The Big Jump - Leigh Brackett, ebook, Temp
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"THE BIG SLEEP"Screenplay byWilliam Faulkner Leigh Brackett Jules FurthmanFrom the novel by Raymond Chandler1944 FADE IN: 1. EXT. STERNWOOD PLACE - ESTABLISHING SCENEIt is a millionaire's house, big, sprawling, California style, with clipped lawns and gardens, on a hill above the now abandoned oil field which was the family's wealth. A small coupe drives up to the door and stops, and Philip Marlowe gets out. We just have time to establish him as he approaches the door -- a husky, self-confident man, welldressed but not flashy.2. INSERT: A BRASS DOORPLATE KNOCKER WITH A BELL BENEATH lettered STERNWOOD3. EXT. FRONT DOOR - CLOSE SHOT - MARLOWE as NORRIS opens the door. Norris is thin, silver-haired with a gentle intelligent face.NORRIS(holding the door) Good morning, sir.MARLOWEI'm Philip Marlowe. General Sternwood sent for me.NORRIS(opens door,steps aside)Yes, Mr. Marlowe. Will you come in?MARLOWE (entering)Thanks.4. INT. FORMAL MALL - SAME OPULENT BIG-SCALE STYLE - MARLOWE as Norris shuts the door, takes Marlowe's hat.NORRISWill you sit here? I'll tell the General you have come.MARLOWE Okay.Norris exits. Marlowe looks about, interested and curious, sees something, moves toward it.5. CLOSE SHOT - MARLOWEas he stands before a portrait, examining it with curious interest. It is a portrait of General Sternwood, in regimentals, beneath crossed battle-torn cavalry pennons and a sabre. He is still staring at the portrait when at a SOUND OFF, he turns and sees CARMEN STERNWOOD approaching. She is about 20, in slacks, something sullen and hot about her. She stops about 10 feet from him and stares at him, biting the thumb of her left hand.MARLOWE Good morning.CARMEN(after a moment)You're not very tall are you? MARLOWE I tried to be.CARMENNot bad looking, though -- you probably know it.MARLOWE Thanks.He goes to a chair and sits down. When he looks up, he sees Carmen approaching, still staring at him. CARMEN (approaching) What's your name? MARLOWEReilly -- Doghouse Reilly.CARMEN(beside the chair now)That's a funny name. Are you a prize fighter?MARLOWE No. I'm a shamus. CARMEN A what?MARLOWE A private detective. CARMEN You're cute.As she speaks, she sits suddenly on the arm of his chair. As she does so, Marlowe rises, shifts the chair in doing so, so that to her surprise, Carmen finds herself sitting in the chair itself. She stares up, surprised and then angrily, is about to speak again when they both see Norris. He has just entered noiselessly, stands beside the chair. On Norris' face there is now a curious expression of grief, sadness. Carmen glances up at him, rises quickly as if he had reprimanded her with words, and exits. Marlowe looks after her, thoughtful, a little grim.NORRISThe General will see you now. MARLOWE(looking after Carmen) Who was that?NORRISMiss Carmen Sternwood, sir.MARLOWEYou ought to wean her. She looks old enough.NORRISYes, sir. This way, if you please.They exit through French doors. 6. EXT. REAR LAWN - SAME WEALTHY SCALEGarage at one side, beyond it a tremendous greenhouse. Norris is leading Marlowe along the path toward the green house. A chauffeur is washing a car before the garage. We establish him in passing -- a handsome, boyish-looking man, OWEN TAYLOR.Marlowe follows Norris on to the greenhouse, looking at the tremendous size of it as Norris opens the door and stands aside for Marlowe to enter.7. INT. GREENHOUSE CHOKED WITH ORCHID PLANTSMarlowe, following Norris between the crowding tendrils and branches. The place is oven-hot, damp with sweat, green with gloom. Marlowe is already reacting to it, is already mopping his face with his handkerchief.(mopping neck,following Norris)Couldn't we have gone around this? NORRIS(over shoulder;walking on)The General sits in here, sir. 8. MED. CLOSE SHOT - GENERAL STERNWOODin a wheelchair in center of the greenhouse, in a cleared space about which the plants crowd and hover. The GENERAL is the man we saw in the portrait, though older, and obviously dying, so that only his fierce eyes seem to have any life. Even in the terrific heat his body is wrapped in a traveling rug and a heavy bathrobe, his gnarled hands lying like dead gnarled twigs on the rug, his fierce eyes following as Norris leads Marlowe in.NORRIS(stopping)This is Mr. Marlowe, General.The General does not speak, only the fierce eyes stare at Marlowe as Norris pushes a wicker chair up behind Marlowe's legs.STERNWOODBrandy, Norris.(to Marlowe)How do you like your brandy, sir? MARLOWE (sitting down) Just with brandy. Norris takes Marlowe's hat, exits.STERNWOODI used to like mine with champagne. The champagne cold as Valley Forge and about three ponies of brandy under it. You may take your coat off, sir.MARLOWE Thanks.He rises, removes his coat, takes out his handkerchief, hangs his coat on chair.STERNWOOD(watching him)It's too hot in here for any man who still has blood in his veins.Marlowe sits again, mops his face and neck.STERNWOOD(still watching him) You may smoke too. I can still enjoy the smell of it, anyway.MARLOWE Thanks.He produces a cigarette, lights it, blows smoke, Sternwood's nostrils moving as he sniffs the smoke. Norris enters, pushing a teawagon bearing decanter, siphon, initialed ice-bucket.STERNWOODThat man is already dead who must indulge his own vices by proxy.Norris wheels the wagon up, starts to prepare a drink.STERNWOOD(watching pettishly) Come, man. Pour a decent one.NORRIS (adding brandy) Yes, General.MARLOWE(watching)But not too decent, Norris. I don't want to exchange places with it.Norris adds soda, hands glass to Marlowe. MARLOWE (taking glass) Thanks.He sits back. Norris covers the ice-bucket with a napkin, exits. SOUND of DOOR CLOSING as Norris leaves the greenhouse. Marlowe raises the glass, sips. Sternwood watches him, licks his lips with longing pleasure and enjoyment. Marlowe lowers the glass.STERNWOODTell me about yourself, Mr. Marlowe. I suppose I have the right to ask. There's not much to tell. I'm thirty-eight years old, went to college once. I can still speak English when there's any demand for it in my business. I worked for the District Attorney's office once. It was Bernie Ohls, his chiefinvestigator, who sent me word you wanted to see me. I'm not married.STERNWOODYou didn't like working for Mr. Wilde?MARLOWEI was fired for insubordination I seem to rate pretty high on that.STERNWOODI always did, myself. Sir -(he slides onehand under therug on his knees)What do you know about my family, Mr. Marlowe?MARLOWE(mopping)You're a widower, a millionaire, two young daughters. One unmarried, the other married once but it didn't didn't take. Both now living with you and both -(he breaks off;the General'sfierce eyeswatch him)STERNWOOD Go on.MARLOWEAm I to swap you gossip for hospitality?STERNWOOD(sternly)You are to swap me your confidence for my own.(shrugs)All right. Both pretty, and both pretty -- wild. What did you want to see me about?STERNWOODI'm being blackmailed again. MARLOWE (mopping)Again?STERNWOOD(draws his handout from underthe rug, holdinga brown envelope)About a year ago I paid a man named Joe Brody five thousand dollars to let my younger daughter alone.MARLOWE Ah.STERNWOOD What does that mean?MARLOWEIt means 'ah.' It never went through the D.A.'s office, or I'd have known it. Who handled that for you?STERNWOOD Shawn Regan did.MARLOWE(alternating betweenthe drink, thecigarette andthe now soddenhandkerchief withwhich he mops hisface and neck)There must be some reason why Regan's not handling this one too. Am I to know it?STERNWOOD Shawn has left me. I thought I hadn't seen him around lately.STERNWOODYes, he left about a month ago, without a word. That was what hurt. I had no claim on him, since I was only his employer. But I hoped we were more than that and that he would have said goodbye to me. You knew him too?MARLOWEYes. From the old days, when he was running rum from Mexico and I was on the other side, and now and then we swapped shots between drinks -- or drinks between shots, if you like that better.STERNWOODMy respects to you. Few men ever exchange more than one shot with Shawn Regan. He commanded a brigade in the Irish Republican Army, you know.MARLOWE(mopping)No, I didn't. But I knew he was a good man at whatever he did. Nobody was pleased better than me when I heard you had taken him on as your -- whatever he was here.STERNWOODAs my friend, my son almost. Many's the hour he would sit here with me, sweating like a pig, drinking the brandy I could no longer drink, telling me stories of the Irish revolution -- But enough of this.(he holds outthe envelope)Here. And help yourself to the brandy.Marlowe takes the envelope, sits again, wipes his hands on his wet handkerchief, removes from the envelope a card and three clips of stiff paper.9. INSERT: CARD-- in Marlowe's hand Mr. Arthur Gwynne Geiger Rare Books and Deluxe Editions Marlowe's hand turns the card over. On the back, in hand-printing.Dear Sir:In spite of the legal uncollectibility of the enclosed, which frankly are gambling debts, I assume you might wish them honored.Respectfully, A.G. Geiger. DISSOLVE TO: 10. INSERT: THREE PROMISSORY NOTESFilled out in ink, dated: September 3 September 8 September 11On demand I promise to pay to Arthur Gwynne Geiger on order the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) without interest. Value Received.Carmen Sternwood 11. STERNWOOD AND MARLOWE - (AS BEF...
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