"NETWORK" (1976)

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 --

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

effective in ~do weeks. The news was broken to him. by Max Schu::iacher --

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 -

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 -- i I .

(c!utcn;ng t.~e co:ner mailbox to keep f roc ' falling) When was this?

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

It's too r.iuch again. The TWO MEN dissolve i.-ito sile:1t wheezing spas~s of laughter --

Ee can't go on.· Be stomps around on the sidewalk. BOWARD clutches the mailbox.

Any bar. Mostly e.Tllpty. MAX and BO""A.RD in a booth, so sodden drunk they are scl:er -

week we ·t.i.rcw some Christians to the licnsl --

They snigger and snort. HOWARD lays his head dcwn on the boot.~•s table and verges on sleep --

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 --

-- where she pauses to look into the bedroc::i, t.h,e door

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 --

-

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 W C R X •

- ONCER AND INTERSPERSED 'WITH C!i.EOITS , a montage 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

rl_ blowups of HOWARD BEALE are procinently displayed.

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,

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

In one then, I'll do a. lead to Ford-~issinge::: -~

'then Yamani?

PRODUCTICN ri.SSISTA..'iT (GIRL) 'l'hat•s forty-five -

HOWARD

?'· -~ What dces that ccme out?

About four-fifty --

Let• s do t.liat in t-...ro -- Rumsfeld -- J.ockefeller -- bu.~0. Now, we using a map going into L.A .. ?

BOWARD J?OurS himself another shot of booze and sips it --

PRODOCTIO~ ASS:rSTA.i."ff Nuclear thing, Nixon-hospital, Ford a:nnesty, Watergate t=:ial --

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:

The wall cloc~ reads: 6:39. Typicai control ro.:::i. A room-length double ban.'<. of televisic1n monitors

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 esidency --

DIRECTOR

•- Lou, kick that littl~ thing shut on ground level --

'l'he shew monitor screen has switched over to show fil~ of Nelson Rockefeller testifying before the Rules Co:nra.ittee -

(murmurs) -- forty seconds -

9 I.

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 -- '

PRODCCTION ASS!STJ\.."-tT -- ten seconds -- •

(back to his rnike) - ten seconds cor:iing to cine --

ROCKEFELLER {ClN HONITCR) -- which, in my opinion -··

BOWARD BEALE's image suddenly flips on-screen

PRODUCTION ASSISTA..~T -- fifteen seconds to ccr.:~ercial "freeze --

DIRECTOR

....

-- head roll --

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 - ,

-

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 --

I HARRY HUNTER 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? --

- PRODUCTION ASSIST;...'lT

(frowning and very puz:led indeed by this divel=sion from the script) -- ten seconds to cor:ir.:ercial freeze --

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 --

l

PRODUCTION' AS.SIST.n!IT (to the OI~CTOR) Howard just said he was going to blow his brains out next ·ruescay.

Pru::lDUCTION ASSISTANT Didn't you hear him? He just said -- .

-

HARRY HUNTE~ What do you mea.T1 Howard j1Jst said he was going to kill himself next Tuesday?

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 -- .

(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

(roaring into the mike) What the fuck's going on, Hciward?

HOWARD {ON MONI'.rOR) I can't hear you --

PRODUCTION ASSIS~:.A.."fr (stop-watching) ,- ten seconds --

HARRY HUNTER

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?

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

~d l4 I The FLOOR M.A.."'lAGER and the ASSCC!ATE f1RODUCER now an ELECTRICIA!? are t:yi.."lg to pull. HOWARDaway frat l his desk and HOWA.:m is t=ying to hit anybody he can with an ineffective right hand haymaker --

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

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 --

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

He sttides into --.

14. ntT : ROOM SO 9 - COMMON ROOM OF NEWS

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 --

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 --

MAX nods, stares at HOWARD

VOIO:: (O.S .) Harryl Joe Sweeney on the phoneJ --

•

_ ..

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 --

HOWARD slowly looks up to ~.AX who is still staring at him. He suddenly smiles broadly at ~LAX and winks.

, MAX (to HARRY HUNTER) You better get hold of Mr. Chaney and Frank Hackett --

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 --

-- 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 --

LOO · .. -~ now'm I going to clear them out, Frank?

SACKETT mur.:'lurs and peels his way into --

HACKE'!'T (to· ARTHUR ZAtJGi-lILL, VP

· office) Is Nelson in there?

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 -

· - 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 --

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 --

A P.R. MAN sticks his head into the <:>ffice--

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.

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

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:

-

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 -- I I BACXETr (mutters) \ Shit - . l ..1.

- 'rIM HALLOWAY

Secretary of State Henry Ki:isi.,ger made .a forceful. address befc:,re the United Nations General Assec.bly --

MAX

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.

- 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 goddamsurp:ises for you too, Sch~~achert I 'Ve had i-:. (MORE)

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 -

( p a

MAX hangs up, stands , g at.":.ers his jacket offchair

,_ ... and heads for the door --

I l MAX If John Wheeler calls, switch hi::l to Screening Rocm. Seven -- \ Be exits -- l I

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 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•-;_

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 --

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 -- .. : . . . :: .

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:

'?he PHON:s BUZZES softly. ~.AX picks it up --

Rcom still dark. ON Scu:EN, NUMBERED WRITE LEADER is rolling down -

black and white , but wait~ 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?

':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 s window --

DIJ\NA You mean, they actually shot this fiL'n while they we.::e rippi."'l.g off the bank?

1i

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?

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.

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. --

The silent fcotage of the frenetic bar.k robbery is still going on in b.g.

29. mT: BOWARD 'S OFFICE 29.

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.

l 21 I

31. nl'r: SCF.EENING ROOH 7 31.

I The show is over, t.~e roc:::1 lights are on. In b.g., DIANA and H2R.RCN stand, mur.:iur to each. ot.1i.er --

- 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.

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, --

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 --

--- ------

(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 --

She and BER.RON cc:itinue on, tw:n into --

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?

O:t.A.i.'&\ I'd like to see t.~e two of you for a moment --

She leads HER...ttOM new into -

'l'he SECRETARY har.ds a sheaf of telephone n:essages to DIANA which she carries with her into --

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

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

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 I A series out of what'? What 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,

We 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.

--------· - ----·-- ----- ---··--·-··-- -----·---·-- ------·-- ------

·- 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 to be 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 I shows. I don t wa.,t ccrlve::.tional programming on this network. I want counter-c,.1lture. ! want anti-establish..~ent.

She closes the door.

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

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 --

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. --

MAX in b. g., stares angrily dc-...-n his rcw towards NC?.!-!;..'..'i

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

-(.AX leaning for..,ard t:"'Jir.g to catch t.~e eye of Em·irlRD 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 --

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 -

RUDOY turns back to t..1le clutch of STOC:{EOLD:::RS a:ot.:.."'l.d him. MAX wheels away in a rage -

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 --

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 --

M1i.X takes off his jacket, throws it on the couc.11, sits behind his desk. sut he's too stear:ed to stay t.~ere

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 --

'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: ,

HARR!! HUNTER All right, cut hi.~ off.

The MONITOR SCREE!Z goes black.

MAX

· Le.ave him on --

BOWARD' s i:.age promptly flicks back on --

Everybody in the control room lcoks to MAX -

~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.--:,.?

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 I who dces know; t."'lat s the God bullshit -

He hangs up. T.:e. PSCTE p::-O~'?tlY RINGS a.gain. Bml'l'ER. s SECRETA.RY picks it up. (BU?iTER is on ·t:..~e phone t.~at

- rang before.)

BUNTER'S SECRST~.RY (to MAX) Mr • .Amundsen for you, Mr. sc:hur.ac!'le::.

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 --

A PHONE RINGS. HUtiT!:R Is SECRETA..~Y picks it up.

HJ'..Rro!' HUNTER Max, this is going out live to sixty-seven affiliates --

A breat.11less and dist:auc;ht YOUllG WOMAN bursts into the control room.

DI.ANA, sitting alone in her office, wa.tching ECWARD BEALE on her office console --

-- as FR;i..NK HACKETT and his assistant, TO~ c..;;azLL,

The TECHNICAL. DIRECTOR taps a button,, a.'"ld the SC?.EEN mercifully gees black.

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

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.

CH.ANEY promptly picks up a cor.ie::.- phone and calls d~..n'i to the Fourteenth Floe:.-.

- 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?

D

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 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)

- 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

I

53. DiT: DI;;.."A S AP A..~T?lE::T - BEDRCOH 53.

DI.ANA, na.~ed, sitting en t.~e edge of her bed i..~ a I dark bedroom, watching HCWARD BEALE 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 --

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?

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

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'll 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 --

· SCHLESINGER The second cne is called The ~~azon Squad --

DD\.t.'lA (studying the overnights) Lady cops?

-- a brilliant arid beautiful young

girl cop fighting the feminist battle en ~~e force --

.. page of t.'li.e Daily :-Te-;.1s)

We're up to our ears in lady cop shows.

··--·---·.

SCHLES'.niGER The next one is another investi-

ti gat.i ve repor~r shew. A c:rJ.sty

I but benign r.:a.""laginq editor who 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

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

lUT: ROOM 520 - THE NE'l't'1ORK NENS RCOl:-1 60. • 1130 A.M.

~x ~':"°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, wire room, typewriters anc: banks-of ~ele-

at,,~_.:":'IOnito::s c::-. t..~e wall. 1\t t.i,.e mor:-:en-c, war.-< has

, ..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::~T 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

·------

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 --

OIAr.'l.lA turning into -

6 2 • _ INT: BAC..'".{ETT' S . OUTER OFFICE 62.

'rhe SECn:E:TARY waves DIANA straight into --

..

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.

: j-- I

can tell you right now t..~at tonight s

\r,;..,::

show will get a 30 share at least. I think we've lucked i~to sor.ething.

DIANA I Yes, I think we should put Beale I bac~ on the ai= tonight and keep I 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.

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

; 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.

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-.,• ..::-u .- ..~A,..,_.-..,,,., ......• ..:. .i. - , ,~T•• .::..... SC''~, cu"""J-V....... ::. - , ,:1 ..... n..;.., T .,.... ::.... ~.... AMONOSE!-I (General Counsel !-1etwork,) :U:lTEUR ZANG·r:i:U.. (VP Standards and Practices,) and JOE cct-r:-IELLY (VP Sales).

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.

BAC'~TT The affiliates will kiss your ass

~ · if you can hand t..1'1e.,u a hit show. ('y(

(stands) All I kr.cw is t.~at this violates every canon of respectable ~road- easting.

CHA?lEY (Contd) I don't fancy myself t.~e president of a. whorehouse.

CB.ANEY sits.

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:

.. 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? --

BOWARD BEAIZ walks in, carrying an 8 x 12 phot::::,graph --

-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)

They both begin wheezing with laughter. MILTON STE!!\!·1AN pokes his head in --

STEINMru-: What the h~ll's so funny? ...

so

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 --

-- 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 --

BO'i-lL of LAOGHT!:":R --

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 -- \ I

' \

McOO?:OUGH Hackett. Char.ey was t."lere, the Legal Affairs guy, and that girl fro~ Prog=amr.li.r.g.

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 I along wit."1 !·1a-...: Schu."':lacher s =ight now. ~..r.d I t~ink !'~ s;ea<ing for Howard Beale and everybc<iy

else down there in News.

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 -

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 --

Where MITZI (MAX'S SECRETARY), at her desk, mur.:turs:

MITZI· He's waiting for you, Mr. Ruddy --

Ha goos into --

(

71. INTt M.t\X S OFFICE 71.

•- And closes the door.

-- . ;.,C· RODDY

Nelson Claney tells me 3eale may actually go en ~he air t..~is evening.

,

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'll 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.

Be opens the door and leaves.

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 -

but. Monday 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 much different tha.'1 he had always been. He scowls,

J···

frat'llls, seems to be cu tte.r i.-:.g --

\.._

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 I and car.::yi:,.g her jadcet: and purse. If we haven 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.

-

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.

' 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.

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)

MAX.

:1. ...,-"' are you?

( ' DI:wn

I watched your six o'clcck news today -- it's straight tabloid. You had a mi~ute and a halt on {MORE)

rest ,of us. All I 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.

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.

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~

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:

Dl:ANA moves back to t..~e desk and crushes her cigaret~e out in the desk tray.

I think I once gave a lect~:e at the University of Missouri.

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~.

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 --

She returns t.~e receiver to its cradle, looks at MAX; their eyes lock.

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 •

MJ\X and DIANA at the end of thei.::' dinner. In.fact, ·MAX is flagging a WAITE:R for t•,..;o coffees, black --

- 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?

··~

greening of ,i!!..r.:ierica, oa.."'l,

'/'-'

remember all t.h.at'.? God, what

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 I since. Don t open any windc-..:s around me because I just might jump out. Arn I_scari."'lg you. of:?

,, 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)

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 I arcuse qui~~ly, consu.tmnate 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.

They s:nile at each other.

-- DIANA

Is your wife in t.:wn?

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 --

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. \..

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?

HOWARD BEALE, fast asleep in his dark, e:cpty, hushed room.

(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.

r

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 --

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.

BOWA?.O listens, sighs, shrugs:

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 Veers off for --

E~ at his typew-ri ter, clicking away. MAX leans in through t~e open doorway --

-

propnet any core.

SO"'l'lruaJ tu.-ns to regard MAX i.'"1 the dcor..;ay wit."l. a sweet adle.

'?his gives MAX pause, to say the least.

,.. 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.

... f';'

MAX

'~ You have heard voices. Swell. -· What kind of voices, Howard?

(MORE)

I MAX (contd) i. Still small voices in ~~e night i or the mighty thunder of Gcd? Boward, you've finally done it. I You've gone over the edge. \ You're nuts. II BOWARD I I have been called. This is my witness, and I must make it.

Be opens the door, goes back L,tc --

- where he stops, tu:ns and wheels back to HOiZA...""qD's office -

BOWARD see.ms not to have heard hi..~, continues peck.i..~9- ·away at his typewriter. MAX scowls, turns, exits --

~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 --

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

his mike. HOWA:im looks out from the sc:een tc his vast audience and says:

talk a little louder. 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'? 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 "

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 --

MAX behind his desk on his phone, chin cupped in his right hand, staring gl\.lr.l.ly at HOWARD on his CONSOLE --

- 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 - "

as. INT: STUDIO - NET"riOR..T{ NEWS ss.

TIGHT SHOT OF HO'Nn..-=to, his voice rising, his eyes glowing with increasing fervor --

DIANA watching EOWARD on her CONSOLE --

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 --

MAX taps out a telephone number on his private li~e --

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 --

where MAX is sitting, waiting on the couch. He stands --

HUNTER does so.

MAX (Contd)

·-

Sit down, Howard. Howard·, I'm taking you off the air. I called your psychiatrist.

,.r;;:: .... behind his desk) ..

What's happening to me, Max, isn't mensurate in psychiatric ter::s.

- 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

·~

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.

--- ..... -- ___ ... _.... -·--

A CRASH OF THUNDER -

~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 --

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 9 3 •

- 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 --

~"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 -- ·

-- and down that to

- 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

·- ·-··-

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.

She moves off.

He slowly sits up.

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 - - . -·- ..

) 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 I So don't tell me you don't know I where he isl

tomorrow, he 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.

,, MriX

(to DIA.~A) And you go along wit.~ t.~is?

Well, let 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.

RACKE:'!'T

.... Greatl We need all the press

we can get.

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 ~-

6:40 P.M.

THUNDER CF.A.SHES -- R.11.!N lashes t..1ie street. l?EDES'?RI:-.NS 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 --

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.

- I

I SECURITY GuAP.D I (an agreeable fellow) I. Sure thing, Mr. Beale.

HOWARD plods off to the elevators.

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 --

PRODUCTION ASS!STA!~T Five sec;onds --

All. this is UNDER and OVER!..APFED by HA.~RY HTJNT.=:R answering a BUZZ· on his phone

....

DIR!:CTOR Get ready to roll her

T

1 Ten seconds corning to one --

Dl'.ANA Tell Snowden if he comes in the studio to let hi.r.l go on.

'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 I speaker s rost::'u..":i, and we are hearir..g t.'i.e VOICE of Edwa:d Douglas in Provo, Uta.~ --

On the SHOW XC::UTOR, Roc.~efeller flips onto the screen to say--·

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

-- 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.

Worse than bad. ·rhev 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 t say anything, just leave us alone • I

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

going to take t.~is any morel

But DIA.~A has already left the control rcon and is scurrying c.own

-- yanking doors open, looki..,g for a phone, which she finds in --

lOl. INT: AN OFFIC:: 101.

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 --

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

BOWA.tm (ON CONSOLE) -- we'll figure out what to do about the depression --

- 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 --

·~ HOWARD {CN CONSOLZ)

- and the in.f la tion and the oil crisis -

G:E:NE...ttAL MA.'iAc;-.c.R. (into phone) Berl:> , so help me , I th.in.if: they' re yelling -- \

- 10S. I 10S. :mT: T.BAC..~~'S OFFIC

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, I you tell t.~ern: t.'lat s ratings! ( e.."<Ul. ts ) Son of a bitch, we st.rue..~ the mother lode l

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 --

take this ar.y more!

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-~,--~(!"!.. _~_.,..,il"!".Ql!l'l4'1114""'""1#A12'.-.a•.....==..us~.,,.epi;,._._.,.__, ______________ ---

BOWARD {ON T'l SET) Right nc-..1.Get up. Go to your window

-

CAROLrnE opens the•windcw ar.d looks out on the 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:

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 --

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

J~ city• s people, SC?..E..';,H.ING together in fu:y, an

indistingui!lh.a.ble tidal roar of htr"'an rage as

:r:-.-

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

him. He clcses his eyes, sighs, t."'.ere s r...othir.q he can do al:Jout it, any ~ore, it's out of his har..ds.

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 -

A towering glass buildi..~g en Santa Monica Boulevard. IDE!rI'IFY.

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.

of coffee),with her West Coast Programming Depa.rt:nent -

-.for what the trade calls I \ pow-wows ar.d confabs wit.'l he.r West Coast progrz::::ming execs -- \ I These a.:e FOOR ME!l and TWO WO!€-l: GLE..'m KOSSOFE' and 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 --

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) 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)

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 --

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 --

Schlesinger, but I don t know if you k..~ow Diana C.~ristenscn --

NO !t.11.A.."i (sinking casually into·

the visitor 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 it 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

( 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

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.

NOR.J.tAN And a shameless steal from a I!:Ovie called "Death Wish."

-

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.

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?

- 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.

-

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.

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?

KOSSOFF. and a SECRET.ARY are ha~ling in chai.rs --

Handshakes, ncds, smiles, everybcdy begins to sit. The SECRETARY goes around taking coffee orders --

\ television, I have to regard this :,,,

askance --

More chairs are brought in. DIA!lA would answer HAY"WCOD

'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 --

A morr~nt of HUSH, in which everybody digests this open- ing statement.

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?

I We open ~~is two-hcu= scecial with

that bank ripoff footage, which is terrific stuf:, and then we tell (MORE)

Everybody looks to LAUREEN HOBBS.

LAUREEN

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. ·

) 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

a b e tt.er society, an-, in 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.

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)

DIANA

I·suppose tha~•s what 1 s called ba~ancad prog:ar::ming~

\. DOWLING Okay --

LAUREEN and WITP.:ERSPOON rise, go up the steps and follow DOWLING into --

- 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 --

- 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 --

'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 --

'l'he Shew Monitor cuts to a beaming A?~rotJNCER --

SHOW MONITOR now shows.pac}_ced AUDIE~CE happily roaring:

'l'he ANNOUNCER bee..~ng away in front of a curtain

Ladies and Gentleir.en1 The Network News Hour! --

·-

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

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.

,.. 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}

( 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• • ~e• 11-· I We'll tell you Kojack always gets the killer, and nobody eve.:- ge~s

cancer in Archie Bunke= 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 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

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.

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..~ .--

A..~OTHER CLOSER ANGLE on the C?..A.IR in t..~e first row that keeps swivelling back and fort.~.

ANOTHER .A.i.'i'GLE closer on the swi velli.."lg C".:.A.IR but still not revealing its occupant.

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.

TIGHT SHOT cf HACKETT, basking in th:i.s praise, suffused ( with pride --

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

I

of the aisle where DI.P-.NA is sitting. Aware of MAX s eyes on her, she tt:=ns her face a bit s 10 t.~at their eyes meet briefly. She smiles, turns back ·to the ?.ABBI'S eulogy --

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,

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 --

'rhey head downtown. They walk silently. SNOW drifts down on them. CANER.A DOLLIES ·.-:ith them.

They walk on silently.

Are you keeping busy?

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? .

Yes, it was.

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.

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.

I don• t know how I feel. I 'u1 grateful I still feel anything. I know I'm obsessed with her.

' 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.

He enfolds her; she sobs on his chest.

Be struggles to testrain his tears. She releases her- self from his embrace~ ·

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 --

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 --

-- where there is no one sitting, and continues out into --

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.

You ca.'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!J131. - 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 --

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

(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 ---

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 ··-

'.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 and MAX getting out of their car and heading for one of t.~e ground-level rooms, MAX u.nlockir.g t.~e door --

They go int:o --

MAX flicks t.~e light on, kicks the dcor shut, a:nd t...~ey

embrace.

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.

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 --

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 --

..

She screams in ~onsurnrnation, sighs a long, deliciously

shuddering sigh, and sinks softly down into MAZ s embrace. For a mor:-.snt, she rests her head on MA.."<:'s chest, eyes closed in feli.'1e content:.:.ent.

- 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 •

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 --

MIGGS and FREDDIZ go up the porch a.'1d in'to -

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 --

Everybody in the living room conferenc1e is stl.ldying 80-page contracts from which one of th1e agents· (WALLIE) is reading --

ill

There is a gen~al excha.~ge of helloes and waves be~~een the phalanxes of AGE~TS -~

(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.

MARY Ah"N GI F:OR~

( screaming in -:on 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

'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. ·

\ ,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.

I WALLIE Page twenty-two, middle of t:.1e page, subsidiary rights (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.

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 it up with the affiliates• e:-::ecutives. and their wives --

CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL

A huge BANNER reading UBS AFFILIATES lS175 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 M.~'"{AG'ER I just want to tell you WE! saw your great stuff this afternco:1, Di -- it was great --

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 --

CLOSER SHOT of CHA.NEY

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

telling you we '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 --

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 --

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 -

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• 1 s h a:::-.. ... o=.- 1·:..g ......:..- , a.."lc.. -t:c•·'""'!'),.., ..-.n..-....., BEALE in his austere black suit trudges out a.."ld explodes --

147. LONG W!DE ANGLE SHOT wi t.1-i TV set in f. g. show-147. 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

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.

REVERSE AC?.OSS TV set with HJ..CKE':T in b .. g •

(volume a bit down)

Well, I 11 tell you who they' I.·e

buying c.c. and A. for. They re buying it for the Saudi-Ara!:,ii=~ Inves t.i".en t Corpora ticn 1 They' re buying it for the A.rabs 1

llS

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 --

HACKETT peers over the shculde:- of a w;\IT.::R to watch the television show

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 --

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 ··-

I

HACKETT, who's seen all t.11.is already, :lsn t even wa:t.::t.- ing. He is sprawled in his chair, eye~; closed, nc..-:-.bed, even serene with despair.

·• want ~~em wading knee-deep in tele-

grams at the t-/11.i te House 1 c.;.at up 1 (MORE)

l20

as hell and I m not going to ta.~e I this any morel I don 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

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 --

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

CHANEY

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

HACKETT stares silently into space.

CHA.'-lEY

Look, could we have the room?

TECHNICIA.'i Sure.

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 --

BACKET-1:' sighs •

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

CHA?tEY Maybe we•re o-verstating Beale's clout with t..~e public.

HACKETT

I me from Ne•.i1 York. It was ten o 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 I morning, t.liey ll be suf foe a i:i...'lg in · telegrams.

HAC.t{ETT They can hold it up. The SEC could

if they wa., t.::d to. I' rn finisced. (!nRE)

HAC:-<ETT (Cont::.) I Any seccnd t..,,,at phone 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)

You• re not ser.:..ously goir.g t.o pull Beale off t.1-le air.

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!

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 o_.;: t e l ev:i.s. ion.' ,,,,..___ a.:· ::...":".pac-:.. .- ca., -be 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 it up --

Be returns t.11e phone to its cradle, re~gards DI;...'-:A for a m:.,t:1ent.

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

0 1

h er d .ing ..~0· 1 "' ··•n... 0D a_ong,1 1.. t .oecc::-:es c 1°_a_ -· ......... _::1• .. :; 0·~·,"l.""\.-...J ~T"\ • 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:

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 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.

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 --

CAMERA DOLLIES to include HOWARD just coming in-to t..':c room.

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

~hey pass into --

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.inge • en t ...'I.. e 43 r d a::-1c. -=-="A -'I...... 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:

• 126

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)

(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.

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.

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 --

finished. It 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)

It 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 --

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)

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 I scree sense into t.i.is lunatic. I I'm sick of arguing with you::: I client, Lew. \

II u;w· · Patience, ·sweetheart, patience ~-- I

acr,qARD

r (agitatec)

I only say what my voices tell me to say.

a thousand voices. We ll get you the best voices in t.~e business! We want you to go back to being crazy, HC"..;ard 1

DIANA throws up her hands in frustration -

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 --

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 •• ~

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 -- ·

DI.Ai.~A, mu=uring into the phone, dcesn't even see= to have heard him. MAX turns away -- \

DIAa.~A clicks the remote control t..~ing on her bed, a.'1d the TV set goes black.

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 --

(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.

(

l33

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

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

Well, what exactly is it you want me to do?

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.

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:. --

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 -- ·

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, • t:n::o-nn,....,= TH'c··-RAV••"1. :..::.. • (s+-...a ........ ions :.e--'"' 1:::>t' ~c:i.s } ; an d .,;-c-- ~ ""C'~•-I.LV1.1 ., ..'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'.?

PELLEG'RI!:O (indicating th.e monitor screen) That's hi."'::l.

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 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 e .. ::..nc..

Apparently it is.

I

I

8:00 l?.M. I

I .

DIA.~A letting herself into her apartment.

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..

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.

1-'.i\X So you 'v-e decided to cancel t."le shew.

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.

and t.'iat 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. ·

DIA.'iA I• m sorry I impugned your coc.~s- manship.

~.AX Hell, Dic...~a, I knew it was over between us weeks ago.

DIA..""1A

Will you go back to your wife7

X go, you 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.

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 --

- 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)

Be slams the valise shut.

you, I 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, it :: oVE~r wi t..11. us • :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)

· 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.

Nobody has anything to say to this.

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 ..:i •• h' ... I wou_ ~esc:i=e. is posi~ion on this as i.nflexi!:Jle. W"'ne::e dces that put us, Diana?

( (holds uo r:.er

sheaf of papers) Do you want r..e to go t.'1--,.rcu9h this?

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 a t en po' itn d·~~i_.ere~-ia ~· l..in shares. I t.."i.ink Joe ought to spel.t it out for us. Joe?

And you would describe M.r. JE:nsen's position on Beale as inflexil)le?

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 ..

Another long conte:nplative silence.

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 •

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 --

-- 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:

-- 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

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.

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?

THACKE P..i'\.Y (mutters to --DONNELLY) Sey, we're not seriously goi~g to kill him, 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 :

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

MUSl:C: A FLOURISH OF DRUMS

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.

The r..eeting is still going on.

1 en that --

- 1

Frank. Let s kill the sen of a bitch ..

' 'l'he APPLAUSE for HOWAP.O BEALE has died. HUSH suddenly, t.11.e HUSH is shattered by a HORRENDOUS ENFILADE of GL'"~1F'I?.E. ;..n embroidery of red bullet

holes perforate HOWA?..0 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.