The Majestic

- And the kid with the bell? - What kid? What bell?

The kid. After the mine caves in, he rings the bell to alert the town.

- Is that in the script? - What if we gave him a disease?

- A disease? - Leg braces, that sort of thing.

- But he runs. - He could hobble.

A How Green Was My Valley thing.

Is that McDowall kid available?

- Too old. Plus, he's English. - So?

- The script's set in Tennessee. - Did I get that page?

Forget the disease. Nobody wants it. It's depressing.

- Boss is right. Who needs it? - It's horrible.

- I hate disease. - Box-office poison.

Hold on. I think I got a "what if."

What if we give the character...? What's his name?

- Floyd. - Terrible name. Change it.

- Say we give no-name a dog. - A dog?

A dog. No-name's faithful companion.

Toils at his master's side in the coal mine.

Cave-in happens, only the dog gets out.

Because dogs are smaller, usually.

And it's the dog that runs up the hill and rings the bell.

Holy crap, that's beautiful.

- I'm choked up. - I got goose bumps.

Lassie pictures always gross high.

Instead of a disease, we give the kid a dog?

- No more kid. The kid's a dog. - Could be what the movie needs.

Let's ask the writer. What do you think, Pete?

Wow. That's just...

amazing.

Of course, it's not like the postcards say it is.

It's not glamour everywhere you look.

I should know. I live here.

This is my town.

It seems like everyone here's from someplace else.

The reason? Movies.

Everybody loves the movies...

which makes Hollywood everybody's town.

They come here by the busload.

The next show will be starting in five minutes.

Please step up to purchase your tickets...

Here you go.

Candy.

Treats.

- Bonbons. - There you go.

For most, Grauman's Chinese Theater...

is the most exciting place on the planet.

For me, it's that and more.

It's the theater playing my first film credit.

No, not that one.

I wish.

No, I'm the B movie tonight. Sand Pirates of the Sahara.

Not a bad picture, if I say so myself.

You gotta start somewhere.

God, I love seeing my name on a poster.

Four years ago, in film land's darkest hour...

the so-called Hollywood 10...

testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities...

investigating the Communist menace in Hollywood.

Have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?

Communism is not related to this.

Refusing to answer questions...

the 10 writers dared Congress to come after them.

After years of wrangling, it's time to pay the piper.

It's off to jail. The charge: contempt of Congress.

A new round of hearings begins this fall.

The mandate: Get the Reds out of Hollywood!

- Miss me? - Every second.

That's my girlfriend, Sandra Sinclair. This is her town too.

She's from Cleveland. She came out here to be an actress.

And that's what she's doing.

The first picture she ever appeared in...

was the first picture I ever wrote.

The lovely Emily. My desert dove.

Did you think you could just fly away from me?

- Hands off, Khalid! - Roland!

- You! I thought you were dead. - You thought wrong.

Hyah!

- Let her go. - I find your persistence tiresome.

I get that a lot.

Roland, look out!

This time I'll make sure you're dead.

This time I'll make sure you're dead.

Taste my steel, you dog.

Taste my steel, you dog.

We were young, we were in love...

and we were working in the pictures. Life was good.

I was walking along, minding my business

When out of that orange-colored sky

Flash! Bam! Alakazam!

Wonderful you came by

Louise, what gives?

They gave everyone the day off.

- What about my pages? Are they typed? - Pages?

I'm on a deadline, I need my pages.

- Those men took them. - What men? Those pages aren't ready.

Pete, I'm not even supposed to be talking to you.

They say you attended those meetings while in college.

Who's they?

Congress, FBI, Red Channels. It doesn't matter.

They know who they are, that's enough. Answer the question.

Meetings, meetings. How the hell should I know?

It was a long time ago. I went to college on the G.I. Bill.

The Bread Instead of Bullets Club.

They were Communists? What do I know?

I couldn't figure out what they were saying.

- Why did you go, Peter? - There was this girl.

You consorted with Communists for a girl?

I went to poetry readings too. That doesn't make me Carl Sandburg.

Leo, you know me. I'm non-political.

Republicans, Democrats, Communists. They all look alike to me.

Peter?

As legal counsel for this studio...

I strongly advise you to watch what you say.

Leo, put your agent hat on.

- There must be an angle you can work. - I'm out of angles.

We're in the middle of negotiating my new contract.

The studio suspended negotiations this morning.

I've been blacklisted? I've been goddamn blacklisted?

- There is no blacklist. - Right. No blacklist.

Studio just doesn't wanna know you with this hanging over your head.

I can't leave. We're shooting in three weeks.

Ashes to Ashes has been pulled.

- You believe it? - I'm sorry, Peter.

So, what does this mean? I have to testify?

Assuming they let you.

The least they can do is let me defend myself.

The studio will lobby on your behalf. That's all I can promise you.

No guarantees.

- You up for testifying? - What choice do I have?

They feed on names. You'll have to give them some.

I'm a writer. I'll make up names if I have to.

We're talking about my career, my life.

Christ, I'll give them anything they want.

Come on, toast with me.

To the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Hey, Pete. Think maybe you've had enough?

Tell me something, Jerry. You tight with J. Edgar Hoover?

I wouldn't know Hoover if he walked in here wearing a dress.

Too bad. He says I'm a Communist.

In fact, at this very moment some gray little FBI guy...

in a gray little FBI suit...

is hunched over my screenplay, checking it, line by line...

for the poisonous Marxist propaganda which surely lurks therein.

Hope they check for spelling.

- I can always use help with that. - You're babbling.

Ashes to Ashes, my movie!

Could've been good. Even with the stupid dog.

My Grapes of Wrath.

My shot at doing something really good, something...

Something.

- What's it about? - Pain, nobility.

The human condition.

Truth.

It was my chance to get out of B movies and onto the A list.

Go home. Why don't I call that gal of yours, Sandy?

Can't, she dumped me.

Don't you worry about me.

Hey, I'm gonna give you a little extra something...

because you took a big chance talking to me.

Pete, you're not gonna drive in this condition, are you?

I can't take this constant nagging. I'm leaving you, Jerry.

I'm leaving, and I'm taking the monkey with me.

Hey, I got a "what if."

What if you and me just drive up the coast...

till the sun comes up or the gas runs out?

We change our names, start new lives...

never come back.

Sound good? Oh, you're just saying that.

I'm talking to the monkey.

Oh, my God! Okay. Okay, come on.

It's okay. It'll be fine.

It's gonna be fine. It's gonna be fine.

It's gonna be...

fine. Oh, shit!

Come on. Come on!

We got it. We got it.

Jesus, no! God! Oh, God!

Come on. What the hell?! Let me out!

Help!

Teddy, what you got there? Teddy! Knock it off! Get out of there!

What in God's name...?

What in the hell happened to you, son?

- I'm not exactly sure. - You think you can sit up?

I could try.

Easy. Easy.

Easy. All right.

Oh, my God.

Wait a minute. Maybe you shouldn't stand.

Do you wanna try it?

Great God.

Lordy, lordy, lordy.

What in the hell...?

The town is a fair piece down there.

Do you wanna try walking?

- Okay. - You sure?

All right, take it easy. Now, just go slow.

Go slow, damn it.

Oh, easy. Easy. Here, here.

- Use that. I think it's clean. - Thank you.

You know, you seem an odd bit familiar to me.