ADELLE ADMINISTRATOR ALDRICH ALL ASSISTANT_DIRECTOR BD BETTE CATHY CINDY DESK_SERGEANT DOWDY_SUPERVISOR HEDDA JACK_WARNER JOAN MAMACITA MAN MAN_ON_TV MAN_ON_TV_2 MARGOT MEN_ON_SCREEN PAULINE POLICE ROUGHIAN SOUND_MAN VICTOR CATHY Ew. How are you doing that? BD It's so easy. I'll show you. CINDY Oh, we're not allowed to smoke. BD You don't inhale. That's the whole point. Boys love it. Here. You try. JOAN Cathy! What are you doing? Why don't you girls go back to my dressing room, please. Thank you. I'll be speaking to your mother about this, miss. JOAN I want you to stay away from that girl. When you see her again, no need to be rude. Just wish her a crisp "good morning" and keep moving. There. Oh, Mamacita, that's lovely. Mm-hmm. JOAN I believe I'll have the veal tonight, Micheal, please. And Mamacita, I noticed you were eyeing the liver. MAMACITA Yeah, with onions. JOAN Mm-hmm. And fish sticks for you girls? CINDY May we have steak? JOAN Oh. Oh, they grow up so fast. Two filets, Michael, please. Very rare. Thank you. CINDY Mother, may we take off these bows? Everybody's staring. JOAN That's not why they're staring, dear heart. MAMACITA Oh, Miss Joan, before I forget. JOAN What's this? MAMACITA It's the card to go with the flowers you're sending to Miss Christina. She's opening in her play tomorrow night. JOAN No. No, I don't believe I will. Do you think my mother ever sent me flowers? Do you think she ever sent me anything? I was earning my own room and board by the time I was 12 years old, scrubbing toilets. But did I complain? Not once. Did I expect cards and flowers? Never. But I'll tell you what, it made me tough. Gave me ambition. No, we'll... we'll see how her reviews are and then... we'll think about sending flowers. You may go to the powder roomand remove your bows, if that's what you wish. But don't come back looking disheveled. CATHY Thank you, Mommie. CINDY Thank you, Mommie. JOAN Here, let me see that. Mamacita, let me see that. And a pen. PAULINE These are the second and third choices for the neighbor girl. ALDRICH Yeah, they're not a patch on the girl I had to let go. PAULINE How about her? She just came off of Wagon Train. ALDRICH Yeah, looks like she was pulling it. PAULINE That is why we're recasting, isn't it-- the first one was too pretty? BETTE Who's too pretty? PAULINE Tony Curtis. Which is why I'm still refusing his dinner invitations. BETTE I need to speak with Bob. PAULINE He is all yours. Well, half yours. BETTE Uh I think it's best to be direct in these matters. What happened Friday night was wonderful, but it can't happen again. ALDRICH Oh, Betty, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that. I was looking at Harriet this morning, and I thought, "Oh, this... this can't happen again." You're right. I agree with you completely. BETTE Good. But did you have to agree so quickly? BETTE What's all this? ALDRICH Oh, cannon fodder. Possible replacements for the girl that you and Crawford had me can. ADELLE Here are the revised pages, Dad. ALDRICH Thank you, honey. BETTE Adelle. Such a professional young lady. How are you finding things? Enjoying yourself? ADELLE Oh, it's a real thrill. I feel like I'm learning so much. BETTE You're doing a marvelous job. ADELLE Oh, thank you, Miss Davis. ALDRICH Bette! Don't coddle her. You promised me you'd be as tough on her as you would any other script girl. BETTE I just admire that you make your pictures a family affair. ALDRICH It's called nepotism. The town runs on it. BETTE That is so true. Perhaps we should cast my daughter as the neighbor girl. ALDRICH That's not a bad idea. BETTE No, I'm joking, Bob. ALDRICH No, come on! B.D.'s the right age. She's got the right amount of teenage sass. BETTE She is not an actress. ALDRICH Well, look who her mother is, for Christ sake. The apple can't fall that far from the tree. Now you say she doesn't understand you, doesn't appreciate how hard you work for her. Well, give her a pair of your shoes, and let her walk around for a while. BETTE And what would Crawford think about that? She has a daughter who's actually an actress, you know. ALDRICH Christina's too old for the part. BETTE She's adopted. She could be talented. BETTE Yeah. JOAN Bette, I'm sorry. I would have waited to bring this up, but I just felt like I couldn't do my best work today with it weighing on my mind. It's about B.D. BETTE Oh, Christ, I planned to talk to you about this after we wrapped. JOAN Did she already say something? I just want you to know, I was not unkind, though I was quite firm. BETTE Wait, what are you talking about? JOAN Your daughter was corrupting my twins. I caught them smoking. BETTE I already told her to steer clear of your tots, and she knows she is not supposed to smoke. JOAN Well, perhaps you can keep a little tighter reign on her. BETTE Sure, but let me ask you something. I see the way your girls are. They're like two well-trained Pomeranians. Just what is your secret? JOAN My secret? Well, uh. I've always been a strict disciplinarian. Some people perhaps find that I've been too strict, especially with my first two-- Christina and Christopher. I find that giving children a task to perform occupies the mind, and-and gives them a real sense of accomplishment and responsibility. I mean, my twins, for instance- they just love sewing and cooking. BETTE That's a good idea. So, Crawfish? What do you say we toss back a few after work tonight? JOAN You and me? BETTE I'll buy. JOAN All right. BETTE And close the door. JOAN What? BETTE The door. JOAN Close it? BETTE Yeah. BETTE So, I had just wanted to thank you. JOAN Thank me for what? BETTE For your advice. I'm putting B.D. to work on the picture. Bob wants her to play the neighbor girl. JOAN Really? I see. That's why you asked me here. Because you were afraid I would make a stink. I know what you think of me, Bette. I know what you've always thought of me. I know what you think of my mothering. Well, I just want to say that if I appear to be overprotective or worry too much about my children, it's only because I had a mother who didn't care whether I lived or died. Threw me out like a pair of old shoes. Shipped me off to convent school when I was 12. BETTE Maybe she was trying to protect your virtue. JOAN Oh, no. No, no, no. That ship had sailed. She knew that. BETTE You lost your cherry when you were 12? JOAN 11. BETTE Christ! I didn't even get a tingle till I was 25, and then I waited another two years before I did the deed, and that was on my goddamn honeymoon. JOAN Well, in the desert that was my childhood, I was grateful for any kind of genuine affection. To feel cherished. BETTE Who was the lucky Cub Scout? JOAN My mother's second husband, Henry Cassin. He was a lovely man. Meant the world to me. Well, we called him "Daddy Cassin," but he wasn't really my daddy. We weren't blood relations, so it wasn't incest. But he was kind and gentle, and he loved me. I led him into it. BETTE You were just a child. Your mother should have kicked him out. JOAN Well, perhaps, but I was glad to get out of there. Get away from my mother. I mean, the nuns were brutal, but... nothing compared to the way my mother treated me. The nuns actually taught me a great deal, things I still cherish. Discipline, the importance of cleanliness and order. BETTE Well, after my father ditched us, we were also sent off to a boarding school. Not nuns. Puritan Yankees. You know, lots of fresh air, no electricity, naked baths in the snow. I loved it. Made me tough. 'Course it was very difficult being separated from my mother, but she had to work. I mean, and work she did like a dog until we were reunited. And then she never left my side to the end of her days.She, um... she died only last year. JOAN Do you miss her? BETTE Yes. Yes. I think maybe sh... She was my only true female friend. JOAN You're lucky. BETTE Look, we don't have to be best pals. Just allies. We both want the same thing, for this picture to be a success. JOAN Well, I'm sure it will be, thanks to you. You're a shoo-in for Best Actress. BETTE I'm too old to even think about awards. JOAN There, you see that? Even that was almost convincing. BETTE I mean it, Lucille. I'm going to support this picture even if it means supporting you, too. JOAN That story you were set to run, I don't think you should. HEDDA Don't go soft on me now. We have a strategy. If you want to steal the picture, we should stick to it. JOAN But she'll know it came from me. HEDDA How? Anyone on that set could've complained about her offensive body odor. JOAN But nobody works under those lights in such close contact as I do. She'll know. HEDDA I'll be damned, Joan Crawford, Miss Crystal Allen herself, is actually losing her nerve. JOAN No, it's just that I think I am beginning to understand her a little bit. I mean, she's a single mother working in Hollywood. I don't think you can begin to appreciate, Hedda, just how tough that can be. HEDDA You know, Joan, I could've gone out and bought myself a passel of brats, too. But why bother? The town's already full of 'em. JOAN There's no need to be small. HEDDA Remind me to tell you that on Oscar night when she picks up the award for Best Actress. BETTE You said he was from Broadway. He's not. I checked. All his stage work is from San Diego. ALDRICH Yeah, the Old Globe. He's a distinguished Shakespearian actor. BETTE Oh, I'm sure his Falstaff is the talk of Tijuana. Oh, Christ, look at him. ALDRICH He's eating because he's nervous. Look, let's just get through this rehearsal, then see how you feel. BETTE Nobody's that nervous. BD "Hi, Mom!" BETTE Uh, why are you reading it as if you're thrilled to see me? You're watching a shitty Crawford picture on television. You're distracted. Try it again. BETTE I always think it's nice to break bread with strangers, don't you? VICTOR Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. Sorry. Bob, don't you think it would be better if I just... took the entire plate from her? ALDRICH BETTE Knock yourself out. I ain't hungry. VICTOR Ha! Oh. Oh, that reaction is priceless. I imagine that would be Jane's reaction, too-- taken aback by Edwin's boorishness. She'd wonder, "Is this man a sophisticated artist or a cheap pig?" BETTE I guess she'll find out. VICTOR I guess she will. BD And then the television talks, "When your dog says woof, feed him Iliad." Then I say to the TV, "Oh, shut up." Now you talk some more. ALDRICH Okay, Bette, you'll hear the buzz, you go upstairs to confront Blanche. Then, Victor, you're left here on your own to explore. Okay? BD "Well, how come we never see her around? We've been living next door to them for six months now and the only one I ever see is that fat sister slouching around." ALDRICH Ready? And Buzz. BETTE Will you please excuse me? VICTOR Certainly. ALDRICH You like him. BETTE I like talent. BD "You know, Julie says that sister is kind of peculiar. Did you ever notice that?" BETTE "No, I never have." BETTE You're good. VICTOR Oh. It's like Mommy just gave me a new pony. BD I'm awful, aren't I? BETTE You'll get better. BETTE Yeah. ALDRICH I just got off the phone with Hopper. She wanted me to comment on a story. BETTE What story? ALDRICH Bette. Bette. BETTE Where's your wheelchair? JOAN It's on the set, of course. Why? BETTE Because you're gonna need it after I break your goddamn legs. Where do you get off telling Hopper that you're gonna be in the Best Actress category and I've decided to be in Supporting? JOAN It was your idea. BETTE What? Have you lost your mind? JOAN Well, now, she'd had a bit to drink- that's true- but she seemed lucid and certainly sincere. You said you didn't care about awards, that you wanted to support me. BETTE And you took that to mean that I would go into Supporting and hand you Lead Actress? JOAN Well, I thought it was a collegial gesture. I mean, after all, you have bookend Oscars. I've only got one. BETTE Well, you tell Hopper to print this: I'm not sharing shit with you. And let me tell you something else, I'm going to be the first person to have three Oscars. Even though everyone knows I already should have, because I got robbed in 1950. JOAN That's certainly ungracious, yes, and dismissive of Miss Judy Holliday's winsome performance. BETTE She won by default! That bitch Anne Baxter, she pushed her way into my category and we split the vote. That's why she won. JOAN Well, need I remind you that, unlike Eve, you and I share equal billing on this. We're both leads. ALDRICH Ladies, why are we fighting about the Oscars? We haven't even finished making this movie yet. Can we please concentrate on the matter at hand? There's room for both of you to succeed. JOAN In this town? Are you nuts? BETTE Fuck off, Bob. JOAN And it was Gloria Swanson who was robbed in 1950, not you, bitch! PAULINE Well, boss, it looks like... you got yourself another war picture after all. JOAN Good morning, Frank. I trust you had a restful weekend. Oh, Mamacita, don't you just love a Monday? JOAN Good morning. This is gonna be a long goddamn week. ALDRICH Okay, Bette, I need the same energy. You come bursting through the door and then you rush over to Blanche. Okay? You rush over to the bed, you untie her, lift her off the bed, drag her to the door. Joan, Blanche is passed out. Okay? So you just-just lie slack. You're dead weight. BETTE I'll say she is. ALDRICH Okay. Here we go. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Roll camera! SOUND MAN Speed! ALDRICH And action! BETTE Blanche. Blanche. You-you you got to got to help me. Here, we've got to leave. Leave. Please. Please, Blanche. Blanche! Please! JOAN ALDRICH Cut! ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Cut! ALDRICH Okay, let's do it again. JOAN Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm ticklish. ALDRICH It's okay, Joan. It's okay. We'll do it again. No problem. BETTE Are you ready? ALDRICH Okay, keep it together. Back to one. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Roll camera! SOUND MAN Speed! ALDRICH And action! BETTE JOAN ALDRICH Cut! JOAN I'm sorry! I'm sorry. JOAN Must be the dust. ALDRICH Back to one. BETTE JOAN Cut. ALDRICH Cut. What? JOAN I'm sorry. Does she have to stand there? She's not the director. Why is she standing there? BETTE If I were the director, I'd tell you to do it again and again until it was convincing. ALDRICH Bette, please. SOUND MAN Speed! ALDRICH Okay, you ready, Bette? BETTE Yeah. ALDRICH And action. JOAN Oh, that face. Right into camera. This really is a horror picture. ALDRICH Cut! ALDRICH All right, let's do it again. Maybe we'll actually get it right this time. JOAN I really think this will be the one. BETTE That's encouraging, since you don't actually have to do anything. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Roll camera! SOUND MAN Speed! ALDRICH Action. BETTE JOAN ALDRICH Oh, what the fuck? Cut! BETTE And I know what you're trying to do. JOAN I'm not trying to do anything. Honestly, Jane. BETTE ALDRICH And cut. BETTE ALDRICH Bette, cut. Cut! All right, moving on. Joan, we're gonna need you in here for the medium shots. JOAN Ow! Oh! Goddamn it! ALDRICH Cut, cut, cut, cut. JOAN Oh, Christ! ALDRICH Are you okay? JOAN She did that on purpose! BETTE I barely touched her. JOAN Jesus. Well, are you just gonna stand there, you bastard?! ALDRICH Did you get it? BETTE BETTE Help me. Leave. ALDRICH And cut! BETTE Son of a bitch! Get me an osteopath, for God's sakes. ALDRICH What's wrong? What's wrong? BETTE Jesus. Oh, my God! Don't touch me. JOAN Can we do it again? BETTE Oh, are you kidding me? Don't even think about it. BD I mean, it must be awful. You know, Julie says that sister is kind of peculiar. BETTE Christ, this is painful. ALDRICH Oh, come on, Bette, it's not that bad. BETTE Don't condescend, Bob. She's awful. ALDRICH like a regular sentence, you know? L-Like just a regular person talking. BD Like here? ALDRICH Try just a little less. Just a-a Start again, start again. BD Okay. From the top or. BETTE Maybe you could put her dialogue off camera. ALDRICH You're overreacting. It's a small part. She'll be fine. BD I guess she should know. BETTE She's beautiful. She's not an actress. ALDRICH No, she's not. ALDRICH Try as if you were talking to your best friend. BETTE She should be billed as B.D. Merrill, not Davis. BD awful. Julie says that sister is ALDRICH A little louder. BETTE What? That's her name. He adopted her. Legally. BD You know, Julie says that sister is kind of peculiar. Did you ever notice that? BETTE Oh, God. What should I say to her? ALDRICH Well, she's your kid. You're not going to tell her she stinks on ice. You'll. You'll lie to her. BD Don't they ever have company? I mean, it must be awful. BETTE Well, I think you're good. Really good. VICTOR You don't know what that means to me, coming from you. BETTE Sure, I do. All the queens love me. VICTOR It's true. Do it again. BETTE Fine. VICTOR Mmm. BETTE "What a dump!" VICTOR BETTE VICTOR Oh, it's marvelous. You know, I think it's so admirable the way you've embraced my tribe. BETTE The truth is, I only really knew I'd made it once the female impersonators started doing me in their acts. VICTOR Well, guarantees you're leaving behind a real legacy. BETTE Ah, the only real legacy is children. VICTOR Not all destined to become parents, but we are all somebody's child. BETTE And your mother. She loves you? Supports you? VICTOR Mother's always been just very supportive. BETTE Good. We have to love our kids no matter what. Like my Margot. VICTOR Oh. Who's Margot? BETTE My youngest. We adopted her when she was just a baby. Sweet little thing. By the time she was three, it was clear she wasn't like other children. She was diagnosed mentally retarded. VICTOR Oh. I'm so sorry. BETTE She's in a special school in Maine. She gets everything she needs. And it ain't cheap, let me tell you that. It's one of the main reasons I'm doing this picture, is to pay her tuition. BD Mother. I'd like to run lines. BETTE I'm already doing that with Mr. Buono, sweetheart. BD But I have a scene that shoots tomorrow. BETTE Oh, well, then, you should be in bed getting your beauty rest. BD I want to do a good job. BETTE I'm sure you'll do your best, B.D. Good night. So, page 75. JOAN Girls? Mommy's home. Girls? Girls! MAMACITA They're not here. Don't you remember? They start camp today. Two weeks. JOAN Of course. I guess I'm going to have to get used to it. MAMACITA To camp? JOAN No. To this. Coming home to this awful silence. MAMACITA You deserve silence. Children are hard work. Once the work is done, silence is the reward. JOAN Reward? You know, Mamacita, one of the things I loved most about having these children- all of them- was that no matter what I was doing, making a picture, out for an event, the mad rush that was once my life was that I'd always come home to this wonderful noise and joy. Well, it's the condition of being a professional woman, I suppose. Maybe all women. One day, you... you wake up and you find. You've no husband. Your career is over. The children are grown and left the nest. And all you're left with is yourself. MAMACITA Yes. Women outlive men. Children leave. Best get used to it. JOAN Oh, Mamacita. How I love your Teutonic pragmatism. No, you're right. It's no tragedy. It's simply a new chapter, that's all. And me being alone doesn't have to mean being lonely. Does it? I'll embrace the change of things to come and really learn how to enjoy me. MAMACITA Okay. Good night. MAN ON TV Watch out! We give up! MAN ON TV 2 How about you, Nevada? MAMACITA More sandwich? MAN ON TV You'll have to come and get me. JOAN MAN ON TV Drop your gun. JOAN Thank you, Mamacita. HEDDA I want the dirt. JOAN You'll have to settle for sand. Oh, you think she's hard to take on a soundstage?My God, you should see her in the wild. HEDDA JOAN In broad daylight? It's horrifying. BETTE Coca-Cola, Bob? ALDRICH You're a bad girl, Bette. BETTE So, where's the Queen of Sheba? ALDRICH In her dressing room. She's coming. JOAN All those years of alcohol abuse have exacted a terrible price. BETTE Christ. It's a hundred degrees, and she's drunk. JOAN And so unprofessional.She refused a mobile dressing room. Insisted on being ferried back and forth to a motel, while the rest of us sat and waited for her in the scorching sun. HEDDA That's scandalous. JOAN It's warm, Mamacita. I'm going to need my water standing by. MAMACITA Which water? ALDRICH Joan. JOAN Bob. ALDRICH Joan. Good morning. Let me show you where you're going to be dying. JOAN I'm going to have to go back to my dressing room for a moment, but I'll be right back. ALDRICH Your dressing room's a hundred yards away. Let's rehearse the scene first. JOAN Mamacita, get the driver. JOAN I'll be right back. BETTE Lucky she's laying on her back all day. JOAN For her, it was just another day at the beach. But for me, I really had to draw on some very deep feelings. It took all the skill that I had just to bring some reality to the moment. HEDDA Because you're a pro. BETTE I'm not falling on those. I don't do stunts. JOAN And I got absolutely no supportfrom my director or from my co-star. HEDDA The selfish bitch. ALDRICH And cut. ALDRICH Print that one, Ernie. Let's go in tighter. JOAN Aah. ALDRICH No, Joan. Joan. JOAN What? ALDRICH Wai-Wait, don't go anywhere. We're just swinging a lens. JOAN I'll be back in two ticks. ALDRICH We're losing the light. JOAN Tighter. MAMACITA Are you sure that's not too tight? JOAN Well, get it even. All right. Is that as tight as it'll go? MAMACITA Already it's too much. JOAN Oh, shut up. Just go ahead and tie it, for Christ's sake. ALDRICH Is it me, or is she getting younger? PAULINE You're just now noticing? Every time she comes back from her trailer, she she's lost five more years. ALDRICH Oh, Christ. Let's just get through this. JOAN It was my big scene. My dying confession. I knew she would do something to steal it. Roll those big bug eyes or something. Anything to draw the focus to her. ALDRICH Action. JOAN Jane, I'm I'm dying. There's no time. You must listen. I made you waste your whole life. ALDRICH She looks too goddamn good. HEDDA So what'd the old harpy do to cock it up? JOAN Nothing. Nothing at all. I got through my entire speech. I think I even moved her with my performance. HEDDA Well, I'm already writing the rave in my head. ALDRICH Jesus, Ernie. How's she doing that? She looks 20 years younger. ERNIE: I was losing the light. I think it must be those reflectors I'm hitting her with. ALDRICH No. I swear to God. It's the goddamn acting. JOAN I hate this fucking picture. But if it's successful, I can make a pretty penny. HEDDA Okay. Okay. That's good. HEDDA I was in the neighborhood. BETTE How nice. HEDDA Thank you. HEDDA So, word on the street is that Crawford's walking away with the picture. BETTE Is that what all the streetwalkers are saying, Hedda? HEDDA That's the buzz. BETTE Oh. And who's the busy little bee? Careful. Once you sting, you die. HEDDA But not the queen. BETTE HEDDA Oh, come on, Bette. All those ridiculous studio press releases touting how wonderfully well you two have been getting along? It's hogwash. I happen to know every single nasty thing you've done to Crawford over the last six weeks. Kicking a woman in the head? Academy members don't reward that sort of behavior. I mean, regardless of what we think of Crawford, she is an institution. BETTE Or belongs in one if she really thinks you're her friend. HEDDA Oh, Bette. I'm offering you an opportunity. Give me your side of the story, and then when it all comes out, you won't have to be painted as the bad guy. BETTE I win awards playing bad guys. HEDDA But that's on the screen. This is real life. BETTE Real life? Ha! This isn't real life. This is Hollywood, Hedda. It's all fake, from the manicured lawns in the desert to your manufactured concern. HEDDA Well, I am concerned. I so wanted to write a story about how two of Hollywood's golden titans were getting along. As an example to ladies everywhere. But I am a truth teller. I must report the facts, regardless of how ugly they may be. BETTE You have been circling this project like a vulture from the start. It's women like you who've nurtured venom and resentment for years that make it such a battle for the rest of us who are actually putting our asses on the line and risking something. "Truth teller." HEDDA That's right. And the truth is, I hear your daughter stinks on ice. She practically ruins the picture. BETTE Get out. And B.D.'s name better not show up in one of your poision-pen columns. HEDDA Everything's fair game, Bette. BETTE Not my child. And for your information, she doesn't ruin the picture. Her role isn't important enough to do that. Shit. ROUGHIAN I know you. VICTOR Oh. ROUGHIAN: I seen you on Hawaiian Eye. You're Charles Laughton. MEN ON SCREEN ROUGHIAN I want to be in pictures. That's why I came out here from Nebraska. You think I could be in pictures? You think I could be a star? VICTOR You have loads of potential. ALL POLICE Let's go. Come on. VICTOR There's been a mistake. This is. I was looking for a gas station. BETTE What? DESK SERGEANT Well, them's the breaks, lady. Can bail your friend out after the judge sees him in a few hours. BETTE He's not seeing a judge in a few hours because he did not do anything. My friend is an actor, and he was there doing research for a part in a motion picture. DESK SERGEANT I suppose you could verify that? BETTE What do you think? DESK SERGEANT Uh. VICTOR Can't thank you enough for doing this. You'll understand why I couldn't call my own mother. BETTE I spent 30 years earning a little capital. I don't mind spending it on a friend. But Victor, you've got to be more careful. Something like this could ruin your career. VICTOR I hate keeping secrets. I hate lying. BETTE Lying is what we do for a living, kid. ALDRICH Jack, I know it's a little rough around the edges, but this short editing schedule you've got me on is pretty brutal. JACK WARNER I'll tell you what's brutal, I got 400 theaters booked already. Four hundred. And this is what you give me? Come on. Look, Bob, the picture's not terrible, until the end. And that's the only thing that anybody's gonna remember. If you don't have an ending that works, you don't have a picture, right? ALDRICH You want to change the ending. JACK WARNER No, I don't want to- I- goddamn it! I want the ending that we agreed on. Crawford dying on the beach. That's what I want. Instead, every time you cut back to her, it looks like she's getting better. It's like fucking Camille in reverse. ALDRICH Yeah, yeah, what- okay, we-we can reshoot that. JACK WARNER You're goddamn right we can. ALDRICH Yeah, but I can't take the entire company back to the beach. JACK WARNER Well, then just bring the beach to the stage. ALDRICH Okay. JACK WARNER Okay. ALDRICH How much do you want to spend on that. JACK WARNER I am not spending anything on that, Bob. That's coming out of your end. I'm going to New York to see My Fair Fucking Lady.Just do it by the time I get back, all right? And get that hangdog expression of your face. Come on, come on. It's not like you just took a dump all over Casablanca. It's a B movie.It's always been a B movie. Always will be a B movie. B, B, B, B. BD This? BETTE Toss that in the box. You know, there was a time when I wouldn't be the one doing this, I would be off to my next project. Now it's not even clear there will be a next project. B.D.? BETTE I'm sorry I wasn't better. I wanted to do a good job. BETTE Oh, sweetheart, you did a fine job. You did a very fine job. A creditable job. I mean, it was your first picture. You looked beautiful. And you spoke clearly. You hit your marks, you didn't look into the lens once, not once. BD You make it look so easy. I hope I didn't ruin it. BETTE If Crawford couldn't ruin the picture, nobody could. JOAN You might want to take special note of my projected income, I have a new picture coming out in a few months. ADMINISTRATOR Clearly a woman of means, Ms. Crawford. That's not really the issue. JOAN Well, there should be no issue. It's my deepest desire to offer a loving home to a motherless child. It's no longer 1940. I mean, the notion of a single mother adopting should no longer be an issue. ADMINISTRATOR While your marital status may present some questions, that's not why we're turning down your application. JOAN You're turning me down? Why? ADMINISTRATOR Because it's no longer 1940. You're simply too old. BETTE Margot? Margot, darling, it's Mummy. MARGOT Mommy? BETTE Yes, sweetheart, how are you? Ms. Ashland told me that, uh, you'd been painting some beautiful pictures. MARGOT Mommy, where are you? BETTE Mummy's been working in California. And she really misses you. But I'm coming home soon. And, uh well, I-I'll drive up and we'll have a very long visit. And we'll go swimming if it's not too chilly. Would you like that, sweetheart? Margot? Margot? DOWDY SUPERVISOR I'm sorry, Ms. Davis. I think she got a little distracted. BETTE I understand. JOAN Jane, I I'm dying. There's no time. You must listen. I made you waste your whole life, thinking you'd crippled me. BETTE Please stop. JOAN You didn't do it, Jane. I did it myself. Don't you understand? I crippled myself. You weren't driving that night. You were too drunk, I wouldn't let you drive. I made you go open the gates. I watched you get out of the car. You'd been so cruel to me at the party. Imitating me, making people laugh at me. I watched you get out of the car. I wanted to run you down. Crush you. But you saw the car coming. I hit the gates. I sn snapped my spine. BETTE Then, you mean all this time we could've been friends. ALDRICH Cut. Print that one. Brilliant. JOAN MAN Ladies and gentlemen, that's a wrap.