PAUL
(voice over from the telephone)
What?! What did you say?
Larry, getting nervous, puts another tape player in front of the telephone.
HELEN'S VOICE
About two hours ago.
Larry drops the tape player.
PAUL
Two... what? Two hours - what?
Marcia points to Marilyn's player. Marilyn presses the Play button.
HELEN'S VOICE
Hold on.
Marcia presses the Mute button on the telephone set. Larry just got the cassette out of his player and can't put it back in. He's more nervous.
LARRY
Jesus -- we're all... I got this all screwed up.
MARCIA
Okay, let's get off as quick as possible. We've done it.
SY
All right, well, do something. Do something.
MARCIA
(to Larry)
Sshhh!... Um, okay. Sh!
She presses Mute on the phone, then presses Play on her tape player.
HELEN'S VOICE
Hello, Paul. I can't talk much right now. And if I sound strange, don't get alarmed.
PAUL
Look, Helen, you're not making any sense. I know you're upset, but you have to pull yourself together. Now, could we meet? The usual spot.
HELEN'S VOICE
Hold on.
Marilyn presses Stop button on her machine. Marcia presses Mute on the phone. Meanwhile, Larry has succeeded in getting a good length of tape out of his cassette, and is trying to put it back in...
INT. Paul's movie house - Day
PAUL
Helen? Helen, you still there? Helen?
INT. Sy and Marilyn's living room - Day
Larry is still trying to put the tape back into the cassette. Curls of tape are all around him.
MARCIA
Okay, hurry up, hurry up. Okay.
LARRY
Somebody press something, come on.
Marcia presses the Mute button on the telephone, and Carol presses the Play button on her player.
HELEN'S VOICE
You have no choice, they've got the goods. You just pay them off, or get rid of them. I have to hang up.
Marcia presses the Off button on the phone.
INT. Paul's movie house - Day
Paul slowly puts the telephone receiver down on its hook. He stands up and walks out of the small room, to the main backstage area.
CLOSE SHOT, so we see part of his jacket and trousers from the side, as he slowly walks.
Mrs. Dalton is there.
GLADYS
What's the matter, Paul? You look all shaken up.
PAUL
No, no. It's nothing.
GLADYS
I worry about you these days, Paul.
PAUL
I'm fine, I'm fine.
GLADYS
You're different.
PAUL
I said I was fine. Will you stop interfering?
GLADYS
You never used to pull away from me.
PAUL
I told you to leave me alone! I don't want to have this conversation all the time!
He walks out and Gladys bows her head. She slowly walks away.
EXT. Sidewalk outside Sy and Marilyn's place - Day
FULL SHOT of a nice building with short trees and wrought iron gates in front of it. We hear voices but we don't see anyone yet.
LARRY
(voice over)
Great. All right. Now, my job is to wait exactly one hour and call Mr. House from a phone booth. Where are you... Where are you running so fast?
Carol hurries up the steps to the sidewalk.
CAROL
I have to go home and change.
Larry climbs the stairs to the sidewalk. Carol turns toward him.
CAROL
I've got an appointment with a friend of Ted's about a location for... What?
LARRY
What's the matter? What are you so angry about? What are you so... What are you so steamed up about?
CAROL
What do you mean? Well, I meant... I just don't understand how you could give a book to Marcia, and not to me.
They start walking up the street. They talk while they walk, with hand gestures.
LARRY
What are you talking about?
CAROL
I just don't need...
LARRY
We just had a big success in there.
CAROL
What...
LARRY
Marcia likes to read what I like to read.
CAROL
Oh, right, God. Yeah, well it's true. I guess it's true. I mean, we've got nothing in common, that's for sure. Now that, now that Nick's grown up, I mean, you know, we're just left facing each other.
LARRY
You got stuff in common with Ted, right? You can cook together with Ted, or you can take your clothes off and baste a chicken with him....
_________________________________
{Manhattan Murder Mystery, 1993. Woody Allen.}
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