stockings.

		ENDICOTT
		(grinning)
	Well, that about covers everything.

		HILDY
	Good. Now I want to ask you fellows 
	a couple of questions. Did Earl 
	Williams know what he was doing when 
	he fired that gun?

		MURPHY
	If you ask us, no. If you ask the 
	state alienists, the answer is yes.

		MCCUE
	It's a simple story. Earl Williams 
	works for the E.J. McClosky 
	Manufacturing Company as a bookkeeper 
	for fourteen years. He starts in at 
	twenty dollars a week and gradually 
	works his way up to twenty-two fifty. 
	A year ago the McClosky Company goes 
	out of business and Williams loses 
	his job.
		(waving his hand toward 
		Wilson)
	Take it away, Fred Wilson!

		WILSON
	Well -- Williams goes a little balmy 
	and begins making speeches on a plan 
	he's got to save the world. Only he 
	makes his speeches, usually, on a 
	very busy street and neglects to get 
	a license for it. Well, the cops let 
	him alone as much as they can because 
	he's harmless and they're kinda sorry 
	for him. But one day he decides to 
	hold a meeting right in the middle 
	of a Veteran's Parade and the cops 
	chase him. He gets scared and goes 
	into hiding.
		(gesturing toward 
		Schwartz)
	Come in, Dave Schwartz.

		SCHWARTZ
	His Honor, the Mayor, now comes out 
	with a statement that Earl Williams 
	is a dangerous character in the employ 
	of two or three foreign governments 
	and the police are going to get him 
	dead or alive. Somebody sends out a 
	tip that this guy is hiding in Molly 
	Malloy's joint. And this colored 
	policeman, Daniels, goes over to 
	pick Williams up. Williams has read 
	the papers, thinks the cop is going 
	to kill him and shoots first. That 
	is all.

		HILDY
	Thanks, boys. That's all I want to 
	know.

Hildy gets up, rolls the pair of stockings she has just 
discarded into a ball, crosses to Bensinger's desk and puts 
the stockings in a drawer.

		ENDICOTT
	Say, that's old Prissy Bensinger's 
	desk.

		HILDY
	I know, I just want to give him a 
	thrill.

Hildy crosses back to desk and sits down.

		HILDY
	All right, boys, now that everything 
	is settled, deal me in.

Hildy glances toward clock on wall. The hands show 2:45 PM.

INSERT: CLOCK - Hands pointing to 2:45 PM.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

She picks up phone nearest her on desk and starts to dial, 
picking up cards dealt her with one hand.

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Hello, this is Hildy Johnson. Get me 
	Walter Burns.
		(she studies her cards -- 
		then, into phone)
	Hello, Walter. How's the old double-
	crosser?

CLOSE SHOT WALTER BURNS

Telephone at his ear.

		BURNS
	Hello, my fine-feathered friend. 
	Thought I might be hearing from you. 
	What have you got to report?

CAMERA PULLS BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT and we see that Burns is 
stripped to the waist. A doctor is applying a stethoscope to 
his chest. We HOLD the picture a second: Burns listening 
intently on the phone and the doctor listening intently to 
his chest.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Going all right, eh?

		DOCTOR
		(nodding)
	Fine.

Doctor suddenly realizes what he's said and looks up.

		BURNS
		(putting hand over 
		mouthpiece of phone)
	Doctor, will you please keep quiet a 
	minute? How do you expect me to get 
	any work done?

CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Bruce, who has some papers in 
front of him at the desk. Bruce grins.

		DOCTOR
	How do you expect me to get anywhere 
	if you're going to keep on that phone? 
	If you'll just give me two minutes 
	more --

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Well, they haven't finished with me 
	yet but I'm hoping to get my shirt 
	back. Oh, no. I'm in the pink of 
	condition. They found two new dimples.

								CUT TO:

INT. PRESS ROOM - CRIMINAL COURTS BLDG. CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT 
TELEPHONE

cards in her other hand.

		HILDY
	How about that check? All right, Mr. 
	Burns, but remember, no checkee -- 
	no story. Well, as soon as they decide 
	whether you live or not will you 
	have that new man of mine call me 
	up? Yes, sir.
		(she hangs up)
	All right, boys. Up a dime.

		ENDICOTT'S VOICE
	Right back at you.

MED. SHOT

		MCCUE
		(dropping his cards)
	You fight it cut.

		HILDY
	And up a dime.

		ENDICOTT
		(studying a second)
	I call. What you got?

		HILDY
		(displaying her cards)
	Three bullets! Any good?

		ENDICOTT
		(throwing his cards 
		away)
	Beats king up.

Hildy rakes in the money.

		MCCUE
	What are you going to do with all 
	that money, Hildy?

		WILSON
	Yeah -- you can't spend it in Albany.

		HILDY
	Oh, I'll think of something.

MED. SHOT

taking in door and including group. Bensinger, another 
reporter, comes in from the corridor. He stands out from the 
others because of his tidy appearance, and carries a book 
under his arm.

		MURPHY
	Hello, Harvard! Got anything new on 
	the hanging?

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
		(cockily)
	Why don't you fellows get your own 
	news?

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

		HILDY
	Can't you say 'hello' to a fellow?

TWO SHOT FEATURING HILDY AND BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
	Hildy!

He comes over to shake hands.

		BENSINGER
	Are you back?

		HILDY
	No, just a farewell appearance, 
	batting for Sweeney. I'm going into 
	business for myself.

		BENSINGER
	What doing?

		HILDY
	I'm getting married tomorrow.

		BENSINGER
	Well, congratulations! Good luck!

THE TABLE ANOTHER ANGLE

		ENDICOTT
	Why don't you use him for a 
	bridesmaid, Hildy?

		SCHWARTZ
	Come on, Hildy, your deal.

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER AT HIS DESK

He opens a drawer, the one in which Hildy put her stockings.

		BENSINGER
	Say, who put these stockings in my 
	desk?
		(he turns to the group)

McCUE's VOICE I don't know, but I think they got rats in the 
building.

		BENSINGER
		(makes a gesture of 
		disgust and picks up 
		telephone)
	This is Bensinger. I just saw the 
	Sheriff. He won't move the hanging 
	up a minute... All right, I'll talk 
	to him again, but it's no use. The 
	execution is set for seven in the 
	morning. Get me a rewrite man.

CLOSE SHOT ENDICOTT

dealing the cards.

		ENDICOTT
	Why can't they hang that guy at a 
	reasonable hour, so we can get some 
	sleep?

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
		(into phone)
	Jake, new lead on the hanging. This 
	new alienist from New York -- Dr. 
	Max J. Egelhoffer -- is going to 
	interview Williams in about half an 
	hour -- in the Sheriff's office.

MED. SHOT AT TABLE - FEATURING MURPHY

Murphy reaches for the phone. Without dropping his cards, he 
jiggles the hook.

		MURPHY
	That must be the tenth alienist 
	they've had on Williams. Even if he 
	wasn't crazy before, he would be 
	after ten of those babies got through 
	psychoanalyzing him.
		(into phone)
	Gimme the desk.

		ENDICOTT
	This Egelhoffer's pretty good.

		MURPHY
	Yeah? What did he ever do for his 
	country?

		ENDICOTT
	Don't you remember? He's the guy 
	went to Washington to interview the 
	Brain Trust, and gave out a statement 
	that they were all sane. It created 
	a sensation!

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

He is referring to his notes as he talks:

		BENSINGER
		(into phone)
	Here's the situation on the eve of 
	the hanging:

CLOSE SHOT MURPHY

He continues playing his cards:

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	This is Murphy. More slop on the 
	hanging.

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
		(into phone)
	A double guard's been thrown around 
	the jail, municipal buildings, 
	railroad terminals, and elevated 
	stations to prepare for the expected 
	general uprising of radicals at the 
	hour of execution.

CLOSE SHOT MURPHY

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	Ready? The Sheriff's just put two 
	hundred more relatives on the payroll 
	to protect the city against the Red 
	Army -- which is leaving Moscow in a 
	couple of minutes.
		(consults his hand)
	Up a dime.

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
		(into phone)
	The Sheriff has just received four 
	more letters threatening his life, 
	but he says nothing can interfere 
	with his duty.

CLOSE SHOT MURPHY

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	And to prove to the voters that the 
	Red Menace is on the level, the 
	Sheriff has written himself four 
	more letters, threatening his life. 
	I know he wrote 'em on account of 
	the misspellings.

MED. SHOT AT TABLE FEATURING HILDY

		ENDICOTT
	Trouble is, when the Red Menace shows 
	up the Sheriff will still be crying 
	'Wolf!'

		MURPHY
	What have you got, Hildy?

		HILDY
	Kings and sixes.

		MURPHY
		(throwing down)
	That's good.

		HILDY
		(sweeping coins in)
	'Kings and sixes The pot affixes'... 
	Poetry. I learned that at my grandma's 
	knee.

		WILSON
	That's why I keep losing. My grandma 
	was a modest woman -- nobody ever 
	saw her knees, not even my grandpop.

INT. WALTER BURNS' OFFICE MED. SHOT

The doctor has gone. Burns is adjusting his shirt. Bruce is 
sitting at the desk.

		BRUCE
	I don't know. This makes me feel 
	funny.

TWO SHOT

		BURNS
	Why shouldn't I make Hildy my 
	beneficiary? I've got nobody else to 
	leave it to.

		BRUCE
	I feel I ought to take care of her.

		BURNS
	Well, you'll take care of her. After 
	all, if that doctor's right, I'm 
	going to live for a long time yet. 
	Look, Bruce, this is a debt of honor. 
	I was a very bad husband: Hildy could 
	have got a lot of alimony if she'd 
	wanted to, but she wouldn't take 
	any. She had it coming to her, but 
	she was too independent.

		BRUCE
	Well, I'm independent, too.

		BURNS
	Figure it this way: I ought to be 
	good for twenty-five years. By that 
	time, you'll probably have made enough 
	so that the money won't mean anything. 
	But suppose you haven't made good -- 
	don't you think Hildy's entitled to 
	a quiet old age without any worries?

		BRUCE
	Well, of course, if you put it that 
	way.

		BURNS
		(everything he has on 
		the ball)
	And remember this, Bruce! I love 
	her, too.

		BRUCE
	I'm beginning to realize that.

		BURNS
	And the beauty of it is she'll never 
	have to know 'till I've passed on. 
	Maybe she'll think kindly of me --- 
	after I'm gone.

		BRUCE
		(a lump in his throat)
	Gee, you almost make me feel like a 
	heel -- coming between you.

		BURNS
	No, Bruce, you didn't come between 
	us. It was all over for her before 
	you came on the scene. For me -- 
	it'll never be over.

He turns away, wipes his eyes, and sneaks a glance to see 
how that goes over. It goes over big -- Bruce hurriedly wipes 
a tear away.

MED. SHOT

as Duffy comes into the room. He advances toward the desk.

		DUFFY
		(placing check on 
		desk)
	Here's that certified check, Walter.
		(sotto voce)
	I drew out my wife's savings, and if 
	this isn't back by 5:30 I'm a ruined 
	man!

		BURNS
		(also sotto voce)
	Don't worry, Duffy, you'll have it 
	back by five.
		(louder)
	Thanks, Duffy. Stick around.
		(picking up check he 
		rises)

He walks over to Bruce.

		BURNS
	Well, Bruce, here you are -- certified 
	and everything.

		BRUCE
		(also rising)
	Certified! I'm afraid Hildy'd feel 
	ashamed to think she hadn't trusted 
	you.

CLOSEUP DUFFY

He reacts to this sweetly solemn thought.

BURNS AND BRUCE

CAMERA FOLLOWS THEM as Burns walks Bruce toward door, his 
arm around him.

		BRUCE
	Well, she'll know some day.

		BURNS
	That's all I ask. Oh, wait a minute.

He releases Bruce, runs back and gets umbrella and brings it 
to him.

		BURNS
	Don't want to forget this, you know. 
	Might start to rain again.

		BRUCE
	Thanks. I'll phone Hildy right away 
	to get that story.

They are at the door. Burns opens the door for Bruce.

SHOT FEATURING LOUIS

Louis is sitting at a desk, apparently engrossed in a 
newspaper. He is all alert, however. Bruce and Burns come 
into the scene talking.

		BURNS
	Well, anyway, I know Hildy's getting 
	a good man.

		BRUCE
		(embarrassed)
	Thanks a lot.

They pass Louis. He looks up.

BRUCE AND BURNS

Bruce, still embarrassed, looks down. Burns turns and signals 
to Louis.

CLOSE SHOT LOUIS

watching.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS

Burns points to Bruce's back.

CLOSE SHOT LOUIS

Louis nods.

BRUCE AND BURNS

		BURNS
	Well, I got to get back. You can 
	find your way out, can't you?

		BRUCE
	Oh, sure.
		(he extends his hand)
	Well, thanks for everything.

		BURNS
	Don't thank me. I should thank you. 
	So long.

		BRUCE
	So long.

He turns and goes. Burns watches him.

REVERSE ANGLE

Bruce is going out, his back toward Camera. Burns watches. 
Louis comes between Burns and Bruce and follows Bruce out as 
we see Bruce going toward outer door.

CLOSEUP BURNS

He rubs his hands in glee as he starts back for his office.

INT. PRESS ROOM SHOT FEATURING HILDY

She is raking in a pot.

		HILDY
	I don't know why you boys are so 
	good to me.

		MCCUE
		(throwing cards down)
	Your poker's improved a lot, Hildy. 
	Lend me two bucks, will you?

		HILDY
	Nothing doing. I'm playing for keeps.

There is a whirr and crash from the gallows. They start.

BENSINGER AT WINDOW

		BENSINGER
	I wish they'd stop that practicing.

The others drift into the scene and look out of the window.

INT. COURTYARD THE GALLOWS

The trap is sprung by two or three earnest men.

INT. PRESS ROOM GROUP AT WINDOW

		HILDY
		(turns away)
	Well, anyhow, I won't be covering 
	stuff like this any more.

		SCHWARTZ
	What's the matter? Getting yellow?

MED. SHOT

A phone rings. McCue answers it.

		MCCUE
	For you, Hildy.

Hildy goes toward phone.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT PHONE

		HILDY
	Hildy Johnson... Oh, hello, Bruce. 
	Have you got it? Is it certified?

INT. PHONE BOOTH CLOSE SHOT BRUCE

		BRUCE
	Certified and everything. Got it 
	right here in my wallet... What? No, 
	he's not here -- I'm in a phone booth.

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT PHONE

McCue is hovering near.

		MCCUE
	Certified, eh? Who is it -- your 
	milkman?

		HILDY
		(in phone)
	But, Bruce, don't keep it in your 
	wallet!... Well, you see --
		(she is thinking 
		rapidly)
	-- there's an old newspaper 
	superstition that the first big check 
	you get you -- you put in the lining 
	of your hat. That brings you good 
	luck for ten years.

		MCCUE
	Say, I've been a reporter twenty 
	years and never heard any hooey like 
	that. Where'd you get it?

		HILDY
		(to McCue)
	I made it up just now, and who's 
	asking you?
		(into phone)
	I know it's silly, honey, but do it 
	for me, won't you?... Yes, right 
	now.

INT. PHONE BOOTH CLOSE SHOT BRUCE

		BRUCE
	All right. Wait a minute.

He takes check out of wallet, folds it into lining of hat.

		BRUCE
	All right. I've done it. Now, are 
	you satisfied?

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT PHONE

		HILDY
	Fine. And here's a kiss for you.

She blows a kiss into the phone. Immediately we hear kiss 
sounds all over. She looks up and glares. Then back to phone:

		HILDY
	Now, darling, you go back to the 
	hotel and pack and you and Mother 
	pick me up here about half-past five. 
	Goodbye, dear.

INT. PHONE BOOTH CLOSE SHOT BRUCE

He blows a kiss into the phone and hangs up.

EXT. OUTSIDE RESTAURANT LOUIS

Studying a paper, reads it for a moment. Bruce comes out of 
restaurant and starts out. After a second, Louis follows 
him.

INT. ENTRANCE TO A CELL BLOCK OF COUNTY JAIL MED. SHOT

Warden Cooley sits at a desk near the grilled doorway that 
leads to the cells. He is studying a Racing Form. Hildy's 
hand reaches into the shot and flicks the newspaper. He looks 
up. THE CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Hildy.

		COOLEY
	Hello, Hildy! What are you doing 
	around here?

		HILDY
	I want to interview Earl Williams, 
	Warden. How about a little service?

		COOLEY
	No more interviews. Besides, a 
	doctor's coming over.

Hildy reaches down out of camera range -- comes up with bill.

		HILDY
	Say, isn't this your twenty dollars?

		COOLEY
		(looks at bill eagerly)
	I think it is.

		HILDY
		(handing it over)
	I thought so. Come on, I'm in a hurry.

Cooley pockets the twenty and reaches for his key ring.

EXT. STREET SCENE

There is a milling mob around a center of activity that the 
Camera can't find.

SHOT OF COP

as he sees this and strolls determinedly toward it.

THE CROWD

The cop comes in and breaks ranks. He pushes his way toward 
center and looks down.

CLOSE SHOT BRUCE

lying down, held by Louis.

MED. SHOT

		COP
	What's going on?

		LOUIS
	This guy stole my watch.

		COP
		(lugging them both to 
		feet)
	Have you got his watch?

		BRUCE
	He's crazy. I haven't any watch.

		LOUIS
	I saw him. He put it in his back 
	pocket.

		BRUCE
	I haven't got --

		COP
	Wait a minute.

The cop reaches into Bruce's back pocket. Watch comes out.

		COP
		(to Louis)
	Is this yours?

		LOUIS
	Yeah! That's it!

		COP
	What about it?

		BRUCE
	I never saw it before.

Cop grabs Bruce. Louis grabs his other arm.

		COP
	Come on!

He whistles.

		COP
		(to mob)
	Beat it!

CLOSE SHOT THREE

as they go through crowd. The look on poor Bruce's face, 
muddy anyhow, is something. Suddenly, Bruce cries:

		BRUCE
	My hat!

		COP
	Get his hat, somebody.

CLOSEUP BRUCE'S HAT

lying top up, in a puddle. Hand reaches in and picks it up.

CLOSE SHOT THREE

as hat is passed to cop, who jams it down on Bruce's head. 
Another takem from Bruce.

INT. COUNTY JAIL MED. CLOSE SHOT

at the door of Earl Williams' cell. Hildy sits on a stool at 
the door, pencil and copy paper in hand. Earl Williams sits 
at the edge of his cot, facing Hildy. There is a bouquet of 
roses in a water pitcher by the cot. Our first impression of 
Williams is that he's a rational, well-poised citizen. It is 
only under Hildy's questioning that he gradually reveals 
himself.

		WILLIAMS
	I couldn't plead insanity, because 
	you see I'm just as sane as anybody 
	else.

		HILDY
		(puzzled and worried)
	You didn't mean to kill that 
	policeman?

		WILLIAMS
	Of course not. I couldn't kill anybody -- 
	it's against everything I've ever 
	stood for. They know it was an 
	accident. They're not hanging me for 
	that -- they're hanging me for my 
	beliefs.

		HILDY
	What are your beliefs, Earl?

		WILLIAMS
	They're very simple. I believe in 
	the Golden Rule. I'm not the first 
	man to die for preaching it. But if 
	they would only listen to it -- we 
	could have a fine, decent world 
	instead of this mass of hate that 
	makes man do such cruel things.

		HILDY
	How would you go about applying the 
	Golden Rule, Earl?

		WILLIAMS
	I'd do away with the profit system 
	and have production for use only. 
	There's enough food and clothing and 
	shelter for everybody if we'd use 
	some sense.

		HILDY
		(writing)
	"Production for use only." Well, 
	maybe that's the answer.

		WILLIAMS
	It's the only answer. Everything has 
	a use and if we let it be used for 
	its purpose, we could solve all our 
	problems. Food was meant to be eaten, 
	not stored away in restaurants while 
	poor people starved; clothing was 
	meant to be worn, not piled up in 
	stores while people went naked. 
	Doesn't that make sense?

CLOSEUP HILDY

		HILDY
		(thoughtfully)
	Yes, that makes a lot of sense, Earl.

		WILLIAM'S VOICE
	Just use things for what they were 
	meant, that's all.

		HILDY
	Sure.
		(she studies him a 
		moment)
	What's the purpose of a gun, Earl?

CLOSEUP WILLIAMS

		WILLIAMS
	A gun?
		(he thinks -- then a 
		revealing smile breaks 
		out)
	Why -- to shoot, of course.

MED. CLOSE TWO SHOT

		HILDY
	Is that how you came to shoot the 
	policeman?

		WILLIAMS
	Sure. You see, I'd never had a gun 
	in my hand before and I didn't know 
	what to do with it. Well, when I get 
	stuck, I know that there's an answer 
	for everything in production for 
	use. So it came to me in a flash: 
	what's a gun for? To shoot! So I 
	shot. Simple isn't it?

		HILDY
		(writing)
	Very simple, Earl.

		WILLIAMS
	There's nothing crazy about that, is 
	there?

		HILDY
	No, Earl, not at all.
		(she indicates the 
		flowers)
	Who sent you the flowers, Earl?

		WILLIAMS
		(reverently)
	Miss Mollie Malloy. She's a wonderful 
	person.

		HILDY
		(pointing to picture 
		pinned on wall)
	Isn't that her picture?

		WILLIAMS
		(turning toward it)
	Yes. Isn't she beautiful?

INSERT: PICTURE OF MOLLIE

		HILDY'S VOICE
	If you should be pardoned, are you 
	figuring on marrying Mollie?

		EARL'S VOICE
	Oh, no, she's much too good for me.

		HARTMAN'S VOICE
	How'd you get in here?

MEDIUM SHOT

Sheriff Hartman has come into the scene. Hildy turns toward 
him.

		HILDY
	Same way you did.
		(pointing)
	Through that gate.

		HARTMAN
	I gave strict orders that nobody was 
	to interview Williams without my 
	permission.

		HILDY
	All right, then, I'll just run the 
	story that Sheriff Hartman is afraid 
	to let reporters interview his 
	prisoner. Of course, with election 
	coming, that might do you a lot of 
	harm, but just as you say.

		HARTMAN
	Now, wait a minute! I'm not afraid 
	of anything. What were you going to 
	write about Williams?

		HILDY
	Oh, nothing much. Just that the state 
	had proved he was sane -- and he 
	admits it himself. If you don't want 
	me to run it --

		HARTMAN
		(beaming)
	Oh, that'll be all right, Hildy. Go 
	ahead, run it. And you can say I 
	treated him well, too.
		(turning toward 
		Williams)
	'Lo, Earl. How are you feeling?

		WILLIAMS
	Fine, thanks, Sheriff.

		HARTMAN
	That's good, Earl. Oh, they've got 
	another alienist to see you. He ought 
	to be here any minute. Don't go to 
	sleep, will you?

		WILLIAMS
	I won't.

		HARTMAN
		(to Hildy)
	Hildy, how'd you like a couple of 
	tickets for the hanging?

		HILDY
		(in a low voice so 
		Williams won't 
		overhear)
	No, thanks Sheriff. I'm leaving town 
	tonight.

		HARTMAN
		(just as loud as ever)
	You ought to stay over. You always 
	wrote a good hanging story, Hildy.

		HILDY
	That's awful kind of you, Sheriff. 
	I've got to get started on my 
	interview. See you later.

		WILLIAMS
	Don't forget about production for 
	use.

		HILDY
	I won't, Earl.
		(she goes)

INT. PRESS ROOM GROUP SHOT POKER GAME - NIGHT

The game is on. Bensinger, at his desk, is reading a book. 
The electric lights have been switched on.

		MURPHY
		(raking in a pot)
	Well, a guy can win when Hildy ain't 
	around.

		ENDICOTT
	Who's this guy she's gonna marry?

		WILSON
	Baldwin -- his name is.

		SCHWARTZ
	I give that marriage six months.

		MCCUE
	Why?

		SCHWARTZ
	Hildy won't be able to stay away 
	from a paper any longer than that. 
	Did you see her eyes light up when 
	she came in here? Like an old fire 
	horse.

		MURPHY
	She says she's gonna write fiction.

		ENDICOTT
	Well, if she's gonna write fiction, 
	there's nothing like being a reporter.

		SCHWARTZ
	I'll give ten to five that marriage 
	won't last six months. Hildy's a 
	newspaper man. She's got headlines 
	in her veins -- the way we all have 
	or we'd be out of these lousy jobs.

Mollie Malloy appears in doorway. She moves slowly into the 
room.

		MCCUE
	Well, well -- Miss Mollie Malloy.

		MURPHY
	Hello, Mollie.

		WILSON
	How's tricks, Mollie?

CLOSE SHOT MOLLIE

		MOLLIE
	I've been lookin' for you tramps.

MED. GROUP SHOT

		ENDICOTT
	Kid, those were pretty roses you 
	sent Earl. What do you want done 
	with them tomorrow morning?

		MOLLIE
		(tensely)
	A lot of wise guys, ain't you?

		SCHWARTZ
		(uncomfortably)
	You're breaking up the game, Mollie. 
	What do you want?

		MOLLIE
	I want to tell you what I think of 
	you -- all of you.

Hildy appears in the doorway and comes into the room.

		MURPHY
	Keep your shirt on.

		MOLLIE
		(to Murphy)
	If you was worth breaking my fingers 
	on, I'd tear your face wide open.

Hildy goes to desk and begins typing away.

		MURPHY
	What are you sore about, sweetheart? 
	Wasn't that a swell story we gave 
	you?

		MOLLIE
	You crumbs have been making a fool 
	out of me long enough!

		BENSINGER
		(rising and coming 
		over)
	She oughtn't be allowed in here!

CLOSEUP MOLLIE

		MOLLIE
		(flaring)
	I never said I loved Earl Williams 
	and was willing to marry him on the 
	gallows! You made that up! And about 
	my being his soul-mate and having a 
	love-nest with him.

CLOSE SHOT ENDICOTT

looking up at her.

		ENDICOTT
	You've been sucking around that cuckoo 
	ever since he's been in the death-
	house. Everybody knows you're his 
	sweetheart.

CLOSEUP MOLLIE

She blows up.

		MOLLIE
	That's a lie! I met Mr. Williams 
	just once in my life when he was 
	wandering around in the rain without 
	his hat and coat on, like a sick 
	dog, the day before the shooting. I 
	went up to him like any human being 
	would and I asked him what was the 
	matter, and he told me about being 
	fired after working at the same place 
	for fourteen years, and I brought 
	him up to my room because it was 
	warm there.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

She is typing away, stops to look over at Mollie, then 
resolutely turns away, studies her stuff, and begins typing 
again.

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	Aw, put it on a phonograph!

MED. SHOT MOLLIE AND OTHERS

		MOLLIE
	Just because you want to fill your 
	lying paper with a lot of dirty 
	scandal, you got to crucify him and 
	make a stooge out of me!

		ENDICOTT
		(to Mollie)
	Got a match?

		MOLLIE
		(heedless)
	I tell you he just sat there talking 
	to me -- all night. And never once 
	laid a hand on me. In the morning he 
	went away, and I never saw him again 
	till that day at the trial!

The boys laugh.

CLOSEUP MOLLIE

She lashes out at them.

		MOLLIE
	Go on, laugh! I'd like to know some 
	curses bad enough for your greasy 
	souls! Sure, I was his witness -- 
	the only one he had. Yes -- me -- 
	cheap little Mollie Malloy! I'm 
	everything the District Attorney 
	said I was. And still I was the only 
	one with guts enough to stand up for 
	him! I told the truth and the District 
	Attorney knows it! That's why you're 
	persecutin' me! Because Earl Williams 
	treated me decent and not like an 
	animal -- and I said so!

MEDIUM SHOT

		MURPHY
		(finally irritated)
	Go into your dance! This is the Press 
	Room. We're busy.

		WILSON
	Why don't you go and see your boy-
	friend?

		ENDICOTT
		(winks at the others)
	But you'll have to hurry up -- he 
	left a call for seven A.M.

		MOLLIE
		(through her teeth)
	It's a wonder a bolt of lightning 
	don't come down and strike you all 
	dead!

From o.s. comes sound of the gallows. Mollie gasps.

		ENDICOTT
		(suddenly uncomfortable)
	Don't get hysterical, kid.

		MOLLIE
		(begins to sob)
	Shame on you!

CLOSE SHOT MOLLIE -- TAKING IN MURPHY

		MOLLIE
		(hysterically)
	A poor little fellow that never meant 
	nobody no harm! Sitting there alone 
	this minute with the Angel of Death 
	beside him, and you cracking jokes!

CLOSEUP HILDY

typing away furiously, regardless of this. She ends a page. 
The sound of Mollie sobbing comes over the scene. Hildy 
inserts a fresh page.

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	If you don't shut up, we'll give you 
	something to cry about!

Hildy looks o.s. and rises determinedly.

MEDIUM SHOT - MOLLIE BACKING AWAY FROM MURPHY

She is still sobbing. Hildy comes into scene and puts her 
arm around Mollie.

		HILDY
		(gently)
	Come on, Mollie. This is no place 
	for you.
		(she leads Mollie 
		toward door)

		MOLLIE
	They're not human!

		HILDY
	They're newspaper men, Mollie. They 
	can't help themselves. The Lord made 
	them that way.

		MOLLIE
		(one look back as 
		Hildy leads her out 
		door)
	It wasn't the Lord! It was the devil!

Hildy and Mollie exit. There is a pause. The boys look at 
each other uncomfortably. The phone rings. Wilson goes to 
answer.

		MURPHY
		(picking up cards)
	You guys wanna play some more poker?

		ENDICOTT
	What's the use? I can't win a pot.

CLOSE SHOT WILSON AT PHONE

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Who? Hildy Johnson? She just stepped 
	out. She'll be back in a second. 
	Who? Oh, Mr. Baldwin. Well, if you'll 
	hang on a minute, she ought to be 
	right in. All right.
		(he covers transmitter)

MED. SHOT TAKING DOOR

		WILSON
		(to others)
	Baldwin. The blushing bridegroom -- 
	himself.

		SCHWARTZ
	What's he want?

		WILSON
	Wants Hildy -- and sounds very 
	excited.

Hildy comes back. Looks at them and stares contemptuously.

		HILDY
	Gentlemen of the Press! Always picking 
	on somebody who can't defend himself -- 
	the littler the better.

		WILSON
	Phone for you, Hildy.

		HILDY
		(going toward it)
	Who is it?

		WILSON
	Oh, some insurance man. Are you in?

		HILDY
		(grabbing phone)
	Give me that!

CLOSEUP HILDY

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Hello! Hello! Bruce?... what?... 
	Where are you?... You're where?... 
	How did that happen?...
		(she listens 
		unbelievingly a second)
	I'll be right over!

MED. SHOT

as Hildy hangs up and darts out of room. The others watch in 
amazement.

		MURPHY
	Boy, did you see her go?

		ENDICOTT
	Lioness Rushes to Defense of Cub.

		WILSON
	I told you Baldwin was in trouble.

		MCCUE
	Probably went out without his hankie 
	and wants Mamma to wipe his nose.

		SCHWARTZ
	I still give that marriage six months.

										DISSOLVE TO:

CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

at phone.

		BENSINGER
	Hello, baby, get me the Sheriff's 
	offico, will you... Hello, Sheriff 
	Hartman?... This is Bensinger. How 
	about that favor? You know what: 
	once and for all, will you hang this 
	guy at five A.M. instead of seven? 
	It won't hurt you and we can make 
	the City Edition.

INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE CLOSE SHOT SHERIFF HARTMAN

at phone.

		HARTMAN
		(indignantly)
	Once and for all, I'm not going to 
	hang anybody except at the legal 
	hour... What? Don't threaten me, 
	Bensinger! I'm not afraid of any 
	newspapers. Yeah?... Oh, shut up!
		(he hangs up; an 
		afterthought -- he 
		calls up operator)
	And, operator, I told you not to 
	disturb me! I don't care who calls -- 
	I don't want to be disturbed again 
	till I tell you!
		(he hangs up -- turns 
		to somebody o.s. and 
		speaks)
	How do you like that, Dr. Egelhoffer? 
	Want me to hang williams at their 
	convenience!

CAMERA PULLS BACK TO A MED. GROUP SHOT, showing Williams, 
Sheriff Hartman and Dr. Egelhoffer. They are the only 
occupants of room. Williams is seated facing a large standing 
searchlight.

		EGELHOFFER
	The newspapers! Sheriff, they're the 
	scum of modern civilization.

		HARTMAN
	You said it!

		EGELHOFFER
	They're always after me for 
	interviews.

		HARTMAN
	Me, too.

		EGELHOFFER
		(fencing)
	Of course, I sort of promised them I 
	would give out a statement when I 
	got through here. You don't mind?

		HARTMAN
		(not liking it)
	Well, I don't know if that's ethical. 
	You see, all statements are supposed 
	to come from me.

		EGELHOFFER
		(he'll bargain)
	We'll have to satisfy them. What 
	would you say to giving them a joint 
	interview? I could give them some of 
	the psychological aspects of the 
	case and you could give them the 
	legal aspects.

		HARTMAN
		(he buys)
	A joint interview, eh? That might be 
	all right. We could have our pictures 
	taken together, Doctor.

		EGELHOFFER
	Yes, shaking hands. I don't take a 
	very good picture, though.

		HARTMAN
	It doesn't matter. The publicity's 
	the main thing.

		EGELHOFFER
	Yes, I suppose so. It all helps.

		WILLIAMS
		(just a spectator up 
		to now)
	Are you gentlemen all through with 
	me?

		EGELHOFFER
	Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were 
	here. No, Mr. Williams, we still 
	have some questions for you. Sheriff, 
	will you kindly extinguish the lights?

The Sheriff puts out the lights and the Doctor switches on 
the searchlight, which shines in Williams' face.

		EGELHOFFER
	You know you are to be executed, Mr. 
	Williams. Who do you feel is 
	responsible for that?

		WILLIAMS
	The system. But I'm not afraid to 
	die, Doctor. I'm dying for what I 
	believe.

		EGELHOFFER
	I see. You realize, however, that 
	you committed a crime?

CLOSEUP WILLIAMS

		WILLIAMS
	In a legal sense, yes. But not 
	actually. Actually, I'm innocent. I 
	didn't do anything.

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. POLICE CELL CLOSEUP BRUCE

		BRUCE
	I'm innocent. I didn't do anything. 
	I never stole a watch in my life.

CAMERA PULLS BACK to show us Bruce in police cell. Hildy 
outside. A police lieutenant with her in b.g.

		HILDY
	I know you didn't, Bruce.

She whirls on lieutenant.

		HILDY
		(to lieutenant)
	Let him out of here, Lieutenant.

		LIEUTENANT
		(conciliatingly)
	But, Hildy, I can't. He's accused of 
	stealing a watch. And they found the 
	watch on him.

		HILDY
	And who accused him? Diamond Louis! 
	One of the worst crooks in town! Why 
	don't you arrest Louis instead of 
	innocent people that he frames?

		LIEUTENANT
	Now, Hildy --

		HILDY
	Don't Hildy me! Are you going to let 
	him out?

		LIEUTENANT
	I can't.

		HILDY
	All right. You can't. But tomorrow 
	the Post will run the story of that 
	roulette game on 43rd Street that 
	your brother-in-law runs. And we'll 
	print that you get five hundred a 
	month for forgetting about it!

		LIEUTENANT
	Now, Hildy, don't be hasty! I can't 
	let him out.

		HILDY
	You can let him out on bail, can't 
	you?

		LIEUTENANT
	Five hundred dollars.

		HILDY
	You'll take fifty and like it!

		LIEUTENANT
		(wavers)
	Well, all right. But I'm liable to 
	get into a jam.

He starts to open cell door.

		HILDY
	You'll get into a worse one if you 
	don't.

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. TAXI (PROCESS SHOT)

Hildy is combing Bruce's hair. He begins to look presentable. 
He fumbles in his breast pocket.

		HILDY
	What's the matter?

		BRUCE
	I lost my wallet.

		HILDY
		(stops)
	The check, Bruce!

Bruce picks up his hat and gets check out of lining.

		BRUCE
	That's right here. Gee, it was lucky 
	your telling me about that old 
	newspaper superstition.

		HILDY
		(taking check and 
		putting it away)
	Yes, wasn't it?

		BRUCE
	I can't imagine who did it. I can't 
	think of any enemies I have.

		HILDY
		(looking at him fondly)
	I'm sure you haven't any.

		BRUCE
	For a minute, I thought maybe Walter 
	Burns was at the back of it. But 
	then I realized he couldn't have 
	been.

		HILDY
	Oh, no. How could you ever think of 
	such a thing?

		BRUCE
	Oh, I realized right away. He's really 
	a very nice fellow, Hildy -- I found 
	that out.

		HILDY
	Yes, he is... Look, Bruce, we're 
	taking that next train -- and when I 
	say next train, this time I mean it!

		BRUCE
	Did you finish the interview?

		HILDY
		(to driver)
	The Criminal Courts Building.

The driver nods.

		HILDY
		(to Bruce)
	No -- but I'm sure it'll be all right 
	with Walter.

		BRUCE
	But, gee, Hildy -- he gave us that 
	insurance business -- and you promised --

		HILDY
	Well, the story's practically 
	finished. I'll just go upstairs and 
	send it over with a messenger.

The cab stops. Hildy gets out and Bruce starts to follow. 
Hildy turns and pushes him back in the cab.

EXT. STREET MED. SHOT HILDY

at door of cab. Bruce in cab.

		HILDY
	No, you stay here. I'm not taking 
	any more chances. I'll be down in 
	three minutes -- and don't you dare 
	move!

Hildy turns and starts for stairs of Criminal Courts Building.

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PRESS ROOM MED. SHOT AT HILDY'S DESK

Schwartz is reading Hildy's interview to the other boys, who 
are grouped around. Bensinger is at his desk, a book open, 
but listening.

		SCHWARTZ
		(reading)
	"But the State has a production for 
	use plan, too. It has a gallows and 
	at seven A.M., unless a miracle 
	occurs, that gallows will be used to 
	separate the soul of Earl Williams 
	from his body. And out of Molly 
	Malloy's life will go the one kindly 
	soul she ever knew --"
		(he stops)
	That's as far as Hildy got. But, I 
	ask you, can that girl write an 
	interview?

		BENSINGER
	I don't think it's very ethical 
	reading other people's stuff.

		ENDICOTT
	Don't give us that ethics stuff. 
	You'll be the only one who'll swipe 
	any of it.

		SCHWARTZ
	I still say anybody that writes like 
	that ain't going to give it up 
	permanently to sew sox for a guy in 
	the insurance business. Now I give 
	that marriage three months and I'm 
	laying three to one. Any takers?

		HILDY'S VOICE
	I'll take that bet.

They turn. Hildy comes into the scene.

		HILDY
		(going to her phone)
	It's getting so a girl can't step 
	out of the room without being 
	discussed by a bunch of old ladies.
		(into phone; her voice 
		assumes a silken 
		quality)
	Hello, Post... Mr. Walter Burns, 
	please.

CLOSE SHOT SCHWARTZ

		SCHWARTZ
		(embarrassed)
	Well, Hildy, we were only saying 
	that a swell reporter like you 
	wouldn't give this up so easily.

MED. SHOT FEATURING HILDY

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	This is Hildy Johnson...
		(to Schwartz)
	Oh, I can give it up all right. 
	Without a single quiver. I'm going 
	to live like a human being -- not 
	like you rats.
		(into phone)
	Oh, is that you, Walter dear? Oh, I 
	didn't mean "dear." That was just 
	habit, I guess. Oh, be yourself, 
	Walter. I've got some news for you... 
	Yes, I got the interview, but I've 
	got some news that's more important.

The others are listening, suspecting a scoop.

		HILDY
	Better get a pencil out and write it 
	down. All ready?
		(then with a sudden 
		change of pace)
	Get this, you double-crossing 
	chimpanzee, there ain't gonna be any 
	interview and there ain't gonna be 
	any story... Huh? That certified 
	check of yours is leaving with me in 
	twenty minutes. And if I ever see 
	you again, it's going to be just too 
	bad... Eh?... Oh, you don't know 
	what I'm angry about, do you? If you 
	come over I'll be very glad to tell 
	you the story of Louie's watch. I 
	dare you to come over, you -- you -- 
	skunk in sheep's clothing! And bring 
	that bodyguard of yours, too -- you'll 
	need him.

QUICK CUTS OF REACTION FROM OTHERS

CLOSEUP HILDY

		HILDY
	...And I just want you to listen to 
	one more thing.

She gets her story out of typewriter, applies it to 
transmitter and tears it up.

		HILDY
	Hear that? That's the interview I 
	wrote... Yes, I know we made a 
	bargain. I just said I'd write it -- 
	I didn't say I wouldn't tear it up. 
	Yes, it's all in little pieces now, 
	Walter, and I hope to do the same 
	for you some time!

She hangs up.

MED. SHOT FEATURING HILDY

She reaches under her desk, pulls up bag, talking all the 
time. The others are too startled to do anything but listen.

		HILDY
	And that's my farewell to the 
	newspaper game. I'm going to live a 
	normal life and have a home.

She reaches into the drawer of desk and gets some stuff which 
she puts into bag.

		HILDY
	I'm going to be a woman, not a 
	newsgetting machine. I'm going to 
	have babies and nurse them and love 
	them and give 'em cod liver oil and 
	worry about their new teeth -- and 
	the minute I catch one of them even 
	looking at a newspaper, I'm going to 
	brain him! Where's my hat?

Someone points to her hat. She rises and goes toward it. Her 
bag is still open. Her phone rings. Schwartz answers it.

		SCHWARTZ
		(subdued tones)
	Hello, Mr. Burns. Yes, she's still 
	here.

		HILDY
		(stopping midway to 
		her hat)
	I'll take it.
		(she comes over to 
		phone)
	What's the matter, Mr. Burns -- don't 
	you understand English? -- Why, your 
	language is shocking, Mr. Burns -- 
	positively shocking! I don't mind 
	because I was married to you and 
	know what to expect, but suppose 
	Central is listening in... Oh, did 
	you hear that, Central? We ought to 
	report him, don't you think?... Oh, 
	fooey on you!

She pulls the phone out of the wall, walks toward window and 
tosses it out of the window. She waits for the crash, turns 
back and says:

		HILDY
	Now where was that hat? Oh, yes.

She starts toward it.

INT. SHERIFF HARTMAN'S OFFICE MED. SHOT

		WILLIAMS
	I hope you're pretty nearly through 
	with me, Doctor, I'm getting a little 
	fatigued.

		HARTMAN
	Yeah, you don't want to tire him 
	out, Doctor.

		EGELHOFFER
	Just one thing more. I'd like to 
	reenact the crime, Mr. Williams. May 
	I have your gun, please, Sheriff?

Hartman starts to take gun out, hesitates.

		HARTMAN
	I don't know --

		EGELHOFFER
		(insistently)
	Come, come, Sheriff, lightning doesn't 
	strike in the same place twice. 
	Nothing's going to happen.

Hartman hands him the gun.

		EGELHOFFER
	Now, the Sheriff will be Mollie 
	Malloy, in whose room you were. You 
	will be Earl Williams. And I will be 
	the policeman. Follow me, Mr. 
	Williams?

		WILLIAMS
	Yes, sir.

Egelhoffer hands the gun to Williams and then backs up a few 
paces.

		EGELHOFFER
	So -- now I say to you: 'Earl 
	Williams, you are under arrest!' and 
	you point your gun at me.

		WILLIAMS
		(hesitantly)
	Well, it wasn't exactly that way --

		EGELHOFFER
		(insistently)
	Point the gun at me!

Williams does so.

		EGELHOFFER
	Then what did you do?

Williams hesitates for a moment and then pulls the trigger. 
Hartman promptly dives under the desk as Egelhoffer topples 
over.

		WILLIAMS
		(pathetically)
	Now can I go, please?

There is a loud banging on the door and a voice calling:

		VOICE
	Hey, Sheriff! Open up! What happened?

Williams, alarmed by voice, turns and starts toward window.

INT. PRESS ROOM MED. GROUP SHOT

Hildy is now wearing her hat and gloves. She picks up her 
bag and starts for the door.

		ENDICOTT
	Goodbye, Yonson.

		MCCUE
	So long, Hildy.

		MURPHY
	Send us a postcard, kid.

		SCHWARTZ
	Who'll keep the lamp in the window 
	for you.

		BENSINGER
	Goodbye, Hildy.

Hildy has crossed to doorway, the CAMERA TRUCKING WITH HER. 
She turns and faces the room to make a last bravura speech.

		HILDY
	Well, goodbye, you wage-slaves. When 
	you're crawling up fire escapes, 
	getting kicked out of front doors, 
	and eating Christmas dinners in one-
	armed joints, don't forget your pal, 
	Hildy Johnson! And, remember, my 
	husband sells insurance!

She turns and starts on a bit of verse:

		HILDY
	"It takes a heap o' livin' to make a 
	house a home."

She is interrupted by a terrific fusillade of shots in the 
courtyard. A roar of excited voices comes up. For a tense 
second, everyone is motionless. There is another volley of 
shots. Wilson, Endicott and Murphy jump for the window.

CLOSE SHOT AT WINDOW

		VOICES FROM COURTYARD
	Get the riot guns! Spread out, you 
	fellows! Etc.

		WILSON
	There's a jail-break!

		MURPHY
		(at window, 
		simultaneously)
	Cooley! What's the matter What's 
	happened?

		VOICES FROM YARD
	Watch the gate! He's probably trying 
	the gate!

Outside, a siren begins to wail.

		ENDICOTT
		(out the window)
	Who got away? Who was it?

		VOICE OUTSIDE
	Earl... Williams!!!

		THE REPORTERS
	Who? Who'd he say? Earl Williams! It 
	was Earl Williams! He got away! Etc.

SHOT AT DESK

		MCCUE
	Holy ---! Gimme that telephone!
		(works hook frantically)
	Hurry! Hurry up! This is important!

MED. SHOT TAKING IN DOOR

Searchlights hit the windows, sweeping from direction of the 
jail. Hildy stands paralyzed, her bundle in her hand. There 
is another rifle volley. Two windowpanes crash into the room. 
Some plaster falls. Gongs sound above the siren. The boys 
are jumping for their telephones. Another windowpane goes.

		MCCUE
		(screaming)
	Look out!

CLOSE SHOT AT WINDOW

		MURPHY
		(out the window)
	Look out where you're aiming, will 
	you?

A QUICK MONTAGE

of reporters at their various phones follows: "Gimme the 
desk!" "Flash!" "Earl Williams just escaped!" "Don't know 
yet -- call you back.", etc., are shouted into the phones by 
Schwartz, Wilson, McCue, Endicott, Bensinger and Murphy. 
After each man communicates with his paper, he dashes for 
the door.

MEDIUM SHOT

The last of the reporters is gone.

CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

Her bag, almost unnoticed, falls to the floor. CAMERA TRUCKS 
WITH HER as she moves back into the room, absently grabbing 
and trailing a chair.

ANOTHER ANGLE

		HILDY
	Ahhh --

She lets go of the chair and takes one of the telephones.

		HILDY
	Morning Post?... Get me Walter Burns -- 
	quick! Hildy Johnson calling.

Very calmly she sits on the long table, her back against the 
wall and waits.

CLOSEUP - HILDY

		HILDY
	Walter?... Hildy. Earl Williams just 
	escaped from the County Jail. Yep... 
	yep... yep... don't worry! I'm on 
	the job!

She hangs up.

MEDIUM SHOT

There is another volley outside. Hildy sails her hat and 
starts peeling off her gloves as she jumps for the door.

EXT. COURTYARD - DAY MEDIUM SHOT - AT THE GATE

There are the reporters joining armed guards who are leaping 
into squad cars ready for the chase. Cooley is beside the 
gate. As the reporters and guards pile into the cars, the 
gate opens and out they go.

MEDIUM SHOT AT DOOR LEADING FROM BUILDING TO COURTYARD

Hildy comes on a run from this door, hesitates a moment, 
then sees something o.s. and runs for it.

MED. SHOT - SQUAD CAR

as it comes careening across courtyard toward gate. Hildy 
tears into scene, jumps for and makes the running-board, and 
hangs there as the car swerves up to the gate.

MED. SHOT - AT GATE

Hildy notices Cooley as the car, gathering speed, goes by 
him. She leaps from the running-board and lands clump on 
Cooley.

CLOSE SHOT - HILDY AND COOLEY

Cooley has been knocked to the ground by the impact of Hildy's 
leap. She is sitting on him.

		HILDY
	Cooley, I want to talk to you.

		COOLEY
		(trying to get up)
	Hildy -- I can't. I'm busy -- I -- 
	Let me up, Hildy. Earl Williams has 
	escaped --

He struggles.

		HILDY
	There's money in it, Cooley.

		COOLEY
	I can't Hildy. It means my job! It 
	means --

		HILDY
		(interrupting him)
	A lot of money.
		(she opens her bag)
	Four hundred and fifty dollars --

She fingers the bills.

		COOLEY
	How much?

		HILDY
	Four hundred and fifty dollars. Is 
	it a deal?

		COOLEY
	It's a deal. Let me up.

Cooley gets up and dusts himself off.

		COOLEY
	Let's see the money.

		HILDY
		(money still in her 
		hand)
	First we talk. How did Earl Williams 
	get that gun?

Cooley looks around quickly.

		COOLEY
	Come on, and I'll tell you.

He jerks his head, indicating to Hildy to follow him.

MEDIUM SHOT

They move off as the gates are closed.

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PRESS ROOM - CRIMINAL COURTS BUILDING - DAY FULL SHOT

The room is empty. All the telephones are ringing crazily. 
Endicott enters hurriedly, crosses to his phone.

		ENDICOTT
		(into phone)
	Endicott talking.

CLOSE SHOT ENDICOTT - AT PHONE

		ENDICOTT
		(into phone)
	No -- nobody knows where he got the 
	gun, but I think Mollie Malloy 
	smuggled it in to him. He ran up the 
	fire-escape, and went back in the 
	infirmary window. Then he got out 
	through the skylight. He must have 
	slid down the rain-pipe to the street.

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	Gimme the Desk.

MED. TWO SHOT

including Murphy and Endicott at separate phones.

		ENDICOTT
	No, I tell you! Nobody knows where 
	he got it.

		MURPHY
	The Crime Commission has offered a 
	reward of ten thousand dollars for 
	Williams' capture.

		ENDICOTT
	Call you back.

He hangs up swiftly and goes out.

		MURPHY
	No clue yet as to Earl Williams' 
	whereabouts. Here's a little feature 
	though: There's been an accident 
	about a tear bomb --

Wilson enters and picks up his phone.

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Wilson talking.

		MURPHY
	Yeah -- tear bomb. Criminals cry for 
	it.

MEDIUM SHOT

including Murphy, Wilson and doorway. The Sheriff enters, 
turning as he enters. As he turns back to someone in corridor:

		HARTMAN
	If the Mayor wants me, he knows where 
	I am.

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	This tear bomb went off unexpectedly 
	in the hands of Sheriff Hartman's 
	Bombing Squad.

		HARTMAN
	What went off?

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	Four of Mr. Hartman's Deputy Sheriffs 
	were rushed to the hospital --

		HARTMAN
	A fine fair-weather friend you are!

		MURPHY
		(remorselessly, into 
		phone)
	The names are Merwyn D. Mayor, who 
	is the Mayor's brother-in-law --

		HARTMAN
	After all I've done for you --

		MURPHY
		(continuing)
	Howard Shenken, the Sheriff's uncle 
	on his mother's side --

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Hello, Jim? Sidelights on Sheriff 
	Hartman's manhunt.

The Sheriff spins around -- another enemy. At this moment 
Hildy enters the room and crosses casually to her telephone 
where she stands waiting.

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	William Lungren, who is the Sheriff's 
	landlord, and Lester Bartow who 
	married the Sheriff's niece. You 
	remember, the very homely dame. Call 
	you back.

He hangs up.

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Mrs. William Tausig, age fifty-five, 
	scrub lady, while at work scrubbing 
	the eighth floor of the Commerce 
	Building, was shot in the left leg 
	by one of Sheriff Hartman's deputies.

Hartman groans. There is a sound of machine-gun firing in 
the courtyard.

		HILDY
	There goes another scrub lady.

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	I'll go right after it.

He hangs up and exits.

		MURPHY
		(to Hildy)
	Any dope yet on how he got out?

		HILDY
	From all I can get the Sheriff let 
	him out so's he could vote for him.

		HARTMAN
	I'm very disappointed in you, Hildy 
	Johnson.

He turns and exits.

CLOSE SHOT AT TABLE NEAR HILDY'S PHONE

taking in Hildy and Murphy.

		MURPHY
	How do you suppose Williams got that 
	gun?

As Hildy shrugs, there is another flurry of machine-gun fire. 
Murphy leaves precipitately. Hildy, alone at last, picks up 
the phone.

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Give me Walter Burns -- quick --

She lays down the telephone receiver and crosses to the door 
which she closes, then returns to the phone.

		HILDY
		(picking up phone)
	Walter, listen. I've got the inside 
	story on how Williams got the gun 
	and escaped.

INT. WALTER BURNS' OFFICE - DAY CLOSE SHOT - BURNS

at his desk, telephone to his ear.

		BURNS
	Exclusive? That's great.

INT. PRESS ROOM - DAY CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

		HILDY
	It cost me four hundred and fifty 
	bucks to tear it out of Cooley.

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT - BURNS

		BURNS
	Never mind that. What's the story?

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

		HILDY
	Never mind it? That's not my money! 
	That's Bruce's money!

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT - BURNS

		BURNS
	You'll get it. Now what's the story?
		(he raises his hand)
	I'll have the paper send the money 
	right down to you. I swear it on my 
	mother's grave.

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

		HILDY
	Wait a minute. Your mother's alive.

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT - BURNS

		BURNS
	I meant on my grandmother's grave. 
	Don't be so technical, Hildy. What's 
	the story?!

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

		HILDY
	Well, this expert Dr. Egelhoffer, 
	from New York, decides to make 
	Williams re-enact the crime --

She starts to giggle at the thought.

		HILDY
	Well, I'm coming to it. It seems the 
	Professor had to have a gun to re-
	enact the crime with -- and who do 
	you suppose supplied it? Nobody else 
	but that great thinker, Sheriff 
	Hartman!

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT - BURNS

		BURNS
		(laughing)
	No kidding, Hildy.
		(suspiciously)
	Say, this isn't a rib?

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

		HILDY
	No, this is on the level, Walter. 
	I'm not good enough to make this one 
	up. The Sheriff gave his gun to the 
	Professor, the Professor gave it to 
	Earl, and Earl gave it right back to 
	the Professor -- right in the stomach! 
	Who? No, Egelhoffer wasn't hurt badly. 
	They took him to the County Hospital 
	where they're afraid he'll recover.

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT - BURNS

		BURNS
	That's great work, Hildy... Huh? Oh, 
	will you stop worrying about the 
	money? I'll see you get it in fifteen 
	minutes.

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT - HILDY

		HILDY
	It better be fifteen minutes, because 
	Bruce is waiting downstairs in a 
	taxicab and that meter's clicking 
	away to beat the band.

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT BURNS

		BURNS
	Hold on a minute.

CAMERA PULLS BACK disclosing Louis and a blonde sitting on a 
divan in Walter's office. Burns' beckons the blonde:

		BURNS
		(his hand carefully 
		over receiver of 
		phone)
	Come here. There's a guy waiting in 
	a taxi in front of the Criminal Courts 
	building. His name is Bruce Baldwin. 
	Can you do your stuff?

		BLONDE
	I've never flopped on you, have I?

		BURNS
	Then scram! You've got about two 
	minutes.

She exits.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Sorry to keep you waiting. How much 
	was it again? Four hundred and fifty 
	dollars? Hang on a second.

He puts his hand over the phone again and beckons to Louis.

		BURNS
		(to Louis)
	I need four hundred and fifty dollars 
	in counterfeit money. You know where 
	I can get it?

		LOUIS
	It's awful funny -- I happen to have 
	some on me.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	It's coming right over. I'm sending 
	it over with Louis. Thanks for the 
	story and good luck on your honeymoon.

INT. PRESS ROOM MED. SHOT HILDY AT TELEPHONE

		HILDY
	Keep the thanks, but just see that 
	the money gets here!

She hangs up. The door opens and McCue enters and crosses to 
his phone.

		MCCUE
	Hello, Hildy. I thought you were 
	gone.

		HILDY
	I thought so, too.

Hildy takes a look at the clock, rises and begins to pace up 
and down, pounding her hands together.

CLOSE SHOT MCCUE AT PHONE

		MCCUE
		(into phone)
	McCue speaking. Mrs. Phoebe DeWolfe, 
	eight-sixty-one and a half South 
	State Street, colored, gave birth to 
	a pickaninny in a patrol wagon with 
	Sheriff Hartman's special Rifle Squad 
	acting as nurses. Well -- Phoebe was 
	walking along the street when all of 
	a sudden she began -- that's right. 
	So the police coaxed her into the 
	patrol wagon and they started a race 
	with the stork. When the pickaninny 
	was born the Rifle Squad examined 
	him carefully to see if it was Earl 
	Williams who they knew was hiding 
	somewhere.

MED. SHOT

Hildy is still pacing. McCue laughs at his own joke.

		MCCUE
		(to Hildy)
	Did you get that, Hildy?

		HILDY
	No -- what?

Hildy's phone rings. She answers.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT PHONE

		HILDY
	Hello -- Bruce! I thought you were 
	downstairs in a -- What? Arrested 
	again! What for this time, Bruce? 
	Mashing! Oh, Bruce, can't I leave 
	you alone for three minutes even? 
	Well, where are you? The 27th 
	Precinct? All right, I'll be right 
	over --
		(she breaks off and 
		looks down at her 
		bag on the desk)
	I'll be over in twenty minutes, Bruce.
		(she hangs up)
	If I ever see Walter Burns --
		(she picks up phone 
		and dials viciously)
	Get me Walter Burns... Hildy Johnson! 
	Well, he was there just a minute 
	ago! Have him call me back!

She hangs up.

MEDIUM SHOT

		HILDY
		(to McCue)
	If Walter Burns calls, hold the wire 
	for me, will you? I'll be right back.
		(she goes out)

		MCCUE
	Okay, Hildy.
		(into phone)
	Well, we can't get any official 
	statement --

MEDIUM SHOT ANOTHER ANGLE

The door opens and the Mayor enters.

		MCCUE
		(into phone)
	Oh, wait a minute -- here's the Mayor. 
	Maybe he'll give us one.

CLOSEUP THE MAYOR

turning away with a wave of his hand.

		MAYOR
	Don't pester me now, please. I got a 
	lot on my mind.

CLOSEUP MCCUE

		MCCUE
		(into phone)
	His Honor won't say anything.

He hangs up and exits out of scene.

MED. CLOSE SHOT MAYOR TAKING IN DOOR

McCue comes in to him. Murphy and Endicott come in.

		MAYOR
		(to McCue)
	Have you seen Sheriff Hartman?

		MCCUE
	It's hard to say, Your Honor. The 
	place is so full of cockroaches.

		MURPHY
	Say, Your Honor, what effect's this 
	jail-break going to have on the 
	colored voters?

CLOSEUP THE MAYOR

		MAYOR
	Not an iota. In what way can an 
	unavoidable misfortune of this sort 
	influence the duty of every citizen, 
	colored or otherwise?

MED. SHOT INCLUDING GROUP

		ENDICOTT
	Your Honor, is there a Red Menace or 
	ain't there?

The Sheriff comes scooting in.

		MAYOR
		(to the Sheriff)
	Hartman, I've been looking for you!

He closes in on the Sheriff, followed by the reporters.

		MURPHY
	So have we!

		ENDICOTT
	What's the dope, Sheriff?

		MURPHY
	Who engineered this getaway?

CLOSE SHOT

		HARTMAN
	Just a minute! We've got him located.

		ENDICOTT
	Williams?

		MURPHY
	Where is he?

		HARTMAN
	Where he used to live. You can catch 
	the Riot Squad -- it's just going 
	out.

The boys beat it, fast.

		MAYOR
	Pete, I want to talk to you!

		HARTMAN
	I ain't got time, Fred, honest. I'll 
	see you after.

		MAYOR
	Did you actually give Williams that 
	gun?

		HARTMAN
		(a wail)
	The professor asked me for it -- I 
	thought it was for something 
	scientific!

		MAYOR
	Pete, I've got a mighty unpleasant 
	task to perf --

The Sheriff suddenly nudges him for quiet, and the Mayor, 
turning, sees:

ANOTHER ANGLE FEATURING SCHWARTZ

coming in and going to the phone. He is whistling.

		SCHWARTZ
	Hiya, Your Honor.
		(into phone)
	Schwartz calling.
		(to the Mayor)
	How about it, Your Honor? Any 
	statement on the Red uprising 
	tomorrow?

		MAYOR
	What Red uprising?

		HARTMAN
	There'll be no Red uprising!

		SCHWARTZ
		(into phone)
	Gimme rewrite --
		(to the Mayor)
	The Governor says the situation calls 
	for the militia.

		MAYOR
	You can quote me as saying that 
	anything the Governor says is a tissue 
	of lies.

		SCHWARTZ
		(into phone)
	Hello, Jake. Here's a red-hot 
	statement from the Governor. He claims 
	that the Mayor and the Sheriff have 
	shown themselves to be a couple of 
	eight-year-olds playing with fire.

CLOSEUP SHERIFF AND MAYOR

		SCHWARTZ' VOICE
	Quote him as follows: "It is a lucky 
	thing for the city that next Tuesday 
	is Election Day, as the citizens 
	will thus be saved the expense of 
	impeaching the Mayor and the Sheriff." 
	That's all -- call you back.

MED. SHOT SCHWARTZ

He hangs up and starts out.

		SCHWARTZ
	Nice to have seen you, Mayor.

He exits, whistling.

		MAYOR
	We've got to go somewhere private, 
	Pete. I've got to talk to you straight 
	from the shoulder.

They start out.

MED. SHOT SHERIFF AND MAYOR

As they start for the door it opens. As they exit Hildy 
enters, almost crossing them but not quite noticing them as 
she starts pounding her hands together and pacing up and 
down Press Room.

MED. SHOT MAYOR AND SHERIFF

as they start down the hall, CAMERA TRUCKING WITH THEM.

		HARTMAN
		(beside himself)
	Now, listen, Fred. Just give me a 
	few hours before you make any 
	decisions. I'll get results. I'm 
	doing everything humanly possible. 
	I've just sworn in four hundred 
	deputies.

		MAYOR
	Four hundred! Do you want to bankrupt 
	this administration?

		HARTMAN
		(pleadingly)
	I'm getting them for twelve dollars 
	a night.

		MAYOR
	Twelve dollars! -- For those rheumatic 
	uncles of yours?
		(gesturing)
	Out shooting everybody they see for 
	the fun of it?

		HARTMAN
		(with dignity)
	If you're talking about my brother-
	in-law, he's worked for the city 
	fifteen years.

They come to the door of the Sheriff's office. Hartman opens 
door and the Mayor enters, Hartman following.

INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE MED. CLOSE SHOT

Hartman closes door and turns to Mayor, who faces him 
portentously.

		MAYOR
	Pete, you're through!

		HARTMAN
		(stunned)
	What do you mean -- through?

		MAYOR
	I mean I'm scratching your name off 
	the ticket Tuesday and running 
	Czernecki in your place. It's nothing 
	personal. And, Pete -- it's the only 
	way out. It's a sacrifice we all 
	ought to be glad to make.

		HARTMAN
		(David to Jonathan)
	Fred!

		MAYOR
	Now, Pete! Please don't appeal to my 
	Sentimental side.

		HARTMAN
	Fred, I don't know what to say. A 
	thing like this almost destroys a 
	man's faith in human nature.

		MAYOR
	I wish you wouldn't talk like that, 
	Pete.

		HARTMAN
	Our families, Fred. I've always looked 
	on Bessie as my own sister.

		MAYOR
		(wavering and desperate)
	If there was any way out...

As a phone rings:

		HARTMAN
	There is a way out. I've got Williams 
	surrounded, haven't I? What more do 
	you want?
		(into phone)
	Hello... Yes... Hello!
		(wildly)
	Four hundred suppers! Nothing doing! 
	This is a man-hunt -- not a 
	banquet!... The twelve dollars 
	includes everything!!

He hangs up.

		HARTMAN
	That gives you an idea of what I'm 
	up against!

		MAYOR
		(hotly)
	We're up against a lot more than 
	that with that nutty slogan you 
	invented: 'Reform the Reds With a 
	Rope'.

Sheriff winces.

		MAYOR
	Williams ain't a Red, and you know 
	it!

		HARTMAN
	Well, there's a lot of Communistic 
	sympathizers around --

		MAYOR
	I know it! But they've got nothing 
	to do with this case! Do you realize 
	there are two hundred thousand votes 
	at stake and unless we hang Earl 
	Williams we're going to lose 'em?

		HARTMAN
	But we're going to hang him, Fred. 
	He can't get away.

A knock on the door.

		MAYOR
	What do you mean he can't get away?! 
	He got away, didn't he?

Knocking louder.

		MAYOR
	Who's out there?

		VOICE OUTSIDE (PINKUS)
	Is Sheriff Hartman in there?

Sheriff starts for door.

		HARTMAN
		(relieved)
	Ah! For me!

MED. SHOT TAKING IN DOOR

Sheriff opens the door. A small, very colorless and 
ineffectual man named Pinkus is there.

		HARTMAN
		(as he opens door, 
		disclosing Pinkus)
	I'm Sheriff Hartman. You want me?

		PINKUS
		(coming in)
	You're certainly a hard fellow to 
	find, Sheriff.

		MAYOR
		(annoyed)
	What do you want?

		PINKUS
		(taking a document 
		from his pocket and 
		proffering it to 
		Sheriff)
	I'm a messenger at the State House. 
	This is from the Governor.

		MAYOR
	What's from the Governor?

		PINKUS
	The reprieve for Earl Williams.

		HARTMAN
		(stunned)
	For who?

		PINKUS
		(amiably)
	Earl Williams. The reprieve.

		MAYOR
	W-wait a minute.

Getting his bearings.

		HARTMAN
		(bursting forth)
	The Governor gave me his word of 
	honor he wouldn't interfere. Two 
	days ago!

		MAYOR
	And you fell for it, Pete. It 
	frightens me what I'd like to do to 
	you.
		(to Pinkus)
	Who else knows about this?

The Sheriff, with shaking hands, opens and begins to read 
the thing.

		PINKUS
	They were all standing around when 
	he wrote it. It was after they got 
	back from fishing.

		MAYOR
		(to Sheriff)
	Get the Governor on the phone!

		PINKUS
		(helpfully)
	You can't get him on the phone. He's 
	out duckshooting now.

		MAYOR
	Fishing! Duckshooting! How do you 
	like that. A guy does nothing more 
	strenuous for forty years than play 
	pinochle -- he gets elected Governor 
	and right away he thinks he's Tarzan!

		HARTMAN
		(thrusting the document 
		at the Mayor)
	Read it! Insane, he says.
		(shaking a finger in 
		Pinkus' face)
	He knows very well that Williams 
	ain't insane!

		PINKUS
	Yeah. But I --

		MAYOR
		(interrupting)
	Pure politics!

		HARTMAN
	An attempt to ruin us!

The phone rings. Hartman starts for it.

		MAYOR
		(reading)
	Dementia praecox Oh-h-h!

		HARTMAN
	We got to think fast before those 
	lying reporters get hold of this. 
	What'll we tell 'em?

		MAYOR
	Tell 'em the party is through in 
	this State on account of you.

		HARTMAN
	Ah, Fred --
		(into phone)
	Hello... this is Hartman --

		MAYOR
		(apoplectic)
	And you can tell 'em as an 
	afterthought that I want your 
	resignation now!

		HARTMAN
		(from the phone)
	Sssh. Wait, Fred.
		(excitedly, into phone)
	What?... Where?... Where? Holy Moses!

		MAYOR
	What is it?

		HARTMAN
	They got him!
		(back to phone)
	Wait a minute -- hold the wire.
		(to the Mayor)
	They got Earl Williams surrounded -- 
	the Riot Squad has -- in his house.

		MAYOR
	Tell 'em to hold the wire.

		HARTMAN
	I did.
		(into phone)
	Hold the wire.

		MAYOR
	Cover up that transmitter!

Sheriff does so. Mayor faces Cooney.

		MAYOR
	Now, listen! You never arrived here 
	with this -- reprieve. Get it?

		PINKUS
		(blinking)
	Yes, I did, just now. Don't you 
	remember?

		MAYOR
	How much do you make a week?

		PINKUS
	Huh?

		MAYOR
		(impatiently)
	How much do you make a week? What's 
	your salary?

		PINKUS
		(reluctantly)
	Forty dollars.

		HARTMAN
		(into phone)
	No -- don't out me off.

		MAYOR
	How would you like to have a job for 
	three hundred and fifty dollars a 
	month. That's almost a hundred dollars 
	a week!

		PINKUS
	Who? Me?

		MAYOR
		(exasperated)
	Who do you think!

Pinkus is a little startled; the Mayor hastens to adopt a 
milder manner.

		MAYOR
	Now, listen. There's a fine opening 
	for a fellow like you in the City 
	Sealer's office.

		PINKUS
	The what?

		MAYOR
	The City Sealer's office!

		PINKUS
	You mean here in the city?

		MAYOR
		(foaming)
	Yes, yes!

		HARTMAN
		(at phone)
	Well, wait a minute, will you? I'm 
	in conference.

		PINKUS
		(a very deliberate 
		intellect)
	No, I couldn't do that.

		MAYOR
	Why not?

		PINKUS
	I couldn't work in the city. You 
	see, I've got my family in the 
	country.

		MAYOR
		(desperate)
	But you could bring 'em in here! 
	We'll pay all your expenses.

		PINKUS
		(with vast thought)
	No, I don't think so.

		MAYOR
	For heaven's sake, why not?

		PINKUS
	I got two kids going to school there, 
	and if I changed them from one town 
	to another, they'd lose a grade.

		MAYOR
	No, they wouldn't -- they'd gain 
	one! And I guarantee that they'll 
	graduate with highest honors!

		PINKUS
		(lured)
	Yeah?

		HARTMAN
		(into phone)
	Hold your horses -- will you, Olsen? 
	Hurry up, Fred!

		MAYOR
	Now what do you say?

		PINKUS
	This puts me in a peculiar hole.

		MAYOR
	No, it doesn't.
		(hands him the reprieve)
	Now, remember: you never delivered 
	this.
		(rushing him to the 
		door)
	You got caught in the traffic, or 
	something.
		(opening door)
	Now, get out of here and don't let 
	anybody see you.

		PINKUS
	But how do I know...?

		MAYOR
	Come in and see me in my office 
	tomorrow. What's your name?

		PINKUS
	Pinkus.

		MAYOR
		(taking out his wallet)
	All right, Mr. Pinkus, all you've 
	got to do is lay low and keep your 
	mouth shut. Here!
		(he hands him a card)
	Go to this address. It's a nice, 
	homey little place, and they'll take 
	care of you for the night. Just tell 
	'em Fred sent you. And here's fifty 
	dollars on account.

He pushes money into Pinkus's hand and pushes him through 
the door. Pinkus goes.

		HARTMAN
		(into phone, 
		desperately)
	Will you wait, Olsen? I'll tell you 
	in a minute!

The door opens again and Pinkus comes back in.

		PINKUS
	You forgot to tell me what a City 
	Sealer has to do.

		MAYOR
		(turning hastily toward 
		Pinkus)
	I'll explain it tomorrow!

		PINKUS
	Is it hard?

		MAYOR
	No! It's easy -- it's very easy!

		HARTMAN
		(pleadingly, into 
		phone)
	Just one second --

		PINKUS
	That's good, because my health ain't 
	what it used to be.

		MAYOR
		(pushing him out the 
		door)
	We'll fix that, too.
		(he closes the door 
		after him)

		HARTMAN
		(into phone -- one 
		more plea)
	Just -- one -- second!

He turns to the Mayor with a gesture of appeal. The Mayor 
closes the door and turns to Hartman.

		MAYOR
		(huskily)
	All right. Tell 'em to shoot to kill.

		HARTMAN
	What?

		MAYOR
	Shoot to kill, I said.

		HARTMAN
	I don't know, Fred. There's that 
	reprieve if they ever find out.

		MAYOR
	Nobody reprieved that policeman he 
	murdered. Now, do as I tell you.

		HARTMAN
		(into phone)
	Hello, Olsen... Listen...
		(his voice is weak)
	Shoot to kill... That's the orders 
	pass the word along... No! We dont 
	want him! And listen, Olsen, five-
	hundred bucks for the guy that does 
	the job... Yes, I'll be right out 
	there.
		(hangs up)
	Well, I hope that's the right thing 
	to do.

		MAYOR
	Now take that guilty look off your 
	face, Pete -- and stop trembling 
	like a horse.

		HARTMAN
		(mopping his brow)
	If we didn't have election Tuesday 
	I'd have this on my conscience.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE PRESS ROOM MED. SHOT

Louie comes from the direction of the stairs and crosses 
toward door to Press Room. He pauses a moment, puts his hand 
in his pocket, pulls out some bills, counts them and opens 
the door.

INT. PRESS ROOM MED. SHOT

Hildy is still pacing, pounding her hands together and 
glancing every so often at the clock on the wall. Suddenly 
she crosses to her phone, picks up transmitter --

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Will you try --

		LOUIE'S VOICE
	Hildy.

		HILDY
		(wheeling towards 
		door)
	Louie!

She drops the phone and hurries towards him.

		HILDY
	Have you got my dough?

		LOUIS
	Oh, sure. The boss sent me over with 
	it. Four hundred dollars, wasn't it?

		HILDY
	Four hundred and fifty and I'll cut 
	your throat if you try any tricks!

		LOUIS
	All right, all right. You can't blame 
	a guy for tryin', can you?

		HILDY
	Come on with that money!

		LOUIS
	First you got to sign a receipt.
		(he pulls out a receipt)

		HILDY
	Where's the money?

		LOUIS
	Keep your shirt on. I got it -- right 
	here.
		(he picks out money 
		and counts)
	One hundred -- two hundred -- three 
	hundred -- four hundred -- and fifty. 
	Now sign.

		HILDY
		(grabs money and signs)
	Here!

		LOUIS
	Thanks. So long, Hildy!

		HILDY
		(grabbing him)
	So long, nothing! Where's Bruce 
	Baldwin's wallet?

		LOUIS
	Huh?

		HILDY
	None of that innocent stuff, you 
	double-crossing hyena! You stuck 
	Bruce Baldwin in jail this afternoon 
	on a phony charge that he swiped 
	your watch, and you frisked his 
	wallet! Now, give me that wallet or 
	I'll stick you in jail and it won't 
	be on any phony charge either! It'll 
	be for life!

		LOUIS
	Now don't get excited, Hildy! I don't 
	know what you're talking about -- 
	but is this Mr. Baldwin's wallet?

He takes Bruce's wallet out.

		HILDY
		(grabbing it)
	You know it is!

		LOUIS
	I didn't frisk him. He must have 
	dropped it in Burns' office. I didn't 
	know whose it was.

		HILDY
	No -- and you don't know that your 
	cheap boss has had Mr. Baldwin 
	arrested again -- do you?

		LOUIS
		(surprised)
	What -- already? Why, the dame left 
	only a minute before I did!

He suddenly realizes what he's said and sprints for the door. 
Hildy chucks something at him. It just misses as he ducks 
out of the door.

MED. SHOT ANOTHER ANGLE

Hildy casts a savage look after the departed Louie, takes 
another look at the clock and grabs a phone and starts to 
dial.

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	27th Precinct Station House?

Hildy stops short, arrested by a sound from the open window. 
She turns and sees Earl Williams, looking more inoffensive 
and exhausted than ever, indeed on the verge of collapse. He 
carries a large revolver. The search-lights that have been 
playing in the courtyard strike into the windows again.

		WILLIAMS
		(pointing gun at her)
	Drop that phone --

Hildy drops the phone back on the hook.

		WILLIAMS
		(supporting himself 
		by holding on to 
		edge of desk)
	You're not going to phone anybody 
	where I am.

		HILDY
		(bracing herself)
	Put down that gun, Earl.

He advances steadily toward Hildy, the gun aimed at her.

		HILDY
	You're not going to shoot me, Earl. 
	I'm your friend, remember? I've got 
	to write that story about your 
	"Production for Use".

		WILLIAMS
	Yes -- that's right. Production for 
	use.

Hildy starts walking toward him, slowly.

		HILDY
	Earl, you don't want to hurt your 
	friends, do you?

		WILLIAMS
	Don't move!

Hildy stops.

		WILLIAMS
	Maybe you're my friend and maybe 
	you're not -- but don't come any 
	nearer. You can't trust anybody in 
	this crazy world. Say, I'll bet I 
	could shoot you from here.

		HILDY
	Sure you could, Earl -- but you 
	wouldn't want to do that, would you? 
	You wouldn't want to kill anybody.

		WILLIAMS
	No, no, you're right. I don't want 
	to kill anybody. All I want to do is 
	be let alone.

Hildy sneaks another step forward.

		HILDY
	Earl, there's just one thing I ought 
	to clear up for the interview.

		WILLIAMS
	What's that? Only -- you're getting 
	too near. I don't trust anybody.

		HILDY
	I don't blame you, Earl.
		(another step forward)
	If I were in your place I wouldn't 
	trust anybody, either.

		WILLIAMS
		(suddenly)
	Keep away!

He points the gun at Hildy, pulls the trigger and we hear a 
faint "click!"

		WILLIAMS
		(weakly)
	I guess I used all the shells.

CLOSE TWO SHOT

He drops the gun and clutches at the edge of the desk for 
support. Hildy lurches forward and she grabs the other side 
of the desk for support. And at this moment she looks more 
tired than he does. She looks at Earl and breathes heavily.

		HILDY
	Earl, you must never do that again.

		WILLIAMS
	Oh, I'm awful tired. I couldn't go 
	through another day like this.

		HILDY
		(more her old self 
		now)
	Well, maybe you think I could!

CAMERA FOLLOWS HER as she retrieves the gun and jams it in 
her purse, jumps to the windows, pulls down the shades.

		EARL'S VOICE
	I'm not afraid to die. I was tellin' 
	the fella that when he handed me the 
	gun.

Hildy crosses swiftly to the door, locks it and puts out the 
lights, so that they are visible only faintly in the light 
from the areaway.

		HILDY
	Don't talk too loud.

		WILLIAMS
		(babbling on as she 
		moves about)
	Wakin' me up in the middle of the 
	night -- talkin' to me about things 
	they don't understand. Callin' me a 
	Bolshevik. I'm an anarchist. It's 
	got nothin' to do with bombs. It's 
	the philosophy that guarantees every 
	man freedom. You see that, don't 
	you?

		HILDY
	Sure I do, Earl.

Hildy is looking around for a hiding place for him.

		WILLIAMS
	I wish they'd take me back and hang 
	me. I done my best.

He abruptly crumples and falls to the floor. Hildy stands 
for a second, desperate. Then she picks him up and half 
carries, half drags him over toward a chair and places him 
in it. Then she makes a quick dash for her phone.

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Hello... Gimme Walter Burns -- quick!

Another phone there rings. Hildy answers it, propping the 
receiver of her own phone between ear and shoulder.

CLOSEUP HILDY AT PHONE

		HILDY
		(into second phone)
	Hello -- hel -- Oh, hello, Bruce... 
	Oh, Bruce, please -- I know I said 
	I'd be down in fifteen minutes, but 
	something terrific's happened! Hang 
	on, Bruce --
		(into first phone)
	Walter?... Hildy. Come over here -- 
	right away!... Wait!
		(into second phone)
	Bruce, just a second, Bruce -- I'll 
	explain everything.
		(into first phone)
	Walter! Get this: I've got Earl 
	Williams... Yes! Here in the Press 
	Room... Honest! On the level. Hurry -- 
	I need you.

She hangs up and turns into second phone.

		HILDY
	Bruce, this is the biggest thing 
	that ever happened...
		(lowers voice)
	I just captured Earl Williams -- you 
	know -- the murderer --

There is a knocking on the door, but she doesn't hear it.

		HILDY
	Bruce, I'll be down -- Well, Bruce, 
	the minute I turn him over to the 
	paper I'll be right down. Bruce, 
	don't you -- Bruce, I can't now -- I 
	can't, don't you realize?

There is a click from the phone. He has hung up. Hildy 
dejectedly hangs up the phone. There is the sound of knocking 
on the door. She springs up.

MED. SHOT

taking in door. Hildy glares apprehensively, then crosses to 
it.

		HILDY
		(cautiously)
	Who's there?

		MOLLIE'S VOICE
	It's me, Mollie Malloy! Let me in.

Hildy carefully unlocks the door. Mollie bounds in like a 
wildcat and seizes her.

		MOLLIE
	Where are they gone? You know where 
	they are?

		HILDY
	Wait a minute, Mollie.

She manages to relock the door, then turns, leaning against 
it, facing Mollie.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AND MOLLIE

		MOLLIE
	They got him surrounded some place -- 
	gonna shoot him like a dog!

		HILDY
	Mollie, they haven't got him. You 
	gotta help me, Mollie! We've got to 
	do something!

		MOLLIE
	What do you mean?

There is a sound -- a groan -- as Williams starts to come 
to.

		MOLLIE
		(spinning around)
	What's that?

		HILDY
	Quiet, Mollie!

		MOLLIE
	There's somethin' funny going on 
	around here.

MED. SHOT

Mollie crosses to wall and switches on the lights. She sees 
Williams, sobs and rushes over to him.

CLOSEUP EARL AND MOLLIE

Mollie gets down on her knees and begins ministering to Earl. 
He opens his eyes.

		WILLIAMS
	Hello, Mollie.

Mollie begins to sob.

WIDER ANGLE SHOT

Hildy comes over and says:

		HILDY
	Quiet, Mollie, quiet!

		WILLIAMS
		(putting out hand to 
		stroke her hair)
	Don't cry, Mollie, there's nothing 
	to cry about.

		HILDY
	How'd you get here, Earl?

		WILLIAMS
	Down the drainpipe. I didn't mean to 
	shoot him. You believe me, don't 
	you, Mollie?

		MOLLIE
		(coming up)
	Of course I believe you.

		WILLIAMS
	I forgot to thank you for those roses. 
	They were beautiful.

		MOLLIE
	That's all right, Mr. Williams...
		(to Hildy)
	You're a woman. You got to help us. 
	You got to get him out of here, some 
	place where I can take care of him.

		HILDY
	Stop screaming, Mollie or we're sunk. 
	I'm trying to think of something 
	before those reporters get back.

		WILLIAMS
	Let 'em take me. It's better that 
	way.

		MOLLIE
	No -- I'll never let 'em!

The door is tried outside.

		MOLLIE
	They'll get him! They'll get him!

		HILDY
	Ssh!

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE PRESS ROOM DOOR CLOSE SHOT

Endicott at door is trying to get in.

		ENDICOTT
	Who locked the door?

INT. PRESS ROOM BACK TO HILDY

		HILDY
		(calling)
	Just a second, Mike ---
		(whispering to Mollie)
	Mollie, I got it!

MED. CLOSE SHOT AT DESK

Hildy jumps in to the desk and opens it, turning to cry in a 
tense whisper to Earl:

		HILDY
	Can you get in this desk?

INT. CORRIDOR CLOSE SHOT

Wilson is there too, now, and he and Endicott are pounding 
on the door.

		WILSON
	What's going on in there?

INT. PRESS ROOM HILDY, MOLLIE AND EARL

Mollie and Earl are with Hildy in front of desk now. They 
are speaking in whispers.

		WILLIAMS
	What good'll it do?

		HILDY
	We'll get you out in ten minutes.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR

		ENDICOTT
	Open up there, will you!

INT. PRESS ROOM HILDY, MOLLIE AND EARL

		HILDY
		(crying)
	All right -- all right!

		MOLLIE
		(to Earl)
	Go on!
		(shoving him to desk)
	Please!

		WILLIAMS
	They'll find me anyhow.

There is further and louder pounding on the door. Earl gets 
in the desk. Hildy and Mollie pull the roll-top down over 
him.

		HILDY
		(calling)
	I'm coming!
		(to Earl)
	Keep dead quiet. Don't even breathe.

		MOLLIE
		(to Earl)
	I'll be right here. I won't leave 
	you.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR

		ENDICOTT
		(giving door a terrific 
		kick)
	Hey!

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT HILDY AND MOLLIE

		HILDY
		(to Mollie)
	Mollie, drop down here! You've 
	fainted!

		MOLLIE
	What's the idea?

		HILDY
	Never mind! Just play dead.

Hildy rapidly unbuttons Mollie's waist and throws it back. 
The kicking at the door continues.

MED. SHOT

Hildy rushes over to windows and pulls up the shades. Mollie 
is lying quietly on the floor with her eyes closed. Hildy 
rushes over to water cooler and gets a paper cup full of 
water. She throws the water in Mollie's face.

		MOLLIE
		(spluttering)
	Hey --

		HILDY
		(fiercely)
	Shut up, you!

Hildy crosses swiftly to the door.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR

The door opens in Endicott's face and there is Miss Johnson, 
quite cool.

		ENDICOTT
	Kind of exclusive, ain't you? We got 
	calls to make, you know.

		HILDY
	Run down and get some smelling salts, 
	will you?

		WILSON
	Smelling salts! What's going on here?

They catch sight of Mollie, stretched out on the floor.

		ENDICOTT
	Mollie Malloy -- what happened to 
	her?

		HILDY
		(as Endicott and Wilson 
		enter room)
	Came up here -- had hysterics and 
	passed out. I've been trying to get 
	her to come to.

INT. PRESS ROOM MED. SHOT

Mollie is shaking her head.

		ENDICOTT
	She looks as though she's going to 
	come to.

		HILDY
	Give me a hand with her, will you?

		ENDICOTT
	Okay.
		(lifting Mollie)
	Up you go, Mollie.

Hildy and Endicott lift Mollie and seat her in a chair. Wilson 
crosses to his phone.

CLOSE SHOT WILSON AT PHONE

		WILSON
		(into Phone)
	City Desk.

MED. CLOSE SHOT

Taking in Hildy, Wilson and Mollie and Endicott.

		ENDICOTT
	She'll be all right.
		(crosses to his phone)
	The Desk.

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Well, they surrounded the house, all 
	right, only they forgot to tell 
	Williams, and he wasn't there.

MED. LONG SHOT TAKING IN DOOR

Murphy comes in.

		MURPHY
		(seeing Hildy, who 
		has been fastening 
		Mollie's blouse)
	Hildy, I thought you were gone --

		HILDY
	Well -- I was going, but Mollie 
	fainted away and I thought I ought 
	to do what I could.

		MURPHY
	Some Hallowe'en goin' on outside. 
	The whole police force standing on 
	it's ear.

Murphy crosses to his phone. McCue comes in.

		MCCUE
		(panting)
	What a chase!

		ENDICOTT
		(into phone)
	No luck on Williams, yet -- call you 
	back.

He hangs up.

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Okay, later.

He hangs up.

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	Murphy talking.

Schwartz comes in.

		HILDY
	Any news?

		SCHWARTZ
	Yeah. I was never so tired in my 
	life.

He picks up his phone.

		MCCUE
		(into phone)
	Where? Harrison Street Station? All 
	right, connect me.

		SCHWARTZ
		(into phone)
	Schwartz calling... Out with Hartman's 
	deputies. I'm in a drugstore. You 
	can't call me back because I'm going 
	right on with them.

He hangs up -- puts his feet on the desk.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AND MOLLIE

		HILDY
	Are you all right, now?

		MOLLIE
	Yeah, I'm feelin' fine.

MED. SHOT GROUP

		MURPHY
	Sure, Mollie, you never looked better 
	in your life.

		MCCUE
		(turning from phone)
	Yeah, hold the line. Hey, this looks 
	good. An old lady just called the 
	detective bureau and claims Williams 
	is hiding in her cellar. Well - we've 
	looked every other place. Want to go 
	out on it?

		ENDICOTT
	Aw, nuts with chasing around any 
	more. I spent a dollar-forty on taxis 
	already.

		SCHWARTZ
	I say we don't go out any more. Let 
	Earl Williams come to us.

CLOSEUP HILDY

		HILDY
	A fine bunch of reporters. Biggest 
	story in two years and they're too 
	lazy to go after it.

MED. SHOT GROUP

		ENDICOTT
	It's easy for you to talk. You're 
	retired. We're still working.

		MCCUE
	Okay.
		(into phone)
	Forget it.
		(he hangs up)

		HILDY
	What's the matter with you boys? 
	Afraid it might rain? If you want to 
	go, I'll cover this end.

		MURPHY
	Say, Hildy, if I know you, you sound 
	pretty anxious to get rid of us. Are 
	you trying to scoop us or something?

		ENDICOTT
	Something smells around here. If you 
	ask me Mollie gave her the story on 
	how Williams got that gun.
		(turning on Mollie)
	Did you smuggle that gun into 
	Williams, Mollie?

		MOLLIE
	I didn't do nothin'.

		MCCUE
		(crossing to Mollie)
	Come clean, Mollie.

Wilson, Endicott and Murphy follow McCue toward Hildy.

		ENDICOTT
	Better let us in on it, Mollie.

		HILDY
	Aw, why don't you let her alone? 
	She's ill!

		MURPHY
	Oh, you two are pals now -- I think 
	you're right, Endicott. Mollie did 
	give her some kind of story.

		ENDICOTT
	I tell you, it's a screwy set-up. We 
	better hold onto 'em both.

At this point Mrs. Baldwin appears in the doorway. Hildy 
gasps and starts for her.

MED. SHOT AT DOOR

Mrs. Baldwin is in a very righteous mood.

		MRS. BALDWIN
	Well?

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

as she comes in to her.

		HILDY
	Mother!

		MRS. BALDWIN
	Don't you mother me! Playing cat-and-
	mouse with my poor boy! Keeping him 
	looked up -- making us miss two trains -- 
	and supposed to be married tomorrow!

		HILDY
	Mother, I can explain everything. 
	I'll go with you in five minutes and --

		MRS. BALDWIN
	You don't have to go with me at all! 
	Just give me my son's money and you 
	can stay here forever as far as I'm 
	concerned. Stay with that murderer 
	you caught!

CLOSE SHOT REPORTERS

as they get this. Reactions as they glance at one another.

		MRS. BALDWIN'S VOICE
		(continuing)
	Which one of these men is it? They 
	all look like murderers to me!

		MURPHY
	Where does she get that stuff?

		SCHWARTZ
	Shall we tell her what she looks 
	like?

		ENDICOTT
	Wait a minute! What murderer did you 
	catch, Hildy?

MED. SHOT GROUP

The reporters are looking intently at Hildy and Mrs. Baldwin.

		HILDY
	I don't know what she's talking about. 
	I never said any such thing.

		MRS. BALDWIN
	I'm quoting my son, and he has never 
	lied to me.

The reporters move toward Hildy and Mrs. Baldwin speaking 
simultaneously.

		REPORTERS
	I knew something stunk around here -- 
	Who says she caught him --? What do 
	you mean she caught a murderer --? 
	etc.

		HILDY
		(desperately)
	But I never said anything like that!

		MRS. BALDWIN
	Yes, you did!

CLOSEUP MOLLIE

		MOLLIE
	She never told her that!

MED. CLOSE SHOT GROUP

		HILDY
	I said I was trying to catch one.
		(to Mrs. Baldwin)
	You got it balled up, Mother.

CLOSE SHOT

taking in Mollie, with Murphy coming into scene to her.

		MURPHY
	What do you know about it? How do 
	you know she didn't?

He grabs her cruelly by an arm.

		MOLLIE
	Let go!

Endicott comes into scene.

		ENDICOTT
	Hold on to her, Jimmy -- she's in 
	with Hildy on this.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AND MRS. BALDWIN

Hildy tense with anxiety, her eyes on Mollie, off. Murphy 
comes viciously into scene to her and jerks Hildy by an arm.

		MURPHY
	Who you holding out on? Come clean, 
	or we'll make you wish you had --

MED. SHOT

as the rest of the reporters surround Hildy menacingly.

		ENDICOTT
		(to Hildy)
	Hildy, are you gonna cross us for 
	Walter Burns after the way you told 
	him off?

		WILSON
	Give in, Hildy -- you can't get away 
	with it.

CLOSEUP MOLLIE

AS SHE CRIES WILDLY:

		MOLLIE
	Wait! You stool-pigeons! She don't 
	know where Williams is. I'm the one 
	that knows.

SHOT OF REPORTERS

as they turn on Mollie.

		ENDICOTT
	What do you mean, you know?

They start for Mollie.

MED. SHOT

Mollie begins backing slowly around the table, away from 
them, toward the window.

		MOLLIE
	Go find out, you heels! You don't 
	think I'm gonna tell!

CLOSEUP HILDY

who has remained riveted at desk.

		HILDY
	Let her alone! She's goofy!

MOLLIE AND REPORTERS

Hemmed in by the massed reporters, she makes a sudden lunge 
for the door.

		REPORTERS
	Look out! Close that door! etc., 
	etc.

They split, some of them heading her off at door, others 
from opposite side of table, so that she runs back between 
window and table.

		MCCUE
	You ain't gettin' out o' here!

		ENDICOTT
	Now, where is he?

		WILSON
	Where you hidin' him?

		MOLLIE
	I ain't gonna squeal! I ain't goin' 
	to!

		MURPHY
		(leaning across table)
	Come on, you! Before we slap you 
	down.

		ENDICOTT
	Do you want us to call the cops and 
	have them give you the boots?

		MURPHY
	Where is he, before we beat it out 
	of you?

		MOLLIE
		(backing)
	Don't you come near me, you kidney 
	foot!

Murphy continues to advance on her. The reporters start for 
her from the other side. Mollie snatches up a chair and swings 
it at the advancing circle of men.

		MOLLIE
		(wild and blubbering)
	Let me alone or I'll knock your heads 
	off!

		ENDICOTT
	Put down that chair!

		SCHWARTZ
	Get around -- get on the side of 
	her.

		MOLLIE
		(still backing)
	No, you don't!
		(a scream)
	Keep away!

		WILSON
	Grab her!

With a last, wild look at her encircling foes.

		MOLLIE
	You'll never get it out of me!
		(hurls chair at them)
	I'll never tell! Never!

She makes a desperate leap for the open window and disappears 
out. Her scream of terror is heard as she drops. THEN RUSH 
FORWARD TO:

CLOSE SHOT AT WINDOW

as the reporters rush in and look out, an assortment of awed 
and astonished exclamations rising from them.

CLOSE SHOT MRS. BALDWIN

She turns away from the window and hides her face in her 
hands.

		MRS. BALDWIN
	Take me out of here! Take me --
		(a moan)
	Oh-h --

She collapses to a chair.

SHOT AT WINDOW

		MCCUE
		(turning)
	Get the cops, somebody.

		MURPHY
		(turning)
	Come on, fellas.

They start in a rush for the door.

MED. SHOT AT DOOR AND DESK

as the reporters rush out, and Hildy crosses, dazed to the 
window.

		HILDY
	Gee! The poor kid... the poor kid.

Reaching the window, she looks out.

EXT. PAVEMENT SHOOTING DOWN FROM HILDY'S ANGLE

The form of Mollie on the pavement below moves slightly in 
the moonlight, as guards rush into scene to her.

		VOICES
		(of guards rushing in)
	Get a doctor! Take her to the 
	infirmary! She ain't killed -- she's 
	moving!

INT. PRESS ROOM SHOOTING INTO ROOM FROM WINDOW

Hildy turns, shaken, back into the room from the window and 
sees advancing to her across the room Walter Burns. Diamond 
Louie has entered with the Boss and stands leaning by the 
door. Mrs. Baldwin's face is still hidden by her hands. Hildy 
starts for Burns.

		HILDY
	Walter! D-did you see --
		(gesturing back to 
		window)
	-- that?

CLOSE SHOT BURNS

		BURNS
	Yes. Where is he?

		HILDY
		(comes in to him)
	She jumped out of the window.

		BURNS
	I know. Where is he, I said.

							[MISSING PAGE]

CLOSE SHOT MRS. BALDWIN

looking up at them, off.

		MRS. BALDWIN
	What are you doing?

		BURNS' VOICE
	Shut up!

		MRS. BALDWIN
	I won't shut up! That girl killed 
	herself. Oh-h, you're doing something 
	wrong. What's in that desk?

CLOSE AT DESK - TAKING IN LOUIE AT THE DOOR

Burns slams closed the desk and steps to Louie.

CLOSE SHOT

		BURNS
	Louie, take this lady over to Polack 
	Mike's and lock her up. See that she 
	doesn't take to anyone on the way.

CLOSEUP MRS. BALDWIN

		MRS. BALDWIN
	What's that -- what's that?

CLOSE SHOT GROUP

as Louie comes in to Mrs. Baldwin.

		HILDY
	Wait a minute, Walter. You can't do 
	that!

		LOUIE
		(extending his hand 
		as if to shake hands 
		with Mrs. Baldwin)
	My name is Louis Peluso.

Unluckily for her she responds, only to find herself jerked 
to her feet and spun around so that one of Louie's arms is 
about her waist and the other hand over her mouth. Louie 
starts her to door.

		BURNS
	Tell 'em it's a case of delirium 
	tremens.

TRUCKING SHOT

with them -- Hildy catching up.

		HILDY
	Now, let go of her, Louie. Listen, 
	Walter, this'll get me in a terrible 
	jam with my fiancée and I don't stand 
	so well with him now. Don't worry, 
	Mother, this is only temporary.

At the door, Louie gets Mrs. Baldwin out and disappears with 
her. Hildy starts after them, when Burns' arm comes into 
scene, catching her.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

		BURNS
	Where do you think you're going?

		HILDY
	Let go o' me! I've got to get Bruce 
	out of jail! Oh, Walter, why did you 
	have to do this to me?

		BURNS
		(scornfully)
	Get Bruce out of jail! How can you 
	worry about a man who's resting 
	comfortably in a quiet police station 
	while this is going on? Hildy, this 
	is war! You can't desert now!

		HILDY
	Oh, get off that trapeze!
		(indicating desk, off)
	There's your story! Smear it all 
	over the front page -- Earl Williams 
	caught by the Morning Post! And take 
	all the credit -- I covered your 
	story for you and I got myself in a 
	fine mess doing it -- and now I'm 
	getting out! I know I told you that 
	twice before today -- but this time 
	I mean it!

		BURNS
	You drooling idiot! What do you mean, 
	you're getting out! There are three 
	hundred and sixty-five days in the 
	year one can get married -- but how 
	many times have you got a murderer 
	locked up in a desk? -- Once in a 
	lifetime! Hildy, you've got the whole 
	city by the seat of the pants!

		HILDY
	I know, but --

		BURNS
		(interrupting)
	You know! You've got the brain of a 
	pancake! That wasn't just a story 
	you covered -- it was a revolution! 
	Hildy! This is the greatest yarn in 
	journalism since Livingstone 
	discovered Stanley for the New York 
	Herald!
		(quickly closes the 
		door)

		HILDY
		(slightly bewildered)
	Wait a minute -- wasn't it Stanley 
	who discovered Livingstone?

		BURNS
	Don't get technical at a time like 
	this! Do you realize what you've 
	done? You've taken a city that's 
	been graft-ridden for forty years 
	under the same old gang and with 
	this yarn you're kicking 'em out and 
	giving us a chance to have the same 
	kind of government that New York's 
	having under La Guardia! We'll make 
	such monkeys out of these ward-heelers 
	next Tuesday that nobody'll vote for 
	them -- not even their wives!

		HILDY
		(the fire upon her)
	I'd like to think.

		BURNS
	Well, think it then, because it's 
	true! We'll crucify that mob. We're 
	going to keep Williams under cover 
	till morning so the Post can break 
	the story exclusive. Then we'll let 
	the Governor in on the capture -- 
	share the glory with him.

		HILDY
		(excited)
	I get it!

		BURNS
	You've kicked over the whole City 
	Hall like an apple-cart. You've got 
	the Mayor and Hartman backed against 
	a wall. You've put one administration 
	out and another in. This isn't a 
	newspaper story -- it's a career! 
	And you stand there belly-aching 
	about whether you catch an eight 
	o'clock train or a nine o'clock train! 
	Still a doll-faced mugg! That's all 
	you are.

		HILDY
	Let me get at that typewriter and 
	I'll show you how a doll-faced mugg 
	can write!

		BURNS
	Attagirl! Why, they'll be naming 
	streets after you -- Hildy Johnson 
	Street! There'll be statues of you 
	in the parks, Hildy. The radio'll be 
	after you -- the movies!
		(slapping his fist 
		against his open 
		palm)
	By tomorrow morning I'll betcha 
	there's a Hildy Johnson cigar! I can 
	see the billboards now. Light up 
	with Hildy Johnson!

		HILDY
	Whoa -- wait a minute. We can't leave 
	Williams here. One of the other 
	fellows'll --

		BURNS
	We're going to take him over to my 
	private office.
		(turning)
	Where's our phone?

		HILDY
	That one -- how you gonna take him? 
	They'll see him.

SHOT AT TABLE

as Burns gets phone and jiggles the hook.

		BURNS
	Not if he's inside the desk. We'll 
	carry the desk over.
		(into phone)
	Give me Duffy!

		HILDY
	You can't take that desk out. It's 
	crawling with cops outside.

		BURNS
	We'll lower it out of the window 
	with pulleys. Quit stallin'.

As Hildy seems abstracted:

		BURNS
	Hildy!

		HILDY
		(coming to)
	Huh!

		BURNS
	Get the lead out of your typewriter 
	and start pounding out a load, will 
	you? Snap into it!

		HILDY
	How much do you want on it?

		BURNS
	All the words you've got.

		HILDY
		(turning)
	Where's some paper?

Goes out of scene.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Hello...! Hello!

SHOT AT DESK

As Hildy comes in, going to desk, she turns to call back:

		HILDY
	Can I call the Mayor a bird of prey -- 
	or is that libelous?

CLOSEUP BURNS AT PHONE

		BURNS
	Call him a love-child, if you want 
	to.
		(into phone)
	Duffy!

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

Having opened the drawers of Bensinger's desk, she is tossing 
play manuscripts, syringes, patent medicines and old socks 
into the air, in a frantic search for paper.

		HILDY
		(calling to Burns)
	How about the time he had his house 
	painted by the Fire Department?

CLOSE SHOT BURNS

		BURNS
	Give him the works.
		(into phone)
	Hello, Duffy, get set! We've got the 
	biggest story in the world. Earl 
	Williams caught by the Morning Post -- 
	exclusive!

TWO SHOT HILDY AND BURNS

Hildy has unearthed a package of Bensinger's private 
stationary. She rises with it.

		BURNS
		(to Hildy)
	Fine!
		(into phone)
	Now, listen, Duffy -- I want you to 
	tear out the whole front page... 
	That's what I said -- the whole front 
	page! Never mind the European war! 
	We've got something a whole lot bigger 
	than that. Hildy Johnson's writing 
	the lead and I'll phone it over to 
	you as soon as she's finished.
		(he starts to hang 
		up, then thinks of 
		something else)
	Oh, Duffy! Get hold of Butch O'Connor 
	and tell him I want him to come up 
	here with half a dozen other wrestlers -- 
	right away! Tell him we'll run his 
	picture on the sport page for two 
	weeks straight. What? I've got a 
	desk I want moved. Never mind what 
	desk!

										DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. STREET NIGHT MED. LONG SHOT

as the taxi darts through traffic, narrowly avoiding cars, 
trucks, etc., it comes almost head-on to an oncoming car.

INT. TAXICAB - NIGHT - PROCESS CLOSE SHOT

Louie, worried, ducks unconsciously. Mrs. Baldwin faints 
across his lap.

EXT. STREET MED. LONG SHOT

The taxi swerves just in time to duck the oncoming car. As 
it starts forward again a truck comes toward the cab, head 
on.

INT. TAXICAB - PROCESS CLOSE SHOT

Diamond Louie pushes Mrs. Baldwin into an upright position, 
takes a look through the windshield, sees the truck and gives 
a big "takem" and faints across Mrs. Baldwin.

EXT. STREET MED. SHOT

The truck and taxicab crash and the screen blacks out.

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PRESS ROOM - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT HILDY

at typewriter, smoke rising from her cigarette. As the CAMERA 
ANGLE WIDENS we see a fairly disheveled Hildy typing away 
furiously.

		BURNS' VOICE
		(Into phone)
	"The Blackest cesspool in American 
	city life!" Hold on Duffy, I'll see 
	if she's got any more.

Burns comes into the scene, tears a page out of Hildy's 
typewriter. She inserts another one without noticing.

MED. SHOT

Burns goes back to the phone as Hildy continues to type 
furiously.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy -- Duffy!
		(clicking the phone 
		furiously)
	Operator! Operator! Get me Duffy 
	back. Somebody cut us off!

ANOTHER ANGLE FAVORING DOOR

as Bruce Baldwin enters.

		BRUCE
	Hildy!

		BURNS
	What the devil do you want? Listen, 
	Bruce, you can't come in here now! 
	We're busy!
		(suddenly, into phone)
	Where you been, Duffy? Stick around! 
	What? What Chinese earthquake? The 
	deuce with it... what's that?

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

typing away madly. Bruce comes into the scene.

		BRUCE
	Hildy!

		HILDY
		(looking up, very 
		casually)
	Hello, Bruce...

She resumes her typing, then suddenly realizes the situation 
and jumps up.

		HILDY
	BRUCE!! How'd you get out?

		BRUCE
		(the hands-off attitude)
	Not through any help of yours, Hildy.

		HILDY
	Bruce, I know, but I was in the 
	biggest jam --

		BURNS' VOICE
	Hildy!

MED. SHOT

As Hildy turns toward his voice, Burns, still with the phone 
in his hand, keeps talking to her.

		BURNS
	For Pete's sake, Hildy, they're 
	waiting for the rest of that story!

		HILDY
		(resignedly)
	Okay, Walter.
		(sits down at her 
		typewriter again)

CLOSE TWO SHOT BRUCE AND HILDY

Hildy begins typing again.

		BRUCE
	I waited and waited and then I had 
	an idea and wired Albany to send me 
	a hundred dollars so I could get out 
	on bail...
		(desperately)
	I don't know what they'll think -- 
	they sent it to the police station!

		HILDY
		(she barely stops 
		typing)
	We'll explain the whole thing to 
	them.
		(resumes typing)

		BRUCE
	I know I got you into this, Hildy, 
	but it does seem to me that you can't 
	care much for me if you're willing 
	to let me stay locked up for two 
	hours.

		HILDY
	Bruce, you know I'm mad about you 
	and stop talking like that.
		(calling o.s. to Walter)
	Walter!

CLOSE SHOT BURNS

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Take the President's speech and run 
	it on the funny page...
		(turns to Hildy, o.s.)
	What is it, Hildy?

		HILDY'S VOICE
	What was the name of the Mayor's 
	first wife?

		BURNS
	You mean the one who drank so much? 
	Tillie!

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AND BRUCE

		HILDY
	Thanks.
		(she types furiously)

CLOSE SHOT THE DESK

Its top opens slowly and Williams' head sticks out.

CLOSEUP BURNS INCLUDING DESK IN B.G

		BURNS
		(screaming)
	Get back in there, you mock turtle!

The desk-top falls, the fugitive disappearing within.

CLOSEUP BRUCE

turning around toward Burns.

		BRUCE
	Did you say anything, Mister Burns?

CLOSEUP BURNS

covering up, fast.

		BURNS
	No -- I was just talking to one of 
	the guys at the office.
		(indicating phone in 
		his hand)

MED. CLOSE SHOT BRUCE AND HILDY

		BRUCE
		(to Burns)
	Oh.
		(turns to Hildy)
	I wonder what's keeping mother? She 
	was supposed to come down and get 
	you.

		HILDY
	Oh, she was here.

		BRUCE
	Where'd she go?

		HILDY
	Out some place.

She types away. Bruce grabs her and stops her.

		BRUCE
	Hildy! Where's mother?

		HILDY
	Oh -- mother -- she -- I don't know 
	where she went.

		BRUCE
	Did you give her the money?

		HILDY
	No, I was going to give it to her -- 
	but she left hurriedly.

		BRUCE
	Then suppose you give me the money. 
	Four hundred and fifty dollars.

		HILDY
	Oh, yes. Here it is.

She gets the wallet. Burns comes into the scene and pulls 
another page out of her machine.

		HILDY
	Here it is, Bruce. One -- two -- 
	three -- four hundred -- and fifty 
	dollars.

		BRUCE
		(drily)
	Thank you.

CLOSEUP BURNS

watching this with a grin.

MED. SHOT

Featuring the threesome.

		BRUCE
		(to Hildy)
	And I'll take that certified check, 
	too. I've decided I can handle things 
	around here...

		BURNS
	Come on, Hildy, we've got to keep 
	going! Sorry, Bruce, but --

		HILDY
	Just a second, Walter. Here, Bruce, 
	here's the check... And, oh, Bruce, 
	here's your wallet. I got it back.

		BRUCE
		(taking it and 
		surveying it coldly)
	You got it back, eh? There's something 
	funny going on around here.

		BURNS
	Hildy!

		HILDY
	All right, Walter.

She sits down and begins to type.

		BRUCE
	I'm taking the nine o'clock train, 
	Hildy. And you can meet us at the 
	station.

		HILDY
	Fine.

She types away.

		BURNS
		(coming over to Bruce)
	I'll see she's there, Bruce, I promise 
	you.

		BRUCE
		(dramatically)
	If she's not there, mother and I are 
	leaving anyhow!

But Hildy continues typing and doesn't even get it.

CAMERA TRUCKS WITH BURNS

as he leads Bruce away toward door.

		BURNS
	I know how you feel, Bruce, but you've 
	got to forgive her. She's only a 
	woman, after all.

		BRUCE
	Suppose she is -- I have feelings, 
	too! Do you know where I've been for 
	the last couple of hours? Locked up 
	in a police station and she didn't 
	move to do anything about it.

		BURNS
	Ts! Ts! Ts!

		BRUCE
	And now I don't know where my mother 
	is. She may be lost.

		BURNS
	I'll find her, Bruce, if I have to 
	put every detective in the city on 
	the job. Tell you what -- go over to 
	the Missing Persons Bureau and 
	describe your mother. What does she 
	look like?

		BRUCE
	She's -- well, she's very motherly. 
	That's about the best description I 
	know.

		BURNS
		(nodding)
	That's the kind of stuff they want!

They go out the door.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR MED. CLOSE SHOT

as they come out.

		BURNS
	Oh, Bruce, let me see that money 
	Hildy gave you.

		BRUCE
	The money? Why?

		BURNS
	There's a lot of counterfeit big 
	bills going around.

		BRUCE
		(worried)
	Gee! Take a look, will you?

He hands the money to Burns. Burns looks at it carefully and 
hands it back.

		BURNS
	Oh, this is all right, Bruce. I just 
	wanted to be sure.

		BRUCE
	Say, I want to be sure, too!

INT. PRESS ROOM MED. SHOT

Hildy is typing furiously. Burns enters, grinning, locks the 
door behind him and goes to phone and picks it up.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy. Good. Stick close.

He turns and crosses quickly to look out the window.

AT WINDOW

Burns coming in to window.

		BURNS
		(despairingly)
	Now the moon's out!

He turns away, crossing to the desk, the CAMERA TRUCKING 
with him. At the desk he taps three times, being answered by 
three taps from within.

		BURNS
	Fine. Three taps is me. Don't forget! 
	You're sitting pretty, now. Got enough 
	air?

He raises top an inch or two and fans air in to Williams.

		BURNS
	Is that better? Now breathe deep!

We hear an intake of breath from inside the desk.

		BURNS
	Attaboy!

He closes the desk and turns back to the table. As he passes 
Hildy, who is still typing rapidly:

		BURNS
		(looking over her 
		shoulder)
	That's the stuff! Lam it into 'em, 
	Hildy.

He jerks the sheet from Hildy's machine, crosses to his desk 
and picks up the phone.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Hello! Duffy, ready? Here we go!

CLOSEUP BURNS

reading from the page he has taken from Hildy's typewriter.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	"In the darkest hour of the city's 
	history --"

INT. MAIN FLOOR CRIMINAL COURTS BUILDING LONG SHOT

At the end of the hall are glass doors through which can be 
seen a turmoil of activity in the street outside -- newsboys, 
a crowd, and a mounted policeman or two. Bruce comes down 
the hall, his face set and angry. As he goes, he sees a sign 
set over a doorway in the hall. It reads: MISSING PERSONS 
BUREAU. He stops and enters.

INT. PRESS ROOM - NIGHT CLOSEUP BURNS AT PHONE

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Listen, did you impress it on Butch 
	that I want him and his gang here 
	right away? You did? Every minute 
	counts. All right.
		(puts receiver down 
		on table)
	Duffy's getting old!

CLOSE SHOT HILDY

		HILDY
	Where's Butch?

		BURNS' VOICE
	He's on the way.

		HILDY
		(over her typing)
	He'd better hurry. The boys'll be 
	coming back to phone.

		BURNS
		(coming into shot to 
		peer over her shoulder)
	Well, keep going! We want an extra 
	out on the streets before it's too 
	late!

		HILDY
		(looking up suddenly)
	Where's Bruce?

		BURNS
	Bruce? Oh -- er -- he went out to 
	get the tickets.

		HILDY
	What tickets?

		BURNS
	Railroad tickets.

		HILDY
	Is he coming back here?

		BURNS
	Didn't you hear him? Of course he's 
	coming back here. Keep going, will 
	you?

MED. SHOT

as Burns leaves Hildy and goes over to desk and picks up his 
phone again.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy!

EXT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

Finding the door locked, he knocks.

INT. PRESS ROOM - NIGHT MED. CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

as another knock comes, they take it big.

		HILDY
		(calling)
	Who is it?

EXT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
	What's the idea of locking this?

INT. PRESS ROOM - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

		HILDY
	That's Bensinger. That's his desk.

		BURNS
		(whispering)
	What's his name?

The door knob is rattled violently.

		HILDY
	Bensinger -- of the Tribune.

EXT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT BENSINGER

		BENSINGER
	Open this door!

INT. PRESS ROOM CLOSE SHOT BURNS

He starts for the door.

		BURNS
	I'll handle him.

CAMERA TRUCKS WITH HIM to the door.

		BURNS
	The Tribune, eh? Watch me!

He opens the door.

AT DOOR

		BENSINGER
		(as he comes in)
	Ain't you got any more sense than to --
	?
		(sees Burns and is 
		overcome)
	Oh, h-hello, Mr. Burns. Why, quite 
	an honor having you come over here.

		BURNS
		(casually)
	Hello, Bensinger.

		BENSINGER
	Excuse me, I just want to --

He starts for the desk. Hildy's typing goes on, coming in 
over the scene.

		BURNS
		(starting for the 
		desk, suddenly 
		blocking his path)
	Quite a coincidence, my running into 
	you tonight. Isn't it, Hildy?

		HILDY'S VOICE
	Yeh.

		BENSINGER
	How do you mean?

CLOSEUP BURNS AND BENSINGER

		BURNS
	I was having a little chat about you 
	just this afternoon -- with our Mister 
	Duffy.

		BENSINGER
		(essaying a pleasantry)
	Nothing -- ah -- detrimental, I hope.

		BURNS
	I should say not! That was one swell 
	story you had in the paper this 
	morning.

		BENSINGER
		(deeply moved)
	Oh, did you -- care for the poem, 
	Mr. Burns?

		BURNS
		(startled)
	The poem?... The poem was great!

		BENSINGER
		(blinking at these 
		words)
	Remember the ending?
		(and he recites)
	" -- and all is well, outside his 
	cell, But in his heart he hears the 
	hangman Calling and the gallows 
	falling And his white-haired mother's 
	tears..."

		BURNS
		(overcome)
	Heartbreaking! How would you like to 
	work for me?

		BENSINGER
	What?

MEDIUM SHOT

taking in table, Hildy typing there.

		BURNS
		(to Bensinger)
	We need somebody like you. All we've 
	got now are a lot of low-brows. Like 
	Johnson here.

He starts shoving Bensinger away from the desk, toward the 
table.

		BENSINGER
	Seriously, Mr. Burns?

Clinging to him, Burns takes him to the phone.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy! I'm sending Bensinger over to 
	see you.
		(looking up at 
		Bensinger)
	Mervyn, isn't it?

		BENSINGER
	No. Roy. Roy V.

		BURNS
		(with a little laugh 
		at his own 
		forgetfulness)
	Of course!
		(into phone)
	Roy Bensinger, the poet. Of course 
	you wouldn't know! You probably never 
	heard of Shakespeare, either! Put 
	Mr. Bensinger right on the staff.
		(to Bensinger)
	How much are you getting on the 
	Tribune, Roy?

		BENSINGER
	Seventy-five.

		BURNS
	I'll give you a hundred and a by-
	line.

ANOTHER ANGLE

as Burns continues.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Let him have everything he wants.
		(puts down the 
		receiver; turns to 
		Bensinger)
	Now hustle and write me a story from 
	the point of view of the escaped 
	man.
		(acting it out)
	He hides, cowering... Afraid of every 
	light, of every sound... hears 
	footsteps... his heart going like 
	that... And all the time they're 
	closing in... Get the sense of an 
	animal at bay!

		BENSINGER
	Sort of a Jack London style?

TRUCKING SHOT

		BURNS
	Exactly!

Leads him hurriedly to the door.

		BENSINGER
	I got my rhyming dictionary in --
		(indicating desk)

		BURNS
		(getting him to door)
	It doesn't have to rhyme!

CLOSE SHOT - AT DOOR

as Bensinger turns there.

		BENSINGER
	Gee, I'm terribly grateful, Mister 
	Burns. Do you suppose there might be 
	an opening some time as foreign 
	correspondent? I parley a little 
	French, you know.

Burns shakes hands with him and opens the door with the other 
hand.

		BURNS
	I'll keep you in mind.

		BENSINGER
		(going)
	Au revoir, mon capitaine.

		BURNS
		(never at a loss in 
		any language)
	Bon jour!

Continuing his French, he gets the door closed and relocked 
and turns for the table, singing as he does so:

		BURNS
	Mademoiselle from Armontieres, parlay --

MED. SHOT

Burns returns alertly to table, not noticing that Hildy has 
stopped typing, and sits staring moodily before her.

		BURNS
		(into phono)
	Duffy! Got this!

CLOSEUP BURNS - AT PHONE

		BURNS
	A rat from the Tribune is coming 
	over to get a job -- Bensinger, the 
	guy I told you about. Handle him 
	with kid gloves. Tell him to get 
	busy writing poetry... No, we don't 
	want him. Stall him along until the 
	extra comes out. Then tell him his 
	poetry stinks and kick him downstairs.

He lays down receiver.

WIDER ANGLE

taking in Hildy. She looks up at him.

		HILDY
		(to Burns)
	Double-crossing swine!

		BURNS
	You said it! But this'll teach him a 
	lesson. He won't quit his paper 
	without giving notice after this.

Hildy doesn't bother to reply. She rests her chin on her 
hands and stares moodily ahead.

		BURNS
	Tear into it, will you? Don't sit 
	there like a frozen robin!

		HILDY
	I'm finished.

		BURNS
	Finished!

He grabs the last sheet of paper out of her typewriter, kisses 
her and rushes over to the telephone.

CLOSEUP BURNS

at phone.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy! All right -- here we go! And 
	got it out as soon as you can. I 
	want this paper out on the streets 
	in half an hour!
		(reading Hildy's copy)
	"So once more the Morning Post --"

EXT. CRIMINAL COURTS BLDG. - NIGHT MED. SHOT

Diamond Louie, bearing evidence of a mishap, his hat crushed, 
his face bruised and his clothes torn, comes running down 
the sidewalk and up the steps into the buildings.

INT. PRESS ROOM - NIGHT MED. SHOT

Hildy is up now, pacing.

		HILDY
	Bruce ought to be back by now. Walter, 
	you're not trying anything again, 
	are you?

		BURNS
		(coming over to her)
	Hildy, you think I could? After this 
	story?
		(taking a flask from 
		his pocket)
	Here! You're just nervous.

Hildy takes the flask and takes a drink. There is a knock on 
the door. Burns takes the flask from her, restores it to his 
pocket and goes to the door.

		BURNS
	Who is it?

		LOUIE'S VOICE
	It's me, Boss -- Louie.

		BURNS
		(opening the door)
	It's Louie!

Louie slips in and Burns relocks the door.

		BURNS
		(seeing Louie's 
		disarray)
	What's the matter?

Hildy crosses to Louie.

		HILDY
		(frantically)
	Where's Mrs. Baldwin?

		BURNS
	What did you do with her?

		HILDY
		(almost afraid to 
		speak)
	What happened?

CLOSE SHOT - THE THREE

		BURNS
	You been in a fight?

		LOUIE
		(still out of breath)
	Down Western Avenue. We were going 
	sixty-five miles an hour. You know 
	what I mean?

		BURNS
	Take that mush out of your mouth!

		HILDY
	Where's the old lady?

		LOUIE
	I'm telling you!

CLOSEUP - LOUIE

as he gets breath and blurts:

		LOUIE
	We run smack into a police patrol. 
	You know what I mean? We broke it in 
	half!

BACK TO GROUP

		HILDY
		(moaning)
	Oh-h-h... was she hurt?

		BURNS
	Where is she? Tell me!

		HILDY
	Louie!

		LOUIE
	I'm telling you. Can you imagine 
	bumping into a load of cops?! They 
	come rollin' out like oranges!

		HILDY
		(seizing him)
	What did you do with her?

		LOUIE
	Search me! When I come to I was 
	running down Thirty-fifth Street.

		HILDY
	-- You were with her. You were in 
	the cab, weren't you?

		LOUIE
		(exposing his bruised 
		scalp)
	Was I? The driver got knocked cold.

		BURNS
	Butter-fingers! I give you an old 
	lady to take somewhere, and you hand 
	her over to the cops!

		LOUIE
	What do you mean, I handed her? The 
	patrol wagon was on the wrong side 
	of the street.

		BURNS
	Now everything's fine. She's probably 
	squawking her head off in some police 
	station.

CLOSEUP - LOUIE

		LOUIE
	I don't think she's talking much... 
	You know what I mean?

He winks reassuringly.

BACK TO GROUP

		HILDY
		(paralyzed)
	Don't tell me -- was she killed?

		BURNS
		(hopefully)
	Was she? Did you notice?

		LOUIE
	Say, me with a gun on my hip and a 
	kidnapped old lady on my hands, I 
	should stick around asking questions 
	from a lot of cops! You know what I 
	mean?

Hildy sinks into a chair.

CLOSE SHOT HILDY IN THE CHAIR

		HILDY
	Dead... dead! That's the end!

Burns comes into scene to her.

		BURNS
	It's Fate, Hildy. What will be, will 
	be.

		HILDY
		(wildly)
	What am I going to say to Bruce? 
	What'll I tell him?

		BURNS
	If he really loves you, you won't 
	have to tell him anything.
		(whacking her on the 
		shoulder)
	Snap out of it! Would you rather 
	have had the old dame dragging the 
	whole police force in here?

		HILDY
	I killed her. I'm responsible. Oh-
	h... what can I do now? How can I 
	ever face him? Oh, I hope he never 
	comes back!

She buries her face in her hands.

		BURNS
	Look at me, Hildy --

		HILDY
		(springing up)
	I'm looking at you -- you murderer!

		BURNS
	If it was my own mother, I'd carry 
	on! You know I would. For the paper!

		HILDY
		(calling off to Louie)
	Louie, where'd it happen? I'm going 
	out!

MED. SHOT GROUP

The Post phone rings.

		BURNS
		(grabbing Hildy)
	You stay here. I'll find out 
	everything.

		LOUIE
		(to Hildy)
	Western an' Thirty-fourth.

Hildy jumps for the outside phone on the desk.

TWO SHOT INCLUDING BURNS AT PHONE AND HILDY AT PHONE

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Hello -- hello...

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Gimme Western four-five-five-seven.

		BURNS
		(guarded)
	Who?
		(wildly)
	Hello, Butch! Where are you?

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Mission Hospital? Gimme the Receiving 
	Room.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	What are you doing there? Haven't 
	you even started?

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Hello -- Eddie? Hildy Johnson. Was 
	there an old lady brought in from an 
	auto smashup?

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Oh, for --
		(yelling)
	H. Sebastian -- Butch! Listen, it's 
	a matter of life and death! Listen!

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Nobody?
		(jiggles hook)
	Morningside three-one-two-four.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	I can't hear... You got who? Speak 
	up! A what?... You can't stop for a 
	dame now!

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Is this the Community Hospital?

		BURNS
		(howling into phone)
	I don't care if you've been after 
	her for six years! Butch, our whole 
	lives are at stake! Are you going to 
	let a woman come between us after 
	all we've been through?

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Hello, Max, Hildy Johnson. Was there 
	an old lady --?

		BURNS
		(into phone, drowning 
		out Hildy)
	Butch! I'd put my arm in fire for 
	you -- up to here!
		(indicates up to where)
	Now, you can't double-cross me!... 
	She does? All right -- put her on. 
	I'll talk to her... Hello! Oh, hello, 
	Madam... Now listen, you ten-cent 
	glamour girl, you can't keep Butch 
	away from his duty... What's that? 
	You say that again and I'll come 
	over there and knock your eye out! 
	Hello?
		(turning, as he hangs 
		up)
	I'll kill 'em! I'll kill both of 
	'em!
		(into Post phone)
	Duffy!
		(to the universe)
	Mousing around with some big blonde 
	Annie on my time! That's co-operation!
		(screaming into phone)
	Duffy!!

		HILDY
	Shut up, will you?
		(into phone)
	You sure? Nobody?

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy!!!!
		(listening)
		(into phone)
	Duffy!!!!
		(listening)
	Well, where is Duffy?
		(throwing receiver to 
		desk)
	Diabetes! I ought to know better 
	than to hire anybody with a disease.
		(turning)
	Louie.

MED. SHOT GROUP

		BURNS
		(to Louie)
	It's up to you.

		LOUIE
		(loyally)
	Anything you want, Boss.

		BURNS
	Beat it out and get hold of some 
	guys.

		LOUIE
	Who do you want?

		BURNS
		(starting for the 
		door, followed by 
		Louie)
	Anybody with hair on his chest. Get 
	'em off the street -- anywhere. Offer 
	them anything -- only get them.
		(confidentially)
	We've got to get this desk out of 
	here.

He unlocks the door.

		LOUIE
	You know me. The shirt off my back.

		BURNS
	You got plenty of money?

		LOUIE
	Sure, boss.

		BURNS
	I mean real money -- not counterfeit!

		LOUIE
	I always have both.

He goes out.

		BURNS
		(calling after him)
	And don't bump into anything.

He relocks the door.

		HILDY
	Lafayette two-one-hundred.

		BURNS
		(turning from door)
	That dumb immigrant'll flop on me. I 
	know it.
		(bitterly)
	Can you imagine Butch doing this to 
	me -- at a time like this?

CLOSE SHOT HILDY AT PHONE, TAKING IN DESK

Burns steps into scene.

		BURNS
		(confidentially)
	If Louie doesn't come back in five 
	minutes we'll get it out alone. 
	There's millions of ways. We can 
	start a fire and get the firemen to 
	carry it out in the confusion.

He crosses to the desk and inspects it.

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Ring that number, will you?

		BURNS
		(to Hildy, oblivious 
		of her telephoning)
	Come here. See if we can move it.

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Hello -- hello! Is this the Lying -- 
	In Hospital? Did you have an auto 
	accident in the last --

		BURNS
		(interrupting)
	Will you come here?

		HILDY
		(into phone)
	Oh, I see. I beg your pardon.

		BURNS
	When I'm surrounded, with my back 
	against the wall, you're not going 
	to lay down on me, are you --

		HILDY
	Yes.

She jiggles the phone hook.

		BURNS
		(going to her)
	Hildy, you just can't leave me out 
	on a limb now. It -- it wouldn't be 
	cricket!

		HILDY
	I don't care what you say. I'm going 
	to find Bruce's mother.
		(she jiggles the hook 
		madly)
	Oh-h...
		(she hangs up)
	I'm going out and find her!

Grabbing her hat and purse, she starts for the door.

MED. SHOT OF HILDY, TAKING IN DOOR

There is a loud knocking on the door.

		BURNS
		(coming into scene 
		after Hildy)
	Don't open that!

		HILDY
		(at the door)
	Who says so? I'm going to the morgue -- 
	to look --

She unlocks the door.

CLOSE SHOT AT DOOR

as Hildy flings the door open, only to find the Sheriff, 
accompanied by two deputies -- Carl and Frank -- and 
surrounded by McCue, Murphy, Schwartz, Wilson and Endicott.

		MURPHY
	There she is!

		MCCUE
	Say, Hildy...

Hildy makes a decision and tries to push through them, but 
the Sheriff grabs her and pushes her back.

		HARTMAN
	Just a minute, Johnson!

		HILDY
	Let go o' me. What's the idea?

		MCCUE
	What's your hurry?

		MURPHY
	We want to see you.

The deputies seize her.

		HILDY
	Take your paws off me!

		HARTMAN
	Hold her, boys!

Burns comes into scene.

		BURNS
		(to Sheriff)
	Who do you think you are, breaking 
	in here like this?

		HARTMAN
	You can't bluff me, Burns. I don't 
	care who you are or what paper you're 
	editor of.

		HILDY
		(struggling)
	Let me go!
		(hysterically)
	Fellows, something's happened to my 
	mother-in-law.

		HARTMAN
	Hang onto her! Keep her in here!

MED. SHOT

as Hildy breaks loose and retreats back into the room before 
Hartman and the deputies.

		MCCUE
	We know what you're up to.

		ENDICOTT
	Probably goin' out to get Williams.

		SCHWARTZ
	The door was locked.

		WILSON
	She and Mollie were talking.

		HILDY
	I don't know anything, I tell you. 
	There's been an accident.

		HARTMAN
	Johnson, there's something very 
	peculiar going on.

		HILDY
	You can send somebody with me if you 
	don't believe me!

		HARTMAN
	I wasn't born yesterday. Now the 
	boys tell me you and this Mollie 
	Malloy --

		HILDY
	Nobody's trying to put anything over 
	on you. I'm getting out of here and 
	you can't stop me!

		MURPHY
		(comes into scene)
	You're not going anywhere.
		(to the Sheriff)
	She's got the story sewed up, Pete.
		(indicating Burns)
	That's why Burns is here.

		SCHWARTZ
	We're on to you, Hildy. Let us in on 
	it.

TWO SHOT - SHERIFF AND BURNS

		BURNS
		(purring)
	If you've any accusations to make, 
	Hartman, make them in the proper 
	manner. Otherwise, I'll have to ask 
	you to get out.

		HARTMAN
		(pop-eyed; stammering)
	You'll ask me to what?

		BURNS
	Get out!

		HARTMAN
		(to deputies, off)
	Close that door. Don't let anybody 
	in or out.

MED. SHOT - THE GROUP

		MURPHY
	Come on, Pinky! Give 'em a little 
	third degree.

		ENDICOTT
	Make them talk and you got Williams, 
	Pinky!

		HARTMAN
	Johnson, I'm going to the bottom of 
	this. What do you know about Williams? 
	Are you going to talk or aren't you?

		HILDY
	What do I know about Williams?

		HARTMAN
	All right, boys. Take her along. I 
	got ways of making her talk.

The deputies seize Hildy. She struggles.

		HILDY
	Look out, you --

		MCCUE
		(nervously)
	What's the use of fighting, Hildy?

Hildy manages to get in a few resounding smacks on the 
deputies' faces. The reporters swarm around the struggling 
trio. There are shouts of: "I got her!" "No, you don't!" 
"Aw, Hildy...", etc. In the struggle, Hildy suddenly drops 
her purse. It lands with a clank and comes open. A gun is 
revealed on the floor. Hildy picks it up.

		DEPUTIES
	Hey, she's got a gun! Look out, she's 
	got a gun!

The deputies and reporters start to close in on her 
cautiously.

		HILDY
		(trying to face in 
		all directions)
	No, you don't! Walter!

		BURNS
	What is it? Here!

She tosses the gun to Walter, but one of the deputies 
intercepts the throw.

		HARTMAN
	Gimme that.

He takes the gun from the deputy.

CLOSER SHOT

The Sheriff stands frozen, staring at the gun.

		HARTMAN
		(to Hildy)
	Where'd you get this?

		HILDY
	I've got a right to carry a gun if I 
	want to.

		HARTMAN
	Not this gun!

Burns comes into scene.

		BURNS
		(easily)
	I can explain that, Hartman. When 
	Hildy told me she wanted to interview 
	Earl Williams I thought it might be 
	dangerous and I gave her a gun to 
	defend herself.

		HARTMAN
	Oh, you did! Well, that's very, very 
	interesting. This happens to be the 
	gun that Earl Williams shot his way 
	out with!

		REPORTERS AD LIB
	What? What's that? Etc...

		BURNS
		(advancing on Sheriff)
	Are you trying to make me out a liar?

		MURPHY
		(bitterly at Hildy)
	It's the last time I ever trust a 
	woman, Hildy.

		SCHWARTZ
	Maybe Williams was gonna be her best 
	man.

		WILSON
	That's pretty rotten, Hildy. Crossing 
	your own pals.

		HARTMAN
		(shoving up to Hildy; 
		trembling)
	Where is Earl Williams? Where you 
	got him?

		BURNS
		(sympathetically)
	You're barking up the wrong tree, 
	Hartman.

		HARTMAN
	I'll give you three minutes to tell 
	me where he is.

		HILDY
	He went over to the hospital to call 
	on Professor Egelhoffer.

		HARTMAN
		(outraged)
	What?

		HILDY
	With a bag of marshmallows.

The Sheriff stands silent -- then hastily turns.

MED. SHOT GROUP AROUND HILDY

		REPORTERS AD LIB
	Come on, Hildy. Where is he?... This 
	is a sweet trick, Hildy... I thought 
	we were friends... Etc.
		(to Sheriff)
	Look here, Pete! What about Mister 
	Burns?... Ask the Master Mind! What's 
	he doing over here?

		HARTMAN
		(grabbing Burns' arm)
	Speak up! What do you know about 
	this.

		BURNS
		(gently but firmly 
		disengaging his hand)
	My dear Hartman!

He moves casually to a post before the desk and maintains 
it.

		MURPHY
	Can that! Where is he?

		BURNS
		(to Sheriff)
	The Morning Post is not obstructing 
	justice or hiding criminals. You 
	ought to know that.

		HARTMAN
	No? Well --
		(turning to Hildy)
	Johnson, you're under arrest.
		(turning to Burns)
	You, too, Burns.

		BURNS
		(calmly)
	Who's under arrest? You pimple-headed, 
	square-toed spy -- do you realize 
	what you're doing?

		HARTMAN
	I'll show you what I'm doing. Burns, 
	you're guilty of obstructing justice 
	and so is the Morning Post. I'm going 
	to see that the Post is fined ten 
	thousand dollars for this.

		BURNS
	You'll see nothing of the kind, 
	Sheriff.

		HARTMAN
	We'll just start by impounding the 
	Post property.
		(pointing to 
		Bensinger's desk, 
		addressing Hildy)
	Is that your desk?

		HILDY
		(jumping)
	No!

		BURNS
		(almost simultaneously)
	Yes! What are you afraid of Hildy? I 
	dare him to move that desk out of 
	here.

		HARTMAN
	Oh, you do, eh?
		(to deputies)
	All right, boys. Confiscate that 
	desk.

Several of the deputies start toward the desk.

		BURNS
		(trying to intercept 
		deputies)
	Hartman, if you take this desk out 
	of this building, I'll put you behind 
	bars.

		HARTMAN
	You will, eh? Well, we'll see about 
	that.
		(to deputies)
	All right, boys. Take it.

		BURNS
	I'm warning you -- it'll be a Federal 
	offense.
		(to deputy nearest 
		him)
	And you'll be an accessory!

		HARTMAN
	We'll take a chance on that, Burns.
		(to deputies)
	Go ahead, boys.
		(the deputies continue 
		toward the desk)

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE PRESS ROOM - NIGHT MED. SHOT

Flanked by two policemen, Mrs. Baldwin, dishevelled, with 
her hat over one ear, is marching toward the Press Room, 
bound for vengeance. Bruce, considerably upset, is with her. 
As they reach the door to the Press Room, Mrs. Baldwin stops.

		MRS. BALDWIN
	You wait outside, Bruce.

		BRUCE
	But, mother --

		MRS. BALDWIN
		(firmly)
	No! You'll weaken when you see that 
	little Jezebel! I'm going to tell 
	her what I think of her!

She plumps her hat down more firmly on her head and marches 
into the Press Room followed by the two policemen. Bruce 
remains outside the door.

INT. PRESS ROOM

Taking in door as it opens and Mrs. Baldwin, followed by the 
policemen, comes in.

		HILDY
		(leaping forward)
	Mother!

		MRS. BALDWIN
		(pointing out Burns 
		to the officers)
	That man there!

		HILDY
		(hugging Mrs. Baldwin)
	Mother! Oh, I'm so glad to see you! 
	Are you all right? Tell me.

Mrs. Baldwin indignantly shakes her off.

		HARTMAN
	What's the idea here?

		POLICEMAN
	This lady claims she was kidnapped.

		HARTMAN
	What?

		MRS. BALDWIN
	They dragged me all the way down the 
	stairs --

		HARTMAN
	Just a minute. Did -- did --
		(points to Burns)
	-- this man have anything to do with 
	it?

		MRS. BALDWIN
	He was the one in charge of 
	everything! He told them to kidnap 
	me!

		BURNS
		(amazed)
	Are you referring to me, Madam?

		MRS. BALDWIN
	You know you did!

		HARTMAN
	What about this, Burns? Kidnapping, 
	eh?

		BURNS
		(round-eyed)
	Oh, trying to frame me, eh! I never 
	saw this woman before in my life!

		MRS. BALDWIN
	Oh, what a thing to say! I was 
	standing right here - after the girl 
	jumped out of the window.

		HARTMAN
	Did you get the Mayor?

		DEPUTY
	He's coming over.

		BURNS
		(to Mrs. Baldwin)
	Now, Madam -- be honest. If you were 
	out joy-riding, drunk, and got into 
	some scrape, why don't you admit it, 
	instead of accusing innocent people?

		MRS. BALDWIN
		(beginning to doubt 
		her senses)
	You ruffian! How dare you say a thing 
	like that?

		HILDA
	Please, Mother, he's just crazy!

		MRS. BALDWIN
		(to Sheriff)
	I'll tell you something more. I'll 
	tell you why they did it!

		BURNS
		(fidgeting)
	Come on, Sheriff. We've got to get 
	bail.

		MRS. BALDWIN
		(continuing crescendo)
	I was in here -- and they had some 
	kind of murderer in with them. They 
	were hiding him!

This is a bombshell. The room is electrified.

		HARTMAN
	Hiding him? In here?

Murphy, followed by the reporters, comes into scene.

		MURPHY
	Hiding him where?

		HILDY
	Mother!

		REPORTERS
	Where was he?... Where'd they have 
	him?... Etc.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS

at the desk.

		BURNS
		(with superb 
		indignation)
	Madam, you're a cockeyed liar! And 
	you know it!

To emphasize his righteousness, he pounds on the desk three 
times, forgetting that that is his signal to Williams. Then, 
realizing what he has done, he gasps.

MED. SHOT

Burns advances from desk, the others retreating before him.

		BURNS
		(anxiously)
	Come on, Sheriff, we've got to get 
	bail.

Three answering knocks come from the desk.

GROUP SHOT WITH DOORWAY IN B.G

They jump around to face the desk.

		HARTMAN
		(whispering)
	What was that?

		REPORTERS AD LIB
	He's in the desk! -- For the love of -- 
	He's in there! Etc.

		HARTMAN
	Aha! I thought so! Stand back, 
	everybody!

		DEPUTY
	Look out, Sheriff. He may shoot!

		HARTMAN
	Get your guns out!

The policemen and deputies get out their guns.

		HILDY
	He's harmless.

		HARTMAN
	Don't take any chances. Shoot through 
	the desk.

		HILDY
	He can't hurt anybody. You've got 
	his gun.

		MRS. BALDWIN
		(panic-stricken)
	Oh, dear! Oh, dear!

		BURNS
	You grey-haired old Judas!

		MRS. BALDWIN
	Let me out! Let me out of here!

She streaks for the door, flings it open and goes. The 
reporters tear out of scene to their telephones.

		HARTMAN
		(to policeman)
	You stand there!

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	City Desk! Quick!

		SCHWARTZ' VOICE
	Gimme the Desk!

		HARTMAN
		(to another policeman)
	You there!

		ENDICOTT'S VOICE
	City Desk! Hurry!

		MCCUE'S VOICE
	Gimme Emil...

		HARTMAN
		(to a Deputy, pointing 
		with his gun toward 
		the window)
	You cover the window.

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	Look out where you're pointing that 
	gun!

The Sheriff draws his men in around the desk, their guns 
drawn on it.

		WILSON'S VOICE
	Lemme have the Desk! Quick!

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	Hold the wire! I've got a flash for 
	you!

		BURNS
		(to Hildy)
	Call Duffy!

		HARTMAN
	No, you don't!

		BURNS
		(to Sheriff, furiously)
	Do you want to get us scooped?

		MCCUE'S VOICE
	Emil? Hang on for a second.

		HARTMAN
	Now then, everybody aim at the center. 
	And when I say three --

		HILDY
	That's murder!

		HARTMAN
		(changing his mind)
	All right! Carl! Frank! One of you 
	get on each side of the desk. Take 
	hold of the cover.

They do.

		HARTMAN
	Now then! We got you covered, 
	Williams. Don't try to move. Now! 
	Everybody quiet and ready for an 
	emergency. I'm going to count three.

		SCHWARTZ
	Hold it! Something coming up.

		HARTMAN
	One!

		ENDICOTT
	Hold the phone!

		MURPHY
		(into the phone)
	I'll have it in a minute.

		HARTMAN
	Two!

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	Right away now!

		HARTMAN
		(turning back to desk)
	Everybody ready? All right. Now then, 
	up with it.

Two deputies raise the cover. Williams is revealed, cowering 
in the desk, his hands over his face. The Sheriff rushes on 
him, jabbing his gun into him.

CLOSE SHOT SHERIFF AND WILLIAMS

		HARTMAN
	Got you, Williams!

		WILLIAMS
		(a wail)
	Go on -- shoot me!

MEDIUM SHOT

as the police and deputies come in to assist the Sheriff. 
The reporters are telephoning in, the police shouting -- all 
the voices mixing in, in incredible confusion, as the Sheriff 
rushes Williams to the door and takes him out.

		MURPHY'S VOICE
	Earl Williams was just captured in 
	the Press Room of the Criminal Courts 
	Building, hiding in a desk.

		OFFICERS AD LIB
		(all talking at once)
	Grab him! That's him! Don't let him 
	shoot! Stick 'em up! -- Etc.

CLOSEUP MCCUE AT PHONE

		MCCUE
		(into phone)
	...Williams in a rolltop --

CLOSEUP WILSON AT PHONE

		WILSON
		(into phone)
	-- nabbed Williams hiding --

		ENDICOTT'S VOICE
	-- found Williams' hiding place.

		SCHWARTZ' VOICE
	He offered no resistance.

CLOSEUP MCCUE AT PHONE

		MCCUE
		(into phone)
	Williams put up a desperate struggle 
	but the police overpowered --

CLOSEUP MURPHY AT PHONE

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	-- tried to shoot it out with the 
	cops but his gun wouldn't work, so --

		WILSON'S VOICE
	-- trying to break through the cordon 
	of police --

CLOSEUP ENDICOTT AT PHONE

		ENDICOTT
		(into phone)
	Williams was unconscious when they 
	opened the desk --

CLOSEUP BURNS

grabbing the Post phone.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy! The Morning Post just turned 
	Earl Williams over to the Sheriff.

CLOSE SHOT THE SHERIFF

coming in the door with two policemen and leaping to get the 
phone away from Burns.

MED. SHOT BURNS AT PHONE, HILDY BESIDE HIM

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy!

The Sheriff and police come into scene.

		HARTMAN
		(indicating Burns and 
		Hildy)
	Put the cuffs on those two!

The police handcuff Hildy and Burns.

		ENDICOTT
	An anonymous note received by the 
	Sheriff led to Williams' capture. 
	More later.

He hangs up.

CLOSEUP MURPHY AT PHONE

		MURPHY
		(into phone)
	An old sweetheart of Williams' 
	doublecrossed him. Call you back.

He hangs up.

MED. SHOT TAKING IN DOOR

		REPORTERS
	Where's that old lady? Hey, Madam! 
	Where'd she go? Where's the old dame? 
	Etc., etc. They run out after Mrs. 
	Baldwin, the Mayor entering just 
	after they go. Burns and Hildy, 
	handcuffed together, stand near the 
	Sheriff.

		HARTMAN
		(into phone)
	Hello, girlie -- gimme Cooley. Quick!

		BURNS
	Hartwell, you're going to wish you'd 
	never been born!

The Mayor comes into scene.

		MAYOR
	Fine work, Pete! You certainly 
	delivered the goods. I'm proud of 
	you.

		HARTMAN
		(holding the phone)
	Look kind o' natural, don't they, 
	Fred?

		MAYOR
		(happily)
	A sight for sore eyes!

		HARTMAN
		(rolling in catnip)
	Aiding an escaped criminal! And a 
	little charge of kidnapping I'm 
	looking into.
		(into phone; suddenly)
	But that's the jail! There must be 
	somebody there!

		MAYOR
	Well! Looks like about ten years 
	apiece for you birds!

		BURNS
	Does it? You forget the power that 
	always watches over the Morning Post.

		MAYOR
	Your luck's not with you now!

		HARTMAN
		(into phone)
	Cooley?... I caught Williams single-
	handed -- we're going to proceed 
	with the hanging per schedule!

He wiggles the hook for another call.

		BURNS
		(to Mayor)
	You're going to be in office for 
	exactly two days more and then we're 
	pulling your nose out of the feed 
	bag.

		HARTMAN
		(into phone)
	Give me the District Attorney's 
	office.
		(to Burns)
	I'll tell you what you'll be doing -- 
	making brooms in the State 
	penitentiary.
		(into phone)
	Hello, D'Arrasty! This is Hartwell. 
	Come over to my office, will you? 
	I've just arrested a couple of 
	important birds and I want to take 
	their confessions.

He hangs up. Burns makes a sudden lunge for the Morning Post 
phone and cries into it.

		BURNS
		(into phone)
	Duffy! Get Liebowitz!

		MAYOR
	All the lawyers in the world aren't 
	going to help you!

		BURNS
	This is the Morning Post you're 
	talking to!

		MAYOR
		(enjoying himself)
	The power of the press, huh!

He laughs. Pinkus, the Governor's messenger, plentifully 
stewed, reels in the door. He approaches the Mayor and Sheriff 
who have their backs to him.

		BURNS
		(at the Mayor)
	Bigger men than you have found out 
	what the power of the press is... 
	President!... Yes -- and Kings!

		PINKUS
		(woozy; handing Sheriff 
		the reprieve over 
		his shoulder)
	Here's your reprieve.

The Mayor and Sheriff spin around.

		MAYOR
		(in a panic)
	Get out of here!

		PINKUS
	You can't bribe me!

		BURNS
	What's this?

		HARTMAN
	Get out of here, you!

		PINKUS
	I won't. Here's your reprieve.

		HILDY
	What?

		PINKUS
	I don't want to be City Sealer. I 
	don't like seals anyhow. They smell.

		MAYOR
	Who is this man?

		HARTMAN
		(to an officer)
	Throw him out, Frank.

		HILDY
		(seizing Pinkus with 
		her free hand)
	Who was bribing you?

Burns also seizes Pinkus who is being pulled out of shape.

		PINKUS
	They wouldn't take it.

		MAYOR
	You're insane!

		BURNS
		(triumphant)
	What did I tell you? An unseen power!
		(to Pinkus)
	What's your name?

		PINKUS
	Silas F. Pinkus.

		MAYOR
	You drunken idiot! Arrest him! The 
	idea of coming here with a cock-and-
	bull story like that!

		HARTMAN
	It's a frame-up! Some imposter!

		HILDY
	Wait a minute!
		(to the officers)
	Let go there!

		BURNS
		(to Sheriff and Mayor)
	Murder, uh?

		HILDY
	Hanging an innocent man to win an 
	election!

		HARTMAN
	That's a lie!!

		MAYOR
	I never saw him before!

		BURNS
		(to Pinkus)
	When did you deliver this first?

		HILDY
	Who did you talk to?

		PINKUS
	They started right in bribing me!

		HILDY
	Who's 'they'?

		PINKUS
		(indicating the Mayor 
		and Sheriff)
	Them!

		MAYOR
	That's absurd on the face of it, Mr. 
	Burns! He's talking like a child.

		BURNS
	Out of the mouths of babes.

		MAYOR
	He's insane or drunk or something. 
	Why, if this unfortunate man, 
	Williams, has really been reprieved, 
	I personally am tickled to death. 
	Aren't you, Pete?

		HILDY
	Go on, you'd kill your mother to get 
	elected!

		MAYOR
	That's a horrible thing to say, Miss 
	Johnson, about anybody!
		(to Burns)
	Now, look here, Walter, you're an 
	intelligent man --

		BURNS
		(interrupting)
	Just a minute.
		(to Pinkus)
	All right, Mr. Pinkus. Let's have 
	your story.

		PINKUS
	Well, I been married for ten years 
	and --

		BURNS
		(interrupting)
	Skip all that.

		MAYOR
		(loudly)
	Take those handcuffs off our friends, 
	Pete. That wasn't at all necessary.

		HARTMAN
		(springing to obey)
	I was just going to!

He gets the key from the officer.

		MAYOR
	Walter, I can't tell you how badly I 
	feel about this. There was no excuse 
	for Hartwell to fly off the handle.

		HARTMAN
		(unlocking the 
		handcuffs)
	I was only doing my duty. Nothing 
	personal in it.

They are set free.

		HILDY
	You guys better quit politics and 
	take in washing.

		MAYOR
		(looking over the 
		reprieve)
	Sheriff, this document is authentic! 
	Earl Williams has been reprieved, 
	this Commonwealth has been spared 
	the painful necessity of shedding 
	blood.

		BURNS
	Save that for the Tribune.

		MAYOR
		(to Pinkus)
	What did you say your name was -- 
	Pinkus?

		PINKUS
	That's right.

He shows the Mayor a locket.

		PINKUS
	Here's the picture of my wife.

		MAYOR
	A very fine-looking women.

		PINKUS
		(mysteriously angered)
	She's good enough for me! And if I 
	was to go home and tell my wife --

		MAYOR
	I understand perfectly, Mr. Pinkus, 
	and as long as I am Mayor --

		BURNS
	Which ought to be about three hours 
	more, I'd say.

		HILDY
	Just until we can get out a special 
	edition asking for your impeachment.

		BURNS
	And your arrest. You'll each get 
	about ten years, I think.

		MAYOR
	Don't make any hasty decisions, Mr. 
	Burns, you might run into a thumping 
	big libel suit.

		HILDY
	You're going to run into the Governor.

		MAYOR
		(trying to brush it 
		off)
	Now, my old friend the Governor and 
	I understand each other perfectly.

		HARTMAN
		(eagerly)
	And so do I!

		MAYOR
		(with superb contempt)
	So do you what, you hoodoo!
		(to Pinkus, suavely)
	And now, Mr. Pinkus, if you'll come 
	with us, we'll take you over to the 
	Warden's office and deliver this 
	reprieve.

The Sheriff, Pinkus and the Mayor go out of scene.

		BURNS
		(dreamily)
	Wait till those two future jailbirds 
	read the Morning Post tomorrow.

Walter turns to Hildy and they suddenly smile at each other.

		HILDY
	How was that for a tight squeeze?

		BURNS
	Don't tell me you were worried!

		HILDY
	Worried! I was petrified. Weren't 
	you?

		BURNS
	Uh-uh. As long as we were in there 
	together pitching -- they couldn't 
	lick us. Well, it's been a lot of 
	fun.

		HILDY
	In a way.

		BURNS
		(laughs)
	I mean -- working together. Just 
	like the old days. The things we've 
	been through, Hildy.

		HILDY
	We've certainly been in some swell 
	jams.

		BURNS
	Remember the time we broke into the 
	D.A.'s office, and copied Fifi 
	Randell's diary?

		HILDY
	Yeah. What about the time we hid the 
	missing heiress in the sauerkraut 
	factory? Six scoop interviews!

		BURNS
	Yeah - but that time we stole Old 
	Lady Haggerty's stomach off the 
	Coroner's physician. We proved she 
	was poisoned though, didn't we?

		HILDY
		(laughing)
	We sure did, but we had to go in 
	hiding for a week.

		BURNS
	In the Shoreland Hotel. And our only 
	chaperon was the poor old lady's 
	stomach.

		HILDY
	Don't remind me. That's how we 
	happened to --

She breaks off. There is a moment's pause.

		BURNS
	Sorry, Hildy. I didn't mean to be 
	making love to another man's fiancee.

		HILDY
	That's all right, Walter. It's as 
	much my fault as yours.

		BURNS
		(glancing at the clock)
	Bruce is making the nine o'clock 
	train. I told him you'd be on it -- 
	unless you want to write this story 
	yourself.

		HILDY
	Well, if it's my last story, I'd 
	like it to be a good one. But -- I 
	guess I can't, Walter.

		BURNS
	Suit yourself, kid. This isn't for 
	me to decide. Of course, you could 
	make a later train and still be in 
	Albany tomorrow morning.

		HILDY
	Yeah. I suppose I could. But, Walter --

		BURNS
	He's going to have you the rest of 
	his life, Hildy. Can't you give me 
	another hour?

		HILDY
	I don't know what to do, Walter.

		BURNS
	Flip a coin.

		HILDY
	All right.
		(takes coin from her 
		bag)
	Heads I go -- tails I stay to write 
	the story. Ready?

CLOSEUP BURNS

gazing nervously at the hand holding the coin.

		BURNS
	Ready.

CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

She flips and catches the coin. She holds it tightly clasped 
in her hand, afraid to look. They stare at each other a 
second.

		BURNS
		(nervously)
	Well -- what is it?

		HILDY
		(almost breaking)
	What's the difference? I'm going to 
	write that story -- and you know it!

She puts the coin away without looking at it. Burns rushes 
to her, tries to take her in his arms.

		BURNS
	Hildy!

		HILDY
		(furiously)
	Don't touch me! I'm not doing it for 
	you!

		BURNS
		(softly)
	Then why are you doing it?

		HILDY
	Because I'm a newspaper woman, Heaven 
	help me!

										DISSOLVE TO:

MONTAGE SHOTS

INT. CITY ROOM - Hildy typing away furiously. Copy Boy tearing 
sheets from her typewriter as she writes.

Burns coming in and tearing sheets from typewriter.

Linetype machines.

Presses going.

Headline: THE POST SAVES EARL WILLIAMS!

										DISSOLVE TO:

INT. BURNS' OFFICE

Headline: POST SAVES EARL WILLIAMS!

Over this sound of newsboys calling "Extra! Extra!"

CAMERA DRAWS BACK to rest of story:

"Impeachment Proceedings Launched Against Mayor For Attempting 
to Conceal Governor's Reprieve!"

CAMERA DRAWS BACK FURTHER to the by-line --

By Hildegarde Johnson.

CAMERA DRAWS BACK STILL FURTHER to disclose Burns and Hildy 
looking at paper on Burns' desk.

		BURNS
		(enthusiastically)
	The greatest yarn ever written by 
	anybody. My hat's off to you, Hildy!

		HILDY
		(grimly)
	Thanks.

		BURNS
	And what a way to quit. While you're 
	still champion! That's the way to 
	leave, Hildy!

		HILDY
	Yeah. Only -- only I'm not leaving, 
	Walter.

		BURNS
	What do you mean? Bruce'll be waiting 
	for you in Albany.

		HILDY
	No, he won't. I wired him that I 
	wasn't coming.

CLOSEUP BURNS

		BURNS
	Where'd you wire him?

		HILDY
	On the nine o'clock train. That's 
	the one he took, isn't it?

		BURNS
	Sure.

MED. SHOT

		HILDY
	It's awfully clear now. Bruce needs 
	a wife who can give him a home -- 
	and affection -- and peace. I couldn't 
	do that for him, Walter. I'm what 
	you made me -- a cheap reporter who'd 
	give up her soul for a story!... Is 
	that job still open?

		BURNS
	Both jobs are open, Hildy. The paper -- 
	and being Mrs. Walter Burns.

		HILDY
	Thanks, Walter, but it's no good. We 
	tried it.

		BURNS
	Sure, it was good -- it was wonderful! 
	Only you expected it to be like other 
	marriages. It can't be like other 
	marriages -- we're different! We're 
	a different world. Look at what we 
	went through today. I wouldn't trade 
	that for any honeymoon in the world. 
	I bet you wouldn't, either.

		HILDY
	A fine honeymoon, with a murderer 
	right in the boudoir! And that other 
	honeymoon in a coal mine!

		BURNS
	That's what makes it romantic. Every 
	other married couple goes away on a 
	honeymoon and for two weeks the bride 
	knows just where the groom is, and 
	vice versa. But us -- you never know 
	where I am and I'm not sure where 
	you are. That's Romance!

		HILDY
	Well, maybe I'd like to know just 
	once!

		BURNS
	Hildy, if that's what you want, all 
	right. We'll even go to -- how about 
	Niagara Falls?

		HILDY
		(jumping)
	Niagara Falls! Walter, you don't 
	mean that?

		BURNS
	Sure I do. And I'll tell you something 
	else -- I'd like a baby.

		HILDY
	Walter!

		BURNS
	Sure, I can't last forever. I want a 
	son I can train to take my place on 
	this paper.

		HILDY
	What would you do if it was a 
	daughter?

		BURNS
	Well, if she looked like you -- Say! 
	My brains and your looks -- that 
	mightn't be such a bad combination.

		HILDY
	What's the matter with my brains?

		BURNS
	What's the good of arguing about 
	something that probably doesn't exist? 
	Look, Hildy, I'm proposing to you. 
	What do you say?

		HILDY
	Well, I'd like to be lady-like and 
	think it over.

		BURNS
	I don't want to rush you. Take a 
	couple of seconds.

MED. SHOT AT DOOR

Louie marches in with a judge, half-dressed. Louie has the 
judge in a tight grip.

MED. CLOSE SHOT

		BURNS
	Hello, Judge!

		JUDGE
	This is an outrage, Mr. Burns! Sending 
	a gunman to kidnap me!

		BURNS
	Now, wait a minute, Judge. This isn't 
	a kidnapping. You've got the legal 
	power to perform a marriage ceremony, 
	haven't you?

		HILDY
	What!

		BURNS
	Now don't argue, Hildy.
		(to Judge)
	How about it, Judge?

		JUDGE
	Yes, but --

		BURNS
	Then go ahead. Come on, Hildy.

		HILDY
	Nobody's going to rush me into 
	anything!
		(as Louie sticks a 
		gun in her ribs)
	You keep away from me!
		(but she's scared)

		LOUIE
	All right, Judge.

INT. CITY ROOM MED. SHOT

Reporters are standing on desks to watch through the glass 
partition of Burns' office.

		1ST REPORTER
	I'll be doggoned! A shotgun marriage!

		2ND REPORTER
	Don't they usually keep the gun on 
	the man?

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT JUDGE

reading the marriage ceremony.

		JUDGE
		(continuing)
	" -- so long as you both do live?"

		BURNS
	I will.

GROUP SHOT

		HILDY
	That's what he said the last time. 
	Don't believe him, Judge.

		BURNS
	Hildy, from this time on no tricks, 
	no double-crossing -- everything on 
	the level!

		HILDY
	You're not fooling anybody.

		JUDGE
		(continuing)
	"Hildegarde Johnson, will you have 
	this man as your wedded husband, to 
	live together in the ordinances and 
	estate of Matrimony?"

		HILDY
	What would you do with a gun in your 
	back?

		LOUIE
		(poking her)
	Quiet!

		JUDGE
	"Will you love him, comfort him, 
	honor and keep him in sickness or in 
	health; --

		HILDY
	If I know where he is.

		JUDGE
	" -- and, forsaking all others, keep 
	thee only unto him, so long as you 
	both do live?"

		HILDY
	I will -- if he will.

		JUDGE
		(to Burns)
	Have you got a ring?

Burns starts searching his pockets, then, to Hildy:

		BURNS
		(he takes ring off)
	How about Bruce's?

		HILDY
	Walter, you can't do that!

		BURNS
	Sure, I can. Look at the policy I 
	gave him!
		(placing Bruce's ring 
		on Hildy's finger)
	"With this ring I thee wed and with 
	all my worldly goods I thee endow: 
	And thereto I plight thee my troth."

INT. CITY ROOM CLOSE SHOT

		REPORTER
	Say, I'm surprised she got the ring 
	back!

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT GROUP

		JUDGE
	" -- pronounce you Man and Wife."

Burns throws his arms around Hildy and kisses her.

		BURNS
	Hildy, darling!

		HILDY
	Yes -- 'Hildy, darling'. I'm just a 
	fool. That's what I am. I know what 
	it's going to be like.

		BURNS
	It'll be Heaven!

		HILDY
	Sure, Heaven! You've probably thought 
	up another coal mine to send me down 
	in -- to get a new story for your 
	paper!

Hildy turns over copy of the extra lying on Burns' desk.

CLOSEUP HILDY

She stops cold.

		HILDY
	Walter!

INSERT: NEWSPAPER --

			"COUNTERFEIT PASSER CAUGHT!"

"Attempting to pass five hundred dollars worth of counterfeit 
money at the Union station, a man giving his name as Bruce 
Baldwin of Albany, New York, was arrested last night -- "

TWO SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

		HILDY
	Counterfeit money! That's the money 
	you sent me, Walter! You -- you --

		WALTER
		(starting to run)
	But, Hildy, listen --

MED. FULL SHOT

Burns retreats from Hildy, she runs after him. He dashes 
through glass-paned door into adjoining office. Hildy throws 
her bag at him and it smashes the glass pane in the door.

INT. ADJOINING OFFICE CLOSE SHOT BURNS AND HILDY

She is pursuing him around table similar to one in Burns' 
office.

		BURNS
	But, Hildy -- I can explain --

		HILDY
	You -- you!!

INT. BURNS' OFFICE CLOSE SHOT JUDGE AND LOUIE

		LOUIE
	I think it's going to work out all 
	right this time.

							FADE OUT:

THE END
All movie scripts and screenplays on «Screenplays for You» site are intended for fair use only.