movie within a movie

[Double Indemnity.  1944 film directed by Billy Wilder.  Listed by the U.S. Library of Congress as one of the hundred best films of the Twentieth Century.

The term "double indemnity" refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that doubles the payout in cases when death is caused by certain accidental means.]

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[Manhattan Murder Mystery]


MARILYN
It starts in a little while.

INT.  Movie theater - Night

Up on the screen, Edward G. Robinson (portraying "Barton Keyes") and Fred MacMurray as "Walter Neff."


BARTON KEYES
I'd have the police after her so fast, it'd make her head spin.  They'd put her through the wringer.  And brother, the things they would squeeze out.

WALTER NEFF
We haven't got a single thing to go on, Keyes.

KEYES
Oh, not too much, I guess.  Just twenty-six years' experience... all the percentage there is, and this hunk of concrete in my stomach.

                      The third character in the sequence, Phyliss Dietrichson, played by Barbara Stanwyck, is hiding behind a door.


NEW YORK
EXT.  Liptons' residence street - Night

FULL SHOT of the street.  Carol and Larry walking toward the CAMERA, which is by their apartment building entrance.

CAROL
God, that movie was great, wasn't it?

LARRY
Yeah, I... it was one of my favorites.

CAROL
I loved it.

LARRY
It just... they were all so wonderful, in the picture.

CAROL
You know, who could we fix Ted up with?  I mean, there must be somebody in your office.

LARRY
Ted?

CAROL
Yeah.

LARRY
Well, I don' t know.  Ted... I always thought Ted had a crush on you.

CAROL
Me?

                               She laughs.  They enter their building.  In the glass door we see the reflection of flashing ambulance light.

LARRY
Yeah.  Why are you so stunned?  I think that...

CAROL
Please.  I mean, you know, I adore him, but you know, he's like a girlfriend to me.

LARRY
Uh -- now he's divorced, you know?

CAROL
Do I detect a note of jealousy?

INT.  Elevator

Carol and Larry standing inside.

INT.  Hallway

As the Liptons step out of the elevator, we see a small, haphazard gathering of people.

NEIGHBOR (voice over)
I had to come up here and call nine-one-one.

   ^  So what's the trouble?

   ^  Oh, is that the -- the E.M.S.?

   ^  The doctor and the E.M.S.

                 CAMERA follows Larry walking toward the group in the hall.  The door to the Paul and Lillian House apartment is wide open.

LARRY
What's the matter?  What's going on?  What happened?

TALL MALE NEIGHBOR
She had a heart attack.

CAROL (voice over)
Oh my God!

TALL NEIGHBOR
She's -- dead.

                           Ambulance people coming out with the stretcher.  Doctor with his black leather case.

LARRY
She's -- she's dead?

CAROL
Dead?

NEIGHBOR
They're giving Mr. House a sedative right now.  He was running around like crazy.

                      The CAMERA turns back to the tall neighbor standing near the Houses' front door.  A policeman enters the apartment.

TALL NEIGHBOR
I called E.M.S. and they got here as soon as they could, but it was too late.

LARRY
She -- We just met her last night.

ELDERLY FEMALE NEIGHBOR
Awful, just awful.

LARRY
What happened?

DOCTOR
Well, it was a classic coronary.  She just went like that.

CAROL
Is there anything we can do?

LARRY
Oh -- my God.

DOCTOR
You can be good neighbors.  You know, we calmed him down, uh...

LARRY
Th-th-th-The first time we saw them was last night.  We just met them.  W-We had... They invited us in for coffee.

TALL NEIGHBOR
Such a -- such a nice lady.


FEMALE NEIGHBOR
Nice lady.

OTHER NEIGHBOR
Sweet person.


EXT.  NEW YORK - Liptons' street - Night

FULL SHOT on the entrance of their apartment building.  Larry and Carol are exiting, going out for the evening.

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