(FUNK MUSIC PLAYING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
MAN: Richard, say, kudos.
Wow. You found some essential truth in that staging.
RICHARD: Yeah? MAN: Absolutely. Clearly, it's about Vietnam.
He suffers from suburban existential...
It's about whatever you want it to be about.
WOMAN: Richard, we loved the play.
RICHARD: You understood it, huh? WOMAN: Perfectly.
RICHARD: I'll talk to you later.
MAN: You aced it. You aced it.
I'm sorry. I don't know your name. Pam.
Pam? This is Shelley, my girlfriend. Hi.
Hi. How are you? I'm Richard and I'm thirsty.
So we'll talk to you later. Bye-bye.
(TALKING INDISTINCTLY)
MAN: That was a fine, fine play. Really. Absolutely.
Hey, Shelley, I gotta go talk to this guy, okay?
What is happening?
This is for you from all of us.
Hey, Shelley! Thank you. Shelley, look at this.
Wait a minute. What happened here, did everybody sign this?
WOMAN: Yeah, everybody signed. Fabulous. Thank you.
RICHARD: Where'd you sign this? WOMAN: I signed it inside.
Good, I got some news.
There was an agent in the house tonight,
and he says he thinks this play might be good enough for Broadway.
MAN: All right! Yeah. I know.
Let's keep our fingers crossed. Let's all have some cake.
Penelope, great!
Okay. Now, I think this thing that we ought to do here is...
Everybody get a piece? Here you go. Let me trade you that.
I think we shouldn't cut the mask. We save those for later.
(TALKS WITH MOUTH FULL)
Hmm?
Come back to me.
Who was she?
I never saw her in my life.
WOMAN: What'd she give you?
Oh, my God.
MAN: Is this a party or what? Let's have some cake.
How was the play? Did you enjoy it?
Are you all right?
(PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)
(MUSIC STOPS)
(SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE)
A-ha! "A-ha," what?
"A-ha," where ya goin'?
I'm going on a trip.
Where? I have no idea.
What about the play?
Well, it isn't done.
Okay. When will it be done?
I don't know.
Oh, my God. Richard, there are people waiting for that play.
Is Jill going with you?
No. I don't think so. We broke up.
SPORTSCASTER: The Red Sox are at home tonight
for a Comiskey Park game against the Yankees.
The Cubs are just beginning a West Coast swing...
How long will you be with us? Just tonight.
Fine. If you'll sign in here, sir.
Sure.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Arthur, 313, please.
Have a pleasant stay. Thank you. Okay, thanks a lot.
This your first time here, Mr... Collier.
Yeah. For some reason, I never got around to coming here.
I always heard how nice it was, though.
When was that?
About eight years ago.
See, I used to be a student up at Millfield College.
Yeah, the students come here now and then to enjoy the restaurant
and the rooms. (LAUGHS)
It seems to me, I remember they had a graduation prom here back in '47, was it?
Really? You been here that long?
Why, I've been here since 1910.
(CHUCKLES) 1910? Uh-huh.
Came here with my parents when I was five years old.
Really? My father was a desk clerk.
I used to drive him crazy playing ball in the lobby.
He got so mad at me sometimes. I'm lucky I lived to be six.
Three, George. (CHUCKLES)
Got yourself a nice view here. Let me see.
Great.
Okay, let's see now. Here you go.
Thank you, Mr. Collier.
If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know.
My name's Arthur and I live in the bungalow behind the hotel.
Okay. Thanks a lot. See ya around, Arthur.
Have we ever met before?
Have we ever... No, no. I don't think so.
No. No. I'm sure we haven't. Have a nice stay here, Mr. Collier.
Okay, thanks a lot.
Sir? Yeah, when do you open?
In about 40 minutes, sir.
Forty minutes?
Yes, sir.
Arthur! Hi.
Yes, Mr. Collier.
Arthur, you know, in the Hall of History,
there's a photograph, a young woman.
There's no nameplate.
Yes, that's Elise McKenna.
She was a famous actress in her day.
Starred in a play in the hotel theater.
I'm sorry. Did you say there was a theater here?
Down by the lake.
Really?
When was this play done?
Oh, um...
1912.
1912?
Hey, Arthur! Arthur. Hi. Listen.
Could you take my luggage and put it back in my suite? Great. Thanks a lot.
And can you tell me where the nearest library is?
In town. Right past the church.
Great. Look out. Thanks. Terrific!
Thanks a lot. See you around, Arthur.
Yeah.
Yes.
Oh, my God.
"One of the most revered actresses on the American stage,
"for many years, she was the theater's greatest box office draw. ".
"Under the guidance of her manager, William Fawcett Robinson,".
"Elise McKenna was the first American actress"
"to create a mystique in the public's eye."
"Never seen in public in her later years,
"apparently, without an offstage life,
"the absolute quintessence of seclusion. ".
Excuse me. Do you have any theater biographies
that aren't in the racks under the rare books or magazines?
Well, we do have some magazines,
but they're in the back, and I'd have to find them and...
Could you do that for me, please?
Well, all right.
Thanks. I'm in the back. Okay.
Great!
Here you are.
Thank you. Thank you.
(SNICKERS)
Yes? Hello, yes. Miss Roberts?
Yes. Hi. My name's Richard Collier.
And I just read your book on famous American actresses,
and I really enjoyed it a lot.
What is it you want?
Information about Elise McKenna.
What sort of information?
Well, I'm a playwright and I was thinking about doing a play based on her life.
And of course I'd have to talk... I'm sorry.
Ma'am, please. Please, don't.
This is not for a play, Miss Roberts.
This is something very personal.
I don't understand.
Where did you get that?
She gave it to me, ma'am.
At the opening night of a play that I wrote
at Millfield College about eight years ago.
That watch was very precious to her.
She never, never left it out of her possession.
It disappeared the night she died.
She died that night?
Won't you come in, please?
Thank you.
I have some things I've been saving for the theater collection.
That was a costume from one of the plays she was in.
Miss Roberts, what was she like?
When I knew her, she was kind and thoughtful.
But she was just too much within herself.
She seemed empty somehow.
Well, she wasn't always that way, was she?
No, not at all.
People who knew her when she was young said
that she was quick and bright and full of fun.
Strong, willful, not at all the way she was later.
What made her change?
I don't know, but the change seems to have taken place about 1912.
After she performed in a play at the Grand Hotel.
That was her manager, William Robinson.
Was he really as strange as you seemed to indicate in the book?
There was something strange about their relationship.
Wow, look at this.
Hey. May I?
Of course. This is incredible.
This guy, Finney. He was my philosophy teacher at Millfield.
Really? Yeah.
She read that book over and over.
She had that made.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
What is it?
That's my favorite music in the whole world.
I don't understand what's happening.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
Dr. Finney? You'll have to walk with me, young man.
I have another class. What's your name?
Collier, sir. Richard Collier.
Student? Yes, I was, nine years ago.
Well, I try to make my classes interesting, but nine years?
What can I do for you?
I have a question for you, sir.
Shoot. Is time travel possible?
That is a question.
Let me tell you something, Richard, is it? Yes, sir.
I was in Venice in 1971.
I was staying in a very old hotel.
But I mean, very old.
The structure, the furnishings, everything.
The atmosphere was aged, if you follow me.
And my room, I felt as though it was
a century or more earlier than 1971.
You understand? Yes, sir.
So, in other words, then, the location is very important.
Not all important, but essential.
The rest is here.
One afternoon, I...
I was lying down in that room.
All the sights around me, a part of the past.
Even the sounds I heard,
and I conceived a notion.
What, I asked myself,
if I attempt to hypnotize my mind?
Suggest to it that it isn't 1971,
but 1571.
I closed my eyes
and fed a suggestion into my brain.
It's August, 1571.
I am in the Hotel Del Vecchio,
and I spelled out the details for myself,
and did it over and over,
and again and again and again.
And?
Well, I'll never really know, Richard.
I've never done it since.
And I'm not sure I'd want to do it again.
I felt exhausted afterwards. Completely washed out.
And if it really did happen,
I was only there a fraction of an instant, remember.
A flicker.
Yes, sir. I understand that. But you were there.
I thought so.
It was imperfect, granted.
How would it be otherwise?
There were objects around me that were clearly from the present,
and I knew they were there.
Oh...
If I were going to try it again...
Mind you, I have no such intention, but if I did,
I would disassociate myself entirely from the present.
Move everything out of sight that could possibly remind me of it.
Then, who knows?
Sorry. Hey.
Hi. Hi, how do you do?
Listen, do you have 1912 money?
I mean, very specifically, 1912.
(SCISSORS SNIPPING)
A-ha!
That's it.
All right. Let's see now.
Yeah, not too bad.
Yup, yup, yup, yup. It's looking all right.
(CHUCKLES)
(CLEARS THROAT)
Good evening, Miss McKenna. You don't know me, but you will.
Evening, Miss McKenna.
You don't know me,
but you will.
Okay.
(CLEARS THROAT)
It is June 27th, 1912.
Oh, boy.
You are lying on your bed in the Grand Hotel,
and it is 6:00 p.m. in the evening of June 27th, 1912.
Your mind accepts this absolutely.
It is 6:00 p.m. on June 27th, 1912.
Elise McKenna is in this hotel at this very moment.
Her manager, William Fawcett Robinson,
is in this hotel at this very moment.
Now. This moment. Here.
God, how stupid.
That's not very bright.
Both in the Grand Hotel on this early evening on June 27th, 1912.
6:00 p.m. on June 27th, 1912.
Elise McKenna and you.
Goodbye.
Elise McKenna, now, in this hotel.
She and her company, who are in this hotel at this very moment,
even as you lie here on your bed
in the Grand Hotel on June 27th, 1912...
6:00 p.m., June 27th, 1912.
The stage is being set for their performance tomorrow night.
Your mind accepts this absolutely.
It is 6:00 p.m. on June 27th, 1912.
You have traveled back in time.
Soon you will open your eyes,
and you will walk into the corridor,
and you will go downstairs and find Elise McKenna.
She is in the hotel at this very moment.
Damn it!
(RECORDING STOPS)
There's no question in your mind.
It is 6:00 p.m. on June 27th, 1912.
That which you think becomes your world.
Your mind accepts this absolutely. It is June 27th, 1912.
It has to happen!
You know that now! You know it.
It has to happen.
There is no question. You know it.
It has to happen.
Relax. Accept.
Relax and accept.
Shut up!
(SOBBING)
MAN: Yeah, not bad. WOMAN: Great.
Hey. Look at these pictures.
I'll bet they're a hundred years old, if they're a day.
Look at this furniture. Isn't that nice?
Yeah.
What a place.
Yeah? You like those? WOMAN: It's beautiful.
They're yours. (LAUGHS) WOMAN: I'll bet this is all crystal.
You suppose it is?
Yeah, it must be.
Look at the rest of the place. It has to be.
Look at here, the original picture?
WOMAN: Yeah, but look how much they've been...
Arthur!
Arthur? Arthur?
Arthur?
Arthur! Come on. Wake up.
Hi, Arthur. I'm really sorry to wake you up,
but you're the only one who can help me.
Listen, you know those things in the Hall of History display cases?
Where do they come from?
Is there a storeroom or something?
Arthur, please. Where do those things come from?
The attic, Mr. Collier.
Shit.
Come on.
Here we go.
Twelve!
(MUTTERING)
McKenna.
Yes.
I was there. I was there.
It is 6:00 p.m., June 27th, 1912.
There is no question in your mind. It is 6:00 p.m.
Of course.
Room 416.
9:18, tomorrow morning.
9:18. 9:18, tomorrow morning.
Believe.
1912.1912.
I made it.
(CHUCKLES)
Oh, brother.
(CHUCKLING) I made it.
I made it.
(DOOR OPENS)
(WOMAN HUMMING)
(DOOR CLATTERS)
Maude!
I'm back.
Are you ready yet? No.
I don't know why you act in such a manner.
Indeed, I suspect you do not.
And what am I to make of that remark?
What you will, Rollo. What you will.
Are we to have this maddening exchange
each and every time I notice the existence
of a female other than yourself?
Notice her existence? (SCOFFS)
That scarcely describes your rapt appraisal of her every inch.
Rapt appraisal of her... You just don't love me anymore.
Oh, Maude. Christ.
I want to lie down for a while. That's a good idea.
Great idea.
I warn you. I've had enough of this constant bickering.
That's what you always say to everything, "I will not discuss it."
That's your answer to everything.
Unless you come to your senses,
I shall leave without you.
Excuse me. Did you see someone just trying to get in here?
Yes, some young chap, ran that way.
I'll be damned. I'd better report that.
Indeed, you'd better, sir.
I'd have reported it myself, if I'd known that there was...
Good afternoon, Miss McKenna. You don't know me.
Good afternoon, Miss McKenna.
Good afternoon, Miss McKenna, I've just come 68 years.
May I please speak to you?
Yes? Yes, monsieur?
Um...
is Miss McKenna here?
No, I'm afraid she's not.
Could you tell me where she is?
I'm sorry, I have no idea, monsieur.
Strike one.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
I beg your pardon.
Getting out?
Not inside, Arthur.
Are you Arthur? Yes, sir.
Here you go.
Arthur, not inside.
(ACTORS REHEARSING INDISTINCTLY)
I'm sorry. Excuse me.
MAN: I say, I shall have her!
WOMAN: Not in my life, you shall not!
(MAN YELLING)
Whatever you desire,
I guarantee you satisfaction!
Be out of here within two hours after the show's over?
That's impossible. The man's insane. That's what he wants.
You know Robinson. I wish to God I didn't.
All right, if he's that anxious to get out of here,
let him doff his fine coat and help us tear down the set.
What?
Sorry. Have you seen Miss McKenna?
You have a message for her? Give it to me and I'll see it reaches her.
Now, as for our precious Mr. Robinson...
Madam, I do not so regard her. Yes, you do.
And you shall not marry her.
And I say, I shall have her.
Not in my life, you shall not.
Give in, Cecily. It's not your place to say.
Desist!
Good people, this is a comedy, not King Lear.
Let's not bury the playwright before his time.
Excuse me!
I'm terribly sorry to bother you.
I wonder if you know where Miss McKenna might be.
Very well, very well. Let us take it again.
From the beginning.
(CLEARS THROAT)
A yearly stipend, shall we say, paid for by the month.
Whatever you desire.
Hello.
Take it again, Madeline.
WOMAN: Why not put her on the scale and sell her by the pound?
May I speak to you, please, Miss McKenna? May I...
May I please speak to...
(CLEARS THROAT)
Miss McKenna. No. No.
Elise, may I...
Oh, boy! (COUGHS)
Miss McKenna. Good afternoon, Miss McKenna.
(GROANS) Uh...
I'm, um... Flustered, my sweet?
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
Never seen an actress en déshabillé before?
Uh, I'm looking for Miss McKenna, please.
Most likely walking by the lake, my dear. Thank you.
Oh!
Watch it, sonny. Sorry. Excuse me.
Is it you?
Is it?
Yes.
Are you all right? Yes, yes, quite all right.
I'm sorry if I startled you. No, you didn't startle me.
I think I did.
MAN: I'll take you in to dinner now.
May I speak to you, please?
Anything the matter?
Who was that young man?
I've no idea.
He gave no name?
There was hardly time.
You were conversing, McKenna.
No.
Well, not really.
No, no need to look back. He's following us.
Keep on walking. I'll be right along.
Are you a guest here, sir?
You're Robinson.
Are you a guest of the hotel?
Uh...
Yes. Yes, I am.
Then I must ask you to stop annoying Miss McKenna any further.
If you do not, I shall see that you're put out.
What did you say to him?
What I've always said to men of his sort.
That gown of yours in Act 2,
I'm not crazy about it, you know.
It'll have to be redone.
Warn Marie that I shall discuss it with her later.
MAN: Good evening, reservations for four under Woods.
Woods. Yes, monsieur. What time was the reservation for?
8:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Monsieur, may I help you, please?
I'm dining with Miss McKenna, thank you.
Good evening. How are you, sir?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
I told you, we should have gone to Poughpeepskie.
Poughkeepsie.
Poughpeepskie.
And I just won't discuss it any further.
(MAN LAUGHING)
It isn't the lines at all. If only these actors would...
Isn't he the nincompoop who thought he could do Hamlet last season?
Mon chéri, we meet again.
Yes, hello.
I so admire a man not hidebound by the dictates of fashion.
Ma'am? That suit.
I haven't seen one like it for a decade.
(LAUGHING)
A decade? Yes.
Still looking for Miss McKenna?
Yes, in fact... Over there.
Thank you. (WOMAN RESPONDS IN FRENCH)
What do you think you're doing?
Dancing with you.
But we don't even know each other.
I know everything about you.
Yes, I'm sure you do.
What do you mean?
If you will excuse me... No, you don't understand.
I think I do. No, no, please, don't leave.
You have no idea how far I've come to be with you.
There's no need to be afraid of me, you know.
WILLIAM: The man's an intruder.
Will you kindly see to it that he is escorted from the premises?
If you will, sir.
One moment.
I shall go with him.
McKenna.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Don't worry, William. I shall return momentarily.
Thank you so much. I was so embarrassed...
Your name, please?
Richard Collier.
Your place of residence?
Chicago.
Your occupation?
I'm a playwright.
A playwright.
(STAMMERING) Yes, but I'm not here because...
And you say that you know everything about me.
Well, yes... Which is patently absurd.
You couldn't possibly know everything about me.
We've never met. You're a complete stranger to me.
But then, why did you say, "Is it you?"
I don't have to answer that.
I know you don't. I wish you would, though.
What is the matter with him?
He's just looking out for me as he has always done.
But why is that? Do I look dangerous?
Wait. Wait.
When can I see you again?
I don't know.
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
And have it ready by tomorrow morning.
I'll do my best.
Smiling, McKenna?
Seems appropriate.
Rather handsome young man, if ill-mannered.
I'll keep an eye on him.
I'm sure you will.
Is he the one, William?
Is he?
Only you can tell for certain.
Now, tomorrow night's performance.
Remember, stay ahead of them.
Keep the mystery, always the mystery.
BOTH: Excess within control.
Sleep well, McKenna.
(GRUNTS) All right.
(KNOCKING)
ELISE: (WHISPERING) Who is it?
Richard Collier.
Good morning.
You sleep all right?
Wonderfully. I'm sorry.
I didn't sleep too well either.
But I was on a porch chair. So, you know...
Don't you even have a room?
Yes, I will at 9:18. Room 416.
I mean. Would you like to go to breakfast?
At 6:00 a.m.?
Well, later?
I don't eat breakfast on performance days.
No, of course not.
Lunch? Mr. Collier!
No, no, no. It's not Mr. Collier.
Isn't that your name?
Well, yes, that's my name, but... (SHUSHING)
What? Marie. She's sleeping in the other room.
Marie?
My maid. Oh.
I'm sorry.
Well, of course my name is Mr. Collier.
But I was hoping you'd call me by my first name, Richard.
Why should I? I don't know.
Just hoped you would.
When can I see you today?
I shall be rehearsing all day.
All day! That's crazy! You can't... (SHUSHING)
Don't wake her up.
Will you walk with me? Can you do that much?
I can't.
Young woman, if you do not walk with me, I shall go mad,
positively insane and do crazed things to myself.
(SHUSHING)
Walk with me. Please.
Say, "Richard," that's me.
"Thank you. I would love to walk with you and talk with you and get to know you"
"and not be afraid of you and resolve everything."
Say, "Yes."
Yes.
1:00.
Outside the hotel.
She's crazy about me.
Can I persuade you to join me?
Where are you from, Collier?
Chicago. Where are you from, sir?
I'm given to understand that you're a playwright.
You understand correctly.
No doubt you dream of seeing Miss McKenna in one of your opera.
That's plural for opus. I presume you've written more than one?
Mmm.
And seen them produced.
Really? Mm-hmm.
I'm not entirely unacquainted with the achievements
of the American stage in the past decade.
Perhaps I've seen one?
No, I doubt it.
I also doubt very much that I shall ever see one graced by Miss McKenna.
You don't really believe that's why I'm here, do you?
Why are you here? Is it money?
I don't think you really believe that either.
There is a law, Collier.
I warn you. I will not hesitate to make avail of it.
Yes? On what charge?
The matter's concluded, sir. No.
Yes. You may depend on it.
Good morning, sir. Good morning.
Excuse me. Arthur!
Forgive me again, sir.
I'm very sorry, sir.
That's quite all right. I'd like a room, please.
Oh. Don't you have one?
Well, I was rather ill when I arrived last night. So I stayed with a friend.
Ah, I see.
You do have a room, sir?
Yes, yes.
Thank you.
One single. $3 a day. Bathroom privileges extra.
Would you care to sign the register now, sir?
Um...
Excuse me. I'm sorry. Are you sure this is the right room?
The right room, sir? I don't understand.
I'm sorry, Mr. Biehl. That room is reserved.
Forgot to put a notice in the slot.
I'm very sorry.
Right, shall I sign? Would you, please?
Excuse me.
Let me just finish that for you.
WOMAN: Grand Hotel.
9:18.
WOMAN: I'm sorry...
Thank you, sir.
Bingo. (CLEARS THROAT) I beg your pardon?
(CHUCKLES) Oh, nothing.
Which room is your luggage in, sir?
Um...
It's no problem. I can get it later myself.
Thank you very much.
See you around, Arthur.
(MAN HUMMING)
Morning. Morning.
Astonishing.
Hello. Hello!
You look lovely. Thank you.
Shall we? Certainly.
Sorry I'm late. Complications.
What did you do to your face? Shaved.
New blade wasn't quite sharp enough.
I shudder to think what you'd look like if the blade were any sharper.
(CHUCKLES)
No. I don't believe it.
Gotta give him credit. He's like a bulldog.
Would you like me to speak to him?
Wouldn't do a bit of good.
I think I know what would, though.
Whoa! Wait for me! Whoa!
(INAUDIBLE)
Mr. Collier, it isn't easy being a successful actress.
Over the years, I...
I found it necessary to protect myself.
So understand, please understand.
That I'm even with you today
when we only met last night.
Why did you say, is it you?
I was expecting.
Me?
Someone.
Who?
Tell me.
I think you'll laugh.
Why? Is it funny?
In a way.
William told me you were coming.
Robinson? Yes.
He knows somehow.
He really does.
He knew a lot of things before they happened,
my career, my...
He told me that
one day I would meet a man who'd
change my life.
Did he tell you that man would be someone to be afraid of?
Yes.
And what do you think now? Do you...
Do you believe that?
No.
You're obviously not.
(HUMMING)
That's beautiful.
What is it?
That's Rachmaninoff, from the Rhapsody.
I saw him with the philharmonic once.
I love his music, but I've never heard this piece.
Really? Well, I'll introduce you to it sometime.
Sorry we had the carriage so long. Thank you.
See that guy's face?
They're gonna hang us for horse-napping.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
Stick out your tongue.
Huh?
Stick out your tongue.
Why? No.
The most peculiar moment in my life, Mr. Collier.
I think you'll survive it, Miss McKenna.
What time is it now?
Um...
4:30.
Well, I must be getting back.
You have to? Can't you stay a little longer?
No, I have to rest awhile.
The play.
It's lovely.
Where did you get it?
It was given to me.
Well, shall we?
So, when's the company leave?
Tonight.
Where are you going?
Denver.
Well, thank you for a most pleasant afternoon.
Could we talk just a little longer?
I really should rest awhile. Please.
Very well, then. Just for a moment or so.
What did you want to talk about?
No.
Oh, my God.
What's happening?
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
WILLIAM: McKenna?
McKenna?
Come in.
I think you'd better go.
Have you been waiting all this time for our return?
This is hardly the time for discussion... Have you?
Yes. Does that surprise you?
Our relationship is strictly business.
Strictly business?
I'm involved with you as an actress, Mr. Robinson, not a doormat.
Do not attempt to wipe your boots on me.
Richard.
I shall leave a ticket for you at the theater door.
"Excess within control," McKenna?
Au revoir.
(DOOR SHUTS)
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(APPLAUSE)
Good evening, miss.
Not good at all.
Particularly bad.
I'll not go downstairs again.
What is it, miss?
I've just been dining with the man my father is determined that I wed.
Banker Harwell.
Banker Harwell, yes.
"All 67 years, and 5'4" of height and several hundred pounds of him!
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
He does have money, though, miss.
And never lets a soul forget it.
I'm amazed he has the least desire to marry.
He's so happily wedded to his gold.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
Perhaps he won't be that bad, miss.
There must be something you like about 'im.
Yes, his absence.
(ALL LAUGHING)
The man of my dreams has almost faded now.
And what man is that, miss?
The one I have created in my mind.
The sort of man
each woman dreams of in the deepest
and most secret reaches of her heart.
I can almost see him now before me.
What would I say to him
if he were really here?
"Forgive me."
"I've never known this feeling."
"I've lived without it all my life."
"Is it any wonder, then, I failed to recognize you?"
"You've brought it to me for the first time."
"Is there any way"
"that I can tell you how my life has changed?"
"Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me?"
"There is so much to say."
"I cannot find the words,"
"except for these,."
"I love you."
And such would I say to him
if he were really here.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
What in God's name were you doing?
Nothing. Nothing? Rewriting the entire first scene?
I got it back on course. Elise, hold a moment.
We've just got to take that photograph.
Very well. Just a moment, I have to change.
Quickly!
And a little flourish.
Yes, yes. Yes, very pretty. Very pretty. Just one moment.
Here we go. I'm just going to focus on that lovely...
Yes, yes, yes! I'm just going to put in the plate.
One moment. There we go.
A little smile, please.
Not quite. Perhaps if you think of something happy or bright.
Yes, that's it. That's it. Hold it.
(CAMERA CLICKS)
PHOTOGRAPHER: Perfect! Absolutely perfect.
MAN: I say, I shall have her!
Not in my life, you shall not.
MAN: Mr. Collier?
I am the one who loves her!
For you.
WOMAN: Neither do you.
MAN: I can provide her with life's enrichments,
rather than the riches of life.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
(ACTORS CONTINUING)
MAN: I think an old song says it best.
Do you have any notion how many years I have been with Miss McKenna?
Since March of 1903.
March, 1903.
That's correct.
She was 16 at the time.
There she was on that dingy stage
in that pathetic play.
Total radiance.
It only took seconds for me to realize
exactly what she had to be.
Mrs. Robinson?
Do you actually believe
that I have nurtured her,
cared for her, molded, taught, developed her for all these years
merely to groom a wife?
What, then?
A star.
Only someone with the limited awareness of your age
could possibly conceive that my entire passion for this woman
is no more than physical!
Are you incapable of understanding that
she has it within herself to be one of the greatest,
if not the greatest actress of her generation?
I owe you an apology.
What?
I understand you now.
You have nothing but the best motives in mind for her.
And you... But so do I.
Of course, she'll continue to act, she will continue to grow
and she will become everything you want her to be.
With you at her side? Yes.
With me at her side.
Never.
My God.
You really think you own her, don't you?
Collier, I know who you are.
Ever since you came here, I've known from the start.
You came to destroy her.
God, you're out of your mind.
(GRUNTS)
(APPLAUSE)
No more. No more?
One curtain call? The audience will be furious.
Marie, did you find him? No, Miss McKenna.
Did you try his room? He wasn't there.
What did they say at the desk?
They have not seen him.
He left no message?
No, I'm sorry.
This makes no sense at all.
What could have happened to him?
Marie!
Marie, help me change. Quickly.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Wait, Marie.
Thank you, Marie.
Your performance in Act 1,
I must say, was somewhat eccentric.
Where is he? What have you done to him?
I've done nothing, McKenna.
Mr. Collier has left. That's all.
What do you mean? Gone.
From the hotel
and your life.
I don't believe you.
I must admit,
he was somewhat more charming
than others that we've encountered in the past,
you and I.
A trifle more sincere, perhaps. Still...
Then he was not the one you spoke of?
No.
Then you were wrong about him, weren't you?
You were wrong.
I love him
and he's going to make me very happy.
Do you understand?
I love him.
What difference can that make now? He's gone.
I'll find him, William.
Don't you dare try to stop me.
Now, if you will excuse me while I change.
Of course.
May I remind you
that we leave within the hour?
Thank you.
(HORSE SNARLS) (GRUNTS)
Elise!
(BANGING ON DOOR) Elise?
MAN: Sir?
Are you all right?
The company, are they gone? Company?
The ones who did the play last night. Where are they? Are they gone?
They left as soon as they were packed, sir.
Come along, Arthur. We'll be late.
Richard!
You all right? Yes.
I thought I lost you. Never.
Never, never, never!
Mm-mm-mm!
You will marry me, won't you?
(GAGS)
(LAUGHS) Sorry. You won't?
Sure.
I was just laughing at the way you asked, that's all.
For one moment there... What?
I thought you had a wife and children back home somewhere.
(CHUCKLES)
Elise.
I want to be everything to you.
You are.
Tell me more about yourself, my love.
Well, I was born in... What sort of plays do you write?
Are there parts in it for me? I could...
I would love to act in one of your plays,
assuming that I ever want to act again after tonight.
You will.
Richard.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Good plays. What?
I write good plays.
I never let you answer, did I?
No. Sorry.
What time do you think it is? I don't know.
I don't care. I love you.
Don't look. Fine.
It's 5:00. Really?
I don't feel sleepy somehow, do you?
No.
The first thing I intend to do for you... You've already done.
Well, the second thing, then. What?
Buy you a new suit.
I don't understand. Nobody seems to like my suit.
Well, can you blame them? Wait a minute. I think my suit's terrific.
What's wrong with this? So what if it's 10 years old?
At least 15.
Fifteen? Mm-hmm.
Well, I think it's fabulous. Let me show you.
It's a really great suit. It's in first-class condition.
The sleeves fit. That's pretty good for me.
My arms are about nine feet long.
And it's got pockets everywhere. I can pull rabbits outta here.
Yeah, this is the best part. This is a special coin compartment for...
Richard?
Richard!
Richard! Richard!
Richard!
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
MAN: (ON RADIO) How's traffic?
WOMAN: (ON RADIO) And the road conditions are pretty good today.
(SOBBING) You really shouldn't run into any problems,
except on the inbound Kennedy at Jackson,
there's a three-car accident with injuries
right at the center of the roadway.
Traffic is backed up from Ohio to Jackson...
No. No. No!
No!
June 29,1912.
It's June 29, 1912. Oh, God.
Oh, please.
June 29. I'm back. I'm back. Oh, God.
June 29,1912.
(SOBBING)
No!
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
ARTHUR: Mr. Collier?
MAN: Are you sure he's in there?
Well, the maid says he's been in there for days.
ARTHUR: Are you all right, sir?
HOTEL MANAGER: Use the passkey.
Mr. Collier?
Oh, my God!
Let's get him on the bed. All right, easy.
Careful, careful! I got him.
Better take his legs. All right.
All right, over here.
Okay.
Easy.
HOTEL MANAGER: Operator? Get Dr. Paul up to Suite 313 right away.
Looks like he hasn't eaten in a week.
You better send for an ambulance. I'll call one right now.
What a shame. If I'd only known.
Operator? Get an ambulance.
ARTHUR: He is gonna make it, isn't he?
DOCTOR: I don't know.
HOTEL MANAGER: They're on their way. How is he?
We're gonna need some oxygen.
We've got some downstairs. I'll get it right now.
ARTHUR: Keep him warm with this blanket.
Looks like he hasn't eaten in a week.
What a shame.
I wonder what happened.
Gotta keep him going until they get here.
Gladys, this is Arthur again, in Mr. Collier's suite.
We've got to get that ambulance...