This is a great night in Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen.
I might even say a fabulous Hollywood night.
This is the Shrine Auditorium's great evening...
...for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, the benefit show called...
...Night of the Stars", for Hollywood's own. "
Motion picture stars never forget their own.
And tonight, all the proceeds will go to the Motion Picture Relief Fund.
Wait a minute, folks.
I think I see... Yes, it is, it is.
Oliver Niles' car is just driving up.
And waving to her fans is Lola Lavery.
Oliver Niles, the famous producer.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present lovely Lola Lavery.
Thank you, George, sweetie. It's so divine being here tonight.
And I know you are looking forward to seeing your favorite star and mine.
And, of course, you know, Norman Maine is the great attraction...
...here at the Shrine Auditorium tonight. And, of course...
...wherever Norman Maine goes, lovely little Lola is sure to be there.
Joan, doesn't she look beautiful tonight?
Darling, how are you? Isn't she adorable? You're looking divine.
What are you wearing tonight? She's wearing a black sheath.
Isn't it divine? And a white fox. And the diamonds in the hair.
Did you ever... It's adorable!
We've just had the pleasure of having lovely Lola Lavery at our microphones.
Did you ever see anyone so sweet, so unspoiled and down-to-earth?
She's a darling girl.
- Hello, Lola. - Libby, darling.
Norman's not here.
Didn't you call for him at his house?
He wasn't there. I've been all over town, the usual places. Not a sign of him.
Libby, Normie loves being late. He's always late with me.
You're not exactly a public performance, my dear.
- You know where I'm sitting. - I'll check backstage again.
- He's here. - Good.
He's drunk!
- How bad? - Very. What do you want me to do?
Keep him off. Don't let him go on, Libby.
- Is anything wrong? Is Normie all right? - He's all right.
Norman Maine.
Where are you going, Norman?
A horse!
A horse! My kingdom for a horse.
Get him off the stage!
What are we gonna do?
- What's the act that follows Maine? - The Glenn Williams Orchestra.
- They're here? - Yes.
- Are they ready? - Yes.
On the stand, we're on next. Will you help rush them up, please?
In your places, we're on next. Snap it up.
Who didn't show?
- Regular opening, verse and chorus? - Yeah, that's right.
Get a load of Norman Maine, will you?
Look.
Mr. Maine is feeling no pain.
How I hate benefits!
Better make it snappy, Esther.
Neil, is all the music out?
Hi, Norman.
Hello, Matt, old boy. We seem to have missed each other.
- Been searching for me? - That's all right. I knew you'd turn up.
Touching, your faith in me, Matt. Touching.
Mr. Libby looks after me like a fond mother with a good sense of...
...double-entry bookkeeping. Mr. Libby, I should explain, is in charge...
...of the public relations at the studio. How is the AP and the UP...
Norman, I got some of the boys...
How many lies did you tell the public today?
A couple of hundred. I need you for an interview and pictures.
I don't need any more pictures or any more interviews.
The public loves me.
Sure they do. But just a few. I promised the boys.
Take your hands off me!
And don't make any promises for me. I will break them. A horse!
My kingdom for a horse!
- I'll tell you what. - What?
I'm thirsty. I need a drink before I go on. Get me a drink, I'll let you take a picture.
- That's a deal. - Two drinks, two pictures.
Three drinks, three pictures.
Three pictures. You're not a bad fellow, Libby.
Why do you disgust me? Why do I hate you so, Libby?
I wouldn't know about that, Norman.
- Let's have another one. - That does it.
- A few more. - I said, "That does it. "
But you've got plenty of time. All right, no more pictures.
Get your pencils out, boys.
I'm sorry, gentlemen, no time.
- Come on. - You've got plenty of time.
Are you trying to stop me?
Are you trying to stop me from going on? Is that it?
- What a story this will make! - This guy is stewed.
"What a spot this
"Not so hot this
"Hey, there, shy one
"Come be my one
"Please, don't rush off
"What, no brush off?
"I can't compel you to buy what I'd sell you
"But I'd like to tell you like so
"You wanna have bells that'll ring
"You wanna have songs that'll sing
"You want your sky of baby blue
"You gotta have me go with you
"Hey, you fool, you
"Why so cool, you?
"When I'm ready to go steady
"You wanna have eyes that'll shine
"You wanna have grapes on the vine
"You want a love that's truly true
"You gotta have me go with you
"Why the hold out?
"Have you sold out?
"Time you woke up
"Time you spoke up
"This line I'm handing you
"Is not a handout
"As a team we'd be a standout Standout!
"You wanna live high on a dime
"You wanna have two hearts in rhyme
"You gotta have me...
"... go with you
"You gotta have me
"Oh, all the time
"Why the hold out?
"Have you sold out?
"Time you woke up
"Time you spoke up
"You want your sky of baby blue
"You gotta have me go with you
"Why the hold out?
"Have you sold out?
"Time you woke up
"Time you spoke up
"This line I'm handing you
"Is not a handout
"As a team we'd be a standout
"You wanna live high on a dime
"You wanna have two hearts that rhyme
"You gotta have me go with you
"All of the time"
Esther.
Yes.
Hi, girls.
- Esther, if you hurry we can have coffee. - All right.
- Good night. - Goodbye.
- Danny. - Yeah?
Here, wait just a second.
I must have chewed my lips off wondering if he was coming back on.
I've never been so afraid. My knees were shaking.
Was I on key? I couldn't hear.
- You were on pitch all the way. - It's a wonder.
It's a wonder to me that Mr. Norman Maine is still in pictures.
It is indeed.
In fact I ask it myself every morning when I'm shaving.
I say, "Mirror, mirror on the wall...
"... who is the greatest star of them all?"
Do you know what the mirror answers?
Norman Maine?
Absolutely correct, Miss...
Blodgett. Esther Blodgett.
You must've been born with that name. You couldn't have made it up.
- I was born with it. - Excuse me.
You wouldn't make up a name like that, would you?
That's a brand new lipstick.
To mark the occasion when...
...Esther Blodgett...
...saved Norman Maine...
...from making even more a fool of himself than usual.
I thank you. My studio thanks you. All the legions and codes...
...that watch over our industry will be equally pleased, I'm sure.
Would you take supper with me?
And all the people with you, too.
I'm afraid we can't, Mr. Maine. You see, we're working at the Grove.
This is Danny McGuire, our pianist.
Bring your piano along, Mr. McGuire.
Nobody can object to a good, clean, living American piano.
But I insist on your taking supper with me.
Come on.
Don't you try to stop me, Mr. McGuire. I know myself extremely well.
I'm just near the fighting stage at the moment.
If I don't get my way, I'll begin to break up people and things at this moment.
You understand, don't you?
Yes, I understand.
Why don't we have supper sometime later?
Maybe tomorrow or the next night. I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll lay in a whole supply of lipsticks and we'll celebrate all over the walls.
- Please, Miss Blodgett. - Good night.
I think I see your friends, Mr. Maine. Let's hit the road.
Darling, you were simply divine. Simply divine.
You were swell.
You know, drunk or not, he's nice.
He's awful nice.
Just darling. Come on.
When he goes off like that, he's good for the night, Mr. Libby.
He'll smile in his sleep in a minute.
Like a child.
Like a child with a blowtorch.
What, sir?
Nothing.
Mr. Maine's charm escapes me.
It always has.
Now, you understand, 6:00 sharp. Have him dressed and ready.
Yes, sir.
Here are his car keys. Hide them, will you?
I've had enough of Mr. Maine for one night.
He's good for the night.
6:00 sharp.
He'll sure be surprised when he finds himself on location in the morning.
- Good evening, Mr. Maine. - Hello, Bruno. How are you?
There's a little dark girl, sings with the Glenn Williams Orchestra.
The Glenn Williams Orchestra finishes at 1:30, Mr. Maine.
Then the rhumba band takes over. They finished about an hour ago.
It doesn't matter, Bruno. The whole thing seems rather silly now.
I'll tell you something, Mr. Maine.
All the bands that play here, the musicians, you know...
...they go to a little place on Sunset Boulevard after they finish.
And maybe the girl could be there. They're crazy people, you know.
They blow their heads off here all night.
Then instead of going to bed, they go to this little place...
...and blow their heads off there for themselves, for nothing!
Would you like a table, sir?
Not unless you wish to rhumba with me, Bruno.
Is there anyone here that I know?
Well now, let's see.
There's a new little girl from Paramount.
That one there, yes.
She's very pretty, Mr. Maine.
She's with someone, isn't she?
Only her agent.
He'll be glad to leave.
Too young. I had a very young week last week.
It's not worth it.
Is there anyone else?
Miss Sheldon.
She's very beautiful tonight, Mr. Maine.
No. She hit me over the head with a bottle.
Yes, I remember it. It happened right here.
- I thought everything was all right by now. - Nope, they only hit me once.
The little girl in the green dress?
No, Mr. Maine.
Pasadena.
Leave it alone.
Will you excuse me? I'll be right back.
Go ahead.
Take it, honey. Come on.
Take it from the top.
- From the top? - Yeah.
"The night is bitter
"The stars have lost their glitter
"The winds grow colder
"Suddenly you're older
"And all because of the man that got away
"No more, his eager call
"The writing's on the wall
"The dreams you've dreamed
"Have all gone astray
"The man that won you
"Has run off and undone you
"That great beginning
"Has seen a final inning
"Don't know what happened
"It's all a crazy game!
"No more, that all-time thrill
"For you've been through the mill
"And never a new love will be the same
"Good riddance, goodbye
"Every trick of his, you're onto
"But fools will be fools
"And where's he gone to?
"The road gets rougher
"It's lonelier and tougher
"With hope, you burn up
"Tomorrow he will turn up
"There's just no letup
"The livelong night and day
"Ever since this world began
"There is nothing sadder than
"A one-man woman
"Looking for the man that got away
"The man that got away"
It's wonderful.
Pretty good, we finished together...
Oh, no! No!
What's the matter?
Your dancing partner has returned.
How do you suppose he found us?
- I'll get rid of him. - No, I'll do it.
Hello, Mr. Maine. You turn up in the strangest places.
Don't I, though?
And you're cold sober.
Well, you'd better make the most of it. Sit down for a moment.
Do you always sing like that?
Like what?
The way you sang just now.
Why?
I've never heard anybody sing just the way you do.
What do you mean? Good or bad?
Here.
You ever go fishing?
Well, do you like prizefights? Ever watched a great fighter?
I'm trying to tell you how you sing.
Do you mean like a prizefighter or a fish?
Look.
Here.
There are certain pleasures that you get...
There are certain pleasures you get, little jabs of pleasure...
...when a swordfish takes the hook, or when you watch a great fighter...
...getting ready for the kill, see?
You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?
No, not yet. Why don't you try bullfights?
You're joking, but that's exactly what I mean.
You'd know a great bullfighter the moment he stepped into the ring.
From the way he stood, from the way he moved.
Or a dancer. You don't have to know about ballet.
That little bell rings inside your head...
...that little jolt of pleasure.
That's what happened to me just now.
You're a great singer.
Who, me?
Hasn't anyone ever told you that before?
No, Mr. Maine, no one's ever told me that before.
Maybe you're not quite as sober as we both thought you were.
But, thank you.
I'm as sober as a judge and I know exactly what I'm saying.
You've got that little something extra that Ellen Terry talked about.
Ellen Terry, great actress long before you were born.
She said that's what star quality was...
...that little something extra.
Well, you've got it.
Now, what are you doing wasting your time singing with this band?
Wasting my time?
I'm not wasting my time.
You don't know how many years it's taken me to get this far.
- I'm doing fine, Mr. Maine, just great. - You're wasting your time.
Now, tell me about yourself. Where'd you come from?
How'd you start singing?
Have you got a family? Are you married?
No.
We're breaking it up.
Why, hello, Mr. McGuire.
Mr. Maine.
- Ready to go home? - Yes.
Good.
I'll see that Esther gets home.
- All right, Esther? - Yes.
I'll see you at the bus in the morning, Danny.
Yeah, at 6:00.
Okay.
- Good night. - Yeah, good night.
Well, go on. Go ahead.
Do you know the only thing I can think of right now?
The only thought that comes into my mind is the way I wash my hair.
You see, when anything happens to me, good or bad...
...I make straight for the shampoo bottle.
Why would I have to think of that now?
I understand that perfectly. With me it's golf balls.
If I'm happy or if I'm miserable, I putt golf balls around the living room.
It makes perfect sense. Go ahead.
I'm afraid I'm no good at talking about myself, Mr. Maine.
Everything just runs together.
Runs together? How?
All over the place.
Washing out my gloves in crummy hotel rooms.
And winning a contest on the radio. And singing in joints.
You see how my mind works? It's all jumbled.
I can sort it out.
Can you?
I can't.
I can remember my first job singing with the band.
And then, one-night stands clear across country by bus.
Putting on nail polish in the ladies' rooms in gas stations.
Waiting on tables...
Wow, that was a low point.
I'll never forget it...
...and I'll never, never do that again.
No matter what.
But I had to sing.
I somehow feel most alive when I'm singing.
It's like...
You don't want to hear all this, do you?
Do you mind?
Mind? No, I'm having a wonderful time.
Here, we turn here. I live on that street.
Is there anything more I should know about your fascinating life?
There must be more.
There is. A whole scrapbook full.
Come in.
Well, have you had enough, as the Republicans used to say?
You know about as much about me now as I do myself.
But you see how long it's taken me to get this far.
Now, all I need is just a little luck.
What kind of luck?
The kind of luck that every girl singer with a band dreams of.
One night a talent scout from a big record company will come in.
And he'll let me make a record.
Yes, and then?
The record'll become No. 1 on the hit parade.
Be played on the jukeboxes all over the country and I'll be made.
End of dream.
- There's only one thing wrong with that. - I know. It won't happen.
No, it might happen very easily. Only the dream isn't big enough.
How long will you be playing at the Grove?
Tonight was our last night. We leave for San Francisco in the morning.
Don't go.
What?
Quit. Leave the band. Stay on here.
Let me see what I can do for you.
I'll talk to Oliver Niles right away.
It's just a chance, but take it.
A chance?
Do you realize I'd be giving up everything I ever worked for?
That's right. But it served its purpose. Listen to me, Esther...
...a career is a curious thing. Talent isn't always enough.
You need a sense of timing, an eye for seeing the turning point...
...or recognizing the big chance when it comes along and grabbing it.
A career can rest on a trifle.
Like us sitting here tonight.
Or it can turn on somebody's saying to you:
"You're better than that. You're better than you know. "
Don't settle for the little dream. Go on to the big one.
Scared? Scared to take the plunge?
Yes.
Say, what makes you so sure about me?
I heard you sing.
- Yeah, but that... - I know, just my word.
But you know yourself, don't you?
You just needed somebody to tell you.
I'm certainly mixed up now. I thought I was doing just fine.
Don't look so miserable. You don't have to decide now.
Sleep on it. I'll call you in the morning.
Sleep on it. You fixed me for sleep, all right.
Whether you do it or not, don't ever forget how good you are.
Hang onto that.
Because I'm right.
Good night, Esther.
Good night, Mr. Maine. Thank you.
I just want to take another look at you.
Hello. Who is it?
Oliver?
Who?
Norman.
Oliver, just hold on a moment.
- Are you in jail? What have you done? - Yeah, yeah...
No, no, I'm not! This girl, it turns out, is a fabulous singer.
- You heard a girl sing. - This girl...
- Isn't that nice? - Don't make me mad.
Do you know the time?
This girl has a wonderful talent. Listen, please.
Yes, yes, I hear you.
Every word.
You heard a girl sing.
What do you want me to do, applaud?
Yes.
Yes, I hear you. Yep.
Anything.
Thanks, Oliver. Now, you go on back to sleep...
...because I want you to be nice and fresh in the morning when I bring her around.
Who is it?
It's me.
You asleep, Danny?
Not anymore. What's the matter?
I'm sorry, but I had to see you.
Something wrong? Hand me a cigarette.
A cigarette. Over there.
Sure.
I'm quitting the band, Danny. I'm not going on to 'Frisco in the morning.
- You crazy or something? - Maybe. Maybe, but I'm quitting.
Why? What happened?
Norman Maine is gonna get me a screen test.
Go on back to bed, will you, Esther?
Well, it's true.
You been drinking with him?
Of course not.
When we get to 'Frisco, I'll take you to a doctor...
...and have your head examined. What's the matter with you?
He was making a conventional pass, that's all.
No. No, it wasn't that, Danny.
What else is it then?
He just follows bands around and gives singers screen tests?
What's got into you?
He gave me a look at myself I've never had before.
He saw something in me nobody else ever did.
And he made me see it, too.
He made me believe it.
Believe what? It's taken all these years for you...
...to get with a big-name outfit. You gonna toss it all in the ashcan?
And for what?
For a chance at being something...
...something bigger than I ever dreamed of.
And I'm not gonna turn back now.
Ever.
Coffee's almost ready.
I don't want any coffee. I'm wide awake now.
Don't be mad at me.
I'll be up in time to see you off in the morning.
I guess I'd better go.
How much money have you got, Esther?
Money?
A little.
Enough to last for a couple of weeks.
You'll be all signed up and in front of the cameras by then.
You fool.
You fool!
You think so?
Then why do I feel like this?
- Goodbye, honey. - 'Bye.
Good luck to you.
Wait a minute, Danny.
Wish me luck.
Luck? You silly...
All right, go ahead and say it.
No, no use. You're going for the ride.
Okay. Good luck.
Don't forget who makes better vocal arrangements for you...
...better than anybody else in the world!
In his unusual wonderful shape, huh?
He'll sleep it off on the plane. Any idea how long you'll be gone?
About five or six weeks at least. This one's being shot mostly on location.
It's a big sea epic.
He won't see anything for a long time but the stuff he hates, water!
So long.
All right, cut.
That's the one. Wrap it up.
Bring us in.
They got it.
Bring him on in here. Bring him straight on in.
Very nice.
- Thank you. Eddie! - Drink that coffee.
- Where's Eddie? - You can talk to Eddie later.
There you are, Eddie. Any luck? Did you find it?
Mr. Maine, there's about 300 bungalow courts around Sunset and Highland.
- Can't you remember the number? - No, just the neighborhood!
Go ahead, take that telephone book and ring all 300. Go on!
Will you go down and dry off! I need you in the cabin shot.
What's with this phone-book routine?
The usual, some dame.
Eddie! Hey, Eddie!
It has the name of a flower on the side. A poinsettia, or zinnia, or something.
Get the studio to have someone take a car and cruise around there.
For two days if necessary!
But find that place.
Four days? But you're behind schedule now, Bob.
Is Maine drunk?
Tell me the truth. Don't cover for him. I want to know.
Okay, we'll shoot around him.
Try and make up the time as soon as he's up.
Cut some corners, Bob. You've got to bring it on time.
You know how tough things are right now.
They're on my neck from New York every day.
Okay, I understand.
What's so amusing?
Is Maine sick?
Bad case of flu. A 103° temperature.
Kept him in the water too long, I'll bet.
Water would have a bad effect on him.
Esther, somebody called you about a job.
Said to call them right back. The number's on the phone there.
Thanks.
Mr. Blake?
Yes.
Singing?
Yes.
On the set at 9:00.
Thank you very much.
"It's very nice
"It's a bargain at double the price
"Try it and find as long as you live
"Your crowning glory will be most attractive
"If you want to be a girl that the men run to
"Use Trinidad Cocoanut Oil Shampoo
"Take my advice
"It's a bargain at double the price!"
I'm gonna talk quick.
We took a five-minute break, I've gotta get back.
I squared it with Williams.
He'll take you back. I'll wire the dough for the fare...
...and you can join us in Cleveland. Give me that address again.
I don't get it.
Do you know what the odds are against you?
You're wasting your breath.
I don't think about him. I forgot him weeks ago.
But he did show me the way and that's what I'm sticking to.
- I don't care if I have to scrub floors... - Your order's ready. Pick it up.
Danny, I've gotta go. All right. Goodbye. Thank you.
Good evening.
What's good to eat today?
Cheeseburgers, nutburgers, banana burgers, chicken burgers...
...lobster burgers, chop-suey burgers and our special, the superduper super burger.
What's in that?
Everything in the place. All burgered.
You haven't the faintest idea where she might have gone from here?
I told you, sir. I told you three times.
When people can't afford the moderate rates...
Yes, yes. Thank you so very much.
Oleander Arms!
No wonder I couldn't remember the name.
Can't you call your place something sensible, like...
What?
Never mind.
I bet you've never seen an oleander in your life.
Normie! Pumpkin!
Pumpkin, now really!
You just can't lie here on a lovely day like this.
I can so just lie here on a lovely day like this.
What's the matter, Normie, have I offended you?
Well, if I have, darling, I'm really terribly sorry.
All I did was remember what you promised me.
What did I promise you? Was it a blue mink or a white mink?
Or have they done something else to those poor minks while I was away?
Normie! Darling, it's not presents I want.
It's you, Pumpkin, just you.
Don't you remember? You said as soon as you finished...
...that nasty old picture we'd go to Honolulu.
Now what's the matter?
- That singing. - Singing?
Yeah, on this television while you were talking.
- Singing something. - It was just an old commercial, silly.
Normie!
For heaven's sake, Norman!
Mrs. Barker! Hey, Mrs. Barker!
Who do you think just went upstairs?
Get away from that car! Get away from that car!
Hello.
Come on up.
All right.
I look so terrible.
Never mind how you look, listen to me. I got shanghaied away. Location.
I tried, believe me, I tried...
Get away from that car!
I'll beat your brains out when I get down.
Get away!
This is so awful.
You could stand a good dinner.
I could, and in a place with tablecloths, too.
What about a drive to the beach?
We could stop off for a hamburger on the way and then have a late supper.
What's the matter? What is it, Esther?
- What's the matter? - Nothing.
It's the nose. The nose is the problem.
Maybe a corrective in the nostril.
No.
- Could I... - Please, little lady, Mr. Ettinger is thinking.
It's 6:00 in the morning. Just about time for one of his miracles.
Do you think, maybe...
Do you think maybe the Dietrich eyebrows?
No. The nose is still the problem.
Suppose we try the Crawford mouth. Take the attention away from the nose.
No. No!
Do you think maybe a hair job?
Yes, I think that would be fine.
Mr. Maine.
Sorry, I'm late for an appointment.
- Catch me in the commissary later. - Mr. Maine.
Oh, no!
No!
What's the matter with it?
I don't think that's very nice. Go ahead, laugh your head off.
I've been sitting in that chair since 6:00 this morning.
You sat an hour too long, honey.
Come on.
Now, sit down on that chair.
Here?
Well, first things first.
Now, what else is there?
Is that you?
Off it comes.
Now, wait, don't, don't...
My nose is very bad.
Now, take every bit of that junk off your face.
But my eyes are all wrong and my ears are too big and...
...I've got no chin.
I know. Take it off and then put on your eyebrows and lipstick...
...the way you always do and I'll do the rest.
Come on, you've gotta be made up and ready to shoot that test by 9:00.
But, Mr. Maine...
I think at this critical moment you might call me Norman.
What difference does it make how well I sing if my face is so awful?
Your face is just dandy.
Now, wipe it off.
Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more.
Hey, you're shivering. Let me get you something to...
Here, put this around you.
Norman, I've got the willies.
I'm scared stiff.
I don't think I could sing a note.
Nothing would come out.
Of course you're scared. We all are. What makes you think you wouldn't be?
Look, forget the camera.
It's the Downbeat Club at 3:00 in the morning...
...and you're singing for yourself and for the boys in the band.
Mainly for yourself, the way I heard you.
Just keep that picture in your mind.
And if that doesn't do it, think of a man in a car eating a nutburger.
Oh, thank you.
- Miss Markham? - Yes?
I was told to see you. I'm Esther Blodgett.
Oh, yes? I expected a blonde.
I don't know why.
- You just signed a contract with us? - Yes, I have.
Good. Good. Glad to have you with us. We'll have to get what you've done so far.
- Where you came from and so forth. - I brought my scrapbook with me.
- And I thought that maybe... - Thanks, dear. Very nice.
I'll have to turn you over to Miss Fussolow of Fashions.
This layout has got to get out to three magazines.
- Come along, dear. - Yes, ma'am.
- Glad to have you with us. - Thank you.
Take care of this for me, will you? New contract player. Norman Maine.
- Hello, honey, nice to have you with us. - Hello.
Soon as I get some background on you, I must do a fashion stuff.
- Well, I brought a scrapbook... - Not now, dear.
I've gotta get these dresses right down to Photo.
Come along, honey.
All right.
I'll tell you what to do, honey. Why don't you go in and see Mr. Libby?
His office is right there. He's the head of the department.
- Glad to have you with us. - Thank you.
Your hand a little higher. That's good. Get out of the way.
Get out of the way.
- I'm going to go right away. - Just get out of the way.
Leave them alone. They're all right. That's all right. Just get out of the way.
Would you lie back? Let's take this picture.
Mr. Libby?
I'm Esther Blodgett.
- Miss Fussolow... - Glad to have you with us.
Well, it certainly is a thrill to be here.
I brought my scrapbook along in case...
Would you care to meet the big boss? It's the usual procedure.
- I'll take you over to him. - Fine.
May be the only chance you'll get to meet him.
- What's the matter? You afraid of heights? - No, no!
Mr. Niles.
Libby?
- We're running a picture. - You should meet this lady.
She just signed her contract. The one Mr. Maine arranged the test for.
Oh, yes. Yes, of course.
Nice to see you, dear.
Glad to have you with us.
Well, it's a thrill to be here.
Show Miss... how to get out of here.
Good luck to you, dear.
Take care of yourself.
- Mr. Libby. - What?
- What do I do next? - Well, the gate's right down there.
- What did you say your name was again? - Esther Blodgett.
- What? - Esther Blodgett.
We'll have to do something about that right away. Don't worry about it.
We'll have a new name for you by the end of the week.
Paul, will you swing your arc over here, please?
That's good. Hold it.
Can you make it?
All ready, sir.
- Get the girl. - Yes, sir.
Oh, Esther.
Pull that one down a couple of turns.
Esther. Waiting for you on the set.
Okay, boys, let's go. Everybody works.
Right up there.
Stand by, everybody.
All right, sir.
You know what I want, Esther?
Put your arm out the window like this and you wave goodbye.
It's farewell, so give it everything you've got.
Okay, get over there.
Let's take a try at it.
Here we go! Hit your lights.
Hit your wind.
Hit your snow.
Hit your steam.
Roll them.
Speed.
Action.
We're getting her face.
Cut.
- We saw her face. - We saw your face.
I'm sorry.
Watch it, Esther.
Let's try it again.
Watch it next time.
Now, be careful this time. Just use the arm and the hand.
I don't want to see your face.
Let's try it again.
Hit everything.
Come on.
- Speed. - Action!
Esther Blodgett, please.
Go to L.
What?
Go to L.
Go to window marked L. You're listed under L.
Thank you.
Esther Blodgett, please.
- You new here? - Yes.
Just a moment. Okay. Your name is Vicki Lester.
- What? - Your name is Vicki Lester.
Vicki Lester. V-i-c-k-i L-e-s-t-e-r. Get it?
Move on, please.
Yes. Thank you.
Vicki Lester?
Vicki Lester.
Why couldn't you come over to my office to see me, Norman?
What's so hush-hush that you have to drag me down here?
Every time I lie down on this sofa, I get stabbed in the back.
What do you want?
That's what I want to talk to you about. Come here.
Sit down in that chair. The whole place gives me the creeps.
- What's the matter with you? - Hasn't been decorated in centuries.
Isn't that the most uncomfortable chair?
Don't I deserve a dressing room that's cheerful, modern and safe?
You got me down here for this?
When I give an interview here I'm ashamed.
I have the whole studio sitting on me, and you get me down here for this?
Aren't you ashamed? Don't you realize I have a production shut down...
...right in the middle of shooting? That's what you got me away from.
I'm being stabbed by a singer in New York.
You had to stop shooting 'cause you didn't get her here.
What will you do?
I don't know. I don't know what I'll do except go crazy.
That woman, she swore her contract was up with the show.
Our lawyers are talking about it to New York this afternoon.
Why do they play that stuff so loud?
You better leave it open, we'll be suffocated.
What is it, anyway?
It's just somebody running some tests.
I can hardly hear myself think.
I suppose there's nobody around here?
What?
You'd think there'd be someone here you could take a chance on...
...rather than close down an entire picture.
Who, for instance? Name someone.
I don't know, Oliver.
You actors.
You think all there is to running a studio is pressing buttons.
It's not quite that easy, believe me.
Say, who is that singing, anyway?
It must be one of the contract girls.
Not bad.
No.
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
A light begins to break. Very dumb of me.
All right, I get it.
A little late, that's all.
Is she still around?
Indeed. Indeed.
Very good. That's fine, Esther. Just right down here...
I shouldn't go that far.
Now, let's all do it again.
I've been through this a hundred times, Esther.
My own previews as well as other people's.
The thing to remember about a preview...
...is first and foremost pay absolutely no attention...
...to the sights and sounds going on around you.
If the picture before the preview is a stinker, then your picture...
...gets off to a good start. Anyway, they always go out for fresh popcorn...
...so that the first few reels always sound like the Marines landing on Iwo Jima.
And the thing to do...
Yes?
Would you stop the car, please?
Are you all right?
Fine. I wish I was dead.
Come on.
We're in luck, Esther.
- Why? Did the theater burn down? - No.
But that picture of mine is so bad that anything they see after it will seem great.
You're starting lucky.
"Swanee, how I love ya, how I love ya
"My dear old Swanee
"The folks up North will see me no more
"When I get to that Swanee shore"
Thank you, thank you very much.
I can't express any other way.
For with this awful trembling in my heart...
...I just can't find another thing to say.
I'm happy that you like the show.
I'm grateful you liked me.
And I'm sure to you the tribute seemed quite right.
"But if you knew of all the years
"Of hopes and dreams and tears
"You'd know it didn't happen overnight"
Overnight.
"I was born in a trunk
"In the Princess Theater
"In Pocatello, Idaho
"It was during a matinee on Friday
"And they used a makeup towel for my didy
"When I first saw the light
"It was pink and amber
"Coming from the footlights on the stage
"When my dad carried me out there to say hello
"They tell me that I stopped the show
"So I grew up in a crazy world
"Of dressing rooms and hotel rooms and waiting rooms
"And rooms behind the scenes
"And I can't forget the endless rows
"Of sleepless nights and 'eatless' nights
"And nights without a nickel in my jeans
"But it's all in the game
"And the way you play it
"And you've gotta play the game you know
"When you're born in a trunk
"In the Princess Theater
"In Pocatello, Idaho
"At first I just stood and watched from the wings
"That's all my mom and dad would allow
"But as I got older, I got a little bolder
"And snuck out for their second bow
"They kept me in the act because they needed me to milk applause
"Until one night they did a crazy thing
"They left me out there all alone and Mama said, 'You're on your own'
"And Poppa shouted, 'This is it, kid, sing'
"I'll get by
"As long as I have you
"Though there be rain
"And darkness, too
"I'll not complain
"I'll see it through"
"I learned very quickly the tricks of the trade
"I practiced after everyone was gone
"And with the tricks I learned traditions
"And the hardest one of all
"Is no matter what
"The show must go on
"As time went by I looked for jobs
"And was kicked from pillar to post
"I haunted all the agents' offices
"And I almost ended up a ghost"
"I'm a sentimental sap, that's all
"What's the use of trying not to fall
"I have no will You made your kill
"Cause you took advantage of me"
No!
"I'm just like an apple on a bough
"And you're gonna shake me down somehow
"So what's the use? You've cooked my goose
"'Cause you took advantage of me"
No!
"I'm so hot and bothered that I don't know my elbow from my ear
"Suffer something awful each time you go but much worse when you're near
"Here am I with all my bridges burned
"Just a babe in arms where you're concerned
"So lock the doors Call me yours
"'Cause you took advantage of me"
Yes.
No!
"So I got into a tab show
"All I did was kick my feet
"You'd hardly call it a chance to sing
"But at least it was a chance to eat"
"They call it black bottom, a new twister
"It's sure got them and, oh, sister
"They clap their hands and do a raggedy trot
"Hot!
"Old fellows with lumbago and young fellows away they go
"They jump right in and give it all that they've got"
Then one night something happened. Dame Fortune showed her face.
The star got sick and I was told to go on in her place.
But she recovered.
Oh, well.
"Black bottom, a new rhythm
"When you spot them, you go with them
"That do that black, black, black bottom
"You won't be blue when you have got them
"If you do that black, black, black, black bottom all day
"But finally I got an offer to sing in New York
"And I wired, 'I'm on my way,'
"I had visions that this would be
"A fabulous, famous café
"Filled with high society
"Elegant and spruce
"And I pictured me
"The epitome of a very chic chanteuse
"Peanuts
"Through every city, town and country lane
"You'll hear him sing his plaintive little strain
"And as he goes by, to you he'll say"
Sing "Melancholy Baby".
"Peanuts
"The little children like to trail along
"They like to hear the peanut vendor's song
"They all laugh with glee when he will say"
Sing "Melancholy Baby".
"Come to me, my melancholy baby
"Cuddle up and don't be blue
"All your fears are foolish fancy maybe
"You know, dear, that I'm in love with you
"Every cloud must have a silver lining
"Wait until the sun shines through
"Smile, my honey dear
"While I kiss away each tear
"Or else I shall be melancholy, too"
My benefactor appeared with his card. And at first I thought he was fresh.
Fresh?
"He was fresh from heaven all right
"He produced the show that gave me the chance
"To sing for you tonight"
"Swanee, how I love ya, how I love ya
"My dear old Swanee
"I'd give the world to be
"Among the folks in D-i-x-i-e
"Even know my mammy's waiting for me
"Praying for me down by the Swanee
"The folks up North will see me no more
"When I get to that Swanee shore
"Way down upon the Swanee
"I'm coming back to Swanee
"Mammy, Mammy
"I love the old folks at home
"I loves ya
"Swanee, how I loves ya, how I loves ya
"My dear old Swanee
"I'd give the world if I could only be
"Sitting on my mammy's knee!
"Among the folks
"I love the old folks
"I love the young folks
"Oh, my honey lamb
"You'll love them all in Alabamy
"Mammy, Mammy
"My dear old mammy
"Your wandering child will wander no more
"When I get to that Swanee shore"
"So I can't quite be called
"'Overnight sensation'
"For it started many years ago
"When I was born in a trunk
"In the Princess Theater
"In Pocatello, Idaho"
Oliver, what about Vicki for the Morgan script?
Where's Norman?
I want you to read this script because...
Thank you.
Nobody buying anybody a drink on the strength of all this success?
I heard a few comments about my film which makes me feel the need of one.
Vicki, we'll see you over at my house.
All right, fine.
Ray, your score was out of this world, the greatest.
Say, I've never seen preview cards like this in my life. I waited for the breakdown.
Ninety-seven percent say you got yourself a new star.
Read these and enjoy yourselves.
I'll need a lot of stuff on you. Be in my office tomorrow morning early.
That is, if you can make it.
Read this.
This is what I was telling you about. It's very interesting.
They all say her performance was excellent. Get a load of these cards.
Every one says the same thing.
It's all yours, Esther.
And I don't mean just the Cadillacs and the swimming pools.
It's all yours.
In more ways than one.
I hope...
Yes, Norman, go ahead. Say it, would you?
You'll be a great star. Don't let that change you too much.
Don't let it take over your life.
You're very dear.
Norman, you make this sound like, like the end of something...
...instead of the beginning. You make it sound like goodbye.
I did all I could for you.
You've come along the road with me as far as you should.
Let's leave it that way.
Norman, don't you know how I feel about you?
Yes. Yes, I do.
Don't you know nothing about you could make any difference?
It's too late.
- No, it isn't. It is not... - It is, I tell you!
- There's nothing you can... - Listen to me!
I love you.
I destroy everything I touch. I always have.
Forget me, I'm a bad lot!
You've come too late.
I don't believe that.
It's not too late. Not for you and not for me.
Don't say that, Esther.
I might begin to believe it.
Please, believe it. Believe it.
Believe it. Believe it.
- I think they're all rehearsed. - Fine.
We're ready whenever you are.
"What am I here for?
"It's time you knew
"Here's what I'm here for
"I'm here for you
"Can you forgive me?
"Am I too late?
"All the years that I wondered
"And pondered were squandered
"My heart insisted
"I seek you out
"That you existed
"My heart had no doubt
"To share a journey
"That leads to heaven's door
"You'll find is what I'm here for
"What am I here for?
"It's time you knew
"Here's what I'm here for
"I'm here for you
"Can you forgive me?
"Am I too late?
"All the years that I wondered
"And pondered were squandered
"My heart insisted
"I seek you out
"That you existed
"My heart had no doubt"
Cut. That's it. Wonderful.
Esther, listen to this one.
Okay, let's have the playback.
Just the last half of Miss Lester. I want the chorus arrangement.
"My heart had no doubt
"To share a journey
"That leads to heaven's door
"You'll find is what I'm here for"
How'd I sound?
Just adequate.
Best-friend-severest-critic department?
What is this?
Listen to the arrangement Danny made for the chorus.
Turn it off.
I was thinking about another kind of arrangement.
Another kind?
Domestic. Will you marry me?
No, thank you.
"... I wondered and pondered"
Why not?
Well, you're irresponsible.
- Go ahead. Stop that. What else? - "My heart insisted... "
"You drink too much. "
Suppose I quit drinking?
Suppose I become absolutely dependable on all occasions?
You wouldn't be Norman Maine. I'd be marrying the wrong man.
Norman...
Yes?
...darling, would you do all that for me if I said I'd marry you?
No. I've had a chance to think it over with all that humming and singing...
...it's too much to ask.
Well, goodbye.
Now, wait a minute, my boy. That's much too public a proposal...
...for me to say no to. I accept.
- You do? - I do.
Oliver, we're gonna get married.
I guess I didn't read that line right. I'll try again.
We're going to get married.
Both of us.
To each other. What do you think of that?
What's the matter?
He's trying to decide if it's good for the studio.
Well, is it?
It is. My blessings.
A little unsteady, but thank you.
- Congratulations. - Thank you, Libby.
How long a honeymoon will you give us?
Now, let's see.
I'll want you back by the ninth.
No, make it the tenth.
Don't let your heart run away with your head.
I'll have to call Production and see how long I can stall off Vicki's wardrobe tests.
While you're settling the details, is it all right if I buy the lady a ring?
Sure, we want everything legal.
Thank you.
'Bye. 'Bye, Oliver.
Goodbye, Libby.
That was quite a decision you made just now, Oliver.
Decision?
Letting that girl walk into a booby trap.
Vicki's business is her own.
Is it?
She's the hottest piece of property this studio has right now.
This might make the difference to Norman.
This might be it.
Any bets?
I better start the wheels grinding.
A big front-page splash on the wedding will help his slipping box office.
Hello, this is Matt Libby. Get me my office.
Hello. Hello, Markham?
Lester and Maine are getting married.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, look, I want all stops pulled.
Full coverage. The wedding to end all weddings. You got it?
All right. Now, see if you can get the mayor to close school that afternoon.
I'll get you the date later.
And get all newsreel and television coverage started right away.
Get all traffic routed out of Beverly Hills for two miles on each side of the church.
The big one. And tell the "Life", the "Time", the AP and the UP boys...
...that I'll set up restricted coverage with each of them personally.
Yeah. The bleachers and everything. The full treatment.
"Now, if any man can show just cause why these two...
"... may not be lawfully joined together, let him now speak or else hereafter...
"... forever hold his peace.
"Do you, Ernest Sidney Gubbins, take this woman for your wedded wife?"
I do.
"Will you love, comfort, honor and keep her in sickness and in health...
"... as long as you both shall live?"
I will.
"Do you, Esther Blodgett, take this man for your wedded husband?"
I do.
"Will you obey, serve, love, honor and keep him in sickness and in health...
"... as long as you both shall live?"
I will.
Now place the ring on her finger.
"By virtue of the powers vested in me...
"... as Justice of the Peace of San Verdo Township...
"... County of Los Angeles, I pronounce you man and wife. "
Good luck.
I must exercise my prerogatives of office.
I wish you all the happiness, Mrs. Gubbins.
Thank you so much.
Same to you.
Now, if you'll just sign this.
Oh, yes.
You know, I'd swear I'd seen you before, Mrs. Gubbins.
Really? Well, I think this is the first time I've ever been in San Verdo.
You know your face looks familiar, too, Mr. Gubbins.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Here's your receipt.
Goodbye.
I think you got by with it.
That J.P. was just beginning to remember where he'd seen us before.
- At least we got away from Libby. - Libby doesn't even know we left town.
All the luck.
If you'll be kind enough to glance between my shoulder blades...
...Mr. and Mrs. Gubbins...
...you'll find there a knife, on its handle are your initials.
- Don't be angry. - It's been delightful seeing you...
Wait! Wait a minute!
'Bye.
Well, I wish them joy.
Wait till they see the press. It won't be so funny.
- They have a right to get married quietly. - No, they haven't. He knows better.
"Mr. Public Nuisance" could use some decent publicity for a change.
I've spent ten years covering up.
Killing bad stories, sucking up to the columnists to smooth away his insults.
Who will they blame for not letting them cover this today? Him? No! Me!
I'll look just like a fool.
Double-crossed by a cruddy actor.
He needs this, believe me, more than I do.
Okay.
Just wait your turn, I always say. What do you always say, McGuire?
Well, the first thing to do, I think...
...is to go and wash your face. It's quite dirty.
I know my face is dirty. But you didn't want anybody to recognize us, did you?
No, that's right.
But you can unmask now.
I paid my $2, I wanna see what I got.
Nice.
And now, folks, Vicki Lester...
...singing the title song "from her new picture" It's a New World.
This is the No. 1 tune of the hit parade...
...and the No. 1 favorite on the jukeboxes all over the country:
"Vicki Lester," It's a New World.
Well, there it is, Esther.
You've got it, just the way you dreamed it.
No, I've got more.
Much more.
That's for ordinary folks who have to turn on the radio...
...and put a nickel in the jukebox. I've got a private copyright of my own.
Including the Scandinavian.
I've got the built-in original right in the house, every time I want to hear it.
And I want it now.
No, you don't.
To kind of celebrate.
All right.
"How wonderful that I'm beholding
"A never never land unfolding
"Where we polish up the stars
"And mountains we move, in a life
"Where all the pleasures we will prove
"It's a new world I see
"A new world for me
"The tears have rolled off my cheek
"And fears fade away every time you speak
"A new world though we're in a tiny room
"What a vision of joy and blossom and bloom
"A newfound promise
"One that will last
"So I'm holding on
"And I'm holding fast
"You brought a new world to me
"And that it'll always, always be"
I've been preparing them.
You have? You want to see a picture?
I'd like very much to.
All right, fine.
- Hello. - Hello, there.
- Would you like to see a movie? - Wonderful!
We're going to run one.
You have to put up with this sort of thing.
Stunts and speed mark the National Air Show.
Vampire jets of the Royal Canadian Air Force flash overhead.
Marilyn Rich, the helicopter girl, does her stuff...
...from one of the highest perches ever used by an acrobat. And no net.
Now US jets zoom overhead.
Watch them burst apart like a fountain.
Red Grant is the outdoor type. He prefers to do his flying on the wings...
Traitor.
There's a fight on I wanted to catch a bit of. I've seen the picture anyway.
Why didn't you say something? We could've run something else.
That doesn't matter. It's a good picture. You'll all enjoy it.
Go on back, I think the newsreel is over.
Are you feeling all right? You haven't said a word all evening.
Sure, I'm all right. Just one of my silent evenings.
Go on, you'll miss the beginning.
There's no hurry. The credits will run forever.
I thought you were the one who never took the studio home with you.
This is different. I'm not at home.
Has this got anything to do with me? What you're worrying about?
Has it?
I'll tell you all about it at the studio on Monday. Have lunch with me.
How about telling me now?
This isn't the time nor the place. You have guests.
We've known each other too long to start playing games with each other.
What's sticking in your throat that you can't tell me?
The New York boys have been out here for the past week.
- They want me to take a salary cut? - No, Norman.
I guess the only way to say it is to say it.
They've instructed me to buy up the rest of your contract.
Pay you off.
Pay me off?
Why? My last two pictures haven't grossed as big as they used to...
...but neither has anybody else's.
They know that.
What is it then?
Can you take it?
Go ahead.
They can't afford you anymore, Norman. You're too big a risk.
Those big, fat lush days when a star could get drunk and disappear...
...and hold up production for two weeks are over.
Even if you hadn't slipped a little, they still wouldn't take the chance.
Your record's too bad.
No one can afford it anymore.
Things are too tough.
I tried, Norman.
I tried very hard.
I see.
Don't look so miserable, Oliver. There are other studios, you know.
Only bad thing is I shan't be working for you anymore.
We had a long roll of the dice, didn't we, Oliver?
Can't complain now.
By the way...
...can you keep this under wraps for a while?
- I'd like to tell Esther in my own way. - Of course.
Have you seen this, Oliver?
I've certainly picked a fine time to build myself a big new house, didn't I?
I sometimes think I was born with a genius...
...an absolute genius...
...for doing the wrong thing.
Since Mr. Maine feels that his career will be benefited by a change...
...we do not wish to stand in his way. Unquote.
When contacted...
...the star said that he would announce his future plans at a later date...
The wheel goes round and round...
...and if you just wait long enough...
...it's finally your turn.
Don't take that down, Miss Willer, I was just talking to myself.
That's okay. I'm in the mood where you can make...
...more than your usual quota of mistakes.
Read that whole thing back to me, will you?
"The Oliver Niles Studio announced this morning that it has granted...
"... Norman Maine's request for a cancellation of his contract.
"'This step was taken with deep regret,' said Mr. Niles...
"'... and marks the end of a long and happy relationship...
"'... but since Mr. Maine feels his career will be benefited by a change... "'
Yes. This is Malibu 29010.
- Is Miss Lester there, please? - No, she isn't.
- Who's this? The butler? - No, this isn't the butler.
Is that you, Norman? This is Artie Carver. How are you?
Say, as long as I've got you on the phone, anything new with you?
Have you made a deal at any other studio yet?
No, nothing new with me at all, Artie.
Is it true that you're trying to get Vicki to leave the studio...
...because you're sore at Niles for settling your contract?
No, it isn't true. And don't you start that rumor going.
Okay, Norman, don't get sore. I was just trying to help.
Just trying to get your name in the papers.
Anyway, what I called you for was I've been trying to get an interview...
...with Vicki for two weeks and she's always busy.
How about you giving an old pal a break and speaking to her for me?
Sure, I'll ask her, Artie.
Fine.
I'll put a squib in the column that you're cooking up an independent deal someplace.
It won't fool anybody, but let them know you're alive. 'Bye now.
'Bye.
Hi.
I'm sorry to be so late.
It's all right.
You're here now.
Did you go fishing with Captain Blythe today?
I haven't left the house.
- No? Then let's go out some place tonight. - But you're tired.
- Let's stay in. You must be tired. - I'm not a bit tired. Really I'm not.
And anyway...
What?
...I see so little of you that I'd rather have you to myself.
I didn't even get out of my practice costume.
It's the servants' night out. I don't think we've got...
Yes, we have. I fixed a little snack with my own lily-white hands.
What?
I'm learning to cook in my spare time.
Then I think I'll marry you.
I get it. You want to make an honest cook of me.
My goodness.
How does it look?
- It looks wonderful. - That's what I thought.
- Sit down, sit down. - All right.
Don't be formal, just pitch in.
I don't think my mouth is big enough.
I'll measure it. Make the sandwiches to size next time.
I think I'll take the measurements right now.
That's what I wait for all day.
That's why I rush home every night without even changing my costume.
We're forgetting we're hungry.
Milk?
Yes, thank you.
Cheers.
Well, what went on at the studio today, the old alma mater?
We started doing the big production number today.
This is the production number to end all production numbers.
"An American In Paris"?
"An American In Paris", and in Spain and...
- Brazil? - Brazil, yes.
- Pakistan? - Pakistan and Burma Road.
- It's got sex and schmaltz... - And patriotism!
Patriotism without end! You should see what comes...
...out of the ground and down from the ceiling.
You've never seen anything like it in your life.
Wait a minute. Wait, here, I'll put the practice record on and show you.
Lights!
Camera!
Action!
I'm discovered sitting on a rather simple divan.
"Somewhere there's a someone
"Who's a someone for me
"Someday there will come one
"And my lover he will be
"Somehow I shall know him
"From the moment he's in view
"And he'll know affection
"He's never known hitherto"
Now we have a stunning shot with the clock.
"I pay no mind to the waiting
"Let the clock tick-tock away
"The dream I'm contemplating
"Will be here to stay
"Somewhere in the sometime
"When the humdrum... "
You know I get pretty girlish in this number.
"With that someone I'll be someone at last"
Now, here comes a big, fat close-up.
"With my someone I'll be someone at last"
Not a harp!
There's always a harp in a dream sequence, don't be silly.
The heavenly choir?
Yeah, 20 girls just came up out of the floor.
And there's smoke all over the room.
"Somewhere there's a someone
"Somewhere, someone
"Somewhere there's a someone"
I'm discovered on top of the Eiffel Tower.
Of course.
"This is the story of a little girl
"Searching, searching, searching
"For she knows somewhere
"Is a someone who is a someone for her
"This is a story
"Somewhere is a sometime
"Where the heart from days of past
"With my someone I'll be someone at last
"With my someone I'll be someone at last"
They discover me in China, too.
"Somewhere she will find him somewhere
"Somewhere she will find him
"Nowhere!"
Africa!
"Someone
"Somewhere
"There's a someone somewhere
"Someone
"Somewhere!"
- Brazil, I told you! - Right! Brazil it is.
Shoot!
Boom. You're dead.
"Somewhere there's a someone
"There's a someone waiting for me!"
That's the doorbell.
Maybe they'll go away.
They never do at a time like this.
Don't answer it.
It's so good to hear you laugh again.
I know.
I'd better. Might be a cable.
I sent one to Alex Korda about a picture in England.
I've been expecting an answer.
Maybe things are looking up.
Vicki Lester live here? I got a package for her.
I'll sign for it.
Who are you?
I'm her husband.
Sign right there, Mr. Lester.
Thank you.
Package for you.
By the way, they want you...
...for the Motion Picture Relief Fund benefit at the Shrine Auditorium.
It's in April sometime. I told them I'd ask you.
No, let me finish before I forget. The Academy Award secretary called...
...and wanted to know how many there'd be in your party.
And Art Carver called and wanted me to use my influence with you...
...to get him an interview. I told him I'd try.
That's all.
Now that the supper show is over, let's have some supper, shall we?
I think I shall mix myself a drink. I'm not very hungry.
No.
My young son asked me if these Oscars were made of real gold.
I had to be truthful and tell him, "No, they weren't. "
He was very disappointed.
And then the pride of the household said:
"Daddy, why is it called an Oscar?"
"Shut up," I explained.
And then my dear wife entered the argument...
...with a little lecture on child psychology.
And it's rather lucky that I'm here at all tonight.
Do you think anything's happened to him?
You know what the traffic's like. He's been held up, that's all.
I wish I could have made him understand that...
...many of us feel that to win one of them is ample reward for an entire career.
I know I do.
Thank you.
To present this year's award for the best actress...
Stop worrying. Think how nice the statuette will look on your mantelpiece.
...last year's Academy Award winner: Mr. Nigel Peters.
Those nominated for the best performance by an actress are:
"Jane Brandon," Those Who Seek.
"Vicki Lester," A World For Two.
"Alice Tenny," The Great Chance.
"Shirley Vander," Don't Cry My Love.
The winner is Miss Vicki Lester.
I wish Norman were here.
When something like this happens to you...
...I won't lie to you and tell you I didn't keep hoping it would happen...
...all the speeches that you've made up in your bedroom or in the bathtub...
...go out of your mind completely.
And you find that out of all the words in the world...
...just two stick in your mind:
Thank you.
And all I can do is to say them to you from my heart and...
Congratulations, my dear. Made it just in time, didn't I?
May I borrow the end of your speech to make a speech of my own?
My method for gaining your attention may seem a little unconventional, but...
...hard times call for harsh measures.
My, I had my speech all prepared, but I...
It's gone right out of my head.
Let me see.
Well, it's silly to be so formal, isn't it?
I know most of you sitting out there by your first names, don't I?
I made a lot of money for you, gentlemen...
...in my time through the years, haven't I?
Well, I need a job now.
Yeah, that's it, that's the speech. That's the...
I need a job.
That's what I wanted to say.
I need a job!
It's as simple as that.
I need a job, that's all.
My talents, I might say, they're not confined to dramatic parts.
I can play comedy, too.
Well, play something, somebody.
Norman, darling.
Darling.
Let's sit down.
Get me a drink, somebody.
Good morning, Vicki.
Hi, Frank.
- How are you? - Fine.
- Ready to go? - Yeah, anytime.
Hit the lights. Up high. Six and eight.
Give us a senior.
Come over to 103, will ya?
Now, drop that door down on main.
Roll them.
Speed.
Playback!
One, two.
"If, as, and when you've got a long face
"Rearrange it
"Don't be contented with the wrong face
"There's a way to change it
"Does the day look painful?
"The future glum?
"Does the sky look rainful?
"Hey, there! Say, there!
"Are you in a vacuum?
"All the stuff and nonsense
"You can overcome
"A long face gets you nowhere
"You lose that month of May
"Like Peter Pan, the sweeter pan
"Wins the day!
"Go lose that long face, that long face
"Go along and get that long face lost
"The blues black out when they can see
"A smile that says, 'Move on, no vacancy'
"This panacea idea
"I'm handing you without any cost
"There isn't any tax on it
"So just relax on it
"If you want trouble double-crossed
"Don't give in to a frown
"Turn that frown upside down
"And get yourself that long face lost!
"This panacea idea
"I'm handing you without any cost
"There isn't any tax on it
"So just relax on it
"If you want trouble double-crossed
"Don't give in to a frown
"Turn that frown upside down
"And go and get your long face
"Get your long face
"Go, go, go and get your long face lost!"
Cut!
Cut! That's it.
Very good, everybody. Very good. Fine, Vicki, fine.
You take it easy for a bit. We've got to move in for the closer angle.
All right, kids, take five.
Come in.
Oliver.
Esther.
Hello. It's good to see you again.
Three months is a long time.
- How was your trip? - Not exactly the pleasure trip it used to be.
They want your pictures.
That's all I kept hearing way across the country.
Thanks.
Look, would you mind stopping that for just a minute?
Tough day?
No tougher than usual.
Maybe you should get away after this one. New York or Europe.
Just get completely away. What about that?
How's Norman?
Is he all right?
Yes, he's fine. Want some coffee?
Thanks.
- Sit down, Oliver. - Tell me, is he...
He's in a sanitarium.
He really wants to stop drinking, Oliver.
He's trying very hard. I know he is.
What is it?
What is it that makes him want to destroy himself?
You've known him longer than anyone else.
Tell me what it is.
Please. I don't care but just tell me.
Don't you think I've tried through the years to know why?
To help him.
I don't know, Esther.
I don't know what the answer is.
I've got to find the answer.
You don't know what it's like to watch somebody you love...
...just crumble away bit by bit...
...and day by day in front of your eyes.
And stand there helpless.
Love isn't enough.
I thought it was.
I thought I was the answer for Norman...
...but love isn't enough for him.
And I'm afraid of what's beginning to happen...
...within me...
...because...
...sometimes I hate him.
I hate his promises to stop...
...and then the watching and waiting to see it begin again.
I hate to go home to him at night.
And listen to his lies.
My heart goes out to him because he tries.
He does try.
But I hate him for failing.
I hate me, too.
I hate me...
...'cause I've failed, too.
I have.
I don't know what's going to happen to us, Oliver.
No matter...
...how much you love somebody...
...how do you live out the days?
How?
Would it help any if he went back to work?
Could you do that?
I'll try.
Yeah, all right. I'll be there in a minute. Yes, okay.
You will be careful when you talk to him, won't you?
All he's got left is his pride.
Quiet.
Playback.
"... isn't any tax on it
"So just relax on it
"If you want trouble double-crossed
"Don't give in to a frown
"Turn that frown upside down
"And go and get your long face
"Get your long face
"Go, go, go and get your long face lost"
- I'm Mr. Niles. - Yes, come in.
Mr. Niles, we're expecting you. My name is Harrison.
Come into the reception room and make yourself comfortable.
Mr. Maine'll be right down.
Thank you.
Hello, Oliver.
- Welcome to Liberty Hall. - Hello, Norman.
Shall we go through there?
Sit down.
You don't think someone'll come strolling in here...
...and start telling us he's Napoleon or Julius Caesar, do you?
No.
Nevertheless, I think we'd find it a little cozier in the sun porch.
Now, Cuddles, Mr. Niles isn't slipping me a case of scotch.
He's just gonna sit with me.
Oliver, this is Cuddles, my social secretary.
We go everywhere together.
How are you feeling?
I'm coming along splendidly, so Cuddles tells me.
He says you ought to see some of the boys.
Let's sit down.
Cuddles, we really don't need you.
Touching, isn't it? He can't bear to have me out of his sight.
You comfortable here?
Comfortable? Why, it's positively luxurious.
Why, we even have steel mesh on the windows to keep the drafts out.
How much longer do you think you'll be here?
I'm really cured now, only I'm just staying on...
...an extra week or two until I get into really good shape.
After all, there isn't any great hurry to return to the cameras.
That's what I want to talk to you about.
I have a script here.
It has a fine part for you in it.
Why, that's great Oliver.
Who plays opposite me?
Well, it isn't exactly the lead, Norman. Young Pemberton's doing that.
But I'll tell you frankly, I consider your part better than the lead.
I see. Better than the lead.
Of course, it isn't terribly long. It's one of those parts that make an impression.
They'll be thinking about you all through the picture.
The thing is, Oliver, that I'm pretty well set at another studio.
I'm not at liberty at the moment to tell you which one.
You know yourself how those things are, but it's big, big.
It's one of the biggest pictures of the year.
As for the part, every actor in Hollywood would give his eyeteeth to play it.
That's fine, Norman, that's fine.
Naturally, that'll tie you up for a while.
However, we're not getting to this for some time.
Perhaps you'd consider it for later on.
Don't count on me. I have several pictures lined up.
Then they're talking to me about England.
You know they're doing some interesting things...
What is it, Cuddles?
Speak right out. We all love you.
Your dinner.
Oh, yes.
We dine here at 5:30. Makes the nights longer.
I'll be toddling along, Norman.
Supposing I just leave this.
Maybe you'll be able to come up with some ideas even if you don't play the part.
Oh, sure. Sure.
Nice to see you doing so well, Norman.
I shall be out of here in no time.
I'll have to introduce myself all over again to a lot of people.
They won't know me when I'm not drinking.
Goodbye, Oliver.
Thanks for dropping in.
All right, Cuddles.
Alone at last.
Your attention, please.
In this race, No. 5, La Golondrina, three pounds over.
The total weight, 112 pounds.
No. 7, Royalty, two pounds over.
The total weight, 114 pounds.
Hello, Bert.
Hello, Norman.
- Marian, how are you? - Fine, fine.
- Hi, Sammy. - Hello, Norman. How are you?
I think this one.
Yes...
After all, he's never won before. You can give him a chance.
Well...
Your attention, please. The horses are coming on the track.
Hello. Haven't seen you around in a long time.
No, I've been resting. Ginger ale, please.
Yes, sir. Ginger ale and what?
Ginger ale and ginger ale.
New leaf?
A whole new book.
Thanks.
Scotch.
Hello, Libby. Haven't seen you in a long time.
- What do you like in the third race? - Well, it's Mr. America of yesteryear.
Do they let you wander around now without a keeper?
I'm a trusty now.
I suppose you'll be here all the time now that you've retired...
...from the hurly-burly of the silver screen. Another scotch.
We're staying down at Malibu now and it gets pretty lonesome...
...with Esther away working all day. - I wouldn't squawk if I were you.
It's nice having someone in the family making a living.
Go a little slow, Libby. I don't want to forget that we're friends.
Friends, my eye! Listen, I got you out of your jams...
...because it was my job not because I was your friend.
I don't like you. I never did like you.
Nothing made me happier than to see all those cute little pranks of yours...
...catch up with you and land you on your celebrated face!
Pretty work. Always wait till they're down, then kick them.
Listen, you got yourself fixed nice and comfortable, you got no complaints.
You can live off your wife now.
Drunk again.
He's been drunk for years. Come on, we'll miss the next race.
- How does Vicki stand him? - She must feel sorry for him.
Let's not us get involved.
Scotch.
Double.
Esther, you'll make yourself ill. Try and get a little sleep.
Four days. He's been gone for four days now and not a word.
I can't.
Hello.
No, this is Oliver Niles speaking.
What?
Thank heaven.
He's all right, Esther. He isn't hurt.
Where?
In the night court? Thank you.
He's been arrested on a drunk charge.
I'll go right down and try and get him out.
I'm going with you.
That's no place for you. If the newspapers get it, it'll be bad...
What do I care about that now?
Were you able to do anything?
The judge says he'll get as fair treatment as anybody else.
And that's all he'd say.
Cigarettes out. Please, rise.
Face the flag of our country.
Come on, keep moving.
Line up here.
Come on, come on, line up.
All right, fellows, let's go. Come on. Right down there.
Hats off, cigarettes out. Hurry it up, come on.
Come on, hurry up. Hurry it up. Single file line, face the judge.
Face the judge. Hurry it up.
Second line right down there.
Single file.
Hurry it up.
Take your hat off.
Hurry it up, fellows.
Take your hat off. Come on, let's go. Hat off.
Hurry it up, fellows.
I want to advise you that you're entitled to be represented by counsel...
...to be confronted by the witnesses that testify against you...
...to a public and speedy trial by the court or by a jury...
...and the right to be admitted to bail. Do you understand that?
"William Gregory. "
"Plain drunk. Picked up at Fifth and Towne asleep in the gutter.
"Fourteen similar offenses in the past six months. "
How do you plead?
I don't feel so good.
I didn't ask you how you feel. I said, "How do you plead?"
Guilty, I guess.
When did you get out the last time?
Just before Christmas.
You'll have to miss New Year's, but you'll be out...
...in time for Washington's birthday. Sixty days.
"Ernest Gubbins. "
Gubbins?
"Drunk and disorderly. Crashed car into tree at Sunset and Coronado.
"Evidently been drinking for days.
"Resisted arrest and injured one of the arresting officers. "
How do you plead?
Guilty.
Were you Norman Maine the actor?
Yes.
You've come pretty low, haven't you?
There isn't a man here that's had the advantages you've had.
And look what you've done with them.
You're nothing but an irresponsible drunk driving around the streets...
...with the power to inflict death and injury on innocent people.
I think we'd better deny you that power for a while. Ninety days in the city jail.
I'm his wife.
I recognize you, Miss Lester.
Please, Judge, I promise...
...this will never, never happen again.
I'll be responsible for him.
I will.
If you'll just not send him there.
Do you realize that this man, when drunk, is obviously a menace to the public safety?
Do you realize the responsibility you'll be assuming in this to the court...
...and to the people of this city?
I do.
Sentence suspended. Prisoner remanded to custody of wife.
Thank you.
I'm so tired, Esther.
All right, folks, hold it.
One more, please.
He's asleep.
Good.
- He's been sleeping most of the day. - That's the best thing for him.
He looks so helpless lying there...
...smiling in his sleep just like a child.
Do you still love him, Esther? Or do you feel sorry for him?
Feel sorry for him?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I love him.
We'll take care of him together.
You're very fond of him, aren't you?
I'm very fond of both of you.
Then I know you'll understand what I have to tell you.
You probably know already after what happened last night.
I can't do any more pictures, Oliver.
I'm going away for good.
With Norman.
You're at the very height of your career, Esther.
The very peak of your success.
There wouldn't be any career without Norman.
I'm just giving back the gift he gave me.
No one can give anyone a career. You've made your own.
No! No!
He gave it to me...
...by his faith and by his love.
And without him it's just nothing.
Not the way things are.
You've thought this through?
You're sure you're right?
What'll you do?
We'll go away together.
I'll be with him every moment.
Maybe if I'd had a chance to be with him more...
...some of these things wouldn't have happened.
I've got to hang onto that.
I've got to believe that.
And then when he gets better...
...we can work in England or Italy.
Somewhere where they don't know about him in the way they do here.
And he can get a chance to start again. That's all he needs.
That's what I'm willing to fight for.
To give anything for.
I have to tell you this.
I hate to but I must.
There's nothing left anymore.
It happened long before last night. Long before we let him out of the studio.
Twenty years of steady and quiet drinking do something to a man.
Long before it showed in his face, it showed in his acting.
Little by little, more and more, with each picture.
That's why he slipped.
It wasn't just bad pictures, it was him.
And there's nothing left anymore.
He's just a shell of what he once was.
It's gone, Esther.
No, Oliver, I don't believe that. I won't and I can't.
Can you honestly tell me I'm wrong to do this?
To try? To try?
No, my dear, I can't. I can't honestly tell you that.
Then it's settled.
It's settled.
I'll arrange it.
'Bye, Vicki Lester.
Good luck, Mrs. Norman Maine.
Goodbye, Oliver. Thank you.
Darling.
You're up.
Well, if just being on my feet creates such a sensation, I shall never lie down again.
How do you feel?
Great. I'm fit as a fiddle and ready for love.
Why being as fit as a fiddle should make one ready for love, I never understood.
How did they decide a fiddle was fit?
Darling, is there anything I can do for you? Is there anything you want?
Yes. A number of things.
Anything you want.
Well, brace yourself...
...I've decided that we're dreary people.
Us?
Yes, both of us. I should like to see some changes around the house.
When did you decide all this?
Never mind about that. Just you listen.
First, I'm going in for the athletic stuff.
The swim before breakfast, the swim before dinner, the happy mind...
...and a happy body. Beginning now. Do you want to come along?
- Must I? - No. Your part begins when I come out.
I shall want some hot soup and sandwiches.
All right.
But the thing that I should like more than anything else.
What?
I'd like some singing around the house. We used to have it all the time.
Do I still own the copyright?
Yes, including the Scandinavian.
Do you want it now?
Don't be silly. You go for your swim.
I'll open the kitchen window. You'll be able to hear me.
I just wanted to look at you again.
"It's a new world I see
"A new world for me
"The tears have rolled off my cheek
"And fears fade away every time you speak
"A new world though we're in a tiny room
"What a vision of joy and blossom and bloom
"A newfound promise
"One that will last
"So I'm holding on
"And I'm holding fast
"You brought a new world to me
"And that it'll always, always be"
Yes, it is tragic. It's very tragic.
It was just an accident, of course. We had big plans for him.
He was all set for a comeback.
- It's for you, Mr. Libby. - Thank you.
Have Joe take it.
Yes?
Yes, it was very sad. It was a great personal loss to everybody.
No exclusive on Miss Lester. She can't see anybody anyhow.
Is Morris back yet? Have him come right in, will you, please?
"The Herald Express" wants a front-page spread. Get all the old stills.
London calling. They insist on talking to you personally.
Give it to Joe.
Yes, yes, I can rush you 1,500 words.
Yes, of course it was.
- You want me, Matt? - Hold the church service until I tell you.
Here's all we have on them together.
It was right outside the house.
Leave them there.
Okay, pictures of the beach and the home? Right.
Oh, yes.
Yes, it was quite sudden.
Thank you very much.
All right, clear out all of you. I got a lot of work to do.
Miss Willer, you stay here.
This is the way the world ends.
Not with a bang, with a whimper.
There she is.
There's Vicki Lester.
That's Vicki, the one in black.
Turn around, can't you, Vicki?
Yeah. Give us just one look.
Can't I send out anything on her?
Will she start a new picture? Go away for a while?
Send out nothing. That's an order, Libby.
Till we know.
Until we know what?
Until I can talk to her. Till she'll see me.
She hasn't answered her phone even for me this past week.
- This gonna stay here? - As long as I'm head of the studio.
You know, Libby, you missed a lot not knowing Norman Maine.
Not knowing him? I spent my life knowing him.
I knew what he was going to do before he did it.
I knew him backwards.
You didn't know him at all.
He was quite a guy.
Is there anything I can do for you, madam, before I go to bed?
No, thank you, Charles.
Good night.
- Good evening. - Hello. Where is she?
- She's in the library. May I have your coat? - No, that's all right.
Hello, Danny.
You're not dressed.
Dressed?
You're due at that benefit at the Shrine. Come on, get dressed.
You told them you'd be there.
That was before.
I know it was before. Come on and get dressed.
No!
You just gonna sit here forever?
Yes!
Tonight and tomorrow night and for as long as I like.
I don't want any of your homemade remedies.
I know what you're trying to do.
And the best thing you can do for me is to just leave me alone!
You and everybody else.
And thanks for the sympathy, I don't want it.
Not from you or anybody!
Sympathy? That's not what you're getting from me, baby.
You don't deserve it.
You're a great monument to Norman Maine, you are.
He was a drunk and he wasted his life, but he loved you.
And he took enormous pride in the one thing in his life that wasn't a waste, you.
His love for you and your success.
That was the one thing in his life that wasn't a waste. And he knew it.
Maybe he was wrong to do what he did, I don't know.
But he didn't want to destroy that, destroy the only thing he took pride in.
And now you are doing the one thing he was terrified of, you're wiping it out!
You're tossing aside the one thing he had left.
You're tossing it right back into the ocean after him!
You're the only thing that remains of him now.
And if you just kick it away, it's like he never existed...
...like there never was a Norman Maine at all.
Will you wait for me?
- Vicki! How are you? - How are you? It's good to see you.
- It's been so long. You look wonderful. - Thank you.
She looks great, doesn't she? You, too. We gotta go now.
The next star listed to appear on your program is Vicki Lester.
But we're all of us aware of the tragic circumstances which prevent...
...Vicki Lester's appearance here tonight. It's with the deepest sympathy...
Will you forgive me for a moment?
Vicki Lester will appear tonight!
Here she is, ladies and gentlemen, a star that shines bright and high.
As you know this program is being broadcast all over the world.
Before you sing for us, I know that your millions of fans everywhere...
...are hoping you'll say a few words to them.
Won't you? - Yes.
Hello, everybody.
This is Mrs. Norman Maine.
"You brought a new world to me
"And that it'll always, always be"