WUSA 1970 (WUSA)

WUSA

Each little bird that sings.

He made their glowing colors.

He made their tiny wings...

First the man took a drink, friends.

Then the drink took a drink.

Then the drink took the man!

Now that could've been the end of the story.

But because there's a power greater than ours,

that young man was able to raise himself up

and walk again in the sunlight of grace.

Dearly beloved...

That young man... was myself.

Amen!

So if you'll all just follow Brother Todd here,

he'll take you downstairs and get some decent nourishment.

Brother Todd...

We have met, have we not?

Yeah, we've definitely met, Farley, you owe me a hundred bucks.

Cool it, Rheinhardt.

Well they ain't no work here. Or there's work, but we got a full crew.

Whyn't you try one of the joints in the French Quarter?

They got a pretty big turnover.

Thank you.

Well you know I had to get out of New York in a hurry.

The cops seemed to think

that you had swindled some ladies a little,

and they were very anxious to speak with you.

Ministers run a terrible risk with neurotic old women.

- They really do. - Yeah.

And while we're on the subject, how about my hundred bucks?

Oh now, Rheinhardt, if I had a hundred bills to give a man,

I'd be in California or Arizona where the action is.

Sorry to hear that.

'Cause I'm down to fifty and my wedding ring.

Oh, dear boy if I had it,

I wouldn't be holding out on you, you know that.

Okay then.

What's shaking down this way?

Sorry baby, but we're just not hiring anybody right now.

- Well say listen, I can mix drinks. - Sorry, honey.

Do you know who Matthew Bingamon is?

Yeah. He marries movie stars.

He owns a baseball team. He also owns WUSA

and the Station Manager is a guy named Noonan.

The New Patriotism is his idea.

It's not like the old patriotism, Rheinhardt. It's a bit more extreme.

I'm for everybody doing his own thing.

All right. Go and see Noonan then.

But if you come upon a spot for an old trouper,

you will let me know, won't you?

Sure, Farley.

Hey!

How about fifty of that hundred you owe me?

- Now, Rheinhardt, I just don't... - Hey!

Just a minute, I think I may just have about...

Now here's thirty dollars. Honestly I just can't spare more.

Buck up, mate. The world doesn't come to an end

when you're down to your last fifty dollars and a gold ring.

You're right, Farley, that's when the world really begins.

And, Rheinhardt, if you want to talk about that drinking problem,

don't hesitate to call on me.

You're a prince! No, you really are! You're just like your picture.

Mr. Rainey! Welcome. Please come up.

Mr. Clotho? I'm Morgan Rainey.

I've come to pick up the forms on the Welfare Survey?

After you, sir.

They-they-they told me at the office to-to get in get in touch with you

but they, they didn't tell me much more than that.

They ain't much more to it than that, Mr. Rainey.

I've amassed some facts and figures for your employers

and you're gonna feed them into the machinery of the State.

Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even know

what-what the sta-statistics are about.

I wouldn't expect you to know, sir.

When-when-when I have done field work before...

I've always tried to-to-to be in some contact with the-the people involved.

I was wondering

if I could meet some of the folks that we're surveying for a few...

interviews and meetings that might humanize it a bit.

Don't you think they know what they're doing downtown, Mr. Rainey?

What the hell'd you play such a sad song for?

Why I just liked it.

Only thing I can't stand's a dame sitting around a bar crying.

Oh no, I don't do that. Listen, I'm a laugher. I laugh all the time.

Listen...

How would you feel about we go and get something to eat?

Well I dunno.

Well are you hungry? How would you feel about... a steak?

Hell, we didn't even begin any serious drinking yet.

Oh hey, we could do that later.

Now how would you feel about a nice, sexy steak?

Steak and eggs?

- Steak and onions... - ...and eggs.

- Yeah. - Hey, Harold, do you hear that?

The man wants to talk to you. Outside.

- We're going to have some steak... - Knock it off!

Hey, honey, where you going?

Yeah?

Y'all what they call independent-minded?

I don't think I know what you're talking about.

- You don't? - No.

- My, my... - I was in an automobile accident.

Sorry 'bout that.

If we ever see you hustling around here again independent,

you gonna have another one.

You never got your steak.

No, I never did get my steak.

You know people don't usually buy you anything to eat anyway.

They'll buy you enough whiskey to make you slosh around like a barrel.

Well they'll buy you seven hours of shuffleboard game

but if you're hungry, you just forget it.

I think it's a question of morals.

Oh is that what you think it is?

I was pulling for you, I'll buy you a steak.

I just think you earned your nourishment.

What're you, one of those guys who like to watch people do things?

No, I'm the opposite of one of those guys.

What?

- Come on. Christ! - No, I'm not as hungry as I was.

Come on.

Boy, I think you the one ought to had something to eat.

I didn't know you was so juiced.

- It must be a change in the humidity. - What do you do?

I'm a communicator.

Must be a new kinda thing.

Hey?

Listen, I don't know why you standing there carrying all that stuff around.

Whyn't you go on home and get some sleep?

Listen, just 'cause you bought me a steak

doesn't mean I gotta invite you upstairs, does it?

But that's what you're waiting for, right?

- Hey, Pretty. Hey! - Hi.

Hi, Stud. Hey, anybody want to buy a wager?

Yeah. Whyn't you give him one? His lucky day.

How many did you want?

Two. Any two.

Hope you get lucky.

You know out in the street before there was this guy?

Yeah I saw him.

I thought he had a bunch 0' rings on his fingers.

That's over now.

- Where you from? - West Virginia.

I'm from Pennsylvania. Same mountains.

The hell they are!

- What's a communicator? - I used to be a musician.

- Do you make any money? - Never made a dime.

You must not've been any account then.

- I practiced all the time. - That must've been nice.

Yeah it was.

Well...

You got yourself in here all right, no getting around that.

What's your name anyway, buddy?

Hey, buddy?

Hey, buddy!

I'll be damned.

Morning.

My name's Rheinhardt. Mr. Noonan is expecting me.

- Through that door and to the left. - Thank you.

You must be Rheinhardt.

Well what can you do for us, Mr. Rheinhardt?

Well, I usually work in a musical format.

But I can work the news and I can edit wire copy, I can do pitches.

It's a powerful package.

I used to work the small stations and you get to keep your hand in.

- But we're not a small station. - No.

Y'see, the difference between us and other stations

is we know what we wanta do.

Most of them don't, you know but we know pretty much exactly.

You mean it's not amateur night.

Yes. Yes, that's very well put.

See we have a situation right now where we're ready

to bring someone in off the streets and let him show us what he can do.

I mean we'll listen

but we can't provide a lot of time and sympathetic understanding.

What do you want to listen to?

Well now why don't you take five minutes of news off the ticks

and we'll tape it, then we might have something to talk about.

Let's go do it.

Mr. Rheinhardt... We have a point of view here at WUSA.

You know about our point of view?

Yeah, I know about your point of view.

Where do you think your boyfriend is at?

I couldn't tell you.

Maybe you said something to make him sore, and never even known it.

I do that all the time. Sometimes they don't even come back.

I wouldn't even care if he did anyway but he left all his stuff in my room.

Oh I had some bad ones, that's the truth.

I had the worst sonsobitches you ever saw.

Hey!

What do you think about the bomb, Clyde?

- What? - What do you think about the bomb?

You don't give a rat's knicks about the bomb 'cause you're not a liberal.

She don't look like a liberal to me.

See, there's one thing I'm into. That's the dignity 0' mankind.

And if there's one thing that I object to

it's discrimination on the basis of race, color or creed.

Because I'm a Liberal, ain't that great?

I think you better go in there and sober up, bud.

Hi, Stud.