Five Television Plays (David Mamet) (6 page)

P
RICE:
No
,
I really . . .

A
NNA:
Ginny, would you put another pl . . .

G
INNY:
I've already done it.

P
RICE:
Thank you.

(A
NNA
and
G
INNY
take
P
RICE
into the living room, where we see three place settings in a lovely Victorian room.
)

INTERIOR: THE DINING ROOM. NIGHT.

P
RICE
and
A
NNA
sitting at the table.
G
INNY
brings in a platter. Sits. Beat.

A
NNA:
Are you a religious man, Mr. Price?

P
RICE:
Ma'am, I was raised as one.

A
NNA:
Perhaps you'd like to say Grace . . . ?

P
RICE:
Well, it's
been
a while . . .

A
NNA:
Won't you please? (
Pause.
)

P
RICE:
Lord, for these, thy gifts, make us truly grateful. Amen.

(
The three say “Amen"
)

A
NNA:
What brought you to Bradford, Mr. Price?

P
RICE:
Ma'am, I served twenty-five years, the City Force, I took retirement. I saw a notice, interviews, for the job of your Chief. I got the job, and here I am.

A
NNA:
Won't this be quite a different job from the one you're used to?

P
RICE:
Some ways, yes, of course, in some ways not so different.

G
INNY:
How is that?

P
RICE:
Human nature's the same, anywhere you go.

A
NNA:
Is that true? Yes, I suppose it is.

G
INNY:
What would you say, a
woman,
wouldn't let her grown daughter go out with a perfectly nice boy,
simply
because it fell afoul of an arbitrary rule that said no dating on a school night.

P
RICE:
Well, I'd say, first thing I learned, down the City Force: if you can
help
it, never get involved in a domestic argument.

(
The phone rings,
G
INNY
goes to the phone.
)

A
NNA:
Tell him “no.”

G
INNY:
I already
told him
"no, “ but I told him to call back in case you changed your mind.

(G
INNY
leaves the room, leaving
A
NNA
and
P
RICE
alone.
)

A
NNA:
Was it a hard life down there?

P
RICE:
Yes. In many ways. It was a good life.

A
NNA:
Quite a bit
of violence,
wasn't it . . . ?

P
RICE:
Yes, Ma'am, yes. It was.

A
NNA:
. . . more
peaceful
here.

(G
INNY
pops back in.
)

G
INNY:
Mother,
he's going to come by, we're going to study here. (
She exits.
)

A
NNA:
Fine. Turn on the outside 111 . . . (
Pause. To
P
RICE:)
What was I saying?

P
RICE:
You were asking if my life was violent in the City. (
Pause.
) One reason that I
came
up here (
pause
) was to
change.
(
Pause.
) To . . .

A
NNA:
I understand. (
Pause.
) We're all alone here, my daughter and I, Mr. Price.

P
RICE:
Yes Ma'am, I see that. (
Pause.
)

A
NNA:
Would you be keeping guns in the house?

P
RICE:
Yes, Ma'am, I would.

A
NNA:
. . . they'd be locked up . . . ?

P
RICE:
It's been my habit for some years.

A
NNA:
Ginny understands about that.

P
RICE:
Yes, Ma'am, I'm sure that she does.

A
NNA:
Then, Mr. Price, we'd be happy to have you stay here. Welcome, and we can discuss the terms tomorrow. Would that be alright?

P
RICE:
Yes, Ma'am, that would. Thank you.

A
NNA:
Not at all.

(
She stands, extends her hand. He shakes her hand.
)

Would you mind turning on the porch light, please, for Ginny's friend?

P
RICE:
Not at all.

A
NNA:
Just out the door and on your right.

(P
RICE
moves to the front door.
)

(
ANGLE EXTERIOR: THE HOUSE, THE DOOR. The door opens,
P
RICE
comes out on the porch. He stands alone on the porch for a moment. In the background, we see the quiet street,
P
RICE,
his back to us, looking at it. He turns and looks back at the house.
)

(
Angle point of view: In the kitchen,
A
NNA,
who has just come in to tell
G
INNY
about the new boarder.
G
INNY
seems pleased.
A
NNA
picks up a platter, both go back into the dining room.
)

(
Angle:
P
RICE,
looking in the window. Turns to the door, opens the door.
)

INTERIOR: POLICE STATION SQUAD ROOM. DAY.

The
M
AYOR
holding forth to two newsmen, several functionaries, police officers, et cetera.

M
AYOR:
Mr. John Price, late Captain (
consulting his sheet
)
many
times decorated captain of the Metro Police . . . (
Gestures to sheet.
) You have his biography, the
preeminent
choice of all our applicants, and we are most, most happy to have him, and to
welcome
him, now,
Chief
of Police, Mr. John Price.

(
Applause.
P
RICE
comes forward.
)

P
RICE:
Thank you. This is a big job. It's an important job. Much of it is within my experience, and a certain amount of it is not. I look forward to working
with
and learning
from
the Bradford Force. I'll do my best, and I thank you for your trust.

(
The meeting breaks up.
B
ILLY
comes by.
)

B
ILLY:
Congratulations, Chief.

P
RICE:
Thank you.

(
The
P
RIEST
comes by. Hands him a card.
)

P
RIEST:
Congratulations, Chief. Gimme’ a call. Let's get together.

P
RICE:
Father, be assured I will.

P
RIEST:
We'll talk about “Social Problems.” (
He scribbles on a card.
)

P
RICE:
Long's we can do it over a drink.

P
RIEST:
We'll do it tonight.

P
RICE:
Nothing better. I'll call you.

(
The
M
AYOR
waves his good-byes. A
R
EPORTER
comes up to Price.
)

R
EPORTER:
What are your plans, Chief?

P
RICE:
Take it easy, take it slow, learn the town, catch up on the occurrences, and ease into it.

R
EPORTER:
Any thoughts about the arson?

P
RICE:
What arson?

R
EPORTER:
The Emporium Building, yest . . .

P
RICE:
Well, we don't know that it's
arson,
we're going to be taking it slow . . . fellow, I've just been here five minutes . . .

S
ECOND
R
EPORTER:
What particularly are you going to be concentrating on?

P
RICE:
Crimes against the Person, Crimes against Property, Crimes against the State.

S
ECOND
R
EPORTER:
You think you'll be able to fill the shoes of Chief Hopkins?

P
RICE:
That's going to be for you to judge.

S
ECOND
R
EPORTER:
What will you do, specifically, to fulfill, in the Eyes of the Community . . .

P
RICE:
I'm going to do the job I was hired to do, to the best of my abilities. And I look forward to meeting you all personally, at some more leisurely . . . (
Starts to pull away.
)

R
EPORTER
(
as
P
RICE
starts to pull free
): You going to be working on his murder?

P
RICE:
I . . . uh . . . on his murder?

R
EPORTER:
That part of your . . . ?

P
RICE:
It was my understanding he died in a
hunting
accident. (
Pause.
) Uh huh . . .

R
EPORTER:
S'that high on your list?

P
RICE:
I'm going to jump into
all
open cases . . . you'll excuse me . . . ?

(
Camera follows him into the chiefs office, where
B
ARNES
is talking with the officers. They all turn to look at
P
RICE.)

B
ARNES
(
trailing off
): . . . the possibilities, and
check
the alibis of. . . Good morning.

P
RICE:
Good morning to you all.

(
Everyone acknowledges him.
)

Right away, please, before we do anything, let's get, whoever's got the shift on Main Street, cordon off that building: let's get a rundown on the chain-of-ownership . . .

B
ARNES:
It's a simple . . .

P
RICE:
. . . one moment.
While
it's fresh, and
anybody
poking in the ashes,
bring
’em in . . .

B
ARNES:
If, may I?

P
RICE:
Please.

B
ARNES:
It's a simple fire. There's . . .

P
RICE:
Uh huh. Lookit, one thing I've learned, most rumors are true. Okay? Three people saying “Arson,” then . . . (
Shrugs.
)

B
ARNES:
You're making a mist . . .

P
RICE:
Uh-huh.

B
ARNES:
You're making a mistake, Mister, there's a way that we
do
things up here, there's a way we
are,
don't got nothing to do with “Police” work, it's . . .

P
RICE
(
to the other officers
): . . . would you excuse us please . . .

(
The others look at
B
ARNES,
and
P
RICE,
and file out.
)

P
RICE:
You know these people pretty well up here . . .

B
ARNES:
Well, they're my people.

P
RICE:
Went to school with them, dated their sisters . . .

B
ARNES:
All of that.

P
RICE:
Uh-huh . . . Been on this force long?

B
ARNES:
Since I got back from the Navy.

P
RICE:
I suppose lot of the
people
hereabouts think
you
should have been made chief. (
Pause.
)

B
ARNES:
Well, Mister, that's true.

P
RICE:
. . . and I know that you're one of ‘em. And maybe you
should
have. Maybe you
are
the better man, but that's not the way it happened,
is
it . . . ?

B
ARNES:
No
,
it's not.

P
RICE:
So
,
I'm
gonna play out the hand I was dealt. Are
you?
(
Pause.
) It's
decision
time, the way you want it, so: you want to stay on the force, or you want to
give
me your badge? (
Pause.
) No
shame
in it, Officer, but you answer me.

B
ARNES:
Alright.

P
RICE:
Okay, then let's see where we go.

B
ARNES:
Alright. We'll do that.

P
RICE:
And I suppose you'd better start calling me “Chief.”

(P
RICE
goes and opens the door. Camera follows him into the next room. The group turns to look at him.
)

Now: I want the Occurrence Sheets, I want
every
open case, I don't care how far back it goes,
May:
start me with the last six months. I get through them, take me back a year, so on. I want a Community Calendar, who's meeting where, what night, the Masons, the P.T.A., who's working on this
Arson
case . . . ?

O
FFICER:
I am, Sir.

P
RICE:
My office, ten minutes, please, a full report . . . thank you, all, I've been twenty-five years the business, never saw a group of people couldn't work together, if they felt like it. (
Pause.
) I'm very proud I got this job, I mean to do my best. Anybody's got something to say, you
say
it, and I will, too. Okay . . . ? (
He goes back into his office.
) May, one moment, please . . . ?