НАЗВАНИЕ: Network (1976)
ГОД: 1976
СЦЕНАРИСТ: Paddy Chayefsky
ИСТОЧНИК: ScriptSlug (PDF) — https://www.scriptslug.com/script/network-1976
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СКАЧАНО: 2026-10-12 11:48
ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ: текст чужой, для личного изучения. Не распространять. Не исполнять.
======================================================================

                 NETWORK




       Written by Paddy Chayefsky




1976
                                                                         1
            1'.N::>B IN:

     i.     BLACK SCREEN

                                         NARRATOR
                           This story is about Howard Beale
                           who was the network news anchorman
                           on OBS-TV --
                                        .         .
            A BANK OF FOUR COLOR TELEVISION MON:tTC>RS

            Xi: is 7 : 14 P .M. , Y..onday, September 23 1, 197 4 , and we are
            watching the network news progra.I:l.S on CBS, NBC, ABC a.n.d
            traS-TV, t..11.e net:rlork of our story. ThE! AUDIO is OFF:
            and head shots of WALTER CRONKITE, JOUN CSt..'-tc:,,I.OR,
            EOWA.RD K. S?-lITH and HAR.l:U:; REASONER, a.J:ld, of course,
            the anchorman of our network, HOWARD JSEALE, silent1y
            flit and flicker across the four tele•.rision sc::eens,
            interspersed with the news of the day -- a hurricane in
            Honduras, Teddy Kennedy renounces his candidacy for
            President, Kissinger will address the UN General
            Assembly tomorrow on the energy crisis. NA."q.,UTION
            ~ontinues OVER --
                                        NARRATOR (Contd)
                           -   Zn his tbe, B~.-..ard Beale had
                           been a mandarin of televisi.on, the
                           ·grand old man of news , wi trl a ROT
                           rating of 16 and a 28 audiE:nce
                            share --          ·
            CJ\MERA MOVES m to isolate . BOWARD BE:t.LE, who is
            everything an anchorman should be -- 58 yea.rs old,
            silver-haired, magisterial., dignified to the point o_f
            div~nity. NAR..~'I'ION continues OVER ··-
                                                                                 ...
                                             NARRATOR (Contd)
                            --·: In 19 6 9 , however , he fe.ll to a
                            22 share, and, by 1972, he was dc-.m
                            to a lS share. In 1973, h.is wife
                            died, and he was li::£t a childless
                            widower with an 8 rating and a 12
                            share. He became morose and isolated,
·-                          began to drink heavily, ar.dr on
                            September 23, 1974, he was fired,
                            effective in ~do weeks. The news
                            was broken to him. by Max Schu::iacher --
     . 2.    EXT:     5TH AVE. SOtrrB OF 57TH STREET-- NIGST            2.
             11: 30 P .M.The area is deserted exc:ept for a f e-11
             STROLLERS window-shopping the departrrent stores.          And
             way down near 55th Street, TWO roaring drunk middle-
             aged men, HOWA..11.D BEALE a?ld MAX SCHU~1.l\CHER, reeling
             along and hooting it up.         NARRATION continues OVER -
                                                                  2
                               NARRATOR (Contd)
                  -- who was president of t!"le News
                  Oivision at UBS and an old f=i.end.
                  ':he two men got properly pi~ised --
      CLOSER SHOT of HOWARD and MAX (who is a craggy,
      lm:lbering, rough-hewn, Sl-year-old r:2an) , t.'"'.o=oughl.y
      plastered and on a drur..ken laughing jag --
-                                BOWARD
                         (c!utcn;ng t.~e co:ner
                                                              •
                                                                  iI .
                                                                  I•



                         mailbox to keep f roc
                       ' falling)
                  When was this?

                                 MAX
                  1951 --
                                 BOWARD
                  I was at CBS with Ed Mi.:r=cw i."l
                  1951. Didn't ycu join Hur=::w
                  in 1951? --

--
...
                                 MAX
                  Must've been 1950 t..'le."l. I was at
                  NBC. Horning News. Associate
                  produce:. I was a kid, t-,.;enty-si.x
                  years old.  Anyw·ay, they we.J::-e
                  building the lower level on t.11.e
                  George Washington Bridge, and we
                  were doing a re=ote there. Except
                  nobody told me! --

      For sone reason, this knocks them out.. EOWARD,
      wheezing with supp=essed laughte:, clutches the
      mailbox. MAX has to shout to get the rest of t...'"le
      story out
                                 MAX(Contd)
                  - ten a£ter seven i~ the mc:,rning
                  I get a cal1 -- "Where the hell are
                  you? -- You're supposed to be on
                  the C--eorge Washington Bridg1?l" --
                  I   j\lmp out of bed -- I t..'1.row cy
                  raincoat over cy paja!:las -- I ru.-i
                  down the stairs -- I get ou·t::. in the
                  street _,.:. I fl2.g a cab -- I juop i.:l
                  -- I say: •Take me to the middle
                  of the Gecrge Washington Bridge!" -
      It's too r.iuch again. The TWO MEN dissolve i.-ito sile:1t
      wheezing spas~s of laughter --
                                                                    3
~p-
'.•                                 MAX (Contd)                         l
                            (tears streaming down                       I
                             his cheeks)
                      •- the driver turns around - he
                      says -- don't do it, buddy ··-
                            (so weak now he can
                         ,   bc:trely talk)
                      •- be says - you• re a younc;
-                     man -   you got your whole life
                      ahead o:;_ you_ --
                                                                        !
                                                                        i
                                                                        ,.


           Ee can't go on.· Be stomps around on the sidewalk.
           BOWARD clutches the mailbox.
      3.   IN'::   A BAR - 3:00 A.M.                              .3.
           Any bar. Mostly e.Tllpty. MAX and BO""A.RD in a booth,
           so sodden drunk they are scl:er -
                                      BOWARD
                       I'm going to kill myself -··
                                      MAX
                       Oh, shit, Howard --
                                      HOWARD
                       I'm going to blow my brains out
                       right on th.e air, right in t.l-ie
                       middle· of the seven o I clcc.!-: r.ews,
                       like that gir 1 i.."l Florida a
                       couple of months ago
                                   MAX
                       You'll get a hell of a rat~ng,
                       I'll tell you that, a fift;y
                       share easy -                                          .   '
                                   HOWARD
                       You think so?
                                      MAX
                       We could make a series out of it.
                       Suicide of the Week. Hell, why
                       limit ourselves? Execution of the
                       Week -- t..'1e Madame Defar9 e Showt
                                                      1

                       Every Sunday night, bring your
                       knitting and watch somebody get
                       guillotined, hung, electrocuted,
                       gassed. For a logo, we'll have
                       some brute wit.11 a blac..~ hood over
                       his head. Think of the spinoffs
                       -- Rape of t.~e Week --
                                                                     4

                                          HOWAP.O
                                 (beginning to get
                          \       caught up in the idea)
                            Terrorist of the Week? --
                                          MAX
                           Beaut:!.fu11
         ..
-                                         BOWARD
                           Bow about Coliseum '74?      Eve.ry
                           week we ·t.i.rcw some Christians
                           to the licnsl --
                                                                                  . .,;
                                          M.1\X
                           Jrantasticl The Death Hourl I
                           love it1 Suicides, assassi.r1..aticns,
                           mad bombers, Mafia hit::ien, murder
                           in the barbershop, human sac:rifices
                           in wi tc:hes I covens , auto:tob:~le              ...
                                                                           . . . ...
                           sm.ashups. The Deat..~ Hou:! A
                           great Sunday night shew for the·
                           whole family. We'll wipe O:Lsney
                           right off t.~e air --
              They snigger and snort. HOWARD lays his head dcwn on
              the boot.~•s table and verges on sleep --
    4.        INT:     BOWA.RO I S BEDROOM - 4 : 30 A.M. - 'DARK    4.
              BOWA..tm, 'fully clothed, spraw"led asleep on his still-
              covered bed in the dark bedrocm. Suddenly, he sits
              bolt upright, SCREA."1.ING out against unseen terrors --
    S•        INT:  BOWAP.D 'S J\PA.'q,TMf:NT HOUSE - I..Ai.'ID,ING 5.
              OOTSIDE HIS DOOR - 8: 00 A.M. - TUESDA.Y, SE.PT. 24
                                                                             .,
              -- as HOWARD'S HOUSEKEEPER, . a middle·•aged lady; le ts
              herself into -
              IN'l':   BOWARD' S APARTHENT - ENTRAUCE E•OYER

              The HOUSEKEEPER, unbuttoning her co a1:, is greeted by .
              the sound of a raucous clock ALA.t:tM, J:elentlessly
              sozzniG o.s. She crosses the
-             INT:     LIVING ROO?·l

              -  and opens the blinds letting in an eruption of
              daylight. The shrill BUZZING gettin•; louder, she
              proceeds into the --
              INT:     BACK FOYE..~

              -- where she pauses to look into the bedroc::i, t.h,e door
              .oeing ajar; .;ne ;U::::;;::; ~s cc::iing from here -
                                                                                            s
                              BOOSEKEEPER'S    P.O.V. -- BOWARD BEALE,
                              still wearing the clothes he wore Last night, curled
                              in a position of fetal helplessness on the f1oor in
                   :-liJ!!t   the far corner of the rcom --
                                                         HOUSEKEEPER
                                                (after a moment)                                     \
-                                          Are you all right, Mr. Beale?
                                                        BOWARD
                                                                                                     I
                                                                                                     I

                                                 (opens one eye)
                                           I'm fine, thank you, Mrs.
                                           Merryman --
                              With some effort, he cont.rives to g·et to his feet as
                              the HOUSEKEEPER c:osses to the ala.r;:i clock and tu:ns
                              it off --
                   6.         CREDITS A.i.'m MUSIC ERUPT ONTO TSE      sc::RE~N           6.
                              ':ITLE:
                                                 • N E T WC R X •
                              - ONCER AND INTERSPERSED 'WITH C!i.EOITS , amontage of
                               scenes, occasional.ly audible, on tl'i.is seemingly
                               routine day --
                   7.          :INT: BOWARD BEALE'S OF::'ICE: -- STS J:OI,OQR -           7.
                               9:20 A.M.
                               A small, unpretentious office, clu'f:.tered with books, ~
                               magazines, pe=iodicals, photograph!3 and awarc.s on t.":e
                               walls, various mementoes here a."'l.d 1:.here. HOWARD
                               (necktied and in shirtsleeves), behind his desk,
                               rattli."'lg away his copy fo= that evening's broadcast
                               on his typewriter -- pauses to pour hir.tSelf a quick
                               shot of Scotch·--
                   a.          INT:     THE NIGHTLY NEWS ROOM -     ROOM 517 -            s.
                               10:30 A.M.
                                                               .
                               'l'he common room off which Howard's office debouches.

-                              A large room compactly filled with t..~e desks of
                               producers, as~c~iate produce:s, head writer and
                               writers, production assistants, etc. The walls are
                               festooned like bul.letin boards wit~ sheaves of
                               newspaper pages and cutouts and rear.is of wire releases
          .,·                  (there are two wire machines in a corner). Large
     rl_                       blowups of HOWARD BEALE are procinently displayed.
.;...::_:::.,;_-               There are small, shel ve'd li::;r a= ies of becks ,
                               directories and maga=ines hare and there. And the
                               ever-present bank of· four television monitors; and,
                               aincc it is 10: 30 A.!1., '!'uesd~y, Septe!"'...!::.)e::- 24, 1974,
                                                                     6

     and, since the AUDIO is OFF, the s:creens silently
     flicker with whatever was on that day at that time.
     BOWARD cc:nes out of his off ice, c:::osses th:::ough the
     general HUM of informal indust..ry, an occasional :
     'rYPEWRI'I'ER cuc~n:G, .a c.ore than c~ccasiona.l phone
     ringing, as t.."'ie Nightly News Roen PERSONNEL, al.l in
     their 20 's and 30 • s, move, MOP.MOR, confer about t."leir
     businesses. HC'/::\..tu:> BE:· 'T'."!'. rna.~es fc:,r a ledge of
     reference books to cheek out some fact. He spreads
      the reference beck out on an unoc1:uDied desk.. SC:1.E0!1E
      in b. g. te.lls hiI:l he Is wanted on ·t:he phone. He nods,
      takes the call. at the desk he is at. Through.cut, he
      belts away at his glass cf booze --
9.   IN'l':   OFFICE OF THE EXEC. PRODUCER OF UBS-                9.
     NETWOR..tt NE1''1S -   UBS BOILDillG - 5TH FLOOR -   l : 00 P .M. -
     ':OESDAY
       Another smallish office debouching off t."le main rcom
       like Howard's, absolutely j a:n:-..ed with nine PEOPLE, a
       couple of them stanc.ing, the othe:rs si":ti...,,g wherever
     · they can. The executive produce!:', ?.AR.'tl;{ EU?-lTER (early
       40 • s) , is behind the desk. BO't~r\D BEJ;'T','r: sits on t..1-ie
       small, Finnish mcdern couch, fla::1..'-:ed by a., ASSOC!ATE
       PRODUCER and a H.A..'11 f:rcm the Grachics Oe'C'ar-:..-:ient. AsidE
       frcm BEALE and EU'NTER, everybcdy else        is   in their 20's
       or early 30' s, ar~, with the samE! e~ceptior.s, they a.re
       all casuall~t dressed. This is the daily run-down
       meeting at which the schedule for that evening's
       broadcast is roughed out, and it sou....,,ds somet."l.ing like
      this --
                                   BOt'U\RD
                            (reaching for the bottle
                          of booze on HUNT:E:R' s desk
                          to refill his glass)
                    -- let's de Rockefeller at t..~e end
                    of two -
                                  HAR.."Y iiUNTER
                    'l'hat etrong_enough to bump?
                                HOWARD
                       . (sipping his booze)
                    In one then, I'll do a. lead to
                    Ford-~issinge::: -~
                               .    ASSOCIATE PRODL~~R
                    'then Yamani?
                                    HOWARD
                    Yeah, Yamahi in Chicago -       tag --
                                  PRODUCTICN ri.SSISTA..'iT (GIRL)
                    'l'hat•s forty-five -
                                                                          7

?'·                                 HOWARD
-~                      What dces that ccme out?
                                   .PRODUCTION ASSl:STANT
                        About four-fifty --
                                    ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
                        Where we using Rur.isfeld?
                               .      HARRY HUNTER
                        Let• s do t.liat in t-...ro -- Rumsfeld --
                        J.ockefeller -- bu.~0. Now, we
                        using a map going into L.A .. ?
                                      GRAPHIC MAN
                        ~   prefer a news-pix --
            BOWARD J?OurS himself another shot of booze and sips
            it --
                                         BOWARD
                        What've we got left?
                                    PRODOCTIO~ ASS:rSTA.i."ff
                        Nuclear thing, Nixon-hospital,
                        Ford a:nnesty, Watergate t=:ial --

      10.   INT:    4TH FLOOR COP..R!DOR - UBS BO!LD:n:G -              10.
            6 :28 P .M. - TUESDAY
            LOOKI:?1G· DlTO the small network-news r:ia.t:e-up rcor:t wher a
            BOWARD BE..i\LE is sta..'1.di."lg, Kleenex tui::ked i."lto his
            shil:t collar, ge~ting a few last whisks ::::-oo the .i:·1..~..!'~Z-
            OP LADY.   Fi.'lished, HOWA..RD pulls the Kleene:-: f=cr.:,. his
            collar, takes a last sip frcm a glass of bcoze on t~e
            make-up shelf, gathers his papers and exits, tu...-:::.s
            and enters --
      u.    INT:   NETWOR..-ct NE"i'i'S· STUDIO -   4TH FLOOR           11.
            Typical Newsroc."Il studio -- cameras, -cables, wall maps,
            flats and propping, etc. HOWARD nods, Sr.1.iles to
            various l?ERSOffi,EL -- CA.HERAHEN, ASSISTA..'IT Oia.EC'.:'CRS,
            ASSOCIATE PF..ODUCEP..S -- as he makes his way to his desk
            facing Camera One. Ee sits, prepares his papers, leeks
            up to the control roo:.:i, nods --
            MOSIC ABRUPTLY OUT:
            END OF CREDITS:
      12.   INT:    CONTROL ROOH - 4TH.FLOOR                            12.
            The wall cloc~ reads: 6:39. Typicai control ro.:::i.              A
            room-length double ban.'<. of televisic1n monitors
                                                               8

  including two color monitor screens, the sha~ monitor
  and the pre-set monitor. Before thi~; array of TV
  screens si-:s the DIP.ECTOR, flanked on his leit by the
  PRODt."CTION A.SSISTA.'lT (GIRL) , who stop-watch.es the show,
  and on his right by t..l-ie TECHNICAL DIR.ECTOR who opera tns
· a. special board of buttons and knobs,.         (On t~e           ,
  TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Is right sits the LIGh"TING DIP.:::CTO~.)
  At the moment, the snow monitcr has the network's                 ;
  Washington corresponden"t, JA!!.."{ S!lOWDJ:::N, doing a lead-.:..n
  to the second day of Nelson Rocke£ el:le.r • s hearings            :
  before the Senate Rules Canm.ittee on his nomination
  for the Vice-P 7esidency --
                            SNOWDEN (ON MONITOR)
              -- Rocke£ el le:- again suppo:rted
              President Ford's pardon of :orrner
              President Nixon --
                           TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

              -      (murmuring into his mike)
                   twenty-four --
                            SNOWDEN (ON MONITOR)
              --   as an act of conscien=e -
                            DIRECTOR
               .   (murmuring i.'"lto his r:i.iJ~e)
              •- Lou, kick that littl~ thing
              shut on ground level --
                          SNOWDEN (0:'1 MC1?-1ITO R)
              -~ an act of compassion --·
 'l'he shew monitor screen has switched over to show fil~
 of Nelson Rockefeller testifying before the Rules
 Co:nra.ittee -
                             SNOWDEN (V.O. ON HO~!TOR)
              -    ·and an act of courage --
                       .     PRODUCTION ASSISTA..'lT
                     (murmurs)
              --   forty seconds -
                             DIRECTOR
                     (murmurs into mike)
              --   twenty seconds to one
                              ROCKEFELLER (()N MONITOR)
              ...... The constitutional proc:ess
              worked --
                          DIRECTOR
              -- headroll -- rolling --
                                                          9   I.



                          ROCKEPELLER (ON MONITOR)
         -       the information was brout;ht out --
                      TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
               (murmurs into mike)
          -- twenty-five, twenty-six --
                            ROCKEFELLER (ON MONITOR)
          -- the President resigned --
In the bac.~ half of the control room, seated behind his
shelf i? HAR..i:tf HUNTER, who is f1i.rti."l;g with his
SECRETARY --      '

                            BAR.RY HUNTER
                   SECRETARY)°
                      (to
          Bow the hell do you always get
          mixed up witb married men? --
                      DIRECTOR
               (leans back to say
                to SEC.~TA..~Y)
          - Sheila, if you're hot for married
          men, why go to strangers? w1lat • s
          wrong with me? --
                             ROCREFELLEP.. (ON HONITOR)
          -      the Presieent accept~d a pardon
                      PRODCCTION ASS!STJ\.."-tT
          -- ten seconds --                     •
                         . OIR!:CTOR
                   (back to his rnike)
          -      ten seconds cor:iing to cine --
                             ROCKEFELLER {ClN HONITCR)
          -- which, in my opinion -··
                             DIRECTOR
                      (on mike)
             -- and --
                          ROCKEFELLER (ON MONITOR)
             -   was tantamount to admi·:ti."'lg
             guilt --
                             DIRECTOR
             -- one -
BOWARD BEALE's image suddenly flips on-screen
                      PRODUCTION ASSISTA..~T
          -- fifteen seconds to ccr.:~ercial
         "freeze --
                                                                      10
                               DIRECTOR
....               -- head roll --
                                 T.ECHNICAL DIRECTOR
                   -    rolling --
       The DIRECTOR and TECSNic.;u. OIREC=OR tur.i in their'seats
       to join HARRY HUNTER and his SEC..~'l'ARY in a brief.
-      gossip -                                             ,
                                  HOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                   -- Ladies and gentlemen, I would
                   like at this moment to anncmnce
                   that I will be reti:in; frcm
                   this program in two weeks' time
                   because of poor ratings --
       The DIRECTOR has whispered something to P.ARRY Hu~TER'S
       SECRETARY' which cccasions sniggers f~:-c::i. t.11.e SEC?.ET;i.-~!!
       and f:rom H.A.R.tl..:l BUNTER. The TEC:·:.'1·l!CAJ::. DIRECTOR stands
       to get i...'l on the j oke --
                                   TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
                          (to DIRECTOR)
                    -   w~at'd you say? --
                                   HOWARD (ON HONITOR)
                   -- and since this shew was the
                   only thing I had going for me
                   in my life, I have decided to
                   kill myself --
       HARRY HUNTER I S SEC.RETARY mu....-:nurs scmething which causes
       HARRY HUNTER to burst into laughter --
                                TECHNIC~..L DIRECTOR
                         (to the DIRECTOR)
                    -- so what'd she say? --
                                BOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                    -- I'll tell you what I'm going
                    to do. I'm going to blew my brains
                    out right on this program a week
                    from today --

  -                               PRODUCTION ASSIST;...'lT
                           (frowning and very puz:led
                           indeed by this divel=sion
                           from the script)
                    -- ten seconds to cor:ir.:ercial freeze --
                                   HOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                    -- so tune i:1 next Tuesca~,.        That• l.l
                    give the public relations people a
                                    (MORE)
                                                                    11
                                HOWARD (ON HONITOR) (Contd)
                    week to prcnote t.~e show, and we
                  , ought to get a hell. of a :rating
                 ·, with that, a fifty share ,easy -
        A bewildered FP-OOUCTIO!l ASSIST&"'JT nudges t..'le DIRECTOR,
        who wheel.s back to his mi.~e --

-                  -
                                DIBECTOR
                         (into mike)
                       and•-
                                PRODUCTION .ASSISTA.~ T
                         (to the CIR.ECTOR)
                  · Listen, did you hear t.'lat? --
                                DllECTOR
                   -   two -
        The monitor screen erupts into a corcrnercial for a cat-
        food chow-chew-chow --
                                 AUDIO MAN
                         (leaning in fro~ his·
                         glassed-in cubicle)
                   What was that about?
    l                          PRODUCTION' AS.SIST.n!IT
                        (to the OI~CTOR)
                   Howard just said he was going to
                   blow his brains out next ·ruescay.
                               DIRECTOR
                   What're you talking about?
                               Pru::lDUCTION ASSISTANT
                   Didn't you hear him? He just said       --   .

                               BARRY HUNTER
                   What's wrong now?
                                                            •
                               PRODUCTION ASSISTA.~T
                   Boward just said·he was going to
                   kill himself next Tuesday.
-                              HARRY HUNTE~
                   What do you mea.T1 Howard j1Jst
                   said he was going to kill himself
                   next Tuesday?
                                 PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
                         (ne~ously riffling through
                          her script)
                   He was supposed to do a t,ag on
                   ·Rockefeller-bu.~p-commercial --
                                                             12
                            AUDIO MAN
                  (frc:::i his dcorway)
          ·: Be said tu."le in next Tuesday,, I'm
             going to shoot myself --
Everybody's attention is now on t.."le double ban..'k:. of
black-and-white ~c~it::i: sc:eens showing various parts
cf the studio, all cf which show agitated behavior.
Several of the sc:eens shew HOt·lARD at his desk in
vehement discussion with a clearly startled FLOOR
MANAGER with headset and no less startled ASSOCIATE
PRODUCER --                                   .
                       DIR.ECTOR
                (on mike to FI.CCR ?-'..ANAG'J::R)
           What the hell's going on?
On the pre-set monitor sc:een, t..~e FLCOR MANAGER
with headset looks up
                        FLOOR MJ..NAGER (Oi~ SCREE:i)
                 (voice bco:ning into
                  the cont=ol rooc)
            I don't know. He just said he
            was going to blew his brains out
                          DIRECTOR
                 (into rni.'k:.e)
            What the hell's this all a.bout,
            Boward?
                          .    .
                          BOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                  (shouting at the floor
                   PERSO~~EL gatheri."lg
                   around hi.~)
            Will you get the hell out of here?
            We'll be back on air in a ccupl e
            of seconds1
                        DIR.ECTOR
                 (roaring into the mike)
            What the fuck's going on, Hciward?
                          HOWARD {ON MONI'.rOR)
            I can't hear you --
                          DIRECTOR
                  (bawling at the AUDIO HAN)
            Put the .studio mike onl
                        AUDIO MAN
            We're back on in eleven seconds --
                                                                  13
                                PRODUCTION ASSIS~:.A.."fr
                        (stop-watching)
                 , - ten seconds --
                                HARRY HUNTER
                     . (his voice now bocm.ing
                        out i."lto t.."le stuc.io)
                 Boward! What the hell are y4:::>U dcing?
                 Have you flipped or what?!
                                  '.rECHNICAL OIRZC'!OR
                        (mu:r:iiurs into his mike)
                 We start with 31 -- 32 --
                                HARRY Ht.n-.~ER
                      (roaring at the AUDIO !1..~~)
                 'rum the mike offl
                                AUDIO. ?-tA..~
                      (now back in the
                       control rcorn)
                 What the hell's going on?
                             HARRY HUNTER
                      (raging)
                 Turn the fucking sound off, you
                  stupid son of a bitch!          Thi::; is
                  going out livel
                                PRODUCTION ASSISTA..'rt
                       (stop-watching)
                  Three -- two -- one --
      At which FOint, the TECHUICA.L OIREC'!'OR. pushes a·butt:::;
      the jangling cat:cod cc~.r::e:cial flips off the show
      monitor to be instantly replaced by a scene of                        ,
      gathering bedlam around HOWA...~ • s desk. The ;,:~.,'":):0 :.;;.::
      flees in panic bac.~ to his cu..bicle to turn of: t~e
      audio but not before EA..~RY HUNTER and the DIREC~CR
      going out live to 67 affiliatss can be heard beaning:
                                 HAR...~Y HUNTER
                  Chrissakesl Black it outl This
                  is going out live to sixty-seven
                  fucking af:iliatesl Shit1
                                 DIRECTOR
                  This is the dumbest thing I ever
                  sawl --
13.   INT:   MA.X. som:-1.ACHER ts OFFICE -      FIFTH FLOOR -   13.
      ROCH 509
      MAX SCHtJM.ACHER, ~ehind his desk staring petrified at
      his off ice console on which pandemoni.u.."!l has broken out.
    The FLOOR M.A.."'lAGER and the ASSCC!ATE f 1RODUCER ~d l4
    now an ELECTRICIA!? are t:yi.."lg to pull. HOWARD away frat l
    his desk and HOWA.:m is t=ying to hit anybody he can
                                                                 I
    with an ineffective right hand haymaker --
                           HOWARD (ON !-1.JNJ:TOR)
               Get the fuck away fro~ mel

-                            OTHER VOICES   (ON MONI'!'OR)
                     (coming f rorn all di:ec:tio:is)
               -  cut the shcwl --
               -- g~t him out of t.1:.ere! -··
               -  go to standby! --
               -- for Chrissal:es, you stupid
    HAX'S PHONE RINGS --
                            MAX
                     (grabs the phone)
               How the hell do I knc-,.;?
                    (he hangs up, seizes
                     another phone, ba=ks:)
               Give me the network news
               control room!
    On the !-!ONITOR SCREE:1, hysteria is clearly dominating.
    The SCRE:S~ has suddenly leaped i."ltO ,a fra~e:it of t!":.e
    just-done catfocd cc:~1ERC!r.L, t.~en a jarring shot of
    the bedla'.'1 of t!":.e studio !loor. Thi:s par~icular ca=e:::-a
    seems unattended as it beg~,s t.:::, PA.~ d~~entedly back
    and forth showi.."lg the ccn::usion on t;:-ie st:::.di.o flco=-
    Then abruptly t!":.e SC~~:-: is filled w:i.th Vice Presic:.en~:
    designate Nelson Rcckef ell er testifying befcre t."le
    Senate Rules Com."1ittee --
                             MAX
                    (shouting into phone)
               Black it out!
    The SCREEN abruptly goes into BI.AC!< as l-4.AX slashes his
    phone back into its cradle. His PHONE prc;::;ptly RI~GS
    again, but HAX is already headed for the door. The
    SCREEN goes into STAf~DBY. His SQUAWK BOX suddenly
    blares
                           SQUAWK BOX
               What the hell happened, t•:ax? --
                             MAX
                     (shouting as he exits)
               How the hell do I know? I'm going
               down nowt
    He sttides into --.
                                                                        15
14.    ntT : ROOM SO 9 - COMMON ROOM OF NEWS
       EXECUTIVE OFFICES

       A large ccmr::.on room where all the Sl~CRET~.RIES of the
       News Division EXZCUTIVES have their desks.       It is empty
       now except for one SECRETARY just new putting the cover
       on her typewriter. ~AX strides through and exits 1
       into --
15.    INT:     FIFTH FLOOR CCRRI:COR                                15.
       A long instituticnal corridor -- part of an endless
       ina.ze of similar corridors -- wit.~ offices and technical
       rooms debauchir.g on both sides.· The cor=idor has
       begun to fill up with video-tape OPEP.ATORS and other
       News Division PE?~ONNEL who happen to be worki..~g late
       -- all of whcm are eit.~er wonderi~g· what happened or
        are telling ot=.ers what happened. HAX yank.s an exit
       door open and disappears down a flight o: steps to
        emerge into --

16._    !NT:    FOURTH FLOOR CORRIDOR                                16.
        - which leads directly to the doo:s !or the cont:ol
        room and for t.i.,.e studio. Cooing ou~ of t~e cont:ol
        room is the TECP.N!CAL DI?.:SCTOR r wh1:::> t on spotti:lg MAX
        striding down the corridor to hL~, says --
                                  T:ECHNIC..-:U. DIRECTOR
                    Jesus Christ, :1.r. Schu.~acher!
        He follows HAX i.'1.t:.O the --
17.     INT:    STUDIO                                               17. -
        Everything seems to have quieted a bit, the hysteria
        down to mumbles and murr:1.1..:.rs and oc::asic!"!al sounds of
        laughter. TELEFSONES are shrilly and incessantly
        RINGI~G. In the far cor:'ler of the: studio sits HCWA.RD
        SEALE surrounc.ec! by p.AR,..-qy Htm·rER, the DI?.ECTOR, the
        J\.SSCCI.A.TE PRODUCER, the ?ROOUCT!O:-1 ASSIST~'fr, and t."ie
        FLOOn !!ANA.GER.   C.P-.!·1ER:.l·1E!~, GRIPS and other E'LCOR
       ~ PERSONNEL are  gathered i:'l a FLUX c,f little clu~ps
        around the studio murmuring and r:mttering and giggling
        over the whole absurd episode. a.A.:c heads st=aight for
        the GROUP arol..nd HOHARD. They pa:ct to let h.i.'tt in --
                                   HARRY HUNTE.R
                         (to HAX)
                    Tom Cabell wants you to call as
                    soon as you come in
        MAX nods, stares at HOWARD

                    Harryl
                                   VOIO::   (O.S .)
                              Joe Sweeney on the phoneJ         --
            •
                                                                        16
                                      HARRY HUNTER
                               (bawls back.)
                      X'm not talcing any more callsl
                      Tell them Hr. Schumacher I s l1erel
                      They can talk to him 1
                                      MAX
_.                         (staring at HOWARD)
                      Boward, you have got to be 1out of
                      your everloving mind. Are :rou d:unk?
                               (to the others)
                      Bow much boozing has he bee:n doing
                      today?
           PBONES O. S. RING and RI?-1G.       VOICES O. S. SHOUT --

                                  VOICES (O.S.)
                      -- Mr. Sch\:nacher, Mr. Cabell
                      on the phonel ~-
                      -- Mr. Schu.-nacher 1 Mr. Zangwill
                      fer youl --
                      - Barry! Mr. Thackeray on Threel --
           HOWARD slowly looks up to ~.AX who is still staring at
           him. He suddenly smiles broadly at ~LAX and winks.
                                       VOICES (O.S.)
                      -- Harry!  Thackeray wants to
                      talk to you =ight nowt --
                      -- Mr. Schu."llacher 1 Mr. Giani.."1i
                      wants to taL\:. to you! --
                           ,           MAX
                           (to HARRY HUNTER)
                      You better get hold of Mr. Chaney
                      and Frank Hackett --

     18.   INT: FIFTH FLOOR - OBS BUILDING - ELEVATOR ,                18.
           AREA - 10:47 P.M.

           FRANR HACKETT, Executive Senior Vice President of t.~e
           network, 41 years old, one of the new cool :young breed
           of manage:nent/rr.erchandisi."1g executivias, wearing a  ·
           tuxedo -- (he had been pulled out of a dinner pa=ty in
           Westchester by this unfortunate busi::iess) -- comes Ol.:t;
           cf the elevator and turns briskly ir..t.c --
     19.   INT:   FIFTH FLOOR CORRIDOR                                 19.
           -- which is clotted with network EXECUTI\i'ES of asserted
           sizes and ages. H.MCKETT, en route to Roc."':l 509, which
           is clearly the humming hub of activity up here, pauses
           to comrr.ent to one of the EXECUTIVES --
                                                                      17
                              RACKETT
                  Lou, can't we clear out that
                  downstairs lobby? There must be
                  a hundred people do•..m there, every
                  Tl station and wire service in the
                  city. I could barely get in -
                                  LOO                      · .. -~
                   now'm I going to clear them out,
                  Frank?
       SACKETT mur.:'lurs   and peels his way into --
20.    INT: ROOM 509 - EXECUTIVES' OFFICES OF TP..E:                 20.
       NEWS DIVISION

        HACKETT enters the comnon room, off which debouch the
        offices of the President of News UO..X SCHU:·l.l\CSER) , the
        VP News Division (ROEE?-1' MCOC!:OUG:~) , t.~e VP Public
        Relations News Division (HIL'!ON STEim•lA.N) , t..J.ie V? Legal
      _ Affairs News Di vision (Hn!.TER GIA!H~U) , V? Owned
        Stations News {EHIL DUBROV?:I:<) , General Manager News,
        Radio (41ICH..i\.EL SA!mIES) -- all of whmn are here and. a
        nur.-.l::ler of other network EXECUTIVES. Tae VP Sales
        (JOE DONNELLY) is just taking the phc:ine. fro::i the VP
        News Sales (R.ICE.!·!OND KETTER!!.;'G) who is seated at the
        desk of the secretary :or VP Public Relations News
        Division --                                              ·
                                   DONNELLY
                            (on phone)
                   -   how many spots were wiped out? --
                                HACKETT
                        (to GIA.~INI, who is seated
                         at another secratary's desk
                         studying a typescri?t of
                         the aborted news show)
                   Anything litigable? --
                                                                •
                                   GIANINI
                   Not so far
                                     .
                                   DONNELLY
                            (on phone)
                   -- We had to abort the show, Ed,
                   what else could we do?• We'l1
                   make good, don't worry about it --
                                   HACKE'!'T
                           (to· ARTHUR ZAtJGi-lILL, VP
                         . Standards and Practices,
                     . : · now coming out .of r1.;..x' s
                         · office)
                   Is Nelson in there?
                                                                   18
                              ZANGWILL
               · He's talking to Wheeler.  Si:> £ar1
                 over nine hundred fucking phone
                calls complaining about the foul
                language --
                              HACKETT                   ·:•· :,
                      (mutters)   ·
                Shit --
                      I   •

                             P.R. MAN
                      (in b.g. on phone)
                 - come on, Mickey,·what page
                 are· you putting it on?l --
      BACK:t'l'T is al:eady crossing into -
21.   INT:   MAX'S OFFICE                                         21.
      · - which is pretty well j a.~ed wi t..11 NELSON CEM."EY
         (President of the netNork), 52, a pat:ician, sitting
       behind MAX' s desk and on the phone, lcok.L"'lg up to
       note HAC.l-~ETT ' s an: i Val --
                              CHANEY
                      (on phone)
                 Frank Hackett just walked in --
      Ml:LTON ST:!::INHAN {VP Pu!:Jlic Relations News Division),
      early SO's, a ri.:::.pled, ordinarily al:liable r.~n, is
      standing by the desk on t.~e phone to someone at CBS --
                              STEINHAN
                      (on phone)
                 I can't release the tape, Marty,                       .
                 we're still stucying it ou:selves
      A P.R. MAN sticks his head into the <:>ffice     --
                             P.R. MAN
                      (calling to STE!~·l.A..i.'1)
                 ABC again, wants the tape ··-

                               STEIUHAN
                 'l'ell him to go fuck hi.-nselj: --
                        (to phone}
                 And that goes for you too, ~.arty

                             HACKETT
                      (to HOWARD BEALE,
                       sitting on the couch)
                 You're off the ai: a~ of new.
                                                                  19
                                   CHANE"!                             .I
                                                                           '
                          (extending his phone
                       to HACKETT)                                         !
                                                                           i.


                 Be wants to taL~ to you --
                                    HAC!G:!Tr
                          ( to MAX , 1 e ani.11. g
-                      against a wal.l)
                 Who's replacing Bea.le tc::ior::ow?
                             .
                          .. . .
                                    MAX
                 We're flying up Snowden from
                 Washington.
                                    STEINMAN
                      (leaning across HAC~ZTT
                       to turn uo the volu:ie
                       knob on Mix•s desk}
                 All right, everybody hold it.
                 Let's see how the other
                 networks handled t.~is --
    Be is referring to the four television m::initors --
    three on the wal.l and a la.=ge office console rr.onitcr
    of OBS-TV, now blurti..,,.9 out their respective
    CO!:I:%l.ercials --
                                    TH.ACKERA"l
                      . (VP Stations Relations;,
                         lounging in the coorw·ay}
                 The ten c'clcck news opened
                 with it --
                                    HACKETr
                          (on phone)
                  Halter's drafted a state.merit, I
                  haven't seen it yet;.._ I just got
                · here, John, I was at a dinner party --
      Suddenly, the faces of DAVE MA.R.;su a:r.d ROLAND s:•1ITH a..i--:d
    · CHUCK SCARBOROUGH and ROGER GRI!·lSBY and BILL 5EOTZL
      and the UBS local news a..Tlchcr:nan, TI:1 P..ALLOWAY, are on
      the screen. Affable DAVE a.A.RASH on t..~e CBS r:ioni tor
-     is saying:
                                    MARASH
                      (affabl.y}
                 An unusual thing happened at one of
                 cur sister net-,.;orks, UBS, ·t.his evening      --
                                     ROGER GRI:·lSBY          r
                       (alrr.ost sir:\ultaneously)
                  Howard Beale, one of television's
                  most esteemed r.ewscasters --
                                  CHUCX SCARB0R0U(;i!
I                    Boward Beale interrupted hi:i network
'
                     news prog:ra.:i tonight to an."'lcunce --     II
                                  BACXETr
                           (mutters)                                \
                     Shit -                                      ...l1.
-                                 'rIM HALLOWAY
                     Secretary of State Henry Ki:isi.,ger
                     made .a forceful. address befc:,re the
                     United Nations General Assec.bly --
                                  HACKETT
                           (to MAX)
                     Bow are we handling it?
                                  MAX
                 .   Halloway' s going to make a brief
                     atate.'Tlent at t.'le end of the show
                     to the effect Howard's been uncer
                     great personal stress, et ce:te:ra -
         HACKE'IT reaches to click off the ban.":. of monitor
         screens. They abruptly go black.
                                   HACKETT
                            (on phone}
                      I'll call you back, John.
                            (returns the phone to
                             its cradle, reaa:ds the
                             gathered EXECUTIVES)
                     ·All right. We've got a stockholders'
                     meeting tomorrow at which we're going
                      to announce the reat=uctu.ri.."'lg of               ,.
                     manage.."Uent plan, a.."ld I don't want
                      this grotesque L"lcident to inte:r:e:re
                      with that~ I'll suqi:;est Mr. Ruddy
                      open with a short state..~ent washing
                      this whole thing off, and, you,
                      Max, better have some answers L~
                      case sane of those nuts that alwavs
                      come to stcckhol'ders • rneetin<;s - -
-                                  MAX
                          (back to leaning
                           against the wall)
                     Mr. Beale has been under great
                     personal and professiona.l prE!ssures ~

....__                             HACKETT
                           (explod.i:tg)
                     I've got sc.--:1e goddam surp:ises for
                     you too, Sch~~achert I 'Ve had i-:.
                                      (MORE)
                                                               21
                                HACKETT (Contd)
                    up to here wit.~ your cruddy division
                    mid its annual t.~irty-t.'u'ee million
                    dol1ar deficit1 -
                                 MAX
                    Keep your hands off my news division
                    Frank. We' re rest=onsi.l:Jle tc::,
                    corporate level., not to you .•
                                HACKETT
                    We'll goddam well see about that!
                                  CHANEY                  .
                    All right, ta~e it easy. Right new,
                    how're we goL"lg to get Beale out of
                    here? I understand there's at least
                    & hundred reFo:ters and camera c:ews
                    in the lobby. ·
                                  MAX
                    We've got a li::o waiting at t..~e
                    freight ent:ance. Eoward'll stay
                    at my place tonight. There's
                    bound to be press arou..,d his place.
22.   EXT:     SIXTH AVEN'UE - TEL..::.-VISION ROW -          22.
      WEDNESDAY, lO:oo·A.M. - DAY
          .     .
      BZGH WIDE A:.~GLE SHOT and/or SHOTS shewing Television
      Row -  that qua.rter mile of Sixt.'l Aver..ue where the £01.:r
      television nei::works have their ch::cme, ma.r~le a.."'ld glass
      buildings rearing futuristically into the sky -- 30
      Rock (NBC-TV), Black Reck (CBS-TV), ar..d Hard Rock {A.EC-
      TV), and, of cou:se, the network of our story, OBS-TV.
      It is a nice, su."l.ny day --
23.   IN'l':   OBS BUILDI:lG - 5TH FLOOR       MAX'S OFFICZ   23.
      - WEDNESDAY - l0:00 A.M. - DAY
      SUNLIGHT streaming in.        MAX at his desk, shirtsleeved,
      on the phone -
                                MAX
                         (on phone)
                    -- I want Snowden here by n.oon.
                    Have Lester cover the Rockefeller
                    hearings and give the White: House
                    to Doris --
      .MAX'S SECRETARY sticks her head in -••

                                SECRETARY
                    You're late for your screening.
                                                                      22
    (
p
              MAX hangs up, stands , g at.":.ers his jacket off a chair
,_...         and heads for the door --                                     I
                                                                            l
                                       MAX
                         If John Wheeler calls, switch hi::l
                         to Screening Rocm. Seven   --                      \
              Be exits   --                                                 lI

        24.   INT:   NINTH FLOOR - SCREENING RCOM 7·                 24.
              A middling-sized screening rcom with ,a=out 20 seats.
              The.re are two people already there -- a whippet-like,
              casually-dressed !Tl.an of 36, BILL HERRON, and t."le VP
              Progra."ns, DIANA CH...~ISTE!-150?1, dressed :Ln slacks and
              blouse, 34, tall, willowy, and wit."l the best ass ever
              seen on a Vice President i."l charge of Prcgran::.iing --
                                       MAX
                               (entering)
                          I'm sorry -- this Beale busi."lees
              MAX and DIA..~ exchange nods and professionally polite
              greetings --
                                       BER..T{ON
                               (buzzi.-i.g the projectionist)
                          Diana asked if she cculd si1: in on
                          this•-;_
                                       MAX
                          Fine --
                                (sits, calls to DIANA)
                          Hew's it going?
              DI.ANA shrugs, smiles. The lights i."l the room go down.           •
              A shaft of light shoots out frc::i t.11.e projection :rccm.
              'l'he PHONE at HA.X's elbow BUZZES.    BE picks it up --
                                      MAX
                                (murmurs i."lto phone)
                          Max Schu.~acher -- I'm glad I got
                          you, John. Listen, I got i."'lto a
                          hassle with Frar-~ Hackett last
                          nig,,t over the Howard Beale th.ing,
                          and he made a crack a.bout the
                          stockholders' meeting this afternoon.
                          He said something about having
                          some surprises for me. Is there
                          something going on, John, I don't
                          know about? .••• Joh...,, I'm counti.'1g
                          on you and Mr. Ruddy to back me up
                          against that son of a bitch •••
                          Okay, see you this afternoon --
                                                                         23
                 He hangs up, leans back, watches the docl:lentary fil:II
             ·-which has just begun. ON ScaEE'!?, a ha..'"ldsoce black
           ::. -wcman in hez ear'J.y 30 's --
          ..
    : . . . :: .
                                         MAX
                           Who's that, Laureen Hobbs?


-                     Yeah.
          - is sitting in a typical pa."'lel disc.'1lssion grouping,
          flanked by t..i...::-ee MEN and a WO?-'.AN, t-..:o white, t:'..to
          black, all very urban guerilla, in fatig--~es, sun
          glasses and cc~~at boots. MISS EOBBS looks calcly
          into ca.I:lera a."'ld says:
                                     LAURE.EN BOBBS   (ON SC';'.7'F:~n
                      The Cor:r.iunist Party believes t..~at
                      the most pressi...""lg political. necessity             ..•
                      today is the consclida~icn o: t.~e
                      revolutionary, radical and de.~ocratic
                      movements into a United F:ont --
          '?he PHON:s BUZZES softly.        ~.AX picks it up --

                                     MAX
                             (murmurs into phone}
                       Yeah? ••• Oh, gc<ida.."tit, when, Louise?
                       •. • We_ll, did he say a..""lyt.hir.g? •••
                       All right, than.~s.
                             {hangs up, prc~ptly
                         .    picks up again)
                     . Four-eight-oh-seven --
                                  LAUREEN HOBBS (0!1 ~C?O:::EN) (in b. ~;.)
                      Repression is the response of an
                      increasingly despera~e, bperialist
                      ruling cli~ue. Indeed, the enti.=e
                      apparatus of the bou:qeois-de~ccratic
                      state especially its judicial syste~s
                      and its prisons is disinteg.ra~ing --
                                     MAX.
                              (on phone)
                      Harry, Howard left my house about
                      ten minutes ago presu::i.a.bly headed he:e.
                      Let me know as soon as he 91::!ts here.
                                    LAUREEN HOBBS (ON SCREE~) (i...~ b.~.)
                      'l'he fascist thrust must be resisted
                      in its incipient stages by 1:...'1e
                      broadest possible coalition --
                                                              24
INT:   SCBEF!1ING ROO!i 7 - ~mrrY MI!nJTES LATER            2S~
Rcom still dark.      ON Scu:EN, NUMBERED WRITE LEADER is
rolling down -
                           HERRON                     I
            What we 're going to see new is
            something really sensational.
            The Flagstaff :cncependent. Ba..'1.~
            in Arizona was ripped off last
            week by a terrorist g:oup called
            the Ecumenical Liberation A....-:ly,
            and they t..1i.e.!:lselves act'.:r.a.lly tcok
            movies of the rip-off while t..'1.ey
            were rippi.."lg it off. It's in
            black and white , but wait~ 1 ll
            you see it --
'l'he SCREE'!1 sude.enly erupts in to fi1.!ll of t.'-:.e interior
of a ban.w; being entered in t..~e wa.kE~ of TF-~.E: r~~, two
of them black, a.nd TWO WCl~, one black and one white.
They disperse to various pa:ts o:.: 1:he !:la.~ as if t.'1.ey
were here en legiti.".'..ate business -··

                            DIA."1A
            The Ec1:.1enical Liberation Ar:::';!
            - is that the one that
            kidnapped Patty Hearst?
                        HERRON
            No, that's the Sy:--,..cicnese
            Liberation Ar.:ly; This is t..'1.e
            Ecumenical Liberation ~.::::ty.
            They•re the cnes who kidnapped
            Mary Ann Gifforci t.'1:ee weeks ago.
            There's a hell of a lot of
            liberation a:r:nies in t.'1.e
            revolutionary uncergrot.1n.d and
            a lot of kidnap?ed hei::esses.
            That's Mary Ann Gifford -

':his last in reference to t.i.e young white woman on
screen who is luggi."lg a shopping bag as she joins a
line at a teller 1 s window --
                            DIJ\NA
             You mean, they actually shot
             this fiL'n while they we.::e rippi."'l.g
             off the bank?
                         HERRON
             Yeah, wait'l1 you see it.           I
             don't know •-,hether to edi: or
             leave it r-:w liJ:.e this. That• s the
             Great Afi-~ed Khan; he's tile leader --
                                                                        i
                                                                        1

                                                                        25
                                                             I
      ON SCREEN, the film has gone out of foC"'~s a couple of
      times and bounced meaninglessly arou.."ld the bar..k and
      finally settled on a larg-e, powerful black :.-.an at one
      cf the desks, prest:rmably writing out a series of
      deposit slips --
                                                                        I
                                  J)J:ANA                               I
                                                                        ;.
                   This is terrific stuff.          Where
                   did you get it?
                                   HERRON
                   I got everything through Laureen
                   Bobbs. She's my contact for
                   all this stuff.
                                   DIANA
                    I thought she was straight
                    Ccn:mW1ist l?arty.
                                   SEBRON
                    Right.    But she's tryi.--ig to unify
                    all the factions i.."l the
                    underground, so she knows.
                    everybody.
      ON SCREEN.,   the CA.MER.'.\ has whooshed a,.-r;..ateurishly about,
      unfocuses and focuses again to pick up !'-~Y .n.:m G!ITO:..O
      bending over her shopping bag a.."ld pu.l.li.."lg out a C::ech
      service· sul:ro.achi..,e gun 9 ?a.:-a.be.llu::::i whic.~ she poi=.t:.s to
      the ceili.."lg a."ld apparently :ires; t.""l.e i:IL.:1 is silent,
      but the reactions of everyone a:ou.'1.d suggest clea=!y
      something was fired.         The FIL..'1 gets frag:..ented and         -
      panicky al:lout he::e, as does the act.i vi t7 .; n the l:::JZlr-'<.
      The PHONE at MA.X's elbow BUZZES. MAX picks i~ up.

                                   MAX
                         (on the phcne, while
                          in b.g. a bank hold-
                          up goes on on screen)
                    Yeah? ••• All right, put him on -- .
26.   INT:    '?HE NIGHTLY NEWS ROOM -        ROOM 517                26.
      HARRY HOHTER, on phone, is using an e."llpty desk in t.i.e
      main room. No:cm.a.l news roan activity in b.g. --
                                   HARRY HUNTER
                          (on phone, leans back
                           to call into HO~i.A.'W • s
                           office)
                    Boward -- I've c;ot Max on four,
                    \IOuld you pick up? --
                                                              26
      INT:     HOWrute'S OFFICE                             27.
                                  HOWARD
                  • .    (picking up phone)
                   Listen, Max, I'd like another
                   shot --
28.   INT:     SCREENING ROOM 7    .                        28.
      The silent fcotage of the frenetic bar.k robbery is
      still going on in b.g.
                                  MAX
                         (on phone)
                   Oh, come on, Heward --
29.   mT:      BOWARD 'S OFFICE                             29.

                                  HOWARD
                           (on phone)
                   I don't mea.~ the whole show.
                   I'd just like to co:oe on, :make
                   some kind of brief f arewel.l
                   state..'Tlent and th.en tu=:-i thie
                   show over to Jack Snowden. I
                   bave eleven yea:s at this
                   network, .\-iax. I have so.":le
                   standing in this industry.
                   I don't want to ·go out li...1<:e a
                   clown. It'll be si.."llnle and
                   dignified. You and Harry
                   can check the copy --
30.   IN'l':   NIGHTLY NEWS ROOM                            30.       'I


      ACROSS HARRY HUNTER on phone , looking t."lrough t..'le ope:1
      door of HOWA.RD' s off ice to HOWARD at his desk in b. g.
                                  BARRY HUNTER
                        · (on phone)
                   -- I think it'll tnke the st.rain
                   off the show, ?-la."<. How much tir.le
                   do you want, Heward?
                                HOWARD.
                         (in b.g., on phone)
                   A ~nute forty-five, ~aybe two •••
                                  HARRY HUNTER
                    All right, I'll give you two on
                    the top, then we'll go to J~ck
                    Snowden with t.~e Kissinger ON
                    speech
                                                                                  l 21
                                                                                  I
    31.    nl'r:   SCF.EENING ROOH 7                                             31.
           The show is over, t.~e roc:::1 lights are on. In b.g.,
                                                                                  I
           DIANA and H2R.RCN stand, mur.:iur to each. ot.1i.er --

                                        MAX

-                                (on phone)
                         And no bco:e today, Howard --
           In b. g. , DIANA and HERRON move for the door, wave gccd-
           byes.   MAX waves slackly in rettl!:'n. He can't help
           noticing as DIA..'1A leaves that she has the ?%:Ost
           beautiful ass ever seen on a VP Prog:::am.s --
    32.    Im :    HOW~..RD' S OFFICE                                            32.
                                     BOWARD
                              (on phone)
                         No booze --
           And hangs up. For a moment, he just sits, scoYling and
           making curious little grimaces. Then he sta..-:_ds,
           removes his jacket, du.."'nps it on a ch,:!.ir. He rolls his
           sleeves up and suddenly ::iakes a strar1ge lit-tle GR~:T.
           Be sits behind his desk, fits a piece of paper into
           the machine and then, again, sudc.enly, he r.-.akes a
           strange little GROt'7I, --
    33.    INT:    NIGHTLY NENS ROOM                                             33.
           Ou.r PRCOUCTIO~ ASSISTANT, reme~~ered perhaps fro~ the
           control room scene, casses How;...?.D' s o::en deer ar.d :.s
           given pause by the strange little noises coilling fro~
           HOWARD• s of:ice. She stands in tl1e doorway a :no:::1ent
           watching HOWA.i.1.0 GRt.l":-lTI::G , GRO:·iL!NG a..-id S.N.A..':i.!.I~:G as he
           CLACKS away at the typewriter --

                                           PROOUC'J.'ION ASSIST..~'1T
                         You all right, Hr. Beale?
                                (BEALE nods)
                         You want rne to close your door,
                         Mr • .Beale?
                                (HOWARD nods , types away,
                                  G:ROWl'S , . GROt·iLS)

           The PRODUCTION ASSIST.ANT closes the door.
    34 •   INT:     14TH FLOOR - UBS BUILDING - EL.c.-VATOR AREA 34.

           · DIA.i.~A and HERRON cc.":te out of one of t.he elevato:s and
           turn left to the glass dcors marked:                   DEP ..!\..~Z·!ENT OF
           PROGRAMHING. They continue into --
--- ------



             3S.     INT:   PROGRAMt'1ING DEl?ARTHENT -        RE:CEPTIOH AREA     JS.
                     (Needless to say, there is no one at the receptionist's
                     desk.) cz;um. and HERRON head dc-..m --
•            36. .   INT:   PROGaAMMING DEPARTMENT - CORRIDOR                      36 •
                                  .
                     DI.ANA pauses en route to lean into one of the
                     offices --
                                                DIANA
                                  George, can you come i n ~ office
                                  for a mi."lute?
                     She and BER.RON cc:itinue on, tw:n into --

             37.     INT:    PROGRAM.HING DEPARTMENT -         CC❖ll-'.CN   ROOM   37.
                     Where the SECRETARIES are all slaving away, reading
                     magazines and chattir.g among tha~selves.              An occasior~l
                     PHOt-.TE RI:NGS. At the far end of the =oo=i, a chun.'<y
                     t-.'"0?-11¼..N in her late 30 's is i:ist:".lcting her SEC~TARY .::..::.
                      scmething. oI;..NA hails her
l                                             DIA..~
                                  Barbara, is Ton::ny around anywhere?

                                                 BARBARA ( in b .g.)
                                  I think so.
                                                 O:t.A.i.'&\
                                  I'd like to see t.~e two of you
                                  for a moment --
                     She leads HER...ttOM new into -
             38.     INT:    DIANA' S SEC:RE'!'A.~Y' S OFFICE                       38.
                     'l'he SECRETARY har.ds a sheaf of telephone n:essages to
                     DIANA which she carries with her into --
             39.     INT:    DIA.~A' S OFFICE                                       39.
                      D.IA.."'lA enters, followed by HER.~0~1. She sits, ski.ms
                       through her r.:essages. The office is 1executive-si:e,
                      windows looking out on the canyons of glass and stone
                       skyscrapers on Sixth Avenue, desk pil,ed high with
                       scripts. GEORGE 20SC!! (VP ?rog:::arn Development Eas-:
                      Coast), a slight, b~lding man of 39, enters the 0£:!c~,
                       nods to HERRON, takes a seat: and is i:=:iediately
                     . followed by BAR.EAR'!\. SC?.LESI!!GER (Head of the Sto::-y
                       Depart..'":'lent) , the chunky lady just cal:led in by DI;,.!:A,
                       ~d 'l"OZ·1Wf PEU..EG?.!~,O (.Assistant V? ?r::g::a.'"ls), 36,
                       swarthy, coif£ ed and rr.oust.a.chicsd.    ':'hey f.i.."'ld sea ts 0!'1
                       the chairs , the small couch. H.E&..ttON reir.ai."ls star..di.-ig --
     ...                   DIANA
                 (introduci...,_g)
            This is Sill Herron frc::i our
            West c~ast Special Progr~~s
            Depart::ent -- Bar!::lara Sc!llesir.lger
            . - George Bosch -- Tcr:::iy
             Pellegrino -- Look, I just saw
             some rough footage of a special
             Bill's doing on the revolutiona:y
             underground. Most of it's
             tedious stuff of Laureen Hobbs
             and four fatigue jackets rr.ut~ering
             mutilated ~.arxisrn. But he's got
             about eight mi..,utes of a bank
             robbery that is absolutely
             sensational. Authentic stu:£:.
             Actually shot while·the robbery
           · was going on. Re.member the Mary
             Ann Gi:ford kidnapping? Well,
             it's that bur..ch of nu~s. She's
             in the film shooti."lg of: rnachi:i.e
             guns. Really ter=ific footage.
             I thi..."'l..~ we C.'.:i.~ get a hell of a
             movie of the week out of it,
             maybe even a series.

                         FELLEGR:C~O
             A series out of what'? What I re
             we talking about?
                            DIA.~~
             Look, we've got a bunch of
             hobgoblin radicals called the
             Ecumenical Liberation Army who
             go a.round ta.king home ~'lies
             of themselves robbing bar.ks.
             Maybe they'll ta]<e movies o:f
             themselves kidnapping heiresses,
             hijackL"lg 747's, bc::-~ing bridges,
            .assassinating arr~assadcrs.
             We 1 d open each week's segment
             with that authentic footage,
             hire a couple of writers to
             write some story behir.d that
             footage, and we've got
             ourselves a series.
                         BOSCH
             A series about a bunch of bank-
             robbing ~uerillas?
7J
                            SCHLESINGER
             What're we qoinq to call it -
--------· - ----·-- ----- ---··--·-··-- -----·---·-- - - - - - - · - - ------

                                          DIANA
                             Why r.ot? They've got St.:ike
                             Force, Task Force, S'NAT -- why
                             net Che Guevara and his own
                             little rr.od squad? Listen, I
                             sent you all a concept analysis            I
                                                                        I

                             report yesterday. Did any of               II
                             you read it?                               I
·-                                 (apparent1y not)
                             Well, in a nutshell, it said the
                             J\merican people are turning su1len.
                                                                            ;.




                             They've been clobbered on all
                             sides by Vietnam., Watergate, the
                             inflation, the depression.
                             They've turned off, shot up,
                             and they've fucked the.~selves
                             limp. And nothing helps. Evi1
                             still triu.'"lt::hs over all, Christ
                             is a dope-de a.ling pi::p, e\.-en Si.."l
                             turned out to be ir.:rcotent. The
                             whole world seems       tobe goi.."'l.g
                             nuts and flipping of£ i.."'l.to space
                             like a.."l abandoned ba.llcon. So
                             -- this concept analysis report
                             concludes -- the .Ar-..erican pecple
                             want someboc.y to articula-t:e their
                             rage for t..1i.em.   I've been telling
                             you people since I took this jcb
                             six mont..,,s ago that I want a..~~=y
                              shows. I don I t wa.,t ccrlve::.tional
                             programming on this network. I
                             want counter-c,.1lture. ! want
                              anti-establish..~ent.
                   She closes the door.
                                             DIANA (Contd)
                              Now, I don't want to play butch
                              boss with you peopl~. But when
                              I took over this depart~ent,
                              it had the worst progra~rning
                              record in television hi.story.
                              This network hasn't one show in
                              the top twenty. This net'..:ork is
                              an industry joke. We better
                              start putti.~g together one winner
                              for next Sept~'Uber. I want a
                              show developed, based on the
                              activities of a terrorist g:oup.
                              Joseph Stalin a..~d his ~erry band
                              of Bolsheviks. I want ideas fro~
                              you people. And, by th.e way,
                              the next ti..-::e I send an audience
                              research re~ort around, you all
                                            (MORE)
                               DIANA (Contd)
                   better read it, er I'll sack t!le
                   fucking lot of you, is that
                   clear?
                         (apparently, it is.
                      .    She turns to HERRON)
                   I'll ba out on t..~e coast in four
                   weeks. Can you set up a meeting
                   with Laureen Hobbs fer me?
                                  BERRON
                   Sure~
40.   INT:    A B1'.NQUET RCOM - NEW YORK H:ILT0!1 -                40.
      WEDNESDAY - 3:00 P.H.
      LONG SHOT. A·stock.holders• meeti.."lg. Standing roe~
       only. Some 200 STCC:-<F.OLDERS seated in the aucience;
       others star.ding arou~d the walls. On the rcst='l.l.~, a
       phalanx of uss CCRPORnTE ::::;e::ctrrrJEs, sea""t:.ed i., t.1iree
      ·rows, includi."lg EDWARD RUDO;!, Cnair.::1an c:.: t!le 3oarc.,
       the PRESIDE!n'S and SE!IIO?.. V'!CE-PRESICE~1TS of tb.e ot.i.:.e::
       divisions and oth~r g=oups - the U3S Records Group,
       the UBS Publishir.g GrCU?, the U3S Theater Chain, etc.
       Representing the network a::e NELSON CH~.N'EY a::.d t."'le
       divisional heads -- GEORGE NICHOLS, ?resident of the
       R~io o ivisicn; NOR!·~.!-1 MOLDA.NI.~..!1, President C'..med
       Stations; Ge::.eral Cou::-:.sel WALTE?. l-2·:tHmSE:-I, and, cf
       cou:rse, MA.X SCEU:1.;c1-=..EP., ?:eside~t o:: t..'1e News Divisio:"!.
       FRANK HACXETT, Senior Exec~tive Vice President 03S-'!'V,
       is at the lecte::n maki..""lg t.-ie an...""lual report --
                                   Hli.CRETI'
                           (in the drcning manner
                          of such reports)
                   ••• but the business of manage~~nt
                   is manage..-nent; and, -at the tirr.e
                   C. C. ar.d A. took control, t..~e
                   OBS-TV network was founderi.."lg
                   with less than seven oercent of
                   national television revenues,
                   most network progra.~s being sold
                   at station rates. I arn therefo=e
                   pleased to announce I cl1':l su.bmitti.."lg
                   to the Bc~rd of Directors a plan
                   for the organization of t..~e network
                   with the intention of creating
                   a subco:rporate second li.."le cf
                   authority, for the coordination
                   of the main profit cente.r·s, and
                   with the soecific i.r:.t~n~ion of
                   ma.king each division ~ore:
                   responsive to rnanage..~ent --
       AUOTHER ANGLE SINGL:r~;G OOT MA.X SCBU!1ACEER in the second
                                                              32
row of the phalanx of EX:::CUTIV'ES, bo:red with t."le
proceedings, and whispering to NELSC:.l C-iA.NEY seated
beside hi!'!'l. I~lCLUDE i:i f=a::-.e t.~e 67 yea:::- old, silve:-
haired brah:::ti.n of television, EDWARD RUDDY, who is
seated in t.~e front re;,,. HAC:-t.::.Tl' in b .g. It is some
twenty minutes later --
                          RACKETT (Contd)
                   (reading from his report)
            •• ·• Point Th::::ee. The division
            producing t.~e lowest rate of retur.:i
            has been the News Division ·-
MAX suddenly begins paying attention
                           BAQa:TT    (Cont:!)
            -- with its 98 million dollar b~d;et
            and its average annual deficit of 32
            mi1lion. To rne, it is inconceivable
            suc.11 a wanton fiscal affront; go
            unresisted
ANOTHER ANGLE ACROSS RACKETT with a s::,.clde:ing MAX
SCHOMAC3.ER in b. g. --

                           HACKETT ( Con tc:)
            -- The new plan calls for local
            news to be trannferred to o..med
            Stations Di'V'isions --
MAX in b. g., stares angrily dc-...-n his rcw towards NC?.!-!;..'..'i
.MOLDA.NIA.'1, who studiously ~voids his eye --

                         HACKETT (Contd)
            -   News-Radio would be tra.~s:er=ed
            to t.~e UBS Radio Division --
                                                                        .
ACROSS ?-'AX turni."'lg in his seat to scowl at GEORGE
NICHOLS in t.1-ie row behind him --

                        HAC:-<E'l' (Contd) (in b.g.)
            - and, in effect, t.~e News Division
            would be reduced

    leaning for..,ard t:"'Jir.g to catch t.~e eye of Em·irlRD
!-(.AX
RUDDY in the front rcw. RUDDY is staring stonily
ahead --
                           llACKE'l'T (Contd)
            -- from an indeoendent division to
            a depart.~ent accountable to network --
MAX is about ready to blew his stack --
                                                                      33

41.    INT:    BANQUET R00!1 - NEW YORK HILTON -                  . 41.
       WEDNESDAY - 5:30 P.M.
        The stockholcers' meeting is over. The floor is a
        swirling CRUSH 9£ STCC.,.dOL:lE?.S mingling wit.1i. EXZC~TrJES.
       ·MAX SCHOMAC:r.E:R is elba...-ing his way t.'-l=ough t.1i.e crc-,i1c.ed
        aisle to get to where E~WARD RUDOY is c.~a-:.ting a:way
        with a COUPLE of STOC:-a:IOLDEPS -
                                   MAX
                           (to RUDDY)
                    What was that all about, Ed? --
                                   ROODY
                           (turning to M..~, urb~"'le)
                    'l'his is not t.1i.e tin::e, ~.ax.

                                   MAX
                         {barely co.."'ltaining hi.."'Csel!)
                    Why wasn't I told about t.1i.is? Why
                    was I led onto t.1i.at podit::1. and
                    publicly guillot:i~ed i..~ f=ont o:
                    the stockholders? Godc.a....._~it, I
                    spoke to Joh."'l 'imeele= t.li.is mor:ling,
                    and he assured me the Ne-HS Division
                    was safe. A=e you trying to get
                    me to resign? It's a hello: a
                    way to do it.
                                   RUDDY
                         Cs ilken mur.:i.u=)
                    We'll talk about this tornorrcw
                    at our regular morning reeti..."'!g.
        RUDOY turns back to t..1le clutch of STOC:{EOLD:::RS a:ot.:.."'l.d
        him.   MAX wheels away in a rage -
42.     EXT:   NE"t'l YORK HILTON HOrJ;.L -   SIXTH AVE:ruE -       42.
        DUSK
        The. Sixth Avenue entrance to the hotel.    Taxis ;:ulling
        in, disgorging PEOPLE; taxis pulling cut wit.~ new fa:es.
        MAX comes striding out of the hotel, sore as a boil.
        PAN HIN as he bulls his way through t.l-ie line c= taxis
        and across jammed, clanging 5:50 P.M. Sixth Avenue --
43.     INT:    UBS BUILOI:-:G - 5TH FLOOR COR.."U:DOR              43.

        MAX, steaming, strides dcwn the cor:ridor to --
44.,    IUT:    ROOM 509 - NEWS DIV. EXEUCTIVE CFF!CES               44.

         ertpty except for perhaps one S~CRE~~nY pecking a~ay
         At her typewriter. ~AX strides across and into --
                                                                            34
  45.    INT:    MAX'S OFFICE                                            45.
         M1i.X takes off his jacket, throws i t on the couc.11, sits
         behind his desk. sut he's too stear:ed to stay t.~ere
        .long. ·A moment later, he 1 a up again, st.rices aro1.:..,d,
         a caged lion • .He t.~U.~FS his desk angrily, strides
         around, t.'len wh.::::s his .jac.1<.et up fro:n t.~e couch and
         strides out -
· 46.    INT:    CONTP.OL R00?-1 - NETWORK NEWS SEOW                     46.
         'l'he wall CLOCK reads 6: 28.    The DIRECTCR, T:::CE?::ICAL
         DJ:lU::CTOR, LIGHT!!-:G DIRECTOR a."ld PRODCC'.:.I0!,1 ;...ss !STr.:~T
          are at their long shelf in front cf t.1le double ban.~
          of television rnoni tors. The AUDIO M..'l',,N is o'!: i."'l his
          glassed-in cubicle. HARRY Ht.'1;TER anc. his SEC:?.ET~.~
          and the UN:tT M.~"iAGER are on t."le raised 1e,1el in t.11e
          back. HUNTER is on t.~e phone, looks up as t."le door to
          the control roe!':\ opens, and MAX, car::-ying his jacket,
          comes in. Curious looks frcr::. t.'i.e PE?.SC!i!•:::::::. !'lere:
          presidents of news rarely cor:-:e c.own to t.~e co~t:cl
        - room. HUNT.::R fi.,ishes his phone call, o=fers his seat
          to Z.I11.X, but ?-'.AX prefers standi:,.g i.~ t.~e :Oack --

                                      PRODOCTION ASSIS':..~:T
                       ••• five seconds --
                                      LIGHTING DIRECTOR
                      -   picture's too t.'li~~
                                     'DIRECTOR
                       -- cet.1ing to - and one
          'nle show monitor, which has been showir.g color patter~s,
                                                                                  -
          new suddenly flicks on to shew HC"~A?.D EEA!Z as he locks
          up from t..11.e sheaf of papers on his desk and says:                       ,
                                      BOWARD (ON ~NITOR)
                      Good eveni'ng. Today is Wednesday,
                      September the T'w"enty-i:ift.1l, imd   .
                      this is my last broadcast. Yesterday,
                      I announced on this program t:..at I
                      would corrmit public suicide, ad.~ittedly
                      an act of madness. Well, I'll tell
                      you what hap;:ened -- I just .:-an out
                      of bu1lshit
                                      HARR!! HUNTER
                       All right, cut hi.~ off.
          The MONITOR SCREE!Z goes black.
                                                                        35
                                   MAX
                   .      ( from t.1ie back wall)
                  · Le.ave him on --
        BOWARD' s i:.age promptly flicks back on --

                                   HOWARD ( ON 2-'.DNITOR)
                          (looking o.s.)
.   -              Am I   still on the air?
        Everybody in the control room lcoks to MAX -

                                   MAX
                   If. this is how he wan ts to qo cut,
                   this is hew he goes out.
                                   HOWARD (CM MONITOR)
                   I don't knew any ot..t-ier way to say
                   it except I just ran out of bull-
                   shit•••
        ~e PHONE Rl:NGS.      HUNTER picks it up.         A.l-'10TSER PHONE
        RINGS.   Htr.iTER Is SEC:R;;TAR":'.' pic~s it up.

                                   BUH'n:R
                        (on fi%'st phone)
                   Look, Mr. Sch~~acher's rigbt here,
                   do you want to talk to hi.--:,.?
                          . (extends th.e phone to :1.A.X)
                                   HOWARD (ON ?-!ONITOR)
                   Bullshit is all the reasons we aive
                   for living, and, if we can' t t."'l ink
                   up any reasons of our cwn, we always
                   have the C--cd bullshit --
                                   HUNTER'S SEC:RSTARY
                           (awe)
                   Holy Mary Mother of Christ --
                                                                  •
                                   MAX
                           (on phone)
                   Yeah, what is it, Tom? --
    -                           HOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                   We don't kr.ow why t."'le hell we're
                   going through all this point.less
                   pain, humiliation and decay, so
                   there better be scmeone son-.ewheres
                   who dces know; t."'lat I s the God
                   bullshit -




                   •
                                                                 . 36
                                 MAX
                      (o.-.,. phone)
              ·.He's saying life is bull.shit,.
               and it is, so what're you
               a.creaming about? -

    He hangs up. T.:e. PSCTE p::-O~'?tlY RINGS a.gain. Bml'l'ER. s

-   SECRETA.RY picks it up.
    rang before.)
                             (BU?iTER is on ·t:..~e phone t.~at

                               HOWARD (ON ?-!.O~ITOR)
               :Cf you don't like the C-od bullshit,
               how about t."le man bullshit? Ma.."'l
               is a noble creature who can order
               bis cwn world, who needs God?
                               BUNTER'S SECRST~.RY
                      (to MAX)
               Mr • .Amundsen for you, Mr. sc:hur.ac!'le::.

                               MAX
               I'm net taking calls.
                               BC11lARD ( CN MONITOR)
               Well,. if t.'1-iere 's a.."'lyboc.y out t.":ere
               who can look arou..'ld t.i.is c.e!r.ented
               slaughterhc~se of a world wta li·Je
               in and tell rr.e ma.-i is a ncb:!.e
               creature, t.~at r..a.., is ::ull 1:>f
               bullshit --
                             DIRECTOR
                      (staring i."'l awe at
                       BOWARD on t."1e screen)
               I know he's sober, so he's got to
               be just plain nuts -
                    (starts to giggle)
                               RARRY HUNTER
                    (screaming)
               What's so goddam funny?
                                DIRECTOR
               I can• t help it, Harry, it·' s funny
                               HOWARD (ON MONITOR)
               I don't have any kids --
    A PHONE RINGS.     HUtiT!:R Is SECRETA..~Y picks i t up.

                               HJ'..Rro!' HUNTER
               Max, this is going out live to
               sixty-seven affiliates --
                                                                         37
                                      MAX
                       Leave him on.
                                      BOWARD ( ON P.ONITOR)
                       -- and I was married for thi.::'·t;y-
                       threc years of shrill, shrieking
                       fraud --
          A breat.11less and dist:auc;ht YOUllG WOMAN bursts into
           the control room.
                                   YOUNG WOMAN
                       Mr. Hackett• s trying to get t-'lrough
                       to you -
                                      MAX
                       Tell Mr. Hac.l.tett to go fuck :-ii.'T.sel: --

    47.    INT:   DIANA'S OFFI(:g                                       47.
           DI.ANA, sitting alone in her office, wa.tching ECWARD
          BEALE on her office console --

                                      BOWARD (ON CO;-:SC)!.E:)
                       I don't have any bullshit lE?ft.
                       I just ra.'l out of it, you SE:e --
    48.    INT:   CONTROL ROOM - NETWOR..t{ NEWS SEOW                   48.

            -- as FR;i..NK HACKETT and his assistant, TO~ c..;;azLL,
          . wrench the door open a."ld strice in --
                                      HACXETT
                             (roaring)
                       Get him off!      Are you people nuts'?!
           The TECHNICAL. DIRECTOR taps a button,, a.'"ld the SC?.EEN
           mercifully gees black.
    49.    INT:   LOBBY - UBS BUILDING                                  49.

           White-haired, 'Oatricia."'l ECWARO RUDDY, Chai~a."i. of

-          the Board, i~peccably grocrr.ed, fastidious in a light
           topcoat, making his way through the absolute CRUS~
           cf NEWSPAPER PEOPLE, WIRE SERVICE ?EOPLE, CA!·!ER.~ CR::WS
           from CBS , NBC, ABC, from the local stations , WP IX,
           WOR-TV, METROMEDIA, and £:om C..1.a.··mel 13, tb.e educa-
           tional cha.~nel. A half dozen SECURITY GUn?.DS protect
           the elevators, and three more help 'RUDDY get throug:i
           the GLARING CA!-U:R..'.\ LIGHTS and t..'ie hc,rde of ?..El?ORTE?..S
           thrusting mikes at him
                                                                               38
                                      RUDDY
                          (moving t."lrough the crowd)
                    -- I'm sorr/, I don I t. have a:l..l t.1.e
                     facts yet --
so.   INT:     20TH FLCOR -       LOBBY, LOtJHGE, COR..tUCOR                so.
      MAX, standing by t.":.e ceserted recepticn cesk,. in the
      empty, silent lou.."l.ge. This is the top-rr.anage:r.ent fleer,
      and t."le decor, which is pcsh-aus tere, :re fleets t.i-:.e
      eminence of t.,.e top executives who have t.,.eir of=ices
      here. It is all silent and er:-:-:Jtv new, cat.~edral,
      hushed, echoing. Way dcwn at                t,.,.e
                                                    far ,end cf t.'"le
      corridor, t."i.e double deers of t:..":.e co:n,e::.- office open,
      and NELSON C:":1'.;...~EY leans out and beckcns to ~.;..:,:, who
      starts down t...":.e plush carpeti..."l.g i.., res:ponse
Sl.   INT:     MR. RODDY'S OFFICE                                           51.
      Large, regal. Impressionist originals en t.":.ose walls
      which are not glass t...,.rough which t.,e c:epusc~lar
      grandeur of New York at nioht can be seen. ?.UOCY sits
      behind his ces~. JOHN' WHEELER, 59, silent, :orce:~l,
      lounges in one of t:..,e several leat.,.er chai=s. ~~e
      door opens , a.'ld NELSON CH.~'-'""EY and M..-=\X s C:--iL~·!..~.cE:::?. co.r.a
      in. Everybocy noes at everybody else. HA.."{ sli.r.1ps
      into a leat...":.er c.."lair.
                                      RODDY
                            (mur.nurs to C:iASEY)
                     I'll want to see M::.-. Eeale after
                     this.
      CH.ANEY promptly picks up a cor.ie::.- phone and calls d~..n'i
      to the Fourteenth Floe:.-.
                                      RODDY (Contd)
                            (regards M.AX brief!.y,
                             murmurs)
                     ':rhe way I hear it, Max, you're
                     primarily responsible for this
                     colossally stupid prank. Is
                     that the fact, Max?
                                      MAX
                     That's the fact.
                                      RUDDY
                     It was U.."l.Conscicnable. There
                     doesn't seem to be a."l.ything more
                     to say.
                                      MAX
                     I have someL~i~g to say, Ed.
                                      (MORE)
                     MAX (Contd)
-     I'd like to know why that whole
      debaser::ent of. t:i.e Ne-.-1s Division
      announced at t..~e stockholders•
      meeting tc:::ay was kept secret; f=t=i
      me,. You and I go back t"llen t-,1
      years, Ed. I tcok t..~is job with                  \
      your parsonal assurance that: you
      would back my autonomy agai~st
      any enc=oachrr.ent. But ever since
      CC and A acquired cont:'ol o:f: t.1-te
                                                          \
                                                         • I


      UBS Systecs ten ~onths ago,                            \
      Hackett's been taking over every-
      thing. Who the hell's running
      this network, you or cc and A?
      I· mean, you' re t..'1.e C.~air::::tan, and
      Fran.~ Hackett's just CC and A's
      hatchet man. Nelson here -·· for
      Pete's sa~e, he's the p:esicent of
      the network --· he hasn't got a...._y-
      thing to say about anything a.~y
      more. Who t.."le hell's ru.,ni:1c:r
      this cornpa.~y, you or CC and A?
                      RUDDY

D          (mur:nurs)           .
      I told you at t..~e stcckholeE:rs'
      meeting, Max, that we would discl.lss
(-·   all that at our :egular ~eeting
      to~rrcw r:-.or::L,g. If you h,id been
      patient, I would've explair..~:?d to
      you that I tco t..'1.ought Fra..""lJ-: Racket-:.
      precipitate and ~~at t..~e reorgani-
      zation of t:ie Ne;.,is Di vis ion woulc.
      net be executed until eve:yone,
      specifically you, Maxr had been
      consulted and satisfied. I~stead,
      you suL~ed off like a child and
      engaged th is net",1ork in a s necking
      and disg=aceful episode. Your
      position he=a is no lon~er tenable,
      regardless of how management is
      restructured. I expect you to
      bring in your resignation at ten
-     0 1 clock tomor=cw r::orning, and we
      will coordinate our statements to
      the least detrirr.ent of evervone.
             (to WHEELER)                 -
      Bob McConough will take over the
      News Division till we sort all
      this out.
           (WHEELER nods.  RUDDY turns
              to CHANEY still in ~"le corner
              of the. room on t..~e phone)
                      (MORE)
                                                                        40

                                   RUDDY (Contd)
                      I• d like to see t-!r. Beale now --
                                      OIANEY
                             (on   phone)
                      'l'hey • re locking for hi::1, Ed..   They
                      don't know where he is --
-   52.   INT:   LOBBY - UBS BUILDING                                52.
          HOWARD BEA!Z, bleached al~ost white by t.1-ie GL\..-=.E of
          the 0 ...:-!ERA LIGHTS, a.."ld aL--nost totally obsc-..1red by the
          tidal CRUSH of cameras I REPORTEP.S, SECURITY GUAitDS
          around him
                                      HOWARD
                      -  every day, five days a week,
                      for fif-:een years, I •ve bee:n
                      sitting behind that cesk -- the
                      dispassicnat.e p'U!ldit --
    53.   DiT:   DI;;.."A I S AP A..~T?lE::T - BEDRCOH                53.
          DI.ANA, na.~ed, sitting en t.~e edge of her bed i..~ a
          dark bedroom, watching HCWARD BEALE I s i::rprc:::-.pt:.i press
          conference en television --
                                    HOWA.~D (Contd)
                             (on TV screen)
                      -~ reporting with see~ly Cetaeh~ent
                      the daily pa=ace of li..:...~acies t.~at.
                      constitute t.~e ;:iews -- and -
          Also on the bed is a naked you.~g STUD, who isn't =~ally
          that interested in the 11:00 News. He is fcncling, ~
          fingering, noodling anc nu~zling DIANA wit~ ~~e clear
          intention of ~ountL~g her --
                                   HOWARD (Contd)
                            (on TV screen)
                       -  just once I wanted to say what
                       I really felt --
                                                .
          The young STUD is getting around to nibblL~g at DI.A.~A's
          breasts --
                                       DIANA
                             (watching t.~e TV set
                              with single-~inded
                              intensity)
                       Knee.~ it off , Arthur --
                                                                                   41
54.       EXT:  OBS BUILDING - 9':00 A.1·i., THURSD;~y,                       54.
          SEPT. 20 - CAY

          Sright ~orning su.,shi~e. DIANA, in a pants suit and
          carrying hal: a dozen scripts, enters the building --
ss.       INT:     UBS BUILDI!IG - LOBBY                                      ss.
          I>IANA, pausi."'l.g at the newssta.,d to pie..'<: ' up t.'i.e r..or::i.'"lg
          papers, which she reads en route to the elevators --
56.       :INT:    OBS BUILDING - 14TH FLOOR - 9:15 A.a.                      56.
                                '

          I>IANA briskly enters t..,rough the coor marked:
          OEPART:-~~T CF PROGR:111HI~G, and whisks c::,f! dcwn t.'i.e
          corridor --
57. ·     INT:     PROG?.A!·1MING DEPA:\'!'ME!s1T - CCHMO~ P.00!·1            57.
          I>IAr.'tA crosses to her ~..m office. TSP.EE SECRE':'rt.?.!:SS,
          including DI~~tA's, are abuzz in a comer ever last
          night's Heward Beale! show. DIA.'1A 's szi:?.E':';...?.Y sC".:rries
        - to follow D!;...N;; as, in b. g., BAR:SA?..A SCHL::::'S!:;GER cc:-:es
           out of her office car::'j'ing four script.:s --
ss.        INT:    DIA.'lA Is OUTER OF:':tC:::                                58.
           DIA.'lA, ru.rri!!:agi..~g t..1i.rough t.~e papers on to:;, of t.--:.e
           SECRETAR:l' s desk as t..~e SEC?..STARY cnte.:-s -
                                          OI.A..~A
                         Did the overnight ratings co:rr:e
                         in yet?
                                          SECRETARY
                         ~hey 1 re on your desk.
                                          DIANA
                         Have you still got yesterday's
                         overnights around?

                                          SECRETARY
                         Shall I bring t..~em in?
                                          DIANA
                         Yeah
           She exits into
S9.        INT:     DIANA'S OFFICE                                             59.

           1-'.orning S1'.h~LIGHT blasting in. DIANA moves to her
           desk, stancs behind it, scanning the ::cnt pages of
                                                                               42
         the newspapers piled on her desk, then sits and studies
         the overnight ratings also on her des::<. The SECRETA-'=CT
         enters with yest~rcay's overnights, a sheet of paper,
         which she 13xter:.ds to OI.:;.:1;..,, who pro:nptly studies t.i,.em.
         The SECR:::TP..RY axits as BA.P-SARA scsusn1GER enters, ,
         sinks cnto a chair with a sigh --
•
r
    -                                 SCHLESINGER
                     'l'hese are th~se four outlines
                     submitted by Universal for an hour
t                    series • You needn' t bot.1-ie::- to
                     read thee. I ' l l tell them to
                     you. ,The first one is set in a
                     large Eastern law· school, pre-
                     sumably Harva:::d. The seri,;s if
                     irresistably entitled The Young
                     Lawyers. The ru.~ning characters
                     are a crusty but beni~ ex-Supre~e
                     Cou::t Justice, -presu.~a.bly Oliver
                     Wendell Holrees by way of Or. Zo=.!::)a.
                     There is a beautiful girl graduate
                     student and t,.i,.e local district
                     atto:rney who is brillia..~t and
                     sometimes cuts corners --
                                       DIANA.
                          (studying t.'i.e overni•;hts)
                     Next one
                                      · SCHLESINGER
                      The second cne is called The ~~azon
                     Squad --
                                       DD\.t.'lA
                           (studying the overnights)
                      Lady cops?

                                       SCHLESINGER
                      The running characters are a crusty
                      but benign police lieutenant who's
                      always getting heat ire~ t.~e
                      Commissioner, a hard-nosed, hard-
                      drinking detective who thi~J<s
    --                women belong in t.~e kitchen, and
                      a brilliant arid beautiful young
                      girl cop fighting the feminist
                      battle en ~~e force --
                                       DIANA
                            (now studying the front
    .                          page of t.'li.e Daily :-Te-;.1s)
                      We're up to our ears in lady cop
                      shows.




                                                                  ··--·---·.
                                                                                       43
                                              SCHLES'.niGER
                                  The next one is another investi-
               ti                 gat.i ve repor~r shew.        A c:rJ.sty
                                  but benign r.:a.""laginq editor who I s
                                  always getti::g heat frcm thei
                                  publisher --
                                                 OIA!lA
                                  You k.~ow, Ba::-bara, today is. Yorn
                                  Kippur, and they're worriec. about
                                  a.nether war in t..~e Middle E.ast.
                                  They've discovered a blood ,clot
                                  in Nixon's right lung, there's a
          :l                      hurricane in Honduras, drought
                                  among the Tauregs, crop failure in
          .l                      India, ~~o ~ajor banks have reduced


          1                       their priree rate and --


                                  -
                                       ( she flips t.~e Daily
                                        News over so BA.REA..'tu\
                                        can read it)
                                     the whole front page of t.."le
                                  Daily News is Heward Beale ..
                    ,\CROSS BAR9ARA SC:-!LES!'!'!GER, half-stanc:ing so she can
                    raad t."ie newspapar anc. showing t..'le f::-ont page of the
                    0.aily News -- which consists of a 3/·4 page blcwup of
                    IIOtiA..'=m BEALE to?;:ed. by a 52 point black bar--r:e= headlin-a:
                    •- BEAI.E FIRED

                                                 DIANA (Contd)
                                   -- it was also a two-colu.""m story
                                  ·on page one of t.~e Times --
                                       (calls to her SEC?.ETAf'..Y)
                                  Helen, call Mr. Hackett's office,
                                  see if he can give me a few minutes
                                  this morning --
                    lUT:      ROOM 520 -   THE NE'l't'1ORK NENS RCOl:-1              60.
                    • 1130 A.M.

                    ~x
                     10
                        ~':"°nUMACHER a.,d BOB McCONOOG"d (mid-40 's) enter.
                    ;·         lili!t'l:'-..rork. News Rocw is ·sor.:.ething less t.'1-ian Front
                    · •'113' tut, nevert.11.eless. a news rocm. It's a long,
                    !,;r,.,., •        windowless room, some 40 desks, mcstl•, U..'1.-
                     ¥l ~~~1~1, 7 wire room, typewriters anc: banks-of ~ele-
                     at,,~_.:":'IOnito::s c::-. t..~e wall. 1\t t.i,.e mor:-:en-c, war.-< has
                    .,..,./": ,', and the ENT'.:?.E PEP.sON?-IEL of t.11.e news rccr.t,
                     , ..1, :i r:~' PEOPLE -- E~CUT!VES and SE:C~T.;..ttIES, ?RODCCZ:S !
                     M ~ t ~.J 'lT PRODUCERS , HE.AD NRIT:::RS, W?.!TZ?.S , OtJTY ,;..!10
                     rt f.,, '".7::~T11
                                                 EDITORS, and DESK ASSIS'l~A!JTS, ARTISTS, and
  i
, . ,:,
                     , A."::>.,. :-, TA.PE EDITORS, RE?ORTE:?..S, N'EHSCASTZ:RS.. a.--id
                     ·""""' 1 ., A.NO AUDIO HE!-: -- a.re all aa1:hered sta.r:t!i:,.g
   f                               ··•1  • ng about to haar MAX     . say- •·-

 i
     ·------
                                                                               44
                                                  MAX
                                  Ladies and gen~lemen, I've been
                                  at tJ1is network twelve years,, and
                                  it's been on the whole a ball
                                                  VOICE ( in b • g.)
                                  Louder
                                                                                    \I
                                                  MAX                               I
                                         (louder)
                                  -- and I want to t."'iank you all.
                                  Bob McDonough here will be taking
                                  over for rne for.the tirne being,
                                  and, much as I hate to admit it,
                                  I '-m sure everythi~g will go along
                                  just fine wit..~out ~e --
            61.       INT:   OBS DU'ILDI~~G -     lSTH FLCOR - lO: 00 A.M.    61.

                      OIAr.'l.lA turning into -

            62 • _    INT:   BAC..'".{ETT' S . OUTER OFFICE                   62.

                  .   'rhe SECn:E:TARY waves DIANA straight into --
            63.       INT:   HAOETT' S OFFICE                                 63.
                      where an:c.t{ETT sits ur.happily at his de~sk t=oring over
                      memos from his St~tions Rela~ions Depa=t.~e!lt ane
                      reports frc::i his Sales Depart:::ent.
                                                   HACKETT
                                          (not bot.~ering to
                                           look up)
                                  WKGO :':ansas City refuses to ca:-:-J
                                  our network news any r.ore u..~less
                                  Beale is taken off the air
                                                   DIANA
                                          (drops the sheet of
                                           paper on HACKETT'S
                                           desk)
                                  Did you see the overnights on the
                                  Netr..tork Ne:ws? It has an 8 in New
                                  York and a 9 in L.A. and a 27 share
                                  in both cities. Last nigh-t., Hot•ra.rd
                                  Beale went on the air and velled
: j--                             bullshit for two minutes, a.nd I
\r,;..,::
                                  can tell you right now t..~at tonight I s
                                  show will get a 30 share at least.
                                  I think we've lucked i~to sor.ething.
                                                  45
              HACKETT
Oh, for God's sakes, are you
sugg~sting we put t.~at lunatic
back on the· air yelling bullshit?
              DIANA                                    I
Yes, I think we should put Beale                       II
bac~ on the ai= tonight and keep
him on. Did you see the Tirne.s                        1
this rr~rning? Did you see ~1e                         \
News? We've got press coverage
on this you couldn't buy for a
millicn dollars. Frank., t."lat: dur:".b
show jur..ped five rating points in
one night! Tonight's show has got
to be at least:. fifteen 1 We just:.
increased cur audience by ~Nenty
or thirty million people in cne
night. You're not going to get
so~ethi~g like this dur.',ped in your
lap for the rest of your days, and
you just can't piss it awayl
Howard Beale go-c up t.1.erC? last
night a."'ld said what eve-::y. ;.~erican
feels -- that he's tired of all t.,e
bullshit. He's artic~lating the
popular rage. I want that shew,
Frank. I can turn that shew into
t..l-ie biggest smash in televisicn.

              HACKETT
t-lhat do you r::.ean·, ycu want t.hat
show? It's a news show. It's not
your depart:..ent.
            OII-.NA
I see Howard Beale as a latt::erday
prophet, a nagnificent messianic
figure, inveighing against t:..'"le
hypocracies of our ti~es, a strip
Savonarola, Honday throush 1=-riday.
I tell you, Frank , t."la t could just
go through t.,e reef. A.~d I'm talking
about a six dollar cost oar t.~ousand
shawl ! 'rn talking about· a hur.dred,
a hundred t.1-iirty t.1-iousand di:,llar
minutes 1 · Co you want to fi,;u.:e out
the revenues of a st::-ip shew that
sells for a hundred t.11ousand · bucks
a minute?    One shew like th,3.t could
pull this whole net-,;ork right out
of the hole 1    New, F=.3.."'lk, it:.' s b~ing
handed to us on a plate: let's not
blow itl
                                                                                                                               46
                                                                                                                                    ;
      EAC:-<ETT' s intercom BUZZES,.                                                                                                1•
                                                                                                                                        !


                                      HAC:-<ETT
                               (on intercom)
                          Yes? ••• Tell hi..~ I'll be a few
                          minutes.
                               (clicks off, regards DIANA)
                          Let ~~ t.."lir.k it over.
                                        DIANA
                          Frank, let's not go to cc:n::::.::.ttee
                          about t..,is. It's thenty after ten,
                          and we· want Seale in that studio
                          by half-past six. Ne don't want
                          to lose the momentum
                                                  HACKETT
                          For God's sakes, Diana, we're
                          talking about putting a manifestly
                          irresponsible man on national
                          televisicn. I'd like to talk to
                          Legal Affairs at least. And Herb
                          Thackeray and certainly Joe I:onnelly
                          and Stancarcs and Practices. ~.nd
                          you know I'm going to be eyeball
                          to eyeball wi t.'1. .r,:r. Ruddy en t.,is.
                          If I'm ~oing to t.~e mat wit.~ Ruccy,
                          I want to make sure of sorr.e of my
                          ground.            I 'rn t."'le one whose ass is
                          going en the line.                 I'll get back
                          to you, Dia.11.a.
64.   INT:        EXECUTIVE OI:Ut·7G ROOM - 1.2: 20 P .M.                                                              64.
      A large rocrn of white-linened tables, aL~ost empty
      save for th(? fi •.1e :::.en at cne of the w i.nc.::w t.ables,
      wi t.11 the soectacu.:!.ar v·iew of midtown !-'.:a..'1ha":.tan.
      The f .1.. ve arc
                     •  ft:>""-'N-.,  ~A,..,_.-..,,,.,
                           •..::-u .- .. ......• ..:. .i. - ,   •• .::..... SC''
                                                                ,~T           ~, cu"""J-V
                                                                                  ....... ::. - ,   ,:1..... T .,.. ... ~
                                                                                                         n..;.., .. ::. ....

      AMONOSE!-I         (General Counsel !-1etwork,) :U:lTEUR ZANG·r:i:U..
       (VP Standards and Practices,)           and JOE cct-r:-IELLY (VP
      Sales).
                                          CHANEY
                                 (who is standing)
                           I don't believe this 1 I don't
                           beliP.ve the top brass of a national
                           television nctwo=k are sitting
                           around
                               .   t.1.air Caesar salads
                                                    .    .••-
                                                   HACKETT
                           The top brass of a bank~uot national
                           television net'...,o=k, wit.:1. projected
                           lossos of close to a hundred a.~d
                           fifty million dollars t.~is year.
                                                           47
                              CHANEY
                 I don't car~ how bankrupt! You
                 can't seriously be prc~osing and
                 the rest of us sericusly consicar-
                 ing putting on a pornographic                  I

                 net~ork naws showl The FCC will
                 kill usl
                                                                I
                              HACKETT
                 Sit dcwn, Nelson. The FCC can't                \   \
                 do anyt.~ing except rap our. knuckles.             I
                                                                    1

       CRANEY sits.

                               AMUNDSE~
                 I don't even want to think about
                 the litigious pcssi~ilities, Frank.
                 We could be up to our ears in
                 lawsuits.
                             CHANEY
                 The affiliates won't carry it --
                               BAC'~TT
                  The affiliates will kiss your ass
 ~              · if you can hand t..1'1e.,u a hit show.
('y(                           CHANEY
                 The popular reaction
                               HACKETT
                 We don't know the ocoular reacticn.
                 'I'hat I s what we have to find out:.
                               CHANEY
                 The New York Ti~es
                             HACKETT
                 The New York Times doesn't advertise
                 on our netr1ork.
                               CH.ANEY
                      (stands)
                 All I kr.cw is t.~at this violates
                 every canon of respectable ~road-
                 easting.
                               HACKETT
                 We're not a res~ectable net~ork.
                 We' re a whorehouse net-..;rcrk, and we
                 have to take whatever we: can get.
                               CHANEY
                 Well, I don't want any part of it.
                               (MORE)
                                                                    48
                               CHA?lEY (Contd)
                I don't fancy myself t.~e president
                of a. whorehouse.
                               HACRE'IT
                That's very ccmrr.endable of you,
                Nelson.    New, sit down.       You.:
                indignation has been duly recorded,
                you can a~ways resign tcrr.orrow.
     CB.ANEY sits.

                               HACKETT (Contd)
                Lock, what in si.:bst.ance are we
                proposing? -- merely to add
                eclitorial co~~ent to cur ne~Nork
                news show. Bri~~ley, severeid,
                and Reaso:-1e::- all have t.1.eir cc!':'!r.ents.
                So now Heward Beale will have his.
                I think we ought to give i t a shot.
                Let's see what happens tonight.
                               DONNELLY
                t·7ell, I don't want to be the
                Babylonian rr.essenger who has to
                tell Hax Schu=.acher about t.1.is ..
                               HAC:-<ETT
                       (flagging a NAITER)
                Max Schumacher doesn't work at
                this ne~...rork any rr:ora. M.r. Ruddy
                fired hL~ last night.
                      (to the WAIT~R)
                A telephone, please --
                      (to his COLLEAG"vES)
                Bob McDonog-..ih 's ru."'ll1ing t.Jle News
                Division now --
     A phone is placed before HACKETT, who promptly picks
     it up and mur.nurs:
                             HACKETT (Contd)
                    · (on phone)
                Bob McDonough in Newsr please --

     INT:   MAX'S OFFICE - 1:40 P.M.                               65.

..   MAX is on th~ phone and cleaning out his cesk and
     offica at the same ti~e. There are e~otv cartons
     avcr;whc:-e into which MAX is dur:i.ping his .. files.         There
     are piles of files on his desk, •.-.,hich ha is ski::T.iing
     th::oufi:ih evc:1 as he tzlks on the phone? --
                                                                49

                           MAX
                 (on phone)
           -- I'm just :inz fina~cially,
           Fred. I cashed in my stock
           options back in April when CC
           and A took ave:: the net.;ork .••
                 (his ot.~e:: Fhone BUZZES)
           That's ~ ot."'li:?r phone, F:ed, t!12.nks
           for calli.."1g --
                 (hangs up, picks up
                  the other phone)
           Max Schumacher ••• Hi, Dick,
           how Is everything at NBC? --
BOWARD BEAIZ walks in, carrying an 8 x 12 phot::::,graph --

                            MAX (Contd}
           I don't know, Dick. I might teach,
           I might write a·bcok, whatever t.~e
           hell one does when one aooroaches
           the autu..--nn of one's years· --
-BOWAlID puts   t."i.e photograph on t..11.e desk in fro:i.t cf .MAX.
                            !A.AX (Contd)
                     (studying t.~e photograph)
            My God, is t."lat me? Was I eve::
            that you.."1g?
                     (on ohone)
            BO"...rard just showed me a pic:tu=e
            of t.."le whole :::d !1crrcw gang when
            I was at CBS.       My Gcd, Bob T=out,
            Barry Reaso:i.er, Cronkite, Holle~...beck,
            and that's you, Heward, right:? --
            I'll see you, Dick
                    (hangs up)

                            HOWARD
                    (points to the photo)
            You remer..ber t."1is kid?      He's the
            kid I think you once sent out to
            interview Cleveland A.-:i.ory on
            vivisection --
                            MAX
                     (beginning to shake
                      with laughter)
            'Iha t • s him -- that ' s h ir.i
 They both begin wheezing with laughter.            MILTON STE!!\!·1AN
 pokes his head in --
                            STEINMru-:
            What the h~ll's so funny?
                                                              ...
                                                                      so
66.   INT: ROOM 509 - EXECUTIVZ OFFICES, NE"AS                     66.
      DIVISI0!1

      BOB McDONOUGH (VP Network News and i.,teri:':'1 head of t.'-:e
      division) enters, frowning. ~here is a clot of ?EOPLE
      spilling out f==~ M.?\.X SCF.c:~;cHER's office frc~ whence
      sounds of LAUG!''!'SR a.--:.d SHOtJT!!lG e..'!lanate. Even the
      SECRETARIES have left their desks to share the fun.
      McDONOUGH, wondering what the hell it' ~:i all about,
      makes his way tr.rough the C?JJSH at the dcor, mt.1..-::-.tJ.:i~g:
      •Excuse rne ••• sorry, honey ••• etc.n When he fir:.ally
      gets through the. outer office and into --
67.   INT:   MAX'S OFFICE                                          67.
      -- what he sees is a room filled wit.'i. News Exe:-..1tives
      -- M.1\X, HOWARD, I-1..2l-~Y HUNTER, WALTER G!~..N!!l! (Legal
      Affairs) , MICH..~!, SA..'ID!::.:s , HILTON STEI!J!-'(_:!..!i', ar:.d a
      COUPLE of your.ger PRODUCERS, delightedly liste.ni~g to
      this gang of middle-aged men rer.:.e::iberir.g thei: ~averi:k
      days --
                                  MAX
                   -- I ju..~p out of oed in my pajar:i.as!
                   I grao my raincoat, run down t.~e
                   stairs, run out into the middle of
                   the street, flag a cab. I ju.r.p i..,,
                   I yell: nTake ~e to th~ miccle of
                   the George Washington E:idgel" --
      BO'i-lL of LAOGHT!:":R --

                              MAX (Contd)
                   - The driver turns around, he
                   says: "Don't do it, kid, you
                   got your whole life ahead of you!"
      The room RCCKS. with L~lJGHTER. When it subsices, BC3
      McDONOUGH, stand;ng·in the doorway, says:
                                  McDONOUGH
                   Well, if you thi!'l.k that's funny,
                   wait'll you hear this. I've
                   just co:r..e dC"".-ln f ro::::1 Fra..'1.k
                   Hackett's office, and he ~ants
                   to put Heward back on t.1ie ~i=
                   tonight. ·Apparently,. the :rati."'lgs
                   jumped five points last night,
                   and he wants Heward to go back
                   on and do his angry-ma.."'\ thing.
                                  STEIN...-....A.'l
                   What're you talking about?
                                                      Sl
                   McDOtlCUGn
    I'm telling you -- they want
    Howard to go on yelling bullshit.
    They want Howard to go on                              I
    spontaneously letti..,g out his
I   anger, a lat~erc.ay prophet,
    denouncing the hypocrisies

'   of '1ur times --
                    BOWARD
    Bey, t.~at sounds pretty go·cd --
                                                           \
                                                           I
                                                           \

                    MAX
    Who's this they?
                     McOO?:OUGH
    Hackett. Char.ey was t."lere, the
    Legal Affairs guy, and that
    girl fro~ Prog=amr.li.r.g.
                     MAX
    Christenson?       What's she got to
    do wi t.'l it?
                GIA.~IN! (in b.g.)
    You're kidding, aren't you, Bob?
                     McDONOUGH
    I'm not k.icdi..~g. I told them:
    •we 're runn.ir.g a news depa:::t.--:tent
    down there, r.ot a circus. And
    Howard Beale isn't a bea=ded lady.
    And if you t."1in.~ !'ll go along
    with this bastardi:aticn of the
    news, you can have ray resisna~ion
    along wit."1 !·1a-...: Schu."':lacher I s =ight
    now. ~..r.d I t~ink !'~ s;ea<ing
    for Howard Beale and everybc<iy
    else down there in News.          11




                     HOWARD
    Hold it, McDonough, that's rnv
    job you're turning down. I'll go
    nuts without some ki.~d of work.
    What' !'3 wrong wi-th being an angry
    prc~het de~ounci..~g ~he hypoc=isies
    of our ti.--:ies? What do you thi::..1-;.,
    Max?

                     MAX
    Do you want to be an a.""1gr:t prophet
    denou.~cing the hY1=ocrisies of
    our ti.."lles?
                                                                           52
                                   HOWARD
                      Yeah, I thir.k I'd like to be
                      an angry prophet denou..~ci:::.g
                      the hypocrisies of our til:les.
                                          MAX
                       Then grab it.
    68.   Drr:    5TH FLOOR CORRIDOR - 3:00 P.M.                         68.

          Ma. RUDDY, slim, slight, white-haired, i."'=l;,erially
          elegant i.."l ba."l.\i;.er' s gray, cc.-nes dow'Tl t.1-ie co:::::-ic.or
          towards Rcom 509.            A VIDECTl-.PE H.-;.~, popping out of one
          cf the rco::i.s t.~at debcuch off this ccrricor, quickly
          stops, sta."'lds still --
                                           VIDEOTAPE :,..A."1
                             (muxmurs)
                       Afternoon, Mr. Ruddy -
                                           RUDDY
                              (murmurs)
                       Good a£terncon.
          Be passes on towards
          IMT:    ROOM 509                                               69.
          as RUDOY enters. The SIX SEC?.:S':']!.-~IES pecki...,_g away at
          their t;r9Fewri ter·s all pause to :::n.J-~u: awed --
                                           SECRETA..~!ES
                       Good afterncon, M=. Ruedy --
                       Gocd afternoon, Mr. Ruddy    etc.
          •• as RUDOY passes t.'1-irough to --
    10.   INT:    MAX'S OUTER OFFICE                                     70.
          Where MITZI (MAX'S SECRETARY), at her desk, mur.:turs:
                                   MITZI·
                       He's waiting for you, Mr. Ruddy --
                                            RIJDDY
                               (cur.:-.•..ir s)
                       'I'hank. you.

(         Ha goos into --
    71.   INTt    M.t\X 1 S OFFICE                                       71.
          •- And closes the door.
                                                      53
--
;.,C·
     .
                     RODDY
         Nelson Claney tells me 3eale may
         actually go en ~he air t..~is evening.


,                     MAX
         As. far as I know, Heward' s goi.."lg
         to do it. Are you goi..,g to sit
         utill for this, Ed?
                       mmoY
               (takes a folded piece
                ,of paper fro~ his

,                inside jacket poc~et)
         Yes. I thi.."'lk Hackett's overstepped
         himself. T~ere's some kind of
         ccrpo:ate ma.,euver:L~g going on,
         Max. Hackett is clea::ly forc:L,g
         a confrontation. T~at would,
         account :or his behavior at the
         stockholcers' meeting. However,
         I thir..k he's ca~ing a serio~s
         mistake wit.~ t.~is Seale business.
         c. c. ar.d A .. would never ma'l.:e such
         an open act of briga..,dage,
         especially against the News
         Division. They are s~eci:ically
         enjoined against e.~y r:ianipulation
         of t.~e News Division in the
         consent decree. I suspect c. C.
         and A.·will be upset ~y Hackett's
         presumpt~ousness, cer-:.ainly ~.r.
         Jensen will~ So I 'n gci.,g to let
         Hackett have his head for awhile.
         He just I:.ight lose it over this
         Beale business.
                 (places the paper                         '   '
                  on .t,1.A.X' s desk)
         I'd like you to reconsider your
         resignation.
                 (moves to t.~e couch,
                  sits, crosses his legs,         •
                murmurs)
         I have to assume Hackett wouldn't
         take such steps without so~e
         support on the c. c. and A. t~ard.
         I ' l l have to go di=ec~ly t:i ~.r.
         Jensen. · When t.11.at haoi::ens, I'm
         going tc need every friend I've
         got. And I ce:tainly don't want
         Hackett's people in ali the
         divisional positions. So I'd
         like you to stay on, ~ax.
                       MAX
         Of cou:se, Ee.:
                                                                           54
                                            PJJOOY
                                 (sta..-,.ds)
                          '?hank you, Max.

              Be opens the door and leaves.
        72.   INT: MAX' s. OFFICE - w"'EDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 ·-            72.
              7 s O0 P.M.

              MAX sitting alone behind his desk in a dark of:ice lit
              only by his desk la:::.p, watching the Network News Sho-J
              starring HOWt\ED BE.iU..E on his ot:ice console -
                                          NARRATION
                           'the initial response to the new·
                           Howard Beale was not auspicatc:y.
                           'rhe press was without exception
                           hostile and i.-:.dust=y reaction
                           negative. The ratings £or the
                           Thursday ar.d Fri~ay show were
                           bot.~ 14 and with a 37 share,
                           but. Monday 1 s ratj:.g drcpped
                           two points, clearly suggesting
                           the novelty had worn o:f --
               On the office console, HCWA.."=ID BE..U.E doesn't see.~ ~o
J···           much different tha.'1 he had always been. He scowls,
               frat'llls, seems to be cu tte.r i.-:.g --
 \.._
                                        NARRATION (Co:1t=.)
                           -- Indeed, Howard 3eale played
                           his new role of latter-day
                           prophet pco:ly. Es was, after
                           all, a news.~an, not an act::=.
                           He was uncertain, ~ncomfo=ta.ble,
                           sanetL~es i.-:.audi.ble. The general
                           feeling arou::.d tts network was
                           that this new Eoward Beale would
                           be aborted in a matter of days -
        73.                                                              73.
                On the office console, the Network ~ews She~ has cc~e
                                                                     .
                to an end; the CLOsz:;G TSE:·!:.: MOS!C e=:erges in-:.o
                SOUND, and t..~e show's CREDITS begin to roll.        !·!A:<
                clicks of= t~e set, folds his hands en the cesk a:1d
                sits glu..~ly regarding his folded hands. A.fter a
                moment, he becc~es aware of a.~other presence in t~e
                room and looks to the doorway where OI.;..'iA C?_,:s-::z:-:s:::
                is standing, wearing a white blouse and dark slacks
                and car.::yi:,.g her jadcet: and purse. If we haven I t
                already not.iced how att:..ract:.ve she is, we do new --
              ··standing as she is, :ra.:-::ed in the docrway, backli~
                by t.~e lights o= the ceser~ed cc~.:non roe:'!\, suddenly
                sensuous, even voluptuous.
                       DIANA
             (entering the office)
        Did you knc-..; there are a nu.-r:.::>e:
        of psychics wcrki::.g as licensed
        brokers on Wall st=eet?
             (she sits ac::oss frc::t1
              MAX, fishe·s a cigarette             \
              out of her purse)
        some of the.o. counsel thei: clients       \
-       by ~se of Tarot cards. They're
        all pretty successful, even in a
        bear market and selli.'1g shc:t.
                                                   \

        I met or:.e of the.-rn a ccuple of
        weeks ago and thought of doing
        a show around her -- The WaTNard
        Witch of Wall Street, sotr.et.,.ing
        like that. But, of course, if
        her tips were any good, she
        could wreck the ~.arket. So I
        called her this morning and
        asked her how she was en
        predic~ing the :utu=e.      She said
        she was occasionallv crescient.
        •For exa."ilple," she said, "I
        just had a fleeting vision of
        you sit~:L~g in an office with
        a craggy middle-aged re.an wit..~
        whom you are or will be
        emotionally i.,volved."
        And here I am.
                      MAX.
        She does all this wit.~ Tarot cards?
    '                 DIA.NA
        No, this one operates on
        parapsychology. She has trance-
        li.x.e episcc.es and feels things
        in her er.ersy field. I think
        this lady ca.., be very usef.ul
        to you, Max.
                        MAX
         In what way?
                        O:tA.NA
         Well, you put on news shows,
         and he=e's someone who can
         predict tcr:torr~~•s news for,you.
         Her na.me, aptly enough, i.s Sibyl.
         Sybil the Soothsayer. You could
         give her two minutes of t=ance
         at the end of a Howard Beale show,
         say once a week, Friday, which is
                        (MORE)
                                                       56

                         DIANA (Contd)
             suggestively occult, and she
             could oraculate. Then ne.x~ week,
             everyone tunes in to see hew
             gcod her predictions we.re.
                           MAX
             Maybe she could do the weather.
                            DIANA
                  (smiles)
             Your net-..:ork news shc-..1 is go.L"lg
             to need some help, Max, if it. Is
             going to hold. Beale doesn't
             do the angry man t.-:.iing well at
             a1l. He's tco kvetchy. He's
             Deing irasci~le. We want a
             prophet, not a Cu.r:-:ludgeon. He
             should do more apocalyptic do01.
             I think you should ta.'-:.e on a.
             couple of writers to write s~~e
             jere~~ads for hi.~. I see you
             don't fancy =J suggestions.
                            MAX.
    .,,,:,   Bell, you're not being serious,
...,
:1.
 -"'         are you?
                         DIANA
             Oh, I'm serious. The fact is,
             I could r.~ke vour Eeale show the
             highest-ra~ed-news show in
             television, if you'd let me
             have a crack at it.
                            MAX
             What do you mean, have a crack
             at it?
                            OI1'.NA
             :t'd like to prograi"':'I it for j•ou,
             develop it. I wouldn't inte==ere
             with the actual news. But tee~Tee
             is show biz, Ma.~, a....,_d even t!'le
             News has to have a little
             shownanship.
                            MAX
             My God, you are serious.
(
'                           DI:wn
             I watched your six o'clcck news
             today -- it's straight tabloid.
             You had a mi~ute and a halt on
                             {MORE)
                                                       57
                      DIANA (Conte!)
          that lady riding a bike naked in
          Central Park. On t.~e other hand,
          you had less than a minute cf
        'ha.rd national and international
        1
          news. It was all sex, scandal,
          brutal cr~es, sports, chilc!=en.
          with incurable diseases and
          lost ou~cies.     So I don't thi."'l.~
          I ' l l iisten to any protestations
          of high standarc!s of j ou:nalis:::i.
          You 're right down i...'"'l t.'":.e st=eet
          soliciting audiences li..~e t.~e
          rest ,of us. All I 1 m saying is,
          if you're going to hustle, at
          least do it right. I'm going to
          bri.~g this up at tcmorrcw's
          network meeting, but I don't like
          network hassles, and I was hcpi.~g
          you a.~d I could work t.~is out
          between us. That's why I'ra here
          right now.
                             MAX
                   (sighs)
          And I was hoping you we.re looki.'"'lg
          fer an e.111otional involvement with
          a c:raggy middle-aged ~an.

                      DIANA
          I wouldn't.rule that out entirely.
They appraise each other for a m=ent; clearly, there
are the FOssibilities of sc~et.~i..~g r:ore than a
professional relationship here.

                      MAX                                   '
          Well, Diana, you bring all your
           ideas up at the meeting tc::lo:row.'
          Because, if you don't, I will.
          I thin.tc Howard is ::taking a godda"n
          fool of hi..~self, and so does
          everybody Heward and I know in
          this indust=Y• It was a flu..~e.
           It didn't work.  Tomorrow, Howard
           goes back to the old format and
           this gutter depravity comes
           to an end.
                             DIANA
                   (smiles, stands)
           Okay.
She leans forward to flick her ash L~to ~.A.X's desk ash
tray.  Half-shaded as she is by the cone of ligh~
                                                      58
issuing from the desk lamp, it is nipple-clear she is
era-less, and I1A.X cannot help but note t~e asse.::tive
swells of her body. DUNA moves languidly to t..-ie door
and would le~ve but M..AX suddenly says:

                         MAX
          x· don't get it, Diana.   You
          hung a.round till half-past seve..~
          and c~~~ all the way dc-..m here
          just to pitch a couple of looney
          show biz ideas when you knew
          godda~ well !'d laugh you out
          of this office. I don't get
          it. 'What' s your scam. in this
          anyway?
Dl:ANA moves back to t..~e desk and crushes her cigaret~e
out in the desk tray.
                         DIANA
          Max, I don't kno~ why you
          suddenly changed your mind
          about resigning, but I do know
          Hackett's going to th::ow ycu
          out on your ass in Janua.::y.
          My little visit here tonight
          was just a cou.rtesy made out
          of respect for you.:r: statu:::e
          in the industry ar.d tecause
                      ,. was ac..~ired
          I've personally
                 .
          ever since_
                                            you
                                   . ,.:; :naJcr~~g
                              a ,K~-         . .
          in speech a~ the Universitv o=
          Missouri. But sooner or later,
          now or in Ja.~ua=y, with or
          without you, !'m going to ta~e
          over your r.e~~ork news shew,
          and I figured I eight as well
          start tonight.
                     .    MAX
           I think I once gave a lect~:e
           at the University of Missouri.
                       DI.ANA
           I was in the audience. I had·
           a terrible schoolgirl c::ush
           on you for a couple of ~on~hs.
She smiles, glides to the doorway agaL~.
                          MAX
           Listen, if we can get back for
           a moment to that gypsy who
           predicted all that about
                          (MORE)
                                                                  59
                              MAX (Contd)
                  emotional involvements and
                  middle-aged men -- what're
                  you doing for di.~ner tonight?
        DIANA pauses in the doorNay, and then QOves back
        briskly to th.e desk, picks up the telephone receiver,
        taps out a tele:hcne r."~ber, waits for a mc::..ent --
                                  DIANA
                         (on phone}
                   X can't make it tonight, luv,
                   call nie te:::1orrow.
        She returns t.~e receiver to its cradle, looks at MAX;
        their eyes lock.
                                MAX
                   Co you have a.,y favorite
                   restaurant?
                               DIANA
                   X eat anything.

                                MAX
                   Son of a bitch, I ;et the
                   feeling I'm ~e.L~g made.
                                DIANA
                   You sure a.re.
                                MAX
                   X better warn vou I don't do
                   anything on the first date.

                   We'll see.
        She moves for the door.       MAX   stares down at his desk •
                                                             •
                                MAX
                          (mutters)
                   Sc.11.muck, what're you getting L~to?
        Be sighs, sta.,ds, flicks off his desk laI:lp •
. 74.   INT:   A RESTAURANT                                      74.
        MJ\X and DIANA at the end of thei.::' dinner.     In.fact,
        ·MAX is flagging a WAITE:R for t•,..;o coffees, black --

                               DIANA
                        (plying away at
                         her ice ere.am)
                   You•re marr~ed, zu.=ely.
                                                   60

                      MAX
        Twenty-six yea.rs. I have a
        married daugh't.er in Seattle ...,ho's
        six months pregnant, ar.d a
        younger girl who starts at
        Northwestern in January.
                    DIANA
-       •- Well, Max, here we a.re --
        middle-aged man reaf£ir::1ing his
        middle-aged r:1a..'"ihocd and a ·
        terrified young wc::i.an with a
        father complex. What sort of
        script do you t.'lin.~ we can
        make out of this?
                      MAX
        Terrified, are you?
                      DIANA
               (pushes her ice cream
                away, regards hi.."l
               affably)
        '.rerrified out of my skull, rna."l.
        I'm the hip generation, man,
··~
        right on, eccl, grcovy, t..~e
        greening of ,i!!..r.:ierica, oa.."'l,
.,
'/'-'   remember all t.h.at'.? God, what
        humbugs we were. In my first
        year at college, I lived in a
         con::nune, drop;ed ·acid daily.,
         joL-,,ed ·four =adical g=ou?s ,:..'"7.d
         fucked myself silly on a ba=e
        wooden floor while scr.ie.body
         chanted Sufi su.ras. I lost six
         weeks of my so?homore year
         because they ~u~ me away for
         trying to jc.mp off the top floor
         of the Ad..~inistration Buildi~g.
         I've been on the top floor ever
         since. Don I t open any windc-..:s
         around me because I just might
         jump out. Arn I_scari."'lg you. of:?
                       MAX
         No.
                        DIANA
         I was married for four years and
         pretended to be happy and had
,,       six years of analysis and pretended
         to be sane. My husband rail off
         with his boyfriend, and I had a.."l
         af.f ai.r with -::-.y analyst. Hi~ told
                        (MORE)
                                                               61
                            . DIANA (Contd)
                 me I was the worst lav he had
                 ever had. I ca.'"l' t teil you hcr...r
                 many men have told me what a                       I
                 lousy lay I am. I apparently                       '
                 have a masculine ter.pera~ent.
                 I arcuse qui~~ly, consu.tmnate                     I
                                                                    l
                 prem~~u=ely, a.nd can't wait to                    I
                 get my clothes back on and get
                 out of that bedrocm. I see."11
                 to be inept at everything except
                 my work.  I'm goddam good at my
                 work and so I confine myself
                 to that. All I want out of life
                 is a 30 share and a 20 rating.
     'rhe WAITER bri.."'l.gS t.11e coffee.

                                 MAX
                      (sipping cof:ee}
                 ~he corridor gossip says you're
                 Frank Ha~~ett's backstage girl.
                                 DIANA
                        (sipping coffee, smiles)
                  I'm not. Frar.J:'s a ccr-::oraticn
                  man, body and soul. Ee- surrer:dered
                  his spirit to c. c. and A. years
                  ago. He's a marketL~g-~erchar:disir:g-
                  manag~-nent mach.L"'l.e, precis:.c:1:i-
                  tcoled for ccrporate success.
                  Be's married to one c. C. and A.
                  board member's daughter, he
                  attends another board ree.'!lber's
                  church, his children aged ~~o
                  and five are already er.rolled
                  in a third b care. me..,-:,.b er ' s al:na
                  mater. He has no loves, lusts
                  or allegiances that are not
                  cons~-nrnately directed tcwards
                  becoming a C. C. and A. board
                  member himself. So why should
                  be bother with me? I'm no~
                  even a stockholder.

                                  MAX
                  How about your loves, lusts
                  and allegiances?
     They s:nile at each other.

--                                DIANA
                  Is your wife in t.:wn?
                                                                              62
                                                MAX
                               Yes.
                                           DIANA
                               Well, then, we better go to
                               my place.
            75.   INT :   DIJ.i.NA' S APART!·1E?n' -   BEDROOM              75.
                  Dark. Blinds drawn. MAX and DU.NA lying na.~ed on a
                  maelstrc::n of sheets, both still puffing f:cm what
                  must have been an ebullient bout in the sack --
                                                DIANA
                               WOW', and you were the guy who
                               kept telling ~e ho-~ he was going
                               to be a granc.f at..1"l.er i."l three
                               months.
                                                MAX
                               Bell, you we:e the girl who
                               kept telling~~ what a lousy
                               la.y she was.
                  She bounces out of be::i and sta."'!ds naked i."1 t.."'le shadowec.
-,....,,.         darkness, a.J:rns akimbo, looking happily down at MAX on
i(                the bed.
   \..
                                                CI.ANA
                                All right, enough of this
                                love-ma~ing. A.re you going
                                to.let ne ta<e ever your
                                net:'«ork news shew or not?
                                                 MAX
                                     (laughs)
                                Forget it. Torr.orrcw, Howard
                                Beale gees back to bein~ a
                                straight anchor.:ian. I'll tell
                                him first thing tc:r.orrow morning.
            76.   INT:    HOWARD BEALE'S BEDROOM                            76 •
                                                       .
                  HOWARD BEALE, fast asleep in his dark, e:cpty, hushed
                  room.
                                                 HOWA.ruJ
                                      (sudde.."lly)
                                I can •t hea.: you. You 1 11 have
                                to ·speak a little louder.
                  He gets up on one elbc~, eyes still closed, ~cks his
                  head as if he were listeninq to soceone mum.bli~g ===~
                  the rocking c.,air acrcsa the roOQ.
                                                                     63
r                                HOWARD (Contd)
                     You're kidding. Hew the hell
                     would I know what the t=uth is?
          He sits up, gets out of bed, walks around ar.d ?erches
          on the fcot of the bed, stares at the ~~pty rocker,
          nods his head. as if he is following a cc.:1?licated
          argument --
                                  HOWARD (Contd)
                     What the hell is this, the
                     burning bush? For God's sake,
                     I'm. net Moses --
          Whoever he thin..li;s he is talking to apparently gets up
          and crosses the rocrn to the overstuffed cha.i= and sits
          there, si.,ce EOWA..'P.!'l follcws this move~€nt:. wit..~ his eyes
          and finally gets up a.r:.d pe::-ches on -c.r.e sic.a of h.is bed
          in order to continue -::.."le curious conversation.
                                      BOWARD (Contd}
                      Why me? I'~ a deteriorat.i.~g
                      old man.
          BOWA?.O listens, sighs, shrugs:
                                      HOWARD
                      Okay.
    77.   EXT:
          A.M.
                 UBS EUILD:CZG
                  DAY
                                  - .TUESiJAY, CCT. l , 9: 00      ,,.
          Bright sunny day to establish the next ~orning.
    78.   INT:   ROOM 517 -    NIGHTLY NEWS ROC:1                  78.
          MAX enters. The usual morning h\lin of act:.ivity. PHO:::::s
          RING. HARRY HUNTER, goi.,g over scme w:..:e releases ·..,.:.t..n
          his HEAD w"'R.ITSR, looks up as :--1.?\X approaches --
                                      MAX
                      Howard in his office?
                              (HUNT:::R nods}
                      Harry, I'm killing this whole
                      screwball a..~gry prophet thing.
                      We 're going back to st=aight
                      news as of tonight's show.
                                      HUNTER
                      Okay.
          MAX Veers off for      --
                                                                              64

          79.   INT:    BOWAR.D'S OFFICE                                    79.
                E ~ at his typew-ri ter, clicking away.              MAX leans
                in through t~e open doorway --
                                           MAX
                            Ba.,,a.rd, we 're going back to
                            straight news tonight. You
 -                          don·' t have t:> be the mad
                            propnet any core.
                SO"'l'lruaJ tu.-ns to regard MAX i.'"1 the dcor..;ay wit."l. a sweet
                adle.
                                         BOWARD
                             I must go on wit."l. what I'm doing,
                            Max.    I have been called.       This
                             is my witness, and I must ma~e it.
                '?his gives MAX pause, to say the least.
                                            MAX
                             You must make what, Heward?
                                          HOKUID
                             I must rna~e ~v witness. I must
    ,..                      lead the peopie fro~ the waters.
                             I must stay thei= sta~pede to
                             the sea.
                MA.~ takes a step into the office a..~d closes the door.

                                         MAX
                             You must stay thei.r what,.
                             Boward?

                                         BOWARD
                             l must stay their headlong
                             suicidal st~~pede to t..~e sea.
                                            MAX
                                    (regards Howard
                                     fer a moment)
                             Well, hallelujah, Howard, are
                             you putting ~eon or have you
                             flipped or what?
                                            HOWARD
                                  (serenely)
                             % have heard voices, Max •
...f';'                                     MAX
     '~
    -·                       You have heard voices. Swell.
                             What kind of voices, Howard?
                                             (MORE)
                                                                  65
                                                                   I
                              MAX (contd)                          i.
                 Still small voices in ~~e night
                 or the mighty thunder of Gcd?                     i

                 Boward, you've finally done it.
                 You've gone over the edge.
                                                                   I
                                                                   \
                 You're nuts.
                              BOWARD
                                                                   I   I
                                                                       I

                  I have been called. This is
                  my witness, and I must make it.
                              MAX
                  Not on my goddam network news
                  show.
      Be opens the door, goes back L,tc --
80.   INT:    NIGHTLY NEWS ROOM                                  so.
      - where he stops, tu:ns and wheels back to HOiZA...""qD's
      office -
                                MAX
                  Now, look, Heward, I'm not
                  kidding a:ou.,d a.bout this.
                  You go back to beL,g a st=aight
                  anchorman tonight. I'o the
                  voice ycu're hea=i..~q now, a.,d
                  this voice is telling you
                  we're doing a straight news
                  show frcm new on. Okay?
      BOWARD see.ms not to have heard hi..~, continues peck.i..~9-
      ·away at his typewriter. MAX scowls, turns, exits --
81.   INT :   NETl\'OR.'t{ NEWS CONTROL RCOM                     81.
      ~he wall CLOCK says 6:29. The control rcom STA:~ are
      all at their posts mu_·•-r.uiring a:;ay. HAR.~Y HUNTER is
      on the phone --
                              HUNTER
                       (muttering into phone)
                  Max, I'm telling you he's fine.
                  He's been sharp all day, he's
                  been funny as hell. He had
                  everybcdy c::acking up at the
                  rundown meeti.,g ••• ! told hi.~,
                   I told him •••
82.                                                              82.
      On the SHOW MO!-lITOR, w:~·iJ'iJ'U::> BEALE at his desk,
      shuffles his p~pers, leeks up fo= his cue. The
      wall CLOCK clicks to 6:30, the DIRECTOR rnur:.tu.=s into
                                                                     66

      his mike. HOWA:im looks out from the sc:een tc his
      vast audience and says:
                                    HOWARD (ON ~0!1ITOR)
                1   ~st night, I was awakened f=om
                    a fitful sleep at shortly af~er
                    two o'clock L, the morning by a
                    shrill, sibilant, faceless voice
                    that was sitti.."lg in my roe.king
                    chaL:. I couldn't make it out at
                    first in the dark bedrocrn. · I
                    said: nI'm sorry, you'll have to
                    talk a little louder. 11 And the
                    Voice said to me: "I want you to
                    tell the people the truth, not
                    an easy thing to do; because t.~e
                    people don't want to knew t..~e
                    truth." I said: nYou're kiddi:lq.
                    How the hell w·ould I knew what
                     the tru-:.h is'? 11 I mean, you have
                     to picture me sitting the.re on
                     the f cot of t.he bed tal..t:.i.,g to
                     an empty rocking chair. I said
                     to myself: n?.oward, you are
                     son-.e ki."ld of banjo-brain si tti."lg
                     here talkinc to an e."n':::tv chair."
                     But the Voice said to-me: "Don't
                     worry about the truth. I'll put
                     the words i."l you::: mouth. " And I
                     said: "w1lat is this, the bur::inc;
                     bush? For Gcd' s ·sake, I'm 11ot
                     Moses."· And the Voice said to
                     me: .. And I'm not God, what's
                     that got to do with it            "
83.   INT:    NETWORK    NEWS CONTROL ROOM                          83.

      BARRY HUNTE~ still on the phone as the rest of the
      control roc:n STA.F~ just sit t.'.ere star::...--:.; at EC~O.?.!:>
      on the MONITOR --
                                HUNTER
                         (on phone)
                    What do you want me to do? --
84.    INT:   ~'\X'S OFFICE                                         84.
      MAX behind his desk on his phone, chin cupped in his
      right hand, staring gl\.lr.l.ly at HOWARD on his CONSOLE --
                                   MAX
                          (on phone)
                     Nothing --
                                                                                 67
                                                    HOWARD (ON CONSOLE)
                                    And the Voice said to me: ~we•re
                                    not taLt;.i.ng about eternal t:-..:t...'1
                                     or absolute tr..ith or ul tir:tate
                                     truth! We •re tal.king about
                                   · imper:r.a.nent, transient, hu::i.an
                                     truth! I don't expect you people
 -                                   to ~~ capable of t.:u.t.'i.l But,
                                     goddamit, you're at least capable
                                     of self-preservation! That's
                                                                                      \
                                                                                      \
                                                                                      /

                                     good enough! I want you to go
                                     out and tell t.'i.e people to
                                     preserve themselves - "
                                                  MAX
                                         (mutters on phone)
                                   Right now, I'm t-rying to r~~e~~er
                                   the narne of that psychia:=ist
                                   that took care of hi:n when his
                                   wife died --
                as.   INT:     STUDIO - NET"riOR..T{ NEWS                       ss.
                      TIGHT SHOT OF HO'Nn..-=to, his voice rising, his eyes
                      glowing with increasing fervor --
                                                  BOWARD
                                        (grC"..ting fe::1or)
                                   And I said to the Voice: nWhy z:c.e?"
                                   And the Voice said: "Because
                                   you're on television, d~y1      "
                86.   INT:     DIANA'S OFF!CE                                   86.
                      DIANA watching EOWARD on her CONSOLE --
                                                  DIANA
                                    Seautifull
                                                HOWARD (ON CONSOLE)
                                    •you have forty million Americans
                                    listening to you; after tonight's
                                    show, you could have fifty million.
                                    For Pete's sake, I don't ex~ect
                                    you to walk t...~e land in sackclot.'i.
                                    and ashes preaching the Ar.,.agecdon.
                                    You're on TeeVee, manl       "
                17.   IN'l':   MAX'S OFFICE                                     87.
,. ,-...1;--,
     ~,
                      MAX, no longer on the phone, is leafi..~g t.'l.rough a
                      loose-leaf add=ess book --
                                                                            68
                                         BOWARD (ON CONSOLE)
                             So I thought about it for
                             a moment -
                  MAX taps out a telephone number on his private li~e --
                                            BOWARD (ON CONSOLE) (Contd.)
                             And then I said:     nokay -- •
                                            MAX
                                    (on phone)
                             Doctor Sindel.l? My name is Max
                             Schumacher, I'm at the Union
                             Broadc asti."lg Systems, and I hope
                             you remember me, I'm.a friend of
                             Bowal:'d Beale whcm you treated for
                             a few months last year --
          as.     INT :   FIFTH FLOOR CORRIDOR                             88.
                  as BOWARD and E..~~y HUNTER, f o.llowed by the rest of
                  the cont:::"ol room STAFF, ccme out of the staL""Way and
                  head down the corridor to -
          89. -   INT:    ROOM S17 -   NIGHTLY NEWS ROOM                   89.
                  where HUNTE~ and HOWARD move towards HOWARD's office
                  while the re~t of the control roci C?.ZW disperse to
                  their own desks and to e.~cha.~ge mut~ered cc.T.=ents with
                  those Nightly News PERSON?-1EL stil.l at t."':.eir desks.
                  BOWA.IU) walks st=aight·as a ra.ilrod, eyes uplif~ed,
                  serene to the point. of beatitude. He and HUNTER.
                  go into --
          90.     INT:    HOWARD'S OFFICE                                  90.
                  where MAX is sitting, waiting on the couch.        He
                  stands --
                                            MAX
                              Close the door, Harry -
                  HUNTER does so.

·-                                        MAX (Contd)
                              Sit down, Howard. Howard·, I'm
                              taking you off the air. I
                              called your psychiatrist.
                                            HOWARD
,.r;;::                            (serene, sits
.
....                                behind his desk)
                              What's happening to me, Max, isn't
                              mensurate in psychiatric ter::s.
                                                                                  69
                                MAX
                    ·I think you're having a breakdcJn,
                     require trea~~ent, and Dr. Sindell
                     agrees.
                                   BOWARD
                    This is not a psychotic episode.
                    It is a cleansing mor:ent of clarity.
-                         (stands, an i.r...bued man)
                    I ein imbued , ~.a."<. I am imbued
                    with sc:ne s~ecia.l s~irit. 'It's
                    not a religious feeiing at all.
                    It is a shocking eruption of
                    grea~ elect=ical energy! I feel
                    vivid ar.d flashing as if suddenly
                    I had been plugged into so~e great
                    cosmic elect=o~agnetic field. I
                    feel connected to all living
                    things, to flowers, birds, to
                    all the ani.uals of the world
                    and even to some great unseen
                    living force, what I thir..k.
                    the Hindus call prana.
                           (he stands rigidily
                            erect, his eyes stari.""lg
.~                          mindlessly out, his .
·~
                            face revealing the
,,,.J-..                    anguish of so
                            transcendental a
l (                         state)
                    It is not a breakdc·.-m. I have
                    never felt so orderly in my lifel
                    It ·is a shatteri.~g and beauti:ul
                    sensation! It is the e..~alted
                    flow of the space-ti::le continuWil,
                     save that it is spaceless and
                    timeless and of such loveliness!
                    I feel on the verge of some
                    great ultimate truth.
                           {he stares haggardly
                            at MAX, his breath
                            coming with great
                            difficulty now:
                            he shouts)·
 -                  You will not take me off the air
                    for now or for any other
                     spaceless time!
           Be promptly falls in a dead swoon onto the floor.
                                 MAX
                          (hurryi."'lg to his
                           friend's prostrate
                           form)
                     Jesus Christ --


                                                --- ..... -- ___ ... _.... -·--
                                                                          70
                                      HUNTER
                               (from the door)
                          Is he okay?
                                      MAX
                               (bent over HOWA.'tID)
                          He's breathing anyway. I'll
                          have to take him to iZ'f house
                          again for the night --
       A CRASH OF THUNDER -

91.    INT:    MAX'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGaT                        91.
       ~BONDER CRASHES. outside. RAIN pelts agai.,st the
       windows. The room is dark. MAX and his wife, LOOISE,
       are fast asleep in their hushed room. CA:-!ERA PA.'?11S,
       COLLIES slowly out of the bedroan and i..,to --
92.    INT:    LI:VD-iG ROOM                                            92.
       Dark, hushed, sleeping.       HOWARD is asleep on the livi."'lg
       rccm. couch. Or rather he was asleep, fo:: he now slowly
       s'i ts up, then stands i.."1 his borrowed paj a:!:las , goes to
       the hall closet, fetches out a ra:L,coat, ur.chains,
       unbolts and unlocks the front dcor of t.~e apa::t=.ent,
       and goes out --
9 3.   EXT :   A STREET I?: TH:E: EA.ST 6 0 'S - OVEP..C.M.ST DAY       93 •
       - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 - 7:30 A.M.
       Another cR.;.sH and· Rt.D!BLE of THU!-i"DER. RAI?: slashes
       through t.""l.e streets. The sky is dark and lowering --
94.    INT:    MAX'S APART!·lENT - BEDROOM                              94.
       ~ " 1 CLOC:-< BUZZING.          MRS. LOUISE SCHUM..::..C3ER, a
       handsome mat::on of 50, clic~s it off and gets out of
       bed. MAX tu::ns in the bed, sleeps on. TEu~;DER·a.,d
       :RAZN o.s. LOO!SE star~s sleepily for the bat.7.rcom,
       pa.uses, t.~en goes out into the --           ·
       INT:    BACK HALLWAY

       -- and down that to
       INT:    LIVmG ROOM

       - where she stands, frowning. The couch, which had
       been made up for a bed, has clearly been slept in
       but is now empty. She looks back up the hallway to
       the guest bat..~roc:n. The door is open, a.~d there is
       obviously nobody in the bath.rccm. She pads ac::oss
       the living ream-dining rocm area and pokes her head
       .L,to the kitchen, and ~hen back to the back hallway,



               ·- ·-··-
                                                              71
      pauses a moment outside her daughter's closed bedrccm
      door, opens it, locks in, closes it ar.d then retu...~s
      tc --
      llrr : · THE BED ROO:•t

      She sits on MA.X's side of the bed, shakes hie awake.
                               LOUISE
                   Wake up, Max, because Heward' s
                   gone. I'll ma.~e you some cof!ee.
      She moves off.
                                   MAX
                            {mutters)
                    Shit.
      He slowly sits up.
95.   INT :    FRAN".L"t HACKETT 'S OFF'!CE                 95.
      HACKE'l."1' in a rage, shouting at ~.AX slur:iped in a soft
      chair. Others in the room are OIA..~A and r-::E.R.3
      THACKERAY.
                                   HACKE'l'T
                          {rage)
                    What do you mea..~ you don't k~ow
                    where he is? The son cf a bitch
                    is a hit, gcddg-:..~it1 Over two
                    thousand phone c·alls 1 C--o dC"...-n
                    to the cailroo::ii As of this
                    minute, over fourteen thousand
                    telegramsl The response is
                    sensational! Herb, tell h~~1
                          (TllA.C.KE:RAY starts to
                           tell him, but
                           HACKETT roars on)
                    Herb's phone hasn't stepped
                    ringingl Every godda~ affiliate
                    from Albuquerque to Sa:ldusky1
                    The response is sensational!
                          (the PHONE RINGS,
                           HACKETT seizes it)
                    What? ••• All right •••
                          (he -hangs up, snaps
                           at 'l'HAC!<ERAY') ·
                    It's your office, Herb. You
                    better get back there.
      ---THACKERAY exits. HACKETT roars on -
      --·-
        . ..
                                               72
)                        EACXETT (Contd)
\,(~    Mcldanian called me 1 Joe
        Donnelly called me! We've get
        a godde."tl hit, gcddam itl Diana,
        show hir:i t.11.e Ti.,:ies 1 We even        \
                                                    i
        got an editorial in the holy
        goddam New York Ti:r..es. "A Call
        to 1".cralityl" That crazy sen of           \
        a bi~ch, Beale, has caught onl
        So don't tell me you don't know             II
        where he isl
              I      MAX
       . ? don't(roaring back)
                   know where he isl He
         may be jur.,.ping off a roof for
         all I know. Th'= man is i..11sane.
         Be's nc lenser responsi.ble for
         himself. He needs care and
         b:'eat.-nent. J\..nd all you
         gravero~bers care about is
         he's a hitl
                     DIANA
        You knew, Max, it's just possible
        that he isn't insane, t.,at he is,
        in fact, im!::iued with some special
        spirit.
                      MAX
         My Gcd; I'm supposed to be
         the romantic: you're supFosed
         to be the hard-bitten realistl
                     DIANA
         All right. Boward Seale cbviously
         fills a void. The audience out
         there obviously wants a prophet,
         even a rnanufact':ll'ed one, even
         if he's as cad as Meses. By
         tomorrow, he 1 ll have a 50 share,
         maybe even a 60 share. Howard
         Beale is processed insta.11t God,
-        and right new it looks like he
         may just go over bigger than
         M~y Tyler Moore.
                      MAX
         I'm not putti..~g Howard back on
         the air.
                      DIANA
          It's not your shew any more,
        · Max, it's mine.
                                       73
                  MAX
  You're nuts.      You're nuttier
· t.han Howard!
                  RACKETT
 % 9ave her the sho#, Schi.=acher.
 t•m·putting the network news show
 unde:: p=ogr s.:r.ming. Mr. Ruc.dy
 haa had a raild heart attack and
 i i ~ot taki..~g calls. In his
 Absence, I'm making all network
 4ecisions, including ene I've
 been wanting to r.i.ake a long tb.e
 •• rou•~e fired. I want you
 C~t of this building by noon.
 t'll leave word with the
 at.icurity gua:ds to th::'ow you
 C~t if you're still here.
                  MAX
 ~ell, let's just say, fuck you,
 ~ackett. You want ~e out, you'=e
 going to have to drag me out
 kicking a..~d screa~ing. ~..nd the
 Whole news division will walk
 Q\lt kic.1<i.."lg a.~d sc:ea:uing
 With rn.e.
                  RACKETT
  ~QU thin.1< they're going to quit
  their jobs for yo~? Not i~
  Ulis depression, buddy.
                  MAX
  When Ruddy gets back, he'll
  have your ass.
                  HACKETT
  t got a hit, Sch~~acher, and
  ~uady doesn't count a.~y mere.
  He was hoping I'd fall on my
  face with this Beale sh~~, but
  l didn't. It's a big, fat,
  big~titted hit, and I don't have
  ~o waffle around wit.~ Ruddy any
  lhb-f:e. If he wants to take me
  Up before the c. c. and A.
  °bOard, let him. All they knew
  a~ t. C. and A. is they've got
  a network that's in t.~e shit~ouse
  te~ a hundred a.~e three million
  ao~iars, and I'~ going to hand
  them this d~~ented Howard Beale
  Dhow that's going to pu~ this
                   (MORE)
                                             74
                    HACKETT (Contd)
     network i.."lto profit. Do you
     thin.~ Rud:y's st~pid enough to
     go to the c. c. and A. board
     and say: "I'm takL~g ou: cne
     hit show off the ai.=?" A..'1.d
     con-.es Novembe: Fourteen, -I'm
     goinC! to be sta:-.di.."lg up tJ1e:e
     at the annual C. c. a."ld A.
     management review meeti.~;, and
     I'm going to ar...iounce projee~ed
     earnings for this nerdork fer
     the first ti..-::e in five yea:s.
     And, believe ree, Mr. Jensen will
     be sitting there recking back
     and forth in his lit~la chair,
     ar..d he's goi.~g to say:   "~hat's
     very good, Frar..~, keep it up.N
     So don't have a.~y illusions
     a.bout who's run..~ing t.~is net~-crk
     fro~ now on. You're fi=ed.
     I want you out of your office
     before neon or I'll have you
     thrown out.

,,                  MriX
            (to DIA.~A)
     And you go along wit.~ t.~is?
                  OIAUA
      Well, Max,! told you I didn't
      want a network hassle over tl:is.
     ·I told you I'd ~uch rather wo=~
      the Beale show out just between
     the two of us.
                    MAX
          (stands)
     Well, let 1 s just say, fuck you
     toe, honey.
          (to HACKETT)
     Howard Beale may be my best friend!
     I'll go to court. I'll put hi:n
     in a hospital before I let you
     exploit hL~ li~e a carnival
     freak.
                    HACKETT
     You get you: psychiatrists,
      and I'll get ~ine.
                    MAX
            (heading for the doer)
      I'm goi.'"lg to sp:ead t.1.is whole
                    . (MORE)
                                                                              75
                                            MAX (Contd)             .,            I.
                               reeking business in every paper      i
                               ar.d on every r.et~~rk, independent,
                               group, and af£iliated station i..4
                               this count:y. I'~ going to ma~e
                               a lot of noise about this.
                                           RACKE:'!'T
....                           Greatl We need all the press
                               we can get.
             .             .                                                         ..
             .MAX'exits. · F.ACKETT cli ks his intercom.
                                             HACKETT (Contd)
                                    (on intercc:n)
                               Get me ~..r. Ca!::lell --
                                    (to DI.;.."iA)
                               Something going en between
                               you and Schu~acher?
                                            DIANA
                                    (sighs)
                               Not any mo:e.
                                            HAC.~TT
                                    (his PHONE BUZZES,
                                     he picks it up)
                               T~~, Heward Beale has disappeared.
                               Tell Ha=r~-:-.an to prepare a big
                               stata~ent for t.~e news =.edia.
                               And call the cccs and tell them
                               to find t.~e c:aZy· son of a bi-:ch ~-
             EXT: UBS BUILDING - S!XTS AV'E~roE - NIGH~ -                   96.
             6:40 P.M.
                                     lashes t..1ie street. l?EDES'?RI:-.NS
             THUNDER CF.A.SHES -- R.11.!N
             struggle agaL~st the slashing rain. The streets glear.1
             wetly, the heavy TAAF;IC heading uptc-..m crushes and
             HONKS along, erratic enfilades of headlights in t..~e
             shiny, black streets --
       97.   CLOSER ANGLE                                                   97.
             0£ entrance to UBS Buildi.--ig.. HOWARD BE '.;I,"=:,
             wearing a coat ever his pajamas, c..renched to the
                 skin, his ~op of gray hai= plastered i.--i streaks to
                 his brow, hu..~ched agai~st the :ai..~, cli::-.=s t.~e steps
                 a.nd pushes the glass door at the ent:ance a.~d goes
                 into --
       98.       INT:   UBS BUILDI:1G - LOBBY                                98.
                 T'r10 SECURITY GUA...ttOS at ":ha desk watch HO'iVrk..~ pass ....
                                                                    ' ""
                                  SECURIT'! GUARD
                      How do you do, :,1r. Beale?
          BOWARD stops, tu=ns, stares haggardly at the SECURITY
          GUARD.
                                             P.0Y2ARD


-
                           (mad as a loon)
                    . I have to ma.'1-:e r:iy witness.
                                  SECURITY GuAP.D
                                                                    I
                                                                    II
                                                                    I

                           (an agreeable fellow)                    I.
                      Sure thing, Mr. Beale.
          HOWARD plods off to the elevators.
    99.   INT :   NETWORK NE'W'S CONTROL ROOM                   99.
          Murmured, efficient activity as L, previous scenes.
          DIANA stands in the back in the shadows. On the
          SHOW MONITOR, JAC:{ S!1C1:-iDEN, BE;..:.z' s replacer.ent,
          has been doing the news st=aight --
                                     SNOWDEN (ON CONSOLE)
                      ••• the Vice Presicent designate
                      was on the road today a~d stop;ed
                      off i..., Provo, Utah, and, i.."'l. a
                      speech in t..'-:e basket=iall arena
                      at Brigham. Young University -
                                   PRODUCTION ASS!STA!~T
                      Five sec;onds --
                                  TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
                      Twenty-five in Provo
                                             DIRECTOR
                      And • • •   t:.,r,10   --

                                  SNOWDEN (ON MONITOR)
                      Mr. Ro~~efeller had so~e st:o~g
                      words to say about the ~.ra.b oil-
                      producing nations. More on th.at
                      story from Edward Douglas
          All. this is UNDER and OVER!..APFED by HA.~RY HTJNT.=:R
          answering a BUZZ· on his phone
                                             HUNTER
                             (on phone)
                      Yeah? ••• Okay --
                            (hangs up, to DI.A!l;\)
                      Re came in t.'"le buildi:i.g about
                      five winutes ago.
                                                                         77
....
                                    DIR!:CTOR
                      Get ready to roll her
T
                                  . PRODUCTION ;..ssrs':';,,.,"lT
                  1
                      Ten seconds corning to one --
                                    Dl'.ANA
                      Tell Snowden if he comes in the
                      studio to let hi.r.l go on.
                                    BUNTER
                           (to the OIP.EC'!'OR)
                      Did you get that, Gene?
       'rhe DIRECTOR r.ods, passes on the L~st=uctions to his
       A .. D. on the studio f lcor..     On t.."'le SEOW !-!C!H:--0:R., we are
       seeing footage o= Rockefeller crowdi..~g his way t.:i t..~e
       speaker I s rost::'u..":i, and we are hearir..g t.'i.e VOICE of
       Edwa:d Douglas in Provo, Uta.~ --
                                   DOUGLAS
                           (on ·the phone)
                      This was Rockefeller's first
                      public appeara.~ce si..~ce he was
                      named Vice ?resi~ent desig~ate,
                      and he scoke shar~lv about
                      inflation and high ~.rab oil
                      prices --
       On the SHOW XC::UTOR, Roc.~efeller flips onto the
       screen to say--·
                                    ROCKEFELLER (ON !•:ONI':'O?.)
                      Perhaps the most drar.ztic
                      evidence of the political i::1pact
                      on inflation is the acticn by t~e
                      OPEC counties ar.d t:ie Ara.b oil
                      countries L~ arbitrarily ra!si.~;
                      the price of oil four hundred
                      percent --
       Nobody in t..~e control room is paying tee much attenticn
       to Rockefeller; they are all watching t~e double ba!lk
       of black-and-white monitors which show ~CWARO 3:::A.!.E
       entering the studio, drenched, hu:ichad, sta=ing gaun-=1.y
       off into his o,;.,-n space, r:i.oving wi t..'-l single-r.unc.ed
       purpose ac=oss ~~e. studio floor past ca.-::.e=as and
       Cal:les and nervous CA1·fERAMEN, SOU!-:0 ~iS~, ELEC':'?..ICIA:is,
       ASSIST.'\..NT DIRECTORS and ASSCCIATE PRC!::t.:CER.S, to his
       desk which is bei.~g vacated !or hi.-::. by JAC:-< s:;c.•,'DE!: ..
       On tho SHOW MmaTCR, the filr.1 clip on Roc}cefeller
       has ccmo to an end.
                                     DIR!::CTOR
                      And one
                                                        78

-- and, suddenly, the obsessed face of HCWA.R.O B?:AI.E,
gaunt, haggard, red-eyed with unworldly fervor, hai:
streaked and plastered on his br~~, ma.,i:estly ~ad,
fills the MONITOR SC?.ZE!l.
                         HOWARD     (ON ~ONI':CR)
           I don't have to tell you t..,ings
           are bad. Everybody knows t.11i::gs
           are bad. It's a deoression.
           Eve~-ybody's out of work or sca=ed
           of losL-ig thei= job, t:.e dolla=
           buys a nickel's ~orth, bar-<s are
           going bust, shopkeepers keep a
           gun u.,der the counter , pur...it;.s
           are runni!"l.g wild in the st=eets,
            and there's nobcdy anywheres who
           see.ms to k~ow what to do, and
           there's no end to it. We knew
            the air I s unii t to brea t.11.e and
            our feed is uniit to eat, and
           we sit and watch our tee-vees
           while sor.~ local newscaster
            tells us tcdav we had fifteen
            homicides and-sL~ty-th::-ee
           violent crL~es, as if that's
            the way it's sup~osed to be.
            We all know thir.gs are bad.
            Worse than bad. ·rhev 1 re cra:zv.
            It's like everythingis going·
            crazy. So we don't go out any
            more. We sit in the house, a~d
            slowly the world-we live L~
            gets smaller, and all we ask is
            please, at least leave us alcne
            in ou:.- cwn livL-ig :.-corns. Let ::-.e
            have my toaster and my tee-•1ee
            and my hair-dryer and my steel-
            belted radials, and I won 1 t say
            anything, just leave us alone •
          . Well , I I rn not goi.::g to 1 eave you
            alone. I want you to get rna.d --
ANOTHER A...~GLE shewing t.1-ie rapt attention of t.~e PEOPLE
in the control room, especially of o:c;.•.NA
                          HOWARD    (Contd)
           I don't want you to riot.  I
           don't want you to p:otest. I
           don't want you to write you:.
           congress~en. Because I woclcn't
           know what to tell you to write.
           I don't know what to do about t.~e
           depression and the inflation a.~d
           the defense budget and t~e Russians
              .           (?-DRE)
                                                             79
                               HOWAF.D (Cont::.)
                 and crir..e in the st=eet. All
                 I know is first you got to get
                 mad. Ycu've got to say: "I'~
                 mad a.s hell and I 'ra not goL,g
                 to-take this ar.y more. I'm a
                 human being, gcc!da!.:.tit. My life
                 has -value." So I want you to
                 get up new. I wa.,t you to get
                 out of your chairs and go to
                 the wi..~dow. Right now. I want
                 you to go to the window, open
                 it, and stick your head out
                 and yell. I want you to yell:
                 "I'm read as hell and I'r:l not
                 going to take t.~is any morel    11




                                  DIANA
                          (gr abs HIDZT£R' s
                        shoulder)
                  Bow many stations does this
                  go out live to?

                                  HUNTER
                  Sixty-seven. I kn~# it goes out
                  to Atla.,ta ar.d Louisville,
                  I think --
                                  HOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                  -- Get up frcm vou.r chairs.
                  Go to t..~e wi~ccw.· Open it.
                  Stick your head out a?;d yell
                  and keep yellL,g --
       But DIA.~A has already left the control rcon and is
       scurrying c.own
100.   INT:   COR.~!OOR                                 100.
       -- yanking doors open, looki..,g for a phone, which
       she finds in --
lOl.   INT:   AN OFFIC::                                 101.
                               DIANA
                       (seizing the phone)
                  Give me Stations Relations --
                        (the call goes through)
                  Herb, this is Diana Ch=istenson,
                  are you watching because I want
                  you to call every affiliate
                  carrying this live -- •••
                  I'll be ri~ht up --
                                                                     80
102.    INT:   ELEVATOR ARE.r'\. -   FI:FTEZ!iTH FLOOR             102.
        DIANA bursts -:iut of t..1ie just-arrived elevate= ar.d.
        strides down to where a clot of EXECUTIVES anc! OFF!CE
        PERSC~'''NEL are blocking an open doorr1ay.   DIA..~A pushes
        through to --
10 3.   mT:    TEAC:<ERAY ':; CIT ICE    - STATIO!i'S RELAT!C!1S   103.
        HERB THACKERAY on the phone , stari."l.g up at Eow;._tU:)
        BEALE on his wall monitor --

                                     BOWARD (ON MONITOR)
                    -- First, you have to get mad.
                    When you're r..ad enough --
        Both THACKERAY'S SECP.ETARY's office ar.d his cwn office
        a.re filled with his ST.AF~. The Assistant VP Stations
        Relations, a 32-year-old ·fellow na.-:i.ed RAY ?ITO:FS~'?,
        is at the SEC?.ETA?.Y's desk, also on the ?hone. Ar.ot..~e:-
        ASSISTAllT V? is standing behind hi.:l on t.~e S:E:C:2.:ET.?.RY • s
        other phone --
                                     DIA.~A
                         (shouting to TEACKER.~Y)
                    Whom are you talki.,g to?.
                                     THACKER.~Y
                  . WCGG, Atlanta --
                                     DIANA
                     Are t..11.ey yelling in Atlanta,
                    Herb?
                                     BOWA.tm   (ON CONSOLE)
                     -- we'll figure out what to do
                     about the depression --
                                     THACKERAY
                            (on phone)
                     Are they yelling in Atlanta,
                     Ted?
104.    INT: GENEP.AL 1"..ANAGER' S OFFICE - UBS A!F!LIATE         104.
        - ATLA...~TA

        The GENERAL MA...~AGZR of h"CGG, Atlanta, a pcr-:.ly 58-yea:-
        old man, is standing by the open windows of his
        office, staring out into the gathering dusk, holci..~g
        his phone.     The station is loc~ted in an Atlanta
        subur~, but f:om far otf across the foliage
        surroundi..~g the station, there can b• heard a faint
        RUMBLE. On his office console, HOWARD BEALE is
        saying --
                                                                                                                                                                 81

·~
                                                                                                             HOWARD {CN CONSOLZ)
                                                                                    -               and the in.f la tion and the oil
.t'•'                                                                               crisis -
                                                                                                   G:E:NE...ttAL MA.'iAc;-.c.R.
                                                                                            (into phone)
                                                                                    Berl:> , so help me , I th.in.if: they' re
                                                                                     yelling --                                                                           \
-                                 10S.               :mT:              T.BAC..~~'S OFFIC                                                                      10S.        I
                                                                                                PllOFSXY
                                                                                         (at SEC!'.E.T.h..~Y's desk,
                                                                                         ,on the phone)
                                                                                     ~y•re yelling in Baton Rouge.
                                                  · DJ:ANA grabs t.."1.e phone frcm hi::1 a."ld liste.."ls to he
                                                    people of Eaten Rouge yelling their anger i.."l t..'le
                                                    st:eets

                                                                                                   BOWARD {ON CONSOLE)
                                                                                      - Things have got to cha.."lqe.
                                                                                     But you can't cha..11ge t.11em U."lless
                                                                                     ycu're mad. You have to get mad.
                                                                                     Go to t.11e windo-..r --

                                                                                                        D:IANA
                                                                                           (gives phone back to
                                                                                            PITOFSKY; her eyes
                                                                                            glow with e..~cite=.ent)
                                                                                     ~ next ti::le scr..ebccv asks you
                                                                                     to e..~plain ~hat rat.:.."lgS are,
                                                                                     you tell t.~ern: t.'lat I s ratings!
                                                                                           ( e.."<Ul. ts )
                                                                                     Son of a bitch, we st.rue..~ the
                                                                                     mother lode l

                                                                                                                                                               106.
                                                     MAX~ }IRS. Sc:n:n-11'.CHE:R, and their l 7-year-old daughter,
                                                     CAF.:OLJ:nE, watchi.,g the Uet"..rork Hews Show --

                                                                                                    BOWARD (ON THE SET}
                                                                                       - Stick you::- head out a."ld yell.
                                                                                       Z want vou to vell: "I'm mad
                                                                                       as hell.and 1•; no~ gc.i."lg to
                                                                                       take this ar.y more! 11
                                                      CJ\nOLnlE gets up from he.r chair ar:.d heads for the
                                                     living roe;::,. -wi.r.dow.
                                                                                                   LOUISE~
                                                                                       Where are you going?




 'l"!--~~'-·""'...- .....L!.'ll@""P~-IIIIJZZ!:9/""IZRCPIIPl!i-~,--~(!"!. _~_.,. ,                           .-.a.....==..us~.,,.epi;,._._.,.__, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - -
                                                                                il"!".Ql!l'l4'1114""'""1#A12'•
                                                                                                                          82

                                                              CAROLINE
                                     I want to see if anybody's
                                     yelling.
                                                               BOWARD {ON T'l SET)
                                     Right nc-..1. Get up.                        Go to
                                     your window

-         107.
                 CAROLrnE opens the•windcw ar.d looks out on the
                                                                                                                      107.

                 rain-swept streets of the upper East Side, the
                 bulking, ar..onymous apa:~~e.""l.t houses ar.d t~e occasior.al
                 brownstones. It is thu..""l.der dark: a dista~t clap o:
                 'rS'CJh"DER CRASHES 50?::-;f!Where o:: and !.IGh"':"':;:r:;G sha t't.e::-s
                 the dank dark.~ess. In the sudden HUSH :cllcwi~g 't.~e
                 thunder, a thin voice do·..rn. the blcck can ~e tea::
                 shoutir..g:
                                                  TBD-1 VOICE (O.S.)
                                      I'm mad as hell a..""l.d I'm ~ot
                                      going to take this any morel
                                                               BOW"r...RD ( ON TV SET)
                                      -- open your wi...""l.dow --
                 MAX joins his daug::.ter at t,.;.e winda:.;.                                       RAI?-t sprays
                 against his face
          108.   MAX'S P.o.v.                                                                                          108.
                 He sees occasional wi..""l.dcws open, a..""l.d, just ac=oss
                 from his apart=.ent house, a~-:\..~ opens t.~e f:cnt door
                 of a brownstone --
                                                                                  •
                                                                ~.AN
                                                  (shouts)
                                       I'm mad as hell and I'm not
                                       going to take t.~is any morel
                 OTP.ER SHOUTS are heard. From his twenty-third floor
                 vantage point, MAX sees the erratic la..~cscape of
                 Manhatta.~ buildings for sc~e blccks, and, siL~cuetted
                 HEADS in window after wineow, here, there, anc t~en
-                aee."l\ingly everywhe=e, SHOUT:n2G out i."'l-::..o t..'.e slashing
                 black RAIN of tr.e streets --
                                                                VOICES
                                       I'm mad as hell and I'm r.ot
                                       Soing to take this any rr.ore J.
.,.   '

                  A terri~v.;""C'    e..,o.,....·ous
                          -- ••~..,, ...   .t,....   rT~-::i
                                                     __        ,...,;: ...
                                                        .... _ --      ..........
                                                                           -----  - ... , 1":"'UT_,_
                                                                                           ....... •,.,,.,-          ,::...,,,,.....,ed
                                                                                                              .... , _...., __
                                                                                                     ....,'=',::,              _
                  by a frantic brilliant :ULGUP,.A.'~IC!I cf r.:G~':'!lI!:G; a.."1d
                  now t..1.e gat.":.ering CHORUS of scatterec. SnOU':'S see.T;1s to
                  bo coming===~ the ~hole, h~ddl~d, blac~ ho:de of ~~e
                                                                                              83
J~                     city• s people, SC?..E..';,H.ING together in fu:y, an
:r:-.-                 indistingui!lh.a.ble tidal roar of htr"'an rage as
                       for:::::iidable as t..-ie n.atu:.:.l. TS'U!,"'DER a;ai.~ ROARI!?G,
                       TmnIDE?J.!lG, Fl.i:1.EL!!iG above.           It sounds like a
                       llure:::l:lerg rally, t..."'.e air t.."'lic::k and t=en:,ling with it -
             • 109.    FOLL SHOT - MAX                                                      109.
-                       st:1.nding with :.!Q DACCRTZ~ by the open ter:ace window-
                        doors, RAilt spraying against t..~e.:i, listening to the
                      . stupefying R0.=-..3.S ar.d TEt..i"h1JERI?7G rising frco all a.rot:.r..d
                        him. He clcses his eyes, sighs, t."'.ere 1 s r...othir.q he
                        can do al:Jout it, any ~ore, it's out of his har..ds.
              110.     EXT:     LOS A.'lGEI..ES INI'EPlt\TIONAL AIRPORT -                   110.
                       WEONZSOAY, CC':OBER 16 - 12:00 NOON - DAY
                       A jt::ll:)o 747 touches d~.m at L.A. Air~rt --
         I

                                                        NAR..t>.ATION
                                      Sy mid-OCtober,        the Hawa:d Beale
                                      show had settled in at a 42
                                      share, core t..11.an equalling all
                                      the other ne~..rork news shows
                                      canbined --
              111;                                                                          lll.
                       DIANA ar.d B..'\..~ARA SCF"",'F:SI!~ER, ca.rrying attache cases,
                       scripts, ha.."'l..d. baggage, deplane --
                                                        NAA.~TION
                                      ?n the Septe."':'.be: rating book,
                                      the Howard Beale shew was listed
                                      as the fourth hiqhest-rated show
                                      cf the r..ont:,., sur:,assed onlv bv
                                      All in t.li.e F a.":lily ·, Rhoda , and -
                                      Chicc and t..~e Ma.~ -- a phenc:enal
                                          state of affairs fo:r a news
                                          progra..iu -
              112.      EXT:    OBS BUILDING - L.A. - DAY                                   112.
                        A towering glass buildi..~g en Santa Monica Boulevard.
                        IDE!rI'IFY.

                                                    .   NAR.'O.AT!ON
                                      And, on October the· Six~eent..~,
                                    · DiAn.a Christenson flew to Los
                                      Angeles --
              l.13.     nrr I   l't"EST    COAST UBS BUI1'....0ING - A CONFERENC:E:         113.
                        NJOH

                       DIA."'V\ at a luncheon moetL~g (sandwiches and containers
                                                                                   84
    of coffee),with her West Coast Programming
    Depa.rt:nent -
                                          . NARRATION
                  -.for what the trade calls                                            I
                  pow-wows ar.d confabs wit.'l he.r                                     \




                  West Coast progrz::::ming execs --                                    \
    These a.:e FOOR ME!l and TWO WO!€-l: GLE..'m KOSSOFE' and
                                                                                        I   l
                                                                                            '
    :BARB.AP.A SCHUSI~GEE.: the TH?,,:,F.: O'I'EER HEN are t..11e
    Assista.~t V? ?reg=~~ Develo~ent West Coast, Head
    of the Story Depar=-:emt West Coast, and a !1.r.N from
    Audience Resea:ch ~ the ¼OP-~1 is VP Oayt.i:.e P:ogra..'!ni:,.g
    West Coast. They are all sitting around a tY?ical
    mod-shaped con=e:er.ce table except for DV..:-IA who is
    moving towards a large display boa:d at the far end
    of the table st:et.:::hi.."lg the lengt..~ of t!:e wall. This
    is an i.."':i:provised p=ogra.'1.."iing "boa:-d." It shows --
    through movable heavy cara=oard pieces -- what all
    four net'~"'Orks have on by the half hour for all seven
    days of the week --

                               DIANA
                  Wednesday night looks weak on
                  all three of the ot..,-er net,.;orks
                  for next Septe..."'\ber, so we
                  concentrate on Wedr.esday night.
                  We're going to ex~ar.d t..~e Eoward
                  Beale show to an hour .L~
                  January, which'll give us a
                  bell o: ·a lead-in to eight
                  o'clock. so; on ·wednesday
                  nights, I want to follow that
                  with two st:ong drar..atic hoc:s,
                  nc sit-coms, nothing lightweight~-
    BILL HERR.ON pokes his head L~to the room --
                                             HER.~ON
                        (to DIA.'1A)
                  I've get Laureen Hobbs' lawyer
                  on the phone. Is five-thirty okay,
                  e.nd where would you like to ?:l.eet,

-                 here or at the hotel?

                       (to SCHLESI~GE.R)
                                             D.IANA

                  Let's put Hy Non:-..an at five --
                       (tc HERRON)
                  Five-thirty is iine, a..,d at cy
               ----office, if t~ey can't ~ind.
                     · ·             .. ··~-                               -
                            \'bac,.,. ....'-"-'_ '"'"' ... ,q.,,......,..,.,4
                             and her exhor~ation
                                                             ..,__.., '---
                                                                              ..

     - ...._               . to the orogram.":'l.i.ng
                  - . -·· -· people) -                                         ·
                                              (MORE)
                                                                        85

                                      DIANA (Contd)
                          -- What I wa.~t right now are movies
                          of the week we can usa for pilots.
                 ..       I want five movies of t.~e week =eady
           ...            by March at t.~e outside, preferably
                          sooner --
    114.   INT:       OBS BUI!.!)!'!1G WES'!' COAST - DIA.~' S OFFI~   114.
           An utterly bland of:ice kept for visiti~g fi:e~en.
           OI1'.NA is behind the desk. BA?..BARA SCHLES!~GZR is
           sitting en the couch. GLE~"N KOSSOFF is ushering TWO
           GE?;TLE!1EN out, spots so:::ieone in t.~e outer office --

                                       KOSSOFF
                                (to anteroom)
                          By, come on in --
           Ee ushers in a silver-haired, suntanned, f:esh-f:om-
           the-tenniscourt ma..~ dressed in Califor:1ia elegance,
           rakish blazer, archetype of all L.A. television pack-
           agers -- HY NORMAN --
                                        KOSSOFF (Contd)
                          By, I think you knew Barbara
                          Schlesinger, but I don 1 t know
                          if you k..~ow Diana C.~ristenscn --
                                        NO !t.11.A.."i
                                (sinking casually into·
                                the visitor 1 s chair,
                                crossing his legs,
                                flashing a fully-capped
                                set of teeth)
                           As a matter of fact, I t.~ink we
                           met during the 1972 McGovern-fo=-
                           President ca..-npaign, of which, I
                           am proud to say, I was a principa.l.
                           fund raiser --
                                         DIA.'-:A
                                  (leaning a~ross the desk
                                 to shake his hand)
                           No, I'm afraid not. Now, Hy, we're
-                          running a little late, so I'd like
                           to get right to it. I have en icea
                           for an hour television series, and
                           I'd like to lay i t in your lap.
                           Here's the back-up story. The hero
                           is white-calla: middle-class, an
                           architect, aviation engineer,
                           dllyt.hing, a dece~t l~~-abidi~;
                           tian. Ee lives wit.~ his wife and
                           daugh~er ~n a large city. His
                                                   86
    (
    \
                     DIANA (Contd)
        wife and daughter are raped and
        he's mugged. He appeals to the
        police, but their hands are tied
        by·t.he Warren Court decisions.
        There's not.~ing but pornography
        in the movies , and va."ldals bo::::.b
        his church.. The anir:1als are               I
                                                   . I
        taking over. So he decides to
        take the law into his o-..m hands.
        Be buys a gun, practices till he's
        an expert. He takes up karate,
        becomes a black belt, an adept in
        Kung Fu and all the ot..11.er martial
        arts. Now, he starts walking the
        streets of t.~e city, decoying muggers
        into preying on hi~. He ku.r.g fu's
        them all. Pretty soon, he's joined
        by a couple o: neighbors. What
        we've got now is a vigilante g=oup.
        That's th.e name o: the show -- t."".e
        Vigilantes. The idea is, if the
        law won't protect t..~e decent people,
        they have to ta~e t..~e law into their
        own hands.
                    NORi.'iAN
        That may be he ~est fascistic idea
        I've heard in years.
                    DIANA
        Right.
                    NOR.J.tAN
        And a shameless steal from a I!:Ovie
        called "Death Wish."
                     DIANA
        I know. And, so :ar, "Death Wish"
        has grossed seventeen million do=~s~
        tic. It obviously struck a pulse in
        Americans. I want to strike the
        same pulse. Now, let me finish, Hv.
        The for:nat is simple. Every week      a
-       crime is committed, ar.d the police
        are helpless to deal with it. The
        victim turns to our group o= vigi-
        lantes. What the hell, it's FSI,
        Mission Ir.:possible, Kojack, except
        the heroes are orcina::--~ citi:ens,
        your neighbors and mine.
                    'N ORi."1A!J
             (standing)
        I find the w:1ole thing repulsive.
                                                                87
                            DIA..'iA
             Ycu give me a pilot script we can
             use as a movie of t.~e. wee~ for
             Jan. '.J ary , and I • 11 co:.::::.i t to twelve
             segments on the basis oft.hat script.
                            NOR..'Wl
                  (turns)
             You'll ccrr.:ii t on the basis of t.~e
             pilot script?
                             DIANA
             That's what I said. That's a three
             million dollar co=:mit.~ent. I figu=e
             you could skira a quarter of a million
             for yourself out of t..~~t. Of course,
             we all know you're a highly principled
             political liberal, a.~d you may find
             this kind of show repulsive
                           NORMAN
                    (slowly sitting again)
             Well -- not necessarily. I deplore
             vigilante tactics, of cou:se, but
             the vigil.ante tradition is a profc:::..~d,
             even proud tradition in t.~e A..~erica.~
             social fabric. This sort of progra:::
             also offers oppor~1.::..,it~es for co::u..~s
             to grips with t~e burning issues of
             our tir:ies, to co ~eaning=ul cra.~a a..~c
             at the sarr.e ti=e providing ~ass enter-
             taint:1ent.
                          DIANA
             :Beautiful, Hy.
                         NORMAN.
             Who do I talk nu~bers with,
             Charlie Kinkaid?
                            DIANA
              Right. I'll call Charlie and tell
              him we' 11 go to . f arty t.,ous anc.

-             for the first scri~t. If vou cc~e
              in with anyt..,ing good, Ey,-I'll
              slot you on Wednesday nights at
              eight cor::ung right of! the Ho~~-=d
              :Beale Show, a.~d t..,at's t.~e best
              lead-in you'll ever get.
    NORMAN opens the door to leave, looks out into the
    outer of!icc, closes ~~e door, tll.r:ls to DIANA.
                                                                                  88
                                             NORMAN
                             Ia that Laureen Hobbs out there?
                             What the hell is Laureen Hobbs
                             doing out there?
                                            DIANA
                             We're going to put the Ccr:=unist

      -                      Pa.rt:; on pri::e-ti.ne television, Hy.
                                              NOR..'O.N
                              I wculd."1 1 t doubt it for a :ninute.
          115.                                                                 llS.
                 Ee opens the door and goes out.          On his heels, GI.-~N
                 KOSSOFF is  already ushering in BILL EER?.C!-1, LAURE.E!l
                 HOBBS, (a ha...-i.dsc~e black woman of 35 in Afro and das-
                 hil:i); SAM H.i\'::."'WOOD, {late SO's, a shaggy, U..'l!<.e:.1pt law-
                 yer in the Clarence Darrow tradition, gall~ses, st=ing-
                 tie, folksy drawl and all)_; a you..-i.c;er l·a;,;yer, ROBERT
                 MORPHY, (early 30 • s, Rarvar::: intellectu..al type) ; anc.
                 '!'BREE AGE~TS £:om the Willia."':l Mcr=is O.f:f!ce na."':led LZ:~r:t:::,
                 WALLIE and ED, (all in thei: m.id-30's, all wearing t=i~
                 blue suits and all indistinguishable f=c~ each other).
                 DIA..~A rises to greet t..11ec., ex-t.ends her hand to LAUREE!~
                 HOBBS --
                                              DIA..~A
                              Christ, you brought hal: t..~e Willia=i
                              Morris. West Coast. of:::ice wit.."1 you.
                              I'm Diana c~=istenson, a racist lackey
                              of the i::r.perialist ruling ci~cles.
                                          LAUREEN
                              I'm Laureen Hobbs, a bad-ass Com:nie
                              nigger.                                                        ..
                                           DIANA
                              Sounds like the basis of a firm
                              friendship.
                                   ( to lmSSOFF)
                              We're going to need more chairs --
                 In b.g., meanwhile, SC~LESINGER is exc~anging hellos
                 with the THREE WILLI;..1.1 l·10R.RIS AGENTS and is being in-
                 troduced to "'.!'le LAWiE.RS and looking at baby pictures
                 preferred to her by one of the agents. It's all jolly
                 as hell, a lot of c::huc..~ling and smiling
:,-                                           SCHLESI~GER
                                     (inb.g.)
                              Anybody Yant coffee?
                                                                  89
                                   LENNIE
                      Bla~.k with Suca.ryl --
           KOSSOFF. and a SECRET.ARY are ha~ling in chai.rs --
                                       LAUREEN
                              (into=ducing to oI;.._~A)
                       'l'his is rrry lawyer, Sam Haywood,
                      ·and his associate, Robert. Murphy
           Handshakes, ncds, smiles, everybcdy begins to sit.          The
           SECRETARY goes around taking coffee orders --
                                    HAYWOOD
                            (an old U."'lion l~..ryer,
                           given to peroration)
                      Well, Ms .. Christenson, just what
                      the hell's this all a.bout? Be-
                      cause when a national televisicn
                      network in the person o: bubby
                      here --
                            (indicates HERRON)
                      -- corr.es to rr.e a."'lci says he wants
                      to put the ongoing st=uggle of tr.e
                      oppressed masses on prime-time
       \              television, I have to regard this
:,,,
                      askance --
             More chairs are brought in. DIA!lA would answer HAY"WCOD
           . but he booms along, beginning to hit his s~ride
                                     HAYWOOD (Cont::.)
                       I have to figure this as an anti-
                       thetical distraction. The thesis
                       here, if you £ollc~ ~e, is t..~at
                       the capitalist state is in a ter-                     .,
                       minal condition now, and the anti-
                       thesi.s is t."le maturation of the
                       fascist state, and when t.~e corre-
                       lative appendages of the fascist
                       state come and say to me they want
                       to give the revolution a weekly
                       hour of pri..~e-ti=e television,
                       I've got to figure this is pre-
                       ventive co~ptation, right? --
            'l'he necessary chairs are in by new, and everyone is
            seated. The SEC?.ETARY has cone off to fetch t.~e co:=ee.
            A sudden HUSH fcllc-..1s HAT,..;ro6o • s Heaelian inst:uction,
            and DIANA would answer, but:. HAYWOOD is nc-.. ce·nter-stage:,
             into the full swell of rhetoric --
                                   HAYWOOD (Contd)
                       The ruling classes are ru..~nina
                       scared, right? You turned the full
                                     (MOnE:)
                                                              90
                                HAYWOOD (Contd.)
                  force of your cossack cops and
                  paramilitar; organs of repression
                  against u.s. But now the slave masters
                  hear the ru.-:.ble of revolution in their
                  ears. So you have no alter:iati·1e but
                  to c-o-oot us. Put us on teevee and
                  pull onr fangs. And we're supposed
                  to sell out, righ~? ~or your gang-
                  ster gold? Well, we're net going to
                  sell out, baby l You can ta.~e your
                  fascist teevee and shove it righ~
                  up your·paramilitary assl      I'm here
                  to tell you, we don't sell out! We
                  don't want your gold! We're not ·· ·
                  going on your teevee!
        A morr~nt of HUSH, in which everybody digests this open-
        ing statement.
                              DIANA
                       (sighs, mutters)
                  Oh, shit, Mr. Haywood, if you're not
                  interested in my offer, why t.~e hell
                  did you bring two lawyers and three
                  agents fro~ the Willia.~ ~~rris o£=ice
                  along?
                                MURPHY
                         (Mr. Cool)
                  'What Mr.·aa1Ylccd was saying, Ms.
                  Christensen,· was·t.~at our client,
                  Ms. Hobbs, wants it u~ front tha~
                  the political content-of tbe show
                  has to be entirely in her ccnt=ol.
                               OIAJ.~A
                  She can have it. I don't give a
                  damn about the political content.
                               WALL!E
                  What kind of show'd you have in
                  mind, Diana?
                              DIANA
                  We're interested in doing a weekly
                  dramatic.series based on ~~e Ecu~en-
                  ieal Liberation Ar~v, and I'll tell
                  you what the fi=st show has .to ce --
                  a two-hour special en Mary Ann Gifford.
'   I             We open ~~is two-hcu= scecial with
                  that bank ripoff footage, which is
                  terrific stuf:, and then we tell
                                (MORE)
                          DIANA (Contd)
              the story of how a rich young heiress
              like Mary Ann Gif:ord becorres a
              flaming =evolutionary. Would you
              people be interested in making sue.~
              a =ovie for us?
    Everybody looks to LAUREEN HOBBS.
                              LAUREEN
             . 'l'be Ecu.'nenical Liberation A.r:rry is
               an ultra-left sect c:e~ting political
               confusion with wildcat violence and
               pseudo-insur:ectiona.ry acts, which
                the Com.~unist Pa:ty does not encorse.
               'l'he American r.~sses are not yet ready
                fer open revolt. we would not want
               to produce a television show cele-
               brating his~~=ically deviational
                terrorism.       ·
                            DIANA
              Even better. I see the stor"./ this
              way. Poor little rich girl kid-
)             napped by ult:a-left sect. She
              falls in love with t..~e leader o!
              the gang, converts to his ir:espon-
              sible violence. But t..~en she ceets
              you, unc.ersta."'lds t..~e tr.1e nature of
              the ongoing people's str.lggle for
                        . society,
              a b e tt.er    '          ... in
                                     an-,   . an emo-ion-
                                                     ...
              drenched scene, she leaves her cevia-
              tional lover and dedicates herself to
              you and t..~e historical inevitability
              of the socialist state.
                            LAUREEN
                   (smiles)
              That would be better, of course.
                            ED
              What kind of nu.-nbers are we talking,
              Diana?
                           DI.ANA
              We'!l sive you our top deal, which
              I think is two fifteen and twenty-
              five. You'll have to talk to
              Charlie Kinkaid about t..~at. But
              as long as we're talki~g series
              now, I'll tell you what I want.
              I want a lot =.ore f.~ln like t..~e
              ban.~ ripoff the Ecu.T.:enicals sent
                            (MORE)
                                               92
                  DIANA (Continued)
     in.   The way I see this series is
      every week we open with t.~e authen-
      tic footage of an act of political
      terrorism, taken on the spot and
     ·in the actual moment; then we go
      into the drama behind t.~e opening        I
      film footage. That's your job, Ms.
      Bobbs. ~cu've got to get the
      Ecumenicals to bring in that. fiL~
      for us. ·The network can't deal
      with them directly. They are,
      after all, wanted criminals.
                   LAUREEN
     The EcUir~nicals are an undisciolined
     ultra-left gang, and the leader is
     an eccentric to say t.~e least. Ee
     calls hi:tr.Self the · Great Ahmed Khan        .   .
     and wears a hussar's sha.~o.
                    DIANA
     Ms. Hobbs, I'm offering you an hour
     of pri.~e-time television every week
     into which you can stick whatever
     propaganda you want. We're .talking
     about thirty to fifty million peo?le
     a shot. That•s a lot better than
     handing out m~eographed pa.~hlets
     on ghetto. street corners.
                    LAUREEN
      I'll have to take t.~is matter to
      the Central Comrr~ttee, and I'd
      better c.~eck this out with the
      Great Ahr.-.ed Khan.
                   DIANA
      I'll be in L.A. until Saturday, and
      I'd like to get this ~~ing rolling.
            (smiles at SCHLESINGER,
             HERRON and KOSSOFF)
      That's going to be cur Wednesday
      night •. Seven to eight -- Howard
      Beale: eight to nine -- t.~e
     ·Vigilantes; nine ~o ten -- the Mao
      Tse Tung Hour.
                  KOSSOFF
      God~ fascism and the revolution all
      on one night.

..    .
                  DIANA
           (tired, rubs her eyes)
      I·suppose tha~•s what 1 s called
      ba~ancad prog:ar::ming~
                                                                              93
         116.    EXT: LOS ANGELES - WATTS DISTRICT - A GHETTO              116.
                 STREET - NIGHT

                 LAUREEN HOBBS, sitting on ~~e stoop of a pealing cot-
                 tage taL~ing to another cem.ber of the Central Co~.rn.ittee,
                 a middle-aged white man na'T:ed WITH.ERSPCON. The door
                 behind t...'-1.e:ri opens, and DOWLING, a young white man in
                 his 20 's, wearir.; a fatig,..1e jacket aod tern levis and
                 dark sunglasses, pokes his head out:                         1

                                                                              \.
                                            DOWLING
                                Okay --
                 LAUREEN and WITP.:ERSPOON rise, go up the steps and
                 follow DOWLING into --
         117.    INT:     THE ECO!-S~IC..US' HE;...DQOARTERS - ENTRA.~CE    117.
                 FOYER
                  Dark. An absolute shambles. Cartons, c=ates, news-
                  papers and scraps of food have been littered about.
                  A young black man, WATXINS, (early 20's, sta.~ding on
                - the stairway to ~~e second fleer holding a.~ ar:-:~ rifle),
                  watches ·LAt.,7-E:::H and WITE::SRSPOO~l following DOtiLING,
                  and himself follcws t..~em into --

         118.     INT:    DINING ROOM                                       118.
                  -   or what had been t..~e dining room.       A naked overhead
                  BULB is t..~e only light in here.  Sitting on a wooden
                  folding chair is the GREAT ;._-q~o Kli;..N, a powerful.,
                  brooding black man in his early 30's. He wears a
                  hussar's shake ar.d the crescent .:.con of t.i.e !-1idia.,,it:e:3
                  hanging pendant az-ound his neck. The chair he sits o~
                  is the only visible piece of furniture. There a=e tw,::,
                  tattered slee?i.~g bags on t.~e floor, part of a general
                  welter of torn newspapers, empty grocery bags, ham-
                  burger leftovers, etc. The walls are bare except for
                  blowups of Che Guevara, Mao, !-!a.rlon Brando and Jane
                  Fonda, scotch-taped to the torn wall-paper. Cartons
                  and crates here and there, automatic gu.~s leaning
                  against the walls.       Boxes of ammunition and grenades
                  and mortar shells stacked against a wall. In atten-
                  dance on the GR.EAT ;._'l-f!-1:ED KHAN is a you.r.g black woma..'l
                  in her late 20 's ,r.a."'Jed JE::KINS, and a your1g white
                  woman in her early 20 's, MARY A.'i~ GIFFORD, who is a
                  fire-eating militant with a bandolier of cartridges
                  across her torn shirt and with a B.A.R. held in her
                  hands. LAU~:S!~ pulls up an empty cra!:e, sits, waves
                  a limp hand of hello to t~e others and regards the
...,,,            GREAT KH.?-..i.'1 --
                                                                        94
                                        LAUREEN
                           Well, A.'i.::.~d, you ain't going to
                           believe t..~is, but r•m going ~o
                           make a teevee star out of you.
                           Just like Archie BU!"..ker. You• re
                           going to be a household word.
                                         AS.MED
                           'What the fuck are you tal.king about?
             MOSIC:. A RATAPLA..'l OF RETI'U:DF.W..S A.~D A TAnA.."iTARA OF
             TRUMPETS.

     119 •   INT:  UBS BUILDI!~G - NEW YORE - A CONTROL ROOM -          119 •
             MONDAY, JA.."iTJA..qj'.' 27, 1975

             Everybody murmuring away --
                                         DIRECTOR
                                (murmurs into mike)
                           -- and one --
             'l'he Shew Monitor cuts to a beaming A?~rotJNCER --
                                         ANNOUNCER
                           Ladies and gentler.~n, let's hear
                           it -- how do you feel?
             SHOW MONITOR now shows.pac}_ced AUDIE~CE happily roaring:

                                         AUDIENCE
                                (roaring out)
                           We're mad as hell, and we're not
                           going to take th.is any more!
     120.    INT:       THE STUDIO                                    120.
             'l'he ANNOUNCER bee..~ng away in front of a curtain
                                         .ANNOUNCER
                            Ladies and Gentleir.en1   The Network
                            News Hour! --

·-   121.        INT:   CONTROL ROOM                                  121.
             The SHOW MONITOR --
                                         ANNOtJNCER ( CN MONITOR)
                            -- with Sybil the Soothsayer, Ji..~
                            Webbing a..~d his It 1 s-t.he-~--:=es-
                            Truth Depar-:..~.ent, Miss nata Ha.ri,
                            tonight anc-::.her seg:n.ant of Vox
             ,              Populi, and starring
                                                                               95
                 MUSIC:   A FLOURISH OF DRUMS.
                                        ANNotr.;CER ( Con tc)
                            •- the mad prophet of the air;1ays,
                            Boward Bealel --
                 MUSIC:   A FULL SY}~E'.O!-IY ORCR'?':STP-1\. SOARS INTO AN
                 IMPERIAL CRES~lW --
          122.                                                                122.
                 -- as the HOUSELI~dTS go to BLACK. The curtain slowly
                 rises. An absolutely bare stage except for one stai..~ed
                 glass window, suspended by wires high above stage left
                 through which shoots an overpowering SF~':\FT o: LIGHT
                 as if emanating !'::-om heaven. HCWA..P..O :SE.1!..LE, in a.,
                 austere black suit with black tie sh&i!bles on f:::-om the
                 wings, finds the SPOTLIGHT and sta..~ds there for a ~o=~nt
                 shielding his eyes f:::-om t.~e blinding light. TUMULTUOUS
                 APPL'\USE f=orn the AUDI3'NCE.
                                           BOWA..'CID
                                    (erupts into a Savana.:ola-
                                     type ti:::-ac.e)
                             Edward George Ruddy died today!
                             Edward George Ruddy was the Chai=an
                             of the Board of the Union 3rcad-
                             casting Systems -- the cornpa.~y
                             that O".ms this ne~fiork -- and he
                               . d a t e 1 even o ' c.i.oc.-t
                             d ie                     ~    · t!.is
                                                              \.,'      .
                                                                   ~or:ung
                             of a heart condition! And woe is
                             us, we're in a lot of trouble! So
                             a rich little man with'white hair
                             died, what's that got to do wit..l-i
                             the price of rice, right? Why is
                             that woe to usl Because you and
                             sixty-two million other Arr.erica..~s
                                                                                     ..
                             are watching me right now, t..11.a't. • s
                             why! Because less than three percent
                             of you people read books! Because
                             less t.~an fifteen percent of you
                             read newspapers! Because the only
                             truth you know is what you get over
                              this tube! There is a whole a.~d
                             entire generation right new who
                             never knew anything t..11.at did.~•t
    ,..                       eorre out of this tubei This t-..:be
    I                         is the gospel! This tube is the
(
                              ultimate revelation! This tube
                              can make or brea~ presidents, popes,
                              and prime ministers! This tcbe
                              is the most awesome goddamned
                              force in the whole godless world!
                                             (MORE}
                                                          96
    (                   BOWARD (Contd)
        And woe is us if it ever :alls in
        t.he ha.~ds of t.~e w=cng people.
        And that's why woe is us t.~at
        Edward George Ruddy died. Because
        this network is now in the hands
        of CC and A the Col:".:nunica t.ions
        Corporation of i.merica. ~e•ve
        got a new Chair.:-:a."'l of the Board,
        a man named Frank Hacket-:. r.cw
        sitting L"'l Mr. Ruddy's office on
        the twentieth floor. And -when
        the twelfth largest compa..'1y irt
        the world controls the mos-:. a•..;eso::r.e
        godda.~ned propaganda force in t."le
        whole godless wcrld, who knows what:
        shit will be pecidled for trut:2.1 en
        this tube? So, listen to me!
        Television is not t::e trut.'11 Tele-
        vision is a godda.-n..,ed azr:usement
        park, that•s what t.elevision is!
        Television is a circus, a carnival,
         a travelling troupe of acroba.ts and
        story-tellers, singers a.~d da~cers,
         jugglers, side-show freaks, lion-
'        taxters and football olavers. We're
         in the boredcrn-:<illing :SusinE?SS l
         If you wa.., t t.:-ut.:i, go to God., go
         to your guru, go to yoursel£ =ecause
         that's the only place you'll ever
         find any real truth! But, t1.a.~,
         you' re never going to get a."'l:y trut.11
         from us. We'll tell you anyt.~ing
         you want to h4ear. We l ie     • 1 i~e
                                            ••  • 11-·I
                                                ~e
         We'll tell you Kojack always gets
         the killer, and nobody eve.:- ge~s
         cancer in Archie Bunke= 1 s hc,use.
         And no matter how much t=ou.ble t.11e
         hero is in, don't wor~: just lcok
         at your watch -- at the end of the
         hour, he's going to win. We'll
          tell you any shit you want to hea:-!
         We deal in illusion, rna."'11 None of
          it 1 s truel But you people sit t.~e:e
          -- all of you -- day after day, night
          after night, all ages, colors, creeds
          -- we're all you knew. You're
          beginning to believe this illusion
          we're spinning here. You're be-
          ginning to think the tube is reality
         and your O\m lives are unre! al.       You
         do whatever the tc.be tells you. You
         dress like the tu.be, you eat like
                        . (MORE)
                                                                             97
                                    BOWARD (Contd)
                   the tube, you raise your c..1-iildren
                   like t..~e tube, you t.-iin..'< like t.1-i•e
                   tubi!. This is mass nadness, you
                   maniaesl In God's name, you people
                   are t..1-ie re al t..11.ing 1 we 're t.."le ill u-
                   sicns 1 so turn of: this goddam
                   set! Turn it of: right nows Turn
                   it off and leave i t off. Turn :. t
                   off right no-..,, right in the I:J.iddle
                   of this v~ry sentence I'Ill speak:ing
                    now --
       At whic."l pcint, HOWARD BEALE, sweating an.d red-eyed with
       his prophetic rage, collapses to t.."le floc,r in a pro-
       phetic swoon.

123.   INT: CC .ANO A CONFERENCE ROOM - CC A.'10 l\                         123.
       BUILDING - MONDAY, JA.'-iUARY 27

       A_Valhalla of a room taking up the 43rd and 44t.."l floors
       of the CC and A Building. It is da:k a.~d t.~eat=ical,
       the lighting at the moment being p=cvic.ed by the sha!t
       of LIGnT issuing froo a slide p=ojector at t.~e back of
       the .rocm onto a large SCREEN on t..11e rai~;ed podiu.":1 where
       FRA.'-iK HACKETT in ba..'1..'l(er I s gray sta."'lcs rn,?.3ting his annual
       report. On the SCREEN, we see C.."'larts of :igures, one
       after the other, which accompany E..;C.~TT's explicatio~.
       A little red AR...qcw darts f=on one figu.:::e to ano-:...:,er as
       HAC.XETT drones on. Seated in a seo.i-ci:::cular a==a."lge-
       ment like a niniature United Natio:.s a=·e 214 SENIOR
       EXECUTIVES, (late 40's, SO's, and 60's). T~ey each
       have their own little desks wi-:..."l swi veJ:. chairs, pin-
       spot lights, ?iles of bound coffi?a."ly ~eports, and na=:e -
       plates giving their na.-nes and cc:::;,anies they ::ep=esent:.
       NOTE one specific CHAIR in t.~e dead center of t.~e first:.
       row that swivels back and forth, back and :ort..~ .--

                                   HACKETT                              •
                            (on podium)
                     -- UBS was running at a cash-flow
                     breakeven point after takinc; into
                     account one hundred and ten million
                     dolla~s of negative casn-flow frcn
                     the network. ~ote please the added
                     thirty-five millions resulting £=om.
                     the issuance of t.'"le subordinated sink-
                     ing debentures. It was cleiar the fat
                     on the network had to be :Ji.itched off --
       A..~OTHER CLOSER ANGLE on the C?..A.IR in t..~e first row that
       keeps swivelling back and fort.~.
                                                                              98
                                       HACKETT (Contd)
                                (en podiu.-n, · as a new
                                 slide of charts flashes
                                 on screen)
                        i?le·ase note an incrsase in pro-
                        jected initial progra.rn::iing rev-                           I

                       . enues in t..~e a~ount of twenty-one                          \
                         millio~ dclla=s due to the phencm-                           '
                         enal success of the Howard Beale                            II
                         show. I expect a positive ca.sh-                             I
                                                                                    • I
                         flow for t.l-ie enti.re ccr:.plex c1f
                         forty-five million ac.."lieva.blei in
                         this fiscal year, a year, in she.rt,
                         Ahead of schedule --
           ANOTHER .A.i.'i'GLE closer on the swi velli.."lg C".:.A.IR but still
           not revealing its occupant.
                                          HACKETT (Contd)
                        I go beyond that. This netwc:,rk may
                      · well be t..~e most significant p.rofit
                        center of the con::tunications complex --
           FTJLL   SHOT of P.AC:{ETT barely concealing his pride
                                          BACl<'ETT (Contd)
                         -- and, based upon t..~e projected rate
                         of return on invested cat:oi ta.l, and i:f
                         tnerc;er is eventually accor.-:;:il.is!'led,
                         the cc.-.:..~u..-i.ications co:::plex may "'ell
                         be co~e the towering and rr:-0s t~ p=o f i -:-
                         able center in the entire cc: a.-i.d A
                         empire. I await. you.= (iUest.:i.o.."'ls a.."'l.d
                         COICir£nts. Mr. Jensen?
           CAMERA PANS ACROSS the huge dark room of tiered seats
           to the swivelling CHAIR in the front ::ow which now
           swivels to face CA...~RA,' reveali:-ig a short, balding,
            besoectacled ::.:an wi t..'1-i a Grant Woods face. This is
            ARTHUR JENSEN, the l?resic.ent and Chairr:-.an of the Bea.re.
           .of cc and A.

                                           JENSEN
                              (murmurs}
                         Very good, Frank.           Exemplary.
                         Keep it up --

(
           TIGHT SHOT cf HACKETT, basking in th:i.s praise, suffused
           with pride --
    124.    INT:    TE:1.PLE :,sy_;,::t:::::. - NEW YOP-K - TU1::sc;..y,     124.
            JANUARY 28 - l0:30 i.M.
            ECWA..t:m GEORGE RUDDY lying in state.
            A.~OTHER Al"IGLE showing the vaulted reache:s of t.'le Ternple
            packed with a sta.~di:ig roon audience o: condolers wi~~
(           the white yarr..alka-ed R.A.BBI in b.g. officating. All
            the NETi•;OP..K B:RASS are spot"t;ed around t."lE! congregation.

            CLOSER A..~GLE ACROSS t11.AX among the condolers, following
            his eyes to several rows of pews down on t.'le ot.."'l.er ·side
            of the aisle where DI.P-.NA is sitting. Aware of MAX I s
            eyes on her, she tt:=ns her face a bit s 0 t.~at their eyes
                                                           1

            meet briefly. She smiles, turns back ·to the ?.ABBI'S
            eulogy --
    125 .   EXT : 6 5TH STREET - MAIN E~TRA.~CE - TEMPLE              125 ..
            EHANUEL - DAY - SNOW
            SNOW    drifting down.
                                 CROWD of overcoate!d condolers flood-
            ing the sidewalk. A cortege of black l.ir::ousines lined
            up in front of the temple as FUNER~ OJ::RECTORS guic:e
              condolers into t."'leir respective limousines. A cu:ious
              crowd of PASSERSBY watch. MAX SCEU!·!ACEER t::.::eads his
              way through the CRUSH to where Dir..NA CHP..!STENSON sta.i-:.cs,
              murmuring to NELSON CHA..~EY and WALTER ,;l·1Ul{DSS:; , all
              bundled uo in winter coats. There are rnut-::e=ed "Hello,
            - Max, how a.re you' s II a.."ld 11 How' s everything, Walter," etc.

                                       MAX
                              (to DI.ANA)
                         Buy you a cup of coffee?

                                       DIANA·
                         He~l, yes.
             Goodbyes all around, and !1.A..X and DI.Al-:Z;~ move off t.'1:ough
             the frin<;e of the CRUSH on the sidewa:Lk. C..:;!·:EP..A COL!...I~S
             with them. They turn the corner onto --
    126.     EXT:    FI;TH AVENUE - DAY - SNOW                         126.
             'rhey head downtown. They walk silently.           SNOW drifts
             down on them. CANER.A DOLLIES ·.-:ith them.

                                     MAX
                         Do you have to get back to the
                         office?

                                        DIANA
                         Nothing that can't wait.
             They walk on silently.

                                        DIANA
                              (after a rrr0rnent)
                         I drop down to the news studios
                         every now and then and ask Howard
                                        ( !-!-ORE)
                                                     100
                       DIANA      (Contd)
          Beale about you. He says yo1J.' re
          doing fi.~e. Are you?
                       MAX
          No.
                      DI.ANA
          Are you keeping busy?
                       MAX
          After a fashion. This is the
          thi:d 'funeral I've been to in two
          weeks. I have two other friends
          in hospital whom I visit regularly.
          I've been to a couple of christenings.
          All rirf friends seem to be dying or
          having grandchildren.
                        DIANA
          You should be a grandfather about
          now. You have a pregnant daughte:
          in Seattle, don't you?
                      MAX
          Any day now. My wife's out there
          for the occasion. I've thought
          many tines of calling you.
                      DIA.HA
          I wish you had • .
They both suddenly stop on Fifth Avenue between 65th
and 64t.~ Streets and regard each othE?r. ~,. occas.:.onal
snowflake moistens their cheeks, wet~; their hair.
                       DIA.~A
           I bumped into Sybil the 501::,ths ayer
           in the elevator last week. I said:
           "You know, Sybil, about four rr~ntbs
           ago, you predicted I would get
           involved with a middle-aged ~an,
           and, so far, all that's happened
           is one many-splendored night. I
           don't call that getting involved."
           And she ;said: "Don• t worr:y. You
           will." It was a rnany-splemco::-ed
           night, wasn't it, Max?       .
                          .MAX
           Yes, it was.
                          DIANA
           Are we going to get involved, Ha."-:?
                                                             101
                           MAX
            Yes. I need to get involved vecy
            much. How about you?
                         DIANA
            I've reached for the phone to call
            you a hu.nd=ed ti::-:es, but I was sure
            you hated me for nry part in.ta..~ing
            your news show away.
                           MAX
            I probably did. I don't know any
            more. All I know is I can't keep
            you out of my mind.
They stare at each other, bemused by the a.br~?t fragile
explosion of their feelings. The SNOW d=ifts dc·.m.
PEDESTRI;..11s move back and fort..loi arou."'ld the:?1. The Fift.h
Avenue TRAFE'IC honks and grinds its w,iy downtown.
                          DIANA
            My   God, she's uncanny.
                           MAX
            Who?
                         DIANA
            Sybil the Soothsayer. We've got
            a modern-dav Gree.:.C dra::-:a hE~re, !1a..-<.
          . Two star-crossed lovers or::.ained
            to fall disastrously in love by
            the gods • A December-May !Story.
            Happily married middle-aged ::ian
            meets desperately lonely you.~g
            caxeer woman, let's say a violinist.
            They both know their illicit love
            can-only end in tragedy, but t..,ey
            are cursed by the gods anc. plunge
            dementedly in love. For cl few
            brief moments, they are happy. He
            abandons devoted wife and loving
            children, and she throws ,'iway her
            concert career. Their friends ·plead
            with them to give each o~~er up, but
            they are helpless playthings in t..11e
            hands of malignant gods. ~heir love
            sours, embittered by ugly little
             jealousies, cryptic ra..~cors. The
            soothsayer appears again a..~d warns
             the girl she will cie if she per-
            sists in this heedless love afiair.
            She defies the soothsayer. But
                            {MORE)
                                                                     102
                                   DIANA (Contd)
                   now one of the man's children is
                    rushed to ~~e hospital wit..~ a
                    mysterious disease. He rushe:s
                    back to his f a.-nily, and she i:s left
                    to throw herself on the railroad
                    tracks. Give me a two-page outline
                    en it, Max. I might be able to
                    aell it to Xerox.
                                   MAX
                    A bit ~oo austere for teevee, I
                    think.
                                    DIANA
                    You're right. We wouldn't qE!t
                    an l l rating. How a.bout a twist
                    en Brief Encounter? Happily
                    married man rr.eets woman r.iar:ried
                    to her career.
                                   MAX
                    NBC did Brief Encou..~ter last year,
                    and it sank.

                                    DIANA
                     Well, we' re bot.'1-i a bit long in t..'":.e
                   . t00th to trJ for ?.or:-,eo and ~iuliet.

                                    MAX
                    Why don't we just wing it?
        She laughs, then he.        A PASSERBY dart:s them a curio·..is
        glance.
127 •   l.NT:   MAX'S APART!-1ENT - LIVING ROOH - }:C!IDAY,         127.
        FEBB.UARY 25TH
        MAX and his wife, LOUISE, in the middle of an ugly
        domestic scene. LOUISE sits erect or:L an ove::-st.uf::ed
        Chair, her eyes wet with imminent teau:s: M..~X strides
        around the rocr::i. Ee is clearly undel: great stress.
                                    LOUISE
                          (shrilly)
                     How long has it been going on?
                                    MAX
                        =- -·(prowling around the room)
                     A ~onth.  I thought at first it
                     might be a transient thing and
                     blew over in a week. I st.ill
                                     (HORE)
                                                           103
             HAX (Contd)
hope to God it's just a menopausal
infatuation •. But it is an infa-
tuation, Louise. There's no sense
my ·saying I won I t see her again
because I will. Do you want r:::e
to clear out, go to a hotel?

                  LOUISE
Do you love her?                                            i.
         .        MAX
I don• t know how I feel. I 'u1
grateful I still feel anything.
I know I'm obsessed with her.
               LOUISE
      (stands)
'?hen say i t l Don't keep telling r:..e
you're obsessed, you're infatuated
-- say you're in love with herl ·
                  MAX
I'm in love with her.
                  LOUISE
         (erupts)
Then get out, go to a hotel, go
any,...·he:::e you wa.."'l t, go live with
her, but den' t corr.e back! :secause
after t;,.,..,enty-five yea:::s n= !JUild:.ng
a horr~ and raising a f~"':1.ily and all
the senseless pain we've inflic~ed
on each other, I'll be darr~ed i ! I'll
just stand here and let yoc: tell me
you love sorr~body else!
          (now it's she striding
           around, weeping; a
           caged lioness}
Because this isn't just some con-
vention weekend with your :secretary,
is it? Or some broad you picked up
 after.three belts of booze. This
 is your great winter romance, isn't
 it?, your last roar of passion be-
 fore you.sink into your emeritus
 years. Is that what's left for rne?
 Is that my share? She gets . t..l-ie great
 winter passion, and I get ~~e do~age?
 Am I suo-oosed to sit at hc>r.:e knitting
 and our"i "'.: '"'g -~,, .. c.,   e, ~ . . ~. back like
 a penit;~~ d;~~k? ..         I';-y~\;r
                              wi:e,
 daran itl I! you can•t wo1:k up a
                    (HORE)
                                                               104
1
                                   LOUISE (Contd)
                winter passion for me, tben the
                least I require is respect and
              . allegiance!· I'm hurt! Don t you   11


              ' unr.iersta..'"ld t.1-iat? I 'rn hurt badly!
    She stares, her cheeks streaked with 1:.ears, at MAX
    standing at t~e terrace glass door, s1:a.::-ing bli.ndly
    out, his own ey~s wet and welling. A:Eter a mc:.ent,
    he turns and regard3 his anguished wi;fe.
                           LOUISE (Contd)
               Say spmething, for God's sake.
                               MAX
               I've got nothi~g to say.
    He enfolds her; she sobs on his chest.
                               LOUISE
                    (after a moment)
               Are you that deeply involved wit.~
               he.r?

                               MAX
               Yes.

                           LOUISE
               I won't give you up easily,, Max.
    Be struggles to testrain his tears.            She releases her-
    self from his embrace~    ·

                           LOUISE (Contd)
               :tthink the best thing is .if you
               did move out. Does she love you,
               Max?

                               MAX
               I 1 m not sure she's capable of any
               real feelings. She's the television
               generation. She learned life from
               Bugs Bu.~ny. The only reality she
               knows is what comes over her teevee
               set. She has devised a v2ziety of
               scenarios for us all to play, as
               if it were a Movie-of the Week.
               And, my God!, look at us, Louise.
               Here we are going through the obli-
               gatory middle-of-Act-Two ~icorned
               wife throws peccant husba11d out scene.
               But, rio fear, I'll come back home
                                (MORE)
                                                                               105
                                       UAX (Contd)
                       in the end. All her plot outlines
                       have rne leaving her and retu:::-I'li~g
                       to you because the audience w«:m I t
                       buy a rejection of the happy
                       American family. She does ha•tJe
                       one script in which I kill myself,
                       an ada~~~~ for television version
                       of Anna ICarenina in which she Is
                       Count Vronsky and I'rn Anna.
                                       LOUISE
                       You're in for some dreadful grief,
                       Max.

                                        MAX
                       I know.
    128.   IHT: OBS BUILDING - 1-1.Y. - OIAi:lA'S OF!'ICZ,                128.
           FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2S, 1975

            DI.AWA, murmuring into her squawk box and, at t.-ie sa..--:1e
           -time, putting last minute things into i! weekend. bag.
            She is ebullient --
                                     DIANA
                              (on squawk box}
                       ••• I know what i.~BC offered them,
                       Marty, so I'm saying go to three
                       point five, and I •.vant a..1'1 option
                       for a third run on all of t.~em
                       • • • Harty, I'm in a big hur:y, and
                       you and Charlie a.re supposed to :,e
                       negotiating this, so goodbye and
                       good luck, and I'll see you Honday              .. .
           Clicks off her squawk box, snaps her weekend ba_g s!::.:.-:.,
           whisks her sh~ep wool-lined coat out c,f her closet anc
           strides out in·i:o --
    129.    INT:   DIANA'S SECRETAnY'S OFFICE                                 129.

            -- where there is no one sitting, and continues out
            into --
    130.    INT:   PROGRMU·lii-lG DEPART?!Ei..;T - COU!-lOi.-l ROOll          130.

            where a fe·w SECRETARIES are still at t.'i.eir desks •
            TOM.r-r.l P~LLEGRINO is just coming out of his office

"                                     PELLEGRIHO
                               (calls to DIA1'1A)
                        Jim.-ny Caan • s agent just cc1.l.led
                        and says absolutely nix.
                                                                    106

                                    DIANA
                           (striding across
                            the room)
                    You ca.'1. 1 t wL"l t.'lem all.
                                    PE~GRI!i0
                    Where can I reach you later today?
                                D:I.ri.NA
                       _ (exiting)
                    You can't. I'll be gone all weekend.
        PELLEGRINO turns ·to BARBARA SCELESI!lGER ·new poking her
        head out of her office --
                                    PELLEGR!N0
                    z think the Dragon Lacy got her-
                    self a dragon fellow.
                                    SCHLESI~GER
                    Poor bastard.
131.    _EXT:   OBS BUILDING - SIXTH AVE:WZ - A:'3:ER!1CO!J       131.
        - DAY

        DZA:..'-.A, now wearing her sheep wool-lined coat and car:y-
        ing her weekend bag, cc:nes striding haJ??ily out t."lroug::.
        the ent:ance c.oors, heads for SSt.'l Str1;?.et, spots a
        double-parked ca:::, and heads heedless c:>f tra::f ic
        across t.."le st:eet to --
132.    EXT:    55TH ST~ET - DAY                                   132.
        MAX SOIUMAC:-tER in a rented Chevy, leaning ac:oss to _
        ope~ the deer for her. She slips into t.~e front seat,
        slams the door shut, nestles her head en }L?...X's over-
        coated shoulder, as he s~arts the ignition
                                  . DIANA
                           (happy and in love)
                     NBC's offering three point t~o
                     and a half mil per for a package
                     of five Ja~es Bond pictures, and
                     I think I'm going to steal '!:;her:,.
                     for three point five wit., a t..'li=d
                     rtJn --
        'rhey move out into the heavy traffic c)f Sixt.., Avenue

133 •   EXT:    DESERTED BEACH IN THE H.i\.'1:?TONS •• DUSK        133.
         'l'radi tional lyric love scene. The t-..;<:> r..ackL""law-ed
         lovers walking hand-in-'ha.'1.d on a lo'V"ely stretch of
         deserted winter beach. The tide is c;:,ming in ---
                                                                107
                              DIA.'tA
                       (bubbling)
                  The Vigilante snow is sold fi::::=1.
                  Ford tco~ a coraplete position at,
                  so help~~, five-fifty CPM. In
                  fact, I'~ moving the. Vigilante
                  show to nine and I'~ going to
                  stick the M~o Tse Tung Hour in
                  at eight because we're having a
                  lot of trouble selling the Hao                           I
                 ·Tse Tung Hour. This way we give
                  it a terrific lead-in fro~ the
                  Boward Beale Show and we'll back
                  into the Vigilantes, a.,d it certainly
                  ought to carry its own t:L":l.e slot ··-
134.   INT:   A ROMA.~TIC LITTLZ IT.ALI..~~ RESTAL'Rl,.NT      134.
       '.the obligatory Italian restaurant, checkered table-
       cloth, candles, wine, etc. DI.ANA and MA..X at c..:L,ner,
       utterly rapt in each other --
                                 DIANA
                        (pouring out her heart)
                  That Mao Tse Tung Hour is turnint;r
                  into one big pain in the ass.
                  We 're having heavy legal problem:;;
                  with t."'le federal go·.12rn.":'lent right
                   now.   T'"1o FBI guys tu::::1ed up in
                   Hackett's office last week a.ne
                   served us wi t..i. a st::.bpoena. They
                   heard a.bout our Flacstaff ban.<
                   ripoff film, and t.i.ey want it.
                   We're getting arou.~d t.i.at by
                   doing the show in collaboration                    ,.
                   with t.i.e News Divison, so Hacket.t
                   told the FBI to fuck off: we're
                   standing on the First Amend.~ent.
                   freedom of the press, and t.~e
                   right to protect our sources
135.   EXT:   MOTOR COURT - NIG"rlT                            135.
       DIANA and MAX getting out of their car and heading
       for one of t.~e ground-level rooms, MAX u.nlockir.g t.~e
       door --
                               DIANA
                        (chirping ~errily along)
                   - Walter t.11.inks we can knock ciut
                   the misprision of felony charg~! --
       They go int:o --
                                                                        108
136.       INT:   MOTOR COURT - THEIR ROOM                           136.
         MAX flicks t.~e light on, kicks the dcor shut, a:nd t...~ey
       . are instantly into each ot.~er's ar.:-~ in a passionate
         embrace.
                                  DIANA
                      -- but he says absolutely nix
                      en going to series. They'll hit
                      us wit.~ inducernen t a..'"ld conspi::acy
                      to commit a cri=e --
           She busily removes her shoes and unbuttons her.blouse
           and whisks out of her slacks: and, dcwn to her b£~ini
           panties, she is new scouring the walls :fer a t.~er::1ostat.
                                     DIANA (Contd}
                      Christ, it's cold in here --
                            ( she turns up
                              the heat)
                      You see we 're paying these nu.ts
                      from the Ecu..-nenical Li!::.a=ation ~ y
                      ten thousand bucks a week to bring
                      in aut.~entic :il~ footage on their
                      revolutionary activities, ancl t.l-iat
                      constitutes indcce~ent to cc:n.~it
                      a crime~ a."'ld Walter says we'll all
                      wind up in federal prison --
           N\lhile and nearlv naked, she en t"...,ines hers el:: arou.'"ld
           MAX, who, by new~ has strip~ed cown to his t=ousers;
           and the two hu.,;e=ing bodies slide dcwn on~o t:..e bed
           where t.~ey co=i.ence an af!able mcment of aI!lative
           foreplay --
                                     DIANA (Contd}
                             (efficiently ur.buckling:
                              and unzipperi~g ~-~'s
                              trousers)                        •
                       -- I said: "Walter, let the government
                       sue us 1 We 'll ta.'-'e ther:1 to tJ1e
                       Supreme Court! We'll be frc,nt page
                       fer roont.~sl The Washington Post
                       and the New York Ti~es will be doing
                       two editorials a week about us!
                       We •11 have more press tha."'l Watergate I"
           Groping, grasping, gasping and fondling, t:..~ey cont::'ive
           to denude each other, and, in a fever of sexual hu~ger,
           t>IA.~A mou., ts M}\..'C, and th.e SC;t;;E'!I is filled wit.~ t.'-!e
           voluptuous writ.."-lings of love, D!A!tA crying out wit:..
           increasing exulta.ncy --


       .
                               DIANA (Contd)
                        Cin the t."lroes
                        of passidr.)
                  -  All I need -- is si:c weeks
                  of federal litigation - and t.'ie
                  Mao Tse Tu.'1g Hour -- can start
                  carrying its own tir.-.e slotl
       She screams in ~onsurnrnation, sighs a long, deliciously
       shuddering sigh, and sinks softly down into MAZ 1 s
       embrace.   For a mor:-.snt, she rests her head on MA.."<:'s
       chest, eyes closed in feli.'1e content:.:.ent.
                               DIANA (Contd)
                        (after a moment,
                         she purrs)
                  What's really bugging me now· is ey
                  daytime prog:a."n.-n.ing. NBC• s got a
                  lock on daytime wi t."1 t..."leir lousy
                  game shows, and I'd li.~e to bust
                  them. I'm t."linking of doing· a
                  homosexual soap opera -- The: Dykes
                  -- the heart-:-rending saga of: a
                  woman helpl~ssly in love wit:h her
                  husband's mistress. What de:, you
                  think? --
                                NARRATION
                  The Mary Ann Gi:ford pilot r.~ovie
                  went on t:he. air March l4th ··-
137.   EXT: A SMALL ISOLATED FA.tU1ROUSZ IN E!1CINO           137.
       - NIGHT

       A black LI!!OUSINE winds its way up t.'iE! dirt read to -
       the front porch, where t.'ie car is halted and checked
       out by an ar.iied guard (DC'r'lLING) --
                                NARR~'!'ION"
                  -- It received a 4 7 share il'l its
                  first hour, clir:.bing to a 5:1. during ·
                  its second hour --
       Sli:vers of lights slit.1i.er out f:om behind t."le drawn
       shades of the f ar:nhouse, and we can hear t..'le sou..'1ds of
       ANGRY VOICES •
       . TWO AGENTS f=om IC!.f dis gorge from the li:::.ocsine -- a
         young man in his early JO's, FREDDIE, car:::ying a la=;e
         manila envelope, and a fat yoc.ng wo~~n in her :nid-30's,
         BELEN MIGGS, carrying a.~ attache case --
                                                                                  110
                                           NARRATION
                        -- showing sustained and increasing
                       . aud'ience in
                                   . t eres """... ""h
                                                   • e ne ...          tr
                                                           .,.;..10::: ...
                         pr.cmptly com.."ni tted to fif'taen
                        shows --
           MIGGS and FREDDIZ go up the porch a.'1d in'to -
.   138.   INT:    'rHE FARMHOUSE -        ENTRA.~C:!:: FOYER .                  138.

           This is the current headquarters of the Ecur:ienical
           Liberation Army,, and it is no less a shambles than
           their previous one in Watts. Cartons, crates, news-
           papers, scraps of food, torn c;rocery bags, stacks of
           pamphlets, cases of weapons and ar.-.rnunition, broken
           furniture and sleeping bags are littered every which
           way about. There seems to be some sort of cc~ference
           going on.in the living room, o.s. left --
                                           NARRATIO~
                        -- with an option for ten more --
    139. - As the TWO IC..'1 A~NTS         head for t.."'le living rocm, 139.
           we can see LAUREEN HOBBS and t.~e three Willia~
           Morr is agents, WALLIE, L~rNIE and ED; perhaps
           remembe::-ed from earlier scenes. We can also see
           the GREAT A..9!·8D KHA..'t, still wearing his shake, p_;p_~
           ANN    GI:FORD, still wearing her ba.'1doliers of bullets,
           and OTHZR HZM.SE?S .of t."ie K.'1-ian 's group in fat:.igt:.es
           and l:aaring ar::is. There is also a raic.dle-ac;ed ~';-T'fE?.
           f::rom ICM nan:ed WILLI~ ST:s!~l. Everybody -- with the
           exception of t.~e GREAT KEAN's retinue -- is seated
           on broken chairs and cartons and crate.s --
                                           NARRATION
                        -- There were, of co~rse,                        usual
                        production ili.f:iculties -
           Everybody in the living room conferenc1e is stl.ldying
           80-page contracts from which one of th1e agents· (WALLIE)
           is reading --
                                           WALLIE
                             (mumbling along)
                        -- "herein called ei t.'ler • t.'li•e
                        Production Fee' or •overhead' equal
                        to tw'enty percent t-r10-oh (ex1=ept
                        such percentage shall be t.1-ii:::-ty
                        percent tJiree-oh for ninety 1ninute
                        or longer telev·ision progra.rn:s -- "
    140.   INT:     THE FAID!HOUSE - LIVING ROOM                                 140.·
                                            STEIN
                                 (a ner.,ousman, to t.."le r1ew
                                  arrivals, now entering)
                        Where t..'1e he· ,       h?v(>   vr,u bac?; '?
                                                                 ill
                        HIGGS
                 (embracing the
                  GREAT l{H;..N)
          Ahmed, s·...reet, t..'"lat dodo you sent
          fer a driver couldn't find t.~is
         'fucking place.
There is a gen~al excha.~ge of helloes and waves be~~een
the phalanxes of AGE~TS -~

                       STEIN
          Let's get on wit.~ t.'lis befo:r:e
          they raid t.~is place, and w a all   1

          wind up in the joint.
                          ED
                 (to FF.EDDIE new
                  pulling up a crate)
          We 're on Schedule A, page siaven,
          small c small i --

                          .MIGGS
                (whisking through her
                 copy of the contract)
          Have we settled t.1.at sub-li1:ensing
          thing? We want a clear def .i.~i tion
          here. Gross proceeds should consist
          of all funds the s ublicense1a receives
          not rr,erely t.1;.e net a..":lOU.."'l t r1:::ni tted
          after pay:r.ent to sublicense1a or
          distributor.

                           STEIN
          We're not sitting still fer over-
          head charc:es as a cost prio:r: to
          distribution.

                        LAUREEN
                 (whose nerves have
                  worn· thin, explodes:)
          Don't fuck with my distribution
          costs 1 I'm setting a lousy t;-,.;o-
          fifteen per segr::ent, and I ':':l al:eady
          defici ting t"1en ty-fi ve grand a week
          wit.~ Metro. I 'rn paying Willia"':'!.
          Morris ten percent off t."ie ·top l
                (indicates the
                   GREAT KHAN')
          -- And I 'rn giving this turk•~Y · ten
           thou a segment and another :five for
           this fruitcake --
                Cr..ea..,ing !1.;R'l ;..:n; GI::'F'<'.JRD)
                           (M'JRE}
                      LAUREEN (Contd)
          And, Helen, don 1 t start no sh:it
          with me al::lout a piece again1
          1•m paying ~etro t-,.;enty perce:nt of
          all fo:eign ar.d Canadian dis~:i.bution,
          and that's a£-tsr :ecoupr.-.entl The
          Commu.-,ist Pa::ty' s not going t;o see
          a nickel out of t."lis gcdda-:i e;hcw
          until we s-o into syndicatic.n l.
                            MIGGS
          Come on, Laureen, you• ve got t.'1-ie
          party in•there for seven~J-fi•"8
          hundred a week production ext=enses.
                        LAUREEN
          I'm not givi..-,g this pseudo in-
          surrecticna:"J sec~aria.., a piece
          of ey shCt,,11 I 'rn not giving b.i..":l
          script approvall And I sure as
                 . •-... cu t...
          s hit ain           .. :.ng h.1.:n l.n
                                             . or1 ':':l"f
          distribution char;es r
                          MARY Ah"N GI F:OR~
                          . in -:on
                  ( screaming      .    ~




                the back)
          Fugginfascistl Have you seen t.~e
          movies we took at t.~e Sa.~ ~~rino
          jail break-out dan:.onst:ati~;g t:..~e
          rising up.of a s~~inal prisoner-
          class inf:rast=ucturel
                       LAOREEN
           You can blow the seminal p:c-isoner-
           class inf:rast:uc't.'U:'e out yci.:= ass1
           I'm not k.-,ocking down mv gccca~
           distribution c~a:gest -
'rhe GREAT KHA.~ decides to offer an c,pi:u.cn by SHCOTI'!:G
his PISTOL off in-:.o the air.This crives every?ccy
something to consider, especially wiLL!E STEI'N who
alr.i.ost has a heart attack.        ·
                             THE GREAT KHAN
           Man, giv-e her t."le fucking over-
           head clause.
                       STEIN
           How did I get here?        Who's going
           to believe t."lis? I'm sit.ting here
           in a gcdda.-n farm in Encir..o at ten
           o'clock at night negotiat:ing over-
           head ch..:1rges wi t."1 ccwboyEs l
\
,J                                       THE GREAT KHAN
                               (flipping through
                              his copy) .
                        Let's get to page t-..1enty-tw·o,
                        five, small a, subsidiary ric;;rhts.
            Everybody starts flippi."lg t.'irough t.~eiz: con t=acts.

                                    LENNIE
                       Where a.re we now?

                                       WALLIE
                        Page twenty-two, middle of t:.1e
                        page, subsidiary rights
                                                                                       I
                             (begins to read)
                        "As used herein, 'subsidiary
                        rights ' rr.eans , wi t..11.out li::ti. t~l t.:.on,
                        any and all rights with respect
                        to theatrical motion cict~=e
                       •rights, ~adio broadcasting, legiti-
                        mate stagca per :.:or::ia."lces, prir.Lted
                        publications (inc!uding, but not
                        limited ta, hard-cover books, but
                        excluding paperback books a..""ld ccr:dc
                        books) and/or any ot..1,.er uses of a
)                       similar er dissi:nilar nature -- "
     141.   A HOTEL MARQUEE which reads:                                        141.


            EXT:   FRONT OF THE CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL -
            WED!iESDAY, HAY 28 - 6:00 P.M. - DAY

            Across the marquee, looking down on the~ cr.U!;E of
            station managers, prog-ra.-n executives a.r.1d sales
            vice-pre sic.en ts f:c:n th.e various affil:i.a-:::.es, all
            tuxedce-ed and evening-gowned and r:till!.ng about.
            Spotted in the cheerful CRUSH can be se~en DI.n.~A,
            MR. AND MRS. A.Mt.'NCSER, MR. AND !-1.RS. ZA.NG:iILL,
            jollying i t up with the affiliates•               e:-::ecutives.
            and their wives --

     142.   INT: - G~~D BALLRCOH           COCKTAIL AREA -                      142.
            CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL

            A huge BANNER reading UBS AFFILIATES lS1 75 hanging
            high over the ballroom.
            PAN DOWN to shew 1000 tu.xedo-ed and eveini~c;-gcwned
            PEOPLE, rr.ostly middle-aged in t.11.e vast sh~ifle o:
            cocktail ti~e -- HU9Bt.~, interminalina flux ar.d a
            slow general shuffling surge through t:ie cco=s
            leading into -
1-tl.   INT:   GRANO BALLROOM                                      143.
        Cl'..C)SER ANGLE of t."le CRUSH of PEOPLE at t."le dcors.
        B3RBERT T:-:AC:-<1::R.AY, (VP Stations Relations,) and
        NO.R..'Wl MOLD.;;:~IA:l (VP Cwned Stations,) wit.'i. t.~ei::-
        WIVES and ca::-rying t."leir drir-.ks and e~cha.."lging
        pleasant:ies wi t."l t..'i.e GE!-IERAL MANAGER of KGI.M
        Cincinnati and his WIFE and t.."le GENE~AL MA.NAGZR
        of WGGK Albuc;uer~ue and his. WIFE as well as t..~e
        SALES MF-..NAGER of t."lat station and his; Wl:F:E:.    Eigh
        Cl:IMTER and HUBEUB, lots of hea.::. L.y chuckles and
        general Rotarian bonhomie. In b .g., FR.l'l.!T.K HAC:<ETT
        and his WI:E exchanging Rcta:ian bonhomie wi t."l sc::r.e
        other GZ~E:RA.L MA..'-lAG:::RS and I?ROG?X1 DJ:RECTCRS and
        SALES ~..A..'-:AGERS of varioc..s affiliates and t.."iei:
        WIVES --

144.    ANOTSER P..NGU: as DIA.."'ZA, evening-gcwm~d, beau-      144.
        tiful, glowing and ef:ulgent, lea..'1.s down i:c::i. her
        place on t..'1.e dais to accept cong::-atulatory coi=-:.ent.3
        fro:u the S.ALES MANAGER of w'"LET, :Sois,e, and his WIFE
        standing on the floor level --
                                    SALES MA..N'AGER
                          (pumping OI;..!:A' s hand)
                     -  Milla:d Villa."1.ova, Sales Ma."lage:,
                     WLET Boise -- my wife, he?:e, Maureen

                                    DIANA
                     My pleasure

                                    SALES M.~'"{AG'ER
                     I   just want to tell you WE! saw your
                     great stuff this afternco:1, Di --
                     it was great --
                                    DIANA
                     Great, Millard --

        She turns to accept some more ent."lusiastic greetings
        from another GENERAL M.Ji....'lAGER and his WIFE bging·
        brought down the dais to her by WALTER Al·tUNDSE~;
        ·(General Cou.'1.sal Net-.,;,o=k) --

14S.    WIDE A.."'ZGLE SHOT of t.."le whole ballrc,om, da:k, 145.
        everybody seated at t..~eir tables new, listening
        to an address by NELSON CHA.NEY (P:e:sic.en-: USS
        Network), a spotlighted figure at the podiu::i --
                                    CHANEY
                     -- Over the past t-.... o day!;, you've
                     all had cppo:t::u.., i ty to mE!et Dia.,a
                                  (MORE)
                                                              115

                           CHANEY (Contd)
               Christmson, our Vice President
               in charge of prog=ar:-..ming. 'I'his
               afternoon, you all saw some of
               the stu!f she's set up for tbe
               new season --
CLOSER SHOT of CHA.NEY

                            CH.A.'IBY (Conte.}
               You all knew she's t.~e woman behir.d
               the Howard Beale shew. We k::-1cw
               she's beautiful. We k.::ow she's
               brainy.. I just thin!<, be.:ore we
               start digging into our Chateau-
               briands, we ought to let her knew
               how we feel about her --
An OVATIO~ from t.,e AUDIENCE. In reso(:mse to cs;.. NEY Is
beckoning, DI.A.NA rises frcm her chair· in t.~e gliste:;;,-
ing shadcrls of t.,e dais and comes dcwn t~ t.,e poc..:.~~-
She star1ds t."lere   showered with A.?PLl~GSE, bea."':li:ig,
exultant

                               DIANA
               We've got the nu.-nber one show L"l
               televisionl
                         (applause)
               And, at next year's af:::iliate~s'
               tr,ee t .ing, _
                             T'1l
                               _ b e stanc::..:-:g
                                            -·     •• e::~e
                                                   'h
               telling you we 1 'IJe <;ot t.he top
               five!
                         (tumult}

ANOTHER A.'lGLE ACROSS HAC:-<ETT at the da:i.s wit..~ DI?-.:·!~
in b. g. An ASS!STA::NT !·!;,.NAGER leans ac:·css HAC:-<ETT
and murmurs to him --
                            DIANA ( Con t::d)
               Last year, we were t.1-ie nur:-.be::·
               four network -- next year, we' re
               number one !
                    (tumult)
       '   I
HACRETT rises, murr:'lurs apologies to his neighbors,
follows t.1-ie .ASS!STA...~T M.ANAGER t."lrough the shadows of
the dais and heads out --
                           DIANA (Contd)
               It is exactly seven o'clock he:e
               in Los Angeles. And right new over
               a millio~ ho~es using television
               in this city are turning th~ir dials
   I           to Channel 3 -- and that's ou: cha.'"l.nel I
                                                                                                           116
               MUSIC: A RATAP!...M...'I OF KETT!.EORU:1S AN:O A TAR.'!\..'1'!'A.RA
               OF TRUMPETS.

     14 6 •    'INT:     CCCZTAIL A.REA OF THE GR/-.liO BALLROOM                                        146 ..

               A portable TeeVee set perched en a bar -
                                                       ANNOUNCER ( ON TV)
                                Ladies and gentlemen! -- l.et•s
                                _hear it! -- hew do you fee!l? 1 --
                                                       STUDIO AU'DI~1C:S ( ON TV)
                                       (happily roaring out)
                                 We 're rr.ad as hell, and we ':e not
                                 going to take t.11is any rro:ce 1
               POLL BACK to shew we are in t.,e vast cocktail area of
               the Gra.."ld Ball:::oc::i., now being clear 1ed away cy a· sta:::
               of WAITERS and 3US30'l[S -- hors d' oeuv:-es, spreads a."'l.c:.
               booze being carried away, table a..~d chairs being
               packed off, linens being whisked and folded.                                         A
                couple of WAITEP..S are watching the Heward Beale show
              - on the portable TV set perched on the room's bar
                                                       STODIO A..~OUNCER ( ON TV)
(_                               Ladies and gentle~en -- t~e mad
                                 prophet of the air..,,.ays --· Hcwal:'d
                                 Beale 1
               On t.11e TV set, t.11e houselights go dc..;n, t.'1.e curtain
               rises, and, as before, bare stage, shi::-=ering stai~ec
                         . .....
               g l ass w in .:i
                                 cw, an et.'lerea
                                           •                                  :..- , a.."lc.. -t:c•·'""'!'),..,
                                                  1 s h a:::-..... o=.- 1·:..g......                ..-.n..-.....,
               BEALE in his austere black suit trudges out a.."ld
               explodes --
                                                        HOWARD (ON TV')
                                  All right, listen to rr.e1 Listen
                                  carefully! This is your godda.~
                                  life I'm talking .!lbout t~clay! In
                                  this cou."ltry, whe.."l one company ·tak.es
                                  over another company, t..11.ey s i:-:-.ply
                                  buy up a controllir.g share of t..l'1e
                                  stock. But first t.."1.ev have to file
                                  notice wi t.'l t.1-ie goveri'.unem t. That's
                                  how C. C. and A. -- the C:crn."nu."lica tions
                                  Corporation of America ··- bought up
                                  the ccmpa.."ly t..1-iai: c'W'!ls t:1is net-..;o::k.
                                  And now somebody's buying up C .c.
                                  and Al Some company nazr.ed Weste::n
                                  World Funding Corpo:ati1:in is buyi."lg
                                  up C.C. and Al They fi.led t.."1.eir
                                  notice t.1-iis rr.orning 1 Well, just
                                  who the hell is Western World Funding
                                  Corporation? ~t•s a consortiu.~ of
                                                       _ (MORE)
                                                                        117
                               HOWARD ( Ccn td)
                  banks ahd insurance companies who
                  are not bt,ying C .c. and A. fo:r them-
                  selves but as agents for sorne.bocy
                  elsel
                                                                         !
                                                                       147.
147.   LONG W!DE ANGLE SHOT wi t.1-i TV set in f. g. show-
       ing the spacious cocktail area being cl1:?ared
       away, as far ac=c::;s t.i.e rcc=t the deers t.o t..'1.e
       Bal.lrcorn ocen and HACKETT follows the >..SSIST;.NT
       M.'1\NAGER in: HACKETT lingers at t..~e doo~:::-s while
       the ASSISTANT MA.NAGER gets a WAITER to bring a
       jack phone to one. of the tables still s1:a."'lding

                                 HOWARD ( ON TV)
                  Well, who's this somebody elsE~?
                  They won't tell youl T~ey won't
                  tell you, t..i.ey wen' t tell t..i.e
                  Senate, t..i.ey won't tell t.i.e SEC,
                  the FCC, t..i.e Justice Oepart:'!er1t,
                  they won't tell anybody! They say
                  it's none of our business 1 The
                  hell it ain't! --
       REVERSE AC?.OSS HAC::E'!T as a jack -chone is brcucht to
       his table; t.'1.e clus t.er around t.i.e .. TV se1: in b.  g.
                                 HACKETT
                         (on phone)
                  · This is Mr. Hac.'<ett, do you have
                   a New York call for ~e?
                        (calls to cluster
                         around TV set)
                   Do you want to turn that down,.
                   please --
       REVERSE AC?.OSS TV set with HJ..CKE':T in b .. g •

                                 . HOWARD ( 0!:-1 TV)
                         (volume a bit down)
                   Well, I 1 11 tell you who they' I.·e
                   buying c.c. and A. for. They 1 re
                   buying i t for the Saudi-Ara!:,ii=~
                   Inves t.i".en t Corpora ticn 1 They' re
                   buying it for the A.rabs 1
       REVERSE ON HACKETT.

                                HACKETT
                        (on phone, the
                         hearty executive)
                   Clarence? Frank Hackett here!
                   Hew's everythi.:ig bac!" in Ne-..r '!t'o=?<?
                   How's t.~e good lady? -
                                   (l,:ORE)
                                                                    llS
                                  HACKETT (Contd)
                           (his face sobers)
                  -- All right, ta~e it easy,
                  Cla:ence, I don't know what
                  you' re taL¼ing about ••• When?
                    ••• Clarence, ta¼e it easy.
                   'l'he Howard Eeale show's just
                   going c~ out here. You guys get
                  ·it three hours earlier in New York
                    • • • Clarence, ta'-<e it easy. How
                   the hell could I see it? It•s,
                   just on .new -- Well, when did
                   Mr. Jensen call you7 --
       REVERSE ACROSS TV set.  In b.g., HAC:-<ETJ~ has h-.::.."'lg l:.P
       and is slowly walking tcward the group a.round t.~e TV
       set --
                                 HOWARD (OM TV)
                   -- We know t..1-:e Arabs have ten
                   billion dolla=s invested in tl~is
                   countryl They own radio stations
                   and t...,_e Ladies B:o::-.e Jou:nal and
                   big chu."'lks of E:e<cn a."'l.d Texaco a.""l.d
                   Mobil Oil l we knew t."ley 're. into
                   Lockheed and Pa."'lA..~, hotel chains
                   and hol:.sing co~plexes in Atlan~al
                   'rhat 's what we know 1 --

       HACKETT peers over the shculde:- of a w;\IT.::R to watch
       the television show
                               HOWARD (ON TV)
                   What we don't kna~ is t."lis c.c.
                   and A. deal and. all th.e othe:r C .c.
                    and A. dealsl --
                         (HACKETT winces)
                    Right now, the Arabs have screwed
                    us out of enouah Ar.:e=ican dollars
                    to come back and, with our cwn
                    money, buy General t•!otors, IBM,
                    ITT, AT and T, Dupont, U.S. Steel,
                    and twenty other top Arr:eric2n
                    companies. Hell, t.'liey alree,dy
                    own half of England.

148.    INT; A VIDEO TA.PE ROOM - OBS BUILDING -                    148.
       LOS ANGEL;'.:S

       HACKETT, !lELSO~i CH~..NEY and WALTER AMUNDSE~, all
       tuxedo-ed, and DIA..~A, evening-gowned, sit and stand
       in the dark srr.allish :::oc:n, cluttered wit..'l elect:onic
       equiprr.ent, watching a replay of ~e Howard Saale s!1cw
       on the big screen. T.·:o TECH~.JICI:i.!1S fic.dle wi t.11 t..,ei::
       equipment --
                                                               119
                              . HOWARD (ON SCREE!{)
                Now, listen to ~e, godda."!II':litl The
                Arabs are si::nply buyi~g usl They're
                buying all cur lanci, our whole
                economy, the press, ~1-ie factories,
                fi."lancial institutions, t.11.e g·overn-
                mentl. They're going to ~,.;n ~s1
                A handful. of agas, sha.'r).s a.'1.d er.iirs
               -who despise t~is cou...,try an~· every-
                thing it stands for -- dernc,cJ::acy,
                freedom, the right for ~e to get
                up on television and tell yotl about
                it -- a couple of dozen medie:val
                fanatics are going to c-wn whe:re
                you work, whe:e you live, whclt. you
                read, what you see, ycur carEl, your
                bowling alleys, your mort;ac;e~s, your
                schools, your churches, your l.ibraries,
                your kids, you:: whole life 1 ··-
                             AMONOSEN
                     (mutters)
                The son of a bitch is effective
                all right --
     HACKETT, who's seen all t.11.is already, :lsn I t even wa:t.::t.-
     ing. He is sprawled in his chair, eye~; closed, nc..-:-.bed,
     even serene with despair.
                               BOWARD (OH SCREZ!:l)
                -- And there's not a si:igle law c.."l
                the bocks to stop t.'1e:n1 The.=e's
                only one thing that can stop e . ern
                -- you! So I want you to get up now.,
                I want you to get out o: yo~~ cbairs
                and go to the phone.        Flight :now.
                I want you to go to your phone or
                get in your car and drive int~ the
                Western Union offics in tcwn. I
                want everybody listening to :~e to
                get up right now and send a telegram
                to t.'li.e White Hol.!Se --

                              HACXETT
                       (sighs in soft anguish)
                 Oh, God --
                               HOWARD (ON SC:REE~)
                 By midnight tonight I want a. ~ill.ion
                 telegrams in the t...nite House 1 I
·•               want ~~em wading knee-deep in tele-
                 grams at the t-/11.i te House 1 c.;.at up 1
                                (MORE)
                                                             l20

                            HOWARD (ON SCREE~I) (Contd}
            Right nC"'"11 And send Preside.n t
            Ferd a telegram· saying:       "I ':::i mad
            as hell and I m not going to ta.~e
                             1

            this any morel I don I t want the
            ban.'l.;s selling my coun t::y to t.11.e                  \
            Arabs l I want t.ii.is C .c. and A.                       I

            deal stopped ncwl -- "
                            HACKETT                                   \
            Oh, God --                                                    \
                                                                          I



                            HOWARD (ON SCREEN)
            I want th.is c.c. a."ld A. eeal stepped
            now l I want t.11.is C .c. a."ld A. deal
            stopped now!

At which point, HC·WARD keels over in his now far:'1.iliar
prophetic swoon. On SCREE:1, ATT.E:;oA.::.;i:s corr.e anc!. car-:"/
BOWARD off --
                           CHANEY
                    (to a TECSNICIA.~)
            Is t.1,.at it? Does he co:e back
            later in the shc-..t?

                        TECHNIC~'l
            That's it. This is or.e of t::.ose
            shows he j~st zonks out.

                        CHANEY
               . (to RACKET:')
            CO you want to see any more, Fra."'l.~?
                    (HAC"~E'r'T si t.s in
                  numb silence)
            All right, ·turn i t off

'I'he other TECH!~ICIA...'l oushes a butt.on and the SC~EN
goes white. The first· TECH!~ICIA..."-{ flicks the rco:n
lights on.

                            AMUNOSEN
                    ( to HACKE TT)
            CO you want to go to you= off.ice?

HACKETT stares silently into space.
                             CHA.'-lEY
                . (to the TECHNICI.A.NS)
            Look, could we have the room?

                             TECHNICIA.'i
            Sure.
                                                                         121
149.   The two TECHNICIA!lS exit. S II.ENC:: fills the              149.
       cluttered .room. J\.!·rt.i1'1DSE~ and HA.C:.--<ETT sit in their
       chairs, CHA!lEY lea.,s against a side wall, DIANA
       lcu..~ges against a =ear wall.             A!ter a =~~ent,
       AMUNDSEN stretches, stands --

                                     AMUNDSEN
                   Well, I'd like to see a type-
                   script anQ nm it a couple of
                   more ti=es, but I don't think he
                   said anyt.'ling seriously actionable.
                   But, as for t.'lis whole c.c. and A.
                   deal with th.e Saudis, you'd knew a
                   lot mo.re al::lout t.'1at tha., I wotlld,
                   Frank, is it true?
       BACKET-1:' sighs •

                                     HACKETT
                            (mu.'T.bles)
                    Yes. c.c. and A. has tHO billions
                    in loans wi t.t-i t.."rie Saudis, a..,d t..~ey
                    hold every pledge we've got. We
                    need t..~at Saudi ~oney bad.
                          (he stands, so
                           wretched he is
                           tranquil}
                    A disaster.      This shew is a disaster,
                           · - · t ec.. a·~sas~er,
                    an ur-~i~iga                ...  ...~~e ~ea-~
                                                            .:i   ....

                    knell. I 'ra ruined, I ':n dead, I ::1      1

                    finished.
                                     CHA?tEY
                    Maybe we•re o-verstating Beale's
                    clout with t..~e public.
                                   HACKETT
                    .An hour ac;o, Clarence ;•!cSlheny cal:!.ed
                    me from Ne•.i1 York. It was ten o I clock
                    in the East, and our people i~ the
                    White House report t..11.ey were! already
                    knee-ceep in telegr~"':'..S. By to~orrcw
                    morning, t.liey I ll be suf foe a i:i...'lg in
                   · telegrams.
                                      CHANEY
                    Well, can the governi-nen t st,:::ip t.11.e
                    deal?
                                      HAC.t{ETT
                     They can hold it up. The SEC could
                   . hold this deal up for t".-1enty years
                     if they wa., t.::d to. I' rn finisced.
                                      (!nRE)
                                                 122

               HAC:-<ETT (Cont::.)
Any seccnd t..,,,at phone I s goin9 to
ring and Clarenc~ McElheny's going
to tell r.:.e Mr. Jensen wants i.r.e in
his· office tc:-:iorrcw :r.orn::..."1.g :so he
can personally chop my head ,off.
      (tears st=eam shama-
       lessly do.m his cheeks
       as he shuffles, a broken
       man, arou."1.d t..11.e.roo~) .
Four hours ago, I was th.e Sun God
at c.c. and A., Mr. Jensen's hand-
picked golden boy, the heir apparent.
Now I'm a man wit..11.out a co::porationl

               OIA.i.~A
       (co:nes of:: the
        back wall)
. Let's get back to Heward Be,:1.le.
 You• re not ser.:..ously goir.g t.o pull
 Beale off t.1-le air.

                 HACKETT
 Mr. Jensen is unh.appy wit..11. Howard
 Beale a.."1.d wants hi::t disccnt.inued.

               OIA..~A
 He may be u..~happy, but he isn't
 stupid enough to wit..11.d=aw the nu::-~er
 one show 9n television out of piq,.;.a.
               HAC:-<ETT
       (explodes)   .
 Two billion dollars isn't ~,ique !
 That's the wrath of God! ;:.nd t.11.e
 wrath of God wants Howard Beale
 fired!

               DIANA
 What for? Every othe= network
 will grab him the minute hi;! walks
 out t.1i.e door. He' 11 be back on
 the air for A.BC · tcrnorrc·.-1. And
 we'll lose twentv ooints in audience
 share in the fir;t-week, rou;hly a
 forty million loss in revenues for
 the year.
               HACKETT
 I •m going to kill Howard Beale 1
 I'm going to impale t..'1e sc,n of a
 bitch with a sharp stick t ..."1.rcugh
 ~e heart!
                                                                               123
                              DIANA
                  And let's not discou.,t federa.l
                  action by t.1-:e Jus"C.ice Depart::ent.
                  If C .c. and ;... pulls Beale o:::: t.1-:e
                  air as an act of retribution,
                  that's a flagrant violation c>f
                  network autonomy and an egre~;ious
                  breach of t.11e conse."'l.t decree ..

                                HACKETT
                        (beginning to like his
                         new train of thou~ht)
                  J:'ll take out a cont:::-act on hi:n.
                  I'll hire o=ofessional killers.
                  I'll do it-myself. I'll stri~ngle
                  him wit.11 a sashcord.

                                 DIM~A
                  No, I don't t.11ir...v.. J'ensen is ,r;oing
                  to fire a."'l.ybody. He's si tti::-ig cp
                  there in his of ::ice su:=ou."';.:::.•ad by
                  lawyers and senior vies. pres.ic.sn-::s,
                  and right about now, t.~ey've begtl."1
                  to realize the extrao=cina::v i~oact
                   .;: t e l ev:i.s
                  o_            . ion.
                                    '  ,,,,..
                                        ___ a.:· ::...":".pac-:.
                                                  .           .- ca., -b e
                  focussed, rna.,ipulated, utilized.
                  If Howard Beale can hu=~ t.~em, he
                  can help t.11em.
       The PH0!1E RI~GS.      _A mc:-nent o! a..,xious s ilen:e.             E:Aa:E':':'
       picks i t up --
                                     HACKETT
                       (on phone)
                  Hackett -- Yes, Clarence, I've
                  already booked rr:y fli;ht ••. ~.;ell,
                  can yoc give ~s a little rno:e time
                  than t.."lat? I' v·e cot t.~e red-eve
                  flight, I won't be back i.."1 New-Yo:k
                  till six tomo==cw morr.ing • ., • That I ll
                  be just fine. I'll see you then--·
       Be returns t.11e phone to its cradle, re~gards DI;...'-:A for
       a m:.,t:1ent.
                                     HACKETT (Contd)
                   Mr. Jensen wants to rr.eet Howard
                   Beale fcrsonally. He wa.~ts Mr. Beale
                   in his office at ten o'clocl-: tomor=ow
                   morning --
lSO.   EXT:  THE C .C. ~.ND A. BUILDING - PAR..~ Av'T..                      150.
       ANO 46TH STREET - MORNI!-1G

       A black limo\.'!.s ine pulls to t."le c:urb in f:::-ont of t.~e
                                                                                                                   124 \
)
                       c.c. and A. Building, disgorging HACK:2'!"::', and, a mo:-:-:en·~
\
    ( •......
                       later, HOWARD BEAL:'.::, both drcs sed in banker's qray.                                        I
                       As they r..ove fer t..~e building's entrance, HAC-G:':'T                                            1
                       h er d .ing .. ··•n...0D 1
                                   ~0· 1 "'     a_ong, .1. t .oecc::-:es c 1°_a_-· ..... _  .. :; 0·~·
                                                                                         ::1•
                                                                                                     0
                                                                                                          ~T"\
                                                                                                   ,"l.""\.-...J           •


                       is in a beatified state. His eyes gli.sten t=a.,s-
                       cendentally, and he sciles the smile c1:: t~e elevated
                       spirit. He suddenly pulls up abruptly, raises his
                       arms over his head, a."'ld annou..,ces at the to? of his
                       lungs:
                                                      HOWARD
                                               (imbued)
                                         'nle final revelation is at hand 1
                                         I have seen the shattering fulgura-
                                         tions of ultimate claritvl The
                                         light is impending! I bear wit.'1ess
                                         to the light?
                       This outburst dcesn 't seem to bot.:,e:- most of the P:::O?!.E
                       passing by except :or ONE or TWO who mur.:-.ur: "!-:ey,
                       that 1 s Howard Seale, isn't it?" T~e outburst cces
                       appall ?RA.j,'{K nAC:-<:::TT, w~o s1:ares in di.s-:.ress and en-
                       treaty to scme god in t.'1e heavens, and clu-=ches at
                       HOWARD's ar.n to get him moving again.

                151.   INT:       ARTHUR JENSE:.l 'S OFFICE                                                  151.
                       An enor:nous o::fice wit.l-i t-..;o walls of •,,d=1dc~s t=.werir.;
                       over the Ma.rihattan la..,dscape a.'1d t.11=ot:'.S':1 which S~'1~-
                       LIGHT st=ea."":'\.S in •. ART!-:U?.. .n:~;s:::~ is ri.si:ig  behi::.::.      ====
                       his massive desk --
                                                               J'ENSEN
                                         Good afternoon, Mr. Beale.                        They
                                         tell rr.e you I re a lT'.acr.".an •
                       CAMERA DOLLIES to include HOWARD just coming in-to t..':c
                       room.

                                                     HOWARD
                                              (closing the door
                                               behind himself)
                                         Only desultorily.
                                                     JENSEN
                                         How are you now?
                                                      HOWARD
                                               (as mad as a hatter)
                                          I'm as mad as a hatter.

                                                               JENSEN
                                         Who isn't?.           Con 1 t sit ccwn.
                                                                (HORE)
                                                                                    125
                                     JENSEN (Contd)
                        I'm ta.king you to our conference
                      · room which seems more seemly c1
                       setting for what I have to say
                       to you.                                                       I




       Be takes HOWARD' s ar.u a."'ld Tr.eves him to ,3 la:ge oa.'L:en
                                                                                     I
       door leading out of JE!-1SEN • s office --                                             •

                                         JENSEN (Contd)
                       I started as a salesn-..an, .Mr. :3eale.
                       I sold sewing mach.:L~es and auto-
                       mobile·parts, hair brushes and
                       electronic equip~snt. They say
                       J:·can sell anything. I'd like
                       to try and sell scu1et.,ing to you
        ~hey pass into --
152.    INT:   THE CONFERE:;;;CE PDOM -            C .C. AND A.                  152.
        BUILDI!-lG

       -The over..:hel.."':'l.ing cat."'ledral of a confere:nce rcc.-::1
        rerr.ernbered perhaps f:om an earlier seer.le whe!:'e Frar.!t
        Hackett gave his a."'lnual report. When 1.ast seen, it
        was in pitch darkness, but now t.,e eno?:::ous cur~ains
        are up, and an al~.ost celestial light !:curs in t.l-:..rough
                      . .
        th e h uge winc.cws.        ;;;ie.ing
                                    e    •                               "A -'I..
                                                   'I.. e 43 r d a::-1c. -=-=
                                              en t ...                        .... 1:_oo_s,
                                                                                   -,  .,..

        the sky-outside is only sporadically inte!:'rupted by
        the towers of ot..,er skysc=ar?ers. The c:.ouble ser...i.-
        circular bank of seats are all empty, and t.-ie ger.e:-al
        effect is one of hushed vast.~ess

                                          uENSEN
                        Valhalla, Mr. Beale, please isit
                        down --
        He leads HOWARD down the steos to the flcor level,
        himself ascer.ds again to the-small stage a.~d t.~e podi~=..
        HOWARD sits in one of the 200 oc.d seats. JE'!-:SEN pcshes
        a button, and the enormous drapes slowly fall~ slicing
        away layers of light u..~til the vast room is utterl~
        dark. Then, the little p~nspots at each of the desks,
        including the one behind which HOWA.."q0 is seated, pop
        en, creating a miniature HiL'<y Way effect. A shaft of
        white LIGHT shoots ou~ from the rear of t.~e room,
        spotting JENSEN on the podicm, a sun of its own little
        galaxy. Behind him, t.,e shadcwed whit.e of t.r,.e lecture
        screen. JENSEN suddenly wheels to his audience of c:;.e
        and roars out:
                                    JENSEN
                        You have meddled with t.~e primal
                        forces of na~ure, Mr. Beale, and
                                           (MORE)
                                                •       126

                   JENSEN (Contd)
  I won't have it, is t.""iat clea:r?!
  You t.1i.ink you have me=ely stcp~ed
  a business deal -- that is not t.11.e
  case l The Arabs have ta.'<en fi=-:.y
  billion dollars out of t.11.is
  count:y, and new t..11.ey must put
 ·it back.. It is ebb and flew,
  tidal gravity, it is ecological
  balance I You are an old man who
  thinks in ter::1s of nations and
  peoples. There are no nations!
  There are no peoples! There are
  no Russians. There are no ~.rabs!
  There are no t.1i.i=d worlds! The:e
  is no West! Thers is only one
  holistic system of syste~s, cne
. vast and i::-...-na.-.,,e, inter-,.;ove."'l,
  interacting, !':\Ulti-variate, multi-
  national do:::.inicn of dollars!
  Petro-dollars, elect=o-dollars,
  multi-dollars!, Reichrnarks,
                .
   ru.bl es, rin,      :pou.'"l d s an d sne.i(;ei_s.
                                          . . , 1
  It is the in ter::1a tional sys t:::~;:n, of
   currency t.11.at dete:::::1ines the
   totality of life on this planet!
   That is the natural orcer of
   things tcc.ay ! That is t.'1.e atomic,
   suba tor::iic ar.. d galactic s tr'.lct....:=e
   of t."lings today! And you h.:i.ve
   meddled with the p=irnal forces of
   natu=e, a."ld you will atone! A.--:t I
   getting through to you, Mr .. Beale?
                    HOWARD
          (from the darkness)
  Amen.

                    i:rENSEN
  You get up on your little twenty-
  one inch screen, r-i.r. Beale, a..."ld
  howl about A..~erica and cemocracy.
  Th.ere is no A.!r.erica. There is no
  democracy. There is only IB:-t and
  ITT and A T a.-i.d T and Dupont:, Dow,
  Union Carbide and Exxon. What do
  you think the Russians taL1< about
  in .their councils of state . .,.,_
  Karl Marx? They pull out their
  linear prograr.1..-r-:ting charts, s:tatistical
  decision t.'i.eories and mini=mx solu-
  tions like the geed little ;1ystems-
  analysts ~'i.ey are '1nd co~pute t.11.e
                     (MORE)
                                                              127
                              JEUSEH (Contd}
            price-cost probabilities of t.~eir
            transactions anc. i:r,est."':".ents just
            like we do. The !1.oslem mas;ses ::i.ay
            be· medieval, but ever.1 r:-cmemt of
            their lives is deter.-.1ined --- not by
            some savage desert god called Al.lah
            -- but by t.1'1e primordial pull of
            prcfi t a.'ld t."'le prir::eval pu:sh of
            pc.wer. We no longer live :in a
            world of nations and ic.eolcgies,
            Mr. Beale.          The world is a college
            cf corporations, inexorably ceter-
          . mined by t."1.e iir.mutable by-laws of
            busi..'less. The world is a bus~ness,
            M:r. Beale 1 It has been t.'r).at way
            since ma.'l crawled out o: the sli~e,
            and our child:::en, Hr. EeaJ..e, will
            live to see that oer£ect wor!.d
            without ~ar and :a.nine, cpp:ession
            and brutality -- one vast a.~d
            ecumenical holcing co:::.pan~r, !or
            whom all men will work to serve a
            CCtnrt'.on t:irofi t, in which a:!.l men
            will hoid a share of stcck, all
            necessities oroviced, all anxieties
            tranquilized: all borecom a~used.
            And I have chosen you to pre.;1ch
            this evan~el, ~-=. Beale •
                           .BC,'1A.RD
                 (hurr.ble whisper)
            Why me?
                            J'ENSE~
            Because you're on televis!ion, dur.:ny.
            Sixty million people watch you
            every night of t.~e· week, !-'.onc.ay
            through Friday.
HOWAP.D slowly rises from the black:ness of his· seat
so t."iat he is lit cnlv bv t.~e ethereal c.i:::1,:sic."l of
light shooting out      f=o~
                          t-~e rear of t.~e roe~. He
stares at JE~JSEN spotted on t.1-ie podit.:..."':1., trans fixed.
                         HOWARD
             I have seen t.~e face of Godl
In b.g., up on t.~e podiu..~, J'E~S~ considers tl-iis
curious statement for a mome.'lt.
                            JE?ISE'N
             You jus't m.i;;ht be richt, ?-'.r. Beale.
                                                                             128
                                NAR..'C)JI.T!ON
                    That evening, Howard Beale wezit
                    en the air to preach ths corpc:irate
                    cosmology of ;...:::t."1u: Je.."'lsen.

1S3.   INT:   NETWOM NE"l'lS CONTROL ROOM                                   1S3.

       The CREW at thsir various control oanel:s.             Business
       as usual.  If any1:..'1.ing, Ev'"E~Y30DY in t.'1.1:a ccn t=ol ::-co:i
       appears a little mo:e bored.· on the SHCW !•:ONI'!'OR,
        BOWARD BEALF: stands in his stained-crlass-filtered
        spotlight, but, rat.'1.er tha."'l his old-enraged self, he
       ·seems sad, resi;ned, weary --
                                     BOWARD ( ON !-'.ON!TOR)
                           (sad, resi;ned, weary)
                    Last niaht, I cot uo here and
                    asked you ~eople to.sta.~d up and
                    fight for your heritage, and you
                    did and it was beautiful. Six
                    million telegra::is we:e received
                    at the White House. The Arai:,
                    takeover of c.c. and A. has been
                    stopped. The ~cople spcke, t:..11e
                    people won. It was a rad.ia."'lt
                           '
                    erup t ion o:t- d emoc:acy. o. _u •... -·J. •h . ,.,.
                                                                - 1.n.".
                    that was it, fellers. That sort
                    of thing isn rt likely to ha:;:pen
                    again. Bee a use, in t."-le bot-:.::m
                    of all ou: te::if!ed souls, ~e
                    all knew t.~at de-noc:aC"f is a cyi::.g
                    giant, a sick, sick dying, d,acayi:ig
                    politic a 1 concept, wri thi:ig :in i -ts
                    final pain. I den I t :r.sa..-i t:.1a Uni tee.
                    States is finished as a world pcwe::-.
                    The United States is t.1ie mos·t.
                    paderful, t."-le richest, t.,e ~ost
                    advanced cot.:.,try in t.'":.e wo:::-ld,
                    light-years ahead of any ot.~er
                    countr.1. And I don't r..ean the
                    Communists are going to ta~e over
                    the world. The Ccrnrnt.:..-iists are
                    de acer tha."'l we are. What I s finished.
                    is tb.e idea that this great cot.:.."lt:y
                    is dedicated to the f:eedc~ and
                     flourishing cf every indiv·ic;ual in
                    it. It's t.11.e individual t.1i.c(t I s
                     finished. It 1 s t.'1e sL-igle, solitary
                    human being who's finished •. It's
                    every single one of you out t.1-iere
                    who's finished. Because t.'1:i.s is no
                     longer a na ticn of indepenc;~n t
                     individuals. This is a nation of
                                      (MORE)
                                                                            129

                                          HOWARD (O!: MONITOR) (Conte:!)
                           two hu.~dred odd million tran-
                           sistorized, deodorized, whiter·-
                           t.i~an-whi te, steel-belted bodies,
                           totally u..~necessarJ as human
                           beings ~~d as replaceable as
                           piston rods
                                            NA.RRATION
                           I t was a perfectly ad~issable
                           argurr,ent t.~at Howard Beale advanced
                           in the days t.,at foll~ved; it was,
                           hawever,· also a very tedious and
                           depressing one. By the end of
                           the first week in June --
    154.     INT:  FIFTH FI.CO?. - COR..UDOR - TUESDAY,                    l54.
             JONE lO - 3:30 P.M •
                       .
             DIAi.'iA, carrying a small booklet, stridi~.g down t.~e
             corric.or.
                                            NA..~TION
                           -   the Howard Beale show had
                           dropped cne point in t.~e ratings,
r                          and its trend of shares dipped
                           under fort-:-eicht for t.'1.e first
                           time since· last Noverr~er



    l.55 •   INT:    Thr! NIGIIT!.Y NEWS RCOM -       ROOM 517             155.

             -- quietly busy.       Typewriters, telephoneis.
             s trai gh t   for Hew;_~' s o f:::ice --
                                            NARRATI0:-1
                           Hysteria swept t.,rough the ne1::-..,;rork

             DIAi.~A wrenches the door to HOWARD' s office open and
             strides into --                                 ·
    l.56.    INT:     HOWARD'S   OFFIC:.:                                  156 • .

             •- as DIANA s~=ides in, interruntina an urgent colloquy
             between HOWARD at his desk and his .igen·t, an ur!:::ia..,~
             gentleman in his late 60 's, LEW WEISROP:? --
                                            DIA.~A
                                 (drops the !:::iccklet
                                  she's carrJing on
                                  HOWARD's desk)
                            In case you.haven't seen ~~is
                            week's rating book, your shar1!
                            is down another point.
                                             (MORE)
                                                                             130

                                     OIA..'lA (Contd)
                            (to WEISKOPF)
                      I asked you to be here, L~~,
                      because you'=e his goc.c.a..-n .agent,
                      and I'm cou.,ting on you to talk
                      scree sense into t.i.is lunatic.
                                                                                       II
                      I'm sick of arguing with you:::                                  I
                      client, Lew.                                                     \

                                     u;w·                                              I
                                                                                       I


                     · Patience, ·sweetheart, patience ~--                             I
                                   DIANA
                      Patience, my ass. We're starting
                      to get rumbles fror:1 the ac.ve:::tise:::s.
                      McCann-Erics=n called Jee Ccnnelly
                      this rrorning, a..'"'ld, when t.'li.e agencies
                      start calling t.~e Head of Sales
                      directly, t.~at r:tea.."ls in a week o:::
                      two, we're going to start hearing
                      about sponsors bailing cut. He•s
                      got to stop t.i.is cor?ora1:.si universe
                      kick --
                                     acr,qARD
r                          (agitatec)
                      I only say what my voices tell me
                      to say.
                                       DIANA
                             (eru-oti:'lc-)
                      Well, fire -:..,.,.er.1 ! we I 11 g1~t you
                      new voices 1 We I ll call t::-ie Writers
                      Guild a.."ld get you all t.i.e gocda."n
                      voices you wa..,t! Lew here :::ep=esents
                      a thousand voices. We 1 ll get you
                      the best voices in t.~e business!
                      We want you to go back to being
                      crazy, HC"..;ard 1
                                     HOWARD
                           (stands, cries out)
                      I'm not an actor1 I can't cet .
                      and perform mad scenes fer you!
                                                       u~       -
                      I am imoelled bv an inne1:· force l
                      I do whit I azn tole. to c.cd I say
                      what I am told to say! I have no
                      control over i t l
           DIANA throws up her hands in frustration -
    157.   INT: OIA.~A' S BEOR00!-1 -   THUFSOAY,    ~rti"NE 19 -          157.
           7:15 P .. M.
           -- as MAX lets hi=:i.self into the apztrtr:-ent.         !1.~   see:-:-.s
                                                                            l31
\          depressed.     EOWARD'S VOICE en-.a.'1ates f:~c::i the o.s.
           bedroom --
                                         HOWARD (C!1 TV O.S .)
                       -~ Well, t."'le ti:::.-e has ccrr,e to say:
                       is dehu.."':'lanizaticn such a bad war::.?
                       Because acod er bad, t.~at's what's
                       so. The.whole world is becoming
                       huma.~=ic., c~atu::es that le<:,k
                       human but aren't. The whol1: worlc.,
                       not just us. We're just t."lE: rr:ost
                       advanced ccu.'1try, so we I re q·etting
                       there·first. The whole wor:Ld's
                       people are becoming rr..ass-prc:::duced,
                       progra.rr::-:.ed, wired, ins:er:.sate? things
                       useful c:1ly to prcc-..:ce a.'1d c:0:1s-..:..-::e
                       other mass-oroduced thincs, all of
                       them as tJr.r.ecessa::-y a.,c. useless as
                    · we are --
           MAX has crossed the living rcom, looks into -
    158.   ntT:   THE BEDROOM                                              158.

           -- where DIA!;rl is perched or:. her bed, mu~u:ing into
           the phone --
                                     0 I A:."7 i\
                              (on phone)
                        Yeah •• , Yeah •• ~
                                        HOWARD      ( O!i TV)
                        -- that's t."1e s i.'":'lple t=-..:t.~ you
                        have to grasp, ~"1at hu..~an existence
                        is an utterly :-..:tile a..'1d purposeless
                        thing. Because or:.ce you've grasped
                        that, t."ien t.~e whole u..'1.i vers;e becorr:es
                        orderly w"ld co..:1.prehensible •·-            ·
           DIANA leeks uo to droo a surlv alance on ~. AX in t.~e
           door,..,ay, and retur::-:.s to mutt:.ering i:,.t:) t.~e phone.     They
           are both clearly in foul terr:pers --                                 ·

                                         HOWARD ( 0~ TV)
                        -- We are right now livir:.g in what
                        has to be cal led a cor?ora t;! society,
                        a corporate world, a cor;,orZ:lte
                        universe. This world quite s~~ply
                        is ·a vast cosr.:-.olcgy of s:r..all.
                        corporations or::ii t"t.ir.g around
                        la:ger corporations who, i~ turn,
                        revol "-e aroc..'1.d gia.'"lt cor?orc;ttions -
                                        MAX
                              (overlapping}
                        I'm sorr/ I'm late. I spent the
                        after.icon with r:r-J daughter --
             DI.Ai.~A, mu=uring into the phone, dcesn't even see= to
             have heard him. MAX turns away --                  \
                                        HOWARD ( 0~ TV)              \'I
                        -- and this whole, endless, ultir.-~te
                        cosmolo<;y is expressly cesig:-~ed for
                        the production and consu:nptic:n of
                        useless things --
             DIAa.~A clicks the remote control t..~ing on her bed, a.'1d
             the TV set goes black.
                                      DIANA
                              (on phone)
                         Sooner or later, we'll have to
                         pull hi~ off t.~e air, 3arbara, so
                         let's start lookina arou.,d for
                         replace~ents. I hear ABC's groo~ing
                         a mad prophet of their o~n in Chicago
                         as our cc:n~etiticn for next season.
                         See if you· ca.'1 set a tape o.n hi::t.
                         Maybe, we ca.'1 steal hi:n. ;..r,Ld let's
                         start building up t.~e other ses-::-.ents
                         on the shew, Sybil t::e Soot::sr.:.yer,
                         Jim Webbing. The Vox Populi seq::-ent
                       . is catching en; let's r.-:,:,ke i:J:at a
                         daily feature
    15 9 •   INT:   THE LIVING ROC:•1                                l59.
             M.~ sprawled morosely on one cf the soft chairs. We
             notice that in ~~e back of the living rocm, a bricge
             tcl:>le has been set uo as a ma~eshift desk. ! t has a
             typewriter on it and· a welter of pa:;::ers and books anc.
             filing folde:s. DIA.i.~A appea:s in the bedroOI:l doo::-way,
             regards MAX coldly --
                                        OD.NA
                              (icily)
                        Every· time you see sor.:ebody i:1
                        your fa:nily, you corr.e back in one
                         of t.,ese morbid r.1idcle-aaed moods.
                         I'm tired of your gcc.da::med r.1orb id,
                        :middle-aged moods, Ha..x.
(
                                        MAX
                              (exploding frcrn t.1-ie c::-iair)
                        And I'm tired of finding you on
                        the goddamned phone eve~y t:;e
                                         (!-:ORE)
                                                                               l33

                                       MAX (Contd)
                         I turn arolL"'ld! I'm tired of bei:1g
                         an access or/ in your life I 1: •rn tired
                         of t.'lis hysteria abcut Heward Seale 1
            Storming about t.1ie roo::i in his sudc.en ~.;rolcanic rage, Mi~X
            finds hi...--::.self by t..'1-:.e upsta~ ty-pewri te:~, •,,;hie::. he sweeps
            crashing off t.i.e bridge . table, sending t.'le welter of
            papers t.'lere fly~~; of! in a stor:n

                                          MAX (Contd)
                         -- and I'm tired of pretendi:-:g to
                         write this dur.b book about r:Tj'
                         maverick days in fr.ose great early
                         years of television 1 Every
                         executive fired frcr:t a net'rlo~::-k
                         in t.'le last ~Henty years has
                         written t.i.is ci.:::-~ bcok al::out
                         the great early cays of ":elevision!
                         Nobody wants another cu=:, bcc:,k
                         about t.'"':.e g:eat goc.darn::ed ea:!:"ly
                         days of television!
                                          DIA.."tA
                          Terrific, Max, terri!ic. Maybe
/!'"''"'·                 you can start a whole new career
                          as an actor.
\....
            For a mc~ent, it looks as if ~.AX is goi:1g to slug her.
            Then he deflates

                                         MAX
                          rt' s t.i.e trut.'l. After six :ncn-:...'":s
                          of living with you, I'm tur.li~g
                          into one of you= sc=ipts. But this
                          isn't a script, Diana. The=e•s
                          some real actual li=e coin= en
                          here. I went to visit;r::;y wi:e tccay
                          because she's in a state of deoression,
                          so depressed rny daughter flew in fro!'l
                          Seattle to be wi t.1,. her. An.c. I feel
                          lousy about t.1,.at.   I feel lc,usy about
                          the pain I've cau:Jed my- wife: and kids.
                          I feel guilty and conscience:-
                          stricken and all those thi:r:;rs you
                          think sentimental but which r:r'/
                          generation called si:r.ole hu:nan
                          decency. And I miss my home~ because
                          I'm begi.'1ning to get scared shitless.
                          It's all suddenly closer to the end
                          than to tha beginning, and c:eath            ..,-
                          is suddenly a perceptible t!"1ing to
                          me, with definable features.. You've
                          got a man going t.1-i=ough pri:-:s.al
                                          (.ti.DRE)
                                      MAX (Contd)
                       doubts, Diana, and you've got to
                       cope with it. Because I'c not
                       some guy discussing male menopause
                       on t..i.e Ba:-bara Wal tens shew. I'm
                       the man you presur:,a.bly love. I
                       live ri;ht here. I'm part of your
                       life. I'm real. You can't switch
                       to another channel •.
                                       DI.ANA
                       Well, what exactly is it you want
                       me to do?

                                       MAX
                           I just want you to love me, Diana.
                        I just want you to love ree, primal
                        doubts and all. You uncers'Cand
                      . that, den' t you?
           For one brief moment, vou could almost believe she
           does u.~derstand. She stares, eyes-locked with MAX,
           her eyes t..'":.rE;at~ning to well with tea::s. The.re are
           certainly tears in M.~ts eyes.
                                       DIANA
                                (small ,roice)
                           I don't know hew to do that.
           'rhen, shatteringly, the PHONE o.s. in the bed:com FaNGS;
                           -
           and DIA..~A orc~~tlv
                           -      .
                                tu=ns to an~~er it --
                                       DIAi.~A
                                (matter-of-factly
                                 as she exits into
                                 the bedroom)
                           I'll be wit.~ you i.~ a minute,   Ma.~ --

           Be sighs, the inchoate moment of love evanesced
                                        NARR.~TION
                           By the first week in July, the
                           Boward Beale shew was down eleven
                           points, and the panic had spread
                           to even t.~ose people who had only
                           a contractuai connection to t..~e
                           nei:'..;ork --
:.::'l •    INT:    DIANA'S OFFICE - MONDAY, JOLY 7 -                  160.
            2:30 P .. M.
            LAO~EN EOBBS in a shrill, wide-eyed panic, raging all
            over DI.:\:;_;\ Is of fie~ as DI.A.NA' s phone RINGS, and DI.~lA
            _answers :. t:. - -
                                                                                                   135
                                            LAUREE~
                                     (in a raging panic)
                            -- He's a plague! He's s~all~ox!
                            Be's t-.n::hoid! ! dcn't wa."1t to
                            follO"rl his goddarn shc,.,.r 1 I want
                            out of that eicht o'clock s=ctl
                            I'got enough t=ocbles wit.~cut
                            Howard· Beale for a lead-i:i.. Yc:,u
                            guys ha¥a ~checu.!.ed ~e up against
                            Tony Orla."i.do a."i.d Dawn 1 NEC •·s c;ot
                            Little House on t.-ie ?rairie! J;BC's
                            got that new Mel Brooks shcH! You
                            got to help me out! You got tc::> do
                            something about Ee-ward Beale! Get
                            rid of t.'le plague 1 Get him of!
                            the 'ai:rl Do sc:net..l'1ingl Do an:it.,ing!
                                                  t)IA.."{A
                                  (hanging up and
                                    yelling back}
                            We're trJing to fi:i.d a replace~ent
                            for hi:r.l 1 I• m going do·..m to look
                            at audition tapes right :,.owl

           She is already out of her o:fice -- ·

    161.   INT:      NINTS FLOOR - A SCREENING ROOM                                             161.

           C.O. of an i:-:posi:i.g MOSAIC FIGL'1E, fully bearced a."'ld
           wearing ankle-le-""lg-:.., blad;. ==bes a."1d t.."'lcn-:.ged sanc.als,
           standi:,.g on a lonely ::-,o\.':...-i:::.ain spu= ir:veighir.g agai:1st
           the idolatries of t.-ie world. PULL BAC~ to show the
           screeni:,.g room half-filled wit.h. r.et-,..,ork and prcqr2.=.-.i::1q
           executives, spotted a:=O'..l."'ld t.1-:.e rec::,. DIANA is t,.:.,.ere -
           and her top assista."'ltS -- EAR3AR.:\ SCEU:S I:'lG:s?. ~d :-o:-:::.~
           PELLEGRI!m.            :P..A:-H·~ HACKETT is t.~ere j N"ELSO:{ cs~;::::y,                         •
                     TH'c··-RAV
           ,....,= ••"1.
           t:n::o-nn      :..::..  • (s+-...a ...
                                             .....ions '"'
                                                       :.e--    ~c:i.s } ; an d .,;-c--
                                                           1:::>t'                    ~ ""C'~•-I.LV
                                                                                        1.1 ., ..'t.r. · -
           and HAR..~Y HUNTER. In b. g. , the ran tir.g !-!OSAIC F!GU~
           on the wall console roars out his inveighi~g U."1til
           otherwise indicated --

                                                  OIA.~A
                                   (suddenly sta."1ding into
                                    the shaft of light coming
                                     from the projector)
                             No, dar:-.n it! If we wanted he:ll-
                             fire, we'd get Billy Gra.11.a.'":\ ! We
                             don't want fait.~-healers, teritshow
(                            evangelists or Cbera.-n;.;argau passion-
                             players 1 Hhat a:ioi..:t tb.at te::-J:ific
                             new rr.essia.'1 ABC was supposed to ha"V"e
                             signed up as our cor..-.petition'.?
                                                                        136
                          PELLEG'RI!:O
                   (indicating th.e
                 monitor screen)
           That's hi."'::l.
                             DIANA
           'I'hat's hi:?                                                 I
                             PELLEGRINO                                  \
           Yeah.                                                         I
                                                                         l.
                             DIANA
           Jesus, .tu..."'"n him off.
The MONITOR ~C?~EN       c;oes blank.
                             PELLE G'RI~O
           I've got t..'"lree more, but yo,l 1 ve
           already seen t.~e best ones. I've
           got a gu~~ frcm Spokane and ~~o
           more hell=ires who see visions
           of the Virgin ~-ia::y.
DIANA sinks down in a chair and tu...-ns to Hli.C:-<ETT in t.,,e
       .        ..:;• .. ,
ra..,r J..."":tme1...1.a._e_y b e ..
                                  M.      -
                                     ::..nc..

                              DIA.'1A
           We're not going to find a replace-
           ment for Eoward 3eale, so let's
           stop kic~ing ourselves. Fuily
           fledged ~essiahs don't come in
           bunches. We eit.~er go wit.,.
           Howard or we go without hi.,:. M:y
           reports say we'll do better wit.~-
           out him. It would be disas:t.er to
           let t.'"lis situation go on even
           anot.'1er .•.:eek. Bv then, he' 11 be
           down six-:.een poi:its and t.~e! trend
           irreversible, if it isn't already.
           I think we should fir:: Soward.
                              HACKETT
           Arthur Je."'lsen has taken a !3trong
           personal interest in t.'1e H<:,ward
           Beale show.
                    (sighs glcc-:nily,
                     addresses the
                     room at la.:-ge)
           I ' rn h av::.ng
                        .    ~.
                             c;.;.inner wi. _,_
                                            ...a M   •
                                                 •• im        • h·
                                                          tcnig  ....
           Let me talk to Jensen a.~d t~en
           l e t r s rr.ee t in
                             · rr.:1 orr· -i ce a~     .. ten
           o'clock tonight. Diana, give ~e
           copies cf all your audience :::-esearch
                               (!·iORE)
                                                                            137
                                       HACKETT (Contd}
                        reports.     I may need the..~ for
                        Jensen.    Is ten o 'cloc.1<. cc:lvenie..,t
                        for everyone?
          Apparently it is.
                                                                             I

. 162.    INT: LA:.'i'DING OU'!'SI!:JE DIA.'tA' S APAR'XMEN'I' -         l6i •
          8:00 l?.M.                                                         I
                                                                             I
                                                                             I!.
          DIA.~A letting herself into her apartment.
 163.     INT:    DIANA'S A't:>A.~TMEN'I' - FOYER                         163.

          Dark, shadc-,.;ed.      She moves da.vn to --
 16 4 •   INT:    LIVING ROOM                                             164.
           MAX has fallen asleep in one of t.""le soft chairs • The
           newspaper he .was reading has fallen to his lap. His
           mout."1 is a bit acare a.'1d he wheezes a li t-:le. I!'l the
          -stark lighting of the lamp behind the chai=, he see~s
           suddenly an old ma."l. DI1i. NA stands and :regarcs hi.-n
           with perceptible distaste. She slips out of her
           jacket, crosses to ~~e bedroo::1..
 165.      INT:    BEO:ROC!-1                                             165.

           Al.l t."le lich ts are on.    DIA.'-1.A, freshly s c:-u!:l:,ed and
           in a she7.,;er rcbe, is pac.1<.ing M..r.•x Is th:i.ngs. A large
           valise lies opened on the bed, and D!.f..!JA is fet:::iing
           MAX's suits f:::c::l t..~e closet, !'oldi~g t ..-:e:-:i a.-id ?a.eking
           them away. M&'< appears ru..'!Cpled and in his shi=t-
           sleeves in the dcor.,.,ay behind her. She senses him
           there, glances at him, contin~es with her packing.

                                        DIA..'iA
                         I think the ti:-:.e has corr.e, Hax,
                         to re-evaluate our :r-::laticn:ship.
                                        MAX
                         So I see.
                                     DIANA
                         I don't like t.~e way this script
                         of ours is tu:::-:ling out. This whole
                         thing started out as a cc~edy,
                         reme~ber? New, it's turning into
                         a seedy little d=ama. Mice.le-aged
                         man leaves wife and far.iily for young
                         heartless wor::an, goes to pc,t. The
                         Blue Angel wi t..'l Marlene Die:t=ich
                         and Emil J2..';::.:.ngs. I don't: like it.
                                                                    138

                              1-'.i\X
                So you 'v-e decided to cancel t."le
                shew.
                               DIANA
                Right.
                            MAX
                Listen, I'll do that.
    Be lI':C"J'eS to the bed to ta.'l:e over t.'le 1:iacking.     She sits
    in one of the bedroom chairs.
                                DIANA
                 'Xhe sir.tple fact is you're a fa~~ly
                man, ?-4..ax. You li.~e a hcr::-e and kids,
                and t.'iat 1 s beautiful. But I'm
                incaoa.ble o: anv such co .. :.,1i t."':".ent.
                All you'll get frcm me is ar..ot.~er
                couple of r::cnt.'is of inte~ttent
                sex and recritina ta and ugly li tt:.le
                scenes like t.~e one we had last
                night. I'm sor~J for all t~ose
                vicious t:..l-iin~s I said to VClU last
(               night. You I ::-e not t:..--ie worst fuck
                I've ever had. Believe r..e 1• ! •~"e
                 had worse.     A.."'ld you don't pu!:: a.""ld
                 snorkle and ma.t.;e ceath-likE~ rat-:::.les ..
                 As a matt~fr of fact, vcu 'r£? ra t.":.er
                 serene in t.~e sack. -
    MAX, who had gone into t:..,e bat.'iroo:-n for his toile-:
    articles, ccrnes out with t:..,e:n, sta.""lc.s, rogarc.s D!.~l~A. ·
                                MAX
                 Why do women always t.,i::k t:..':e
                 most savage thing t:..~ey can say
                 to a man is to i~pugn his cccks-
                 manship?
                                DIA.'iA
                 I• m sorry I impugned your coc.~s-
                 manship.
                                MAX
                 I stopped· co::r.pari:ig geni t,3.ls back
                 in the schoolyard.
                                DIAN'A
                 You're being docile as hell about
                 this.
                                ~.AX
                 Hell, Dic...~a, I knew it was over
                 between us weeks ago.
                                                                         139
                                    DIA..""1A
                    Will you go back to your wife7         1




                                    MAX
                    I'll try, but I don't thirJi:.
                    she'll j~p at it. But con't
                    worry about me. I' 11 manage.
                    X always have, always will. :r'm
                    :more C'.;:-:.::er:-:ed a.bout you. once
                    X go, you 1 11 be back i:1 t."'le ~ye
                    of your cwn desolate ter=o=s.
                    Fifty dollar studs and t."'le
                    nightly sleepless cor.templation
                    of suicide. You're not t.1ie
                    boozer type, so I figure a year,
                    maybe t:..to befo=e you cr:.ck up or
                    jump out your fourteent:..~ floc1r
                    office wine.cw.
                                     DIANA
                          (stands)
                     Stop selling, Max.         I don't rieed
                     you.
        She ex.its out into --
166 •   INT:   THE LIVING P.001-i                                      166.
        -- and across t.1iat to th.e --
1G7.    INT:    THE KITCHEN                                            167.

        -- where a kettle is stea~ing. She fetc::es a cup and
        saucer from t."'le cu;board and would rna::.e sc:ne instant.
        coffee but she is over-:.a.1<en b,, a cu=ic;us li tt::.e St:)as::-. ..
        Her hand holding the cup a..T'lc!. saucer is; sh.aki:'lg so. ;:,:.::.ch
        she has to put t."'ler:i. down. Wit."1 visible ef::o::t, she
        pulls herself together. She moves out o: t.'1.e k.i -tc::::::-:.
        to the --
168.    INT:    THE LIVl:NG ROOM                                       168.
        - where she stands in t.":.~ middle of the rcorn and
        shouts at HA...X t.lirough the OE=ened bedroc:n dcor,.,;ay.
                                     OIJ\NA
                          (cries out)
                     % don't want your pain!  I don't
                     want your menopausal decay and
                     death! I don't need you, Max.
                                     M.l\X
                     You need rr~ badly!   I'm your
                     last contact wit~ hu..-n.an ree1lity l
                                      (XORE)
                                                            140
                           MAX (Ccn td)
           I love you, and that painful,                    I
           decaying rrenopausal love is t.~e
           only t..i.i.'l'lg bet-.Jeen you ar.d t.i.e
           shrieking not.i.ingness you live
           the :rest of the day 1
Be slams the valise shut.
                           DIANA
            'l'hen don't leave mel

                           MAX
            It's too late, Diana! The:re 1 s
            nothing left in you t.~s.t J: can
            live witht You':re one of Howard's
            humanoids, and, if I stay wi t..l-i
            you, I 1 ll be destroyed. Like
          • Howard Beale was des trovei= ! Like
            Lau:reen. Ecbbs was destroy1:dl Li.i.i:e
            everything you a.."ld the whole
            institution of television touch
            gets dest::-cyed l You are t.ele-
            visicn incarnate, Diana, indif:erent
            to suffering, insensitive to joy.
            A1l of life is :reducec to t.i.e
            corr.:rrt0n ri.:.bble of banality. War,
            murder, death are all t.i.:.e sar:1e
            to you a,s bottles of beer. The
            daily business of li:e is a corrupt
            comedy. You even shatte::· t.i.e
            sensations of ti:r.e a.."ld sc,ace into
            jagged fragments of r:.i.nut:es, SFlit-
            seconds and insta..'l'lt replays. You
            a:re maci."less, Diana, virulent T:".adr.ess,
            and whatever you touch di.es wit.Ji. you.
            Well, not rr.e 1 Nat while I can st.ill ·
            feel pleasu:e and pain an::. love l         ,
            Oh, hell, Diana, i t :: oVE~r wi t..11. us •
                                    1

            :r•m not sure it ever really happened,
            but I know it's over.
He turns back to. his valise and buckles it. DI~lA
finds a chair, sits in it. A moment later, ~-:\.:< cc=.es
out cf t.11e bed:::::~, lugging a rain·i:oat as well as t.11e
valise.  He lugs his way across the living rccm, t.~en
pauses for a moment, :reflects --
                              -
                        MAX (Contd}
            It's a happy ending, Diana.
            Wayward husband comes to his senses,
            returns to h~s wife wit.11. whom he
            has built a long a..~d sus~aining lovd.
                            (MOBE)
                                                                         141
                                      MAX (Contd)
                     Heartless yo...::.."1g wor..an le ft alc:me
                     in her arc't.ic desolaticn. M~3ic
                     up wit.11 a swell. Final cc:-::::e=:ial.
                     And here a.re a few scenes fro:::,.
                     next week's show.
        · S:e disappears dcwTi t.1,.e foyer.
                                           We can hear t..1,.e CL!C:<
         of t.'lie front doo: being opened and the CUC{ o: t.~e
         door closing. DIA!1A sits in her c~ai=, pulling t..~e
         shower robe a:ou."1d her, alone in her a:.·ctic desola ticn.
169 •    ntT:  20TH FLOOR - 'UBS BU'ILDillG - LOE:SY,                   169.
         LOUNGE, COR.~IDOR - 10: 15 P. M.

         A solemn FR..~~K HAC:{ETT in blue suit walks ccwn the lcng,
         empty, hushed co::ric.o= to t..~e large dc1i!:ile deers of his
         office (which had originally bee:i ;;'.::JWJ..RD R!:DCY' s office) •
         At the doors, NELSON C?'..1-..i.'iEY is waiting for him.

                                      CHA..~EY
                      Bow'd it qo?
         S:Aa:ETT sighs, enters --
170.     :INT:   SECRE:T:UiY 'S OFFICE                                  170.
         -- where HERB T.r!AC~?J\Y ar1d JOE DC~ti-."':EI..!:t a::e lou.,ging •
         Everybody follows HA~~ETT into --
l 71.    INT:    P...AC"lCET"T 'S OFFICE ( O!:iCE RUDDY'S OF'F!C'.E:)   171.
         Nighttime outside, the crepuscular g:ce.n<leur of
         Manhatta.~ glitte=ing belcw us. Waiti~g i::i. t.~e cf:ice, -
         seated here and there, are WALTER ;...M'.;'NCS:S:1 ar..d DI~\~.
         HACKETT sits behind his desk.   The othe=s all :i::i.d
         places around t..~e room.
                                       HACKETT
                      Mr. Jensen was u..,happy at the
                      idea of taking Heward Beale o:f
                      the air. Mr. Jensen thi::i.ks Ec~ard
                      Beale is bringir.g a verJ ir:1~0=-tar.::.
                      message to t..'i.e American FeCiple.. s:.o
                      he wants Rowa=d Eeale on the
                      air. And-he wants hi~ kept on.
          Nobody has anything to say to this.
                                       HACKETT (Ccntd'.I
                       Mr. Jense.-, feels we a:re being too
                       cntastrophic in our thinking. I
                       argued tl1at televisicn was a vola-
                       tile industry in which success and
                       failure. were determined week by
                                        (MORE)
                  Illl.C:-IB'I'T (Contd)
    week.  Mr. Jensen said he did not
    like vol a tile indust:ricas an.d suggested
    wit.°'1 a certain sinister sil.ki.."'less
    that volatil.:.tv in business usuallv
    reflected bad ~ai~age~ent. He did..,'t
    really ca::-e i = Heward :Seale: was
    the nu."'nber one :ihC"n" in tele:vision
    or the f!ftiet.,. He didn't: really
    care if t.'1-ie Beale Show lost money.
    The net-..10rk should be stabilized so
    that it can carry a losing shew and
    still maintain an overall p:ofit.
    Mr. Jensen has an irr.oorta."'l.t. message
    he wants conveved to- th.e .American
    people, and Hc;,ard Beale iss conveying
    it·. He wants Howard Beale on 't...~e
    air, and he wa.'1.ts him kept on.
         1d ~esc:i=e.
    I wou_     ..:i ••  h'is posi~ion
                                ...      on
    this as i.nflexi!:Jle. W"'ne::e dces
    that put us, Diana?
                  DIANA
         (taking papers out
           of her attache case)
    That puts us in t.~e shit.house,
    that's where t..,at puts us.
(         (holds uo r:.er
           sheaf of papers)
    Do you want r..e to go t.'1--,.rcu9h this?

                  HACKETT
    Yes.
                  DIJ..NA
    I have an advance TVQ report here.
    The Beale show Q score, which was
    forty-seven in t.~e May bock, is c.cwn
    to t.'1--,.irty-three anci falling. Xcs t
    of this loss occur=ed in the child
    and teen an~ eighteen-thirty-four
    categories, which were our core
    markets. NBC Nightly News, by
    contrast, has gone up to a ~~enty-
    nine Q, and, at this rate, will
    pass us by t.,e end of July. Ever1-
    body here knows the Neilsen ai~d
    share-trend scores. Let me just
    capsulate our own AR cemographic
    reports which have been extensive.
    It is the AR cepart:nent' s c.o.:=ofully_
    considered judg:-:.ent -- and ~~ne
    that if we get rid of Beale, we
                   (MORE)
                                                           143
                              DIANA {Contd)
            should be able to maintain a
            very respectable share in t.lie
            high twenties, possibly t."i.i=ty,
            with a co~pa=able Q level. The
            ot.."ler segr.-.en t.s on t.'1-ie Beale show
            -- Sybi.t t."i.e Scot..'1.sayer, Ji:ri
            Webbing, t.'1.e Vox. Populi -- have
            all d·eveloped t.lieir cwn audiences.
            Our AR repor~s show wit..~out
            exception t.~at it is Howard Beale
            that's the destructive force here.
            Minimally, we are talking about
                   ' int d·~~
            a t en po              ~· l . .in
                           i_.ere~-ia
            shares. I t.."i.ink Joe ought to
            spel.t i t out for us. Joe?

                               DONNELLY
            A twenty-eight share is eighty-
            thousand eollar'rn.inutes, and I
            thin.~ we could sell co~plete
            positions on t}1e whole. As ,a
            matter of fact, we're just getting
            into the pre-Christmas gift-,sellers,
            and :I' 11 tell you the agen::::i,=s are
            corning back to rr:e with four dollar
               ......
            Cpl•·~•     .f! th a~
                      I _       ' I s any inaica.~on,
                                          •
                                           4
                                               O   -   •



            we' re talking :fcrty, forty-f.ive
            million dollar loss in annual
           .revenues.
                           THACKERAY
            You guys want to hear all t."11: fla.!<
            l'. 'm getting fror.l the affiliates?

                        HACKETT
            We know all about it, Herb.

                     .        AMUNDSE~
            And you would describe M.r. JE:nsen's
             position on Beale as inflexil)le?
                              HACKETT
             Intractable and adamantine.
                              CHk"'l'EY
             So what' re we going to do abcn.::.t
             this Beale son of a bitch?
A sad silence settles over t."le top ~an:1ge:r.en t of UBS-TV
as they lounge about t.l-:.e enor:rr.ous :roc::i ..
                              HACKETT
                    (sighs)
             I suppose we'll have to kill hie.
        Another long conte:nplative silence.
                               HACKETT (Contd)
                   I don't suppose you have ~ny ideas
                   on that, Dia..,a.
                               DIANa
                   Well, what would vou fellows say
                   to an assassL,ation? --
172 •   INT:   THE LOE BY - t"'3S BUILDING - A FEW o;;Ys                       172.
        LATER - 6:00 P.M.
        Bustling and cr~~ded. Long lines of PEOPLE, fo~r
        abreast, roped off a."'ld waitir.g to get into t.~e
        BOWA.qo BEALE ShC"'w.   Oniforr..ed USHERS here a.,d t.~ere,
        occasionally·chatting with t.~e waiting CRCWD. OVER
        THIS, t.'1-ie VOICES of t.~e neto..:or.k meeting just inter-
        :rupted CO~TI~UE:

                                    Dih~A'S VOICE (Conte)
                    -- I th.i."'lk I can get t.'"le ?"..ao Tse
                    Tung ~eople to kill Beale for us.
                    As one of their 'OrOc::'ams.              In
                    fact, it' 11 na~e- a hell o!: a kick-
                    off shew for t.11e season. We' re
                    facing heavy cppositicn f=o~ the
                    other ne t-N'o=!-..s on Wec..."i.es C.,;ly ni c;h t:.s ,
                    and t.lie Mao Tse Tu..,g Hour could
                    use a ser:.sational show ~o~:- a.., o-cener •
                  . The whole t...'"ling would be dcne ric;ht
                    on caoera in t..t:e stt:.dio. Ne ouc;ht
                    to get a fantastic look.-i:n auc.ience
                    wit.~ the assassination of Howard
                    Beale as our opening show --
173.    INT:   THE LOBBY -     UBS BUILDING -         EL";;V;;TOR ~-REA        173.

        -- as the waiting AUDIE!1CE is hC:?=cad into t::.e ele'l;at=::-r;.
        OVER THIS, t.~e VOICES o:: the meetin•3' C0!-1T~~UE:

                                 AMUNDSEN'S VOICE
                   Well, if Beale dies, what would
                   be our continuing obligation to
                   the Beale cor~oration? I kr.cw our
                   contract wit..~ Beale contains a buy-
                   out clause t=iggered bv.his death
                   or incapacity --       . • .
174.    INT:   UBS BUILDING         FOURTH     FLOOR                           174.
        -- as the elevator load of AUDIENCE is led out of the
        elevator and down ~~e long, carc:eted co=rido=s, past
        t..~e large wall photographs of TV sta:s, glass-enclo~ed
                                                                      145
       ccntrol rooms, and ot..'i.er sho-..rpieces of the net'.·1ork • s
       electronic glory. CVER THIS, the V'OIC::S CONTI1H.1""E:
                                  EACR:E:TT'S VO!C:S
                   There mu.st be a fo::nula for the
                   comp-..itaticn of the purchase pl:ice.
                                 AMUNDSEN'S VOICE
                   Of £hand, r t.l-ii:lk i t was based on
                   a mu.1.tiple of 1975 ear.-iings with
                   the base period L"l 1975. I thL"'l.k
                   it was.fifty ;ercent of salary plus
                   twenty-five percen-c. of t.'le fi:?:st
                   year's profits --
175.   INT:    HAOETT'S OFFICE                                       175.
       The meeti~g is still going on --
                                   AMUNDSE!I (Conte.)
                        (continuing above speech)
                   -- multi ':)lied bv t."'le U.."lexoireid
                   portion   of  t."le contract. . I don't
                   think t."le shew has ar1y su.bsta~tial
                   syndication val~e, would you say,
                    Diana?
                                   DIANA
                   Syndication profits are tri.ni:-:?al.
                                   THACKE P..i'\.Y
                        (mutters to --DONNELLY)
                   Sey, we're not seriously goi~g to
                   kill him, are we?
                                 DONNELLY
                          (mutters bac.tc)
                    I don't knew, are we?
176.   IN'r:   THE BEALE SHOW STUDIO AND AUDIENCE .AREA              170.
        The new load of AUDIE~CE finds seats :i.n t."'i.e rapidly-
        filling auditc=iu=::. On the floor of t:.'"le studio, t."le
       ·cREw is setting t.~e cameras, checki~g the bcc~s. T~e
        stage curtain is do-.-ln. OVER Tl!IS, t.1.E! VOICES of t.11e
        meeting cm1TINUE :

                                    CHANEY'S VOICE
                    As Her.b says, we're talking about
                    a capit.:il c::irr::e here, so t.11,~ net'~ork
                    can'~ be irnplica ted.
                                                                                              146
                                               AMUNDSEN'S VOIC:~
                                    (chuckling)
                            ~   hope you don't ha•.re a."'ly hicden
                         tape rnachi::.es in this of::ic1:?,
                        'Fran.~ --
                        \



    177.   :nrr:   TSE BE:s.L:: SEOW STODIO                 SF.CWTI:1.'E                     177.
           '!'he warinup is o~rer1 t.'li.e stage footlights a::e on; t."'ie
           AODI:E:N'CE sits expecta.91tly.               T.he big wall CLCC.~ shews:
           6:29, clicks to 6:30. On the studio stage, t."'ie
           ANNOUNCER st::ides out :::o~ the wings, bellcws happily
           at the audience·--
                                               ANNOtlNCER
                            Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear
                            it -- how do you feel?
    178.   '.REVERSE SF.OT of the AODIE~CE.                   Sude.enly S~OT                 178.
           t.'le GREAT .P..:-IMED KEA!-1 a."'ld sorr.e of his FOLLCiS?.S,
           right in th.e r..ic.dle, happily joining all the ot.~e::s
           in their cor..r.:.c.."'lal response:
                                               AUDIENCE AND TF1E K?"...A;.~
\                           We're r..ad as hell, a..~d we're not
                            going to ta~e this any morel
                                               ANNOUNCER
                            Ladies and gentlemen! T~e Nertto::k
                            Uews Ho.ur 1 · Wi t.'i. Svbil t."'ie Soot.:..i-
                            sayer, Jim We.bbing·a.."'ld h~s It's-
                            the M h....
                               --:::--es-'i"'--     ~· : :'
                                              ... u-1...       ....... ;r 1•.•; s=:r
                                                         ce-ar--en..
                                                                   .L.   t..-   l.,:,.   -

                            Mata Hari, tonicht another se~en~
                            of Vox Populi,          and     sta=:rinc;r --
           MUSl:C:    A FLOURISH OF DRUMS

                                               ANNOUNCER (Conte}
                            -- the mad t:>:roohet of t.11e ,air,.;ays,
                            Howard Beale 1 ..
           MUSIC:      A FULL SYMPHONY ORC.t!ESTRA SOARS INTO A...'l I!-!:?::::'tI;'>.L
           CRESCEilDO --

    179.   -- as the HOUSELIGHTS go to BLACK. The cu=tain 179.
           slowly rises. The ba=a stage, the stained glass
           window, t.11e celestial SHAFT of light. HO~iARD BE::.L:S,
           in his black suit a..~d tie, strides on f::c~ t.~e winss,
           stands basking in t.~e SPOTLIGHT. APPLAUSE UP.

    180.    INT:     P..ACKETT'S OFFIC~                                                       180.
            The r..eeting is still going on.
                                                                                 147
                                                HACKETT
                                 Well, the issue is: shall w,e
                                 kill Howard Beale or not. I'd
                             1
                                 like to hear so:r.e i:c:ore opL"'lions
                             1   en that --
                                                DIANA
-                                % don't
                                 Frank.
                                 bitch ..
                                            see we have a..~y option,
                                            Let 1 s kill the sen of a

         181.     INT:   THE BEALE STUDIO                                       181.
                                        '
                  'l'he APPLAUSE for HOWAP.O BEALE has died. HUSH
                  suddenly, t.11.e HUSH is shattered by a HORRENDOUS
                                          ;..n embroidery of red bullet
                  ENFILADE of GL'"~1F'I?.E.
                  holes perforate HOWA?..0 1 s shirt a.~d jacket, a.~d we
                  might even see t.~e i~pact of a head wou..""!d as he
                  pitches Qackwards dead.
         182.     A BM.lC OF FOUR COLOR TEI.EVIS ION MC!;ITOP.S                 182.

                - It is 7:14 P.M., WEDNESDAY, Julv 9, 1975, and we
                  are watching t.1,.e net'..,.o:-k. news prograr..s en CSS, NBC,
                  ABC a.."'ld U'3S-TV. T:le i.UDIO is O!:f: heacshots of
                  WALTER CRONKITE, JC:-~ C~ANCE!..!.OR, HC'NA..~ K. S!·UTS,
                  HARRY RE~.S0~1ER, anc. JAC?. SNOWDEN, si.:.bsti t~ting for
                  HOWARD BEALZ, inte=spersed wi t..1-i tapes of ~1,.e hcr::-ible
                  happening at traS t..1-ie c.av be:.:or-;, flit a.""!d ::licker
                  across t.~e four televislon screens. Televisic~
                  continues relentlessly en.

                                                NARRATOR ( OVER)
                                 This was t.~e story of Howard 3eale
                                 who was the ne t"..;ork news ancho::ma.."'l.
                                 on OBS-TV, ~,e first knO"..m instance
                                 of a man being killed because he
                                 had lousy ratings.


                                                THE END
    .,
