"HANNAH AND HER SISTERS" by Woody Allen As the last credit appears, the song ends in a crescendo and the screen fades to total black. Immediately, a new melody begins, an uptempo jazz number, as a title appears on the screen. "God, she's beautiful..." CUT TO: INT. HANNAH'S APARTMENT - NIGHT A full face of Lee, wearing a gray sweater and leaning against the dining room doorway. She gazes into the camera with a half-smile on her face as Elliot speaks over the screen. ELLIOT (V.O.) God, she's beautiful. Lee glances over her shoulder, then turns from the doorway and walks away. The camera follows her, moving across a book-and-photograph-filled bookshelf that obscures her from view as she walks into a crowded, comfortable vestibule. People, some holding drinks, some just entering the apartment, surround her. Everyone is talking at once, carrying on easy, familiar conversation. ELLIOT (V.O.) She's got the prettiest eyes, and she looks so sexy in that sweater. Lee smiles at the various people, exchanging greetings. LEE Hi, how are you? Two more guests enter the apartment; the vestibule is full now. Still walking, Lee lightly hugs one of the children as she continues on her way towards the living room. Elliot's voice, as well as the jazzy music, is heard. ELLIOT (V.O.) I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her... Lee walks into the living room, turning her head back for a moment to talk to the child she has just hugged. ELLIOT (V.O.) ...and tell her how much I love her and take care of her. Stop it, you idiot. She's your wife's sister. But I can't help it. The camera is still moving with Lee as she smiles and stops to chat with her mother. Elliot's voice, as well as the music, continues over the low din of warm conversation. ELLIOT (V.O.) I'm consumed by her. It's been months now. I dream about her. I- I, I think about her at the office. Oh, Lee. (sighing) What am I gonna do? Lee starts to walk off again, finishing her conversation with her mother. She passes several other guests, then turns to greet April, giving her a warm, brief hug. ELLIOT (V.O.) I hear myself mooning over you, and it's disgusting. Before, when she... Elliot's voice-over continues as he is actually seen, standing in a doorway having a conversation with a gesturing, rotund man. Both are holding drinks as Lee, carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres and two drinks, walks between them. The space is very tight; the men hold up their drinks to make room for her. ELLIOT (V.O.) ...squeezed past me in the doorway, and I smelled that perfume on the back of her neck... Elliot watches Lee walk off; the other man, oblivious, continues to talk. Elliot reluctantly returns to the conversation, but he can't help turning his head to gaze at the offscreen Lee as the other man chatters on. ELLIOT (V.O.) ...Jesus, I, I thought I was gonna swoon! Easy... The camera resumes following a smiling Lee. She has just put down the tray and drinks near April, and briskly and obliviously, she walks past a doorway where Elliot, still ruminating, watches her, entranced. ELLIOT (V.O.) You're a dignified financial advisor. It doesn't look good for you to swoon. The camera stays with Elliot, who is still watching the offscreen Lee. In the background, guests continue to chatter warmly with each other. Hannah, carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres, walks up behind the distracted Elliot. HANNAH (nibbling on an hors d'oeuvre) Elliot? Elliot? (rubbing his shoulder) Sweetheart? Elliot returns from his reveries with a start. ELLIOT (turning to Hannah) Mm-hm? HANNAH (pointing to the tray) Have you tried these? These are wonderful. (nibbling, swallowing) Holly and her friend made them. Elliot, taking one of the hors d'oeuvres, starts nibbling as well as he and Hannah walk past the bookshelf into the living room. ELLIOT (swallowing) They're fantastic. HANNAH (overlapping, still eating) Aren't they great? ELLIOT Your sister is an unbelievable cook. HANNAH (swallowing) I know! I know! Elliot and Hannah, eating and talking, walk past a hallway and offscreen as Holly appears, walking down the hallway. She holds a drink and a plate of hors d'oeuvres; she stands at the entrance to the hallway, eating and looking at the offscreen guests. HANNAH (walking offscreen) She has all the cooking talent. ELLIOT (walking offscreen swallowing) No, she doesn't, either. You've got tons as well. HANNAH (offscreen) Ohhh, but I've eaten five of these. Holly, standing in the hallway onscreen, swallows loudly. ELLIOT (offscreen, overlapping Holly) Holly, why don't you open your own restaurant? HOLLY (turning to the offscreen Elliot and Hannah, trying to swallow) Mmm, we practically are. Well... (holding her hand to her mouth) not a restaurant, but... (swallowing) April and I are going to do some catering! HANNAH (offscreen) What? You're kidding! HOLLY (nodding) No, no, we decided! Holly takes a sip of her drink as Hannah and Elliot walk over to her. HANNAH Perfect! HOLLY (nodding and swallowing) Mmm...I mean, we love to cook for our friends, so (gesturing) we thought until an acting job comes through, we could just make some extra money, you know, doing a few private parties. ELLIOT (nodding) Great idea. HANNAH (agreeing) I know. ELLIOT (overlapping Hannah) That's where your talent lies. HOLLY (swallowing and nodding) I know. Holly and Hannah begin to laugh. HOLLY (gesturing to Elliot, still laughing) Get outta here. (to Hannah) Could I speak to you privately? HANNAH Oh, sure. Holly and Hannah walk off; Elliot watches them leave. ELLIOT (calling after them as he nibbles on an hors d'oeuvre) I'm her husband! She tells me anything! CUT TO: INT. HANNAH'S KITCHEN - NIGHT Hannah, licking her fingers, walks past a memo-cluttered refrigerator to the stove as Holly, behind her, begins to speak. The faint sounds of music are still heard. HOLLY Hannah, I have to borrow some more money. (sipping her drink) Don't get upset. HANNAH (stirring some food in a saucepan on the stove) Mmm, I never get upset over that. Mmm? HOLLY This is the last time, I promise. And I'm keeping strict accounts. As Holly talks, sipping her drink, Hannah busily works in the kitchen, which contains a large center table stacked with bowls and plates of food, hanging pots and pans, and general party clutter. She walks on-and-offscreen as she talks and listens to her sister. HANNAH Holly, please. Don't insult me. HOLLY (putting her empty glass and plate down on the table) Someday, I'll pay it all back. HANNAH I know. H-how much do you need? HOLLY Two thousand dollars. Hannah, who'd been mashing some food in a bowl on a nearby counter, hesitates momentarily. She turns to Holly. HANNAH (trying to nod her head casually) Uh-huh. HOLLY (gesturing, her back to the camera) Hannah, I know it's a lot, but my friend April and I, we have this catering idea I think's going to be great. Hannah, licking her fingers, walks past Holly. HOLLY (turning to face Hannah) You admit that we're great cooks, right? HANNAH (nodding, back at the stove now, stirring in a pot) Yeah. HOLLY (putting her hands in her pockets) Well, in order to get started, there's just a few things I have to buy... (gesturing) and some old debts I have outstanding. HANNAH (looking at her sister) Will you just tell me one thing? HOLLY (nodding) Okay. HANNAH Are we talking about cocaine again? HOLLY (shaking her head no) I swear. I swear. We've already got some requests to do a few dinner parties. A timer goes off. Hannah walks past Holly to attend to some food on a different stove. Holly turns to face her. Only Holly is seen as she talks to the offscreen Hannah, the camera moving in closer on her face. As Holly speaks, she distractedly nibbles an hors d'oeuvre. In the background, her parents can be heard singing in the living room. HOLLY I mean, obviously, I'm not going to be a caterer forever, you know. We both still go to auditions. Something could turn up at any moment. But the parties are at night, days are free, I can still take my acting class. I haven't done drugs on a year. Holly pops another hors d'oeuvre into her mouth as the background singing gets louder and the film cuts to: INT. HANNAH'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT The living room is crowded with family and guests sitting comfortably on chairs near the piano, where Evan, Hannah's father, plays "Bewitched" as Hannah's mother, Norma, sits nearby, accompanying him in their duet. A child is sprawled out under a blanket on a sofa; some guests chatter quietly; others drink and eat, listening. EVAN & NORMA (singing) "A whimpering, simpering Child again Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered Am I..." As they continue to sing, the film cuts back to the kitchen, where Lee, carrying some glasses, enters through the doorway. LEE Mom and Dad are floating down memory lane again! Lee walks over to her sisters, putting the glasses down on a counter. Hannah is scooping seeds out of a cantaloupe. Holly, leaning on the table, sips her drink. The music from the living room is softly heard as the three sisters chat comfortably and easily with each other. HANNAH (smiling and turning to Lee) Aah... Hey, have you tried Holly and her friend's shrimp puffs? LEE (nodding to Holly, touching her arm) I think they're fantastic. HANNAH (to Holly) You've outdone yourself. HOLLY (overlapping her sisters, shrugging and smiling) Oh, my God. Thank you. LEE (interrupting, to Hannah) I need an antihistamine. Mom thinks she's feeling her asthma, and so... HANNAH (overlapping) Ohh? HOLLY (overlapping, lighting a cigarette) Uh-oh. LEE (continuing) ...before she starts turning into Camille... (laughing) HOLLY (overlapping) Yeah, Mom's Camille when she gets up in the morning. LEE (turning to Holly) At least she isn't drinking. Did you notice? HOLLY (nodding) Mm-hm. HANNAH (turning to look at her sisters, laughing) Doesn't she look great in that new dress? HOLLY (nodding) Yeah. LEE (nodding) Yeah. The sisters all talk at once; Hannah is still working at the sink. HANNAH Don't you think she does? HOLLY She really does, though. LEE (turning towards the sink) Yeah, she knows it, too, 'cause she's flirting with all the men here. HOLLY (puffing on her cigarette) God. HANNAH (scooping out some cantaloupe seeds) Maybe when she's eighty, she'll stop straightening her garter belt when there's a guy around. HOLLY (to Lee, laughing) I should get a garter belt. LEE (laughing) Yeah. HOLLY (looking down at herself) Get a garter belt... (sipping her drink) Get a garter belt and flirt. LEE (laughing, to Hannah) Where are the antihistamines? HANNAH Oh, I don-- Ask Elliot for that. Uh, he's got them somewhere. LEE (nodding) Okay. Lee leaves the kitchen. Holly, puffing on her cigarette, watches her go. HOLLY (sighing) Frederick didn't come with her. HANNAH (turning to Holly, still working at the sink) When does Frederick ever come with her? HOLLY (whispering intently) Tch. He's such an angry... he's such a depressive. I thought she was moving out! Hannah shakes her head in disapproval while Holly angrily takes another sip of her drink. And the film cuts briefly back to the living room, where Evan is still playing the piano and singing. The camera moves past him and a few guests to Norma, who is enthusiastically singing along, looking at Evan and moving her hands. EVAN & NORMA (singing) "A pill he is But still he is All mine and I'll Keep him until he is Bewitched, a'both--" CUT TO: INT. HANNAH'S DINING ROOM - NIGHT The table is beautifully set for Thanksgiving dinner, complete with candles, flowers, cut crystal, china, and silver. Hannah's children are playing in the room as Hannah enters, carrying a huge roast turkey. Behind her is Holly, carrying a casserole. Hannah's parents can still be heard singing in the background. HANNAH (to the children) Watch out, you guys. Beep-beep! HOLLY (overlapping) Oh, your kids are so adorable. CHILDREN (walking through the doorway) Bye! Bye! HOLLY (putting down her bowl on the table) God, it gets so lonely on the holidays. HANNAH (setting down the turkey on the opposite end of the table) Oh, gosh. Well, you know, that's why I invited Phil Gammage tonight. As the sisters talk, the piano music stops. There's the sound of light applause as Evan begins a new song, faintly heard in the dining room. HOLLY (grimacing, reacting to Hannah) Oh, Hannah! HANNAH (overlapping) It's, uh, you never know-- HOLLY (interrupting, gesturing) He's such a loser! HANNAH He's not a loser at all! HOLLY (shaking her head) Oh, he's such a loser! HANNAH (overlapping, lighting a set of candles on the table) He's the headmaster of Daisy's school. HOLLY Oh, perfect! He reminds me of Ichabod Crane. (moving her hand up and down her throat) His Adam's apple keeps jumping up and down whenever he gets excited. HANNAH (laughing) Listen. He's a lot better than your ex-husband. He's got a good job. (handing a pack of matches to Holly) Would you light those, please? He's- he's-he's not a dope addict or anything. HOLLY (striking a match to light another set of candles) Give me a break. APRIL (offscreen) Am I interrupting... The film cuts to April, standing in the doorway of the dining room and holding a drink. APRIL (continuing) ...any sister talk? HANNAH (offscreen) Mm-mm! HOLLY (offscreen) Come in. The camera moves with April as she walks over to the table, where Hannah and Holly are lighting candles. APRIL Oh, good... HANNAH (overlapping, still offscreen) Come in, come in. APRIL (gesturing) ...because there are no interesting single men at this party! HANNAH (now onscreen) Oh, listen... HOLLY (interrupting, waving out her match) I know. It's terrible! APRIL (shaking her head) I mean, I've looked everywhere. HANNAH (picking at the turkey and gesturing) Maybe April would like Phil. Phil Gammage, the tall guy in there by the piano. Holly groans, looking at her sister, while April sips her drink and nods. APRIL (pointing to herself) Hm-mm. Oh, yeah. I met Phil. HANNAH (looking at April, nodding) Mmm? APRIL He's the--He looks like Ichabod Crane? Hannah screams with laughter as she walks toward the end of the table, past a gleeful Holly, who points her finger at Hannah as she passes. Hannah, still laughing, playfully pushes the accusing finger away. APRIL (laughing with the sisters, gesturing) I love that. That's my type. HANNAH (shaking her head, laughing) I can't believe it! She walks over to a nearby china cabinet. APRIL (nodding and looking at Hannah) No, really, I really like him a lot. HOLLY (overlapping, laughing and gesturing) No, really, we mustn't get discouraged. As Holly continues to tease her sister, Hannah opens a drawer in the cabinet. She takes out two apples decorated with paper turkey heads and tails and hands them to April. HOLLY (fussing at the table) Hannah will invite some men over who don't look like Ichabod Crane. APRIL (overlapping) Mmm. April starts to put the turkey apples on the table. A bemused Hannah takes two more out of the cabinet and places one of them on the table as well. HOLLY (straightening a table setting) Not this Thanksgiving, you know. HANNAH (overlapping, to April, who has just set down her apples) Here. Be careful with those. HOLLY (continuing her teasing, gesturing) Maybe at Christmas, New Year's. If not this New Year's, maybe next New Year's. While Holly is talking, Hannah hands her the last turkey apple, accidentally sticking her with one of the toothpicks that keeps the decorations in place. HOLLY (reacting) Ouch! HANNAH (turning to her sister in surprise) Oh! The film cuts to a short hallway leading to a bathroom in Hannah's apartment. In the foreground is a standing lamp. In the background, Elliot is seen walking inside the bathroom, looking around the room. Light piano music is dimly heard. ELLIOT (searching) Must be here someplace. He walks out of the bathroom, moving down the hallway towards the camera. LEE (offscreen) Oh, you know, I, I love that book you lent me. The Easter Parade? You were right. It had very special meaning for me. ELLIOT How's Frederick? He didn't come. Elliot walks into the bedroom as Lee continues to talk offscreen. The camera, leaving Elliot, moves across the room, past a wall of framed paintings, a headboard and bed, a night table and lamp, revealing Lee. She is flipping through a book by a curtained window. LEE (offscreen) Oh, well, you know Frederick. One of his moods. Although it wasn't a bad week. He (onscreen) uh, sold a picture. ELLIOT (offscreen) Oh, great. The camera stays with Lee as she walks around the room, past another curtained window, a television set, and a rolltop desk. She absently flips through the book as she talks to the offscreen Elliot. LEE Yeah, it was, it was one of his better drawings, a very beautiful nude study. Actually, it was of me. (laughing) It's funny, you know, it's a funny feeling to know you're being hung naked in some stranger's living room. Lee puts the book she's been holding down on the desk, only to pick up another one. She looks at the offscreen Elliot. LEE Well, you can't tell it's me, although-- (pausing) You're turning all red, Elliot. She reacts. The camera moves to a blushing Elliot, following him now as he walks across the room. ELLIOT (laughing self- consciously) Really? So, so, what else? Wh- what are you up to? LEE (offscreen) Oh, I don't know. My unemployment checks are running out. Um, I was thinking of taking some courses at Columbia with the last of my savings. As Lee speaks, Elliot parts a hanging curtain against the wall to reveal a stereo and some records. He looks at the offscreen Lee. ELLIOT Like, uh...? LEE (offscreen) I don't know exactly. As Elliot reaches inside the stereo shelf, grabbing a bottle of antihistamines, the camera moves back to Lee, who sits down on the bed. She is still holding a book. LEE Uh, sociology, psychology maybe. I always thought I might like to work with children. Elliot walks over to Lee; he sits down on a footstool in front of her. ELLIOT (gesturing with the bottle of pills gripped in his hand) Incidentally, I-I always have clients who are furnishing places. Some of them might-might be interested in buying art. Shall I, shall I call you? (chuckling self- consciously) LEE Yeah, sure. (taking the bottle of pills Elliot hands her) You know, uh, Frederick would really by grateful for a sale. She chuckles; Elliot smiles and chuckles with her. HANNAH (offscreen) Hey, you guys? Elliot turns in the direction of his wife's voice. HANNAH (offscreen) Dinner's ready. Hannah, eating a carrot stick, enters the bedroom. The camera stays with her momentarily as she walks towards Elliot and Lee. LEE (offscreen) Oh, great. HANNAH (overlapping) You look so beautiful. LEE (offscreen) Come on. HANNAH (standing by Elliot and Lee) Doesn't she look pretty? LEE I bumped into your... ELLIOT (overlapping, agreeing with Hannah) Yeah. LEE (continuing) ...ex-husband on the street the other day. HANNAH (biting her carrot) Oh, yeah? LEE (gesturing) He was, he's just as crazy as ever. He was on his way to get a blood test. (laughing, Elliot joining in) HANNAH (reacting) God, Mickey's such a hypochondriac. I wonder how he'd handle it if there was ever anything really wrong with him? ELLIOT (standing up) Let's go have dinner, shall we? HANNAH (overlapping) Mmm. LEE (standing up, overlapping) Good idea. CUT TO: INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT Everyone is seated around the table for Thanksgiving dinner. Facing the camera are Holly, Lee, Norma, and Hannah. She sits to the left of Elliot, who's at the head of the table. On his right is Evan; April sits next to him. She and the other guests sit with their backs to the screen. The table overflows with food, floral decorations, and candles. In the background, the children sit at a separate table; a maid serves them turkey. The guests chatter comfortably among themselves as they eat. EVAN (clanking a piece of silverware against his water glass) Now, ladies and gentlemen... HOLLY (making a face) Dad. Evan continues to clank his glass to get everyone's attention. HOLLY Dad... LEE (reacting, to Holly) Oh... HOLLY Dad! EVAN (still clanking) No, now... HOLLY I'm starving! Resigned, Holly puts down her silverware. Lee smothers a laugh. Norma, reacting, glances at Holly and Lee. Everyone knows what's coming. EVAN (clanking away) ...this is a toast! This is a toast. HANNAH (reaching across the table for Evan's wine glass, laughing) Get his wine away. EVAN This is a toast. You know this beautiful Thanksgiving dinner was all... Holly laughs. Lee glances over to her, reacting. Hannah, embarrassed, reacts and sits with her hands on her face. Lee and the rest of the guests put down their silverware. They look at Evan, listening. EVAN ...prepared... by Hannah. Hannah, embarrassed, makes a victory sign. HANNAH (modestly pointing to the maid) Uh, and a little help... Lee and Holly try to suppress their laughter. Norma glares at them. NORMA (to her daughters) Hey! HANNAH (continuing) ...from Mavis, also. Elliot wraps his arm around Hannah; he pulls her towards him affectionately and kisses her on the cheek. She hugs him back. ELLIOT (hugging Hannah) You bet. HANNAH (overlapping, looking down the table while still in Elliot's embrace) Holly and April, thanks for helping. Mavis the maid exits, carrying some trays, as the group starts to cheer and applaud. Holly waves her napkin at April, then holds up her wine glass. EVAN (overlapping the noise) No, you did it. HOLLY (overlapping, toasting her friend) April, April! HANNAH (overlapping, gesturing) I am... I did slave all day. EVAN (overlapping, holding out his wine glass) And we drink to her, and we all congratulate her on her wonderful accomplishment during this last year... her great success in A Doll's House! The group continues to cheer as they all toast Hannah. She reacts, smiling but embarrassed. NORMA (overlapping, laughing) Ya-a-a-a-y! (laughing) I played Nora. I hate to tell you what year... The guests, sipping their wine, quiet down as Norma continues to speak. Lee and Holly unsuccessfully try to contain their laughter. Mavis reenters the dining room to serve more food to the children. NORMA And it's very difficult to behave like Torvald's little chipmunk without making a perfect ass out of yourself! (pausing while the guests laugh heartily) Now I think that Ibsen would have been damn proud of our Hannah! Norma toasts her daughter; everyone follows her. The applause and cheers begin anew. Hannah, reacting, chuckles. APRIL (overlapping the applause and clapping loudly) Speech! Speech! Speech! NORMA (overlapping) Yea-a-a-a-ah! A few guests sip their wine. They all quiet down as Hannah starts her speech, glancing around the table and gesturing. HANNAH (reacting) I don't know about that. Oh, no, I just, see, I-I've been very, very lucky. W-when I had the kids, I decided to stop working and just, you know, devote myself to having the family, and I've been very, very happy (banging her fists lightly on the table) But... I've always secretly hoped that maybe some little gem would come along and tempt me back on the stage... EVAN (nodding) Yeah. HANNAH (overlapping) ...just for a second. So, now I got that out of my system and I can go back to the thing that makes me happiest. Hannah tenderly takes Elliot's hand as she looks around the table. He, in turn, kneads her shoulder, chuckling with equal tenderness. EVAN (chuckling) Oh, bravo! Bravo! Hannah, still embarrassed, looks down at a plate. The group applauds once more, toasting and drinking, and warmly sounding their approval. CUT TO: "We all had a terrific time." Classical string music plays as the film cuts to: EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - NIGHT A taxi moves down Broadway towards the camera, passing a truck on the right, the Winter Garden marquee advertising Cats, and several buildings, and as the taxi moves offscreen, the classical music still playing, the movie cuts to the taxi's backseat. Lee sits by the window, leaning her head in her hand, a reflective look on her face. Her voice is heard over the screen. LEE (V.O.) Is it my imagination, or does Elliot have a little crush on me? (chuckling slightly) It's funny. I've had that thought before. He pays a lot of attention to me all the time, and he blushed tonight when we were alone in the bedroom. I wonder if he and Hannah are happy? It's funny, I... I still feel a little buzz from his flirting. CUT TO: INT. FREDERICK'S LOFT - NIGHT Lee stirs a cup of coffee on the counter of the loft's modern kitchen area; a nearby vase hold flowers. She walks across the loft, with its high ceilings and beige walls, holding her coffee. LEE (to an offscreen Frederick) Want some coffee or tea? FREDERICK (offscreen) No, thank you. Lee continues to walk, past a modern chaise, a bookcase, some sofas, two columns. Lamps hang down from the ceiling. The classical music still plays in the background. Lee stops at a plastic-enclosed work area. Frederick can be seen working at a drawing board on the other side of the clear plastic screen. LEE (stirring her coffee) How about something to eat? FREDERICK No, nothing. The background music stops. LEE Are you sure? FREDERICK Absolutely. LEE (walking around the screen to Frederick) Mmm, what am I gonna do with you? (laughing) As Lee walks over to the drawing board where Frederick is sitting, he is seen intently cleaning some paintbrushes with a rag. Lee stands by him, leaning over the board, and looks directly at him. The table is filled with cans of brushes and artist's equipment. LEE God! (sniffing) And why didn't you come tonight? We all had a terrific time. I really think you would have enjoyed yourself. FREDERICK (not looking at Lee) I'm going through a period of my life where I just can't be around people. (putting down the brushes and wiping his hands with the same rag) I didn't want to wind up abusing anyone. LEE You're not going to abuse them. They're all so sweet. FREDERICK (taking off his glasses) Lee... (pausing, reaching for Lee's hand) you are the only person I can be with... who I really look forward to being with. (pulling Lee to him, around the board) LEE (compliantly) You're too harsh with everyone. You know that, don't you? Frederick and Lee embrace; Lee sighs. FREDERICK (looking into Lee's eyes) Isn't it enough that I can love you? LEE (sighing) Mmm... FREDERICK Hmm? LEE (overlapping) ...you're such a puzzle. (chuckling) So sweet with me and so... contemptuous of everyone else. (sighing) FREDERICK (sniffing) Well, there was a time (sniffing again) when you were very happy to be only with me. You wanted to learn everything about poetry, about music. LEE (nodding) Mm-hm. FREDERICK Have I really taught you everything I have to give? (shakes his head) I don't think so. Lee kisses Frederick twice, then releases him and walks out of the work area. LEE (turning her head in Frederick's direction) Oh, Elliot said he might have a couple of clients for you. Lee walks over to the loft's stereo area, pulling up the sleeves of her sweater as Frederick talks. FREDERICK (offscreen) I'm sure all those morons he handles have a deep feeling for art. Lee picks up a book from the stereo shelf. She leans back against the unit, glancing through its pages. LEE (flipping through the book) MMM (chuckling) you never know. They might. He's just trying to do the nice thing. FREDERICK (offscreen) Because he likes you. LEE (looking up from the book) Me? FREDERICK Yeah. Frederick, leaving his work area, walks past Lee; his hands are in his pockets. FREDERICK (looking at Lee as he goes by) Elliot lusts after you. LEE Based on what? You never even see him. The camera stays with Frederick as he walks into the loft's bedroom area. FREDERICK Based on... whenever you see him, you always come home full of books he's recommended... He sits down at the foot of the bed and starts taking off his shoes. FREDERICK (continuing) ...or films you must see or... (shrugging) LEE (walking over to him) Oh, no, no, no. He's my sister's husband. And I think if you gave him half a chance, you'd like him. He's very intelligent. Lee sits down next to Frederick; he takes her hand. FREDERICK He's a glorified accountant, and he's after you. (kissing Lee's hand) And I prefer to sell my work to people who appreciate it, not to rock stars. (kissing Lee's face) You understand? Lee kisses Frederick back on the cheek. They embrace. Frederick laughs; their embrace gets tighter. LEE (sighing) Ohhh! CUT TO: "The hypochondriac." Upbeat jazz plays in the background and continues as the FILM CUTS TO: INT. TV STUDIO CORRIDOR - NIGHT Metal elevator doors open and Mickey Sachs, a high-powered television producer, walks out, deep in conversation with his assistants, Paul and Larry. As the elevator operator begins to reclose the door with his passengers, Mickey, his assistants fast behind, walks down an office corridor past busy groups of studio personnel. Indistinct conversation, as well as the jazz, is heard in the background as the trio talk. MICKEY (gesturing) What do you mean, they won't let us do the sketch? PAUL Talk to Standards and Practices. They think it's too dirty. The trio pass Mary, another assistant, in conversation with two other co-workers. She holds a clipboard. MICKEY But we showed it to them in rehearsal! Without missing a beat, he takes Mary's wrist and continues walking. MICKEY (to Paul) You know, what'd they do, figure out what the words mean? A foursome now, they briskly walk past a man and a woman going over a script. Mary and Mickey lead; Paul and Larry follow. MARY Mickey, we got a half hour to air! As the group walks through a large doorway, Larry catches up to Mickey. LARRY We're short! The show is five minutes short! The group turns right into a new corridor, briefly off the screen. As they scurry off, their voices are heard. MICKEY How could it be short? We timed everything (offscreen) long. PAUL (offscreen) If we have to... They are all now seen walking down the new corridor towards the camera. The corridor is crowded with busy TV personnel. The group continues to talk frantically as people hurry past them. One man pushes rudely past Mary as he walks; she looks back at him briefly. PAUL (continuing) ...pull out the sketch, then we'll be ten minutes short! MICKEY (gesturing) I don't know how they can do that to us. That's-- We go on in thirty minutes, right? Mary checks her wristwatch as they rush down the corridor. LARRY (squeezing past several passersby) They're doing it because our ratings are low. MICKEY (nervously rubbing his forehead) I got such a migraine. As the group briskly walks past an open door, Gail, another assistant, runs out, brandishing her glasses. GAIL (offscreen) Hey, Mickey! Gail runs in front of the group. Without missing a step, she faces Mickey and walks backwards, gesturing and talking frantically. GAIL Mickey! Listen, we better go right to Ronny's dressing room. This kid must have taken sixteen hundred Quaaludes. I don't think he's going to be able to do the show! The fast-tracking group turns the corner. Gail pats Mickey's back; she gestures in exasperation. MICKEY (gesturing towards heaven) Why me, Lord? What did I-- He is interrupted by Ed Smythe, an official from the Standards and Practices Department, who's been standing in the corridor waiting for Mickey. Mickey stops and shakes Ed's hand as if he'd known the official would be there. Gail stops by his side while the others walk into a background studio doorway that is busy with scurrying personnel. MICKEY You-- (pointing) Standards and Practices? ED Ed Smythe, yes. MICKEY Okay. Why, all of a sudden, is the sketch dirty? (putting his hands on his hips) ED (gesturing) Child molestation is a touchy subject... MICKEY (overlapping, looking at Gail) Could you-- ED (continuing) ...with the affiliates. MICKEY (overlapping and grunting) Read the papers! Half the country's doing it! ED (pointing at Mickey) Yes, but you name names. MICKEY (gesturing) We nev-- We don't name names! (turning to Gail for support, briefly touching her shoulders, then looking back at Ed) We say the Pope. GAIL (gesturing emphatically) We always say the Pope! ED That sketch... MICKEY (overlapping) We-- ED (continuing) ...cannot go on the air. A writer, holding a script, walks out of the background studio, looking around. MICKEY Oh, Je-- WRITER (interrupting, shouting) Hey! Mickey, Gail, and Ed turn towards the writer. WRITER (angrily, slapping his script) Who changed my sketch about the PLO? Mickey and Gail walk over to the angry writer, Ed forgotten with this new crisis. MICKEY (gesturing) I had to make some cuts. It's four lousy lines! WRITER The whole premise is ruined! Mickey, Gail, and the writer start walking down a corridor adjacent to the studio. MICKEY (gesturing, trying to calm the writer down) Oh, you're crazy! It's not so delicate. Everybody's married to every line. The writer reacts angrily. Gail tries to get Mickey's attention as they walk. GAIL (tapping Mickey's shoulder) Mickey, I can-- WRITER (interrupting, angrily gesturing) I don't care! I don't want anyone tampering with my goddamn work without telling me! MICKEY (shrugging) Okay. WRITER (pointing angrily) You want 'em cut?! I'll cut 'em myself! Mickey, still in surprised shock, turns away from the angry writer. He stands by an open dressing room, where Ron, an actor, slouches, dazed, in a chair facing a makeup mirror. People mill in the background behind the actor. MICKEY (shrugging, distracted) All right, all right. (muttering) GAIL (overlapping, trying to get Mickey's attention and gesturing) Mickey, Mickey, listen, listen. MICKEY (distractedly, his mind still on the writer) You know... (muttering as the writer passes him and walks away) GAIL (overlapping, gesturing) In-in-in-instead of the child molestation sketch, why don't we repeat the Cardinal Spellman Ronald Reagan homosexual dance number? MICKEY (still distracted, looking off) No-- RON (overlapping) I don't feel good, Mickey. Mickey, remembering Ron, runs into the dressing room. Gail follows him. Inside, a man and a woman talk, ignoring Ron. They share a drink in a paper cup. The woman looks back at Ron; she gestures with disgust. MICKEY (gesturing) Yeah, wh-- Yeah, what did you do? Swallow a drugstore?! Ron coughs. MICKEY (to Gail) Look at this guy. GAIL (overlapping, touching Ron's chair) Yeah? RON (groaning) I lost my voice. Gail walks around the chair. The camera shows she and Mickey talking to Ron through the reflection in the cluttered makeup mirror. MICKEY (reacting) Oh, Jesus! GAIL (gesturing) Ron... Ronny, you know you do have to go on in twenty-five minutes. Ron sighs. MICKEY (looking around, touching his stomach) Hey, does anybody got a Tagamet? My, my ulcer's starting to kill me! RON (sighing) You want a Quaalude? Mickey, as reflected in the mirror, starts to pace as the MOVIE CUTS TO: EXT. BEVERLY HILLS BOULEVARD - DAY Norman, a Los Angeles TV producer and Mickey's former partner, is driving down a peaceful street lined with palm trees. He's wearing sunglasses and headphones. He clicks his fingers in time to the music only he hears on his Walkman. He's smiling contentedly while Mickey talks over the sun-filled scene. The continuous background jazz plays louder. MICKEY (V.O.) Christ, this show is ruining my health! Meanwhile, my ex-partner moves to California and every stupid show he produces turns out to be a big hit. Brother, what am I gonna do with my life? Speaking of that, I-I... gotta remember to see my ex- wife tomorrow. Tch. CUT TO: INT. HANNAH'S APARTMENT FOYER - DAY As Mickey finishes his ruminations, Hannah is seen walking towards her front door. She opens it, her back to the camera. Mickey stands there holding two boxed gifts. The jazz stops. HANNAH Hi! Hi! MICKEY (overlapping, sniffing) I know... I know. HANNAH Glad you could put in an appearance. MICKEY (gesturing) I got two minutes. HANNAH (overlapping) Very good. Hannah nods as Mickey comes inside. She closes the door behind him. MICKEY (overlapping) I got two minutes. 'Cause, God, the show is killing me. I got a million appointments today. It just so happens it fell this way. Hannah continues to nod patiently, patting Mickey on the back, as they make their way across the foyer into the den, where the twins are playing. Mickey wears his coat. MICKEY I gotta see new comedians later, I've gotta-- HANNAH (interrupting) Two minutes on your sons' birthday. You know, it's not going to kill you. Her voice trails off as Mickey walks over to the twins. MICKEY Happy Birthday, fellas! Happy Birthday! Hannah's twins greet Mickey with cries of "Hi, Daddy!" and indistinct chatter. HANNAH (overlapping their chatter, bending down to talk to her sons) Guys, look what Daddy brought. Presents! Mickey hands a gift to each twin. They grow quiet, suddenly shy. MICKEY (to his sons) Yeah, aren't you like, you know... HANNAH (overlapping) Huh? MICKEY (continuing, holding out his arms) ...a little, uh, hey! A little hug! What is this? Now how 'bout a little action from the kids? The twins put down their gifts, one on the sofa, one on the coffee table, and hug their father. MICKEY (turning to Hannah) How is everything? HANNAH (picking up the gift on the sofa and nodding) Everything's good. Everything's fine. MICKEY (nodding, overlapping) Yeah? Yeah? (pointing) Okay, kids, you can open the presents now. HANNAH (overlapping) Here, you guys. Open them up. Hannah makes room on the coffee table for the gift she is holding; she places it next to the other one. The boys start opening them. MICKEY Let me get a little reaction here. (to Hannah, putting his hands in his pockets) How's Elliot? HANNAH He's fine. MICKEY Yeah? HANNAH (overlapping) Oh, you know what? I'm trying to convince him to produce a play. MICKEY Oh! HANNAH I think he'll find that satisfying. MICKEY (nodding) Really? That'll be terrific for him, I think. HANNAH I think so. MICKEY I like him. I think he's a sweet guy. HANNAH (stroking one of the twins' backs) Yeah. MICKEY The few times that I've met him... (pointing to the baseball mitt twin #1, has taken out of his box) Isn't that a great mitt? TWIN #1 Thank you, Daddy. MICKEY (overlapping to Hannah) 'Cause he's a loser. HANNAH (overlapping, to Twin #1) Ohh! MICKEY (overlapping, gesturing) H-he's so awkward and he's clumsy like me... HANNAH (overlapping, chuckling) I know, I know. MICKEY (overlapping) ...so I, so I like that. I always like an underconfident person... HANNAH (overlapping, touching the mitt and reacting) That's really nice! MICKEY (still rambling on, gesturing to Hannah) ...you know? I, uh... HANNAH (overlapping) You know, he's been wanting a mitt. She helps Twin #2 open his present. It's a football. MICKEY You've always had good taste in husbands, so... HANNAH (chuckling and nodding) Thanks, thanks. MICKEY Mh-hm. HANNAH (leaning down to look at the football) That's a beauty! MICKEY Isn't that great? HANNAH Oh! MICKEY (pointing, to Twin #2) Go right over there. HANNAH Football! Twin #2, panting, runs offscreen to catch the football. MICKEY (to the offscreen twin) Come on! Hurry up! Let's go! HANNAH (looking offscreen at twin #2) Wow! MICKEY (still pointing, gearing up for the pass) Go out, go out by the Sung vase and, and catch this. Mickey throws the football. MICKEY See? (whistling) HANNAH (pointing offscreen) Hey, d-- Watch, watch the picture. There's a sound of breaking glass. Hannah and Mickey react. CUT TO: EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - DAY Mickey is walking up a West Side street, his hands in his coat pockets. Jazz plays in the background as he talks over the screen. MICKEY (V.O.) Gee, Hannah's sweet. Although, sometimes I still do get angry when I think of things. Oh, what the hell. At least, I'm not paying child support. (sighing) Oh, God, I hope there's nothing physically wrong with me, either. Mickey pushes open the outside door of Dr. Abel's office, as the movie cuts to the doctor's consultation room. The doctor is framed in the doorway, looking through a file cabinet. DR. ABEL (taking out Mickey's file) So what's the, uh, problem this time? MICKEY (offscreen) This time I really think I have something. While Mickey answers him offscreen, Dr. Abel turns and walks toward him. The camera follows the doctor's movements from the other side of the wall, obscuring him briefly. It moves across a dark examining-room wall to a second doorway, where Mickey sits on a stool, continuing to talk to the offscreen Dr. Abel. MICKEY (onscreen) I mean, I'm absolutely convinced that-that-- You know, I mean, it's not like that adenoidal thing, you know, where I didn't realize I had them out. Dr. Abel walks back onscreen. Both he and Mickey are now seen through the second doorway. Dr. Abel sniffs and stands directly in front of the sitting Mickey. He stares down at him as Mickey talks. MICKEY (continuing, gesturing) So, so, but it was when I was younger, so-- DR. ABEL (overlapping, interrupting) You know, I saw your father this week about his sinus... MICKEY (folding his arms on his chest) Mm-hm. DR. ABEL (continuing) ...and, uh, he complained of chest pains. MICKEY Well, this guy's the real hypochondriac of the family. I mean, he's, you know, he's-- DR. ABEL (interrupting) You mentioned on the phone that you'd had some dizziness. MICKEY (rubbing his hands on his knees) Yes, a little dizziness, and I think, I think I'm developing a hearing loss in my right ear (poking at his ears and gesturing) ...or my left ear, my, my left... oh, n-n-n-no. No, I'm sorry. It was my right, my right, my right or my left ear. Dr. Abel chuckles. MICKEY (nodding and gesturing) Now I ca-can't remember. DR. ABEL Let's take a look. An uptempo big-band sound is heard as the movie cuts to Mickey's examination, beginning with a close-up of Dr. Abel using an otoscope to examine the ear of a nervous Mickey. Next is a hearing test. The film shows the doctors's hands turning the dials on a sonometer. Mickey sits on a nearby high stool, large earphones on his head. He listens with such concentration that he squints his eyes. He holds up a finger in response to the sounds he hears in his headset. Finally, the film shows Dr. Abel hitting a large turning fork with his finger. He puts the vibrating fork to Mickey's ear. Mickey, looking up at the offscreen doctor's face, nods. The music stops as the film cuts back to Dr. Abel's consultation room. Dr. Abel walks from the examining room, through the consultation room, to a second examining room across the way. He talks to the offscreen Mickey as he walks. DR. ABEL Well, I'm sorry to say you have had a significant drop in the high- decibel range of your right ear. MICKEY (offscreen) Really?! Dr. Abel moves offscreen in the second examining room. The camera stays focused on the doorway to this room as the doctor and Mickey talk offscreen. DR. ABEL (offscreen) Have you been exposed to a loud noise recently, or did you have a virus? MICKEY (offscreen) No, I-I've been perfectly healthy. You know me. Dr. Abel briefly passes by the doorway. MICKEY (offscreen) I always, I-I always imagine that I have things. DR. ABEL (offscreen) When did you first notice this? MICKEY (offscreen) Oh, uh, about a month ago. Wha- what do I have? Looking preoccupied, Dr. Abel walks back into the consultation room, holding Mickey's open file. He strides over to his desk, revealing a frightened Mickey, sitting in a chair opposite it. Still standing, the doctor leans over the desk, his back to the camera, and makes a few notes in the file. DR. ABEL You've had some dizzy spells. (sighing) What about ringing and buzzing? Have you, uh, noticed any of that? MICKEY (gesturing) Yes, now-now that you mention it, uh, I-I-I have, uh, buzzing and also ringing. Ringing and buzzing. Um, am I going deaf, or something? DR. ABEL (making more notes in the file) And it's just in one ear? MICKEY (picking at his fingers) Yes, is it, is it, uh, healthier to have problems in both ears? Dr. Abel chuckles as he closes Mickey's file and straightens up. The camera looks past his back and shoulders to the anxious Mickey. DR. ABEL (his face offscreen) What I'd like to do, is to make an appointment for you at the hospital. I'd like to have them run some tests. MICKEY The hospital? What kind of tests? Dr. Abel lays his pen across Mickey's closed file. He walks around his desk and sits on its edge close to Mickey. DR. ABEL (sighing) Now, don't get alarmed. These are just more sophisticated audiometry tests than I can run here. (gesturing) I mean, it's, it's nothing. MICKEY (gesturing) Well, if it's nothing, then why do I have to go into the hospital at all? I mean, uh, I hear perfectly fine, so I'm, so I'm a little weak on the, on the high decibels. So I, you know, I won't go to the opera. DR. ABEL (sniffing) You know, there's no reason for panic. I just want to rule out some things. MICKEY Like what? DR. ABEL (shaking his head) It's nothing. Will you trust me? CUT TO: EXT. STREET CORNER - DAY Mickey stands in a telephone booth on a corner near Dr. Abel's office; he talks on the phone. It is raining. A man and a woman holding an umbrella pass by; traffic moves across a nearby intersection. MICKEY (into the telephone) Huh, uh, hello, Dr. Wilkes? Dr. Wilkes, this is Mickey Sachs. You have a minute? I want to ask you a question. The film cuts to Dr. Wilkes, on the telephone at his end. He is in his office; he leans back in his chair, dangling his stethoscope as he speaks. Behind him, a chest X-ray is mounted on a light panel. DR. WILKES (into the telephone) Sure, Mickey. What's up? The movie cuts back and forth between Mickey in his phone booth asking questions and Dr. Wilkes in his office answering them. MICKEY (into the telephone, gesturing) I-if you have, i-if you have a hearing loss in one ear, and-and it's not from a, uh, virus or a loud noise or anything, wh-what are the possibilities? DR. WILKES (into his telephone) Anything. Uh, often it's hereditary. Flu, uh, even a small noise will do it. MICKEY (into the telephone) Uh, right, but-but nothing worse? DR. WILKES (into the telephone) Well, yes, I guess the, uh, dark side of the spectrum is a brain tumor. MICKEY (into the telephone, reacting with a blank stare) Really? CUT TO: INT. MICKEY'S OFFICE - NIGHT Gail, wearing her glasses, stands behind a crowded but well- ordered desk. Two assistants, a man and a woman, stand around her. GAIL (handing them each some pages of script) Okay, so here's the new pages. WOMAN (looking over the pages) Say, did cards get these? GAIL (scratching her head) No, not yet. No. MAN (looking over his pages) Well, let's hope it's good. GAIL Yeah, really. Really. The assistants walk off. As they leave, Gail calls out after them. GAIL Eh, we'll be down in a minute, okay? The telephone starts to ring, Gail pauses, looking offscreen. She takes off her glasses and squints. GAIL Mickey, what's the matter with you? You're all white! The film cuts to Mickey, who is pacing and wringing his hands. He walks over to Gail. The phone continues to ring. MICKEY I feel dizzy. Sshh, you know, I don't feel well. He starts to pant, looking worriedly around the room. He continues to wring his hands as Gail stares at him, concerned. MICKEY Do you hear a ringing? Is there, is there a, is there a ringing sound? (sighing) GAIL (gesturing) Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I hear, I hear it. She sits down and picks up the phone. MICKEY (shaking his head) N-n-no, not that. GAIL (overlapping, into the telephone) Hello? MICKEY (covering first one ear, then the other, continuing) Like-- (putting a finger into his ear, closing his eyes and listening) GAIL (into the telephone) Uh, yeah, yeah. We're going to be working late tonight. N-no, we'll order out. It's all right. Yeah. Gail hangs up the phone. MICKEY (turning to Gail, gesturing nervously) Sssss, if I have a brain tumor, I don't know what I'm gonna do. (sighing) GAIL You don't have a brain tumor. He didn't say you had a brain tumor. MICKEY (sighing) No, naturally (gesturing) they're not gonna tell you, because, well, you know, th--, sometimes the weaker ones will panic if you tell 'em. GAIL (pointing a finger at Mickey) But not you. MICKEY (flinging up his arms, sighing) Oh, God! (looking around worriedly and touching Gail's shoulder) Do you hear a buzzing? Is there a buzzing? He pants and begins to pace around the room. The camera follows him as he walks away from Gail. GAIL (impatiently) Mickey, come on, we got a show to do! MICKEY (pacing) I can't keep my mind on the show. GAIL (offscreen) But there's nothing wrong with you. MICKEY (sighing and gesturing) If there's nothing wrong with me (pacing back to the desk and Gail) then why does he want me to come back for tests?! GAIL (gesturing) Well, he has to rule out certain things. (sighing) MICKEY Like what?! What? GAIL (shrugging) I don't know. Cancer, I-- MICKEY (interrupting) Don't say that! I don't want to hear that word! (gesturing) Don't mention that while I'm in the building. GAIL (gesturing) But you don't have any symptoms! MICKEY (gesturing) You--I got the classic symptoms of a brain tumor! Mickey sighs. GAIL Two months ago, you thought you had a malignant melanoma. MICKEY (gesturing) Naturally, I, I--Do you know I--The sudden appearance of a black spot on my back! GAIL It was on your shirt! MICKEY (sighing) I--How was I to know?! (pointing to his back) Everyone was pointing back here. He sighs again as Gail, frustrated, gestures impatiently to the papers on the desk. GAIL Come on, we've got to make some booking decisions. Mickey begins pacing around the room again. He wrings his hands and blows on them. MICKEY I can't. I can't think of it. This morning, I was so happy, you know. Now I, I don't know what went wrong. (sighing) GAIL Eh, you were miserable this morning! We got bad reviews, terrible ratings, the sponsors are furious... MICKEY (pacing back to the desk, still wringing his hands) No, I was happy, but I just didn't realize I was happy. CUT TO: "The Stanislavski Catering Company in action." Sophisticated pop music plays as the film cuts to: INT. LOFT - DAY An abstract painting on a wall fills the screen. Light laughter is heard, as well as the sophisticated music; offscreen brunch guests chatter indistinctly. FEMALE BRUNCH GUEST (offscreen) These things are delicious! What in the world are they? Holly walks onto the screen in front of the painting. She holds an almost empty tray of hors d'oeuvres; she wears a uniform. HOLLY Oh, um, those are quail eggs. FEMALE BRUNCH GUEST (offscreen) Oh, they're very good. Holly walks past the painting towards the female brunch guest. A man walks in front of her. Chatter, light laughter, and music are still heard; a party is in progress. HOLLY (nodding) Yeah, my friend April makes those. (holding out the tray) Here, try the shrimp puffs. These are delicious. FEMALE BRUNCH GUEST (taking one from the tray) Oh, thank you. That looks great. HOLLY I make those. FEMALE BRUNCH GUEST Mmm. Thanks. Holly laughs lightly as she walks away from the woman. Holding her tray, she passes a large oval loft window and several clusters of brunch guests. They are eating and drinking. No one pays any attention to her. HOLLY (to two male guests in her way) Excuse me. One of the men, murmuring his thanks, takes a last shrimp puff as Holly passes. HOLLY (to the man) Thank you. Holly finally makes her way into the cluttered loft kitchen. Her tray is empty. APRIL (offscreen) The Stroganoff is ready. Holly, excited, runs over to April, who is busy taking the Stroganoff out of the oven. She wears the same uniform as Holly: black skirt, white shirt, and black bowtie. HOLLY (animatedly) We're a big hit. APRIL Oh, in this we're a big hit. Yesterday I auditioned for Come Back Little Sheba. That, I wasn't such a big hit. April, holding the Stroganoff, dashes out of the kitchen to serve the party guests. Holly calls after her, offscreen, as David walks past the hurrying April into the kitchen. HOLLY (offscreen) You will be. You will be. You'll get five jobs next week. David walks over to Holly, who is busy at the pot-and-pan- covered stove. DAVID (to Holly) Excuse me, are there any more clams? HOLLY (gesturing at some canapés warming on the stove) Only a few. A few. (chuckling as David takes one) Do you like 'em? DAVID I can't resist. HOLLY (busily working at the stove) Really? How flattering! Did you try the shrimp puffs? DAVID (eating a canapé and pointing at Holly) Listen, you guys are too attractive to be caterers. Something's wrong. HOLLY We're actresses. DAVID Is this your first job? HOLLY (grabbing a quiche from an overhead stove) Really? Is the food that bad? DAVID (shaking his head) Oh no. Not at all. As Holly carries the quiche outside to the party, April comes back into the kitchen from another doorway. Music, as well as the chatter of mingling guests, is heard in the background. APRIL We need more bread and some baked lasa-- (realizing Holly isn't there and, at the same time, noticing David) uh, lasagne. (turning to David) Hi. DAVID (standing by the sink as he wipes his hands and mouth with a napkin) I know. You're an actress with a great flair for shrimp puffs. APRIL (working at the stove, pointing a finger for emphasis) Uh, no, the shrimp puffs are Holly's. I do the, uh, crêpes caviar. She walks past David to a counter where she begins to fold napkins. David leans back against the sink. DAVID And the quail is responsible for the quail eggs. APRIL (turning to David and chuckling) Well, let's hope so. Holly enters the kitchen holding out a plate of clams. She walks over to David. HOLLY Here, I stole you a couple of extra clams. DAVID (taking the plate) Ah! HOLLY (looking busily around the room) Now. DAVID (overlapping, gesturing) Incidentally, I'm David Tolchin. APRIL (turning to David) Oh, uh, April Knox. Hi. They shake hands. DAVID (looking at her) Hi. APRIL (leaving the counter and squeezing past David and Holly) Oh. HOLLY (overlapping, moving out of April's way) I'm sorry. April walks offscreen to another area of the kitchen. Holly picks up a napkin from the crowded table. DAVID (overlapping Holly's apology, turning to her) You're Holly. HOLLY (nodding, looking at David as she wipes her hands with the napkin) Yeah, we're the Stanislavski Catering Company. DAVID (chewing on a clam canapé) Now I'm going to tell you the truth. I really came in here because I was bored stiff by the party. HOLLY (laughing, still wiping her hands) What makes you think we're more interesting? David walks around the table, putting the plate of clams down on the already crowded surface. Holly follows him, chuckling, throwing her napkin into an offscreen garbage can as David stops at a small television set near the doorway. Guests in the other room can be seen chatting together in clusters. DAVID (turning on the set) Actually, I'm going to listen to Aida, if I'm not getting in your way. Canned laughter and miscellaneous chatter is heard from the television set. David watches the set, still munching on a clam, while Holly and April reassure him offscreen. APRIL (offscreen) No... no. No-- (sniffing) HOLLY (offscreen, overlapping) Not at all. David checks his wristwatch as Holly walks over to him. HOLLY (gesturing, fiddling with another napkin) We saw, um, Pavarotti, eh, uh, in Ernani at the Met, and I cried... DAVID (nodding, his hand still on his watch as he looks at Holly) I cry at the opera. APRIL (offscreen) Oh, I-I-I go limp in the last scene in La Traviata. Limp. Holly chuckles as David, listening to April, impressed, walks over to her. She is standing by the table. DAVID (nodding, to April) Me, too. I have a private box at the Met. (gesturing) I bring my little bottle of wine, I open it, I sit there and I watch and (glancing over to the offscreen Holly) I cry. It's disgusting. April chuckles as Holly walks back onscreen; she is busy preparing another tray of hors d'oeuvres. HOLLY (gesturing) Oh, what, what do you do? DAVID (nodding) I'm an architect. APRIL Wha-- (turning to glance at Holly) What kind of things do you build? DAVID Are you really interested? APRIL Yeah. HOLLY (nodding) Yeah. DAVID What time do you get off? The three exchange glances. Holly shrugs. CUT TO: EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - DAY A contemporary red building, designed by David, is seen, squeezed in between two older buildings. Holly, April, and David talk offscreen. HOLLY (offscreen) Wow, it's the red one? APRIL (offscreen) Oh, it's magnificent! DAVID (offscreen) Yeah. HOLLY (offscreen) It's terrific! The film moves down from the buildings to reveal the trio sitting in David's Jaguar across the street. David and April sit in the front seat; Holly sits scrunched up in back, her head slightly forward. DAVID (gesturing, looking back and forth from the buildings to Holly and April) The design's deliberately noncontextural. But I wanted to... keep the atmosphere of the street, you know, and the proportions. HOLLY (nodding) Uh-huh. DAVID And in the material. That's... that's unpolished red granite. (pausing as he watches Holly and April's reaction) HOLLY Oh! APRIL (overlapping) Oh, is that what it is? HOLLY (starting to speak) Uh-- APRIL (interrupting, nodding at Holly) I-i-it has an o-organic quality, you know. HOLLY (nodding, overlapping) Right. APRIL (looking back at the building with reverence) It's almost... almost, uhhh, entirely wholly interdependent, if you know what I mean. I-I... I can't put it into words. The important thing is- is-is it-it breathes. DAVID (turning to April, emphatically) You know, April, people pass by vital structures in this city all the time, and they never take the time to appreciate them. I get the feeling you tune in to your environment. APRIL (shaking her head) Oh-- HOLLY (interrupting, gesturing and nodding) Oh, it's really important. David turns and briefly glances at Holly; he then turns back to April. APRIL (looking only at David) What are your favorite buildings, David? DAVID You want to see some? APRIL (nodding) Oh, yeah. DAVID Well, let's do it. APRIL (looking at David) Great. David starts the car and the movie cuts to an unfolding visual excursion through New York City's landmark buildings, as seen from the trio's point of view in the moving Jaguar. Inspiring classical music plays in the background. The series of shots includes the Dakota, complete with surrounding winter trees, the Graybar building on Lexington Avenue, an incredibly ornate building on Seventh Avenue and Fifty-eighth Street, a red-stone church, an old building with embellished, bulging windows on West Forty-fourth Street, the Art Deco Chrysler Building, a red-brick building, Abigail Adams's old stone house, and the Pomander Walk nestled off Broadway on the Upper West Side. The group can be seen walking down the path between the old-fashioned row houses and shrubbery. A lamppost sits in the foreground. It is now dark. The music continues to play as the film cuts to the façade of a rococo-style building, complete with French doors and ornate windows. The admiring group is heard offscreen. HOLLY (offscreen) Oh, it's just so romantic. I just want to put on a long gown... DAVID (offscreen, overlapping) Yes. HOLLY (offscreen, continuing) ...and open the French doors and go on the balcony -- APRIL (offscreen, interrupting) It's French, though. It really is. HOLLY (offscreen) Yeah. APRIL (offscreen, overlapping) It feels like you're in France. DAVID (offscreen, overlapping) It-it is. It's romantic. The music stops. The screen, which has been exploring the rococo building's façade, now shows the equally elegant building alongside it. DAVID (offscreen) And it's got a handsome partner sitting right beside it. HOLLY (offscreen) Yeah. DAVID (offscreen, overlapping) They fit right in together. And your eye goes along, lulled into complacency, and then... The film moves from the two elegant façade to show an ugly, ultra-modern structure covered with tiny, diamond-shaped motifs. APRIL (offscreen) That's just -- DAVID (offscreen, interrupting) Look at this. HOLLY (offscreen) That's disgusting! APRIL (offscreen, continuing) ...a monstrosity! Who would do that? HOLLY (offscreen, overlapping) It's really terrible. DAVID (offscreen, emphatically) It's really sad. HOLLY (offscreen) And it ruins everything else. DAVID (offscreen, agreeing) It does. The film moves from the ugly façade to the building's equally ugly entrance. A large car is parked right in front of the building. APRIL (offscreen) Well... we have seen a lot of stuff today, though. HOLLY (offscreen, chuckling) Yeah. DAVID (offscreen, overlapping) Yeah. APRIL (offscreen, overlapping) A lot of works. The group is now seen walking down the canopied entrance stairs of an apartment house on the other side of the street, where they'd been gazing at both the lovely and ugly façades across the way. David is in the lead; the women follow, Holly slightly behind April. HOLLY (nodding) Yeah. DAVID (glancing at his watch) Maybe we should start thinking about