"ALL THE KING'S MEN" Screenplay by Robert Rossen Based on a novel by Robert Penn Warren SHOOTING DRAFT 1949 Interior: Jack Burden's Desk, The Chronicle, Day Jack Burden is looking over the morning edition of "The Chronicle." He reads the society page. A man enters and leans across his desk. MAN Burden! Jack Burden! The boss wants to see you. He folds his paper, rises, and walks by the presses into Madison's office. Interior: Madison's Office, Day Madison, the city editor, is correcting copy at his desk. MADISON Hey, Jack, ever hear of a fellow called Willie Stark? JACK No. Who'd he shoot? MADISON Oh, county... uh... treasurer, or something like that. JACK What's so special about him? MADISON They say he's an honest man. What I want you to do is to hop into your car... JACK Why, you promised me a vacation. MADISON Well, that can wait. JACK Yeah... but there's a... a girl I know. He opens his newspaper to the society page and shows Madison a photograph of Anne Stanton. MADISON Oh... Well, she can wait too. Jack takes the paper back and looks at it. JACK The question is... can I? MADISON The answer is... get up there. JACK Right. (starts to go) Oh... uh... what did you say his name was? MADISON Who? JACK The fellow's name. MADISON Oh, the... uh... Stark... Willie Stark. Madison goes on with his work. JACK (as he leaves) Willie Stark... DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Kanoma City, Day As Jack Burden's jalopy pulls up before the Kanoma County Courthouse of this back-country, one-street small town. JACK (voice over) I found him in Kanoma City. A typical, hot, dusty, backwoods county seat. He gets out of the car, and notices a crowd of people gathered around a platform in the town square. As he walks over the begins to hear the words that Willie Stark is speaking. WILLIE ...to lie to them in order to line their own dirty pockets with the taxpayers' money. When have the citizens of Kanoma County ever witnessed a campaign like this? Why is the opposition so anxious to defeat me? Why have they used every dirty method known to make sure I'm not elected county treasurer? Well, I'll tell you why... A man in shirt sleeves and suspenders, Tiny Duffy, comes out of the local poolroom, listens for a moment to Willie's speech, and signals to two uniformed men to go over and break up the gathering. Jack Burden stands close to the platform, next to Willie's son, Tom, who waits patiently to distribute handbills. WILLIE ...Because they're afraid of the truth... and the truth is this. They're trying to steal your money. Yeah, I said steal. The county commissioners rejected the bid on the schoolhouse. Why? Well, they'll tell you their reason is the job will be done better. The county commissioners would have you believe that they're interested in public welfare. They're interested in welfare, sure. But it's their own. Let's look at the reason in the light of the facts and the figures. That brick factory is owned by one of the commissioners. That same brick factory uses convict labor. The sheriff and his deputy push through the crowd. SHERIFF Sorry, Willie, you'll have to move on. WILLIE Why? SHERIFF City Ordinance Number One-Oh-Five: more than five people congregating is disturbing the peace. WILLIE (ignores him) If you folks'll be so kind as to read these handbills, my boy will pass them out among you. SHERIFF There's an ordinance against that too. WILLIE (his face grim) Pass 'em out, Tom. The sheriff pushes Tom back, grabbing the handbills out of his hand. Willie jumps down off the platform. WILLIE Let him alone! The sheriff collars Willie, then notices Jack on the platform snapping a picture. SHERIFF (to deputy) Get that camera! Willie, you're under arrest. He takes Willie by the arm and leads him away. The crowd follows them to the courthouse. Tiny Duffy wipes the sweat off his neck and goes back into the poolroom. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Kanoma City Poolroom, Day Two of Duffy's men, Pillsbury and a local commissioner, are playing pool as Jack enters. JACK Where can I find Tiny Duffy? PILLSBURY Right over there, mister. He walks over to Duffy. Some townspeople, who followed him there, gather around him to listen. JACK Uh, they told me I could get my camera back here. DUFFY Who told you that? JACK People. Can I? DUFFY You the reporter that's been snoopin' around town? JACK Are you Tiny Duffy? DUFFY What paper? JACK Chronicle. DUFFY You sure come a long way to stick your nose into other people's business. JACK That's true... Only my boss on the paper can't see it that way. DUFFY It ain't any of his business either. JACK Whose business is it? PILLSBURY Them as is tendin' to it. County commissioners that the voters of Kanoma County elected to tend to their business and not take no buttin' in from nobody. JACK You a commissioner? PILLSBURY Yeah. Name's Pillsbury. Dolph Pillsbury. 2ND COMMISSIONER Me too. I'm a commissioner too. JACK Who isn't a commissioner? DUFFY He's the head man. JACK (to Pillsbury) Then you're in a position to know where -- DUFFY He's in a position to know nothin'. And to say nothin'. JACK I thought you said he was head man? DUFFY (smiling) He uses my head. PILLSBURY (laughing loudly) Oh, Tiny, you're a card... Ain't he a card? Yeah, he's a card... Now, who thought up those city ordinances about arresting someone for making a speech? DUFFY Who's arrested? Nobody's been arrested. (looks toward the door) Hi, Willie. Willie enters, accompanied by the sheriff and his deputy. The others in the room, including Sugar Boy in his bartender's apron, step aside to let him pass through. PILLSBURY Hi, Willie. DUFFY (to Sheriff) Did you apologize to Willie? SHERIFF (mumbles) Yeah, I apologized to Willie. DUFFY Did you give him his handbills back? SHERIFF Yeah, I gave 'em back. DUFFY Give him back his flag and his bag and... (points to Jack) give this man his camera. WILLIE I'm going to be on that same street corner tomorrow, Mr. Duffy. DUFFY You go right ahead, Willie. We all believe in free speech. We got to... it's in the Constitution. WILLIE My boy is out distributing those handbills now. DUFFY It's a free country, Willie. If you can convince the people to vote for you... you go right ahead. WILLIE What did you want to see me about, Mr. Duffy? DUFFY I wanted you to meet a fella came all the way up from the state capital to meet you. A reporter. Wants to write you up... maybe put your picture in the paper. WILLIE (turns to Jack) I'm happy to know you, sir. JACK Burden's my name... Jack Burden. Can we go somewhere where we can talk? DUFFY Now that ain't polite. Don't you want to hear both sides of the story? Jack examines the camera that has just been returned to him. JACK I know your side. (finds the plate missing) What happened to the plate your men took from my camera? DUFFY Must have dropped out. Oh, come on, fellas, let's relax. It's a hot day... Hey, Sugar Boy... SUGAR BOY Yeah? DUFFY Bring some cold beer for the boys. WILLIE None for me, thank you kindly. PILLSBURY Now you know Willie don't drink, Tiny. His wife don't favor drinking. And Willie's the teacher's pet, ain't you, Willie? WILLIE I'll have some orange pop if you don't mind. Duffy roars with laughter. DUFFY Orange pop! All right, Sugar Boy. Bring him some orange pop. SUGAR BOY (stutters) Th-th-the p-p-pop's s-s-sold out. DUFFY Did you hear that, boys? The p-p- pop's s-s-sold out. They all laugh. PILLSBURY Now ain't he a card? WILLIE (his face hard) He stutters, Mr. Duffy, but you... you don't say anything. (to Jack) Let's go, mister. They turn and go out. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Dirt Road, Day Jack is driving Willie home to his farmhouse. They pass a farmer and his family walking by the side of the road. Willie smiles and waves to them. Exterior: Stark Farmhouse, Day As the car pulls into the drive we see Pa Stark in his rocking chair on the porch, and Lucy, who stands at the top of the steps, waiting to welcome Willie. WILLIE (as they go up the steps) This is my wife, Lucy, Mr. Burden. JACK AND LUCY How do you do? WILLIE That's my pa. Jack reaches out to shake his hand. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stark Farmhouse, Night Willie finishes chewing his food, pats his mouth with a napkin, and pushes his plate back. WILLIE Now we'll talk. Camera pulls back to include Jack, Lucy, and Pa, all seated around the dinner table. JACK You've been talking for a long time, Mr. Stark. PAPPY Willie's got a lot to say. LUCY You sleepy, Pappy? You want to have a nap? PAPPY No, I want to hear it. Lucy gets up and turns on a light in the kitchen. LUCY I'm worried about Tom. It's getting dark. He should have been home. WILLIE He's a strong boy. Don't worry about him. He can take care of himself. JACK How old is the boy? WILLIE Fifteen. JACK How long have you been married? WILLIE Nine years. Willie grins at Jack's look of surprise. Lucy comes back into the room. LUCY (laughs) He was a neighbor's boy. They were poor folks. Both died. I couldn't have any children, so... He's a good boy. WILLIE Oh, he's the best. I couldn't love him any more if he was my own flesh and blood. JACK (to Lucy) And now you, Mrs. Stark? LUCY Oh, there isn't very much to tell about me. JACK How did you meet? LUCY I was teaching school and one day a pupil walked in. It was Willie. I couldn't have a grown man in the class and Willie wanted to learn so badly... so I married him. JACK Is that the only reason? LUCY (pressing Willie's arm) Except that I loved him. WILLIE Get the coffee, Lucy. She goes back into the kitchen. JACK When did they fire you, Mrs. Stark? LUCY (as she serves the coffee) A couple of weeks ago. I'd been teaching for a long time and nobody ever said I wasn't all right. But I don't care. I don't want to teach in a schoolhouse that they built just so somebody can steal some money. And Willie doesn't want to be Treasurer, either, if he has to associate with those dishonest people. WILLIE (glumly) I'm going to run. They can't keep me from running. JACK If you don't mind the truth, Mr. Stark, you haven't much of a chance. WILLIE I'm going to run. They're not going to kick me around like I was dirt. LUCY I don't care if Willie loses... just so he gets the truth to the people. Isn't that true, Willie? Willie is silent. Jack looks at him. LUCY Isn't it, Willie? WILLIE Hmmm?... Yeah, yeah, sure, that's right. LUCY Well, if you lose you can give a little more time to studying your law books. JACK Oh, you studying law too? WILLIE By myself, at night. PAPPY Willie's a smart boy. WILLIE If I ever find the time I'm going to take a course at the university. The door opens slowly and Tom comes in from the porch. His clothes are torn and his face is dirty and bloody. He still carries some of the handbills. They rise to their feet and cluster around him. LUCY What happened, Tommy boy? What's the matter? TOM (head down, muttering) I gave out the handbills, Pa. WILLIE Speak up. Speak up. LUCY Let him tell it his own way. Go on, Tommy. TOM This time they were waiting for me. They took them away from me. Threw them in the dirt and beat me up. I brought some of them back. WILLIE (pats him on the back) Good boy. Have you eaten yet, Tom? LUCY Let him wash up first. As Tom and Pappy go into the other room, a rock comes crashing through the front window, shattering the glass. Willie, his face filled with anger, throws open the door and stalks out onto the porch. Jack stands at the door, watching Willie shout into the darkness around him. WILLIE I'm going to run... and you're not going to stop me. I'm gonna run even if I don't get a single vote. FADE OUT FADE IN: Interior: Jack Burden's Desk, Day Jack's fingers type out a story, the last line of which reads "an honest man with courage." He pulls the sheet out and hands it to Madison. JACK Here you are... the last of the Willie Stark articles. Now can I go? MADISON Yes. You've earned your vacation. You've been writing these like you really mean them. Jack rises and walks toward the door. JACK I do. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Ferry To Burden's Landing, Day Jack's car is ferried across the bay to the slip of Burden's Landing. JACK (voice over) I hadn't been home in a long time. Only a hundred and thirty miles from Kanoma City. It was separated from the mainland by a body of water. For the first time I wondered if it wasn't separated by more than that. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Mrs. Burden's Home, Day As Jack arrives, Mrs. Burden and her husband, McEvoy, are seated at a lawn table near the boat landing. JACK Hello, Mother. She runs forward to meet him. MRS. BURDEN Floyd, Jack's home. Oh, he looks fine... doesn't he look fine? (to Jack, coquettishly) How do I look, Jackie boy? JACK You look beautiful, Mother. MRS. BURDEN I've got so many things planned for you... parties and... it'll be just like old times. But first, let's have a drink. MCEVOY Can't that wait until this evening? She goes ahead and pours the drinks. MRS. BURDEN Floyd... honey... my son's home. MCEVOY How long do you plan on staying? JACK (coldly) Two or three weeks. If that's all right with you. MRS. BURDEN I'm sure your father would be -- JACK Stepfather, Mother. MRS. BURDEN (reproachfully) Now, Jackie... here we all are. Floyd, Jackie, myself. (raises her glass for a toast) To the best time we've ever had together. JACK Yes, Mother. They drink. Mrs. Burden gulps hers down avidly. Jack looks at her and then at McEvoy. JACK Excuse me... I... He turns and walks back toward the shore. He boards a small motorboat and heads toward a house that can be seen across the water. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Stanton Home (Burden's Landing), Day As the boat approaches the shore. Adam Stanton reaches down and pulls the boat up on land. He throws his arm around Jack, and the two climb the hill toward Judge Stanton, who stands waiting to greet him. JACK Dr. Stanton, I presume. STANTON (laughing) Is my shingle showing? JUDGE Good to see you, boy. Very good. JACK Good to see you, Judge. How have you been? What have you been doing? They walk back together to the patio tables. JUDGE Oh, just sitting here... waiting for all of you to come home. You know, when a man starts to get old his eyes stray and play funny tricks on him. As I watched you in that boat I thought sure I saw a boy of twelve with a fishing rod in his hands. And I was sure the first thing he'd say would be... Jack catches sight of Anne Stanton walking down the path. He runs to meet her. As they embrace, he looks back at the Judge. JACK Do you mind if I kiss your niece, sir? He kisses her, and they turn and walk away. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Tennis Court (Burden's Landing), Day Anne gracefully returns a ball to Jack, then runs to embrace him at the net. Adam, seated near the court, smiles approvingly. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Gulf (Burden's Landing), Morning Jack and Judge Stanton in a rowboat, on their way to do some duck hunting. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Gulf (Burden's Landing), Day Adam is at the wheel of his sailboat, with Jack and Anne behind him. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stanton Living Room (Burden's Landing), Night A party in the Stanton living room. Adam plays the piano. He plays a waltz. Jack and Anne hold each other tightly as they move among the other couples. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Burden Dining Room, Night A formal dinner, attended by Jack and Anne, Mrs. Burden and McEvoy, Judge Stanton and Adam. Mrs. Burden is proposing a toast. MRS. BURDEN To all the good times we've had together at Burden's Landing. And especially to this one. Because my son's home. JACK Thank you, Mother. Thank you very much. MRS. BURDEN Monty, Anne and I have been discussing Jack's career. What do you think he ought to go in for? Shall he be a lawyer, doctor... Jack looks at Anne. ANNE We were just discussing whether you should... JACK (to his mother) I like what I'm doing, Mother. MCEVOY You do very well at it. I read your articles about this fellow... Willie Stark. Very convincing... Too convincing for my tastes. JACK A lot of people like them. MCEVOY A lot of people are fools. Articles like that shouldn't be permitted. They only tend to incite people. JACK What are you afraid of? STANTON I thought they were very good. I was proud of you, Jack. I was particularly interested in Stark's ideas on health and medicine. You know the conditions at the hospital I work in. They're intolerable. I'd like to meet this Willie Stark. He sounds like an honest man. MCEVOY Honest man? This state is full of these log-cabin Abe Lincolns with price tags on them. The louder he yells the higher his price. JACK You think you can buy anything, don't you? MCEVOY Yes, don't you? There is a silence. Then McEvoy turns to the Judge. MCEVOY What do you think, Judge? JUDGE I think this state could stand a few changes. MCEVOY (his face white) Well, I'll tell you what I think -- ANNE (quickly) Oh, please... let's not talk politics. MRS. BURDEN Anne is right. I absolutely forbid any more of it. I know what we need, we need another toast. (to the Judge) You propose it, Monty... you're so good at it. The Judge picks up his glass and stands up. JUDGE To the young people... to Anne, to Jack, to Adam... To what lies before them. To the world they'll make... in spite of the mistakes we've made. MCEVOY (rising) The mistakes you've made, not me. You're all still pretty high and mighty, aren't you? You all think this state needs a change. You don't like the way it's run. Well, who's going to run it? Willie Stark? The Judge? (to Jack) You? You can be bought too. As a matter of fact you have been. And with my money. Jack's answer is to throw his liquor in his stepfather's face. There is a pause. McEvoy wipes the liquor off with his handkerchief. MCEVOY (slowly) That's a waste of good liquor. (looks at Mrs. Burden) Your mother wouldn't approve. Jack turns and leaves the room. MRS. BURDEN Jack... She hurries after him. Exterior: Veranda, Night As Mrs. Burden comes out after Jack. Anne stands in the doorway. MRS. BURDEN Jack... you go back in and apologize. JACK Apologize? I'd rather die. MRS. BURDEN I've got to live with him. JACK Well, I don't. Neither do you. You don't love him, Mother. You never did. MRS. BURDEN Son, don't spoil anything now... He can help you. JACK I can get along without him. You need this house. And the parties. And the cars and the clothes and the lies. I don't. It's the truth, Mother, face it. For once in your life, face it. Mrs. Burden appeals to Anne. MRS. BURDEN Anne, please... please make him understand. Anne says nothing. Mrs. Burden goes back into the house. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stanton Living Room, Night Anne and Jack sit alone in the room, beneath the portrait of the old Governor Stanton. JACK Anne, Burden's Landing is a place on the moon. It isn't real. It doesn't exist. It's me pretending I live on what I earn. It's my mother trying to keep herself young, and drinking herself old doing it. It's you and Adam living in this house as though your father were still alive. It's an old man like the Judge dreaming of the past... Anne, come away with me. ANNE And do what? JACK (rises impatiently) And live in a shack and eat red beans. Anne, what do you want me to do? ANNE Oh, Jack, Jack, you haven't been sure. You've gone from one thing to the other... a year at law school, and now this job as a reporter... JACK Are you afraid I can't make a living? ANNE Oh, no, Jack, it isn't that. I don't care about the money. It... it's just that I... I want you to be something. JACK What is it you want me to be? ANNE I don't know. It's just that I want you to be... to do... something important. Jack looks up at the portrait of Governor Stanton. JACK Like your father. All right. I'll run for governor. (pause) Anne, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said that. ANNE All right, Jack. I'll go away with you. I'll do anything you want me to do. They kiss. JACK Anne, I've wanted you to say that more than anything in the world, and now that you've said it... Anne, I guess you were right. I'm not sure of anything, including myself. I'm not sure I could live up to the... (looks again at the portrait) Anne, wait for me. Please wait for me. ANNE I'll wait for you. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Madison's Office, Day Madison is at his desk as Jack enters. MADISON Hello, Jack. Cut your vacation short, didn't you? JACK Yeah. MADISON By the way, Jack, the fellow you wrote the articles about... uh... Stark. JACK Yeah? MADISON He lost. JACK Well, I guess that's the end of Willie Stark. He turns around and walks off toward his desk. FADE OUT FADE IN: Interior: Stark Farmhouse, Night Lucy and Willie are seated together at the table. Willie has his law books open before him. WILLIE ...Measure of the damages is caused by... LUCY (prompting) A breach... WILLIE A breach... LUCY Of an agreement... WILLIE Of an agreement... LUCY To sell personal property... WILLIE To sell... (slams the book shut) Oh, two years of this. LUCY (leaning over to him) Oh, go on, Willie, go on. He opens the book again. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Willie's Law Office (Kanoma City), Day Willie positions the framed diploma on the wall. The camera pulls back to show Tom and Lucy, looking on. WILLIE Willie Stark... Bachelor of Law... DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Kanoma City Farm, Day Close shot of Willie, talking to a farmer. WILLIE If you'll just let me take your case... DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Farm, Day Willie walks beside a farmer who is plowing his field. WILLIE Really, I'll wait for my fee. Just as long as you want me to. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Willie's Law Office, Night Through the window, on which is printed "Willie Stark: Attorney at Law," we see Willie, alone, pacing back and forth in his office. LUCY'S VOICE Go on, Willie, go on. WILLIE'S VOICE They're not going to kick me around like I was dirt. LUCY'S VOICE If you lose you can give a little more time studying your law books. WILLIE'S VOICE I'm going to be on that same street corner tomorrow, Mr. Duffy! DUFFY'S VOICE By all means. Free speech, free country, Willie. WILLIE'S VOICE That brick factory is owned by a brother-in-law of one of the commissioners. The county commissioners rejected the low bid on the schoolhouse. Willie crumples a piece of paper in his hand and tosses it against the window. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Schoolhouse (Kanoma City), Day A plaque on the school wall reads KANOMA CITY GRAMMAR SCHOOL Interior: Schoolroom, Day Teacher faces her class. The clanging of a fire bell is heard. TEACHER All right, children, this is a fire drill. The children rise and start to march out of the room in double file. TEACHER Remember now, walk quietly. Exterior: Schoolhouse, Day The children's feet, as they climb down the fire escape. Camera pans past children to an iron rod supporting the fire escape. The brick around the rod starts to crumble and it rips loose. The children scream out in fear and agony. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Cemetery, Day The whole town is there. Willie Stark, Lucy, Tom stand modestly in the background. Quiet sobbing is heard as the minister reads from the Bible. When he finishes the prayer, he walks past the line of mourners, shaking their hands. The ceremony is over. As they start to go, a man spots Willie, goes over to him, and lifts Willie's arm in the air. MAN Oh, Lord, I'm punished for voting against an honest man. This sudden action brings response; women begin to cry and people push their way forward to grab Willie by the hand. VOICES OF THE MOURNERS God bless you, Willie. If we had only listened to you, Willie. You were right, Willie. Let me shake your hand, Willie. We should have listened, Willie. You were right all the time. On Willie's face is the realization that something important has happened to him. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stark Farmhouse, Night An article is pasted in a scrapbook. It reads: "VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS. Recent school tragedy is a potent reminder that a man named Willie Stark..." A hand draws a pencil underneath the name. WILLIE'S VOICE A voice in the wilderness. A man named Willie Stark... Camera pulls back to show Willie at the table busy with his scrapbook. He looks up at Lucy. WILLIE How about that, Lucy, that's me. She looks at him, unsmiling, and sits down to help him clip various articles from other papers. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stark Farmhouse, Night A series of clippings are being pasted in the scrapbook. They read: A. SCHOOL VICTIMS SUE COUNTY: STARK FILES DAMAGE SUIT "Will prove graft cause of tragedy," says Attorney Stark. B. CITIZENS COMMITTEE FORMED Draft Stark to lead fight to rid state of graft. C. CITIZENS COMMITTEE DEMANDS STATE-WIDE INVESTIGATION D. Large photograph of Willie. Under it, the caption: RURAL AREAS IN REVOLT DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Madison's Office, The Chronicle, Day The clippings are spread out on Madison's desk. He looks up at Jack. MADISON Get up there. Get up there fast. Your friend, Willie, is hotter than a firecracker. Jack starts toward the door. MADISON Stay there with him. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Harrison's Political Headquarters (State Capital), Day A politician points to a map on the wall. POLITICIAN Look, before this Kanoma City business we had this whole area tied up. Now we're losing to Hickville. Camera pulls back, revealing the candidate, Harrison, Tiny Duffy, and a woman, Sadie Burke. POLITICIAN We must find a way to split that vote. HARRISON Well, all I know is, the way it is now it looks like I'm not going to win. POLITICIAN I know a way... find a dummy. SADIE Find a dummy. (looks at Harrison) That's what we've got. POLITICIAN A guy from the sticks... strong enough to grab some votes and dumb enough not to ask questions. DUFFY If you want to listen to a boy from the sticks, I know just the guy. They crowd around to listen. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stark Farmhouse, Day Jack sits at the dinner table, with Willie and Lucy. Tom stands next to Willie. Pappy dozes in his chair. JACK No more politics, eh, Willie? WILLIE No, I worked too hard in my time to get there. I think I'll just go on practicing law and make a little more money. JACK The question I'd like to know is, why all the speeches you're making around the countryside? Willie is about to answer when he hears the sound of approaching cars. WILLIE Wonder who that is? He goes to the window, and we see a big black limousine turning into his drive. He opens the door and waits as Sadie, Duffy, Dolph Pillsbury, and other politicians climb the steps to meet him. DUFFY Brought some people all the way up from the state capital just to meet you. (turns to others) Folks, I want you to meet Willie Stark, the next governor of our state. Willie, Lucy, and Tom beam happily. Jack looks skeptically at Sadie, whose only reaction is to smile, politely. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Country Road, Day Close shot of three posters on a billboard. They read ELECT JOE HARRISON (HAPPY JOE) GOVERNOR FOR GOVERNOR ELECT McMURPHY WILLIE STARK FOR GOVERNOR. The camera pans to the road, where an old Model T comes bouncing along. As it passes we see a poster stuck on its back: WILLIE STARK -- GOVERNOR. Exterior: Railroad Station, Day Willie Stark walks out on the platform at the rear of the train and talks to some of the townspeople who have gathered at the station. WILLIE Folks, if you'll just bear patiently with me for a couple of minutes, I'd like to tell you what this state needs. It needs a balanced tax program. Now I'd like to give you the facts and the figures. Some of the townspeople start to move away. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Train, Day As the train pulls away from the station, Willie turns around to Jack. WILLIE How did it sound, Jack? JACK Fine, Willie, fine. WILLIE (alarmed) Say... I forgot to send a telegram to Lucy... Conductor! Jack and Sadie exchange looks. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Train Club Car, Day Willie, jacket off, works over a speech with Duffy as Pillsbury and Sadie look on. WILLIE Now right here... right here I'd like to add something about last year's taxes... eh? DUFFY I wouldn't add a thing. Just give them the facts. PILLSBURY Yeah... and the figures. DUFFY Great speech. Sadie sips her drink. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Street Corner (Upton), Day Willie stands on a platform, next to an American flag, reading from his prepared speech. WILLIE What this state needs is a balanced tax program. Last year, last year the state claimed to have spent on roads... Sadie turns and walks away, no longer able to listen. Jack follows her toward the hotel. Interior: Hotel Lobby (Upton), Day As Jack and Sadie cross the street, enter the lobby, and sit down next to the front window. We can still see Willie and his small street-corner audience in the background. JACK Do you mind if I sit with you, Sadie? SADIE (shrugs) Stand... sit... JACK Thanks... Tell me, what are you on this merry-go-round for? SADIE I take notes. JACK For whom? SADIE For those who pay me. JACK Which is. SADIE People. JACK Smart people. SADIE Oh, yeah. Anybody that pays me is smart. JACK You don't have to be smart to frame a guy like Willie Stark. SADIE No. No, brother, you don't. JACK (lights a cigarette) It is a frame, isn't it? SADIE Why don't you give me a cigarette? JACK (gives her the pack) To split the vote and win the election for Harrison, huh? SADIE If you know, why do you ask? JACK I just want to make sure. SADIE Yeah. JACK Look, why don't you tell the boys back home to save their money. Willie couldn't steal a vote from... from Abe Lincoln in the Cradle of the Confederacy. SADIE I wish the poor... had enough sense to have somebody give him a good greasing for the beating he's going to get. 'Cause this way all he gets out of it is the ride. (looks at Willie through the window) Hey, those speeches! Ain't they awful? Ain't they just plain awful? Question to you: if somebody told him he was a sucker, do you think he'd quit? Willie has just finished his speech and is on his way over to the hotel. JACK I don't know, Sadie. I really don't know. WILLIE (as he comes into the lobby) Did it sound all right, Mr. Burden? JACK Fine, Willie, fine. WILLIE Thanks. He and Jack go upstairs together. Sadie watches them. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Sadie's Hotel Room (Upton), Night Sadie lies on her bed, listening to Willie in the next room, rehearsing one of his speeches. WILLIE'S VOICE Now, friends, if you will bear patiently with me for a few minutes, I'll give you the figures. What we need is a balanced tax program... JACK'S VOICE No, Willie, no. Sadie pulls off a shoe and hurls it at the wall. SADIE What I need is some sleep. Shut up! Interior: Jack's Hotel Room (Upton), Same Time Willie lies on his bed. Jack finishes shaving in the bathroom as he continues to rehearse him. JACK (shouting back at Sadie) Shut up yourself! (goes to bed, shakes Willie) Listen, Willie, try it on your feet this time. WILLIE Oh, no. Wait a minute. My feet are killing me. Let me stay here, huh? JACK All right... Look, Willie, you tell 'em too much. Just tell 'em you're going to soak the fat boys and forget the rest of the tax stuff. WILLIE (pathetically) That's what I say. JACK But it's the way you say it. Willie, make 'em cry. Make 'em laugh, make 'em mad, even mad at you. Stir 'em up and they'll love it and come back for more. But for heaven's sake don't try and improve their minds. WILLIE (suddenly) A man don't have to be governor. JACK (surprised) What? WILLIE A man don't have to be governor. Pause. JACK Well, they haven't counted up the votes yet. WILLIE (quietly) Oh, I'm going to lose, Mr. Burden. I know that. Don't try and fool me. I'm not going to lie to you. I wanted it. I wanted it so badly I stayed up nights thinking about it. A man wants something so badly he gets mixed up in knowing what he wants. It's something inside of you. I would have made a good governor. Better than those other fellows. There is a knock on the door. JACK Come in. WILLIE (almost to himself) A great governor. Sadie enters. She immediately spots the liquor, and pours herself a drink. SADIE Since you won't let me sleep you might at least give me a drink. WILLIE (muttering) Build them highways... greatest system of highways in the country. JACK (to Sadie) Help yourself. WILLIE I'll build schools. SADIE (to Jack) What's up? JACK Nothing... except Willie here has been saying as how he's not going to be governor. SADIE (directly, to Jack) So you told him. JACK I don't tell anyone anything... I just listen. SADIE (goes to Willie) Who told you? WILLIE Told me what? Told me what? SADIE That you're not going to be governor. WILLIE (getting up) Jack! Told me what?... Told me what? Jack says nothing. Sadie gulps down her drink, bangs the empty glass on the bureau top, and turns to face Willie. SADIE (loudly) All right! That you've been framed, you poor sap. Willie looks at her steadily for a moment. WILLIE (quietly) Framed? SADIE And how! Oh, you decoy, you woodenhead decoy! And you let 'em. You let 'em because you thought you were the little lamb of God. But you know what you are? (she waits for his answer; he has none) Well, you're the goat! You are the sacrificial goat! You are a sap... because you let 'em. JACK Sadie! That's enough. SADIE Enough? He didn't even get anything out of it. Oh, they'd have paid you to take a rap like that, but they didn't have to pay a sap like you. Oh, no, you were so full of yourself and hot air, all you wanted was a chance to stand up on your hind legs and make a speech: my friends, what this state needs is a good five-cent cigar. What this state needs is a -- WILLIE (to Jack) Is it true? SADIE (prayerfully, to the ceiling) He wants to know if it's true. WILLIE Is it true? JACK That's what they tell me. There is a long pause. Willie looks almost as if he is going to cry. Sadie pours out another drink, a stiff one. SADIE (handing it to him) Here. Willie drinks it all. JACK Hey, lay off that. You're not used to it. SADIE (jeeringly) He's not used to a lot of things. Are you, Willie? JACK (angrily) Why don't you lay off of him, Sadie? SADIE (ignores Jack) Are you, Willie? Are you? Are you... are you, are you, are you? She shoves the bottle at him. He takes it and pours himself a drink. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Sadie's Hotel Room (Upton), Morning Willie is snoring on the bed. Sadie's coat is thrown over him. She is in the bathroom, applying lipstick. Jack enters. SADIE Hi. JACK Well, things seem to have quieted down. SADIE (laughs) Yeah, I quieted him down. JACK Yeah. How was he? Noisy? SADIE Oh, he reared some. He's been telling me all the things he's going to do. He's going to do big things, this fella. He's going to be President. He's going to kill people with his bare hands. I quieted him down... Hey! Who's Lucy? JACK His wife. SADIE He talks like she's his mammy... she's going to blow his nose for him. Jack sits on the bed next to Willie. JACK Well, I'll take him from here on in. They're waiting for him at the barbecue. Sadie pulls her coat off Willie and goes to the door. SADIE Yeah, well give me a receipt for the body and I'll be on my way. She leaves. Jack bends over Willie, who continues to snore. JACK Hey, Willie, Willie... come on, wake up, Willie. Come on, Willie. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Fairgrounds (Upton), Day A crowd mills about underneath a banner that reads HEAR WILLIE STARK MAMMOTH BARBECUE -- UPTON FAIRGROUNDS Exterior: Fairgrounds, Day Willie, staggering a bit, hung over, reacts painfully to the staggering height of the Ferris wheel. He leans on Jack for support, and they walk on. Exterior: Fairgrounds, Day Willie takes a seat on the children's swing as Jack goes off to get some coffee. Two little girls stare curiously at him. Willie waves them off. Jack returns with the coffee and pours some whisky in it. Willie tips his hand, forcing him to pour more, then gulps his drink down. Exterior: Bandstand (Upton), Day Duffy, Pillsbury, and the other politicians stand on the platform, waiting for Willie. A band plays march music. Duffy goes over to Sadie, who is standing on the steps of the platform. DUFFY Where is he? SADIE (pointing) There he is. Escorted by Jack, Willie approaches the platform and stumbles up the steps past Sadie. SADIE Whoops! DUFFY (to Jack) Is he drunk? JACK Never touches the stuff. Lucy doesn't favor drinkin'. Duffy follows Willie up on the platform. SADIE (to Jack) How'd you get him here? He was out stiff. JACK Hair of the dog that bit him. SADIE Hair? He must have swallowed the dog. On the platform, Duffy looks uneasily at the bleary-eyed Willie. The band suddenly plays a fanfare, and the chairman steps up to the microphone. CHAIRMAN Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce to you that true man of the people, the next governor of the state... Willie Stark. There is scattered applause as Willie steps forward to speak. WILLIE My friends... He turns his face from side to side, and fumbles in the right side of his coat pocket to fish out his speech. WILLIE My friends... I... He tries to focus on the speech, which he clutches before his eyes with both hands. Then he lifts his head, and looks directly at the people who have come to hear him. As he speaks, the camera focuses on the faces of these people: the farmers, workers, hicks, red-necks who are Willie's audience, Willie's people. WILLIE I have a speech here. It's a speech about what this state needs. There's no need in my telling you what this state needs. You are the state and you know what you need... You over there... look at your pants. Have they got holes in the knees? Listen to your stomach. Did you ever hear it rumble from hunger?... And you, what about your crops? Did they ever rot in the field because the road was so bad you couldn't get them to market?... And you. What about your kids? Are they growing up ignorant as dirt, ignorant as you, 'cause there's no school for them?... No, I'm not going to read you any speech. He throws his speech away. Duffy looks alarmed. WILLIE But I am going to tell you a story. It's a funny story... SADIE (from the steps) Hey! WILLIE'S VOICE ...So get ready to laugh. SADIE What's he up to? JACK Shut up! WILLIE Get ready to bust your sides laughing, 'cause it's sure a funny story. It's about a hick... a hick like you, if you please. Yeah, like you. He grew up on the dirt roads and gully washes of a farm. He knew what it was to get up before dawn and get feed and slop and milk before breakfast... and then set out before sunup and walk six miles to a one-room, slab- sided schoolhouse. Oh, this hick knew what it was to be a hick, all right. He figured if he was going to get anything done, he had to do it himself. So he sat up nights and studied books. He studied law because he thought he might be able to change things some... for himself, and for folks like him. Sugar Boy listens intently, sharing in the anger in Willie's speech. WILLIE No, I'm not going to lie to you. He didn't start off thinking about the hicks and all the wonderful things he was going to do for them. No. No, he started off thinking of number one. But something came to him on the way. How he could do nothing for himself without the help of the people. That's what came to him. And it also came to him, with the powerful force of God's own lightning, back in his home country, when a schoolhouse collapsed because it was built of politics... rotten brick. It killed and mangled a dozen kids. But you know that story. The people were his friends because he fought that rotten brick. And some of the politicians down in the city, they knew that... So they rode up to his house in a big, fine, shiny car and said as how they wanted him to run for governor... Jack, electrified, grips Sadie's arm. JACK Sadie, he's wonderful... wonderful... Duffy fidgets as Willie continues to pace and speak, his face filled with conviction, and with fury. WILLIE ...So they told the hick... and he swallowed it. He looked in his heart and he thought in all humility how he'd like to try and change things. He was just a country boy who thought that even the plainest, poorest man can be governor if his fellow citizens find he's got the stuff for the job. Well, those fellows in the striped pants... they saw the hick and they took him in. He points his finger at Duffy, who is coming over to speak to him. DUFFY (low voice) Willie, what are you trying to do? Willie turns on him, roaring. WILLIE There he is! There's your Judas Iscariot. (he pushes Duffy across the platform) Look at him... lickspittle... nose- wiper. Duffy gestures frantically to the band. DUFFY Play! Play! WILLIE (pushing him again) Look at him! DUFFY Play anything. The band starts to play, adding to the pandemonium. Willie shouts above it. WILLIE Look at him! Joe Harrison's dummy! Look at him! DUFFY That's a lie! WILLIE Look at him! Duffy signals to some of his goons standing near the platform. DUFFY Go get him, boys... go get him. Sugar Boy leaps up on the platform, his pistol drawn and pointed at Duffy's men. Willie throws up his arms to silence the crowd. WILLIE Now, shut up! Shut up, all of you. Now, listen to me, you hicks. Yeah, you're hicks too, and they fooled you a thousand times, just like they fooled me. But this time I'm going to fool somebody. I'm going to stay in this race. I'm on my own and I'm out for blood. The camera moves in close on Willie's face. WILLIE Listen to me, you hicks... DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Willie's Speeches, Day and Night A series of close-ups of Willie's face as he shouts and jeers his message, always accompanied by the loud and frenzied cheers of the crowd. Superimposed over his face is the figure of Jack Burden, at his desk, typing out his stories. WILLIE Listen to me and lift up your eyes and look at God's blessed and unflyblown truth... And this is the truth. You're a hick. And nobody ever helped a hick but a hick himself. Loud cheers and yells. WILLIE All right, listen to me... listen to me. I was the hick they were going to use to split the hick vote. But I'm standing right here now on my hind legs... even a dog can learn to do that. Are you standing on your hind legs? Have you learned to do that much yet? Here it is, here it is, you hicks. Nail up anybody who stands in your way! Nail up Joe Harrison! Nail up McMurphy! And if they don't deliver, give me a hammer and I'll do it myself. DISSOLVE TO: NEWSPAPER HEADLINE There is a photograph of Willie and a headline that reads STARK CHANCES BOOMING Superimposed over the newspaper is a shot of a crowd applauding and yelling for Willie. Interior: Joe Harrison's Campaign Headquarters, Night Duffy, Pillsbury, and other aides stand looking at a poster of Willie. POLITICIAN I want his throat cut, from ear to ear. Exterior: Willie's Campaign Montage Rock crashes through a window, knocking down a poster of Willie. Poster being torn off the side of a building. A man is attacked as he tries to distribute leaflets. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Jack Burden's Desk, The Chronicle, Night Jack is working on a story when Madison comes to his desk. MADISON No use going any further, Jack. We aren't printing them any more. JACK I thought the Chronicle line was -- MADISON Divide and conquer? Stark is getting too big for his britches and the hicks are getting too smart. We're now supporting Harrison. JACK (stands up) How do you square that? MADISON I work here. JACK (putting on his coat) Well, I don't... not any more. MADISON Jack, you fool. JACK If you had any guts you'd print this... MADISON I work here. I take orders. JACK I know. You've got a wife and three kids and your boy goes to Princeton. MADISON You won't find it easy to get another job. JACK I'm too rich to work. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Street Outside State Capitol, Day NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READS HARRISON WINS CLOSE RACE STARK SWEEPS RURAL AREAS CITY VOTE DECIDES ELECTION Superimposed over newspaper is a crowd cheering at Harrison's victory parade. Willie, raincoat thrown over his shoulders, looking grim, and Sadie and Sugar Boy are part of that crowd. They turn away and walk toward a bar. Interior: Bar, Day Jack is already at the bar. Willie, Sadie, and Sugar Boy join him there. JACK We didn't do so good. WILLIE Double bourbon. SADIE (sitting next to Jack) Same for me. WILLIE And a beer. (to Jack) I hear you got fired from the paper. JACK You heard wrong, Willie. I quit. WILLIE (passing the beer back to Sugar Boy) You're smart. 'Cause before I'm through with that mob they're not going to have enough money left to pay the boy that cleans the spittoons. JACK How do you feel, Willie? WILLIE I feel fine, fine. You see, Jack, I learned something. Willie and Sadie exchange looks. JACK Yeah... what? Close shot of Willie. WILLIE How to win. FADE OUT FADE IN: Exterior: Road, Day Jack stands on the side of the road, thumbing a ride. JACK (voice over) I didn't see Willie again until his second campaign... four years later. Interior: Office, Night Jack turns in some copy to a man at a desk. JACK (voice over) I drifted from job to job... Exterior: Street, Day Jack and others in front of an employment agency. JACK (voice over) ...That is, whenever I could find one. Interior: Bar, Night Jack, at the bar, looking haggard and disheveled, picks up a newspaper and turns to find a photograph of Anne. The caption reads STANTONS ARRIVE HOME. JACK (voice over) But always further and further away from Anne, and the life at Burden's Landing. Exterior: Street, Day Camera pans with Jack as he trudges along the street. JACK (voice over) But Willie wasn't drifting. He knew where he was going. We see an insert of a newspaper. It has a caricature of Willie, swinging a sledge hammer. The caption reads STARK ATTACKS ADMINISTRATION CHARGES OLD MACHINE STILL CORRUPT JACK (voice over) He had his foot in the door and he kept right on pushing to get in. He had lost the election but he had won the state... and he knew it... and the people knew it. MONTAGE: WILLIE'S LIFE Writing on a fence: THE PEOPLE'S WILL SHOULD BE THE LAW OF THE STATE... WILLIE STARK Painted on a rock: KNOWLEDGE BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE... WILLIE STARK Lettering on a barn: FREE MEDICINE FOR ALL PEOPLE -- NOT AS A CHARITY BUT AS A RIGHT... WILLIE STARK Poster on a building: MY STUDY IS THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE... WILLIE STARK JACK (voice over) They were all hopping on his bandwagon... even Tiny Duffy. Newspaper caricature: it shows Willie on a bandwagon headed for the state capitol. Everyone is trying to climb aboard. Caption is THEY'RE ALL FOR WILLIE NOW. Huge poster on the side of a building: MY STUDY IS THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE. Camera pans up to photograph of Willie on the poster. JACK (voice over) Yep, Willie came back like he said he would. Interior: Willie's Office, Day Willie is being interviewed by a group of reporters. Sugar Boy lounges nearby, leaning against the wall. WILLIE Do you want to know what my platform is? Here it is: I'm going to soak the fat boys and I'm going to spread it thin. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Circus Grounds, Day We see balloons with inscriptions reading "I'm for Willie," and a large banner stretching overhead, saying FREE CIRCUS TODAY -- COMPLIMENTS OF WILLIE STARK. The crowd moves about, gazing at the clowns, animals, the trapeze act. JACK (voice over) Willie was right -- he'd learned how to win... Exterior: Park, Day A truck loaded with beer kegs pulls into the park. On the back of the truck is a sign: BIG STARK RALLY TODAY -- FREE BEER -- FREE FOOD -- EVERYBODY INVITED. Superimposed over this is the image of dollar bills floating through the air. JACK (voice over) He spent a lot of money doing it... an awful lot of money... I was beginning to wonder where he got it from. Montage: Willie's Second Campaign Hand holding check made payable to Willie Stark Campaign Fund... $7000. Willie's hand reaches out and takes it. Hand holding check payable to cash for $5000. Superimposed is Willie, looking on, and his hand endorsing the back of the check. Another check to the Stark Campaign Fund for $3500. Poster of Willie is superimposed. JACK (voice over) There were rumors throughout the state that Willie was making deals with all kinds of people... strange deals... for Willie Stark. Crowd milling about circus grounds, with Willie's poster superimposed. Fireworks exploding. Crowd cheers. JACK (voice over) The second time out, it wasn't a campaign... it was a slaughter. It was Saturday night in a mining town. Huge poster is affixed to the side of a building. It bears Willie's face, and his slogans. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Hotel (State Capital), Day Crowd stands about as Willie and Jack make their way into the hotel. JACK (voice over) He came back and he took me with him. Interior: Hotel Lobby, Day The lobby is packed as Willie, Jack, Sugar Boy, and Pillsbury enter. Willie makes signals to Duffy to tag along with the entourage. Willie leans over to speak to the room clerk. WILLIE This is Jack Burden, a friend of mine. From now on he's going to live here. Give him anything he wants. The group starts up the stairs, past the officers who are standing guard. Duffy stops to speak to one, pointing his finger at some of his men standing below. DUFFY Let these boys through, officer. WILLIE (to Jack) Duffy works for me now. JACK It looks like everybody works for you. They start up the second flight of stairs. WILLIE No. No, not yet. But I want to keep him around. He reminds me of something I never want to forget. Willie stops and looks around at Duffy's men hurrying up the steps. WILLIE (to Duffy) Come on, come on, come on, come on. Are these the boys? DUFFY These are the boys that can get the boys. WILLIE How many do you think we can get? DUFFY Fifty. WILLIE How much? DUFFY Five dollars a head. WILLIE (to Sugar Boy) What do you think, Sugar? Do they look like good boys? SUGAR BOY T-t-they b-b-better be. WILLIE Get a hundred... All right, go on, all of you. Blow. Blow, blow. You too, Duffy. Go on. Duffy and his men turn and go downstairs. WILLIE (to Jack) Handbill distributors. JACK If they all look like them I'd hate not to take one. WILLIE That's the object. Not like when they beat up my boy Tom. JACK How is Tom? WILLIE Oh, he's fine. He starts college in the fall. JACK Oh. And Lucy? Willie's expression changes. He starts up the stairs. WILLIE Fine... fine. Interior: Willie's Campaign Office In Hotel, Day The place is a beehive of activity, with typists and messengers scurrying about, all supervised by Sadie. SADIE Hey, I need a boy... Where's a boy? (boy runs up) Take that downstairs; they're waiting for it. Right away, on the double. (to typist) Listen, baby, you've got to double- space all of this... he can't read, see. The door opens and Willie, Jack, and Sugar Boy come in. JACK Sadie! SADIE (to typist) And they need four copies. (looks up) Hi, Jack. How are you? WILLIE Sadie is my secretary now. (to messenger, trying to squeeze by) Oh, pardon me. As Willie and Jack walk toward adjoining room, Sadie calls out: SADIE Fix your tie, Willie. Interior: Bedroom Hotel Suite, Day Willie and Jack enter from the office. WILLIE Hey, Sugar. Sugar Boy appears in the doorway. Sadie slips by into the room. WILLIE Keep everybody out of here. I want to talk to Jack and Sadie alone. He walks over to Jack, who leans back on the bed. WILLIE From now on you're working for me. JACK Doing what? WILLIE I don't know. Something will turn up, won't it, Sadie? SADIE Yeah. We need a college man around... for research. WILLIE How much did they pay you on that newspaper? JACK Three hundred dollars a month. WILLIE (laughs) I could buy you cheap, couldn't I? JACK For a bag of salt. WILLIE No. No, I don't play that way. I like you, boy. I always have. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you four hundred dollars a month and traveling expenses. JACK You throw money around like it was money. Willie gets up and walks to the window. WILLIE Money?... I don't need money. People give me things. JACK Why? WILLIE Because they believe in me. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Burden's Landing, Day Willie's car is on the ferry crossing the bay to Burden's Landing. Sugar Boy drives the car off the ferry and up the road toward the house. JACK (voice over) I was going home again. But this time it was different. Now I had a feeling that maybe the waiting was over... for me, and for Anne. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stanton Living Room (Burden's Landing), Night Close shot of Willie standing in front of the fireplace, beneath the portrait of Governor Stanton. WILLIE It's a far cry from where I come from... to this house. Camera pulls back. The room is crowded with people, all of them friends of the Stantons. Anne, Adam, Judge Stanton, Mrs. Burden, and McEvoy are part of the audience sitting around the fireplace. Jack stands next to Willie. WILLIE And standing here under the portrait of one of the greatest governors of this state, talking to you people... well, it's an honor I never thought I'd have. JACK Are there any questions? (looks around) Mr. McEvoy. MCEVOY (smiles) No, I have no questions. JACK Judge? JUDGE A few... but it will hold. STANTON I have a question. WILLIE Shoot. STANTON A lot of people in this state have been saying that you've been making deals... some of them with the very groups that you claim you're against. Is that true? JACK Adam, you know how rumors start... WILLIE Yes. Yes, that's true. I have nothing to hide. I'll make a deal with the devil if it'll help me carry out my program. But believe me, there are no strings attached to those deals. STANTON You're sure about that? WILLIE Doc, Jack here has been telling me how you feel about things... how you'd like to see a new hospital built, a hospital that's the biggest and best that money can buy. You want those things, Doc, because, well, because you're a man who wants to do good. Now, I'd like to ask you a question. STANTON Shoot. The guests laugh good-naturedly. WILLIE Do you know what good comes out of? STANTON You tell me, Mr. Stark. WILLIE Out of bad... that's what good comes out of. Because you can't make it out of anything else. You didn't know that, did you? STANTON No, I didn't... There's another question I'd like to ask you. You say there's only bad to start with and the good must come with the bad. Who's to determine what's good and what's bad?... You? WILLIE Why not? STANTON How? WILLIE Why, that's easy. Just... just make it up as you go along. More laughter. Willie smiles and goes on. WILLIE Folks, there's a time to talk and there's a time to act. I think the time to act is right now. And with your support, I not only will win but I will do all of the things I promised. I need your help. Oh, I need it badly. But I'm not going to beg for it. In the name of this state which we love... in the name of the governor in whose house we meet... I demand it. There is immediate applause. Anne is the first to rush over and shake Willie's hand. DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Stanton Home, Night The last of the guests are leaving. Jack and Willie remain with the Judge, Anne, and Adam. WILLIE (to Judge) Well, what do you say, sir? JACK You've got to say yes. With you in the race... JUDGE I'm an old bird... I... WILLIE But a game one. They laugh. WILLIE Look, I'll give you complete power as attorney general. You can do anything you see fit. I'll swing the ax to clear the way for you. Is that a deal? The Judge smiles, then puts out his hand. JUDGE It's a deal. They shake hands. WILLIE Jack, we have to get back to town... a lot to do. (shakes hands with Adam) Dr. Stanton. Jack kisses Anne on the cheek. Anne comes over and shakes Willie's hand. ANNE I'm very glad to have met you. FADE OUT FADE IN: Interior: Hotel Lobby (State Capital), Day People stand before the election return board in the hotel lobby. Camera pulls back, revealing a newspaper picture of Willie, and the headline STARK ELECTED GOVERNOR WILLIE WINS DISSOLVE TO: Exterior: Street Outside Willie's Hotel Balcony, Night A crowd stands below Willie's hotel window, chanting together: CROWD We want Willie! We want Willie! A high angle from the balcony shows Anne, Jack, and Adam in the center of the excited crowd, looking expectantly upward. Some of the people around them are carrying torches. Arc lights play over the dome of the state capitol in the background. In response to the chants, Willie appears on the balcony. With him, standing on the balcony, are Tom and Lucy. The crowd erupts into cheers as he steps outside. WILLIE (raises his hands for silence) This is not a time for speechmaking. I should get on my knees and ask God to give me strength to carry out your will. Loud cheers. Adam watches Anne. She applauds. Willie looks down at the crowd and continues his speech. WILLIE This much I swear to you. These things you shall have. I'm going to build a hospital. The biggest that money can buy... and it will belong to you. That any man, woman, or child who is sick or in pain can go through those doors and know that everything will be done for them that man can do. To heal sickness. To ease pain. Free. Not as a charity, but as a right. And it is your right that every child shall have a complete education. That any man who produces anything can take it to market without paying toll. And no poor man's land or farm can be taxed or taken away from him. And it is the right of the people that they will not be deprived of hope... The crowd applauds, and Willie waves. We see Anne, face aglow, turn to Jack. ANNE Does he mean it, Jack? Does he? STANTON (as he walks away) That's his bribe. Anne and Jack watch Adam as he leaves. FADE OUT FADE IN: Montage: Willie Becomes Governor Willie, Sadie, and Jack leaving their old campaign headquarters. Willie, Sadie, Jack, and others going upstairs in the governor's mansion. The ousted politicians are just packing up and leaving. JACK (voice over) What if it was his bribe! He swept the old gang out of office. What if they hollered like stuck pigs? He jammed through bill after bill and the people got what they wanted. Willie yelling at the legislators during a session. WILLIE I demand that this bill be passed. Nobody's going to tell me how to run this state. Road excavation -- a bulldozer clears away dirt. A huge crane maneuvers over a dam site. Men are seen working on the girders of a large power plant. JACK (voice over) He started to build the roads, the schools, the power dams, to change the face of the state from one end to the other... His methods? Shots of uniformed policemen roughing up citizens. Willie and Sugar Boy move in on a man being held by cops. Willie looks on as Jack thumbs through his little black book. JACK (voice over) Politics is a dirty game... and he played it rough and dirty. Willie's little black book was a record of sin and corruption. And me, Jack Burden? I kept the book and added up the accounts. Willie in a nightclub, surrounded by some show girls. A photographer takes a picture of Willie with a girl balanced on his knee. Willie leads a marching band out onto a football field. JACK (voice over) Clown, show-off, playboy, they yelled at him. Building football stadiums. Fiercely proud of his son who played in them. Shot of Tom in football uniform running across the field with the ball. Willie, in the stands, hugs Lucy. WILLIE Oh, look at him go. He's going to be All-American. Willie makes an inspection of the police. He stops to adjust an officer's tie. JACK (voice over) They said he was building up a private army. But he was building, always building... Sign at building excavation reads HERE ON THIS SITE WILL BE ERECTED THE GOVERNOR STARK HOSPITAL -- "TO HEAL SICKNESS. TO EASE PAIN. FREE. NOT AS A CHARITY -- BUT AS A RIGHT"... WILLIE STARK. JACK (voice over) Always playing up to the crowd. Letting them trample on tradition. Well, tradition needed trampling on. A square dance at the governor's mansion. Willie dances with Anne. JACK (voice over) The crowd loved it... Willie loved it... and so did I. FADE OUT FADE IN: Interior: Executive Office Corridor, Day Jack walks down the corridor on the way to Willie's offices. Interior: Willie's Executive Offices, Day As Jack enters from the corridor, Sadie is coming out of Willie's private office. SADIE (through open door) You low-down, no-good redneck... She slams the door hard. We hear Willie laugh. JACK (to secretary) What goes on here? SECRETARY That's what Sadie wants to know. (she shows Jack newspaper containing photograph of Willie at the nightclub) The boss poses for too many pictures. Jack grins, then walks into Sadie's office. SADIE I'll kill him. JACK Why, Sadie, I'm surprised at you. SADIE I'll kill him. She goes to the door to yell to the secretary. SADIE I hate all women. She slams the door again, and returns to her desk. SADIE Was she pretty? Jack shoves the paper at her. She ignores it. SADIE Was she pretty? JACK If I met her on the street I'd never recognize her. SADIE Was she pretty? JACK How should I know? I wasn't looking at her face... Look, if it's going to cause all this grief, why don't you let him go? SADIE Let him go? I'll kill him. I'll drive him out of this state. JACK Just because a guy's sitting with a couple of girls on his knees in public... SADIE Public or private... I know him. How about what happened in Chicago? That girl on skates... and the time you both went to St. Louis... There's a new invention, you know, Photography and newsreels. Willie Stark in a nightclub... Willie Stark with a blonde. JACK You could always bleach your hair. SADIE I could also break every bone in his neck. After all I've done for him... Now he goes two-timing me. JACK He's been two-timing Lucy. So there's another kind of arithmetic for what he's doing to you. SADIE Lucy? (laughs) If she had her way he'd be back in Kanoma City slopping the hogs right now. And he knows it. He knows what she'd do for him. She had her chance. JACK You seem to think Lucy's on her way out, don't you? SADIE He'll ditch her... Give him time. JACK You ought to know. She slaps his face. JACK Hey, you got the wrong guy. I'm not the hero of this piece. The door to Willie's office bursts open and Willie dashes out. WILLIE All right, come on, both of you. Let's go, hurry it up. They go out through the reception room, pick up Sugar Boy, and head down the corridor. WILLIE Come on. Pillsbury put his hand in the pork barrel and got caught. You know, I never did trust that guy. Some newsmen are waiting on the top landing. NEWSMEN Have you heard about Pillsbury? What do you intend to do about Pillsbury? How about it, Governor? Willie pushes by them. WILLIE Later, boys, later. (to Jack) Say, Jack, go back and get the Judge. Let's get him over to my hotel just as soon as you can. They all hurry after Willie as he rushes down the stairs. Interior: Lobby State Capitol, Day Anne is about to go up the stairs when she meets Willie and the others on the way down. ANNE (to Willie) I waited for you. (she sees Sadie) Hello. (back to Willie) You promised we could... uh... discuss my charity project... Children's home? WILLIE Well, I'm very sorry. Something very important came up. You'll call me later, won't you? ANNE Yes, certainly. SADIE We're late. Anne watches as they cross the lobby and exit. DISSOLVE TO: Interior: Stark's Hotel Suite, Night Close shot of Willie, seated, with his feet propped up on a table. Pillsbury stands before him. Jack, Sadie, Duffy, and Sugar Boy are also in the room. WILLIE Look at you, Pillsbury. Fifty years old, gut-sprung, teeth gone, never had a dime. If the Almighty had intended for you to be rich he'd have taken care of that a long time ago. The idea of you being rich... that's plain blasphemy. Ain't that a fact? Pillsbury doesn't answer. WILLIE Answer me! PILLSBURY Yes. WILLIE Louder, man. Don't mumble. Speak up. Say it's a fact, a blasphemous fact. PILLSBURY It's a fact, a blasphemous fact. Sugar Boy laughs loudly. The phone rings and Sadie picks it up. SADIE Yeah?... Oh, I see. (hangs up) Dumond can't come. He says his wife is sick. WILLIE I don't care if she's dying. Sugar, get the car. Get him and bring him over here. Sugar Boy exists. Willie turns back to Pillsbury. WILLIE Now, you know what you're supposed