Five Television Plays (David Mamet) (18 page)

G
OLDBLUME:
Up all night.

F
URRILLO:
Well. Thank you.

G
OLDBLUME:
Mmm.

(
Beat.
F
URRILLO
exits.
G
OLDBLUME
takes out the circular from the pile of papers.
)

(
Angle point of view: The circular.
)

(
ANGLE INTERIOR: THE SQUAD ROOM.
B
ATES
and
B
UNTZ
jabbering.
)

B
ATES:
. . . just a bunch of manly
nonsense,
and there's
enough
violence in the world . . .

B
UNTZ:
It's manly nonsense if it's not your “thing” if not, what is this,
"Name
calling ...”

B
ATES:
Oh Not To The Deer! Not if the
Deer
is killed, then it's not name calling . . .

(
ANGLE INTERIOR: GOLDBLUME'S OFFICE.
G
OLDBLUME,
watching
B
ATES
and
B
UNTZ.
A
S
their conversation takes them off screen, behind them, he sees the
P
ROPRIETOR
looking through the mug shots. Beat.
G
OLDBLUME
gets up, holding the composite drawing. Camera follows him out of his office over to
F
URRILLO
’S
office. He knocks on the door.
)

F
URRILLO
(
through the door
): Come in.

(G
OLDBLUME
enters, camera follows.
F
URRILLO
looks up from his papers.
)

G
OLDBLUME:
I was kidnapped last night.

EXTERIOR: RUN-DOWN HUNTING SHACK. DAY.

The station wagon loaded.
J
ABLONSKI
and
R
ENKO
helping the injured
H
ILL
to the car.

J
ABLONSKI:
Give one last sweep to the area, and let's head home.

(
They put
H
ILL
into the car, then stand and sweep the area.
)

R
ENKO:
Didn't even fire a shot.

J
ABLONSKI:
Well, sometimes that's the way it is.

(
Angle point of view: The orange-juice can sitting up on a stump.
)

(
Angle:
R
ENKO
and
J
ABLONSKI.
)

J
ABLONSKI:
"Leave it better than you found
it.”

(J
ABLONSKI
starts to walk toward the orange-juice can.
R
ENKO
motions him back behind him.
J
ABLONSKI
steps back behind him.
R
ENKO
looks at the orange-juice can for a long moment. Sweeps his hunting jacket aside, draws his revolver and fires three shots at the orange-juice can. Beat.
) (
Angle point of view: The orange-juice can still standing.
)

(
Angle:
J
ABLONSKI
and
R
ENKO.
R
ENKO
shrugs.
J
ABLONSKI
gets into the station wagon and starts it.
R
ENKO
walks over to the orange-juice can and puts it in his pocket.
)

We Will Take You There

Episode One:
A Hudson's Bay Start

The Lord knows what we may find, dear lass,

And the Deuce knows what we may do—

But we're back once more on the old trail,

our own trail, the out trail,

We're down, hull-down, on the Long Trail—

the trail that is always new.

—R
UDYARD
K
IPLING

Dramatis Personae

D
ANNY
E
SPOSITO

M
IKE
A
NDERTON

M
ACLAREN

P
ROFESSOR
G
EORGE
S
CHOLTZ

K
AREN
S
CHOLTZ,
HIS
WIFE

PROLOGUE

A quiet side-street somewhere in small-town America. An old brickface garage, its one large door open. A postman moves past the door. A young man carrying a suitcase, a coat slung over his shoulder, moves into the frame and stands with his back to the camera. We have not seen his face. He stands for a moment outside the garage door, then enters.

Camera follows him and we see, over his shoulder, an old Land-Rover, up on blocks, covered in primer. Its hood is open and a man is working on its engine.

The first man walks to within ten feet of the Land-Rover, puts down his suitcase. Speaks to the man working on the engine.

F
IRST
M
AN
(
Danny Esposito
): I heard you were looking for a partner.

S
ECOND
M
AN
(
Mike Anderton
) (
still working on the engine, not looking up
): Where'd you hear that?

D
ANNY
E
SPOSITO:
John Malone.

M
IKE
A
NDERTON:
Where do you know John from?

E
SPOSITO:
From around.

A
NDERTON:
Do better than that.

E
SPOSITO:
A man introduced us some years ago.

A
NDERTON:
Who was that man?

E
SPOSITO:
That man was
you, companero.

(A
NDERTON,
a handsome, rugged man in his early thirties, slowly raises his head from the machine. Looks at the man opposite him.
)

(
Camera angle reverse: For the first time, we see their faces.
E
SPOSITO,
an athletic Latin-American man in his early thirties, smiling at
A
NDERTON,
who is stunned. Beat.
)

A
NDERTON:
Man, I thought you were dead.

E
SPOSITO:
I
told
you: never believe that ‘les you hear it from my own lips.

(A
NDERTON
and
E
SPOSITO
embrace.
)

A
NDERTON:
Where have you
been
. . . ?

E
SPOSITO
(
shrugs, smiles
): Hey,
you
know . . .

(
He steps back, looks at the Land-Rover.
)

So what is the
thing
here, what you
doing . . .
?

(A
NDERTON
steps over to a workbench, takes a brochure out of a box, hands one to
E
SPOSITO.
)

(
Insert: The brochure. In the manner of a travel brochure. It reads: “We will take you there.” There is a picture of the fitted-out Land-Rover in front of a waterfall. The brochure is opened, the text reads: “Hunting, fishing, camping, exploration. U.S., North and South America, and abroad. If a truck can go there we will take you there. Fifteen years experience. References.”
)

(
Angle:
E
SPOSITO
holding the brochure. Looks up.
)

E
SPOSITO:
What is this, like a
taxi
service to the
wilds . . .

A
NDERTON
(
smiling
): Something like that. You want to play?

E
SPOSITO:
I want to
play?
I'm
here,
ain't I . . . ? Just tell me where we're
going . . .

A
NDERTON
(
ribbing him
): You're slowing down, Danny. You never used to
care . . .

E
SPOSITO
(
holds up his hands, defending himself
): Just so I'll know what
coat
to bring . . . (
He walks over to the Land-Rover.
) Nice
truck
you got here.

(
He nods approvingly. Smiles at
A
NDERTON.
)

TITLE SEQUENCE:

A manila envelope. The brochure we have just seen is placed on top of it, a map is placed on top of the brochure, and an area on the map outlined in red grease pencil. The map and brochure are placed in the envelope, and a hand takes a rubber stamp, and stamps the upper left-hand corner of the manila envelope with the logo “We Will Take You There, “ the words in a large circle around the device of the Land-Rover.

ACT ONE

AUTUMN DAY.

The porch of an old house on a northern lake. Below the house a very large
lake, an old wooden pier jutting out into the lake.
E
SPOSLTO
perched on the porch looking out at the lake. From inside the house, the sound of a teakettle whistling.
E
SPOSITO
gets up and goes inside.

Camera follows him inside. The main room is fitted out as a turn-of-the-century hunting lodge, antlers on the wall, guns in racks, fish mounted.
E
SPOSITO
walks through this room into the kitchen where
M
ACLAREN,
a woodsman in his early sixties, is making instant coffee.

E
SPOSITO:
Nice day.

M
ACLAREN:
Nice day if it don't rain. No sugar for both, cream for one, is that right?

E
SPOSITO:
What'd you hear from the plane?

M
ACLAREN:
Nothing since they left Prince Rupert.

E
SPOSITO:
Nothing?

M
ACLAREN:
They ain't got a radio. Your client's coming here to look for
what
. . . ?

E
SPOSITO:
For lichens. For
moss.

M
ACLAREN:
Why?

E
SPOSITO:
Well, I don't
know
why. He's a professor.

M
ACLAREN:
Of what?

E
SPOSITO:
Something to do with
moss. I
don't know . . . (E
SPOSITO
takes the two coffees, leaves the room.
) Thank you.

M
ACLAREN:
Yes
suh
.

(
Camera follows
E
SPOSITO
back into the main room and upstairs and into a bedroom where
A
NDERTON
is studying some maps he has spread out on the bed.
)

A
NDERTON
(
taking coffee
): Thank you.

E
SPOSITO:
Pleasure.

A
NDERTON:
Any word on their plane?

E
SPOSITO:
The plane has no radio. It's a nice day. If it does not rain. That's my report.

(
Sound of an airplane.
)

Aha.

(A
NDERTON
and
E
SPOSITO
go over to the balcony, go outside, A small ancient amphibian plane is circling, about to land on the far side of the lake.
)

A
NDERTON:
Well, let's go
meet
the people.

(
Camera follows the two out of the room, down the stairs, out to where their Land-Rover is sitting, outside the house. They get into the Rover, and drive it the fifty yards down to the dock.
M
ACLAREN
walks out and joins them as the amphibian plane glides to a stop at the dock. The pilot throws
M
ACLAREN
a line, and he makes the plane fast to the dock.
P
ROFESSOR
G
EORGE
S
CHOLTZ,
a man in his late fifties, dressed in safari clothes, a large revolver in a shoulder holster, jumps from the plane to the dock. The pilot starts handing out rifle cases to the
P
ROFESSOR.
)

(
Angle of
E
SPOSITO
and
A
NDERTON
standing by the truck.
)

E
SPOSITO:
You said that fellow's looking for
moss .
. . ?

A
NDERTON:
I think that maybe he was fooling . . .

(
In the background
P
ROFESSOR
S
CHOLTZ
sees them. Greets them.
)

P
ROFESSOR
S
CHOLTZ:
Mr. Anderton . . . ?

A
NDERTON
(
to
E
SPOSITO
)
:
Excuse me.

(
He walks over to the
P
ROFESSOR,
extends his hand.
)

Professor
Scholtz
. . . ?

(M
ACLAREN
helps a woman in her forties out of the plane. She is togged in the style of her husband,
P
ROFESSOR
S
CHOLTZ.
M
ACLAREN
walks back and, out of the side of his mouth, confabs with
E
SPOSITO.
)

M
ACLAREN:
What did you say this fellow's looking for?

E
SPOSITO:
M
OSS.

M
ACLAREN:
Carrying some heavy equipment go looking for moss.

E
SPOSITO:
It's wild moss.

(
In the background
A
NDERTON
indicates
E
SPOSITO.
)

A
NDERTON:
And this is my partner, Danny Esposito.

(
ESPOSITO
starts over toward them.
)

ESPOSITO (
to himself
): Yes sir, a nice day if it does not rain.

P
ROFESSOR:
And this is my wife, Mrs. Scholtz. (
The
P
ROFESSOR
surveys the area around him.
) Lovely country.

(M
ACLAREN
is unloading rifle cases and video equipment from the plane.
)

E
SPOSITO:
Professor?

P
ROFESSOR:
Mr. Esposito . . . ?

E
SPOSITO:
What are the rifles for?

P
ROFESSOR:
They're tranquilizing guns.

E
SPOSITO:
For
moss
. . . ?

P
ROFESSOR
(
looks around to his wife, on the dock
): Karen, are you okay?

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
I'm fine.

(
He leads
E
SPOSITO
and
A
NDERTON
out of earshot
of
M
ACLAREN,
speaks in an undertone.
)

P
ROFESSOR:
Gentlemen, I'm sorry. I've been less than frank with you. Suffice it to say, for the moment, that the
area
of our search will remain more or less the same, but its object will be somewhat different than the one which I informed you of.

E
SPOSITO:
S
O
what is it we're looking for?

P
ROFESSOR:
When we're on the
trail,
I will, of course . . . if you will wait ‘til then . . . it's a matter of security. When I tell you, you'll understand.

E
SPOSITO:
Oh.

(M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ,
down on the dock, needs help with a suitcase or pack she is taking from the plane.
)

M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ:
George . . . ?

P
ROFESSOR:
Excuse me. (
He goes down to her.
)

E
SPOSITO:
Wednesday is Anything Can Happen Day. (
Beat.
) What do you think?

A
NDERTON
(
shrugs
): Pays the piper, calls the tune.

E
SPOSITO:
... I
guess . . .

(
They go down to the dock and start loading the Land-Rover.
)

INSIDE THE HUNTING LODGE. THE LIVING ROOM.

Hunting trophies all over.
E
SPOSITO,
P
ROFESSOR,
and
M
RS.
S
CHOLTZ
and
A
NDERTON
sitting, drinking coffee.

P
ROFESSOR
(
holding forth
): . . . operating in the tradition of Ancient Voyagers, which is to say: each mission, each ship had a
pilot,
his responsibility was the actual day-to-day functioning of the ship; and, over him, a
Captain,
who is charged with the
direction
of the mission which is, of course, myself. (
Nods to
A
NDERTON.
) Now
:
you were saying?